New Milford Dad Who Lost Son to Overdose Fights for Change

Tony Morrissey is a New Milford resident who lost his son Brian to an overdose in the summer of 2019 and now he's championing what is called Brian Cody's Law.

We first learned about Brian Cody's Law when Tony appeared on the show back in the early part of 2020. Since then, there has been a lot of legislation in Hartford and the crusade continues, but Tony says there's still plenty of work to be done and important updates to hear about.

"Brian Cody's Law continues and we've actually formed a proper foundation. We've expanded our services by helping people more directly in addition to doing legislation. There's some wonderful people helping us out with their volunteer efforts which has allowed us to hold rallies all across the state, and I can't thank those enough for jumping on board and helping us out. I think this is going to be a tremendous year for a lot of legislation that's currently on the table."

Two girls in Danbury recently became victims of the epidemic and got lost last year. Amanda and Alexis are names that have now been added to the list of young people who have become victims of the opioid crisis and the team along with their mothers will be appearing at a hearing in Danbury today (Wednesday), and as Tony told me, Brian Cody's Brothers and Sisters Foundation will be a part of the hearing.

"We're going to have our organization there with different members. The mothers of both girls we lost will be there speaking. We want to let everyone know what we have here is a hearing for a person who has apparently been connected and alleged to have sold multiple batches of Fentanyl that could have contributed to taking the lives of those two 20-something year olds. This person up on the charges is looking to basically just go on with his life, and that just can't happen, so I wanted to let your listeners know that we will be at Danbury Superior Court today (Wednesday) from 8:30 AM until 12 PM. You'll know us when you see us there, and we'll be letting the judges and the folks know that there are families that are still reeling from the loss of these girls and that this kind of thing can't happen."

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Brian Cody's Law has only been a part of the area for a short time, but it has already made quite a big impact as Tony told us.

"There is hope for this epidemic. In New Milford last year in 2020 during the pandemic, and because of all the hard work of officials in New Milford, we were able to see a 20 percent reduction in fatal overdose deaths during that time period, so we can do something about this, we just have to take a fresh approach."

To get more information on this cause, visit briancodyslaw.org, use the "Click to Submit" form to share your story, and send a message that the time has come for change. Even if you haven't been directly effected, it's a way to show your support. All submissions will also be directed right to Connecticut legislators who are the ones who can have the biggest impact -- there is strength in numbers.