Melissa Etheridge’s son, Beckett Cypher, died of an opioid overdose in 2020 following four years of struggling with substance use after an accident at 17 led to a painkiller addiction.
Etheridge founded the Etheridge Foundation, which funds studies into treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD). They are also the group behind the R.I.S.E (Research, Innovation, Science, and Education) Summit in Irvine, California to explore psychedelic-assisted treatments for OUD and other substance use disorders.