243 ‒ The fentanyl crisis and why everyone should be paying attention | Anthony Hipolito

[@johnlynch9002]

Came here after Peter mentioned this episode on Andew Hubberman's podcast. Thought I should state that I'm only 26 years old and have already lost a best friend to this stuff. I used to be one of the kids "playing russian roulette" as stated in the video. I'll never forget the phone call about my good friend Ben. It's terrifying to hear that 6 out of 10 counterfeit pills carry lethal doses of fentanyl. I'm lucky to still be here and I'll spread this message as much as possible. I am so sorry to the parents who are forced to live in fear during these times. The numbers representing the growth over the last 5 years are staggering. Thank you for this public service announcement. This video needs far more attention.

[@bobstokoe1332]

Wow, good comment 👏

[@julieb7785]

Yes, good comment; you're wise and you're the future......

[@ronshd7769]

I was an opiate/heroin addict for most of my 20s. I'm 35 now, have 1 kid with another on the way and have been clean for almost 7 years. I'm so glad I made it out of that life before fentanyl got really big. I absolutely think I'd be dead.

[@billytheweasel]

Probably, they mix if with anything.

[@BK-rv5ru]

My 30 year old son, died from an overdose after years of addiction. He told me stories of how his co-user or himself drove into hospital parking lots on a few occasions, after suspecting the other was overdosing. They waited to if the other person actually needed medical intervention or would recover on their own. My son said a couple of times they were turning blue but then "came back", so they never went into the hospital. This was for fear that they would of course be prosecuted. He served 3 years in the military. After his down range experience where drugs were basically "free" he came back with a worse addiction, a few years later he died from an overdose. There is no one or easy solution. However, I do not think jail is the solution for the user.

[@cw5657]

This is a drug prohibition problem. The DEA takes actions to specifically increase profits and power of illegal drug market.

[@kirstinstrand6292]

This is how drugs are used for profit in the USA. I doubt most will believe your comments; people prefer to ignore reality and naive.

[@joannepizel2728]

Peter there will be a 13 year old and a 19 year old listening to this (and a 16 year old)! I have forwarded to my 3 teen boys and told them to watch as we will have a family discussion on Sunday on it. Thank you for this much needed complete eye opening podcast. I had literally ZERO idea of what Fetanyl even was. Granted I live in Singapore where there is no drug issue but my eldest is already living in Sydney at University so this sheltered bubble won't be forever!

[@tremblence]

1. Five years ago, your average drug pill (be it vicodin, mdma, ecstacy etc) wouldn't be fatal....... perhaps puking, sweat and anxiety, thats its Nowadays, any pill you think is safe can easily KILL you (good kids are dying, responsible adults just "trying" a pill at a festival dying etc) 2. Fentanyl and related drugs are so potent, that dealers can basically give it away for years FREE if they wanted to, and still profit.... there is THAT MUCH of it flooding into the US 3. Its being used as warfare against the USA population, the NUMBER ONE cause of death now for people age 12-60

[@joannepizel2728]

@@tremblence beyond shocking :-(

[@vladimirtrump4738]

Family discussion 😅 It’s about to get real 💯 Get ‘em! Smoke the herb 🌿 SAY NO TO DRUGS, STAY IN SCHOOL KIDS.

[@billytheweasel]

We live a bit to the north of you. There's the death penalty for dealing but it still goes on. It really is insidious.

[@WilliamChan]

When there's something that affects young people so negatively and with expanding prevalence like this, it definitely deserves immediate attention. Thank you for having Anthony on!

[@fespa]

Thank you, Peter and Anthony, for thinking about my kids. I'll have my sit-down with them before the end of this week.

[@saraf8529]

i m so grateful to be sober right now. how ever i know how quickly one can slip. this video gave me anger and sadness and chills but made myself watch it thank you

[@fabianandresvagnoni5057]

52:39 Dr. Attia, do not underestimate the curiosity of a 19 years old. I am still a teenager and I am listening to the episode ;) I came here from your last episode with Dr. Huberman. Great podcasts both! Please, continue with this quality content

[@blondie930]

My 24 year old daughter died from Fentanyl poisoning. Drug induced homicide! Her life matters, my and my families loss is devastating. Addiction is a treatable disease. You can't treat the disease from the GRAVE! Those killing our young need to be held Accountable!

[@_eimine_]

I also heard Peter reference this episode during his talk with Huberman. I promptly came here to watch, and just finished watching with my wife and two teenage daughters. I've also shared with many other parent-friends of mine.

[@lucycooper55]

Another excellent podcast. I’ve been trying to get someone help for years. From MIWs to Casey’s Law and they always let him back out. You literally sit back helpless watching a nightmare. Yes, everyone should learn about this.

[@howellestes6558]

Sorry for the situation you and yours are in. Addiction is so complicated. Best wishes.

