Teun Voeten (www.teunvoeten.com ) is author of The Devil's Drug.  https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538198612/The-Devil's-Drug-The-Global-Emergence-of-Crystal-Meth We discuss his new book. We also look at his photography work cover war, homeless and drugs - his captures the similarity in human suffering. Teun Voeten studied cultural anthropology and philosophy at Leiden university. As a photographer he has been covering conflicts worldwide since 1991. Voeten wrote books on the underground homeless in New York, the civil war in Sierra Leone and wrote a PhD thesis on the drug violence in Mexico. For the city of Antwerp, he researched drug related crime. Early 2025, The Devil’s Drug: The Global Emergence of Crystal Meth will appear. Currently, Voeten is researching the fentanyl crisis on the West Coast of America, from Tijuana to Vancouver.

Cindy Cipriani, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of California, develops partnerships and programs to enhance crime prevention and community resilience. She serves on the Executive Leadership Committee and Co-Chairs the Prevention and Education Committee of San Diego’s Substance Use and Overdose Prevention Task Force, a multi-disciplinary coalition that works across sectors to raise awareness and prevent fatal overdoses, and chairs the Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, which funds community groups that facilitate reentry and prevent gangs and gun crime. Ms. Cipriani was a driving force behind San Diego’s Juvenile Smuggling Prevention team, which was recognized by the Attorney General in 2019 as DOJ’s Outstanding Community Partnership for Public Safety. In addition, she has organized numerous events and efforts to protect houses of worship and address targeted violence and hate incidents, earning ADL’s Sherwood Prize for community engagement work combatting hate.   Ms. Cipriani obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at The Ohio State University and held staff positions in the Ohio Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives.  She received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and litigated for nearly a decade at Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich (now DLA Piper) before becoming an Assistant United States Attorney in 1999.  Ms. Cipriani has held several senior management positions, including Deputy Chief of the Civil Division, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Senior Management Counsel. Soccer Team Video: Our website has info on Project LEAD and the Juvenile Smuggling Program: We also have information on United Against Hate. The updated calendar should appear on the website soon!

Drugs are smuggled into the US by land and sea and from Southern as well as Norther Border. Sheriff Milstead discusses the Northern Border. Mike Milstead began his law enforcement career in 1973 with the Sioux Falls Police Department (SFPD).  He served over 24 years on the SFPD, with assignments in all Divisions of that department, rising to the rank of Lieutenant detailed as the Night Shift Commander.   In 1997, Mike Milstead was sworn in as Sheriff of Minnehaha County.  He has served as Sheriff for over 27 years.  Sheriff Milstead is on the Board of Directors of the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) and is the Chair of the NSA Drug Enforcement Committee.  He served on the DHS Homeland Security Information Network Advisory Committee (HSIN-AC) and is currently a member of the DHS S&T First Responders Resource Group (FRRG).  Sheriff Milstead is the Chair of the Department of Justice Global Advisory Committee (GAC) and also represents NSA and GAC on the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC).  For the past 25 years, he has served on the Executive Board of Mid-West HIDTA, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Governor’s Senior Advisory Committee for Homeland Security.  He also represents South Dakota Sheriffs on the SD Fusion Center Advisory Board.   The Minnehaha County Sheriffs Office is a full service law enforcement, public safety and corrections agency that serves the 200,000 people who live in the most populated county in South Dakota. With over 250 full and part-time employees, the Sheriff's Office is responsible for the preservation of peace and the protection of life and property within the jurisdiction. 

The Impact of Schizophrenia Genetic Load and Heavy Cannabis Use on the Risk of Psychotic Disorder in the EU-GEI case control and UK Biobank studies.  This article published in Psychology Magazine Apri 2024 studied 114,698 European patients to determine if genetics was associated with cannabis associated psychotic disorder. Regular users of high potency THC (over 10%) had the highest odds of psychotic disorder independent of schizophrenia genetics. Dr. Marta DiForte explains this research. Dr Marta Di Forti is a Clinical Reader in Psychosis Research at the Dept of Social, Developmental and Genetic Research, Institute of Psychiatry, and Honorary Consultant Adult Psychiatrist, Lambeth EI Community team, South London and Maudsley NHS foundation Trust. She leads the first Cannabis Clinic for patients with Psychotic disorders in UK. She was recently awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrist Researcher of the year prize.  In 2020 she was granted a MRC Senior Research Fellowship to expand her research in the role of cannabis use in psychosis and its underlying biology. With her team she showed for the first time that use of high potency types of cannabis e.g. "skunk" carries a higher risk of psychosis than use of traditional types and that it affects rates of Psychotic disorders across Europe. Though it still remains unclear who are those cannabis use most at risk. Her future work aims to investigate the interaction between cannabis use and genes predisposing to schizophrenia, and how cannabis changes the epigenome.

