Cover 2 Resources
276 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsThe Cover2 Podcast is an ongoing series of interviews with people who are making a difference in the fight against opioid addiction. The Cover2 Podcast seeks to raise awareness and to connect users and their families with resources that can literally save a life. Listen to our most recent episodes below, and please consider donating to support this cause.
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Episodes
Ep. 276 - Strike Force Stops Flow of Illicit Opioids
December 01, 2020 00:00 - 28 minutes - 39.4 MBIn October 2018, the Justice Department's Criminal Division created the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO), Strike Force. This team consists of federal agents, prosecutors, and specialists from different government departments. Together, they combine data analytics and law enforcement to spot dangerous prescription patterns and quickly remove bad actors from the Application Region. In its early operation, the ARPO Strike Force brought charges against 60 individuals. Combined, th...
Adapting Peer Recovery for a Pandemic
April 23, 2020 14:57 - 22 minutes - 30.4 MBThree years ago, we profiled AnchorEd, an innovative initiative, developed in Rhode Island. This program enables peer recovery coaches to meet with overdose victims before their release from the hospital. In March, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sent everyone into lockdown. To continue helping people with recovery, these programs had to adapt to the new normal of social distancing. As we pivot into a new phase of the pandemic, with communities across the country planning to open up, th...
Ep. 277 - Rapid Changes to Opioid Treatment Driven by COVID-19
March 26, 2020 00:00 - 30 minutes - 41.4 MBLast week, a STAT News article titled “Covid-19 will worsen the opioid overdose crisis if we don’t prepare now,” stated that, “Missing from the national discussion on the coronavirus has been another vulnerable group: patients with opioid use disorder. Despite ongoing public health efforts, the opioid overdose crisis does not appear to be slowing down. The emergency of Covid-19 could worsen it if we do not preemptively develop and implement response plans now.” As we know all too well, socia...
Ep. 275 - Drug Czar Unpacks Our National Opioid Epidemic Strategy
March 03, 2020 00:00 - 32 minutes - 44 MBIn its latest Strategy Report, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) shared its strategy for building a stronger, healthier, drug-free society. To reach this goal, the ONDCP details three tactics for fighting the opioid epidemic. First, continue to prevent new substance abusers through education and evidence-based prevention programs. Second, improve access to long-term addiction recovery treatment services. Third, reduce the availability of these drugs in our communities. By ...
Ep. 274 - Treatment Breakthrough: The ER Addiction Stabilization Unit
February 28, 2020 15:19 - 37 minutes - 51.5 MBIn June 2017, Dr. Belma Andric, Chief Medical Officer of the Health District of Palm Beach County, Florida, joined Greg on the Cover2 podcast. She shared a unique pilot program that started Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for overdose victims right in the emergency room (ER). Unlike previous MAT addiction programs, the pilot program included 8 days of house calls to deliver medication and monitor patient progress. The success of that program inspired a new treatment initiative in Palm Be...
Ep. 273 - The Mastermind Behind the World’s Largest Online Drug Cartel
February 14, 2020 21:24 - 44 minutes - 61 MBSince 1995, when the FDA approved OxyContin, igniting an opioid crisis, many bad actors have emerged willing to do almost anything to make a buck off the insatiable demand for opioids in our country. But none less known, and more destructive than Paul Le Roux. Born in Zimbabwe, Le Roux was a loner who became an expert software developer. Then, in 2004 he launched what would become the largest network of internet pharmacies in the world, supplying painkillers to millions of Americans each yea...
Ep. 272 - MOMS Plus: New Program to Lower NAS Rates
February 06, 2020 14:39 - 27 minutes - 38.1 MBBetween 2004 and 2011, opioid abuse and dependence among delivering mothers in Ohio grew by 491%. As a consequence, cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), where opioid exposed babies experience acute drug withdrawal following birth, became commonplace. Babies who begin their lives suffering from NAS experience slower than normal development, and can suffer adverse effects from it for years. The Maternal Opiate Medical Supports Plus project (MOMS Plus) was developed to improve care and o...
