ASAP Yams' Mother Writes Heartfelt Letter About Drugs and Her Son
Yesterday (November 13) would have been the 28th birthday of the late ASAP Yams, who passed on January 18 due to mixed drug intoxication. Yams' mother, Tatianna Paulino, wrote an editorial for Noisey, detailing at length the issues that perhaps lead to her son's unfortunate death. “Even if it makes us uncomfortable, I wish public health messages about drugs were more clear and simple in emphasizing real concerns as opposed to hyping less likely outcomes," she writes in the piece.
She continued, "I wish such messages simply stated, ‘Don’t combine opioids with other sedatives!’ If they did, perhaps my son would be alive today.” Toxicology reports at the time of Yams' death confirmed that he had codeine, oxycodone, and Xanax in his system when he passed. This combination is ultimately what caused his untimely death. "For Steven, money was tight; he never had much. In fact, I had to pay for his drug treatment through my employee benefits plan. This was not missed on Steven. Over time, he grew less comfortable with his role and place with ASAP. The business began to weigh on him mentally and physically."
The piece ends with her concluding, "To be clear, I recognize that parents, including me, should discourage drug use. But, you should also know that my son wanted to get high, not die. And because this is the case for many young people, whether we like it or not, we should do all we can do to keep them safe and alive. It's the humane thing to do."
Read the full piece here.
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