HUDSON, Ohio — The Summit County Health Commissioner is anticipating 40 more drug overdose deaths in the county than last year.
With concerns on the rise, one high school is taking action.
The gym in Hudson High School was busy Wednesday morning, but no baskets were made and no volleyballs were being served.
Instead students were voluntarily getting drug tested.
"My cousin Anna was killed by a drug overdose and my whole family didn't see it coming and it was a complete shock, so I'm determined to help my fellow peers make smart choices and not fall in the same trap she did," junior Kristine Roegner said.
"I wanted to show I'm actually clean and you can do better things than just do drugs," senior Janya Bush said.
450 students have volunteered to be members of Drug Free Clubs of America who does the testing.
It's something the Summit County Health Commissioner says is important at a time when many drugs purchased off the street contain fentanyl, putting people at a higher risk of overdose.
"Kids have it really rough today, it's a hard world, it's very different than when I grew up, and I think there wasn't social media, there wasn't the pressure," Summit County Health Commissioner Donna Skoda said.
Hudson Principal Mike Miller knows that while this organization can look good on a resume for a student's future endeavors, there are other ways it can come in handy.
"To give kids an opportunity number one to be drug free and number two it gives them an opportunity to have an out if they're at a party outside of school and say 'hey, I might be drug tested,'" Miller added.
The club is just starting up again following virtual learning and COVID.
To put a point on how serious this is, through September there were 175 overdose deaths in Summit County alone, putting them on track to reach 240 by the end of the year, according to the health commissioner.