By paNOW Staff

Mother of Saskatoon overdose victim speaks out

Jan 14, 2015 | 5:58 AM

The mother of a 19-year-old man who died of an overdose is speaking out.

Kelly Best died Jan. 3 after taking a little green tablet that was done up to look like OxyContin. Reporting on the death, Saskatoon police said the pill likely contained fentanyl, a powerful narcotic that is several times more toxic than the active ingredient in OxyContin.

Best’s mother, Marie Agioritis said her son’s death shows that the simple ‘Don’t Do Drugs’ message just isn’t enough.

“If you think your kid isn’t ever going to try it because you told them not to, well, good luck with that,” she said during an interview on John Gormley Live on Tuesday.

“You know, ‘don’t take them,’ it doesn’t work.  It does work for some kids, because they’re smart. I don’t know what the hell got into (Best’s) head,” she said.

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Agioritis said the tragedy of her son’s death is compounded by the fact that her other son is a recovering drug addict.

“(Best) saw what (drug addiction) did to our family,” she said.

Now, Agioritis is calling for continuing prevention efforts for younger kids and a crackdown on dealers.

“Make the kids selling it on the streets so freaking scared of selling it that the guys in the warehouses just have shelves full of pills they can’t move,” she said.

Agioritis said she also wants to see more availability of beds in Saskatchewan for addicts trying to recover.

Best is the third death in the last six months linked to fentanyl-laced fake OxyContin tablets in Saskatoon.

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On Twitter: @princealbertnow