Hillary Clinton To Host Boston Forum On Substance Abuse

Hillary Rodham Clinton is planning a stop in Boston to host a community forum on substance abuse.

The presidential hopeful will be joined Thursday by fellow Democrats, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

The state has experienced a spike in opioid-related overdose deaths in recent years. An estimated 1,256 people died from opioid-related overdoses in 2014, compared with an estimated 939 deaths in 2013 and 668 confirmed overdose deaths in 2012.

Clinton also is expected to attend a fundraiser.

The former secretary of state has had a loyal political following in Massachusetts.

In 2008, she handily beat Barack Obama in the state's Democratic primary, even though top Democrats — including the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy and former Gov. Deval Patrick — endorsed Obama.