Local woman holding opioid awareness walk after her brother overdosed, working to raise awareness

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local woman is holding an opioid awareness walk this weekend after losing her brother at the age of 17 due to an overdose. This comes as the opioid crisis is worsening in the U.S.

The number of deaths reached over 81,000 in 2022 after more than tripling over the past decade, according to the online medical journal The Lancet.

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Local Margo Weisblat shared pictures of her brother, who died in 2020 due to an overdose of heroin mixed with fentanyl.

Weisblat said she doesn’t want anyone else to be part of the overdose statistics. So, instead of getting a tattoo to remember her brother, she’s honoring him in a much bigger way.

”Yeah, I did want to get a tattoo with his name because he had my name on his wrist and my sister’s name on his other wrist. But I thought it would be better to do something that could rest more people,” Weisblat said.

So, she created an opioid awareness walk at the Seawall Pavilion in Jax Beach. It will take place on International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31.

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Action News Jax spoke with Poison Control spokesperson Michael McCormick.

“Understand nationally, there are more than 100,000 people would have died last year from drug overdose – about 75% of them specifically from fentanyl,” McCormick said.

But here in Florida, McCormick said opioid deaths declined from last year.

“In Florida, they are down nearly 10%, which is a lot more than the rest of the nation. The rest of the nation is a little under 2%,” McCormick said.

He said research shows the top cause of the decline is the use of Narcan, which will be given out at the event for free.

“The bottom line is the more we get it out to the public, so when people do come across somebody in an opioid overdose, they then will have the ability to get them breathing again,” McCormick said.

North Florida residents will be able to get the opioid reversal medication, receive training, and remember victims all during the memorial walk.

It’s happening from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

You can register here.

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