BALTIMORE (AP) - Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford is attending a summit for the Maryland Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force.
Rutherford is scheduled to join Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen on Wednesday in Baltimore.
Rutherford is leading Gov. Larry Hogan's initiative to address the rising rate of fatal overdoses in Maryland. Last month, he attended a task force summit in Elkridge.
In February, Hogan laid out plans to tackle the state's drug use, which he declared an emergency. Within the initiative is the creation of the task force and a council, and a $500,000 federal grant to expand re-entry programs for ex-prisoners.