Dr. Matthew Fedoruk currently works as the Chief Science Officer leading the Science & Research team at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Dr. Fedoruk is considered an expert in the scientific aspects of anti-doping matters and has reviewed hundreds of results management cases while at USADA and provided credible scientific guidance and opinion to resolve many anti-doping analytical and non-analytical result management cases including the detection of performance-enhancing drugs and the abuse thereof in sport. With more than 10 years of experience in anti-doping and a Ph.D. in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dr. Fedoruk also serves as a standing member of the IPC Anti-Doping Committee, the WADA TDSSA Expert Group Chair and Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) Ad-Hoc Working Group. Dr. Fedoruk also serves as co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC). Before joining USADA, Dr. Fedoruk worked at the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) and served with the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Canada. He currently lives in sunny Colorado Springs, Colorado, which is also known as ‘Olympic Town USA’ for being home to the U.S. Olympic Committee, the high-altitude Olympic Training Center, numerous national sport federations and USADA. Allison Wagner The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is pleased to announce that it has welcomed Allison Wagner, a silver medalist swimmer at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, as its first Director of Athlete and International Relations. In this role, Wagner will oversee Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American, and Parapan American athlete engagement efforts that will help USADA serve athletes and best meet their needs. Wagner will also work to ensure effective relationships with key international partners and advocate for anti-doping excellence on a global scale. In addition to her experience as an elite swimmer, Allison brings to this role her recent experience as a research associate at the Sports Equity Lab at Yale University and as a postgraduate student in the Erasmus Mundus Program, a joint master’s degree delivered by an international consortium of six higher education institutions in the European Union. Wagner is one of six Olympians worldwide to be selected by the International Olympic Committee for this program – a world-first innovation developed by the European Commission as a response to the global challenge to sport integrity. These programs allowed her to lead athlete outreach initiatives and develop expertise in international relations and sport governance, anti-doping policy, abuse and discrimination, athletes’ rights and advocacy, diversity and inclusion, and disability in sport. With this knowledge, she developed concrete and practical solutions related to policy, governance, and communication. “Allison is passionate about athletes’ rights and standing up for them,” said USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart. “As an Olympian and scholar, through engagement with our athletes and international partners, Allison will elevate our mission to serve athletes and ensure that their rights are protected around the world.” Wagner also has first-hand experience with one of the key reasons that a strong global anti-doping system is so important: She was beaten in major championships by swimmers who were later proven to be users of banned performance-enhancing substances. Despite these challenges, Wagner enjoyed a decorated swimming career, including holding a world record in the 200 I.M. (SCM) for almost 15 years, seven Southeastern Conference titles, 11 All-American honors, recognition as the SEC Female Swimmer of the Year in 1995 and 1996, and the University of Florida’s Most Valuable Swimmer in 1996. She earned the silver medal in the 400-meter...

Dr. Lora Peppard is the Executive Director of the Center for Advancing Prevention Excellence at the University of Baltimore and the Director of ADAPT, a national training and technical assistance division for substance use prevention for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program out of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. She also serves as the Immediate Past President of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and sits on the Board of Directors for Columbia University’s Nursing Alumnae Association and the Advisory Board for SAMHSA’s Prevention Technology and Transfer Center’s Network Coordinating Office. Dr. Peppard has over 21 years of clinical experience as a psychiatric nurse practitioner serving a variety of populations including adolescents and young adults. She has led multiple federally funded grants and developed system-wide strategies to address the unique substance use and behavioral health needs in communities across the nation. Dr. Peppard has authored several publications and serves as a community, state, national, and international consultant on prevention.  

