13TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY VIGIL ON AUGUST 30

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August 27, 2013 (San Diego) – A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing) will join Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing (GRASP), the American Civil Liberties Union’s San Diego chapter, and other organizations in the U.S. and abroad in participation of the 13th annual International Overdose Awareness Day. The events honor and remember those who have lost their lives to an accidental overdose. According to A New PATH, it is also an opportunity to educate policymakers and the public about the growing overdose crisis in the United States and abroad – and to offer concrete solutions that save lives.

A vigil will be held on Friday, August 30, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. in the St. Paul’s Cathedral Courtyard (2728 6th Ave. San Diego, CA 92103) to remember and honor individuals who have lost their lives to overdose. This event is part of A New PATH’s Moms United to End the War on Drugs campaign to end violence, mass incarceration and accidental overdose deaths. Participating community partner organizations include Broken No More, NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) Women’s Alliance, FACTS (Families to Amend Three Strikes Law), and ACLU San Diego.  Speakers include Caroline Stewart, Elon Burns, Lizzy Stewart, Jessica McElfresh, and Shawn Norton.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, fatal drug overdose now ranks as the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. for adults ages 25-64, surpassing motor-vehicle accidents. Nationally, a number of states have passed “911 Good Samaritan” laws designed to encourage people to call 911 to report an overdose as quickly as possible. Julia Negron, Board member of A New PATH states, “Overdose deaths are preventable! Our kids, family members and friends need not die. It’s common sense to use tools at our disposal to save lives!”

“There is nothing more tragic than young lives being lost unnecessarily, before they have a chance to reach their full potential,” says Gretchen Burns Bergman, Co-Founder of A New PATH and Lead organizer of the Moms United to End the War on Drugs campaign. She continues, “The grief experienced by parents and family members left behind is heightened by the sense of frustration and even rage, that this loss could have been prevented.”

“I am a survivor of accidental overdose. I’m lucky that a Good Samaritan took me to the hospital instead of leaving me unconscious, because of fear of calling the authorities and facing arrest. So many others lose their lives in this senseless way,” said her son Elon Burns, an Alcohol & Drug Counselor and harm reduction advocate.


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