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The substance use disorder (SUD) crisis in Connecticut and across the U.S. is a critical public health issue that has claimed too many lives. One such victim was our beloved son, Alec Pelletier, who died from fentanyl poisoning in 2018 while living in a sober home in Canaan.
Alec struggled with bipolar disorder and SUD for seven years. He was a sensitive, intelligent, funny young man, and a loving brother to his three siblings. In the end, Alec was fully engaged in recovery and looked forward to a spiritually fulfilling life of sobriety, empowered by the love of his family and friends.
The real tragedy of our family's loss is how many others have been affected by the addiction crisis. More than 7,000 people in CT have suffered fatal overdoses since Alec's passing. Connecticut residents are more likely to die from unintentional drug overdoses than from motor vehicle crashes. Many of these lives, including Alec's, could have been saved if they had access to a safe place where an overdose could be reversed.
Victims of a broken system
Like many innocent people, Alec, a AAA hockey player, fell victim to easily accessible and highly addictive painkillers in his early teens.
Big pharmaceutical companies misrepresented the addictive nature of these opioids. At the same time, FDA and government leaders failed to act promptly as the addiction crisis spread rapidly through communities. Then, foreign countries compounded the addiction crisis by flooding our nation with poisonous fentanyl, which ultimately took Alec's life and is responsible for over 80% of overdoses in Connecticut.
Congress was too slow to act. Our children deserved protection from the deceptive greed of big pharma and drug cartels.
Better standards of care in treatment facilities and sober homes is critical. A few weeks before Alec overdosed, he was discharged from a treatment center in Kent, without being put on the only known evidenced-based protocol - Medically Assisted Treatment, and was referred to a home meant for people who had been sober for a year, even though Alec was only sober for three months.
Overdose prevention centers will keep people alive
S.B. 7, also known as An Act Concerning Protections For Access To Health Care And The Equitable Delivery Of Health Care Services In The State, would allow for establishing safe, non-judgmental centers in Connecticut that provide a space where individuals struggling with SUD can have an overdose reversed and their lives saved.
While opponents argue that OPCs enable drug use and pollute communities with crime and homelessness, decades of robust research demonstrate an association with reduced morbidity, mortality, and transmission of infectious diseases, improved individual health outcomes and services engagement, and cost-effectiveness. The FDA's decision to make Naloxone available over the counter reflects a growing recognition of the efficacy of harm-reduction strategies.
The widespread availability of Naloxone has played a pivotal role in decreasing overdose rates - OPCs are essentially an extension of Narcan distribution. OPCs also promote cleaner environments by keeping drug paraphernalia like syringes off the streets and keeping people from using them in the open public.
The Opposite of Addiction Is Connection
In six simple words, journalist Johann Hari summarized the profound importance of community and connection for those suffering from SUD. Co-existing disorders, such as mental health illnesses, often accompany addiction. Loneliness can lead to depression, anxiety, and other health problems.
Last summer, I was privileged to visit several overdose prevention centers in Canada, where they have operated for over two decades. The centers exude compassion, understanding, and love. Clients feel welcomed, valued, and connected.
According to reports, between 2017 and June 2023, over 49,000 overdoses and drug-related emergencies were attended to at these Canadian sites, with no recorded fatalities. Beyond emergency care, OPCs offer comprehensive resources, including addiction treatment, harm reduction services, health education, and necessities like food, water, and toiletries. Successful models also operate in neighboring states, New York and Rhode Island, where thousands of lives have been saved. Vermont and Minnesota are advancing similar initiatives.
The night Alec passed, on July 13, 2018, was especially devastating because Alec had been doing so well, giving us hope for his future. It was his 26th birthday, and we had discussed celebrating together just days earlier. However, addiction is a chronic disease with high relapse rates, and on that night, Alec succumbed to his cravings. His tolerance to opiates had diminished due to months of sobriety, making him especially vulnerable.
Alec was aware of the dangers of fentanyl lacing and carefully placed a package of Narcan by his bedside in case of an overdose, but ashamed of relapse he decided to use alone. Young men right outside his sober homeroom were unaware Alec was in trouble. What good is Narcan if no one administers it? If Alec had connected to a safe, unbiased place in his moment of despair, where a healthcare provider could have given Naloxone, he would be here today.
The call for bold leadership
At a recent Hearing, State Sen. Heather Somers urged that the overdose epidemic not be labeled a public health crisis so that residents don't bombard the Connecticut Department of Public Health for better solutions.
Over the last two decades, over a million Americans, including thousands in Connecticut have vanished like Alec - children, siblings, friends, colleagues, and parents, because our society has failed to protect them. Overdose rates have increased in Connecticut by over 250% from 2014 to 2024. This is a public health crisis of epic scale, and we cannot shy away from that fact.
Somers is also unduly concerned that OPCs are not a bridge to recovery. A study on an OPC in Vancouver showed a 30% increase in detoxification services uptake within a year. In another study, 42% of OPC participants not in treatment at baseline enrolled within 24 months
Gov. Ned Lamont once asked me what more we can do to address the overdose crisis in our state. Governor, act boldly and responsibly to help the vulnerable find life, recovery and hope. Please pass S.B. 7.