2021 International Overdose Awareness Day

Ocoee Police Department and others speak out on the world's largest campaign to end overdose.

By Annabelle Sikes
| 4:30 p.m. August 31, 2021

West Orange Times & Observer
News

Aug. 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day.

International Overdose Awareness Day is a campaign that "raises awareness of overdose, which is one of the world’s worst public health crises, and stimulates action and discussion about evidence-based overdose prevention and drug policy," according to the IOAD website.

The campaign was originally started in 2001 by Sally J. Finn at The Salvation Army in St Kilda, Melbourne. It is currently the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose.

The Ocoee Police Department took to Twitter to voice their support of the campaign, quoting part of the IOAD mission saying "remember without stigma those who have died and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind. Time to Remember. Time to Act."

The IOAD website provides a plethora of opportunities for people to get involved including resources, facts and statistics, tributes and more.

author

Annabelle Sikes

News Editor Annabelle Sikes was born in Boca Raton and moved to Orlando in 2018 to attend the University of Central Florida. She graduated from UCF in May 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in sociology. Her past journalism experiences include serving as a web producer at the Orlando Sentinel, a reporter at The Community Paper, managing editor for NSM Today, digital manager at Centric Magazine and as an intern for the Orlando Weekly.