[@carriesilvinaespinozavilla5177]

Lost my only grandchild Oct 16, 2021. Found in her bed, face down. I'm so angry. The culture of our medical system is to treat the symptom with pills. She had real health issues and Dr's just kept giving pills. Pills for sleep, pills for pain, pills for anxiety, pills to lose weight, pills to wake up, psych pills etc. The pills trade at the college I work at is rampant. I talked with a student yesterday who confirmed everyone he knew was trading pills, prescription and street drugs. People are not taught proper nutrition and have a multitude of health issues. Dr's only give pills. Mental health can not only but get worse when people eat terrible ultra processed diets and take pills. People need psych support and nutritional Real Food.

[@Cathy-xi8cb]

Good luck finding non-pharmacological care for painful conditions if you don't have money and education. People LIKE pills. They are easy. They work quickly. They are cheap. This is not just big pharma, this is individual ability and choice as well.

[@kirstinstrand6292]

Most of these young people have uninvolved parents; then they blame teachers, doctors, nurses, etc. Why do couples have children if they do not know how to be loving, caring parents who have empathy and tenderness? Of course there are exceptions, but without conversation and mutual communication most kids/adolescents are emotionally lost. Parents take responsibility for your denial of loving and raising your children to heathy, well supported and loved human beings!

[@smartroofhp]

This was a wake up call Peter. I'll leave the big solutions to smarter folks. But my most practical takeaway was that we should all purchase Narcan and be ready if the unthinkable happens to someone in our circle and we can help. Thank you for the amazing work you do. You're podcast has become a primary source for me as my wife and I strive to live healthier lives for ourselves, our kids, our grandkids and others.

[@DorotheasFavs]

I have 6 nieces and nephews. I asked them if their school has some sort of drug education program or presentation. They said they do not. I think that would help some. When I went to school in the 80s they had an officer come to our school and teach us about all of the different drugs and why it was important not to take them.

[@szymonbaranowski8184]

it should be school for parents how to parent not for kids

[@RNdlynn]

What an amazing and informative podcast. Medication assisted treatment was put into law in our local correctional facilities in hopes to help with this crisis we are in. It is my passion to educate as many people who will listen regarding the stigma we face with this horrible addiction. It is such a horrible addiction that affects so many people. There are many successful stories with people who are in recovery, but it sticks with them for a lifetime. Again, thank you for this podcast. I will definitely be sharing.

[@deborahpastor7833]

Thank you both for ALL the exposure you can give to this!

[@kkouz45]

Thank you, Peter! I appreciate your dedication to this issue.

[@daviddiekmann245]

Thanks Peter, great content. My wife and I watched with our 15 year old and 12 year old twins tonight. Next up is to make sure my 16 year old watches it too.

[@thewrightoknow]

I live in the uk in a small town and have heard of this drug and the death rate for people using this drug is astonishing. Thank you for this podcast!

[@gianttweety1969]

You aren’t next to Mexico either.

[@RhinaAlvarado]

I will resend it to my friends. I'm at PA an I heard two years ago at the local news about opioid epidemic, but I wasn't understanding until today. This is sad and scary, personality in 2016 I remember somebody offer me a pill to help me to sleep because I was complaining about my life style at that time and thanks God I refused it, and I just had that memory after I start washing this video. More parents we need to listen carefully and help our kids.

[@sirwalrus1]

I think that this misses a huge part of the value proposition of fentanyl from the cartel's prospective. If you can smuggle something that is 50-100x more potent, than for example heroin, and mix it with some legal fillers stateside to make it look like heroin, that is 50-100x less product that needs to be smuggled for the same amount of sellable product. So in addition to the production costs being lower, it dramatically reduces transport/smuggling costs. The current state of fentanyl in everything seems like an obvious result of the economics of prohibition. If we had regulated markets where people could get known quantities of known chemicals, most people would at least stay alive long enough to get help, rather than dying because they took something they weren't even trying to take.

[@hasanatseeker30]

So basically legalize drugs? Yeah I think that’s a horrible idea. So the government would be the new cartel

[@ptadisbander7959]

Found this extremely lame Copaganda.

[@thomasjust2663]

@@hasanatseeker30 Lets face it, the war on drugs has been a failure, the retired officer said it himself, the border patrol can only stop 5% of the total drug trade, we need to be realistic, we can't stop the drugs, we can only regulate them, this of course will not stop drug users, for that we need to get to the root of the problem which is, why are young people in America using Fentanyl, why aren't people in Mexico using Fentanyl? if we can't answer this question we can't even begin to get a handle on this

[@Itsjustmethere]

Glad Peter is using his platform to talk about this.

[@timflorance4544]

Hearing him talk about how law enforcement arrests users is unbelievable. You’re creating an atmosphere that is prohibitory to people getting help from emergency services. All the while the higher ups at Perdue Frederick walk around with billions in profits and no fear of anything but monetary consequences. The system is broken.

