Overdose

When a loved one dies of an overdose—and when we worry about protecting our families and communities from the ongoing overdose crisis—it is tempting to divide people into innocent victims and dangerous (often outsider) perpetrators. But such stark lines are inconsistent with the realities of how people acquire and use drugs.

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.

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.

Naloxone, widely known by its brand name Narcan, is a crucial medication designed to combat opioid overdoses. This life-saving drug works by swiftly binding to opioid receptors in the brain, displacing the opioids, and reversing their harmful effects, particularly the respiratory depression that can lead to fatal outcomes. Administered through injection or nasal spray, naloxone acts quickly, often within minutes, to restore normal breathing and consciousness in individuals experiencing an overdose.

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.

Denise Cullen, of BNM, joins Perri Peltz on SiriusXM radio to discuss the opiate epidemic and the development of BNM as a supportive community for those affected by overdose and the stigma of substance use.

When writing letters to the editor (LTEs), it’s important to understand that editors have the right to edit your submissions. Although they shouldn’t alter the intent of your message, sometimes changes happen. Accept these edits gracefully and focus on improving your future letters.

Grief, in all the forms it takes; stages as some call them, is mostly seen as a negative, painful thing. A process we go through with ups and downs. Grief is loss and loss is part of life. We have all lost things throughout our lives, big things, little things, important things and so on.