On Wednesday, April 17, a cooperation of multiple government agencies will sponsor a free community information forum at Grafton High School entitled, "Opioid and E-cigarette Awareness.” The goal of this forum is to inform members of our local community about the dangers of the opioid crisis and the upsurge in teenage use of e-cigarettes.

The forum will open with a presentation by William Shackleford, the Hampton Roads Community Outreach Coordinator for the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia, discussing the stark increase of teenage heroine use. After Mr. Shackleford’s presentation, representatives from the Sheriff’s Office will address the surge of teenage e-cigarette use and the effects of "vaping” in York County.

Also included in the meeting’s agenda is a showing of the documentary, "Heroin, the Hardest Hit.” Produced by Attorney General Mark R. Herring’s office, this documentary discusses the danger of heroin and prescription drug addiction and the impact it has on Virginians. According to Attorney General Herring’s office, the heroin and prescription drug epidemic has claimed more lives in Virginia than car crashes (according to 2014 statistics).

Following the forum, there will be a question and answer session and guests are welcomed to visit the school’s cafeteria, where informational tables will be set up and staff from locally based youth agencies will be available to answer questions.

This forum is just part of Governor Ralph Northam’s initiative to combat the opioid and prescription drug epidemic in the Commonwealth. York- Poquoson Sheriff Danny Diggs said, "Most of us believe that York County is a great place to live. But as in other communities, our youth are not immune from the dangers of substance abuse. Statistically, it happens less here, but it does happen, and any amount is just too costly when it comes to the health and well-being of our youth. We hope parents and their teens will join us April 17 in learning and doing all we can together to help prevent future heartaches and tragedies.”

For more information regarding this event, please call York County Parks and Recreation at 757-890- 3500.

Special thanks to York County Public Affairs