[@Jorgie1944]

Its important to keep in mind the original intent of criminalization is to deter usage. Decriminalization can feel like a license to use.

[@risawarner5182]

@@Jorgie1944 it’s not about drug users or addiction. It’s the system and Doctors getting patients hooked after surgery. For one example. My BF had 2 knee replacements a shoulder and ankle. All due to another person’s negligence. Then told he was on his own afterwards. It’s the system not the people.

[@Nitrotix1]

If it is assuring to anyone. I was someone who was very "pro choice" on drugs as a teen yet I have never taken any drug. Never had the desire for cigarettes, never been black out drunk, and never been drawn to drugs. They were around, I knew drug dealers and their safe houses. I had friends that smoke and drank but never felt any pressure. And I didn't have "helicopter parents" but I had been "turned off" of intoxication very early on and skipped that whole phase. Again, while supporting the decriminalization of ALL drugs. I also chose to not take any sort of pharmaceuticals when I was 18 or so for health reasons, and haven't used them for 10 years since. A drug free (or drug safe) approach is entirely possible without being overly restrictive or nosy.

[@philloder]

We just lost a wonderful young man (19) that was depressed at his best friends funeral, bought some Marijuana to smoke with friends afterward and Died. It was laced with fentanyl, and HE died alone. He was going to share, but tried it first and died. We are still trying to find the dealer, and also spread the fact that they can put this into anything! Peter, Thanks for spreading the facts on this deadly POISON!

[@CarnifaxMachine]

This is why legalization and regulation is important. The probability of overdosing on weed acquired at a designated dispensary in a legal state is approximately 0%.

[@cw5657]

Please provide more information about fentanyl in marijuana. I believe you are spreading false information.

[@philloder]

@@cw5657 we are friends and not family and as such can just go by what his family informed us. They said, the marijuana he smoked was laced with fentanyl. As a non chemist, I have to go with the official report until proven otherwise. Not that I trust the medical industry after the last 3 years. Why do you think this is false? Can Marijuana Not be laced with Fentanyl? What is your experience with mixing Fentanyl with other drugs?

[@susanantani2215]

Bless you bless you bless you Peter for sharing this with the world. I’ve shared with every parent group I come in contact with, and hope everyone else will as well!🙏🏽

[@Cathy-xi8cb]

The answer is to treat the trauma or the physical pain that drives people to want to escape their lives. No one with a happy painfree life is using. Addicts aren't stupid, they aren't oblivious. They are people in pain. Since there is so little interest in providing effective treatment, there will always be people who self-medicate. The path to dying just got speeded up by fentanyl. It was always there.

[@philippicphilodox888]

I don't understand why we Americans are so unhappy. Traveling to other countries, one sees people with far less material wealth who are objectively happier. Americans believe that we don't deserve suffering or grief, so we do self-destructive things to obviate those feelings. But those things are just part of living. If one never experiences suffering, then one has the tendency to take the really great things in life for granted. If one never grieves, then one has never truly loved. Embracing suffering and grief, how ever counterintuitive, leads to a much fuller life.

[@organicone8697]

I agree but also bring back poppies instead of fentanly.... when heroin was around I only knew of 3 people out of thousands who od but it was due to mixing with alchol and or benzos or other drugs.

[@ericstyles3724]

I agree gor the most part, however fentanyl wasn't always available, the gov't allowed it into our medical system 15 yrs ago & walla ! pills that always kill. Heroin was no cakewalk but elephant tranquilizer makes it look like pot flavoured skittles. Who in their sober mind lets this sh¡t into their country for ANY reason ?? The only ppl I know that had it in hospital can't remember being released or Driving home.

[@ericstyles3724]

​@@philippicphilodox888 Americans don't have health care & have too many guns. As well as the circus media distorting their views their spartan capitalist system favours corporate exploitation of the population at large at every turn. poverty is more widespread than you'd think.

[@thomasjust2663]

Correct, I left Texas to live in Mexico and It amazes me that here, you never hear about any Mexicans dying of Fentanyl, so the question is why people in the US are using Fentanyl, if the problem is the Mexican cartels how come Mexicans ain't dying from it?

[@summerxdani]

Such an important episode. Thank you for this.

[@kelligray-meisner3857]

“it doesn’t mean your a druggy,” this is exactly the stima that needs to be addressed

[@benadriel]

52:37 I am, in fact, an 18 year-old listening to you right now, LOL

[@adammorgan1083]

Why was there no mention of drug testing/ testing strips? More people need to be aware that they exist.

[@risawarner5182]

Some states make it illegal to get test strips. As they deem it drug paraphernalia. Florida is one so is Idaho!

