From left, Greg Peterson listens to Salvatore R. Martoche talk about the death of his daughter, Claire. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

“This is a difficult topic for me to talk about,” is how retired state Supreme Court Justice Salvatore R. Martoche started his personal discussion on the death of his daughter, an overdose victim, at the Robert H. Jackson Center Thursday.

Claire Martoche, 43, in January 2017 had returned to her apartment in Lockport after three weeks in residential drug treatment program in Bradford, Pa. Apparently, a few hours after returning home, Claire died of a drug overdose.

“I want to leave you with the recognition that substance use disorder is not a weakness. It is a disease,” Martoche, a former U.S. Attorney, said inside the Carl Cappa Theater. “It’s the biggest potential danger (facing the country.) More than terrorism.”

Martoche said Claire was an independent child, who was “sort of a hippie.” He, along with his wife Mary Dee, thought Claire’s rebellious teen years was typical adolescent behavior. He added that Claire had the best education, attending the Nardin Academy, before graduating from Buffalo Seminary in 1991 and earning a degree in mass communication and journalism from St. Bonaventure four years later.

When Claire was younger, she was an athlete who ran and did gymnastics. He said when she was injured the doctors prescribed pain killers, which is when she developed a dependence. He added that Claire also had mental health problems and dealt with anxiety.

“Sometimes we don’t understand the cries for help,” he said.

Martoche said Claire had gone through treatment programs and had been sober for two years before she went to the hospital to have gallbladder surgery. He said the charts provided to hospital personnel said not to treat her with opioids, but, apparently, the doctors didn’t read the charts well enough by providing her with drugs she shouldn’t have been given. He added that Claire was “hooked” again on drugs after her surgery and hospital personel also provided her a sufficient supply of opioids when she left the hospital.

“They gave her a lifetime supply of the crap,” Martoche said.

Along with doctors and hospitals, Martoche said big pharmaceutical companies are to blame for the opioid epidemic, which offered health care facilitators bonus pay and vacations for prescribing drugs to their patients.

“I will say this — it starts with big pharma,” he said.

Martoche also went into a discussion about state officials discussing the potential legalization of marijuana. He said those pushing for the legalization of marijuana are doing so because of the potential $700 million in tax revenue. Once legalized, however, he said there will be no turning back. He added he doesn’t know if marijuana is the lesser of two evils when compared to opioids.

Martoche did say it is “BS” if people think that legalizing marijuana will lower the number of people using opioids. He said drugs are a lifestyle, of which younger people are more susceptible to abuse.

“As I look at it, it is a gateway – a gateway to a lifestyle,” he said.

Martoche spoke about the opioid epidemic during a Continuing Legal Education for local attorneys. He urged the lawyers in the room to use their voice and legal knowledge to be a beacon of change. He added they should all contact their state and federal leaders to lobby for more funding to fight the opioid epidemic.

“You are the leaders. It is you or nobody,” he said about leading the charge for more resources to fight opioid addiction.

Martoche said he agreed to tell his family’s story to raise awareness about the deadly plague of drug addiction, especially when combined with mental illness. He said it can happen to any family. He added he and his wife, an attorney, thought they knew how to spot addiction.

“Don’t condemn them. Don’t forget them. Be there for them,” he said.