PR&LA Summer 2018

8  • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Summer 2018 Further, according to a study commissioned by Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia had the second-highest rate of drug overdose deaths in 2016 among the nation’s 44 counties with over one million residents: 46 per 100,000 residents, with most attributed to the misuse of opioids. Only Allegheny County, which includes the city of Pittsburgh, had a higher rate of 50.2. When the drug crisis hit Plano, we adopted an intense three prong approach to stop the flow of drugs and the resulting tragic death of our young people. 1. Education We used our public information office to identify that we had a crisis so that every parent, every teacher, every employer and every child could be armed with the information they needed to spot a problem and act. 2. Enforcement We created a comprehensive drug task force with the combined efforts of the DEA, the FBI, and the Plano Police Department to infiltrate and break up the distribution channel. 3. Deterrence For the first time on a large scale, we were able to charge someone linked to the sale of drugs that resulted in a person’s death with a federal crime carrying a significant sentencing minimum. Clearly, what we faced in Plano pales by comparison to the crisis facing Pennsylvania, but we, as leaders of an industry that is one of the largest employers of young people, can make a difference by recognizing the problem and educating others. Just like our numbers cause us to be an effective advocate for our industry they can also allow us to be a real partner in fighting this terrible epidemic. • John Longstreet President & CEO ➔ continued from page 4