School based prevention education is one of the pillars to tackling the drug crisis along with treatment and supply. LEAD is a key partner in this effort. Nick DeMauro is the Executive Director of Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence (L.E.A.D.)  Under Nick’s leadership, L.E.A.D. has grown to be the country’s leading organization teaching first responders and community leaders how to effectively teach anti-drug and anti-bullying to students.    After earning a degree in Human Services, he joined the New Milford NJ police force, becoming the youngest detective in the agency’s history and launching its juvenile division being awarded two Police Officer of the Year Awards  Sensing the importance of the issue of substance abuse among youth, Mr. DeMauro’s  career path led to his appointment as in international executive in  a drug prevention program (DARE). In New Jersey, over 17 years, he built the largest law enforcement school based statewide charitable organization in the United States. His commitment to positive student outcomes fostered a dedicated vision and goal for law enforcement agencies to provide evidence based, proven effective curricula in the context of comprehensive programming.  In 2015, he was appointed Executive Director and CEO of L.E.A.D. (Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence), A New Jersey based national nonprofit organization designed to facilitate all law enforcement drug and violence prevention efforts throughout the United States and beyond.  Recipient of many leadership awards, his passion includes promoting community-based law enforcement efforts to assist communities foster a safe and healthy environment. Mr. DeMauro’s recent appointment to the Board of Directors of Applied Prevention Science International, Inc. is a prime example of his commitment to good prevention science, superior policy and realistic implementation of evidence-based programming.  Mr. DeMauro and his family reside in Belmar NJ and Naples Fla. Each Saturday beginning at Noon, L.E.A.D. guy Nick DeMauro, speaks with experts, educators and law enforcement about important issues affecting you and your children. Tune into AM 970 The Answer for topical information and insight from experts waging the battle against drugs and violence in your community.  

What are the effects of cannabis on the cardiovascular system? Dr. Chandy helps clear the haze. The American Heart Association has established the facts. Dr. Mark Chandy earned his MD and Ph.D. in 2008, at Pennsylvania State University. After completing medical school, Dr. Chandy trained in Internal Medicine at the University of British Columbia, followed by a Cardiology fellowship at the University of Toronto. He also completed a fellowship in Echocardiography and enrolled in the Clinician Scientist Training Program at the University of Toronto. With a desire to learn stem cell biology, Dr. Chandy trained in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) disease modeling at Stanford University. Dr. Chandy’s research has been published in Cell and other high-impact journals. He holds patents for his novel discoveries. As a recently appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Western Ontario, Dr. Chandy is an independent physician-scientist using iPSC disease modeling, next-generation sequencing (NGS), proteomics, and gene editing to understand the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Chandy's current research focuses on understanding the pathophysiology of environmental exposures such as air pollution, e-cigarettes, and cannabis on cardiovascular disease using human iPSC-derived tissue. The overarching goal of his research is to 1) investigate the effects of the environment on the cardiovascular system, 2) discover biomarkers to risk stratify patients, and 3) discover druggable target genes for cardiovascular disease. The relationship between cannabis and cardiovascular disease: clearing the haze. Nature Reviews. Jan 2025

What does the textile industry and families against fentanyl have in common? They both want to eliminate the De Minimus Loophole that allow foreign goods under $800 to pass into the United States with little scrutiny or taxes. It is one way fentanyl is entering the US. Kim Glas joined the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) in May 2019 as President and CEO. NCTO represents the broad spectrum of the domestic textile industry from fiber to finished products. She has over 20 years of experience in government policy development and advocacy. Kim also serves as an appointed Commissioner to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.  Her multi-faceted career includes spearheading manufacturing and trade policy efforts on Capitol Hill, serving as a key leader on behalf of the textile industry, and previously leading a non-profit organization, BlueGreen Alliance, engaged in advancing critical policies to grow quality, U.S. jobs in the clean energy economy. Kim served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods, and Materials at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In that role, she worked to improve the domestic and international competitiveness of the broad product range of U.S. industries. She also served as the chairman for the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. Read about the Close the De Minimis Coalition Read about How fentanyl traffickers are exploiting a US trade law to kill Americans

Jan Rader is a star of the Netflix special Heroin(e) and hero in West Virginia in the drug epidemic. Native of Ironton, Ohio, Jan Rader joined the Huntington Fire Department in August of 1994. Ms. Rader is the first woman to reach the rank of Chief for a career department in the State of West Virginia. She holds a Regents Bachelor of Arts degree from Marshall University and an Associates Degree of Science in Nursing from Ohio University. Jan holds many fire service certifications and is also a Fire and EMS Instructor in the State of West Virginia. Chief Rader came to national prominence after the release of the short documentary “Heroin(e)” by Netflix in September of 2017. Then in April of 2018, she was chosen as one of Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. She retired from the City of Huntington Fire Department in February of 2022 and currently serves as the Director of the Mayor’s Council of Public Health & Drug Control Policy. The purpose of this council is to address substance use disorder in Huntington and the surrounding communities and to create a holistic approach involving prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement. 

