Did you see the headlines in Sunday’s paper about the state of drug abuse in this area?

Did you notice that overdose deaths have more than tripled since 2010 – from 20 then to 72 in 2015. WOW—and those are the ones that have been reported in simple Clark County—all those lives gone—like a breeze in bitterest part of winter. On September 21, Family and Youth Initiatives will sponsor their 5th Annual Drug Symposium. Held at the High School Auditorium from 6-9pm, the open public meeting will feature expert speakers from Ohio, who realize how devastating this epidemic is. Attorney General Mike DeWine will lead off the evening with the state perspective of this disease that is destroying so many families caught up in the throes of an addict. Dr. Brad Lander, Clinical Director of Addiction Psychiatry, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, will speak on the effects on the youth of our society and what processes will work to help them. Other experts will speak to our local community and what is being done to curb the epidemic and hope for the future.

The public is invited to this special and important evening. They are also invited to be involved with a panel discussion as to the state of our local community, an invitation to join the Community Task Force, and the importance of keeping this issue alive and find solutions to keep our community safe, get local help for our citizens in need, and educate our youth so they do not get addicted.

SO MARK THE DATE AND COME TO SEE HOW YOU CAN EITHER GET HELP FOR SOMEONE YOU LOVE, OR SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP THE COMMUNITY FIGHT THIS ISSUE AND DISCOURAGE ILLEGAL DRUG DEALERS FROM SELLING THEIR “WARES” WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.

Want to be part of the solution? Call FYI today, 845-0403, and sign up to be part of the panel for exploring our possibilities.