[@adammorgan1083]

@@risawarner5182 Wow! I had no idea that this was the case. That seems pretty irresponsible. Thank you for letting me know

[@NoahZeus]

Man I saw the numbers after the first 2 years in real time and thought that was crazy but hopefully a trend like how many things are nowadays. Here we are a few years later and this is an intense problem that is hard to watch transpire among the youth that already have such wild issues to deal with.

[@josuecolindres1605]

Minute 42:40..The moment when Peter finally makes the big question. Paraphrasing here “should we decriminalize drugs” and asks for his honesty…asking for “his law enforcement hat off” and Anthony replies “Just because we will put him in jail, doesn’t mean he will spend the rest of his life in jail” is exactly the problem. Whenever we are ready to accept that addicts are not a law enforcement problem but a mental health and many other problems, our kids will continue to die, due to the fear of calling for help.

[@davidcherry3107]

True dat. First he says, "We have to stop judging." Then he turns around and indicates that those who called for help are ultimately subject to arrest. What os the purpose of arresting someone of it's not to judge them. We have been trying to solve the substance abuse problem with law enforcement cement for so long that we can't seem to get our heads out of our a$$es. It's absolutely insane. This only became a law enforcement issue in the first place, because certain politicians wanted to lock up people of color and counterculture people. Now it's only a law enforcement issue, because that's the way we've done it for so long. We are being beaten over the head with the bodies of our dead children, and we still can't see how lost we are. Hey, let's get kids to try to do everything they can to save their dying ODing friend, BESIDES calling 911, by threatening to throw them in jail if they make that call. Seriously? Is this the beat we can do. Send cops around, armed with a bunch of scare tactics, to tell kids drugs are bad? We did this in the 70s and 80s and it failed then. God help us. We're a nation of imbeciles.

[@ryanw.k.2840]

There needs to be more attention paid to the DEMAND side of this issue. As long as people want the escape of recreational drugs so they will aquire these drugs, use them, and continue to die because the SUPPLY side can't be stopped in spite of law enforcement's good intentions and zillions of dollars spent. Its such a human tragedy. My children are young but I try my best to foster a safe environment and make them feel safe and seen/understood at home in hopes they dont want to self medicate in the future. Its scary because I know I wont always be there with them and eventually they will have to go forward and make their own decision. My heart really breaks for all the parents that have lost a child to accidental overdose.

[@jrcp87]

100% agree... we as a country have created a vacuum for drugs. Law enforcement is not EVER going to put a dent on drug trafficking. Tue focus should be stopping drug consumption by proper education, which starts with the parents. Law enforcement just driving the price of drugs up.

[@hundun5604]

17minutes before firefighters arrive. Wow, that's long and not even an ambulance. Those where even farther away. That friend saved his life with heart massage and did not run away in panic. I'm impressed.

[@davidcherry3107]

Working with teenagers and young adults with substance use disorders was my life's work. Over the course of 30 years, I worked with thousands of young people and their parents. As a former addiction professional and as a parent, I appreciate what Mr. Hipolito is doing, and I applaud Dr. Attia for shining a light on Mr. Hipolito's efforts. Having said that, I urge these gentlemen to meticulously check the veracity of any and all claims they make. For example, it cannot possibly be true that six out of every ten counterfeit pills sold on the street contain a deadly dose of fentanyl. If that were the case, the number of drug overdoses would easily be thousands of times greater than what they already are. In the 70s and 80s, many of those who were trying to encourage young people to avoid drug use lost all credibility, because they tried to bolster the anti-drug message by exaggerating the facts. Additionally, parents unknowingly repeated erroneous drug info. As a result, their kids saw them as idiots who had nothing of value to offer on the subject of drugs and drug abuse. Effective communication requires honesty. State the facts. Avoid scare tactics. If you don't know the facts, don't be afraid to say "I don't know," or "I'll look into it and get back to you," or even "let's look into it together." Fentanyl is deadly, and it's all over the place. What percentage of counterfeit pills contain a deadly dose of fentanyl? I suspect it's impossible to know. But the drug is so powerful that the margin for error is far too slim to use it safely. Long term, experienced, active heroin addicts, with high tolerances for opioids, that I've known, don't want to go anywhere near fentanyl. It's far too risky. Additionally, overdose requires far less fentanyl when that fentanyl is administered in combination with benzodiazepines or other sedatives. If fentanyl is showing up in counterfeit benzos or sleeping pills, that is going to exacerbate the problem. The point is, there are plenty of reasons to avoid street drugs. It's possible to make a compelling argument without stretching the truth. But the minute a young person catches you stretching the truth, you lose credibility and jeopardize the credibility of everyone else who is trying to persuade them to avoid street drugs. If we want to helo kids make food decisions, we should begin by being safe, trustworthy allies. One more thing, whenever someone calls 911 to get help for someone who may be overdosing, everyone who is present, including the caller and the overdose victim, should be immune from prosecution. In fact, the police shouldn't even respond to the call, unless a cop with Narcan happens to be the closest to the scene. Even then, the cop should leave the scene as soon as EMS arrives and takes control. When it cones to reversing opioid overdose, time is critical. Whenever Narcan is not available at the scene, calling 911 should be the immediate course of action. If we want to ensure that people call for help, without hesitation, we need to protect them from prosecution. If some kid ODs on opioids, I don't want a bunch of other kids wasting time splashing water in them, or putting them in the shower, because they're afraid to call for help. I wonder how many overdose deaths could have been avoided if everyone knew that it was safe to call for help.

