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Parents giving out drug-testing kits after losing son to heroin overdose

"Somewhere inside we feel like we failed somewhere," Mike Peterson said. Since that day, the Petersons have worked to spare other parents from suffering.

ST. CLAIR, Mo. – Barbara and Mike Peterson measure their grief by the day.

“We lost our son 616 days ago,” Mike said.

In March 2016, Benjamin Peterson died of a heroin overdose. He was 26, and a young father of two kids.

“Somewhere inside we feel like we failed somewhere,” Mike said. Since that day, the Petersons have worked to spare other parents from suffering.

“I'm giving you opportunity, a gift I wasn't given,” Mike said.

Last year, the Petersons took over the company Test My Teen. The Petersons give away at-home drug-testing kits for free. They are working to transition the company to a non-profit organization.

“Instead of kids saying no, we want kids to say ‘No, my parents test me,'” Mike said.

The Petersons have partnered with hundreds of police departments and schools all over the country to distribute the tests. Last week, the Wentzville Police Department posted a link to Test My Teen on social media. The kits come with instructions and educational resources for parents.

“As a teenager he got involved in the wrong crowd,” Barbara said, referring to her son. “We had no clue. We didn't know enough about drugs.”

The Petersons do not know if a drug-testing kit would have saved their son’s life 616 days ago. But, they hope, it will save a life tomorrow.

“If you can take a gift and lovingly dispense it to your children, you may be able to save yourself the grief we are going through on a daily basis,” Mike said.

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