Communities throughout the state are holding vigils and other events today to mark International Overdose Awareness Day . Massachusetts has recorded more than 2,000 opioid-related overdose fatalities each year since 2016, including 2,125 last year, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health .
There will be a sunrise vigil at Scituate Lighthouse , a night of remembrance in Bridgewater and a ceremony of remembrance in Quincy, among a bevy of other programs featuring Bay Staters directly impacted by the opioid epidemic.
More than 22,000 purple flags have been planted on Boston Common signifying the toll of the opioid crisis over the past decade.
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In Framingham, members of Framingham FORCE — a group of advocates and community members focused on increasing awareness, prevention and compassion surrounding the opioid epidemic — led an effort to place more than 2,000 flags on the Village Green at Framingham Centre earlier this month to represent the number of opioid deaths in Massachusetts last year.