Susan Ousterman: I never in a million years thought I would advocate for the decriminalization of drugs. After losing my son, I saw things differently.
I lost my son to an accidental overdose. However, I support decriminalizing personal possession of substances.
My son was afraid to access clean syringes because he had been charged with possession of an unused syringe. He contracted endocarditis from reusing syringes.
Just because you limit someone’s access to clean syringes does not mean they’re not going to use. No mother should feel afraid that she’s going to be punished by giving her child clean supplies to save his life.
The harsher of the penalties we have, the less likely a person is to call for help if someone overdoses, or administer naloxone.
We are punishing people who are suffering. We are punishing people for our systemic failures and our nonsensical drug policies. We’re never going to get access to the resources people need as long as drug users are seen as criminals.
About Susan Ousterman: In 2020, Susan lost her son Tyler to an accidental overdose of fentanyl and xylazine. Today, she fiercely advocates for a public health approach to drug use to prevent overdose, improve health, and save lives.
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