A town hall meeting was held in Vicksburg on September 26 to address the growing impact of opioids in communities across the state. The
meeting was hosted in a partnership with the Department of Mental Health, the Mississippi Targeted Opioid Project, the
Department of Public Safety, the Bureau of Narcotics, the Board of Pharmacy,
and the Mississippi offices of the FBI.
Speakers for the event included Steve Parker,
Deputy Director of the MS Board of Pharmacy; John , Agent with MS
Bureau of Narcotics; Martin Pace, Sheriff
of Warren County; Ann Rodio, Project Director for the State Targeted Response
Opioid Grant; and Marhsall Fisher, Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner.
Understanding addiction and strong prevention efforts can be
key to keeping Mississippi families safe. While prescription opioids can be
obtained from doctors for legitimate needs, they can also carry their own
dangers. Misuse of those drugs can lead to physical dependence and, eventually,
to full-scale mental addiction when people lose the ability to stop their
misuse on sheer willpower alone.