[@suevolpe265]

A very informative podcast. Every parent should see it. How about unlocking it so we grandparents who follow you can send it to our kids so they can see what’s happening.

[@gymjoedude]

This is the exact reason no one is calling for help. The officer said we'll help save your life but then you're going to prison. Ridiculous. Drugs are a health issue not a criminal issue. Until law enforcement understands this, the problem will only continue to get worse. Getting high or drunk is not a reason to go to prison. Humans have always wanted an escape. After listening to this officer, I'd never call for help knowing that prison was to follow.

[@apples874]

Nah, decriminalising all drugs is a bad idea. Portland has already done it and that city is even worse as a result

[@SD-co9xe]

Do you really want to live in a society where people are doing drugs in public? At very least public drug use should be prosecuted.

[@Cuinn837]

@@apples874 Now Oregon has recriminalized.

[@piabongiornostoic]

we just lost a dear friend who struggled with heroin addiction for years, and I am almost certain he died of accidental fentanyl OD. Thanks for doing this PSA.

[@peterbakunowicz3361]

A most excellent community service - thanks for putting this podcast on - P

[@rbphilip]

Don’t do drugs, kids.

[@gangsta_meg]

Hi, fellow 22 year old here. Thanks for bringing this topic up

[@gregfount]

Powerful interview. I had no idea. Thank you for doing this, I’ll share in my circles,…

[@TM-kc3xd]

With this level of lab-created drugs out there, this all goes back to the pharmaceutical companies intentionally distributing vast amounts these drugs to the 'middle man' selling to kids and addicts.

[@akshayiithyd]

This guy is a hero, thanx for having him Peter.

[@MadLadsAnonymous]

Peter, I wish you would speak before Congress to raise awareness on this issue.

[@thefunctionaloncologist7811]

So important… we have done a hapless job of addressing mental health in our country. I’m not sure we truly understand the impact of social media on the mental health of the young and adult. I feel that mental health screenings should begin early in grade school perhaps performed by a school nurse or counselor on every student every 6 months but we don’t even have school nurses or counselors anymore… or there is only 1 of them from an entire district. Identifying and address mental health concerns early will save lives on many levels and in many situations….

[@Cathy-xi8cb]

I can assure you that abused kids are the least likely to report abuse at home. They know very well what hell will happen to them at home if they do. They will deny everything to a nurse or counselor. You learn that very early when it starts at birth. Keep your mouth shut or else.

[@liasmith696]

This was a sad, tragic and informative podcast

[@squashduos1258]

I can only say that the US hospital care is so entrenched with over medication of any kind of meds is sad. Every time I have been in the emergency care with my children or myself for that matter the first order of care is to give the patient Tylenol without even asking the patient….that is how it all starts…the med culture in the US is absurd….money talks…

[@ssn651]

Truly one of the most difficult podcasts I have listened to, given the tragic nature of what this is doing to young people. Where is our national leadership? Completely AWOL.

[@jerusalemlady9372]

What an amazing broadcast! I really needed this factual information to understand the problem. Thank you! Interesting that everyone is wondering WHY these kids are needing take drugs to help with anxiety and depression and focus. The problem is multifaceted, but the breakdown of the family surely is not a help. Faith and family are no longer important to so many people. The focus on our own personal desires as parents has replaced the actual raising of children. Many couples now are saying now they don’t even want children. What does that say about our culture and our priorities!? Our culture is toxic and sees children as disposable.

[@kirstinstrand6292]

Much of what you say is true, yet, Disneyland has filled young peoples heads with marital bliss, having a house full of kids. The expectation for children, marriage and homes is how most of us were raised. Young women only responded with the need to have children, when they understood nothing about raising them with love and good parenting. Thank goodness that young couples realize that parenting is a FULL TIME COMMITMENT! They are finally getting in touch with REALITY and learning to THINK, instead of fulfilling societal and parental expectations. 😅

[@Cuinn837]

When our one income economy died, we vastly weakened the strength of the family. Parents complain of being exhausted and stressed. Who has the time and energy for church or synagogue? I wish we could go back to the 70's and make different decisions about where our society was going to go.

