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Montgomery County officials report drop in drug-related deaths, promote April 26 drug take-back
Summary
The county coroner and district attorney reported a decline in drug-related deaths to the lowest level since 2011 and urged residents to use Narcan and turn in unused medications at upcoming take-back sites.
County medical and legal officials on Thursday presented data showing a recent decline in drug-related deaths in Montgomery County, and encouraged residents to dispose of unused prescription medicines at a countywide drug take-back event on April 26.
Dr. Janine Darby, who spoke on behalf of the county coroner’s office, said drug-related deaths are trending down and have reached the lowest level the office has recorded since 2011. She called each death “a life” and urged continued prevention work.
District Attorney Kevin Steele outlined local trends in substances involved in fatalities and highlighted partnerships that officials say contributed to the decline, including broader Narcan availability to first responders and recent law-enforcement investigations and prosecutions of fatal drug deliveries. “Fentanyl is the thing that’s killing the most people in our community,” Steele said, and he noted rising involvement of methamphetamine, cocaine and xylazine.
Officials also promoted the semiannual drug take-back program, scheduled for April 26, that places secure collection boxes at police departments and other locations. County officials said the program has collected and destroyed more than 31,000 pounds of medication since it began, and that take-back sites accept tablets, capsules, inhalers, vaping products, creams, ointments and nasal sprays but not liquids or needles.
Public-health steps and tools Officials stressed that Narcan (naloxone) remains a life-saving tool for opioid overdoses. The DA’s office said Narcan is free at pharmacies and distributed widely to first responders, and speakers advised residents to keep naloxone accessible. They also described outreach and treatment linkages, including the county’s opioid task force and partnerships that connect people leaving incarceration with community behavioral health supports.
Questions and county context Commissioners and county staff said the improvement is encouraging but cautioned that overdoses and addiction remain a community problem requiring many interventions, from law enforcement to treatment and prevention. One commissioner asked whether the county tracks nonfatal overdoses; officials said hospital-level nonfatal overdose reporting is handled in broader data systems and that their presentation focused on mortality data the coroner’s office compiles.
Ending Officials framed the take-back day as a practical step residents can take immediately to reduce accessible medications in homes and encouraged people to use participating police departments or the courthouse drop-off if they cannot attend the April 26 event.
