Some people join a movement, and others carry it forward. For Mom’s Stop The Harm (MSTH), Traci Letts has been one of the people who has carried our work forward.
Traci Letts joined the MSTH Board of Directors in 2022 as BC Regional Director. She went on to serve as Vice-Chair, and by early 2024 had stepped into the role of Board Chair. Over four years on the board, she guided MSTH through a period of major growth and change, as it moved from a volunteer-driven grassroots movement toward a structured national charity, always reminding us that we are a member-driven organization.
Traci did all of this while carrying a profound loss of her own. In February 2024, her son Mike died of toxic drug poisoning. Rather than step back, Traci channelled her grief into the fight for change, speaking publicly about how the system failed her son and calling for harm reduction, a regulated supply, and voluntary, evidence-based care. Her leadership has been shaped by the same love and loss that brings so many families to MSTH.
Traci came to this work as a mother, a sister and a former partner of people who used illicit drugs. She knows the fear, grief and stigma so many of our families carry. That knowledge shaped everything she did. Her colleagues describe her deep understanding of the drug policy landscape, and of how drug policy, harm and loss ripple through families. She never lost sight of the human relationships at the heart of MSTH.
Traci always named the root cause of the toxic drug crisis, including colonialism, classism, racism and prohibitionist drug policy. She has called on governments to replace punitive policies with low-barrier, equitable, evidence-based programs that respect people’s Charter rights. Throughout her time as Chair, she stayed connected to grassroots advocacy, linking members and families with chances to speak out and supporting advocates in their communities.
Traci was never in this work for accolades or public recognition, and much of what she gave to MSTH happened behind the scenes, such as helping strengthen our financial practices and controls. She supported the growth and continuity of our provincial and national programs, working on everything from program design and budgets to funding proposals and relationships with funders. She also championed new ways to sustain and adapt our programming so it could keep meeting families’ needs.
Those who worked closest with Traci speak of how approachable she is. No matter how busy she was, she made time to answer a question, talk through a problem, or simply offer support. She navigated people and situations that would have led most to walk away, and she stayed. She has been among the wisest, most principled and most tenacious leaders MSTH has seen.
While Traci has left the Board for now, she has transitioned into a part-time paid role to support organizational stability during this time of transition. We look forward to continuing to have Traci be a member of the MSTH team, to help us all fight for an end to the war on drugs.