[@julieb7785]

The White House (both parties) doles out medals and awards to charismatic, rich celebrities, while these two guys are the epitome of citizens making a meaningful difference.

[@cindyd1042]

Thank you for this episode. Scary, but we must be aware.

[@KTravRuNEr]

Peter - you must read Dreamland and get Sam Quinones on. This is a great podcast for sure. But Sam will add to it. This problem didn’t start w Fentanyl.

[@Donald-Putin]

Great episode Peter. Flagging this one for my kids to listen to in a few years when they are appropriate age. Different type of show, but excellent in content.

[@HGowa]

This is devastating! Such a important topic

[@bennguyen1313]

Regarding the 3-year shelf-life of Narcan.. I highly recommend the The Lazarus Drug episode of The Hidden Brain podcast. They talk about the Sam Peltzman / Halo / Cobra Effect where having some moral-license (ex. seat belts, eating healthy, etc) incentives unintended and undesirable effects (reckless driving, eating junk food, etc). Regarding the 1h4m mark on the x-raying of candy for razor-blades in apples.. there was a great Cautionary Tales episode (Halloween Poisoner) that digs deep into the myth. BTW, regarding how the leading-cause of death for under 40 for is accidental-overdose (25m mark), it's also surprising that homicide is also very high (20 percent).

[@bennguyen1313]

BTW, there's a great debate between Jordan Peterson and Slavoj Zizek where they talk about "Set Your House in Order Before You Change the World", in the context of recycling.. i.e. Look I've separated my plastics from paper so, I'm not the problem as I go and consume and produce more waste. And regarding the mass-hysteria over Halloween razor-blades that never happened.. Radiolab has an episode (Good Samaritan) that talks about another myth.. just touching fentanyl is killing EMTs.

[@BillPark-fu4ec]

Processing a batch of any pharmaceutical employs testing of the batch to determine the uniform distribution of the active ingredient(s) in the batch. The active is mixed with multiple inactive ingredients. The FDA requires testing of the batches and also the testing of a number of pills chosen randomly from the batch. Because of the low amounts of fentanyl required, establishing content uniformity would be more difficult than doing aspirin at 325 mg. It seems the illicit marketers don't bother.

[@dalelaframboise805]

British Columbia has had higher OD deaths than COVID 19. They are testing decriminalizing small amounts. BUT quantity is not the issue, quality is. Now they are thinking of testing vending type machines in Vancouver of quality drugs .

[@IselaAvila]

This was astounding. It's such a sad statistic but one that will hopefully drive many to talk to their kids/nieces/nephews etc

[@The_future_looks_bright]

Thank you for this!

[@TwowheeledadventureVT]

Social media, another negative... in that it is how teenagers communicate about drugs. Social media is the drug of teenagers. It's addictive and leads to nothing but negatives.

[@levikisslinger3279]

It worries me when you asked his thoughts on whether or not it’s the right thing to prosecute for possession from a personal perspective. He immediately went to a law perspective which seems to differ from lots of public opinion. Law enforcement officers don’t seem as forward thinking in these ideas and are perhaps too strict within their laws. Such as saying; “we’re just not going to win the war on drugs” is a sad mindset. I don’t know the answer and I’m not from US but we must get adaptive and do it quickly to tackle these challenges. More support (ie; more beds, free narcan) for these people and keeping them alive long enough to get it should be the goal.

[@SD-co9xe]

I disagree. They see the fallout first hand of these lenient policies.

[@Ryan.G.Spalding]

Education education education is the only solution. Chemistry is so taboo in this country you can see the effects everywhere. It a problem for our national security by not having control of our supply chains, and for our children. They need a healthy fear of chemicals, but we have so many bumpers up that they never experience it until it’s too late.

[@ct5274]

Did he mention that Doctors themselves prescribe fentanyl for pain to their patients. And guess what, the patients become addicted to the feeling and then you have an addict in the making. What you also must realize that once you start becoming addicted to fentanyl, it is difficult to stop as your body goes through terrible withdrawal which causes the addict to continue with their substance. Hence why some cities in America have stations for users to get their daily fix. The stigma towards addiction should be addressed globally so that addicts are not ashamed to come forward and ask for help.

[@risawarner5182]

We can start by dropping the label of Addict. 🙏🥹

[@gianttweety1969]

Have you ever had a knee replacement or other major surgery? I’d like to see you get through it without narcotics. Doctors really don’t overprescribe narcotics anymore.

[@Cathy-xi8cb]

It is now fairly difficult to find a prescriber for it. Can be done, but much harder than even a few years ago. The opposite issue is as serious as illicit use; chronic pain that isn't being medicated enough.

[@rtnjo6936]

Please invite Bryan Johnson (Kernel) and ask him more about the Blueprint project.

