Participants Archive

Jared Diamond

Title: Journalist

The Wall Street Journal

Jared Diamond

As featured on:

Episode 269 – New MLB Drug Testing Policy Could Be a Game Changer
New MLB Drug Testing Policy Could Be a Game Changer Last July, Major League Baseball fans were shocked when Tyler Skaggs, a rising star pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, was found dead in hi...

Paul Pelletier

Title: Legal Consultant

PEP Consulting Corp

Paul Pelletier

As featured on:

Episode 268 – Rudy Giuliani & The Lost Opportunity to Make Them Pay
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.

Chris McGreal

Title: Author

The Guardian

Chris McGreal

As featured on:

Episode 268 – Rudy Giuliani & The Lost Opportunity to Make Them Pay
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.
Ep. 247 – The Corrupting Influence of Purdue: WHO knew?
As negative press continued to build for Purdue Pharma and the opioid crisis grew, their U.S. market shares began to shrink.
Episode 244: Big Pharma, “It’s the patients not the pills”
When award-winning author Chris McGreal sat down to write American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts, he wanted to answer two questions.
Ep. 243 – Profits Over People – Part 2: Industry Influence and Intrigue
To 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 cl...
Ep. 242 – Profits Over People: FDA Opioid Drug Approvals, with Author Chris McGreal
The 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...
Ep. 231 – “60 Minutes” Whistleblower Shares What Happened When Congress Sided with Industry Over an Agency
When a key member of the government’s legal team went to work for the pharmaceutical industry, the job of diversion control enforcement changed dramatically.

Dave Aronberg

Title: Attorney, State Official

Palm Beach County

Dave Aronberg

As featured on:

Episode 268 – Rudy Giuliani & The Lost Opportunity to Make Them Pay
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.
Ep. 182 – Palm Beach County State Attorney on Patient Brokering and “The Florida Shuffle”
The fear inherent in searching for help for an opioid addiction should not include the additional worry of becoming exploited. But then, “should” is a meaningless word.
Ep. 110 – Trapped in a Cycle of Relapse: State Attorney Dave Aronberg, Palm Beach County
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...

Dr. Andrew Kolodny

Title: Medical Professional

Heller School for Social Policy and Management

Dr. Andrew Kolodny

As featured on:

Ep. 267 – Our Favorite Episode from 2019: FDA Missteps that Helped Fuel Our Nation’s Health Crisis
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 fro...
Ep. 250 – The FDA Missteps that Fueled Our Nation’s Health Crisis
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 Managem...

Chad Jester

Title: Volunteer, Professional

Nationwide Foundation

Chad Jester

As featured on:

Ep. 266 – Don’t Live in Denial, Ohio
Don't Live in Denial, Ohio Ohio 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 par...
Ep. 214 – Powerful PSA Aims to Stop Community from Living in Denial (Ohio) About Opioid Addiction
Ohio continues to have one of the largest death rates due to overdoses in all the US. Just last year, Franklin County had a 47% increase due to opioid abuse.

Aaron Ereditario

Title: Education

Bay Middle School

Aaron Ereditario

As featured on:

Ep. 265 – Drug & Alcohol Prevention Targets At-Risk Personality Types
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 progra...

James H. Cahoon

Title: Education

Bay High School

James H. Cahoon

As featured on:

Ep. 265 – Drug & Alcohol Prevention Targets At-Risk Personality Types
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 progra...

Chris Mullarkey

Title: Education

Bay Village Middle School

Chris Mullarkey

As featured on:

Ep. 265 – Drug & Alcohol Prevention Targets At-Risk Personality Types
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 progra...

Emily Martinez

Title: Media Personality

Audible

Emily Martinez

As featured on:

Ep. 264 – Beth Macy, & Emily Martinez: Finding Tess
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.

