The Mid-Iowa Drug Task Force was organized in 1991, which addressed the increased drug use and traffic in Marshall and Tama Counties. Sheriff Joel Phillips says this task force is 9 different agencies working together.

Sheriff Phillips has statistics from January 2024 – September 2024 and he says the local substance abuse center treated nearly 1,500 people in Marshall County. That is 2.6% of Marshall County’s population.

According to the Sheriff, it is heroine and prescription drugs causing many of the overdoses.

Sheriff Phillips says they cannot arrest their way out of this problem, but the task force does focus on the higher-level offenders. He says ultimately, he wants to connect those having problems with community resources to get them the help they need.

Zach Tomesch, News Director KFJB