Sentencing The Mastermind Last February, I interviewed Evan Ratliff, author of The Mastermind. The book tells the story of how lone programmer Paul La Roux, built an online drug empire responsible for dumping millions of pain pills into the U.S. La Roux enticed hundreds of doctors to take part in his [...]
Obscure Treatment Could be The Final Fix for Addiction For the last few months, I’ve been covering COVID-19’s impact on the opioid crisis. With overdoses up 42% in May alone, it’s projected 75,000 additional lives will be lost to alcohol and drug overdose because of the pandemic. One resource [...]
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Opioid Crisis Over the last 90 plus days, much has changed in our world. COVID19 has forced many of us to endure unfamiliar hardships and inconveniences. But our most vulnerable populations, such as those struggling with OUD, have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus. [...]
A Safer Supply Saves Lives Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is considered the gold standard for treating opioid use disorder. But it doesn’t work for everyone, and for those unresponsive to MAT, the next use of illicit street drugs could be their last. This month, Staff Sergeant Conor King introduced us to SaferSupply, [...]
Home Test Kits: DFCA's Innovative Response to a Pandemic In today’s episode of the Cover2, PPT podcast, we continue revisiting some of the People, Places, and Things we’ve profiled in earlier episodes. We’re touching base to see how the Coronavirus has changed the way they’re making a difference in the opioid [...]
Rapid Changes to Opioid Treatment Driven by COVID-19 Last 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 [...]
Treatment Breakthrough: The ER Addiction Stabilization Unit In 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 [...]
The Mastermind Behind the World’s Largest Online Drug Cartel Since 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 [...]
MOMS Plus: New Program to Lower NAS Rates Between 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 [...]
In Pain – When No One Knows How to Taper Pain Pills In 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 [...]
Rudy Giuliani & The Lost Opportunity to Make Them Pay In 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 [...]
Our Favorite Episode from 2019: FDA Missteps that Helped Fuel Our Nation’s Health Crisis In 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 [...]
Drug & Alcohol Prevention Targets At-Risk Personality Types For 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 [...]
Earlier 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 twenty-plus year history of the opioid crisis as it emerged in the state of Virginia. Recently, [...]
It’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 [...]
In August, a closely watched Oklahoma opioid trial concluded. Johnson & Johnson was found guilty of deceptive marketing practices and causing a public nuisance, and the judge subsequently awarded the state $572 Million to cover the first year of abatement. However, the judge later announced he had made a $107 million miscalculation. [...]
Today’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 [...]
On January 6th 2017, Greg interviewed Lenny Bernstein, a journalist for the Washington Post. Lenny discussed the force behind the opioid epidemic ravaging rural American communities. During his investigation, his team discovered that multiple drug distribution companies were giving rural pharmacies far more pills than they could possibly sell or store. But [...]
Greg interviews Nicole Lewis, Washington Post reporter for the Fact Checker feature. In an article she bylined that was published 9/11/2017, she responded to President Trump’s claim that drugs would stop pouring into this country if we built a border wall, which was one of his campaign’s signature promises. She begs to [...]
Greg interviews Dr. Phyllis L. Hendry, a professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, and the Assistant Chair of Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine in Jacksonville, Florida. Dr. Hendry and her team have developed an online education patient safety initiative called P.A.M.I. (Pain [...]
Greg interviews Dr. Martin Klapheke, the Assistant Dean of Medical Education and Professor of Psychiatry at The University of Central Florida. Dr. Klapheke and his team have developed a new opioid-related curriculum to help medical students fully understand how to safely treat substance abuse disorder and prevent the over-prescribing of opioids. Greg [...]
Greg interviews Dr. Shawn Ryan, the President and CMO of the BrightView Treatment Center, as well as the President of the Ohio Society of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Ryan has spent the last six years working to combat the growing opioid epidemic both in his local community and throughout the rest of Ohio. [...]
Greg interviews Dave Aronberg, the State Attorney of Palm Beach County, Florida. Mr. Aronberg established a Sober Homes Task Force to combat the numerous flop-houses and fake treatment centers that have popped up around Delray Beach. Greg asks the State Attorney about how this problem developed and has continued to thrive. He [...]
Greg interviews Dr. George Elder, the Vice President of Schools and Colleges for Psychemedics Corporation--the world leader in drug testing using hair follicles. After utilizing Psychemedics’ drug testing services as a school Headmaster back in 2005, Dr. Elder became a leader in the advocacy of school drug testing. Greg asks Dr. Elder why, [...]
Greg interviews Rick Maese, a sports features writer for The Washington Post. The Washington Post has had an interest in football and the health and safety issues within the sport for many years. In a recent article about the National Football League’s (NFL) abuse of painkillers, Rick did extensive reporting and research on [...]
Greg interviews two experts on Supervised Injection Facilities (SIF). SIFs are controlled healthcare settings, where people can safely inject drugs under clinical supervision. Currently, there are 98 SIF operations in 10 countries around the world. The two experts are: Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal and Addiction Medicine Specialist Dr. Aaron Fox. Both discuss the [...]
Greg interviews Dr. Joe Gay, a Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Chemical Dependency Professional and the Executive Director of Health Recovery Services in Athens, Ohio. He also worked with Sam Quinones on his highly-acclaimed book Dreamland. This episode is Part Two in a series of podcasts that will explore life after Dreamland for those who [...]
