Heroin: From Prescription To Addiction (Part 6)
BOSTON (CBS) - The alarming increase in the number of fatal drug overdoses in recent months, has prompted action on the part of government leaders. In part six of her series, "Heroin: From Prescription to Addiction" WBZ's Mary Blake looks beyond the numbers.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mary Blake reports
"He just passed away. I mean, it was very peaceful for him; his nightmares over…mine had begun." Sue Cyr of Raynham lost her youngest son, Eric to an overdose earlier this year. It happened a week after her request that he be 'sectioned' was denied.
Section 35 permits the courts to involuntarily commit someone deemed to be a risk to themselves or others due to drug or alcohol addiction. It means handcuffs and a record but also guarantees inpatient substance abuse treatment for up to 90 days.
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Cyr says her son's five-year addiction initially took her by complete surprise. "I'm still shocked to believe that he did it. He didn't seem depressed. If you could've seen him that day, you would of bet two million dollars that that child never took drugs," she says.
Cathy Gilmore of Franklin lost her son Anthony last September. He'd been released from a hospital a few hours after he was treated for an overdose. He was struck and killed by a train 23 minutes later. Like Sue Cyr, Cathy Gilmore said she never thought her 27-year-old son would become an addict. "He honest to God was such a good kid and I'm not saying that because he's my kid. He was such a good person…loving, very athletic," she recalls.
Gilmore wants a law passed that would require hospitals to keep patients who overdose for a minimum of 48 hours. Cyr has a plea to insurance companies: "If they could cover more, you'd be stopping it earlier."
Gilmore also has a message for law enforcement. "What about the dealers? You hear about the drug addicts. The drug dealers don't do drugs, you know what I mean, they sell them…and get rid of them," she says.
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