Before taking office a little more than a year ago, Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon knew full well that his borough has an opioid problem.
Like many other communities across the United States, the epidemic in New York City’s smallest—and so-called “forgotten”—borough has struck hard and has been making headlines for the last several years, especially when it claims victims through overdose deaths: According to McMahon’s office there were 90 suspected overdose deaths last year, up from 69 in 2015, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
