In response to the Feb. 1 article "Wake jail faulted in teen's drug overdose": It's very sad that such a preventable death occurred, especially under state supervision.
Over the past decade, overdose deaths have tripled in North Carolina as prescription medications continue to rise in popularity and availability. In fact, overdose recently passed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of accidental death in the United States.
Overdose is a silent killer, and we need more public education on this issue. Nonprofits such as the N.C. Harm Reduction Coalition and Project Lazarus are working to educate people about how to take simple steps to reduce the risk of overdose. Wake County jail officials should consider taking advantage of programs like these.
