The opioid scourge reached crisis level here last week. Symbolically, the tipping point seemed to come when a young couple was found passed out on a downtown sidewalk, their child waiting in a pickup nearby. Emergency responders administered an anti-overdose drug and revived the two. Chances are, instead of taking this scare as a wakeup call, they could end up on the calling side of a 911 alert again.

A woman found dead in a Salisbury motel room last week was less fortunate, according to authorities. By the time she was found unconscious in the bathroom — her two children just steps away — she was dead. The 911 call came in as a heart attack, but responders found drug paraphernalia in the room and police are investigating.

If her case is confirmed as an overdose, three people will have fatally overdosed in Salisbury in about a five-day period that saw 11 overdose calls, while one addict died in Spencer. Numbers on fatal overdoses in the county were not available  Friday, but the ready supply of opioid prescription drugs and heroin, often laced with powerful fentanyl, is clearly having a devastating effect.

Something has to be done. Addiction is poisoning the community, killing people and traumatizing children. In recent years, North Carolina has had more than twice as many overdose deaths as murders. Law enforcement, emergency responders and health providers are overwhelmed and frustrated.

President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a national emergency last week, enabling the executive branch to direct funds towards treatment facilities and Narcan supplies. The declaration could also allow the administration to waive laws restricting where Medicaid recipients can get addiction treatment.

Laws, though, move slowly and sometimes backfire. The opioid crisis is making some people question the wisdom of drug-related Good Samaritan laws. In recent years the majority of states have adopted statutes protecting people who call 911 for overdose help from prosecution for having small amounts of illicit drugs. The thinking is that this helps addicts get quick treatment and stay alive. The North Carolina Good Samaritan Law was passed in 2016, but the number of overdoses and deaths has not slowed.

In fact, the law of unintended consequences is especially wicked when it comes to opioid addiction. The Good Samaritan law and anti-overdose drugs have formed the addicts’ safety net, allowing them to go right back to what nearly killed them — until they finally take the wrong dose in the wrong place and are found dead.

If this downward spiral is to stop, the safety net needs another component, one that cuts off access to opioids and forces addicts into treatment. That means the state needs more plentiful and affordable treatment options. People in the powerful throes of opioid addiction need intense intervention, not accidental enablers.