Beth Macy

Title: Author

New York Times/ The Roanoke Times

Beth Macy

As featured on:

Ep. 264 – Beth Macy, & Emily Martinez: Finding Tess
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.
Ep. 226 – Turning Tragedy into a Triumph: The Roanoke Valley Hope Initiative Story
As Beth Macy’s book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America” unfolds, we meet many families, community leaders and healthcare providers that were directly impac...
Ep. 224 – Dopesick: The Loss of a Son and One Parent’s Search for Answers – Part 5
This is the fifth and final episode of our podcast series on Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and The Drug Company That Addicted America. So far, we have discussed what made the Appalachia region of the...
Ep. 223 – Dopesick: Humanitarian Sister Beth Davies Inspires a Community to Take on a Giant – Part 4
In part four of our five-part “Dopesick” series, we have an extensive conversation with Sister Beth Davies. With the help of Dr. Art Van Zee, the two established a community coalition which lai...
Ep. 222 – Dopesick: Bestselling Author Beth Macy Shares a New Approach to Recovery in Appalachia– Part 3
This is part three of our “Dopesick” podcast series. In parts one and two, we sat down with New York Times writer and bestselling author Beth Macy and discussed what made Appalachia so vulnerab...
Ep. 221 – Dopesick: Bestselling Author Beth Macy’s Story of The Drug Company that Addicted America – Part 2
Journalist Beth Macy is the author of three New York Times-bestselling nonfiction books. Her 2014 Lukas Prize-winning “Factory Man: How One Furniture Maker Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local — an...
Ep. 220 – Dopesick: Bestselling Author Beth Macy’s Story of The Drug Company that Addicted America – Part 1
“Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America” is a look into the opioid crisis as it emerged in, bestselling author Beth Macy’s hometown of Roanoke Virginia.

Jeremie Campbell

Title: Entertainer

Jeremie Campbell

As featured on:

Ep. 262 – Akron Film Brings Opioid Crisis to the Silver Screen
Four 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...

Dr. Christopher J. Ruhm

Title: Professional

University of Virginia

Dr. Christopher J. Ruhm

As featured on:

Ep. 261 – The True Cost of The Opioid Epidemic
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 award...

R. Dale Hall

Title: Professional

Society of Actuaries

R. Dale Hall

As featured on:

Ep. 261 – The True Cost of The Opioid Epidemic
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 award...

Robert Sprague

Title: Representative

Ohio House of Representatives

Robert Sprague

As featured on:

Ep. 260 – ResultsOhio: Funding Programs That Get Results
You 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.
Ep. 28 – Good Samaritan Law Follow-up: Robert Sprague, Ohio State Representative
Greg interviews Robert Sprague, Ohio State Representative. He represents the 83rd District in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Ep. 15 – Good Samaritan Overdose Law: Robert Sprague, Ohio State Representative
Greg interviews Ohio State Representative Robert Sprague, 83rd House District. As chairman of the Finance Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, Representative Sprague brings an important persp...

Andrew Pollis

Title: Attorney

Case Western Reserve

Andrew Pollis

As featured on:

Ep. 259 – Unpacking The Settlement in The Ohio Bellwether MDL Case in Cleveland
On 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...
Ep. 237 – Understanding Purdue Pharma’s Settlement with Oklahoma
On 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.
Ep. 210 – What You Don’t Know About the Opioid Multidistrict Litigation in Cleveland, Ohio
There have now been over 1,300 opioid lawsuits filed by states, cities, countries, Native American tribes and labor unions throughout our country.

Dr. Jeffrey Singer

Title: Medical Professional

Cato Institute

Dr. Jeffrey Singer

As featured on:

Ep. 258 – Saving Lives from Opioid Overdoses – Part 2: Harm Reduction
Last 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 pa...
Ep. 257 – Saving Lives from Opioid Overdoses – Part 1: The Naloxone Policy Discussion
As 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...

Scott Higham

Title: Journalist

The Washington Post

Scott Higham

As featured on:

Ep. 256 – The Data Big Pharma Doesn’t Want You to Know – Part 2
This 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.
Ep. 251 – The Data Big Pharma Doesn’t Want You to Know – Part 1
On 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...

David Siegel

Title: Family Member, Community Organizer

Central Florida Investments

David Siegel

As featured on:

Ep. 255 – David Siegel & The Opioid Pandemic- Part 2
Last 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 p...
Ep. 254 – David Siegel & The Opioid Pandemic- Part 1
Since 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.

