HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A good crowd marched and then held a rally Saturday concerning the stigma and death of those addicted to drugs, especially opioids.

Matthew Griffin, who nearly died from his addiction, is now a strong advocate for finding solutions to help those addicted before it’s too late. A number of local residents have died from overdose. The drugs cause the victims to quit breathing.

Griffin talked about the reality that people are dying locally and across the nation:

 

He also talked about how the families of the victims are affected:

 

Norman Douglas was in attendance Saturday. His son was shot by a Wichita police officer after being pulled over. His son was asked to get out of the vehicle. When he did, Douglas’ son pulled out a gun:

 

Griffin and others are working to find solutions. One possibility is Narcan. It counteracts the life-threatening effects of an opioid overdose.