Heroin contributed to 68 more Connecticut residents' accidental deaths in 2014 than it did in 2013. The news is even worse when 2012 death statistics are compared to 2014's: the drug contributed to 325 deaths last year, compared to 174 in 2012.

These statistics released last week by the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirm what emergency personnel, physicians, police, mental health counselors and addiction services workers throughout the state were already telling us - demand for the drug is growing locally and that demand proves deadly for far too many users.

As appetite for the drug grows, official response to prevent or stem its use and abuse has not kept pace. State lawmakers, municipal leaders and others must work harder and faster to reverse this trend claiming the lives of so many residents of all ages, genders, professions and socio-economic levels.

There has been some progress in this battle. Hundreds more first responders are now trained to use the life-saving antidote drug Narcan and carry it with them. Some locals are waging public awareness campaigns aimed at preventing denial of the drug's prevalence in the region. One such group focused on Westerly and Stonington - Shine a Light on Heroin - sponsored public rallies and has more than 1,500 Facebook followers. Also, more towns are finding ways to encourage residents to turn in unused prescription drugs, including the opioid painkillers that often provide the gateway to heroin addiction.

Despite all this, apathy and a lack of urgency remains prevalent in the state. Studies, surveys, committees and task forces result in little but delayed action. Connecticut continues to have a very limited number of physicians and clinics able to prescribe Suboxone, for example. Narcan availability remains much more restricted in Connecticut than in other states, including Rhode Island.

There has been no follow-up to East Lyme's June 2014 town hall discussion about heroin use, despite former First Selectman Paul Formica's promise for a second meeting by September 2014. Instead, the meeting has been pushed to an indeterminate future date while a survey of drug and alcohol use is conducted among the town's middle and high school students. State Sen. Formica should work with his successor, First Selectman Mark Nickerson, and school officials to make sure the town stays on top of this issue.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in February unveiled a package of proposals aimed at combating heroin and opioid use in the state. Among these are requirements that pharmacies immediately report dispensing of all controlled substances and mandated physician consultation with the drug monitoring database before prescribing more than a 72-hour supply of a controlled drug. The legislation also would expand the availability of Narcan, allowing trained pharmacists to prescribe it.

The governor's proposals make sense and deserve support, but we also urge legislators to take even more aggressive steps toward combating this trend before 2015's heroin-related accidental death rates climb even higher.