Let's work together to reduce opioid misuse and abuse.

Know

the

Facts!

According to the MS Department of Health:


  • From 2019 to 2020 – Mississippi drug overdose deaths increased by 49%, and deaths from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl more than doubled.
  • Deaths involving amphetamine stimulants increased by 77%.
  • Overdose deaths involving more than one drug increased by six times between 2011 and 2020.
  • Nationally, more than 932,000 people have died since 1999 from a drug overdose. 70% of overdose deaths involved illicitly manufactured fentanyl.


Who is at risk?


  • Males: The proportion of male overdose deaths has been increasing. In 2020, nearly two-thirds of overdose deaths were among males.
  • Younger Mississippians: Fatal drug overdoses in people under the age of 35 nearly doubled from 2019 to 2020.
  • African Americans: The proportion of overdose deaths among African Americans has been steadily increasing since 2011.

Extending R.O.A.R.

As an extension of our work with the Reducing Opioid Abuse in Rankin County (R.O.A.R.) project, the Opioid Prevention Task Force is working to educate community on preventing the misuse and abuse of opioid in Mississippi.


The goals of the program are to:

  • reduce  stigma, 
  • reduce  exposure  to  risk  factors, 
  • the  availability  of  resources, 
  • and  risks  associated  with  misusing/abusing prescription and/or illicit opioids.


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