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He told his mother about the heroin after using it for about four months and went to rehab.

Shuster said her son wanted to quit the drugs and he did. But then he suffered trauma when two people he was close to in his rehab died, and he had a relapse.

“He used a different dealer. Jordan thought he was buying heroin but he was sold pure fentanyl. He didn’t have a chance.”

Moms Stop the Harm is a national network of families who have lost relatives to drug overdoses. The group is calling for an end to the war on drugs and to treat those who use drugs with compassion and respect.

Shuster said the group has given her so much support as she grieves for her son.

“Most people who are taking these drugs are not going out to party. They are suffering from a trauma or something has happened like a sport injury and they became addicted.”

The photo shoot was inspired by a similar photo taken in Kelowna, in which members of the Okanagan-based chapter of the MSTH gathered to have their photo taken while holding white crosses.

The Kelowna photo has been used in public bus ads in Kelowna and Penticton to raise awareness of the drug epidemic, fight stigma and to push for drug decriminalization.

Shuster said they are also hoping that their photos from Saturday will also become ads on busses.

She is also organizing a team called Drug Epidemic Awareness Moms Stop the Harm to run in The Vancouver SunRun in April.

Photo by Francis Georgian / PNG

ticrawford@postmedia.com

— With files from Postmedia