Overdose deaths involving fentanyl are on the rise in Alabama and nationwide. To talk about fentanyl in Alabama, AL.com is hosting a virtual town hall with Alabama U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 22.

The event will be livestreamed on AL.com in the video player above, and also on AL.com’s Facebook page.

Don’t see the video player? Click here to watch the town hall

Tuberville will be joined by law enforcement and substance abuse experts Shereda Finch, executive director of the Council on Substance Abuse; Sheriff Jay Jones of the Lee County Sheriff’s Department; and Dr. Stefan Kertesz, a UAB Addiction specialist and physician. AL.com’s Ivana Hrynkiw will moderate the event.

The number of drug overdose deaths in Alabama more than doubled between August 2016 and August 2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of overdose deaths involving fentanyl increased from 453 in 2020 to 1,069 in 2021, according to the 2023 Drug Threat Assessment report from the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Operations Center.