In an effort to educate and discuss the danger of opioids, public safety officials in Roswell will host an “Opioid Crisis Forum” later this month.

The forum will be held in the city council chambers at Roswell’s city hall on June 26. The event is free and open to the public, and begins at 7 p.m.

It is hosted by the Roswell Rotary Club’s Opioid Awareness Taskforce and the city’s fire and police departments.

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The forum will kick off with a short film produced by high schoolers called “Only One Time.” After the screening, a panel featuring medical professionals, mental health experts, law enforcement, legal experts and recovering addicts will discuss opioids.

Opioids include the powerful drug heroin, but also prescription pain killers like Vicodin, OxyContin, morphine and fentanyl.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid abuse killed more than 42,000 people in 2016, more than any year on-record.

The forum in Roswell will also provide resources on inpatient and outpatient treatment, family support and education.

No registration is necessary to attend. For more information about the forum, call 770-235-3777.

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Gaylord Lopez, a doctor of pharmacy and director of the Georgia Poison Center, shares a few facts about the opioid epidemic in Georgia and around the nation. An investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that opioid-related overdoses in the state of Georgia claimed the lives of 982 people last year. The AJC also found that doctors aren't being held accountable when they behave more like dealers than healers. Video by Ryon Horne, Carrie Teegardin and Curtis Compton