The Mississippi Department of Mental Health, along with state and local law enforcement agencies, will be hosting an Opioid Town Hall Rally in October to bring the community together to help solve the growing abuse of prescription painkillers.

The rally will be held at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 3 at the Oxford Conference Center.

During this event, a panel of representatives from across the state and local community will talk about opioid abuse and what people can do to help reduce the death and destruction caused by opioid addiction.

In Mississippi, 1 in 10 people misuse prescription drugs. Prescription drug abuse has surged 400 percent in the past decade and more teens say it’s easier to get prescription drugs than to buy beer, according to DMH.

For more information, visit www.dmh.ms.gov.