FRANKLIN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A grieving mother in Franklin is urging the Massachusetts State Legislature to hold drug dealers more accountable, when the drugs they sell lead to someone's death.
It's been about three months since Donna Shaffer lost her 37-year-old son Michael, after he overdosed on what he thought was Xanax that was allegedly given to him by a so-called friend.
Shaffer said Michael was given pure fentanyl. "I was dragging my 180-pound son off of his bed and onto the floor, to pound on his chest to give him CPR, my only child," said Shaffer.
She added, police told her the person who provided the fentanyl had a pill press machine to make counterfeits. That person is still on the run and facing charges, but not the type of charges Shaffer thinks they deserves.
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"I'm so disgusted that he's just going to be charged with manufacturing and distribution, again for the third time. He gets to live a happy life when mine is ruined," said Shaffer.
She called Michael a kind and loving person who hit a low point in his life. A petition is now circulating, and Shaffer is urging lawmakers to include manslaughter charges in similar cases that result in death.
She is urging other people to sign her petition.
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojasWBZ) Reports
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