🔄 Accountability and Rehabilitation: A Dual Approach
Almanza’s organization emphasizes that justice and compassion must coexist. “Enforcement must go hand in hand with rehabilitation,” she says. “Those battling addiction deserve treatment. But those who profit from poisoning others must face consequences.”
She rejects the notion that DIH laws unfairly target users. “Justice must be guided by facts,” she says. “When someone transitions from user to distributor and their actions result in death, they are no longer just an addict—they are a participant in criminal distribution.”
🚨 A Turning Point for Change
Almanza believes accountability can be the very moment that interrupts the cycle of addiction and crime. “We don’t excuse a drunk driver who kills someone. The same principle applies here,” she says. “A life was lost. Every person whose actions contributed to that loss must be investigated. If the evidence supports prosecution, justice demands it.”
🕊️ From Grief to Action
As an Angel Mom, Almanza’s advocacy is deeply personal. Her organization, Drug Induced Homicide, Inc., provides resources, legal guidance, and emotional support to families who’ve lost loved ones to drug poisonings. It also pushes for stronger enforcement of DIH laws nationwide.
Her message is clear: “Accountability and compassion are not opposites. They are both essential to justice.”
Daytona Beach, FL — October 11, 2025
In a time when America’s opioid crisis continues to claim lives daily, one woman is leading a national movement to ensure those deaths are not treated as mere statistics. Theresa “Terry” Almanza, a 28-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, U.S. Marine mom, and grieving “Angel Mom,” has turned personal tragedy into a powerful mission. As the founder and president of Drug Induced Homicide, Inc., Almanza is challenging the biggest misconception about Drug-Induced Homicide (DIH) laws: that they’re ineffective.
⚖️ DIH Laws: Justice, Not Symbolism
Almanza argues that DIH statutes are not symbolic gestures—they’re essential tools of justice. “A law enforcement officer doesn’t issue a traffic ticket to ‘teach a lesson,’” she says. “It’s about accountability. DIH laws function the same way. When someone delivers a lethal substance, it’s not an accident—it’s a criminal act.”
These laws treat the unlawful delivery of a controlled substance resulting in death as homicide. They affirm that a life lost to poison deserves more than a shrug—it deserves justice.
📉 Enforcement Is the Missing Link
Critics in media, academia, and even within the justice system often claim DIH laws “don’t work.” Almanza counters that effectiveness can’t be measured where enforcement is absent. “The shortfall isn’t in the law—it’s in the failure to prosecute,” she says.
In jurisdictions where DIH laws are enforced, prosecutors report measurable impact. Drug dealers avoid areas known for aggressive prosecution. Fatal poisonings decline. “Accountability saves lives,” Almanza insists.
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