Advocacy groups rally demanding legislation be passed to curb preventable drug overdoses

New York State (WRGB) — As New York state remains in the midst of a record-breaking overdose crisis, experts say recent trends suggest fatal overdoses will continue to break records year after year unless the government takes significant action.

Advocates are set to rally in Albany, New York City, and Rochester on Thursday.

The rally here in Albany is happening at the Million Dollar Staircase, starting at 11am. NYSDOH says these trends have been primarily driven by fentanyl, which has been increasingly present in the illicit drug market.

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Advocates say this crisis continues to take more New Yorkers’ lives than car accidents, suicides, and homicides combined. They say the need for overdose prevention centers is crucial because they save lives.

Marilyn Reyes, Users Union Leader with VOCAL-NY, says "We don't need it tomorrow, we needed it yesterday. Every hour and 48 minutes someone dies in NYS from an overdose, every four hours in NYC. I'm from the Bronx, I'm in the epic center of the overdose crisis./ I see it every day. We're losing mothers, fathers, children, brothers, and community members. It has to stop."

These troubling trends are also playing out nationally.

According to the CDC, overdose deaths reached record highs in 2020 across the nation.