Alcohol prohibition. Taxes. Quality standards. Potency regulation. What can healthcare policy learn from alcohol and tobacco and apply to today's cannabis market? David Jernigan, PhD, is a Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health, and senior policy advisor for CityHealth, a project of the de Beaumont Foundation that provides leaders with a package of evidence-based policy solutions that will help millions of people live longer, better lives in vibrant, prosperous communities. Dr. Jernigan is best known for his action-research approach to the issue of alcohol advertising, marketing, and promotion and its influence on young people. His work has led to better advertising regulations and a clearer understanding of the evolving structure of the alcohol industry. His work is policy relevant and scientifically rigorous. Dr. Jernigan has been very active in translating research findings into policy and practice. He testifies regularly at city, state, and national levels around alcohol advertising and youth, alcohol availability, and taxation. He also trains advocates around the world using the best evidence. Cannabis: Moving Forward, Protecting Health

Disease burden is the impact of a health problem as measured by financial cost, mortality, morbidity or other indicators. When it comes to drugs, we are always talking about overdoses and deaths.  The CDC predicted deaths in the US for the 12 months preceding March 2024, are over 103,000. That is horrible and unacceptable. Death is just the tip of the iceberg. For every death there are many more with a substance use disorder, as well as a host of medical and mental health conditions associated with drugs.  There are proponents of judging drugs like we do other health problems like injuries or cardiovascular disease. That is looking at the total disease burden, not just deaths. For example, disability for depression and back pain rated much higher in disease burden compared to diabetes, emphysema and asthma combined. Yet we know emphysema is more lethal than back pain.  In this episode we will discuss the disease burden of drugs and alcohol. Vaughan Rees, pHD Dr. Rees is Director of the Center for Global Tobacco Control, whose mission is to reduce the global burden of tobacco-related death and disease through training, research, and the translation of science into public health policies and programs. He directs the Tobacco Research Laboratory at the Harvard Chan School, where the design and potential for dependence of tobacco products are assessed. Studies examine the impact of dependence potential on product use and individual risk, to inform policy and other interventions to control tobacco harms. Current research uses conventional and innovative strategies to evaluate new and novel tobacco products. Examples of these products include modified risk tobacco products such as e-cigarettes; reduced ignition propensity cigarettes; hookah (tobacco waterpipe); and novel smokeless tobacco products such as snus. Clinical research methods are used to evaluate the influence of tobacco product design features on consumer responses, and their role in promoting initiation or maintenance of use among targeted populations. Findings have been used to inform tobacco control policy, develop resources for communicating risks of tobacco products, and to enhance understanding of factors that contribute to tobacco dependence. Other research involves development of strategies to reduce secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in domestic environments, with a focus on evaluating interventions for reducing domestic SHS exposure among children. Dr. Rees also leads an NIH funded study which seeks to reduce secondhand smoke exposure among children from low income and racially/ethnically diverse backgrounds. This research utilizes the principles of community based participatory research (CBPR) to develop and evaluate a cognitive behavioral intervention to help caregivers maintain a smoke free home environment. He has conducted studies on SHS emissions of tobacco waterpipe, and SHS monitoring in indoor environments, including private homes and cars. Dr. Rees' academic background is in health psychology (substance use and dependence), and he trained at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and did postdoctoral training through the National Institute on Drug Abuse. He has also published research on the role of cue reactivity in tobacco and alcohol abuse and dependence; and clinical trials on interventions for alcohol and cannabis dependence. Towards a Comprehensive Measure of Drug Attributable Harm, JAMA Connor Kubeisy Connor Kubeisy is a Policy Analyst with the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions and its sister organization, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, after having joined them as a Communications and Policy Associate in January 2022. He began his career as an intern in the White House Office of National Dru...

