Associated Press Published

Over 900 Drug-Related Overdoses in Cabell County in 2015

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  Officials say more than 900 drug-related overdoses were reported in Cabell County in 2015.

Director of the Mayor’s Office of Drug Control Policy Jim Johnson tells The Herald-Dispatch, that of those reported, 70 resulted in death.

Officials say the number of reported drug overdoses in 2015 was greater than the total number of overdoses from 2012 to 2014 combined. There were 272 overdoses in 2014.

The region has been battling an increase in heroin-related overdose deaths since the mid- to late-2000s.

Johnson says his office will continue looking for solutions.

The harm reduction program, run by the Cabell-Huntington Health Department, was started in 2015. It includes the syringe exchange, which is aimed at keeping users healthy and preventing the spread of Hepatitis C and other diseases.