Politics & Government

An Unwelcome Find On A Routine Run

Number of overdoses in Lacey down since same time last year


by Patricia A. Miller

Township Committeeman David Most likes to run. It's what he does.

And he went for a run before the May 8 Township Committee meeting last night on  Lacey Road in the Bamber Lakes section of the township.

"I run 5Ks," Most said. "This is what I found on Lacey Road tonight,"  as he held up a used hypodermic syringe in a plastic bag. "I"m not embarrassed to deal with this issue."

Most and other township officials have not shied away from discussing drug problems in the township, unlike some municipalities.

The good news is the number of overdoses in Lacey has dropped from the same time last year, Most said..

Officials attribute the drop in overdoses and overdose deaths to community drug forums, the Municipal Drug Alliance, education in the schools, Police Chief David A. Paprota's hard-line stance on drug abuse and Narcan, an antidote to heroin overdoses.

"This week, we had another (Narcan) save," Mayor Gary Quinn said. "Our officers do a great job."

So far this year Lacey has had two overdose deaths and 12 overdoses, Most said after the meeting. Last year Lacey had 8 deaths from overdoses, he said.

"We have to deal with it," he said during the meeting. "We have to build our kids strong." 



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here