Ep. 271 - In Pain: When No One Knows How to Taper Pain Pills
February 04, 2020 17:30 - 44 minutes - 61.5 MBIn 1996, pain became the 5th vital sign in medicine, prompting doctors to rely on opioids for pain treatment. As a result, opioid prescriptions spiked over the next 15 years, causing hundreds of thousands of opioid addictions. While many doctors were educated on opioid prescribing practices, what they didn’t know – and are still learning – were strategies for tapering patients off of these highly addictive drugs. Something Dr. Travis Rieder, a Bioethicist at Johns Hopkins School of Public Hea...
Ep. 270 - Insys Therapeutic Execs Sentenced: Will Doctors Be Next?
January 24, 2020 22:04 - 31 minutes - 42.8 MBIn February of 2019, we interviewed Palm Beach Post reporters Pat Beall and John Pacenti, about the trial of former executives from opioid manufacturer Insys Therapeutics. They’d been accused of racketeering, bribing doctors to prescribe their high-powered opioid fentanyl spray, Subsys, to patients who didn’t need it. A year later, the Insys executives have finally received sentences of 1 to 5 ½ years in prison. This is the first time big pharma execs have been convicted and sent to prison f...
Ep 269 - New MLB Drug Testing Policy Could Be a Game Changer
January 16, 2020 18:57 - 30 minutes - 41.7 MBLast July, Major League Baseball fans were shocked when Tyler Skaggs, a rising star pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, was found dead in his hotel room. The toxicology report indicated Skaggs had oxycodone, fentanyl and alcohol in his system, causing him to overdose. The tragic loss of Tyler Skaggs left many people wondering how his drug abuse went undetected by Major League Baseball. But it quickly became a compelling motivator to change their approach to substance use disorder in the work...
Ep 268 - Rudy Giuliani & The Lost Opportunity to Make Them Pay
January 06, 2020 00:00 - 30 minutes - 41.8 MBIn 2006, Purdue Pharma was under fire for falsely advertising the addictiveness of its opioid, OxyContin. Many families believed that handcuffs were the only justifiable punishment, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) seemed to agree. Yet, somehow Giuliani Partners LLC managed to reach a settlement for Purdue Pharma and it’s top three executives. Effectively telling all of Big Pharma that the deaths of thousands of Americans were just the cost of doing business. However, in August 2019, ...
Our Favorite Episode from 2019: FDA Missteps that Helped Fuel Our Nation’s Health Crisis
December 31, 2019 18:18 - 32 minutes - 44.1 MBIn 2019 we released 45 new podcasts covering books from best-selling authors such as Dopesick from Beth Macy and American Overdose from Chris McGreal, to important developments such as the MDL and the J&J Oklahoma trial and people making headlines such as Joe Rannazzisi, former head of diversion control from the DEA. As I look back I realize how many amazing people, places and things we were lucky enough to profile on our series in 2019. The one that stood out for me, was episode 250, with Dr...
Ep. 266 - Don't Live in Denial, Ohio
December 19, 2019 21:47 - 18 minutes - 25.1 MBOhio has one of the highest opioid overdose death rates in the entire nation. Despite research from the Ohio Opioid Education Alliance revealing that most Ohio parents are aware of this, they still underestimate the risk opioids pose to their children and family. To counteract this “not my kid” mindset from leading parents to overlook the importance of preventative measures, the Alliance brought it to life through a 2018 public awareness campaign set in the imaginary town of Denial, Ohio. ...
Ep.265 - Drug & Alcohol Prevention Targets At-Risk Personality Types
December 13, 2019 16:56 - 30 minutes - 41.8 MBFor years now, schools across the U.S. have been striving to implement more effective drug abuse prevention and education programs to protect adolescents from alcohol & drug abuse. However, despite investing millions of dollars into prevention programs such as D.A.R.E and Nancy Reagan’s “just say no” campaign, recent studies have revealed they’ve been largely ineffective. In fact, some of the programs intended to prevent drug use, have been known to trigger use in teens with certain person...
