Two members of the Medicine Hat Drug Coalition, Kari Ursulescu (left) and Kym Porter, stand beside Mayor Linnsie Clark as she signs a proclamation in support of Aug. 31 being declared International Overdose Awareness Day.--NEWS PHOTO SAMANTHA JOHNSON
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat Mayor Linnsie Clark signed a proclamation Wednesday in support of Aug. 31 being declared International Overdose Awareness Day. Even though this is the sixth annual IOAD event in Medicine Hat, this is the first year a proclamation has been signed.
A free barbecue will be held 5-8 p.m. tonight in the Medicine Hat Public Library courtyard to commemorate this year’s event. IOAD is a chance to publicly mourn the loss of loved ones, to raise awareness of the overdose and toxic drug poisoning crisis and reduce the stigma association with such deaths.
“I think it is important to raise awareness of both the overdose epidemic and the path of grief it leaves,” Clark said. “Everyone in our community is somehow impacted by drug use and the toxic drug supply. Given that it can be so detrimental to the individual using the drug and their family, friends and neighbours, I want to make sure we can prevent those negative effects.”
Kym Porter of the Medicine Hat Drug Coalition explained why it was important to have the proclamation signed by the mayor.
“It acknowledges a collective of people concerned about the crisis we are going through. To have (the mayor) sit and read out those words, I feel it honours the lives that have been gone too soon. The more people we can have understanding this crisis, that it’s not a moral failure and it’s not a choice, the sooner we are going to make the necessary changes.
