Few would disagree with the notion that the United States government has dropped the ball on responding to the opioid crisis, particularly the threat posed by illicitly manufactured fentanyl in the heroin supply. That’s the basis of a new piece called “The Fentanyl Failure,” a Washington Post investigation into the Obama Administration. Only, there’s just one problem: the sources used by the Washington Post are angry drug warriors and zealous prosecutors who are mad that Obama didn’t let them lock up enough dealers. In this episode of Narcotica, co-host Zachary Siegel and special guest Jeff Deeney deconstruct the Washington Post’s exposé. They discuss the ways in which the supply-side narrative is for Serious People while harm reduction activism and interventions that actually save lives are still to the side in policy debates.  Follow Jeff Deeney.

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Producers: Chris Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel
Engineer: Aaron Ferguson
Music: Glass Boy, Aaron Ferguson