As opioid addiction increasingly becomes a health hazard — in Douglas County, as well as the rest of Kansas — it’s critical that state and local officials take aggressive steps to stem the problem before it worsens.

The latest Community Health Assessment for Douglas County shows that substance abuse, especially abuse of opioids, is now the leading cause of accidental deaths in the county. The health assessment is compiled by the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department using vital statistics data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The recent rise in opioid deaths is due in part to a spike in the availability and use of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is significantly more potent and lethal than other prescription pain medications. Heroin is sometimes laced with fentanyl, increasing the risk of overdose by users.

From 2010 through 2015, there were 52 deaths in Douglas County related to drug and alcohol abuse, including 32 in which opioid abuse was a factor. There were nearly as many opioid overdoses as there were fatal car wrecks (36). By comparison, there were 19 opioid-related deaths from 2005 to 2009.

The 68 percent spike in opioid-related deaths is alarming to county officials, but Douglas County is by no means unique. Increasingly, opioids are a statewide issue. Kansas saw a 28 percent increase in opioid-related deaths from 2013 to 2015.

In the face of such numbers, it is important for state and local officials to make implementing preventive steps a priority.

Earlier this year, the Kansas Legislature approved a law allowing first responders to administer opioid antagonists that stop fatal symptoms of prescription drug and heroin overdoses. The law also allows pharmacists to give people the drug without a prescription. Forty-seven other states already have a similar law in place.

The Kansas State Board of Pharmacy, along with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, operates a prescription drug tracking system called K-TRACS, which uses electronic health records to keep track of prescriptions and controlled substances throughout the state.

The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services recently awarded $2.6 million in grants to four organizations to develop strategies for addressing and preventing opioid abuse. Among those was a $657,000 grant to the University of Kansas Health System to fund opioid treatment for uninsured Kansans.

In Lawrence, DCCCA is focused on community education focused on the safe use, storage and disposal of prescription medications.

“Because it’s an emerging issue here, I think we really do have an opportunity to develop and implement interventions before the problem does become potentially as severe as it is in other places around the country,” said Chris Tilden, director of community health at the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department.

The opioid crisis has already destroyed too many communities around the country. Douglas County officials are right not to wait for more deaths to implement preventive measures here.