Empty chair campaign today as tribute to those poisoned by illicit drugs

Place an empty chair on your lawn, deck or porch or in front of your office today. It is the ninth annual nationwide Empty Chair Campaign. The event is put on by Drug Induced Homicide Inc. 

The chair is a symbol of a life cut short. Many who participate in the tribute put a photo or an item of the one that chair is in memory of.  It reminds us, too, that the persons selling or providing the drugs need to be held accountable.  

Sept. 25 is also the National Day of Remembrance for homicide victims. The chair campaign’s mission is to raise awareness about the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18-45 and to ensure that every unlawful delivery of a controlled substance resulting in death is investigated and prosecuted as homicide. They advocate for a long-overdue shift in the judicial system — moving beyond outdated protocols that misclassify these deaths as accidents and instead recognizing them as deliberate acts of harm. The organizers stress that it is vital to prosecute the individuals that provide the drugs. 

Greybull High School graduate Jordan Jackson died in January 2023 from a fentanyl overdose. He didn’t know the counterfeit oxycodone pills he purchased were poisoned with fentanyl.   He took half a pill and died. 

There are many Jordans out there. Perhaps a friend or a family member. You can pay tribute to them and draw attention to the problem. The CDC reports there were over 105,000 drug overdose deaths in 2023. Illicitly manufactured drugs, especially fentanyl, was the biggest driver of the deaths. 

Even if you haven’t lost someone to this issue, you can choose to participate as a sign of solidarity and hope.