Candlelight vigil held in Wrentham to remember drug overdose victims | Local news

The vigil takes place annually on the occasion of International Drug Overdose Awareness Day.

SAFE will also work with community members to place commemorative flags throughout the region.

The opioid epidemic has claimed one million lives nationwide, and more than 2,000 people have died of overdoses in Massachusetts since 2016.

Last year, 2,125 people died of opioid overdoses in Massachusetts, down 10% from the previous year but the third-highest number in more than two decades, according to the state Department of Health.

In the 10 cities in the Sun Chronicle's readership area – Attleboro, North Attleboro, Foxboro, Mansfield, Norfolk, Norton, Plainville, Rehoboth, Seekonk and Wrentham – 49 people died of opioid overdoses. That's two fewer deaths than in 2022, according to state statistics.

The SAFE Coalition is a nonprofit organization that supports individuals with substance use disorders and their families and works to close the gaps in their care systems.