Family, friends, loved ones and county officials gathered Thursday night at the 10th annual International Drug Overdose Awareness Day Remembrance Ceremony in Rockville.
The theme of the event was Picking Up the Pieces: Hope, Healing and Empowerment.
During 2024, 83 county residents lost their battle with addiction, according to the Maryland Department of Health.
“It is not a weakness,” said Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton. “It is a chronic disease.” She said a diversion center with 20 beds will be built in the City of Rockville.
Anwan Glover, who plays in the Back Yard Go Go Band and portrayed Slim Charles in the HBO television series “The Wire,” emceed the event, which featured Emily Keller, Maryland Special Secretary of Overdose Response, and Shaquetta Nelson, artistically known as R.E.I.L, as well as a candlelight vigil.
A resource fair and photos of the overdose victims also were featured in the event that was sponsored by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.