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, M.D., is the longest residing Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health since 2003. She is the world's go to person when it comes to the issue of drugs, and commonly known as the mother to the science demonstrating that drug addiction is a brain disorder.  Dr. Volkow continues her tradition of starting the High Truths podcast season with reflections and hopes in the issue of drugs.

Hello and Welcome to Season 5 of  High Truths on Drugs and Addiction. What an honor and joy I have from hosting High Truths.  Each episode I have great discussions with fascinating and knowledge people who get me thinking and teach me something new. It is like the Talmudic saying in Ethics of our Fathers, Who is Wise, One who learns from every person. And you and I learn so much from our High Truths guest. Talmudically speaking - I guess that means we are all wise. Can you believe that we already had 210 conversations with fascinating people? I love it. But more importantly, the conversations we have - lead to action, drug policies and solutions.  Talk is great, but as the saying goes, Action speaks louder than words. Keeping with our High Truths tradition, this first episode of Season 5 will be just me sharing with you my monologue for the year.This is the one and only time of year where you hear just from me, and the rest of the season is dialogue with my guests. Here is what I want to cover with you today. First Reflections about this High Truths Podcast Then a state of the union on the drug data. And ending with hopes for our future with solutions and action. So here I go...

The High Truths Season Finale airs the live conversation from December 13 with Drs. Bertha Madras, Libby Stuyt and Aaron Weiner. The experts share their reflections on 2024, hopes for 2025, and advice for the new Trump administration.

Cannabis Use Disorder and Cannabis Induced Psychosis is a common diagnosis of adolescent psychiatrist. Listen to Dr. David Rettew's tips in diagnosis and how to speak to young people about marijuana. David Rettew, MD is a child & adolescent psychiatrist who currently works as the Medical Director of Lane County Behavioral Health in Eugene, Oregon.  He is also a clinical faculty member in the Psychiatry Department at OHSU.  Before moving to Oregon in 2021, he worked as a tenured associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Vermont Medical Center and was Medical Director of the child and families division of the Vermont Department of Mental Health.  He was also past president of the Vermont Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  Dr Rettew built and then acted as first Training Director of UVM’s child psychiatry fellowship program.  He is the author of over 60 peer reviewed journal articles on a variety of mental health topics as well as two books, including Parenting Made Complicated: What Science Really Knows About the Greatest Debates of Early Childhood. He has served as the co-chair of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry’s (AACAP) Health Promotion and Prevention committee and was previously on their journal’s (JAACAP’s) editorial board.  Dr. Rettew did his general psychiatry and child & adolescent training at Harvard Medical School within the combined Massachusetts General/McLean Hospital programs.  Dr. Rettew writes a regular blog on Psychology Today that has over one and a half million views. 

The United States's Drug Czar is in charge the nation's drug policy. We can learn from the historical perspectives of our prior leaders. Gil Kerlikowske shared his insights. I served as the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), having been nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in March, 2014.  Having left office in January 2017, I will be the only confirmed CBP Commissioner during President Obama’s administration. CBP was formed as part of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003 as a result of the recommendations issued by the 9/11 Commission. Its dual responsibilities are to secure America’s borders and facilitate lawful travel and trade. CBP is the second-largest contributor of funds to the U.S. Treasury, collecting $46 billion in Fiscal Year 2015. As the nation’s largest law enforcement agency, CBP employs 60,000 people at and between 328 ports of entry nationwide as well as in 40 countries around the world, with an annual budget approaching $13 billion. One of my chief accomplishments at CBP was realigning an organization that had 21 direct reports to the Commissioner. The new organization streamlines decision-making and gives CBP’s workforce more efficient access to resources and information. I also oversaw the restructuring of the U.S. Border Patrol (which comprises 21,000 personnel), including the appointment of the first Border Patrol Chief from outside the organization since its founding in 1924. Under my leadership, CBP has made significant changes its use of force policies, incorporating new training at its academies and implementing robust internal affairs review and investigation authorities, which CBP did not have previously. In addition, during my tenure CBP has expanded the use of technology to make it faster and easier for lawful travelers and cargo to enter the country securely – contributing to both national and economic security. Regarding travel, I oversaw the expansion of CBP’s Preclearance facilities overseas, placing Customs officers in key foreign cities to pre-inspect travelers destined to the United States, thereby adding a layer of security to our borders while facilitating the arrival of travelers from these cities. Regarding trade, I oversaw the enforcement of laws prohibiting goods derived from forced or child labor, counterfeit goods, or products that violate trade agreements and could harm the U.S. economy or consumers.  CBP also has an important global presence; I lead the U.S. delegation to the 180-member World Customs Organization and I travel extensively internationally.  As a veteran of the United States Army – having served in the Army’s military police from 1970-1972 – I oversaw the creation of CBP’s National Frontline Recruitment Center which is designed to attract and recruit military veterans. Before I was named CBP Commissioner, I served for five years as President Obama’s drug policy advisor as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a Senate-confirmed cabinet level position. When I started at ONDCP in May 2009, the growing abuse of and addiction to prescription drugs was not widely known by the general public. Besides authoring the ONDCP’s annual National Drug Control Strategy, I initiated the first Prescription Drug Strategy.  During my tenure at ONDCP, law enforcement began using Naloxone to save victims of opiate overdoses. In addition, hospitals began changing their emergency department standards on pain medication, and physicians and dentists began receiving better guidance on the problem of prescription drug abuse and addiction. Non-governmental organizations and advocacy groups were welcomed into the drug policy conversation, which expanded from purely a law enforcement-centric discussion to include the necessary focus on public health. I received the Nathan Davis public service award from the American Medical Association, and I als...

