DTN Audio Podcast
09/06/26 International Overdose Action Day
On this edition of Century: International Overdose Action Day. Since 2001, communities and organizations across the globe have recognized August 31 as International Overdose Awareness Day, a time to both honor loved ones who lost their lives to overdose and to raise awareness about the overdose crisis. It began in 2001 as a community remembrance event at The Salvation Army needle exchange facility in Melbourne, Australia. Now restyled as International Overdose Action Day, this annual event takes place worldwide each year on August 31. This week\'s show begins with a presentation by Leo Jeffreys, the newly appointed Executive Director of the European Network of People who Use Drugs, who spoke on a webinar hosted by the European Union Drugs on August 31. From Europe we turn to the United States, where on August 26, families who\'ve lost loved ones to overdose hosted a news conference, organized by the nonprofit Broken No More, to urge lawmakers to prioritize health-based solutions that prevent these tragic losses. We hear presentations by two of the speakers at that news conference: Aisha Betancourt Esquivel, Founder of the The Breanaland Foundation, and James Moore, founder of the Recovery Rides Bicycle Program, which partners with local treatment centers.