Ep. 264 - Beth Macy & Emily Martinez: Finding Tess
December 04, 2019 18:55 - 25 minutes - 35.4 MBEarlier this year, Greg interviewed bestselling author Beth Macy in a series on her book, Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America. It’s a compelling account of the opioid epidemic in our country and profiles the over twenty-year history of the opioid crisis as it emerged in the state of Virginia. Recently, he caught up with Beth to talk about her latest project, Finding Tess, the story of Tess Henry, a young mother in her 20’s who does her best to recover from ...
Ep. 263 - Deconstructing the Addicted Mind: Dr. Nicole Labor
November 26, 2019 21:25 - 39 minutes - 54.1 MBIt’s difficult for a non-addicted person to rationalize the addicted mind, and the societal stigmatism around addiction doesn’t make that any easier. How can they keep making these decisions if they know they’re wrong, and why won’t they make choices that lead to recovery? The truth is, an addict isn’t in complete control. Like cancer or diabetes, addiction is a disease. In spite of a sound moral compass, a lot is going on in an addict’s brain that drives them to behave badly or make poor ch...
Ep. 262 - Akron Film Brings Opioid Crisis to the Silver Screen
November 22, 2019 22:21 - 24 minutes - 34 MBFour years ago, actor, writer, and Akron Ohio native, Jeremie Campbell, was unaware that the opioid crisis was continuing to ravage his hometown. Following his high school graduation, the former all-state football player left Akron for Hollywood. In part to pursue his acting career, landing roles in Spartan, Bicycle Dreams, and Dangerous Words from the Fearless, and to escape the tightening grip of opioids on his community. For a long time, it seemed Jeremie had escaped the epidemic. Howe...
Ep. 261 - The True Cost of the Opioid Crisis
November 18, 2019 19:53 - 26 minutes - 36.7 MBIn August, a closely watched Oklahoma opioid trial concluded. Johnson & Johnson was found guilty of deceptive marketing practices and public nuisance, the judge awarded the state $572 Million to cover the first year of abatement. However, the judge later announced he had made a $107 million miscalculation. Instead of $572 million, the amount awarded to Oklahoma was actually $465 Million. The miscalculation brought an outcry among Oklahoma state attorneys, mental health specialists, and add...
Ep. 260 - ResultsOhio: Funding Programs That Get Results
November 04, 2019 17:00 - 22 minutes - 50.8 MBYou wouldn’t pay for something without knowing what you were getting, but all too often, our tax dollars are spent on programs without accountability for results. With the new ResultsOhio initiative, led by state Treasurer Robert Sprague, Ohio is looking for data-backed solutions to guide its funding decisions for social and public health programs. As Ohio’s Treasurer of State, Robert Sprague manages the state’s $20 billion investment and $10 billion debt portfolios, collects and deposits al...
Ep. 259 - Unpacking The Settlement in The Ohio Bellwether MDL Case in Cleveland
October 25, 2019 01:23 - 24 minutes - 33.5 MBOn October 21st, just as a landmark opioid trial was about to begin, a $260 million settlement was reached. The deal negotiated between three major opioid distributors, one opioid manufacturer, and Cuyahoga and Summit Country Ohio, resulted in a combination of cash payouts, and donations of addiction treatments. The first of its kind, this case could become a settlement model for thousands of similar cases against the pharmaceutical industry. The details of the settlement are extremely ...
Ep. 258 - Saving Lives from Opioid Overdoses – Part 2: Innovations in Harm Reduction
October 22, 2019 23:28 - 31 minutes - 43.1 MBLast week, in part 1 of our series on harm reduction, Dr. Jeffrey Singer talked with us about the current state of Naloxone in America, and how to get it to those in need. Today, in the 2nd part of this series, we explore Dr. Singer’s argument against the opioid prescribing limits that have been implemented by many states as a means to slow the opioid epidemic. With more prescribing leniency, a nonprofit group's bid to open a medically supervised drug injection site in Philadelphia could be...