Tom Stuber

Title: Treatment Professional

Lorain County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, Inc

Tom Stuber

As featured on:

Ep. 253 – A Settlement in Memory of Those Lost to The Opioid Epidemic
This summer, there’s been a great deal of news on the opioid lawsuit in Oklahoma and the Multidistrict Litigation suits here in Cleveland. We’ve heard how communities and native tribes throu...
Ep. 215 – Everything You Need to Know About Ohio Issue 1
On Tuesday, November 6th Ohio voters will decide Ohio Issue 1, a ballot initiative that would reduce drug possession offenses to misdemeanors, so they’re no longer classified as felonies with har...
Ep. 211 – Everything You Need to Know About Ohio Issue 1
One of the many issues that voters will be deciding on this fall is Ohio Issue 1. This issue reduces drug possession to a misdemeanor.
Ep. 11 – Fending Off Relapse: Interview with Tom Stuber, LCADA Way
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.

Suzanne Weise

Title: Attorney

West Virginia College of Law

Suzanne Weise

As featured on:

Ep. 251 – The Data Big Pharma Doesn’t Want You to Know – Part 1
On 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...

Patrick McGinley

Title: Attorney

West Virginia College of Law

Patrick McGinley

As featured on:

Ep. 251 – The Data Big Pharma Doesn’t Want You to Know – Part 1
On 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...

Dr. Tom Frieden

Title: Medical Professional

Vital Strategies

Dr. Tom Frieden

As featured on:

Ep. 249 – The First Agency to Sound the Alarm
The First Agency to Sound The Alarm While 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...
Episode 244: Big Pharma, “It’s the patients not the pills”
When award-winning author Chris McGreal sat down to write American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts, he wanted to answer two questions.

Jessie Gaeta

Title: Medical Professional

Boston Health Care for the Homeless

Jessie Gaeta

As featured on:

Ep. 248 -Taking Recovery to The Streets
About 21 million Americans struggle with addiction every day, yet only ten percent receive treatment. While that percentage is shockingly low, the reality is that traditional methods of aid are ina...
Ep. 40 – Creating a Safe Space with SPOT: Dr. Jessie Gaeta, Boston Health Care
In response to opioid overdoses in Boston, Dr. Jessie Gaeta devised a safe space for rehabilitation called SPOT. She is the Chief Medical Officer of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program...

Dr. Shereef Elnahal

Title: Medical Professional

Commissioner of Health

Dr. Shereef Elnahal

As featured on:

Ep. 248 -Taking Recovery to The Streets
About 21 million Americans struggle with addiction every day, yet only ten percent receive treatment. While that percentage is shockingly low, the reality is that traditional methods of aid are ina...

Evie Fordham

Title: Journalist

DCNF

Evie Fordham

As featured on:

Ep. 247 – The Corrupting Influence of Purdue: WHO knew?
As negative press continued to build for Purdue Pharma and the opioid crisis grew, their U.S. market shares began to shrink.

Harriet Ryan

Title: Journalist

Los Angeles Times

Harriet Ryan

As featured on:

Ep. 247 – The Corrupting Influence of Purdue: WHO knew?
As negative press continued to build for Purdue Pharma and the opioid crisis grew, their U.S. market shares began to shrink.
Ep. 66 – How a Company Reaped Billions at the Cost of Hundreds of Lives: Harriet Ryan, LA Times
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 lawsui...

Brittney Spencer

Title: County Official

Baltimore City Health Department

Brittney Spencer

As featured on:

Ep. 246 – Lost Lives Lead to New Prevention Programs
In 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...

Dr. Raeford Brown

Title: Medical Professional

University of Kentucky

Dr. Raeford Brown

As featured on:

Episode 245: Modern-day FDA, What’s New is Still Old
In 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 cris...

Conrad Weaver

Title: Executive Producer

Conjostudios, LLC

Conrad Weaver

As featured on:

Ep. 241 – Behind the Scenes of “Heroin’s Grip” a New Documentary, with Director Conrad Weaver
Many people that view addiction from the outside don’t understand the struggle addicts go through and can’t appreciate how addiction impacts their families.