TAMIU Hosts Symposium on Opiate Crisis March 8

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and partners will present a symposium aimed at raising awareness about the national opium epidemic Thursday, March 8, from 5-7:30 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom.

The Symposium, “Opiate Crisis: How Did We Get Here and How Do We Move Forward” is free and open to the public. Participants may register for the event at https://tamiu.wufoo.com/forms/mmaip1k07utl27/

Organized by the TAMIU College of Nursing and Health Sciences Dr. F.M. Canseco School of Nursing, Symposium partners also include the Laredo Fire Department, Laredo Border Region, Laredo Rotary Club, and the Webb County Medical Examiner.

The Symposium will include a 45-minute viewing of “Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict,” a documentary produced by the FBI and the DEA in an effort to combat the growing epidemic of prescription drug and heroin abuse.

In addition, a panel of experts will be available to talk about the opioid epidemic and how we can move forward to help our community make better-informed decisions about their health and welfare.

 A Pill-Take Back initiative will also take place at the event to prevent and reduce substance abuse thefts, misuse and abuse of medicines including opioid painkillers. 

According to the White House, which quotes the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics, the national age-adjusted rate of opioid overdose deaths in 2015 was 10.4 deaths per 100,000 Americans.

In 2016, more than 11.5 million Americans ages 12 and older reported misuse of prescription opioids in the past year, and nearly 950,000 Americans reported heroin use in the past year.

The rise in overdose deaths is largely due to the proliferation of illicitly made fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid, and fentanyl analogs, the White House statement reports. 

For more information, please contact Rosario Benavides at the College of Nursing and Health Sciences’ Dr. FM Canseco School of Nursing at maria.benavides@tamiu.edu or 956.326.2575.

University information is also available at tamiu.edu, and on University social media sites on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.