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

The Peter Attia Drive

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Anthony Hipolito is a sheriff’s deputy in Hays County, Texas with over 24 years of experience in law enforcement. In this episode, Anthony discusses his work to spread awareness about illicit fentanyl use and the drastic increase in accidental overdoses, especially in young people. Anthony explains the deadly nature of fentanyl, including how many counterfeit drugs are now being laced with deadly doses of fentanyl. He breaks down how fentanyl is being brought to the US and how younger and younger kids are being targeted. Additionally, Anthony discusses his goal of spreading awareness to our communities and provides important advice for what parents can do.

We discuss:

• Anthony’s life of service in law enforcement [5:30];
• Fentanyl: medical use, recreational use, and the recent rise in prevalence [8:30];
• The story of a teenager dying from an accidental overdose of fentanyl [16:30];
• The scope of deaths being caused by accidental overdoses (the majority of which are from fentanyl) [23:00];
• How young kids are being targeted, and how fentanyl makes it across our borders and gets distributed [28:30];
• What happens to a person when they overdose [35:30];
• Whether laws around drug possession are helping or hurting, and the need to focus on helping people that feel the need to take these counterfeit drugs [37:00];
• How fentanyl is being added to all kinds of drugs that you wouldn’t expect [42:45];
• What can we do as parents? [47:15];
• Narcan: a treatment for opioid overdoses [50:15];
• Importance of awareness, having conversations with kids early in life, and other key takeaways for parents [56:30]; and
• More.

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