On July 1, Mission害羞草研究所檚 Aimee Robbins was about to leave her home to search for her 16-year-old son.

It was then police showed up to tell her that he was gone 害羞草研究所� Mason Martin had died of toxic drug poisoning.

害羞草研究所淗e was my only son. He was the one that made me a mom. I feel lost without him but I don害羞草研究所檛 have a choice,害羞草研究所� Robbins said. 害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 angry. I have to continue for my daughters.害羞草研究所�

Robbins says the past two months have been difficult and there are some days when she doesn害羞草研究所檛 know how to manage.

害羞草研究所淚 hate to say it but if I didn害羞草研究所檛 have my daughters, I probably would have killed myself to be with him. Because he didn害羞草研究所檛 deserve it,害羞草研究所� she said.

Robbins says Martin was a loving and caring kid. He loved his family and his pets, and he wanted to be a great role model for his sisters.

害羞草研究所淗e was incredibly intelligent beyond his years. I truly believe he was born into a system that was a failure and he was too smart for it,害羞草研究所� she said.

According to Robbins, systematic failures with voluntary care, hospitals, the Ministry of Children and Family Development, probation and police caused Martin害羞草研究所檚 issues to fall through the cracks.

害羞草研究所淭o watch him go down the rabbit hole and everybody just dismiss it as drug use and not realizing it was mental illness 害羞草研究所� I watched my son die before my eyes,害羞草研究所� she said.

害羞草研究所淎nd I害羞草研究所檓 a strong friggin害羞草研究所� advocate. It was doors closing after doors closing after doors closing and it was frustrating as a mom. I can害羞草研究所檛 even imagine how frustrating it was as a child.害羞草研究所澓π卟菅芯克鶛

Martin was diagnosed with autism when he was 11 years old. Robbins says her son faced a lot of discrimination and never felt accepted by society.

害羞草研究所淚t got to the point where he started to self-medicate with different various drugs, household stuff and his behaviours escalated,害羞草研究所� she said.

His substance use began with alcohol and other household amenities like cough syrup.

Martin was prescribed ADHD medication in elementary school in order to attend but wanted to come off them when he hit puberty. However, during a stint where he began to take them again, he started abusing them.

Robbins says when Martin could no longer use ADHD medication, he turned to recreational meth.

After his addiction issues escalated further, Robbins made the difficult decision to enter a voluntary care agreement with the Ministry of Children and Family Development in 2022. Robbins would maintain guardianship and custody, but Martin would live elsewhere to keep her other kids safe.

Martin害羞草研究所檚 biggest wish was to come home, his mother says.

害羞草研究所淗e would say, just let me come home, and I won害羞草研究所檛 do it anymore. And it害羞草研究所檚 like, buddy, but you害羞草研究所檙e an addict. It doesn害羞草研究所檛 work like that,害羞草研究所� Robbins said.

Martin was on probation related to 害羞草研究所渄rug use aggression害羞草研究所� and placed on house arrest in April for not following the conditions before he was let off at the end of May.

During two months of house arrest, Robbins says she had her son back.

害羞草研究所淚 had the most fantastic kid. He was coming home for visits, he was getting along with his sisters, he was clean. He really liked that,害羞草研究所� she said.

According to Robbins, probation is inadvertently the reason her son is dead today.

She says a probation officer was going to breach Martin for not following house rules in mid-June, but told him they wouldn害羞草研究所檛 do it until July 5.

Robbins says her son took that as free reign to have a wild week.

害羞草研究所淭he moment he was let out at the end of May, he just went loose. He just started going to the streets and doing whatever he wanted,害羞草研究所� she said.

Martin was reported missing during that time, but Robbins says police did little to help.

He didn害羞草研究所檛 make it until July 5. Martin was found dead on July 1.

害羞草研究所淚t was very difficult because I advocated for him to get into treatment and most treatment centres [say], 害羞草研究所楴o, he has autism, we can害羞草研究所檛 support them,害羞草研究所� Robbins said.

Robbins has since joined the Mission Overdose Community Action Team (MOCAT) and hopes to continue raising awareness that dying of addiction is not something to be ashamed of.

害羞草研究所淢y advocacy does not end just because my son害羞草研究所檚 story ended,害羞草研究所� she said.

She hopes to get a job working with kids who are on the spectrum and support parents with similar experiences.

害羞草研究所淚 think a lot of parents think it害羞草研究所檚 their fault. It害羞草研究所檚 really our system害羞草研究所檚 fault,害羞草研究所� she said.