In 2018, Ohio had the fifth highest age-adjusted drug poisoning (overdose) mortality rate in the United States, with 39,257 suspected fatal and nonfatal drugs poisonings (13–14 fatal poisonings a day), according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). The economic cost of opioid use and dependence across the state was assessed to be as high as $8.8 billion. Siloed intelligence and limited statewide cross-discipline coordination only exacerbated the issue. There are 944 unique police departments operating across 88 counties in Ohio, 65 percent of which have 25 or fewer sworn personnel. Because Ohio is a home-rule state, police agencies usually operate independently from one another and often employ disparate case management systems with limited data sharing capabilities. Ohio also has a number of drug task forces at the local, state, and federal level, but the size, structure, and funding vary.

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