wmur's ray brewer is live in manchester this morning and ray, mayor ted gatsas is calling on the state to do more, right? the mayor said his frustrated how long it is taking to appoint a new drug czar after the stepdown last month. he stepped out amidst criticism over his performance. more measures are pending in concorde. the mayor said we're seeing too many overdose deaths and there needs to be more leadership in the statehouse. >> so we're off to a record and not a record that i even about because we're losing and i think it's important that somebody needs to step up and start challenging this at the top. reporter: governor hassan's people to fill the drug czar position as soon as possible. if mayor gatsas would like to be a constructive part of the process, we would welcome his advocacy, which we have yet to see, on the public policy steps the tide of this epidemic. there have been a total of 420 last year that's about 8 people reporting live in manchester ray brewer wmur news 9. sean: funeral services are today for fallen police officer ashley gwindon. >> the merrimack high school

wmur' s ray brewer is here to explain their efforts. ray: keene hates heroin is a grassroots group which helped launch emma' goal of helping even more people affected by addiction. the circle is a support group open to caregivers of children whose parents struggle with or have died from addiction. they met for the first time last night at the keene serenity center with plans to gather every other week to provide a judgment free environment. and with the number of overdoses in the state growing at an alarming pace organizers say affected children is key. >> the people that are raising them don' t have a lot of resources and don' t have a lot of support so that was my goal. i' ve been through this and if i can offer some help to other families, that makes what i' ve gone through a little easier to cope with. ray: turnout for last night' s meeting was small but organizers say there are many other people who could benefit. they are hoping to secure funding in order to grow their efforts to fight what they admit is a very complex problem. rep

ray brewer joins us live in manchester. the mayor is criticizing the state' s response to this ongoing crisis. ray: the governor in particular, the mayor saying that governor maggie hassan is not doing enough to deal with the crisis. he is particularly frustrated with the governor not appointing a new drugs are just yet -- drug there have been 14 suspected opioid-related deaths, two more than the previous one month record of 12 set in march of last year. american medical response says the addiction crisis is getting worse. >> i' ve never seen it like this before. ray: on monday, manchester mayor ted gatsas called out the governor for not filling the drug czar position. gatsas says more leadership is needed in the state house. >> we need to start telling people that if you are caught dealing fentanyl in the state of new hampshire, you will be arrested for attempted murder. that is what is going to slow it down. ray: a spokesperson for governor hassan said she signed to bills to combat the crisis and there are several other me

ray brewer joins us live. ray: it was a small turnout for keene hates heroin, a grassroots group that helped get the affected by addiction and the inspiration came from a seven-year-old girl. >> she is no longer in her life because of her struggles. ray: jennifer has been caring for her seven-year-old niece. her story is the inspiration for a new support group called emma' s circle. the group' s first meeting was held tuesday night at keene' s serenity center. they will get together to provide a judgment free environment for those taking in other people' s children. >> the people raising them don' t have a lot of support. i' ve been through this and if i could offer some help to other families, that makes what i' ve gone through a little easier to cope with. ray: according to a new poll, more than half of new hampshire residents know someone who has abused heroin or similar deadly drugs. complex, organizers hope to provide some assistance. >> this is available for them. this support is here. hopefully, other th