NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Every day, more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids.

The misuse of and addiction to opioids — including prescription pain relievers, heroin and fentanyl — is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare. That’s the reason behind a drug symposium is underway through Wednesday at Embassy Suites Noblesville.

Attendees include local, state, and federal leaders. Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill says the symposium brings people together to work on strategies to deal with the drug crisis.

Hill said, “But it’s imperative that we continue to process, understanding the problems we face in Indiana in terms of drug addiction. What we need to do from a prevention standpoint, from a treatment standpoint and enforcement standpoint.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the total “economic burden” of prescription opioid misuse alone in the nation is more than $78 billion a year, including the costs of health care, lost productivity, addiction treatment and criminal justice involvement.