Drug epidemic not just about opioids, Compact 2020 director says

Even if the rising usage of drugs such as heroin and fentanyl contributed to the start of Shelby County’s Compact 2020 — an initiative that aims to combat drug use, abuse and overdose — opioids were not the sole reason for the program, Compact 2020 Director Alan Miller told the Hoover Chamber during its June 15 luncheon.

“It was the opioid crisis that really got Compact 2020 off the ground,” Miller said. “We were starting to lose our young people to these overdose deaths. Primarily, it was opiate driven, but what we’ve seen over time is it’s not just opiates — it’s opiates, it’s prescription drugs of all kinds … it’s alcohol, and it’s also marijuana.”

In 2015, Shelby County had 57 overdose deaths. In 2016, that number was down to 36, and there have been 10 so far in 2017. Those numbers, however, are possibly misleading.

“I would love to be able to stand up here and tell you the reduction of these deaths is due to the emergence of Compact 2020 last July,” Miller said. “I’m concerned that what we’re actually seeing there is an increase of narcan administrations.”

Narcan is a prescription medicine that blocks the effects of opioids and can reverse an overdose. Miller said there are efforts to track overdoses and narcan administration to get a more accurate number of potential overdoes, and he believes once those numbers come out, they will realize they have only looked at the “tip of the iceberg.”

And while it is important to talk about opioid usage, Miller said it is also important to think about other mind-altering substances.

“One of my concerns is that opiates is all anyone wants to talk about, and they’ll overlook the hazards of drugs like Xanax or even Adderall,” Miller said. “And we see a frightening trend.”

In 2016, a 16-year-old died in a car crash, and twice the therapeutic amount of Xanax was found in her system. With that amount of Xanax, Miller said, it is possible she blacked out suddenly, and that caused her crash.

“They say that’s completely consistent with Xanax intoxication,” Miller said.

Getting information about drug use and abuse is important for the whole community, Miller said, and they aim to have a strong focus on getting important information to teenagers. While Compact 2020 has three main segments — drug court, education and law enforcement — as they reached out to drug court participants, they found many of them said the same thing — they started using drugs at 12, 13 or 14 years old.

That’s when they knew they needed to get involved earlier, Miller said, and led to greater efforts for early intervention. Compact 2020 is utilizing methods to find at risk kids, or individuals who have been in contact with dealers, and putting that information in their parents’ hands.

“Law enforcement only wanted to investigate or take action if we found the child holding drugs,” Miller said. “That’s how we get probable cause. That’s the only action we could take.”

Now, however, they are reaching out to parents before kids are arrested — opening lines of communication and helping families get the help they need, Miller said. Any tips that come in, whether from school resource officers or community members, are investigated and validated before parents are contacted. So far, they have had 42 parent notifications, Miller said, with “mixed results.”

“Every parents wants this to be over quickly, and it all depends on how long your child has been using,” he said. “And if it’s addiction, more than likely you’re dealing with a lifelong issue.”

For any parent who gets a call from Compact 2020, Miller said he encourages them to listen and seek help. Odds are, they’re only seeing the “tip of the iceberg,” he said, and the family will likely need professional help.

Compact 2020 is expected to grow and expand, Miller said, and they hope to bolster community liaisons and involvement that encourages battling drug usage on a local level. For more information on the initiative, go to compact2020.com.