CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Students across the state are hosting events Thursday for International Overdose Awareness Day. 

It’s a day to honor the lives lost and promote prevention. 

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, over 11 people died of an overdose each day in the state. 

Central Piedmont Community College nursing student Courtney Benson planned to host an event from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Veterans Park Indoor Pavilion to mark the day. 

“This event is important for people who want to get involved or people who know somebody or are affected,” Benson said. 

NCDDHS estimates 4,041 people died of an overdose in North Carolina in 2021. While the number of overdose deaths is highest among non-Hispanic whites, overdose deaths more than doubled in 2019 among American Indian/Indigenous and Black people. 

“It’s very unfortunate,” Benson said. 

Benson joined the Youth Overdose Prevention Initiative Fellowship launched by Students for Sensible Drug Policy. 

“As a nurse, I’m really interested in thinking about people’s health outside the hospital,” Benson said. 

Global health organization Vital Strategies funded the program. 

“We really wanted to make sure that we were addressing communities that were seeing really stark rises in overdoses very quickly and also getting the perspective of young people,” Kat Humphries, technical adviser for the Overdose Prevention Program, said. 

The goal is for fellows to provide harm reduction education and advocate for evidence-based drug policies, especially among minority communities. 

“There are many different people who are at different stages of their addiction and treatment. Rather than focusing on abstinence and criminalization, we want to focus on what we can do to get people treated and to get people safe and accessible care,” Benson said. 

She said not everyone will agree but in her mind, it’s one way to move forward. 

“We can promote going to abstinence but not everybody is there. If not everybody is there, what can we do to prevent death?” Benson said. 

Several events are planned today for International Overdose Awareness Day: 

• 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m., Coharie Tribal Center, 7351 N. U.S. Highway 421, Clinton  
• 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., N.C. A&T State, 1601 E. Market St., Greensboro
• 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Veterans Park Indoor Pavilion, 2136 Central Ave., Charlotte
• 6 p.m., N.C. Central, Miller Morgan Auditorium, 500 Nelson St., Durham

Other organizations are also hosting events.