ONDCP Designates Six New Counties to Help Reduce the Supply of Illicit Drugs and Expand National Overdose Response Strategy

Washington, D.C. — In the midst of the ongoing overdose and addiction epidemic, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Acting Director Regina M. LaBelle today announced the addition of six counties to ONDCP-funded High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program.

The newly designated counties are:

• Daviess County, Kentucky (joining the Appalachia HIDTA)
• El Dorado and Placer Counties, California (joining the Central Valley California HIDTA)
• Madison and St. Clair Counties, Illinois (joining the Midwest HIDTA)
• Erie County, Pennsylvania (joining the Ohio HIDTA)

“The overdose and addiction epidemic has taken a heartbreaking toll on far too many Americans and their families,” said ONDCP Acting Director Regina M. LaBelle. “Reducing illicit drug trafficking is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive approach that also prioritizes prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction to turn the tide on the epidemic.”

The HIDTA program supports regional law enforcement efforts in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. HIDTA officials work with Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement entities to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations.

In 2021, ONDCP provided funding for the nationwide expansion of the HIDTA Overdose Response Strategy. The Strategy brings together drug intelligence officers and public health analysts at the local and regional level to share information and develop evidence-based intervention and support services that reduce overdoses. The Strategy, which is made possible through a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, helps reduce drug overdoses by fostering interventions tailored to local communities. These include law enforcement-led linkages to care, using data to alert and respond to overdose spikes, and ensuring access to naloxone.

For a map of HIDTA Program Counties, please click HERE.

For more about the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive approach to the overdose and addiction crisis, please click HERE.

###