Ben traveled to China to buy some fentanyl precursors. What he learned shapes health policy to this day. Now he is banned from China travel. Ben Westhoff is an award-winning investigative reporter whose books are taught around the country and have been translated around the world, including Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic, the bombshell first book about the fentanyl epidemic. He has advised officials at the top levels of government about the opioid crisis, writes the Substack newsletter Drugs + Hip-Hop, and is currently directing a film about the opioid treatment drug naltrexone, called Antagonist. His book Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube and the Birth of West Coast Rap is the definitive book about West Coast Hip-Hop. He has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, and the Guardian, and been interviewed as an expert commentator on CNN, NPR, and CSPAN, and on full, dedicated episodes of Fresh Air and the Joe Rogan Experience. 

Once upon a time, a long time ago, in 1990, people were dying of prescription opioids. Those were the 'good ol days" when 100 people a day were dying from drugs. Today we are at 300 a day. There is much to learn from history and my conversation with Mary Bono. The Honorable Mary Bono is a successful businesswoman and well-known political leader, Congresswoman Mary Bono was hailed as the "embodiment of powerful American womanhood" by the Washington Times during her tenure in the United States House of Representatives. Mary was elected to Congress in 1998 to serve California's 44th (later changed to 45th) Congressional District after the untimely death of her husband, entertainer turned Congressman Sonny Bono. She established herself as a respected and closely- watched leader on a wide range of critically important issues while serving 7 terms in Congress (1998-2013). She served on the Energy and Commerce, Armed Services, Judiciary, and Small Business Committees. A proven bipartisan consensus builder, Mary authored legislation that was signed into law by three Presidents: Clinton, GW Bush and Obama. Today, Mary is widely recognized as a national leader on multiple issues, including addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery. While serving in Congress, she co-created the first ever Prescription Drug Abuse Caucus and chaired hearings specific to the opioid abuse epidemic. She continues to be at the forefront of the nationwide fight against drug abuse and the fentanyl epidemic, both of which impact every community in the country. She currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse (MAPDA). In 2022, Mary received Distinguished Graduate Merit Award from her alma mater, the University of Southern California. She is married to former astronaut and Rear Admiral Steve Oswald (U.S. Navy, Retired) and is mother, a grandmother, and a dog mom. 

Drug hijack your dopamine. Dopamine is a neurochemical we need to live. We need it like oxygen and water. Without it, people feel they are dying. Anna Lembke, MD is professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. A clinician scholar, she is the author of more than a hundred peer-reviewed publications, has testified before the United States House of Representatives and Senate, has served as an expert witness in federal and state opioid litigation, and is an internationally recognized leader in addiction medicine treatment and education. In 2016, she published Drug Dealer, MD – How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), highlighted in the New York Times as one of the top five books to read to understand the opioid epidemic (Zuger, 2018).  Dr. Lembke appeared in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, an unvarnished look at the impact of social media on our lives.  Her latest book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (Dutton/Penguin Random House, August 2021) was an instant New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and has been translated into 35 languages. It combines the neuroscience of addiction with the wisdom of recovery to explore the problem of compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world.