Today, We Mourn. Tomorrow, We Act.

Albus Brooks
Aug 31, 2018 · 2 min read

By Councilman Albus Brooks

In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day today I am sponsoring an official city proclamation to remember those in our community that we have lost to drug addiction.

I am calling for us as a city to mourn with those who mourn, and to take time to remember the lives of those who battled addiction.

As a public servant it is tempting to focus on the larger drug policy and public health aspects of drug addiction, but on this day it is important that we connect with the realities of those in our community whose journeys ended with an overdose.

Their pain will not be overlooked by statistics, and their joy will not be overshadowed by stigma.

More than 72,000 families lost a loved one to an overdose in 2017, and it is the second leading cause of death in Denver. Colorado had 1,012 drug overdose deaths in 2017 alone, up from 912 the year before. Behind every statistic is a story. Beside every loss is a family in lament.

During my recovery from extensive surgeries to remove a 15-pound cancerous tumor in 2016, I was provided powerful opioids to relieve the pain. My body quickly became reliant on these powerful drugs, bringing an ironically sobering realization that anyone can experience addiction.

International Overdose Awareness Day is a time to recognize that drug addiction does not represent failure, nor does it have to be permanent; the fear of treatment and the tears of trauma are no strangers to the recovery process, but we can prevent further loss with better access to treatment, supervised consumption sites, and harm reduction strategies at the city level.

As a leader in Denver, my heart holds the pain of both those who are no longer with us and those they left behind.

Historically, our societal response to drug addiction has been used to disproportionately disadvantage low-income and minority communities. Harsh criminal penalties were handed out en masse without any measure of compassion, undermining the recovery journey of an entire generation of those struggling with addiction. We must not make that same mistake again.

A truly inclusive, resilient city is one that provides a system of support to those in need. That is why we must act swiftly with bold approaches; criminalization must be replaced with access to medical care and treatment, and we need to take steps towards building supervised consumption sites in Denver.

The longer we delay action, the more people will die.
So on this day, let us commit to act in the memory of those we have lost to drug addiction.

To read more about what we are doing as a city, click here.

Albus Brooks

Written by

Dad. Husband. Denver City Councilman representing the fine District 9!