Two activist groups are planning to protest Butler County Sheriff Jones' refusal to use Narcan on overdose victims. Indivisible OH 8 and OurRevolution Butler County are planning a joint rally Tuesday July 11, 2017 from 4:30- 6 p.m. in front of the Hamilton Municipal Court at 345 High Street in Hamilton.
Below is the official statement of Indivisible OH 8.
Indivisible OH 8 vigorously condemns Sheriff Jones’ ridiculous refusal to use Narcan and demand that the Butler County Sheriff’s Office fulfill their duty to protect human life by immediately equipping and training all officers with this life-saving drug. Since 2012, heroin/fentanyl-related deaths have only risen and are on track to exceed 160 cases this year. While we recognize the extreme difficulty presented to our first responders in dealing with the opioid epidemic, we also realize the supreme failure of the war on drugs and the havoc it has wreaked in our communities. Our precious sisters and brothers who have fallen prey to this affliction deserve love, compassion, and life-saving intervention. This is why we demand that a holistic, low-cost medical and social approach including decriminalization, rehabilitation and community education be aggressively pursued by the county and its’ municipalities. Furthermore, we demand that the Sheriff’s Office acknowledge the preeminent criminals behind this epidemic: greedy, dishonest pharmaceutical corporations.