Organizations from all over the state are asking lawmakers to do more about helping people with drug addictions. Drug addiction is an everyday battle not just for the user, but for communities, and the number of overdoses are at an all time high with medication overdoses being the largest contributor.
"They've been doing a good job at addressing some of the issues, yes there's a lot more they can do, but we're here giving it a face and a voice to bring awareness to it and helping them to maybe speed up their abilities to address the issues today that we're facing with addiction,"Scott Masi, organizer of the rally said.
While celebrating those people on the road to recovery, Masi said it would be unfair not to treat people who have addictions the same way as people who have other serious illnesses. Being attentive cuts down the number of overdoses.
"We out number the people with diabetes two and a half to one, but you know they get treatment and continuous care. Now we're just not addressing it properly, and we need to address it before we lose more lives,"he continued.
But just like drugs have evolved, so have the tools to fight it. Naloxone training was free at the rally and Janee Cox said it has been very effective.
"It has saved many many lives. Narcan is the antidote medication that does bring someone who is overdosing back to life," she said.