Ep. 257 - Saving Lives from Opioid Overdoses - Part 1: The Naloxone Policy Discussion
October 10, 2019 15:45 - 33 minutes - 76.2 MBAs a regular listener of our podcast, you know that Naloxone can revive an unconscious overdose victim, and stabilize them until proper medical help arrives. 130 people die in our country every day from an opioid overdose, and many deaths could be prevented if Naloxone were more readily available. While first responders carry the life-saving drug, it’s not always possible for them to make it to overdose victims in time to save them. So, how can we get Naloxone to those who need it most? Man...
Ep. 256 - The Data Big Pharma Doesn’t Want You to Know – Part 2
September 26, 2019 20:04 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBThis past August, we started our two-part series covering the public release of the ARCOS data, the DEA’s virtual roadmap to the opioid epidemic. Today, we finish that coverage with Washington Post Investigative Reporter Scott Higham. Scott is a Pulitzer Prize-winning member of The Post's investigations unit. Since joining The Post in 2000, he’s examined conflicts of interest on Capitol Hill, the origins of the opioid epidemic, and much more. With his expertise, Scott guides us through an ...
Ep. 255 - David Siegel & The Opioid Pandemic- Part 2
September 20, 2019 01:52 - 28 minutes - 64.8 MBLast time on the Cover2 Podcast, David Siegel, the CEO of Westgate Resorts, shared how the opioid epidemic changed his family forever when it took the life of his daughter Victoria. With a new purpose, David decided to tackle the pandemic head-on, meeting with several of our nation’s leaders responsible for solving the crisis. He quickly learned they weren’t close enough to the issue to make any real change. Shifting tactics, David took to traveling the country. He met with people struggling...
Ep. 254 - David Siegel & The Opioid Pandemic- Part 1
September 17, 2019 16:52 - 31 minutes - 71.1 MBSince we began this podcast series three and a half years ago, we’ve met some amazing people doing incredible work, each making a difference in the opioid epidemic in their own way. Today’s guest is no exception. What sets him apart is the scope of his latest initiative and his sense of urgency in getting it done. David Siegel is the founder and CEO of West Gate Resorts, the largest timeshare business in the world. He and his family were featured in a reality show as they began building a ...
Ep. 253 - The Right Way to Spend Billions in Settlement Money
September 05, 2019 20:45 - 24 minutes - 34.3 MBThis Summer there’s been a great deal of news on the opioid lawsuit in Oklahoma and the MDL here in Cleveland. We’ve heard how communities and native tribes thought the country have suffered at the hands of the pharmaceutical industry, and now with the ruling against J&J in the Oklahoma trial for $572M and Purdue Pharma offering to settle for $12 Billion giving up their company, it appears it’s time to pay the piper. How that money will be spent is still unclear. We’ve been extremely fort...
Ep. 252 - Introducing a Community of First Responders (Everyone Has a Role!)
August 30, 2019 16:58 - 7 minutes - 17.4 MBFirst Responders have 6 minutes to make it to an overdose victim and begin administering life-saving Narcan. Sadly, that’s not always possible. The Community of First Responders Initiative is about making Narcan available in public spaces and linking Narcan Carriers with overdose victims while they wait for emergency responders to arrive. Each year on August 31st International Overdose Awareness Day is held to remember those lost to overdose deaths. Today, on the eve of the 2019 Overdose Aw...
Ep. 251 - The Data Big Pharma Doesn’t Want You to Know - Part 1
August 27, 2019 20:09 - 33 minutes - 75.9 MBOn July 15th, DEA data covering 2006 to 2012 American opioid sales, was released to the public. The ARCOS data revealed the distribution path of every oxycodone and hydrocodone pill sold in America. A trail of opioids from manufacturers to distributors, to pharmacies, to patients. Undeniable evidence for their responsibility for the opioid crisis. Big Pharma didn’t hand this “smoking gun” for the opioid epidemic over easily. It wasn’t until the Charleston Gazette-Mail, and Washington Post p...
