Bryce Jackson

Bryce was a loving, smart, and creative young man who struggled with ADHD, DMDD, and was ultimately diagnosed as high-functioning autistic shortly before his passing.

Following his return to school after a stay at Sheppard Pratt in Towson, MD, Bryce became involved with a peer group engaged in marijuana use and pill parties on school grounds. Despite efforts to alert school staff about these dangerous behaviors, support and intervention were lacking.

In the wake of Bryce’s death, his mother found herself in a deep and painful grief, made even harder by isolation. In many support spaces for grieving parents, political agendas—such as support for drug-induced homicide laws—take precedence over compassion and equity.

These laws often disproportionately harm the very communities that are already most affected by the drug and mental health crises: Black, Brown, and Indigenous families.