DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Three cities in the state made a list for worst in the nation for heroin overdoses.
Dayton ranked worst first, according to ArrestRecords.com. The website ranked Cincinnati sixth and Toledo tenth on the list.
ArrestRecords.com used state and CDC data to calculate their findings.
Tuesday afternoon the Montgomery County’s Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Heath Services (ADAMHS) board sponsored a drug education program at Fairmont High School in Kettering.
The training, OPERATION: Street Smart was hosted by the Franklin County Sherriff’s Office out of Columbus.
ADAMHS officials say it’s no secret the drug has grasped the region.
“We have seen a lot of drug epidemics in our history and they have hit different demographics. Heroin is an equal opportunity disease,” said Andrea Hoff, ADAMHS drug prevention and early intervention director.
A reason the board sponsored OPERATION: Street Smart. A program that educates health officials about street and designer drug awareness.
“They are in our affluent areas. It’s all over. The entire country is seeing this drug trend and it is a problem,” said Corporal Brian Toth with the program and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
Toth and other organizers showed local health officials signs of drug use, drug appearance and paraphernalia.
The program covers a variety of narcotics like ecstasy, LSD, bath salts, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine.
One way to spot drug abuse among youth is by looking at trash cans on school property.
“If you are checking the trash receptacle and seeing items, pay close attention,” said Toth.
Hoff believes through education and community action, the heroin epidemic can be curtailed.
