Sunday is Mother’s Day, a holiday that can bring much joy for some but incredible pain for some families. In 2012 I lost my child Michael to a drug overdose

Last year, nearly 90,000 lives were lost to overdose in the United States. I believe that taking a public health approach that seeks to support — not punish — people who use drugs is crucial to ending the overdose crisis.

We must expand access to evidence-based health strategies that are proven to save lives. This includes making medications for opioid use disorder more widely available, increasing harm reduction and addiction services, distributing naloxone in communities and providing evidence-based drug education for young adults.

Harsh drug laws are harmful, costly, and steeped in systemic racism. For decades, criminalization has led to the separation of families and filled our prisons without helping those struggling with substance use disorder. Rather than continuing to criminalize and stigmatize people who use drugs, we must prioritize health-based, life-affirming solutions.

Michael Carden was a pioneering leader in harm reduction efforts both in New York and across the country, and a tireless advocate for the health and rights of people who use drugs. Beyond his professional achievements, Michael was a beloved son, brother, uncle, nephew, clinician and friend. His nieces and nephews fondly remember him for giving the best horsey-back rides. Michael was also in recovery, and despite his deep knowledge and service in the field, he was failed by the very system he worked to improve.

Substance use disorder is a health condition, not a moral failing. Until we treat it as such, people like Michael — no matter how brilliant, caring, or committed — will continue to be denied the care they deserve. We must do better for all those still fighting.

Diannee Carden Glenn
Greenville
Carden Glenn is the founder of ekiM For Change

This letter to the editor was originally published at Greenville Daily Reflector