He Lost His Son to Oxy. Today, He's Warning About Fentanyl

‘Fentanyl Is Oxycontin’s Grandchild’

Sep 29, 2024

ProPublica is out with a thought-provoking piece this weekend, titled, “Maylia and Jack: A Story of Teens and Fentanyl.”

It raises some very interesting questions.

For example, if fentanyl poisoning is to be treated as a poisoning (i.e., a homicide), rather than an accidental overdose, then dealers should be treated as killers.

That seems logical enough.

But as the piece notes, “Even when the charges fall on habitual drug sellers, they rarely reach high-level operators. With each step up the distribution ladder, causation is tougher to prove, so the typical investigation ends with the person who delivered the drugs. These sellers… tend to have no control over whether the pills are cut with fentanyl or, if they are, whether it’s a fatal dose.”

See the problem?

How many underage sellers — teens who have no idea they are distributing something laced with fentanyl — will be tried as adults and sent to jail for manslaughter, or maybe murder? And will these incarcerations have a net positive or net negative impact on their lives, the victim’s families’ lives, and society?

I don’t know the answer to those questions. But I have a feeling we will have to confront them, sooner or later.

Regardless, law enforcement efforts to ensure that the seller is, in fact, a legit dealer/repeat offender, also come with their own set of unintended consequences.

Consider this exchange from a legal hearing (documented in that ProPublica piece):

“So, fentanyl is dangerous?” [the defense attorney] asked [the narcotics investigator] in court.
“Correct,” he said.
“And the drug task force had information that [the defendant] sold five fentanyl pills to somebody Nov. 29 of 2022, correct?”
“That’s correct.”
“And did not arrest her?”
“That’s correct.”
“Why?”
“It’s our common policy and procedure … to build a case, to show that there is a habit of selling drugs and that they just didn’t sell drugs one time.”

What’s the problem with delaying arrest so you can build an air-tight case?

In this instance, while the police gathered evidence, a young man named Jack died from fentanyl-laced drugs distributed by the defendant.

… That is similar to what happened to his week’s podcast guest, Ed Bisch. As Ed told me this week, the pill mill doctor who sold his son OxyContin was “under surveillance for eight months.”

“The doctor was arrested shortly after Eddie died,” he told me, “meaning Eddie got one of the last pills this guy put on the street.”

I can’t imagine what it would be like to know that your child died just because the police wanted more evidence to make their case stronger. Then again, I also can’t imagine what it’s like to be a prosecutor, tasked with making criminal charges stick. There are no easy answers.

‘FENTANYL IS OXYCONTIN’S GRANDCHILD’

Speaking of Ed, in 2001, Ed’s son — Eddie — overdosed on Oxycontin. He was just 18. During our conversation, Ed shared the heart-rending story of the day that it happened, and his subsequent (and ongoing) efforts to hold Big Pharma accountable.

I encourage you to watch our full conversation here. (You can watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify or Apple.)

Ed is a noble example of a loving father channeling his grief for good, and helping save the lives of other parents’ children.

His son, Eddie, died as part of the first wave of the opioid epidemic, so I wanted to get Ed’s take on fentanyl, the third wave (the spike in heroin deaths was the second wave).

Having worked on this issue for 23-years, his is an informed perspective.

Ed believes that today’s parents are just as blindsided by fentanyl poisonings as he was by an Oxy overdose — another reason why working to raise awareness is important.

And yes, he also believes that we should be calling it fentanyl poisoning (not an “overdose”).

Indeed, that was Ed’s only criticism of last Sunday’s episode of CBS News’ 60 Minutes, which opened with a segment on fentanyl “deaths.” During our conversation, Ed said he was “disappointed” that they didn’t refer to it as fentanyl poisoning.

He’s right.

Today, Ed is a supporter of a group called Lost Voices of Fentanyl. If you want to understand the grief that parents of victims suffer, visit their Facebook page.

NEWS ROUNDUP …

WV, REPPIN’

This past Thursday was Save a Life Day for states East of the Mississippi. This is a great event that continues to grow. Last year, more than 45,000 doses of naloxone were distributed in a single day.

Upon visiting campus this week, I was pleased to see that my alma mater, Shepherd University, in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, proudly participated.

LASTLY …

If Instagram is your social media platform of choice, we have just launched a new Instagram channel.

Please subscribe today!

Also, we’re gaining new readers each week, so I wanted to remind you to check out past episodes of the podcast, including conversations with:

Journalist Ben Westhoff, the author of 'Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic.'
Tony Mattivi, Director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), shares his insights and experience.
Rolling Stone senior writer Paul Solotaroff who authored a piece called “Inside Snapchat's Teen Opioid Crisis.”
Former Army Intelligence officer Dale King, who uses CrossFit to treat addicts.

You can watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify or Apple.

And lastly, thank you for reading this newsletter. Please tell a friend. Together, we can stop the poisoning!