Ep. 250 - The FDA Missteps that Fueled Our Nation’s Health Crisis
August 06, 2019 18:18 - 42 minutes - 96.8 MBToday’s guest, Dr. Andrew Kolodny, is an authority on the opioid epidemic. As a Senior Scientist and, Co-Director of Opioid Policy Research at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Dr. Kolodny has a deep-rooted interest in public health. He began his career working for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, helping develop and implement multiple programs to improve health and save the lives of New York City citizens. These initiatives included: city-wide...
Ep. 249 - The First Agency to Sound the Alarm.
July 19, 2019 18:14 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBWhile many people in power ignored the mounting evidence of the Opioid Crisis, one leader refused to turn a blind eye. In 2009, fresh from seven years as NYC’s health commissioner, Dr. Tom Frieden was appointed a director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) by president Obama. Dr. Frieden immediately got to work and started by wading through eight-hundred-pages of Health Statistics Us. To say he was stunned by what he found is an understatement. The number of lives lost at the hands o...
Ep. 248 -Taking Recovery To The Streets
July 11, 2019 20:35 - 31 minutes - 71.9 MBAbout 21 million Americans struggle with addiction every day, yet only 10 percent receive treatment. While that percentage is unbelievably low, the reality is that traditional methods of aid are inaccessible for many people, even if addicts are ready for treatment. Fortunately, many organizations recognize this issue and are creating paths to make treatment more accessible. Two innovative programs that are literally taking treatment to the streets are Boston Massachusetts’ Care ZONE, an on-...
Ep. 247 - The Corrupting Influence of Purdue: WHO knew?
June 28, 2019 20:11 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBAs negative press continued to increase for Purdue Pharma and the opioid epidemic, their market in the US began to dwindle. Prescriptions for OxyContin fell more than 40% since 2010, equating to billions lost revenue. The company’s owners, the Sackler Family, started pursuing a new strategy. Go global through their international company Mundipharma, and put the pain killer that set off the US opioid crisis into medicine cabinets around the world.” On May 22 of this year, Congresswoman Kat...
Ep. 246 - Lost Lives Lead to New Prevention Programs
June 18, 2019 20:24 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBIn June of 2016, we sat down with Dr. Tom Gilson, the nationally known medical examiner from Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Hoping it might inform and help others, Dr. Gilson reviewed Sam McNeil’s report from the medical examiner of Palm Beach County. Today, we revisit that discussion and uncover how some communities, such as the Baltimore Department of Health, are studying overdose victims to discover new prevention strategies to impede the opioid epidemic. Also joining us today is Brittney Spen...
Ep. 245 - Modern-day FDA, What’s New is Still Old
June 06, 2019 13:20 - 28 minutes - 66 MBIn our three-part series with American Overdose author, Chris McGreal, we took an in-depth look at some of the policies and practices of the FDA that helped lead to our nation’s worst health crisis in history. During the series, I spoke with the former chair of the FDA advisory committee, who’s role is to review and advise on drugs under consideration for approval by the FDA. I was surprised by his responses to my questions, rejecting the notion that mistakes were made, despite the number of...
Ep. 244 – Profits Over People - Part 3: Big Pharma, “It’s the patients not the pills”
May 30, 2019 20:10 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBWhen award-winning author Chris McGreal sat down to write American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts, he wanted to answer two questions. The first: How could the opioid crisis go on for nearly 20 years before it reached public awareness? The second: Why did the opioid crisis happen in America, and nowhere else in the world? We uncover the answers to these questions and more, as we conclude our series on American Overdose. Joining us today alongside author Chris McGreal are Congressm...
Ep. 243 – Profits Over People – Part 2: Industry Influence and Intrigue
May 22, 2019 20:09 - 28 minutes - 66 MBTo many, how and why the opioid epidemic came about remains a mystery. How did these dangerous and addictive substances earn approval for distribution? Why were these drugs approved if they were clearly so addictive and dangerous? Why has our legal system taken so long to react to a crisis that began in the early 2000s? We continue uncovering the answers to those questions in the second episode in our three-part series on American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts, with award-winni...
