AND BOTH PARTY CHAIRS WILL JOIN US TO TALK ABOUT ALL KINDS OF POLITICS.

>> ERIC: BUT WE START THE HOUR WITH A LOOK AT HOW THE STATE'S BUREAU OF CRIMINAL APPREHENSION IS TRACKING OVERDOSES.

THIS WEEK, THE BCA LAUNCHED THE DRUG CRIMES AND OVERDOSE DASHBOARD AS PART OF ITS BROADER DRUG MONITORING EFFORTS.

THE DASHBOARD COMPILES DATA FROM A NUMBER OF SOURCES IN THE HOPES OF PROVIDING SOME GUIDANCE TO HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, POLICY MAKERS, AND THE PUBLIC.

HERE TO WALK US THROUGH THE DATA AND WHAT IT MEANS, DREW EVANS, SUPERINTENDENT OF THE BCA.

WELL, SUPERINTENDENT, IS THIS CONSOLIDATING SORT F DISPARATE MEASUREMENTS OF THIS ISSUE?

>> YEAH.

SO WHEN IT COMES TO THE DRUG ISSUE THAT'S BEING CONTEMPLATED IN ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT DATA THAT'S AVAILABLE.

HOWEVER, IT'S OFTEN IN DIFFERENT PLACES.

SO THE GOAL OF THIS DASHBOARD IS REALLY TO BRING TOGETHER CERTAIN DATA SETS SO THAT WE CAN GIVE THE PUBLIC A BETTER LENS AND VIEW OF EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING SO WE CAN MONITOR THAT BOTH NOW AND INTO THE UTURE AND LOOK AT TRENDS AS TO WHAT'S OCCURRING.

>> Cathy: BUT EXPLAIN THAT -- JUST GO A LITTLE DEEPER HERE IN TERMS OF WHY THAT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT.

WHY WOULD, SAY, A HOSPITAL SYSTEM WANT TO KNOW ABOUT TRENDS, AS AN EXAMPLE?

>> IMRAW -- YEAH, SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT ANY TRENDS WHEN IT COMES TO DRUG OVERDOSES, FOR EXAMPLE, WE REALLY WANT TO LOOK AT RESOURCE DEPLOYMENT, FOR EXAMPLE.

SO WHEN WE SEE A SPIKE IN THE NUMBER OF OVERDOSES THAT ARE OCCURRING IN A PARTICULAR AREA, WE CAN GET ADDITIONAL NALOXONE, WE CAN FLOW ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO THAT -- FLOW ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO THAT AREA OR TREATMENT.

IT MIGHT BE THAT WE TRY TO DRY UP THE SUPPLY OF BAD DRUGS AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME.

>> Cathy: WHY IS IT UP TO THE CA TO DO THIS AND NOT THE DEA?

>> WELL, THE DEA CERTAINLY DOES A LOT OF MONITORING ACROSS THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES BUT THIS DATA IS SPECIFIC TO MINNESOTA.

THESE ARE DRUG ARRESTS THAT ARE OCCURRING IN OUR STATE.

THIS IS INFORMATION THAT WE'RE GETTING FROM THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ON OVERDOSE FATALITIES.

AND THEN WE'RE GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT NALOXONE ADMINISTRATIONS FROM THE MINNESOTA MEDICAL SERVICES REGULATORY BOARD THAT MONITORS THAT INFORMATION AND THEN CAN FEED IT ALL TO THIS DASHBOARD.

>> Eric: INSECT -- SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS LOOKS LIKE A GROWTH INDUSTRY.

>> YEAH, IT CERTAINLY IS.

THE FENTANYL THAT WE'RE SEEING IS LETHAL IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.

AND WE'VE SEEN ON THIS DASHBOARD, A PERSON CAN GO LOOK AT IT RIGHT NOW, YOU'LL SEE THE TREND OF FATAL OVERDOSES HAS BEEN TRENDING UP IN MINNESOTA.

AND WE SEE OUR STATE JUST FLOODED WITH FENTANYL, IN PARTICULAR, ACROSS ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES.

>> Cathy: WHERE'S IT COMING FROM?

>> FENTANYL, IN PARTICULAR, TENDS TO COME FROM UR SOUTHWEST BORDER, MEXICO, IN PARTICULAR.

IS WHERE WE SEE A LOT OF FENTANYL.

AND THE PRECURSORS ARE OFTEN IMPORTED FROM CHINA, THE DRUG CARTELS IMPORT THAT INTO THE UNITED STATES AND THEN THROUGH VARIOUS TRAFFICKING METHODS GETS TO MINNESOTA.

>> Eric: I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE OVERDOSE ON MARIJUANA, I DON'T KNOW IF ANY DO, BUT THAT'S A NEW KIND OF WRINKLE IN THE SYSTEM NOW, ISN'T IT, HAVING THAT LEGAL?

>> YEAH.

SO MARIJUANA CERTAINLY IS GOING TO BECOME MUCH MORE LIKE ALCOHOL IN TERMS OF HOW WE WORK WITH IT AND REGULATE IT AS A ARTICULAR INDUSTRY.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S STILL C ON THIS DASHBOARD BECAUSE IT'S BEEN ILLEGAL UNTIL UGUST, SOME OF THOSE CRIMES.

