The Opioid Town Hall Rally tonight is a good opportunity for citizens to learn more about the deadly threat facing our community and others.

Scheduled for 6:30 p.m. this evening at the Oxford Conference Center and open to the public, the town hall rally will focus on ways we can beat this growing threat that often starts as prescription drug abuse but ends up as heroin abuse.

Yes, we have heroin in this community and yes some of our citizens have died.

We appreciate efforts by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, the Oxford Police Department and other state and local law enforcement agencies who are helping make this rally happen.

In particular, we appreciate Oxford Police Chief Joey East who is always willing to go the extra step in helping educate both the public and the officers he leads about the drug misuse that is facing the community.

Once upon a time heroin was something we only knew of from stories. It seemed foreign, like something for larger cities. But it’s here now, readily available and unfortunately touches many families.

This is a good opportunity for individuals to learn more and a good opportunity for the community collectively to learn more about the challenges faced.