Family Looking For Changes After Son's Death

Thursday, November 29th 2007, 9:06 pm

By: News On 6

Two local parents are trying to get a second law passed in their son's memory. Cody Greenhaw died from a drug overdose, after partying at a house where parents were present. The News On 6â€™s Ashli Sims reports his parents have been on a mission to make sure something like that never happens again.

Carefree moments captured on home video are how Cody Greenhaw's parents want to remember their son, but it's the memory of his death that haunts them.

"He wasn't the stereotypical kid that you would think of or person that you would think of that used drugs. He could have been anybody's son anybody's grandson," said Cody's mother, Sareva Greenhaw.

When Cody was a junior in high school, he went to a party. Kids at that party said even though parents were home, they were allowed to drink and use drugs. That was the night Cody died.

"There's got to be something out there that protects our kids from irresponsible parents and adults,â€ said Cody's father, Mark Greenhaw,

The Greenhaws lobbied state lawmakers to increase the punishment for parents. It's now a felony if parents let kids drink or use drugs in their home and one of them dies.

Now the Greenhaws are going one step further. They're asking the Tulsa City Council to pass a social hosting ordinance. The new law would make it a misdemeanor for adults to knowingly allow underage drinking, even if no one is hurt.

"It means if this ordinance passes that other families won't have to go through what we've had to go through and hopefully it will save a lot of kidâ€™s lives," said Sareva Greenhaw.

Several speakers, including a high school student and a Tulsa police officer, spoke out in favor of the ordinance.

TPD says so far this year, they've arrested 12 underage drunk drivers a month. The city councilor voted unanimously to approve the new ordinance.

The Greenhaws say they paid the ultimate price, now maybe no one else will.

Parents who allow underage drinking could get hit in the wallet. The new ordinance comes with a fine, ranging from $250 to $1200.

Watch the video: Cody's Law Hopes To Stop Underage Substance Abuse