Seeing the 'Way' out of addiction

Too often, people dealing with addiction are treated as nameless, faceless statistics instead of people battling a disease.

They are often dehumanized while their stories are flattened and then forgotten.

The VA Way, an organization pushing to improve the mental health of veterans, is working to bring awareness to people who have died or suffered permanent injury due to drug overdose.

The VA Way says, “In Maryland alone, from July 2023 to June 2024, there were 1,763 deaths related to opioids, with 1,636 of those involving fentanyl. Additionally, there were 8,667 emergency department visits related to overdose and 6,977 EMS naloxone administrations.”

The group held an event called "Dub Grass" in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day on Saturday.

The affair at the Reckless Shepherd Brewery in Howard County featured performances by a mix of reggae and bluegrass like The Dirty Grass Players, Yellow Dubmarine, Caleb Stine, Jim Kelly, and Drum Circle.

For more information about VA Way click here .