[@BenLinton91]

Very moving episode. I lost my cousin to a fetanyl overdose last year. He was 26. I miss him a lot and want to do something about it. Does anyone know of a fetanyl prevention organization I can donate to? or maybe one where ppl who've lost loved ones from overdose can connect? Thanks everyone.

[@howellestes6558]

Great episode, as horrific as the message is. The full episode and show notes link (with the video that was discussed but not shown) doesn't work. I thought it was free for this episode...anyone have suggestions, maybe I'm missing something.

[@bengruneklee3482]

Prohibition on drugs clearly hasn't had the desired effect. It's ridiculous to me to ruin people's lives further with jail and/or a criminal record. We should be funnelling money away from corrections, courts and police and into health and education programs. Go after the importers and people getting rich from selling. Not the end users.

[@BartAssink]

Thanks for sharing this eye opener! Anthony i love you for who you are dude! My thoughts, If you buy or if you sell, there is blood on your hands. Don’t make buying for self medication totally legal. A fine would be a better, more practical solution. but selling or owning for dealing purposes should equal jail time. For those who lost someone close. My condolences go out to you!❤😢

[@Julian.u7]

The only solution to this problem is controversial but at this point I think it should be very clear to any rational mind. We have to legalize all drugs, make them pure, with clear dosages, and clear access rules like we already do with a hard drug called alcohol. In this way we use the market in order to get the cartels out of business. And yes, this will create new problems, but it will be nevertheless the least damaging approach IMHO.

[@tablecork]

Yup, go out and decriminalize them all and then start the process of legalization of the common hard drugs. I think it's impossible to "legalize all drugs" since pharmaceuticals still need to be tested, but that doesn't stop us from legalizing the ones people already use on mass scale

[@paulfuelling6829]

The "pushers" who take advantage of users / abusers need to be accountable, & charged with murder or accessory to murder, & not just with possession with intent to sell, etc., a o he or she is held accountable for their actions/ decisions.

[@lauracerva9716]

The emphasis is on jail, not help.

[@sc4332]

Sometimes drugs get laced with fentanyl accidentally when dealers deal with multiple drugs and cross contamination takes place.

[@wayne2534]

where are all the links? you mention during the Vid

[@gocsa]

Why the f**k is a 17 year old kid with a seemingly good family/financial situation popping drugs (in his room, at home)? I'm from Europe and I'm not sure what's going on in the US but I feel like you guys need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

[@janetstauffer9138]

It’s in weed, not a hard drug.

[@gianttweety1969]

You are lucky not to live next to Mexico with people that try to make a lot of money by getting teenagers hooked on drugs.

[@zochert57]

Why do kids need something to help them study, or to help them sleep? Well, they don’t, but they see their parents taking pills and drinking alcohol at the drop of a hat. Why wouldn’t they take something for their issues?

[@caseygiglio3373]

The starfish parable is one my favorites.❤

[@DanielDean9433]

Honestly, I was disappointed by this episode. I can understand why Peter made a snap decision to get this guest on, but the episode suffered because Peter clearly and admittedly was uneducated about the subject and could not have a real informed conversation. I don't mean to diminish the consequences of the crisis because the body count is real, but a law enforcement perspective cannot be the only lense to examine this subject through. Teens and adults have always used drugs and alcohol. The difference now is that the black market has been incentivized supply an ultra-potent drug that is far easier to manufacture and smuggle. Historically most overdoses were accidental, now it's just gotten much easier to do. The answer is to give people access to pure substances in known and reliable dosages. Until that happens the bodies will continue to pile up. As to the "why are teens using these drugs" question, as I said before they always have, and teen drug use is actually down per capita. That's kind of amazing considering the impact of social media driving depression and anxiety. Perhaps society isn't as broken as we tend to believe. Finally, I was surprised how ignorant Peter seemed to be about drugs in general. Peter should watch Hamilton Morris' show and podcast and have him on as a guest.

[@GrayDelmar]

Thank you. No mention of fentanyl test strips for drug users either. Understanding that these overdoses are accidental, people would obviously choose to use safer drugs if they were available. Nobody prefers untested drugs in unknown dosages but that's the only choice on the black market.

[@jrcp87]

I do think that Peter was trying to get the guy to explain things in his own words. Sort of acting like he didn't know to not offend or drive the conversation. I do agree it was a bit disappointing mainly because the blame kept on being passed down instead of addressing the real issue which is not fentanyl or any other drug but the horrible recreational drug use and addiction in the US. Parents need to address that at an early age to avoid the cycle from even starting.

[@CalixtoErico]

This is terrifying.

[@pablocst15]

What does the crisis look outside of the us?

[@greco37]

A box of real skittles has a specific weight so maybe the agents should carry an electronic scale. Just a thought.

[@annetteyoutube742]

1:04:18 I was in the 4th grade when a father made his son eat a cyanide-laced pixy stix on Halloween 1974 in Pasadena, TX. So very sad. It wasn't even a stranger. His son didn't even want to continue eating it because of the bad taste, but the dad made him.

