Cleveland area religious leaders to devote their sermons to opioid awareness
CLEVELAND, Ohio - On Sunday, April 23, over 550 religious leaders, from Protestant to Catholic and Jewish to Baptist, are bringing the topic of heroin to their congregations throughout Northeast Ohio.
In a coordinated effort, these leaders are devoting their sermons to raising awareness about the heroin epidemic gripping Northeast Ohio. Their goal? Destigmatize heroin addiction, point congregation members to resources for help, and give them a simple step they can take right away to combat prescription drug use close to home: They?ll be encouraging members to turn in any unused prescription medications as part of the National Drug Take Back sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration on Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
?We hear news stories all the time about the opioid epidemic here and yet we?re not talking to one another about it within our own communities, congregations and homes,? says Father Bob Stec, Pastor of Saint Ambrose Catholic Parish in Brunswick, Ohio. ?One of the most difficult struggles for those who have family using or addicted to drugs, especially heroin, is silence. We saw an opportunity to start a grassroots effort to get people talking about heroin use. Church is probably the last place people might expect to hear about heroin, but it shouldn?t be. The more we talk about it with one another
