(The Westfield News/MassLive) – A vigil was held in Park Square on International Overdose Awareness Day Aug. 31 to remember lives lost to addiction and overdose and to bring hope and help to people who are struggling, and to their families.
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State Sen. John Velis said last year at the vigil he talked about the stigma that still exists around admitting to the problem, which he hoped society would overcome. “Unfortunately, that’s not been the case,” he said.
Velis said the number of victims is going up, not down, largely due to fentanyl in drugs that have not historically contained it, such as stimulants, cannabis, sedatives and pills.
Fentanyl was present in 93% of the 2,119 fatal overdoses in Massachusetts in 2021, according to the Department of Public Health. According to state statistics, the number of opioid deaths in Westfield rose from eight in 2020 — a dip from 20 in 2019 — to 18 in 2021.
“We are losing countless people doing experimental use — awareness, awareness, awareness,” Velis said, adding, “Why have 108,000 died nationally, and it’s not the most talked about thing?”
Velis said he’s not under the illusion that next year the problem will be solved, “but I hope there is some progress. Progress, not perfection,” he said.