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Attorney General Mike DeWine
New Resource to
Increase Awareness of an Opiate Overdose or Addiction
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—In recognition of International Overdose Awareness
Day, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today released a new resource
that can be used to help inform the public on how to recognize opiate
addiction or an opiate overdose.
The "Drug Addiction Affects All Ohioans" poster, created by the
Attorney General's Heroin Unit in partnership with the Ohio Department
of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Ohio Association of
County Behavioral Health Authorities, lists the warning signs of opioid
abuse or addiction and the signs of an overdose. It also includes
a statewide hotline number that those looking for assistance can call.
One in five Ohio residents knows someone struggling with heroin
addiction.
"Many people might not realize that a friend or family member is
battling addiction because they don't know the signs," said Attorney
General DeWine. "Printing and displaying this poster is a simple way to
help spread awareness."
As part of the services the Attorney General's Heroin Unit provides to
local government and law enforcement authorities, a localized poster
can be created with partnering agencies to include information on local
resources. Summit County Public Health and Hamilton County Public
Health are among the local agencies currently distributing a customized
version of the poster to local businesses.
Signs of opioid abuse or addiction include:
Sudden dramatic weight loss
Changes in expected emotional response and rapid mood swings
Dramatic changes in sleep patterns
Constipation without reasonable explanation
Small or pinpoint pupils
Unexplained missing personal items and money
Symptoms of an opioid overdose include:
Bluish nail beds and lips, pale or grayish skin tone
Noisy and irregular breathing, respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest
Attorney General DeWine created the Heroin Unit in 2013 after
information gathered by the Attorney General's Office revealed an
increasing rate of heroin overdose deaths across the state. The
unit is made up of authorities from the Attorney General’s Bureau of
Criminal Investigation (BCI), Special Prosecutions Section, and Ohio
Organized Crime Investigations Commission. The unit also includes
education and outreach specialists from the Attorney General’s Office.
Local agencies interested in learning more about the posters and about
working with the Attorney General's Heroin Unit should contact Amy
O'Grady, Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives for the Ohio Attorney
General's Office, at 614-728-4943 or heroinunit@ohioattorneygeneral.gov.
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