AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr on Wednesday hosted a meeting of his statewide opioid task force at Augusta University.

The goal was to discuss the “war on fentanyl” and what Carr’s staff described as his continued efforts to combat the opioid crisis in Georgia.

Carr was joined by local leaders, law enforcement officials, state agency representatives, and recovery and addiction specialists.

“This is a mental health issue, a public safety issue, and most of all, a human issue,” said Carr. 

Attendees got updates from public, private, and nonprofit partners who are working to address this issue in the region and throughout the state.

Carr says there’s still a lot of ground to cover in the Peach State’s opioid problem. 

“How do we leverage the expertise, the assets and the resources that we have to combat this crisis that’s impacting everybody?” asked Carr. 

Carr says success is already being seen in the CSRA with a 15-pound fentanyl drug bust in Augusta alone last fall.  

Although recent statistics show overdose deaths have fallen in Georgia and across the country, it’s still a problem.

GBI Director Chris Hosey said: “It’s starting to spread throughout the state, just like an epidemic, as it’s been explained, is getting into our rural counties. And it is something that we’ve got to address in every county in the state.” 

The average age for overdose deaths is getting younger. Overdoses are the leading cause of death of people 18 to 45.

Reports show Georgia deaths are down nearly 6% – the first change in an increasing trend since 2011.

Local government leaders are hopeful to combat this with state funding from nearly a billion dollar’s worth of settlements from drug manufacturers and distributors. 

Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson said: “We could establish a task force to determine how those dollars can be distributed to the many, many needed organizations throughout our community.” 

It’s an issue the state says is not going away anytime soon, efforts will continue until the end.   

Carr says those state funds are projected to go into the hands of local governments over the span of the next few years.  

Money will be focused on providing resources for treatment and prevention. 

It’s small comfort to families in the CSRA who’ve lost a loved one to an overdose – people like the family of Alex King, who was killed by fentanyl in 2020.

“There’s a lot of grief, there’s a lot of anger because a child should never pass away before their parents. It’s just not nature and it’s not natural,” said King’s stepfather, Bryan Lugo.

Colin Magill was prosecuted for the death, but released from prison early after taking a plea deal for drug possession and distribution charges. His release came less than a month before a new Georgia law strengthened efforts to fight the spread of fentanyl.

The strengthened law holds the drug dealer responsible for the crime with a charge of involuntary manslaughter. It carries a sentence of one to 10 years.

Burke County has charged two local suspects under the new law.

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