After a minor back injury when he was 23, Jordan MillerB次元官网网址檚 family doctor prescribed him a highly-addictive opioid called Oxycontin B次元官网网址� for months. When Miller realized he had become addicted to the medication he told his doctor, but instead of receiving help, he was given the boot. Two years later his addiction killed him.

So when young Elliot Eurchuk of Oak Bay died last week , his story hit close to home for JordanB次元官网网址檚 mother Leslie McBain.

B次元官网网址淓lliot was younger but it really doesnB次元官网网址檛 matter how old a child is, losing a child is the most tragic, and dramatic, and terrible thing a parent can ever experience,B次元官网网址� said McBain.

There is a lot of overlap in the two stories. Two young men were prescribed opioids after they were injured. Both were given months worth of the highly-addictive drugs. Both parentsB次元官网网址� requests for alternatives to the opioids were ignored, and both were pushed out of the decision-making in their childB次元官网网址檚 health care. The two young men sought the drugs elsewhere once the prescriptions ran out with no ongoing support and in the end both men died of an opioid overdose.

RELATED:

McBain has been advocating for change ever since she lost Jordan in 2014 in order to save others from going through the torture she faced. She co-founded the network which seeks to change drug policy to support and reduce harm to drug users. McBain also supports and shares information with other parents facing the same fate. She says she deals with about six deaths a week where parents or siblings gets in touch.

B次元官网网址淧eople ask me if this brings up my own grief. ItB次元官网网址檚 a hard job. Anyone who is on the front lines of this is heavily impacted,B次元官网网址� said McBain.

Someone asked her once if she does the work for her son and McBain said: B次元官网网址淣o, actually. I do it for your son.B次元官网网址�

Moms Stop The Harm has about 450 members across Canada, mostly in B.C. and Alberta. They talk to all levels of government in their campaign to stop drug-related deaths.

McBain commends the federal government for both the recent Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act B次元官网网址� which allows people to call in an overdose and not be in jeopardy of being arrested for being around drugs B次元官网网址� and also for creating greater access across the country to naloxone, the opioid reversal drug, calling it B次元官网网址渓iterally, a life saver.B次元官网网址�

Provincially, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions was created in 2017 to help address the opioid crisis, with Judy Darcy as minister.

B次元官网网址淛udy Darcy is very consultative and she gets it. She sees what the problem is and sheB次元官网网址檚 working really hard to make movement on that by developing the Overdose Emergency Response Centre and Community Action Teams in about 18 jurisdictions around BC to help deal with the crisis,B次元官网网址� said McBain.

Working as a Family Engagement Lead with BC Centre on Substance Use, McBain has helped to roll out a document called , advocating for, among other things, families to be included in treatment.

B次元官网网址淲e believe most families and most parents are the best toolbox for the health care provider. Who knows the child better than their parents?B次元官网网址� said McBain.

While the group has seen some positive changes in the last three years in terms of policy, the crisis is not slowing down. Their work is more important now than ever.

B次元官网网址淲e just have to watch the coronerB次元官网网址檚 statistics from every province, every month. It is not slowing down. It is not stopping,B次元官网网址� said McBain.

B次元官网网址淚n the last four years since my son died, IB次元官网网址檝e done a rough count and there has been more than 7000 people that have died in Canada of drug overdose. That is a profound statistic. How is it that we canB次元官网网址檛 do anything more than what we are doing, and faster. ItB次元官网网址檚 unbelievable.B次元官网网址�

She believes the true number is even higher.

One of the biggest pushes Moms Stop The Harm is working to accomplish is the decriminalization of people who use and carry drugs. Criminalization of drugs brings on huge stigma, says McBain, and she believes by decriminalizing it, a lot of factors contributing to this crisis would be mitigated.

B次元官网网址淓ach of us needs to check in on our own stigmatized thoughts about drug use. We need to lose the stigma, and have drug addiction considered like any other heath issue and have the conversation around it,B次元官网网址� said McBain.

The other advice McBain has is for drug users or youth determined to experiment with drugs: Never use alone.

B次元官网网址淧eople who use alone are at great, great risk. That was the case for Elliot in Oak Bay who was by himself. If you are alone and there is an overdose, there is no chance,B次元官网网址� said McBain.

B次元官网网址淚 have encouraged kids to see having naloxone as something they can do to save a life,B次元官网网址� said McBain.

In the wake of Elliot EurchukB次元官网网址檚 death, Island Health is also to not use alone, and to have a naloxone kit and be trained to use it.

Island Health will be conducting a review of the care Elliot received when he was at Island Health facilities.

READ MORE: