Pubdate: Mon, 18 Apr 2016
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Geordon Omand
Page: 8
Cited: http://www.mumsdu.com/

VICTIM'S MOM TO ADDRESS UN ON DRUG OVERDOSES

Nearly four years after her daughter died of an opioid overdose, Donna
May will share her story of loss and learning at the UN.

May's daughter Jac, 35, died on Aug. 21, 2012, after overdosing on
pain medication prescribed to help her cope with a flesh-eating
disease she'd contracted after years of addiction and life on the streets.

"From the time she died until (now), all I've done is advocate for
drug-policy reform and to have other people receive the education I
was given so they don't face the situation the same way I did.

"And that's my daughter's legacy," May said from Mississauga,
Ont.

May and three other mothers whose kids lost their lives to drugs have
been invited by the Canadian government to attend a three-day UN
session that begins Tuesday aimed at addressing the world's drug problem.

Last year, the women helped found the group Mothers United and
Mandated to Saving the Lives of Drug Users or mumsDU for short.

It advocates for harm reduction and drug-policy reform, and has since
expanded to include about 400 parents of kids whose deaths are in some
way linked to drugs.

"There are too many victims to the war on drugs," May
said.

"And it's not just the victim that you see. We are the victims,
(too)."
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