MOST PARTICULAR CONCERN FOR US IS THE YNTHETIC OPIOIDS, THE OPIOID CHALLENGES ACROSS THE STATE, THE METHAMPHETAMINE AND COCAINE, FOR EXAMPLE.

>> Eric: WHAT DOES THE DATA, AS YOU COLLECT IT, SAY ABOUT THE WAR ON DRUGS?

AT LARGE.

>> WELL, CERTAINLY AT THIS POINT IN TIME, AND PART OF THE WHOLE PURPOSE BEHIND THE DASHBOARD IS TO GIVE MINNESOTANS THAT COLLECTIVE VIEW.

LAW ENFORCEMENT ALONE IS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO ARREST OUR WAY OUT OF THE DRUG PROBLEM.

IT'S GOING TO TAKE THE COLLECTIVE EFFORT OF OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR TREATMENT COMMUNITIES, OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE DOWN THE DEMAND FOR THE DRUGS, IN PARTICULAR, AND TO EDUCATE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT THE DANGERS OF THESE DRUGS.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN INTERESTING MAP HERE THAT WE'RE GOING TO PUT UP ON THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW.

TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES, YOU WOULD THINK THAT THIS ISSUE IS A BIGGER ISSUE IN THE METRO AREA, BUT IF YOU BEING LOO AT THAT MAP, WHAT -- IF YOU LOOK AT THAT MAP, WHAT DOES IT TELL YOU?

IT LOOKS LIKE CENTRAL AND SOUTHWESTERN INNESOTA ARE HOTSPOTS.

>> IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAP THAT YOU SEE, THAT'S PART OF THE REASON BEHIND THE DASHBOARD IS TO DISPEL SOME OF THE MYTHS THAT OUR DRUG PROBLEMS ARE JUST IN URBAN AREAS.

IT'S ALL ACROSS THE STATE.

AS YOU NOTED, THE NORTHWESTERN PART OF THE STATE, OUR NATIVE AMERICAN POPULATION, FOR EXAMPLE, IS HARD HIT BY THIS OPIOID EPIDEMIC AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PROVIDING THE RIGHT SUPPORTS, CULTURALLY SPECIFIC TREATMENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S ALL ACROSS THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.

AND THAT'S PART OF THE GOAL OF THIS DASHBOARD.

>> Eric: WHAT KIND OF RESOURCES DO YOU AT BCA THROW AT THE OVERDOSE PROBLEM?

>> THE BCA IS A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, SO OUR PRIMARY ROLE IN THIS IS DOING DRUG INVESTIGATIONS AND THEN OUR LABORATORY ANALYZES A LARGE NUMBER OF THE DRUGS THAT ARE SEIZED ACROSS THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.

BUT THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT GOING FORWARD AS TO ADDITIONAL DATA SETS FOR THIS TYPE OF DASHBOARD.

OUR ABORATORY IS OFTEN THE FIRST TO SEE NEW AND EMERGING DRUG TRENDS ACROSS THE STATE BECAUSE THEY'RE TESTING THEM AS THEY'RE SEIZED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.

SO WE HAVE A BREADTH OF AREAS THAT WE FOCUS ON THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AREA.

BUT, AS WITH THIS DASHBOARD, WE'RE RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THOSE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THOSE OTHER STATE AGENCIES THAT TOUCH DRUG ABUSE IN MINNESOTA.

>> Cathy: YOUR LAB DOES A GREAT JOB.

I'M WONDERING, ARE YOU SEEING SOMETHING ON THE HORIZON THAT WE DON'T QUITE KNOW ABOUT YET?

IS THE LAB SEEING SOMETHING THAT IS OF CONCERN OUT THERE?

>> WELL, FENTANYL REMAINS OUR LARGEST CONCERN IN TERMS OF THE LETHALITY.

WE ARE STARTING TO SEE, IT'S OFTEN BEEN REFERRED TO AS RAINBOW FENTANYL R OTHERS THAT'S COLORED IN DIFFERENT COLORS.

MOST OFTEN WE SEE THE FENTANYL PRESSED INTO COUNTERFEIT PILLS, IN PARTICULAR, OXYCONTIN PILLS THAT ARE DISGUISED TO LOOK LIKE THOSE, THAT'S WHAT DISTRIBUTED, THOSE ARE TYPICALLY BLUE.

BUT WE'RE SEEING IT IN DIFFERENT COLORS MORE THAN WE DID PREVIOUSLY, WHICH IS VERY CONCERNING BECAUSE IT WOULD BE ATTRACTIVE TO CHILDREN.

>> Eric: HOW OFTEN WILL THE WEBSITE BE UPDATED?

>> MONTHLY FEEDS ARE COMING INTO IT RIGHT NOW SO IT WILL BE ONGOING.

YOU KNOW, AS PEOPLE LOOK AT THIS DATA, ONE THING THAT TAKES A LITTLE BIT OF TIME IS TO UNDERSTAND FATALITIES.

SO, MEDICAL EXAMINERS NEED TO LOOK THROUGH AND GO THROUGH THEIR TESTING PROCESS, SO IT WILL BE A ROLLING-UP DATE.

ROLLING UPDATE.

SO AS THEY IDENTIFY THESE AS A DRUG OVERDOSE DEATH, THAT