Ep. 242 – Profits Over People: FDA Opioid Drug Approvals, with Author Chris McGreal
May 16, 2019 16:00 - 28 minutes - 65.9 MBThe Opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in American history, claiming over 350,000 lives since 1999. While many people have an idea of what caused the opioid crisis, few understand the why and how. For example, how did a tragedy that started 20 years ago, only start gaining attention in 2017? How was the greatest drug crisis in American history allowed to go virtually unchecked for nearly two decades? Why is there still no end in sight? To help answer these questions and more, tod...
Ep. 241 – Behind the Scenes of “Heroin’s Grip” a New Documentary, with Director Conrad Weaver
May 10, 2019 16:00 - 28 minutes - 66 MBMany people that view addiction from the outside don’t understand the struggle addicts go through and can’t appreciate how addiction impacts their families. To educate people from that perspective, the new documentary, Heroin’s Grip, features the families of Frederick County Maryland, whose lives were transformed by addiction and the opioid epidemic. Joining us today for a prerelease, behind the scenes, look at his film, is Heroin’s Grip director Conrad Weaver. A filmmaker by trade, Conrad w...
Ep. 240 – Uncovering Coverage Gaps and Understanding the ACA, with Lindsey Vuolo
May 09, 2019 16:00 - 29 minutes - 66.6 MBIn March of 2019 the Center on Addiction, a nonprofit organization committed to supporting families struggling with substance use and addiction, published Uncovering Coverage Gaps II: A Review of Addiction Benefits in ACA Plans. A follow up to their 2016 report of the same name, this new report reviews and compares the addiction benefits in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans for all 50 states. This most recent report was an eye-opener, both for what coverage was available through the state...
Ep. 239 – Faith Communities Supercharging Recovery, with Dr. Monty Burks
May 02, 2019 18:26 - 28 minutes - 19.8 MBThe opioid epidemic has taken a deep toll on families throughout Appalachia. In Tennessee alone, over 1,631 people, (more than five per day), died from a drug overdose in 2016. To respond to such a massive loss of life, Tennessee state leaders developed a special program to unite faith-based communities and take coordinated action against substance abuse. Faith communities have a long history in the struggle against substance abuse. By working together and building a Faith-Based Recovery Net...
Ep. 238 – Empowering Families Struggling with Opioid Addiction, with Roy Poillon
April 24, 2019 13:01 - 22 minutes - 15.8 MBWhile there are many high-quality treatment centers, organizations, and programs for people struggling with opioid addiction, their families often lack the same resources. Opioid use changes the lives of the addict’s family as well as the addict, and many families don’t know what to do when a loved one is faced with opioid addiction. Opioid addiction is a battle for everyone involved, and without proper guidance, adjusting to this change can be its own challenge. To help families become a po...
Ep. 237 - Understanding Purdue Pharma’s Settlement with Oklahoma
April 17, 2019 22:27 - 28 minutes - 19.8 MBOn March 26, 2019, the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, a high-profile figure in the Opioid Epidemic, agreed to a $270 Million Opioid Settlement with the State of Oklahoma. The money from this settlement will fund a national addiction research and treatment center in Oklahoma. This is a unique case for several reasons. First, Oklahoma Attorney general Mike Hunter had originally sought $20 Billion in damages. Second, this is the first of more than 1,600 cases against Purdue to settle. Th...
Ep. 236 - Preparing Future Physicians-Dr. Elizabeth Gundersen readies students for future challenges
April 10, 2019 20:15 - 29 minutes - 68.1 MBPharmaceutical companies spend billions annually on influencing physicians and other pharmaceutical providers, to write more prescriptions for their products. For most companies, the majority of their marketing budget is dedicated to direct contact with doctors, offering token gifts and free lunches, in tandem with information on their products. Many aspiring medical practitioners and physicians are unaware of the impact this can have on their practice and their patients, with recent studies ...
