Lockyear says the numbers alone tell the story.

20 years ago, the county averaged 14 or 15 overdose deaths a year; now those numbers have increased 300 percent or more.

Those numbers, he says, are why we have to start now to help the next generation change that trend.

“We’re at all time numbers here in Vanderburgh County,” Lockyear said. “We’re at 57 (overdose deaths), we were at 50 last year and last year was our record year now we’re at 57 and we have two months to go.”

For perspective, that number is half of the students who were in the room listening to Lockyear speak.

Lockyear says President Trump’s declaration of the crisis as a public health emergency shows that the solution has to come from many different places