CLEARWATER — Melissa Etheridge has been rocking stages since the early 90s when she broke through with hits like I’m the Only One and Come to My Window. She says performing in the Tampa Bay area has always been special.
“You still love to hear the songs. You still love to go out and have a good time,” said Etheridge.
As the two-time Grammy winner tours the country these days, she is also working to promote the Melissa Etheridge Foundation.
She started it after the death of her son, Beckett, from opioid addiction. She wants to people learn more about what causes addiction and alternative ways to treat it.
“Once you start changing hearts and minds about then change can really happen,” said Etheridge.
Her foundation is raising money for research into plant medicines.
“When we say plant medicines, we mean psychedelics. We mean Psilocybin, Hawaska, Cannabis even. Things that can help an addict. Help an addict. Help someone with opioid use disorder get off of it for good,” said Etheridge.
Etheridge found fame and fortune through music, but she shares a story familiar to so many, especially in the Bay Area.
Like Kelly Mothershead whose son was hospitalized after getting injured at work.
She says she called to warn them he had previous addiction issues.
“They told me on the phone that he was over 21 and that the doctor would do what he felt he needed to do. And my son walked out of there with a prescription for Oxycontin and he was dead three days later,” said Mothershead a Realtor who is also now the Deputy Mayor of New Port Richey.
Kelly has spent the 13 years since then working to help other families.
“Everybody copes with greed differently and for me it was talking about it. I had to get out and talk about it," Kelly said.
She is part of several organizations working to deal with addiction.
She’s also started a scholarship in her son’s name.
“Once that we can reduce that stigma and realize that it happens to everybody and probably everybody you know has had somebody in their family or a close friend that’s had a problem with an addiction.”
That includes rock legends like Melissa Etheridge, who says the focus of her concerts is still music.
“But around it if you are interested. If you want to know. Of course, we always welcome funding. But just the information, just the knowledge, just education is sometimes what we really what we really want to get out there,” said Etheridge.
Melissa Etheridge performs with Jewel on Thursday night at the Baycare Sound.
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