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 asks Dr. Ryan about how drugs like fentanyl and heroin make it into the country and states like Ohio. He explains that there are multiple inroads for these drugs, both locally and abroad. “We know that illicitly manufactured fentanyl and other [drugs] are being shipped from Mexico. They’re actually coming in the mail from China and other countries surrounding China. They’re also being manufactured in illicit labs here in the United States. So, because the demand is so great… the route of these opioids… [is] very complicated and multifactorial.” He furthers that because of this complex transportation system, it’s likely easier and wiser to work on stopping the epidemic at the user. “So, one of the issues that is often discussed is whether we focus on the supply or demand side of the issue. My answer is we focus on both sides. But at this time, knowing what I know, it seems that the demand side, the desire of people with opioid abuse disorder, is actually the stronger risk factor.”
Listen to the podcast to discover how Ohio legislators are working to put laws in place to help limit supply and increase prevention, as well as how every community can be proactive in their fight against substance abuse disorder.
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