International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is a global event held each year on August 31st. It is a time to raise awareness about the toxic drug crisis, reduce the stigma of substance use, and remember the lives lost or forever altered by overdose.

For families who grieve, IOAD is a powerful day of recognition. For advocates and communities, it's a call to action.

At Moms Stop the Harm, we invite you to organize or join an IOAD event in your community. Together, we honour our loved ones, support those living with substance use, and demand change.

Across the country, our members and allies will be holding vigils, hosting naloxone trainings, sharing lived experiences, organizing awareness campaigns like the Purple Ribbon and Purple Chair, and calling on all levels of government to act with urgency.

Here's how you can get involved:

Download the free Advocacy Toolkit from www.overdoseday.com
It includes sample letters, event ideas, and practical advocacy tips.
Ask your mayor or council to declare August 31 as IOAD in your municipality.
Request a local landmark be lit purple in remembrance.
Host a public vigil or awareness walk.
Start a conversation with local decision-makers about life-saving policy reforms.
Connect with others impacted by the drug poisoning crisis.

We believe in a future where no more lives are lost to preventable overdose. Together, we can build that future—through compassion, education, policy change, and community care.

Let’s make IOAD 2025 a moment of remembrance, resistance, and renewed resolve.

Please join us

Here is a list of events happening in Canada: https://www.overdoseday.com/canada/

If you are hosting an event, please register it: https://www.overdoseday.com/register-your-event/