“As long as we see people who use drugs as criminals, they’re not going to get the services and support that they need,” Ousterman said. “I never in a million years thought that I would be someone here advocating for decriminalization of drugs, but it’s a reality. These people are suffering. They need health [care], not jail.”
Ahead of Mother’s Day, grieving moms who lost their children to drug overdose are warning that the wave of punitive anti-drug legislation sweeping the country would not have prevented the deaths of their loved ones. In fact, they say, adopting harsh new laws like these only makes the spiralling public health crisis worse by further criminalizing people living with substance abuse disorders.
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Mothers who have lost their children to drug overdoses say one way to cut down on the death toll could be to decriminalize all drugs. But this small group of mothers, led by JOLT Foundation’s Tamara Olt, said making such drugs as heroin, morphine and others legal could reduce the stigma surrounding their use and allow people to get help before it’s too late.