Updates

My son Michael was a pioneer in Harm Reduction in New York City. In many ways, he was my teacher. He taught me about Harm Reduction, that people like him need respect and compassion, and that if something happened to him, he wanted her to continue his work in Harm Reduction to help others like him. This is our story.

There are politically motivated people who attempt to co-opt the grief of a parent who has lost a child to overdose to implement more punitive drug laws. Susan knows these laws cause only more harm and more deaths.

A powerful video from Broken No More with support from Vital Strategies of three women who have lost loved ones to overdose. In this video, they describe the pain and grief of their loss compounded by the unwarranted stigma associated with death by overdose.

As people who have experienced the profound pain of losing loved ones to overdose, we understand that addressing this crisis requires compassionate and effective health solutions. We believe that punitive measures only exacerbate the problem, pushing individuals further into the shadows and away from the help they desperately need. That’s why we are calling on you to join us in advocating for a more humane and lifesaving approach.

Broken No More’s Pre-Mother’s Day Press Conference opposing punitive drug laws and supporting health-based policies was moving and powerful. Mothers who have lost loved ones to overdose urged lawmakers to halt the influx of draconian drug laws that will not reduce overdose deaths but will instead fill our prisons without helping those struggling with substance use disorder. If you want to understand the harms of punitive drug laws and how policies based on public health, Harm Reduction, and science will keep our loved ones safe and alive then this video is well worth your time.

This powerful poem, “Dump Truck,” was written by Jeff Cullen, the late son of Denise Cullen, one of the founders of Broken No More. Jeff’s words offer a raw and unfiltered glimpse into the struggles and inner turmoil he faced. We share this poem to honor his memory and to provide insight into the painful realities that many who suffer from substance use disorders experience.

This country is in the midst of an overdose crisis. According to the CDC for the year 2021, there were 109,179 overdose deaths. It is estimated that in the US, over 1,000,000 people will die of overdose between 2020 and 2029. For over 100 years this country has sought to eliminate illicit drug use by interdicting drugs at our borders and through the arrest and incarceration of those who use and sell drugs. The failure of these supply-side tactics is evident in 109,179 overdose deaths in one year and potentially 1,000,000 or more deaths in this decade. If we want to save lives, we must look past the failed policies of the past and embrace interventions based on public health, Harm Reduction, and science.

This nation is experiencing an unprecedented increase in overdose deaths resulting in over 100,000 deaths per year. Two out of three of these overdose deaths involve illicitly manufactured fentanyl. In response to this overdose crisis, several states have enacted Drug-Induced Homicide (DIH) Laws. The number of prosecutions under DIH laws has continued to increase as the number of overdose deaths has increased. We, the Board of Directors of Broken No More, find these DIH laws and the resulting prosecutions to be misguided in their intent, naïve in the beliefs underpinning their use, and damaging to individuals, families, and society as a whole.

Republican state Senators Sally Turner and Sue Rezin recently introduced a bill that, if enacted, would double down on the failed war on drugs by imposing harsh penalties for the distribution of drugs that contain fentanyl.

This webinar brings together youth and drug policy advocates that are leading the curve to change how we learn and teach about drugs by empowering communities to embrace more compassionate and effective strategies for addressing drug use in the U.S.