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WEBVTT FOUR OF THIS WEEKEND'S OVERDOSESINCLUDING TWO DEATHS HAPPENED ONMCMICKEN STREET, INVOLVINGCOCAINE, POSSIBLY LACED WITHFENTANYL OR CARFENTANIL.>> FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW WE'RESEEING THE END RESULT OF WHAT'SNOT WORKINTODD: AS HAMILTON COUNTY'SCORONER, LAKSHMI SAMMARCO KEEPSTRACK OF HOW PEOPLE DIE.IN 2016, HER OFFICE INVESTIGATED403 OVERDOSE DEATHS DOWN FROM414 THE YEAR BEFORE.BUT SAMMARCO SAYS THE NUMBER OFOPIATE-RELATED DEATHS, FRODRUGS LIKE HEROIN, FENTANYL ANDCARFENTANIL, JUMPED TO 342 LASYEAR.FROM ABOUT 240 IN 2015.>> THE BLAME GAME DOESN'T HELPANYBODY.AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO SAY WE ARE HERE.THIS IS THE STATUS NOW.WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO TO MOVEFORWARTODD: MOVING FORWARD MAY INVOLVEGETTING DRUG USERS INTOTREATMENT WHETHER THE USER WANTSTO GO OR NOT.>> THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TOFIGURE OUT IS HOW CAN WE STOPREVIVING SOMEBODY AND JUSTWALKING AWAY.TODD: IT TURNS OUT THE REGION'SHEROIN CRISIS IS BRINGING GROUPSTOGETHER THAT HAVE NOT ALWAYSSEEN EYE TO EYE LIKE POLICE ANDTHE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIESUNION.AND FROM THE HAMILTON COUNTYHEROIN COALITION ONE OF THETHINGS WE ARE WORKING ON, ANDWE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS WITHGROUPS LIKE THE ACLU, WITHINOURSELVES AND HOSPITAL SYSTEMSCAN WE LEGALLY INTERVENE FROMTHAT TIME WE NARCAN SOMEBODY ANDCAN THEY EITHER GO TO THE JAILSYSTEM OR CAN THEY GET INTOTREATMENT.TODD WHATEVER THE NEXT STEP IS,EVERYONE AGREES IT WILL TAKEMONEY AND POSSIBLY NEW RULESCRAFTED BY LAWMAKERS AT THESTATEHOUSE IN COLUMBUSLET'S TALK ABOUT THE WEEKENDOVERDOSES.POLICE SAY IT'S POSSIBLE TWOPEOPLE DIED THIS WEEKEND AFTERTAKING COCAINE THAT MAY HAVEBEEN LACED WITH FENANYL ORCARFENTANIL.JUST A TINY AMOUNT OF EITHERILLICIT DRUG MIXED WITH ANOTHERSUBSTANCE, INCLUDING MARIJUANA,

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Talk of deadly drug overdoses dominated a news conference on Monday that featured many of Greater Cincinnati's top crime fighters. "From our point of view, we're seeing the end result of what's not working," Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco said. Sammarco keeps track of how people die. In 2016, her office investigated 403 overdose deaths in Hamilton County, down from 414 the year before. But Sammarco said the number of opiate-related deaths, from drugs like heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil, jumped to 342 last year from about 240 in 2015. "We've been saying for quite a while now that these are really, really, really deadly combinations of drugs," Sammarco said. MORE: Fentanyl-related deaths overtake heroin-related deaths in Hamilton County The coroner praised emergency responders and said the number of overdose deaths would have been much higher were it not for paramedics, firefighters and police officers who bring drug users back to life with the opioid-reversal drug Narcan. But she also knows a growing number of people are growing increasingly fed up with the opioid epidemic. Even law enforcement officials who took part in Monday's news conference expressed frustration that many heroin users rescued by first responders may face no penalties. "I find it completely unacceptable that fire (Cincinnati's Fire Department) goes and revives someone and police go and revive someone, and they can get up and walk away," said Tim Reagan, resident agent in charge of the Cincinnati office of the Drug Enforcement Administration. "There's just no mechanism on the books for us to get them in the system, other than lock them up." Reagan points out that in many cases, drug users who are revived with Narcan walk away before police arrive. That's why he's pleased that leaders from several different agencies are working together to find solutions to the opioid epidemic. "We're chasing the bigger dealer," Reagan said. "We're doing prescription pill take-backs. We're prosecuting the dealers in federal court. The coroner's office is dealing with bodies. Everybody is throwing everything at this and hoping something will stick." "The blame game doesn't help anybody," Sammarco said. "What we're trying to do is say, 'We're here. This is the status now. What are we going to do to move forward?" Moving forward may involve getting drug users into treatment whether users want to go or not. "What we're trying to figure out is how can we stop reviving somebody and just walking away," Newtown police Chief and Hamilton County Heroin Coalition member Tom Synan said. It turns out Southwest Ohio's heroin crisis is bringing groups together that have not always seen eye to eye, like police and the American Civil Liberties Union. "From the Hamilton County Heroin Coalition, one of the things we are working on, and we've had discussions with groups like the ACLU, within ourselves and hospital systems, (is) can we legally intervene from that time we Narcan somebody, and can they either go to the jail system or can they get into treatment?" Synan said. Whatever the next step is, everyone agrees it will take money and possibly new rules crafted by lawmakers at the statehouse in Columbus. Until then, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Parker said it's important that people who get caught dealing drugs know what kind of prison time they could face. As WLWT investigator Todd Dykes recently reported, some convicted drug dealers in Hamilton County have been sentenced to a form of probation called community control, in lieu of jail time. Parker said if the feds get involved, the punishment can be significant. "For those who are on the streets who feel that $40 or that $80 bump, that quick money, will not really produce anything but community control - not necessarily," Parker said. "In the federal system, you're looking at a 20-year mandatory minimum." In addition to locking up people who sell illicit narcotics, Parker said he thinks more energy should be spent on prevention. "No one starts by saying, 'I would like to be an addict,'" Parker said. "But there's not enough there as far as prevention to tell people to 'watch yourself.'"