FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – On Aug. 31, many city and county buildings and facilities will be lit with purple in recognition of Overdose Awareness Day in Forsyth County.

In a proclamation introduced at the last Forsyth County Board of Commissioners meeting, Chairwoman Cindy Mills revealed some alarming statistics:

• In 2020, 94,000 people died of a drug overdose in the U.S., an average of 256 a day;
• From 2010 to 2020 opioid-related overdose deaths in Georgia increased by 270 percent;
• In 2020, the Georgia Student Health Survey reported that 241 Forsyth County students in grades 6-12 said they had used heroin in the last 30 days;
• 216 Forsyth County students grades 6-12 reported using methamphetamine at least once in the last 30 days;
• 392 Forsyth County students reported taking a prescription drug that was not prescribed to them.

Following Mills’ reading of the proclamation, community members who lost loved ones spoke about the need to raise awareness in order to combat the stigma and educate our community about prescription overdose prevention.

Members of the group said they would host a Teacup Memorial along with the United Way on Aug. 31 during which they will display banners depicting the faces of those who were lost to an overdose.