Federal prosecutor tackles heroin scourge that claimed son
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The phone at Bruce Brandler‘s home rang at 3:37 a.m. It was the local hospital. His 16-year-old son was there, and he was in really bad shape.
A suspected heroin overdose, the nurse said.
Brandler didn’t believe it. Erik had his problems, but heroin? It seemed impossible.
Nearly 10 years later, the nation is gripped by a spiraling crisis of opioid and heroin abuse — and Brandler, a veteran federal prosecutor recently promoted to interim U.S. attorney, suddenly finds himself in a position to do something about the scourge that claimed his youngest son’s life.
Until now, he has never publicly discussed Erik’s overdose death. It was private and just too painful. But Brandler, now the chief federal law enforcement officer for a sprawling judicial district that covers half of Pennsylvania, said he felt a responsibility that came with his new, higher-profile job.
“It’s easier to cope with the passage of time, but it never goes away,” Brandler told The Associated Press in an interview. “And, frankly, this whole heroin epidemic has brought it to the forefront.”
Fatal heroin overdoses have more than quintupled in the years since Brandler lost his son. The illicit drug, along with highly addictive prescription pain relievers like oxycodone and fentanyl — a substance more powerful than heroin — now rival car crashes as the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S.
Erik’s death proved that heroin doesn’t discriminate, Brandler said. He urged parents to “open their eyes” to the threat and talk to their kids.
“I want to evaporate the myth that heroin addicts are just homeless derelicts,” said Brandler, who, before his son’s overdose, held that impression himself. “This epidemic hits everybody, and I think my situation exemplifies that.”
The opioid crisis was already taking root when Brandler began having problems with Erik, the youngest of his three children. The teenager’s grades dropped, his friends changed and he began keeping irregular hours. Brandler found marijuana in his room and talked to him about it, figuring that was the extent of his drug use.
Then, in spring 2007, Erik overdosed on Ecstasy and had to be treated at a hospital.
“That elevated it to a different level as far as I was concerned, a much more serious level, and I took what I thought were appropriate steps,” Brandler said.
He called the police on his son’s dealer, who was prosecuted. That summer, Erik completed an intensive treatment program that included frequent drug testing. Brandler thought his son had turned a corner.
He was mistaken.
On the night of Aug. 18, 2007, Erik and an older friend paid $60 for three bags of heroin. After shooting up, Erik passed out. His breathing became labored, his lips pale. But his companions didn’t seek medical treatment, not then and not for hours. Finally, around 3 a.m., they dropped him off at the hospital.
At 5:40 a.m., he was pronounced dead.
Five people were charged criminally, including Erik’s friend, who received more than five years in prison.
Brandler still doesn’t know why his son, who excelled at tennis, went to a good school and had loads of friends, turned to heroin.
“I thought about that, of course, but it’s really a waste of energy and emotions to go down that road because I’ll never know the answer,” Brandler said from his office near the Pennsylvania Capitol, where a framed photo of Erik — strapping, shaggy-haired and swinging a tennis racket — sits on a credenza.
What he can do is join his fellow prosecutors in tackling the problem.
In September, the Justice Department ordered all 93 U.S. attorneys across the country to come up with a strategy for combating overdose deaths from heroin and painkillers. Brandler released his plan, covering 3.2 million people in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, last month. Like others, it focuses on prevention, enforcement and treatment.
He said his office will prioritize opioid cases resulting in death, and aggressively prosecute doctors who overprescribe pain pills.
Additionally, prosecutors will hit the road — bringing physicians, recovering addicts, family members of overdose victims and others with them — to talk to schools and hard-hit communities.
Parents need to know that “if you think it can’t happen to you, it can,” Brandler said. “If it happened to me as a federal prosecutor, I think it can happen to anyone, and that’s really the message I want to get out.”
Federal appeals Judge Thomas Vanaskie said it’s a message that needs to be heard.
“Education is the most important thing to me,” said Vanaskie, who helps run a court program that gets federal convicts back on their feet and who has been working with a former heroin addict who robbed a bank to feed his addiction. “We’ve got to prevent people from becoming users.”
Vanaskie, who has known Brandler for years, commended him for speaking out.
“Hearing it from him becomes so much more powerful,” Vanaskie said. “I know it causes great personal pain on his part, but he personalizes, humanizes this matter.”
