Letter to the Hon. Richard Baum, Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy - Requesting the Designation of Oneida County as a HIDTA

Letter

Dear Acting Director Baum,

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has been a vital partner to Congress as we work to curtail the uptick of prescription drug and heroin abuse across the nation. Since its creation in 1988, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program ran by the ONDCP has been particularly successful in strengthening local efforts to confront the epidemic and reduce the supply of illicit drugs. Today, I write to express my strong support for the inclusion of Oneida County into the HIDTA program.

Over the past several years, we have seen the rise in heroin and illicit drug use plague countless communities across the country, including those in Upstate, New York. In recent years, Oneida County has seen significant increases in the trafficking of narcotics, specifically heroin and synthetic fentanyl. Unfortunately, drug addicts have turned to these dangerous opioids as a cheaper, more accessible alternative than prescription drugs, such as oxycodone. In fact, in 2016 there were 38 deaths in Oneida County resulting from opioid overdoses. In addition, Oneida County saw 538 adult misdemeanor drug arrests and 310 adult felony drug arrests in 2016, an increase of 26% from 2010. In response to this outbreak, Oneida County has created a regional drug enforcement unit in an effort to strengthen their ability to combat narcotics trafficking in the region.

Despite these efforts, Oneida County cannot combat this crisis alone. In order to eradicate the production and flow of drugs into the community, Oneida needs the additional federal resources and intelligence-sharing that is only available through a HIDTA designation. As such, I ask that the ONDCP designate Oneida County as a HIDTA in order to help curb this emerging dilemma. The NY/NJ HIDTA has been essential to areas of New York that have been ravaged by heroin and opioid abuse, acting as a powerful resource for counties that are looking for new innovative ways to prevent drug abuse. The additional resources and expertise the program brings to local communities are essential in our fight against drug abuse. In New York City, HIDTA's work in partnership with New York City Department of Health, the New York Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners, has helped grow and develop the RxStat program, which has become a model for the country in how to use overdose data and other technological resources. With HIDTA's support and guidance, NYC has worked to share these ideas and approaches with areas all across the state, and HIDTA-designated counties are in the best position to use and embrace these ideas.

Again, thank you for your dedicated efforts to keeping the citizens of New York and the United States healthy and safe. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

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