HOUSTON – Harris County officials, along with hundreds of community members, came together for the 8th annual Community Drug Awareness Day and Summit.
The goal was go to over different strategies and learn from one another on how to combat opioid addiction, drug abuse and homelessness in their communities.
The conference room inside Prairie View A&M Nursing School was packed to capacity for the 8th annual Community Drug Awareness Day.
About 300 people attended the event.
Community members were able to ask a panel of six officials, which included Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo and Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, questions on what they would do to fight this crisis.
"We have to focus on the demand. If you get rid of the demand, the supply will be diminished, and so the more we can invest in prevention and treatment, the better off we are," Acevedo said.
One way is focusing on prevention, treatment and enforcement.
Officials say each entity needs to collaborate, share ideas and discuss how they can work towards a drug-free community before it's too late.
"We want people to know that drug addiction is a public health concern. While criminal justice can come in and mop up the damage once its already done, it's hard to fix," Ogg said.
The fight is now harder than ever with communities not only dealing with illegal drugs but legal drugs, too.
"If there is a user in your home, people need to be aware that children could take a granular of the drug and overdose, and it could be very deadly. People need to become educated," Gonzalez said.
Harris County sheriffs are now training their deputies to use Narcan which can treat an overdose in an emergency.
Officials hope this and other strategies learned from the conference will help save lives and prevent the opioid epidemic from taking over the Houston area.