Filed under: General Problems
I read this twice and I saw no account of his son using legally prescribed pain medication for legitimate medical reason. In my opinion then I have to ask what his justification for his actions against medical providers and pain patients. This is an absolute abuse of power used as a weapon for revenge and now he responsible for the despair and suicides from a community of innocent people.
One should be careful on this issue. He already has a heavy load to carry with his sons death. Is he angry with everyone in the drug world …I don’t know. Will he decide things with revenge for his sons death ..we don’t know. Maybe we need to hear his ideas first .
This poor grieving father has been duped.
Clearly
By a system that is designed to persist itself,
and will
Proliferate until we abandon the war on drugs( people)
Note how heroin deaths have soared since the crackdown on opiates began in 2011.
This is like blaming Seagrams for alcohol deaths
Or
Car dealers for selling cars to people who might drink and drive.
Exactly Connie,,as long as their is BIG MONEY,,INVOLVED,,IN THE,,,way of employment and assets seized from doctors for our dea,,and big money from our jail systems,,,it will never change,,Some people just abuse anything,,some don’t,,,jmo,,,make it all legal over thee age of 18,,or at lest decriminalize it,,that way the choice to abuse is truly up to each individual adult,,not some bullshit program,,I mean after all that is the main objective isn’t it,,for ADULTS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEMSELVES,THEIR OWN ACTIONS,,, kinda like,,u want a kid to stop smoking ,,give’em a whole pack of cigs to smoke at once,,,,,but in Adult form,,,,,
Again as far as people w/Revenge in their hearts for the very object their in that position of power for,,,no-way,,,they will have blinders on,,tunnel vision,,,which NEVER makes a good decision for anyone one..it use to be called bias,,,,mary
People with a vendetta absolutely should not be put in a position of power!
I haven’t got the absolute answer any more than anyone else does but I do know from experience what the answer isn’t! I have two grown children, one at each end of the spectrum. I talked to them frequently about drug use and abuse. We gave them a loving, stable environment and good example of living right
. Our eldest is an addict. I have asked both of them what we could have done differently to ensure that they made the right choices. Both of them say that we did everything “right” and even they say that nothing we did or didn’t do affected their choices. Our daughter who is now 37 yrs old has been through dozens of treatment programs. When asked how long before she began using again she said anywhere from checking herself out AM A to two years. Obviously education and treatment programs didn’t work for her and my greatest fear is still to get that phone call. Our son did some minor experimenting in his teens and quickly decided that drugs weren’t for him. He says the same thing, that nothing anyone said or did would have changed his choices. He is 25 yrs old and rarely even drinks a beer. He was homeschooled , she went to public school. I have been fighting with several severe pain issues for most of his life.
Throwing millions of dollars into education and treatment programs isn’t working. Taking much needed medication away from those who need them is only creating more problems. Spending more to limit illicit drugs would possibly help if those in power would use their brains rather than their wallets. The illegal drug trade is big money for both suppliers and government and as long as that is true! And someone with a vendetta isn’t going to use their head for anything other than a hat rack!
Personal experience or opinions by elected and appointed officials are not supposed influence decisions but they do. This has become the major problem in our governmental structure and it’s been going on for some years now. Religious beliefs, racial and religious discrimination along with extremist actions now dictate what happens in government and therefore, the public. We are no longer, nor have we been for decades now, a government “By the People and for the People”. We are all nothing but slaves to a bureaucratic, capitalistic union between government and big business. Everyone can bitch and complain, we can all create or sign countless petitions or write letters to representitives in government and nothing will change. Words, written or spoken by those of us who oppose what’s going on are worthless to self-serving government bureaucrats and nothing but an outright revolt will get any results.
POPs I absolutely agree w/u..If anyone takes the time to read thee founding fathers own words in our declaration of independence,,,this country isn’t even close to what our founding fathers had in mind for a democracy
..As far as people who seek REVENGE,, holding any position of power,,,absolutely not…Here is wisco,,our very own attorney general named Schimel,,,his daughter over 18 choosed to abuse her prescription,,,now he is the one dictating our laws,,,its literally killing people,,soo absolutely not,,,should anyone who seeks revenge for their family members poor choices be allowed to hold any position of power..maryw