[@luisamonroy9572]

An you forgot to mention that is the American cartels the ones who sell the drugs here in the country, this is a crisis were not just Mexicans are involve and guilty, is a lot of people here. The focus should be informing kids and adults the dangers of doing drugs, any kind! If you are a healthy happy person, you don’t have the need of using drugs at all, the solution must start at home, care more for your kids and family.

[@caitybug.]

24:54 no, the reason that people die from such high doses of fentanyl and it doesn’t seem to “make sense” is because what a lot of people don’t understand is that the other drug users who DONT die are actually addicted to FENTANYL so their TOLERANCES are alot higher than that high school kid who does a perc once and dies. They’re not trying to kill their customers, they’re trying to please them. Higher doses = better high.

[@PiiSmith]

Why not think about making it legal and regulating the market instead of trying to fight the cartels? I am missing some of the strong ideas in this field. The war on drugs never worked and it is very expensive. Having a regulated would also make any overdose very unlikely. I am missing the discussion about the reasons why people want to self medicate. Why are these things on the rise? Normally Peter's content is driven by a lot of science. I am missing this in this episode. This is about bad politics in the USA and it's ugly consequences without any real reasoning about the underlying issues.

[@ct5274]

Peter nor his guest are the correct people to discuss the questions you have raised here. Maybe someone like Anna Lembke who is psychiatrist will shed some light on the topic. Addiction has a lot to do with our reward system. Humans are always chasing the next reward. Maybe go read up on dopamine and how it affects our brain. Or read up on Dopamine Nation ( Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence) by Anna Lembke.

[@PiiSmith]

@@ct5274 Actually I have read her book. "Dopamine Nation" and it has insight on how addiction works on a personal level. So as a personal advice it is very valuable. However it does not tackle the societal problems and someone representing the police force, like Anthony Hipolito, should contribute on this level. I am missing other interventions, then just punishment. What about the ideas mentioned, concerning Portugal? Even Anthony is very much aware, that the punishment of users leads to bad behavior. It should be very clear, that saving someones life is the first priority under all circumstances. Never should there be criminal prosecution looming for someone trying to help. This should even go further IMHO, trying to be open about your problems should not lead to punishment, but to help.

[@SIsterD14]

Dr Attia. Hello. I spoke to you in 2021 re: the tragic death of my son Billy. It will be one year June 4th. You were his idol. He learned so much from you. I am saddened that you are as you yourself said so ignorant on this topic. I digress. I asked you prior to seeing this podcast, to send a card I could place at my son's gravesite. I never heard back. I may be someone you might like to speak with. I lost my first son;I have 5, in a tragic accident. I think you have the platform to properly address the fentanyl issue. fentanyl killed Billy. He watched your podcast every day. Billy died from an accidental od. I was for a very long time a journalist in NY and Tampa where my son passed. Is love to heat from you as I feel you are ill advised on many issues as to why say my son, 29 passed away from fentanyl. Thanks Dawn Zamanis

[@creativesource3514]

Not a problem in UK or Europe .

[@davidcherry3107]

Mixed feeling about kids having Narcan? Come on, man. Get your own head straight if you're going to be delivering this message to kids.

[@muscleNPmama]

There should be narcan available everywhere. Kids should carry it with them for crying out loud 😔

[@susangrady2072]

Thank you.

[@handsomebutshy]

Very important topic

[@mosin9105]

Thank you

[@eloiselovesdevi]

Dr Attia mentioned he’d link a story in the show notes, I can’t find it.

[@annabanach3987]

Hiya. It's a very good podcast. Very sad and scary stories coming from USA.

[@trismegistus3461]

0:56:15 - Narcan: a treatment for opioid overdoses

[@hundun5604]

~43:50 "...Fentanyl is raising all boats atm.." Eh.. we don't have fentanyl in our drugs. Correct me if I'm wrong. Could be that I missed those newsflashes, but I never heard of that's happening in the EU. If you could test your drugs (on fentanyl) those overdose problems won't be happening.

[@rktsnail]

Everyone needs to purchase narcan immediately

[@nickydaviesnsdpharms3084]

The problem is in my opinion prohibition, if drugs were properly regulated and made available, they would be safer but i know that's never gonna happen. Portugal do it right. It's not right that alcohol kills more than any drug but it's legal while less harmful drugs like MDMA or similar drugs are class A schedule 1

[@karlpk3907]

I haven't read the comments below, and haven't listened to the podcast yet, but will Does anyone mention that our porous southern border is a key factor in driving un-prescribed fentanyl usage? It's mind blowing how our political elites seem NOT to care about getting this under control.

[@jenjabba6210]

No they haven't

[@joannepizel2728]

@@jenjabba6210 yes they did :-D Have you listened?