Get tough on drug dealers

Toledo Blade: A fatal drug overdose is a family tragedy. It is also a crime. And local authorities are right to pursue drug dealers who sell fatal doses of illegal drugs as the criminals they are.

Law enforcement traditionally didn’t track down or arrest people who provided drugs to overdose victims. That attitude has changed in recent years, and that’s a good thing.

The desperate opioid epidemic in Ohio has prompted authorities to rethink many aspects of their typical response to the illegal drug trade. Most importantly, police have become much more sophisticated – and compassionate – about dealing with drug addicts. They’ve become part of the large network of resources available to stem the tide of addiction-related deaths.

Police also have gotten more aggressive about pursuing charges against the dealers who sell drugs that end up killing people. The option of charging someone who gives or sells laced and lethal heroin – knowing full well that it might kill another human being – is a necessary deterrent.