On April 9th, the Madison City Council will be hosting an opioid forum in the Bob Jones auditorium for Madison residents from 6-8pm.

“I think educating everyone is the ultimate goal. The Opioid Forum is to bring awareness and understanding that drug abuse and use is in all parts of society and it does not discriminate. Black, white, rich, poor, no one is spared its wrath. It is prevalent in Madison and all top three crimes committed (domestic violence and burglary/robbery as well as DUI) are directly linked to opioid abuse,” City Councilwoman Maura Wroblewski stated.

The meeting comes at the height of the national opioid crisis. In the last ten years, opioid overdose deaths have nearly doubled, from a reported 36,000 deaths in 2007 to up to more than 70,000 in 2017 alone. As of January 2019, more than 130 Americans died daily from overdoses.

“There is a death in Madison County from opioid abuse every 5 days. Madison is not spared, and those that have died have been in their teens all the way to their 60’s,” Councilwoman Wroblewski continued.

The meeting will feature “new information shared on the opioid epidemic in or area, as well as new resources that are planned to help those struggling with the disease,” according to Candice Dunaway, the Executive Director for Partnership for a Drug-Free Community.

The meeting will include a panel discussion too, featuring a recovered opioid victim, parents of opioid victims, the county coroner, a pharmacist, law enforcement, and more.

For more information, contact the Partnership for a Drug-Free Community.