Today is National Overdose Awareness Day.

According to the CDC, 107,543 people in the US lost their lives to a drug overdose in 2023, and drug overdoses continue to be a leading cause of death in the United States. This is the first annual decrease of overdose deaths since 2018. The CDC also says a majority of overdose deaths involve fentanyl, and in Iowa there were 469 people who died of an overdose in 2022. Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt says in Marion County they want to get people the help they need who may be struggling with addiction.

“Addiction is a horrible thing in regards to people trying to overcome it and we do have overdoses. The most important thing is for those people to get the help they truly need. Somebody that is overdosing on a narcotic, obviously it’s illegal but our number one focus is their safety and getting them the help they truly need.”

Naloxone is something people can keep in their home if they have a loved one who may be struggling with opioid addiction as it can save lives. Marion County Public Health offers naloxone training. If you personally are struggling with a drug addiction you can find a list of all Narcotics Anonymous meetings in the State of Iowa here.