PUTNAM COUNTY — More than two dozen local Ohio drug task forces will receive financial support from the state to aid in disrupting the drug trade and reduce substance abuse, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Wednesday.
DeWine’s RecoveryOhio Law Enforcement Fund will give $18,371.32 cents to the Multi-Area Narcotics Task Force, which serves Putnam, Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding and Williams counties in an effort to improve identification of high-level traffickers, break up trafficking organizations, prevent illegal drug sales and “interrupt the flow of money and drugs from international cartels,” according to a media release.
The fund will award almost $2.3 million in grants between 30 drug task forces in the state.
“I’m committed to supporting our local drug task forces, which are working hard to stop the cartels that continuosly push drugs into our communities, causing crime and addiction,” DeWine said in the release.
The Multi-Area Narcotics Task Force is made up of officers from six counties working to fight drug abuse. It provides substance abuse education for parents, points people toward support after drug abuse-related deaths and provides recovery resources. The task force’s website includes a directory of places at which to safely dispose of illegal drugs and unused medication.
Funding will also support the RecoveryOhio program, which provides resources to increase substance use and mental health awareness, assists in the implementation of age-appropriate prevention education in schools, provides treatment options to those in need and promotes recovery, according to the release.
DeWine worked with the state’s General Assembly to fund the grants. The program is run by the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services.
Reach Jessica Orozco at 567-242-0398, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @JessicaCOrozco.
