A CNN documentary that aired Tuesday night tells the story of two Grand Forks area teens who died from synthetic drug overdoses within days of one another, something that still weighs heavily on a Grand Forks family more than two years later.
The documentary was produced over several months and features interviews with Debbie and Keith Bjerk, whose 18-year-old son, Christian, was found dead on the sidewalk with bruises and marks on his face on June 11, 2012. The documentary also follows the story of 17-year-old Elijah Stai, of East Grand Forks who died days after Bjerk’s body was found from the same synthetic drug, 2C-I-NBOMe.
The Bjerks, who have urged state legislators and the state Board of Pharmacy for up-to-date laws prohibiting synthetic drugs after their son’s death, hope the documentary will raise awareness about the dangers of synthetic drugs, which have been marketed as a safer alternative to other illicit drugs.
“The key is making sure this doesn’t just die in the background somewhere,” said Keith Bjerk.
Synthetic drugs are ones that have been chemically manipulated to mimic the effects of hallucinogens like LSD. A 2012 survey found that 1 in 9 high school seniors in the U.S. reported using synthetic cannabinoids – man-made chemicals sprayed onto plant material – in the past year, the Office of National Drug Control Policy says.
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“I told my wife when Christian died, it shook the world,” said Keith, pointing to the multiagency investigation into his son’s death that ended with 15 people behind bars, shut down a nationwide synthetic drug trafficking operation and won national recognition from the U.S. Department of Justice. “Maybe it was my earth that shook, but whatever it was, it was enough to rattle me to the point where I wanted to tell everyone that this stuff is bad.”
The Bjerks have attended many of the federal court hearings of those 15 convicts, the last of whom, Charles William Carlton, started the online company that sold synthetic drugs across the country and was sentenced to 20 years and six months in federal prison. The Bjerks gave statements at Carlton’s sentencing, attesting to the grief their son’s death has caused them.
With the documentary airing and with court proceedings over, the Bjerks plan to move on to new projects.
Debbie Bjerk said in an interview Tuesday that she wants to launch a website with information on synthetic drugs and tips for grieving parents who have lost their children to the drugs.
Her husband lamented that no formal support group exists in Grand Forks for parents who have lost children.
“Nobody quite understands this whole process until you’ve been through it,” he said. “There’s a point where there’s a lot of people around that first week (after his death), and then you’re left to the empty house … and the reality begins to set in.”
CNN’s report is scheduled to air again Saturday at 6 p.m.
