Ad hoc drug task force to be formed

WINSTED —  At the behest of Selectman Todd Arcelaschi, the town will be forming an ad hoc task force on the opioid crisis and addiction.

Arcelaschi gave a presentation at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Monday, Aug. 7, which detailed why he felt the task force was needed.

After his presentation, none of the members of the board made a motion on whether or not to approve the ad hoc task force.

However, in an interview after the meeting Mayor Candy Perez said that because the task force was ad hoc a motion was not needed to form it.

“I long held the beliefs that strong punishment and harsh criminal sentences would go a long way in solving the drug problem that we have,” Arcelaschi said at the beginning of his presentation. “After much research, I have learned that, unfortunately, that is not the case. Many of those who are suffering from addiction cannot handle it by themselves. They need support from outside. It doesn’t matter how much they want to try, they need support from their community, their family and from professionals.”

Arcelaschi said that the purpose of the task force would be to explore additional avenues to “address the opioid crisis through a multi-faceted approach to attack the issue.”

“The task force should focus on all forms of addiction, but not limited to heroin and prescription pain killers,” he said. “It must examine other factors such as underage drinking, which is still a problem in the community.”

As an example, Arcelaschi cited an incident where 50 people were charged with underage drinking at the Xfinity Theater in Hartford on July 21.

“The problems that we have are all nationwide,” Arcelaschi said.

National, state and
local statistics

In his presentation, Arcelaschi cited statistics from national, state and local sources.

He said that, according to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, in 2012 there were 195 heroin-related deaths statewide.

Last year the number grew to 541 deaths.

In 2012 there were 357 drug-related deaths in Connecticut, while last year the number grew to 917 drug-related deaths.

As for local statistics, according to the Winchester Police Department in 2015 there were 16 calls to respond to opioid overdoses.

In 2016 there were 25 opioid overdose calls, 4 fatal overdose deaths and seven arrests.

This year, as of July 25, the police department has responded to 20 overdose calls.

There have also been two opioid-related deaths and five opioid-related arrests.

Arcelaschi said that the police department has also saved 18 people by administering Narcan.

He added that, so far this year, Winsted Area Ambulance saved three people by administering Narcan.

Arcelaschi said that, since November 22, the Police Department has collected over 171 pounds of prescription medication at a drop box at its station.

He applauded current actions in the community to prevent drug use, including the department’s use of Narcan and the arrest of dealers, along with the ongoing actions and community support from civic groups.

“But what really needs to happen is for the community needs to report suspicious activity,” he said. “If the officers don’t know about it, they can’t do anything.”

Arcelaschi said that, through the task force, he would like to open up a dialogue on drug enforcement with the Litchfield County Opiate Task Force, along with seeking grants for drug education.

He added that, through the task force, he would seek grants for educational efforts, further panel discussions and the placement of an officer from the Statewide Narcotics Taskforce in the community.

“The placement would increase the number of drug investigations and drug arrests in the community,” he said.

Members of the board were all supportive of the task force.

At the end of the meeting, Arcelaschi said he would spend the next few weeks putting the task force together.