At an overdose awareness event in San Luis Obispo on Saturday, Will Jones spoke out about how he lost his son to an overdose.
“He gravitated to the harder drugs and in the end that's what took his life,” Jones said.
Saturday was a day of learning and support for Jones.
“When he walked into the room, he just walked into the room with positive energy. He was very charismatic,” Jones said.
His son died in 2022, spending 20 of his 38 years of life in a battle with alcohol and drugs.
“He was a wonderful guy who, when he got started with alcohol and drugs, he just couldn't stop,” Jones continued.
Now Jones is raising awareness at the sixth annual Overdose Awareness Day at Mitchell Park.
“This is not just for people who have lost someone to overdose, it's for the entire community and learning to prevent overdose,” said Kim Lacey, founder of SLO Overdose Awareness Day.
The event included a resource fair and a chance to hear from local experts about the opioid crisis with over 20 community agencies and organizations.
In 2023, 106 people died in San Luis Obispo County because of an overdose and 83% of those deaths involved opioid drugs, according to the SLO County Behavioral Health Department.
Now Jones wants the community to be informed.
“Look for the resources. It goes back to what we can do to honor the person we lost and how we can educate the community about that,” Jones said.
