(ORILLIA, ON) – The Orillia Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is recognizing International Overdose Awareness Day which falls on August 31.
The OPP will be attending the Orillia Walmart Store on Friday August 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a display trailer which provides Overdose Awareness information. The aim of the display is to raise awareness of overdose and to spread the word that the tragedy of overdose is preventable.
Overdose Awareness Day has been a key remembrance event for those who have died from fatal drug overdoses since 2001. On August 31 thousands of people worldwide will stand alongside the friends and families of fatal overdose victims to reflect on those who have been lost. The event is organised on the understanding that no-one need feel shame or disgrace over a drug overdose.
Overdose Awareness Day offers all who have been affected by overdose a chance to publicly mourn and help the wider community understand that fatal overdose profoundly affects mainstream society.
The day also serves as a warning that not only illicit drugs can be dangerous and no-one is immune to overdose.
With the number of fatalities from prescription drugs growing August 31 is also a chance to see that medicines are not always our friends. Painkillers and other pharmacy drugs play an important medical role but their careless use can have tragic long-term consequences.
Officers will be on hand to answer questions and to provide information on prescription medication abuse including a new program offered by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit that deals with opioid overdose prevention.