Ep. 235 - “American Relapse:” A Behind the Scenes Look with Director of Chilling Documentary
April 01, 2019 22:02 - 28 minutes - 65.9 MBEach year, thousands of people from across the country go to Florida seeking treatment for drug addiction. Some find help and recover, but the vast majority relapse and continue to struggle with the disease, even after going through treatment many times. This population is vulnerable to insurance fraud through cooked treatment centers partnering with “body brokers” and operations of “sober homes” to find patients with good health insurance. Brokers and sober home owners offer those trying to ...
Ep. 234 - Tragedy Transforms High School Counselor to Addiction Prevention and Recovery Activist
March 29, 2019 15:59 - 28 minutes - 66.1 MBOver 130 people die each day after overdosing on opioids in America. The abuse of and addiction to opioids is a national crisis that has touched the lives of more families than any other health crisis in our history. Today, more families are finding the courage to speak out in support of prevention and recovery than ever before. But that hasn’t always been the case. Ten years ago, speaking out about a family member’s struggles with heroin addiction was almost unheard of. On this episode, we’...
Ep. 233 - Crowd Sourced App Helps Build a Community of First Responders
March 20, 2019 17:39 - 28 minutes - 66 MBIt’s estimated that one hundred and seventy-five people die from opioid overdoses daily in our country. Naloxone can save lives, if there when needed, but the window of time is very short. Brain damage is likely if help doesn’t arrive within four to six minutes of an overdose; and most victims do not survive more than ten minutes. A recent review of EMS records from 485 agencies across the United States showed average response times of seven-minutes in urban settings compared to 14 minutes in...
Ep. 232 - Part 4; Diversion Out of Control: Joe Rannazzisi Shares What Went Wrong
March 15, 2019 15:27 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBIn our last episode of this series, we learned how passage of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act took away the DEA’s most effective diversion control enforcement tool, the immediate suspension order. The bill was shaped in large part by a former DEA lawyer. On this episode, you’ll hear more stories about Congressman and high ranking government agency officials who have played key roles in deciding the fate of drug bills and policies; and weeks later went to work in...
Ep. 231 - Part 3; Diversion Out of Control: Joe Rannazzisi Shares What Went Wrong
March 08, 2019 15:57 - 28 minutes - 39.6 MBWhen a key member of the government’s legal team went to work for the pharmaceutical industry, the job of diversion control enforcement changed dramatically. In this episode, Mr. Joseph Rannazzisi, who for over a decade, was the front man in the government’s battle against the opioid epidemic, shares a first-hand account of what happened when Congress took the word of an industry attorney over an agency that was actually enforcing the law. Today, in the third part of our 4-part series, you’l...
Ep. 230 - Part 2; Diversion Out of Control: Joe Rannazzisi Shares What Went Wrong
February 28, 2019 20:36 - 28 minutes - 66 MBThis is the 2nd in our 4 part series with the former head of the Office of Diversion Control for the DEA, Mr. Joseph Rannazzisi. We began this series by talking about the surprisingly candid report released on December 19th, 2018 by the Energy and Commerce Committee titled “Red Flags and Warning Signs Ignored: Opioid Distribution and Enforcement Concerns in West Virginia”. The purpose of the report was to investigate allegations of “opioid dumping” in West Virginia. In today’s podcast with M...
Ep. 229 - Part 1; Diversion Out of Control: Joe Rannazzisi Shares What Went Wrong
February 21, 2019 17:00 - 28 minutes - 66 MBOn December 19th, 2018, the Energy and Commerce Committee released a long awaited report titled “Red Flags and Warning Signs Ignored: Opioid Distribution and Enforcement Concerns in West Virginia”. The purpose of the report was to investigate allegations of “opioid dumping” in West Virginia. Today, we begin a 4-part series with Joseph Rannazzisi, who for over a decade, was the front man in the government’s battle against the opioid epidemic. Mr. Rannazzisi provides in-depth commentary on th...