Greg interviews Harriet Ryan, an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times who frequently writes about the opioid epidemic. On January 19, 2017, Harriet wrote an article about a recent lawsuit in the city of Everett—located just north of Seattle, Washington. The city was prompted to sue the drug producer Purdue Pharma after [...]
Greg interviews Eric Eyre, a Journalist at Charleston Gazette-Mail. Eric reports on healthcare issues, including the current opioid epidemic sweeping across the nation and more specifically in West Virginia. In December of 2015, he wrote an article on opioid distribution in West Virginia. His team analyzed opioid shipments between 2007 and 2012. Through [...]
Greg interviews Lenny Bernstein, a journalist at The Washington Post. Recently, Lenny’s team spent a year investigating the rising death rate of rural white Americans. He elaborates on an article published in October 2016. “My editor asked me to explain how there could be millions of pills on the street if the DEA [...]
Greg interviews Janis Beckett, the Director of Chemical Dependency Services at the Cleveland Clinic, Akron General Hospital and Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation Hospital. After struggling with substance use disorder for several years, Janis decided to enter the field of Chemical Dependency. She talks about her tough battle with the disease and her recovery. “The [...]
Greg interviews Sam Quinones, author of the best-selling book Dreamland. A true tale of America’s opioid epidemic, Dreamland is a poignant and insightful narrative of the current threat sweeping the nation. Sam shares a story of a community pool he encountered in Portsmouth, Ohio to explain why the book is named Dreamland. “I [...]
Grace Roberts from 1073 the Wave interviews Greg McNeil It’s no secret that arrest, imprisonment, and conviction don’t break addiction. All over the US, civic officials are waking up to the brokenness of the system. Cops and robbers isn’t working. It isn’t saving our sons and daughters. If addiction is a physical brain [...]
Dr. Nicole Labor, Addiction Medicine Specialist at Summa Healthcare in Akron, Ohio, once struggled with a heroin addiction that pushed her to pursue a career in addiction treatment. “At the end of school you choose the field you hate the least… [Addiction Medicine] is a field that requires you to be honest and [...]
Dr. Jeanette Moleski has 26 years of experience as a DO running a family practice in Hudson, Ohio. Over the last 10 years, Dr. Moleski has specialized in the field of addiction recovery. She was a round table participant in the Facing Addiction Caucus at this year’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Genetic [...]
Greg interviews Troy Gahm, the Owner and Operator of Gahm’s Pharmacy in Lucasville Ohio. As a licensed pharmacist, Troy was quoted in Dreamland, a novel about the opioid epidemic in America. After founding the pharmacy in 1996, Troy has encountered problems with the opioid epidemic. He talks about what he has witnessed in [...]
Dr. Christina Delos Reyes discusses how she got into the field of psychiatry and addiction, as well as the severity of opioid addiction from a medical perspective. She is the Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction at University Hospital’s Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. As an academic medical center, the hospital is [...]
Detective Piatchek discusses how to detect the signs of opioid addiction in a family member and how to potentially prevent an overdose. Detective Piatchek works in the Palm Beach County Sheriff Office in the Violent Crimes and Homicide Division. Detective Piatchek was on scene for Sam’s overdose. Greg asks Piatchek what he found [...]
George Loucas discusses the increase of the opioid epidemic over the last 10 years. Mr. Loucas is the founder of Loucas Law, a medical malpractice firm that specializes in wrongful death cases involving prescription opiates. Loucas Law’s first case was about 10 years ago. It involved a person who had taken too many [...]
Denny founded F I Community Housing in 1995. Today, it’s Ohio’s largest peer-operated recovery community. Denny’s past informs his present mission in fighting the opioid epidemic: by the age of 25, he was addicted to several drugs, including heroin, crack cocaine, and alcohol. After he went through a 21-day recovery program, Denny was [...]
Greg interviews Bill Denihan, CEO of ADAMHS, Cuyahoga County. The Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County serves residents who need help in these areas. Bill talks to Greg about the process of detox and what must happen afterward to ensure a successful recovery. Bill talks about the high [...]
Greg interviews Lori Criss, Associate Director of the Ohio Council of Behavioral, Health, and Family Service Providers. Lori discusses the path which families should take in helping an addicted loved one who is ready to get treatment. Greg asks Lori how the Council helps families who are experiencing this crisis. Lori says, “As [...]
Greg interviews Ed Hughes, CEO of The Counseling Center, Portsmouth, OH. Ed talks about the lessons which families can learn from the national opiate epidemic that started in Portsmouth. Ed traces a short history of the Portsmouth epidemic—how storefront pain clinics legally prescribed opiates and eventually drew out-of-state customers. Then he discusses what [...]
Greg interviews Tom Stuber, president and CEO of LCADA Way Wellness and Recovery. Tom reviews the treatment records of Greg’s son Sam and talks about the process of relapse. Greg clarifies that this review is not for the purpose of blaming anyone, but rather to uncover any information that may help other families [...]
Cover2 Resources Podcast | Season 2 | Coming July 28, 2016 In Episode 8 of the Cover2 Resources Podcast, Greg recaps everything we covered in Season 1. He also preps us for Season 2 of the Cover2 Resources Podcast, which launches July 28, 2016. In Season 2, we’ll hear from Tom Stuber, CEO of The [...]
In this episode of the Cover2 Podcast, Greg interviews Dr. Tom Gilson, Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner. Dr. Gilson has worked as a medical examiner for 22 years, the last 5 in Cuyahoga County. In that short span of time, he has seen an opioid epidemic emerge in Northeast Ohio. “In Cuyahoga County, in [...]
