Fentanyl Nation: Toxic Politics and America’s Failed War on Drugs, with Ryan Hampton

Friend of the pod Ryan Hampton, a national addiction recovery advocate, author, and person in long-term recovery, is right in the middle of a hotly contested state assembly election in Nevada. It is, in fact, he is running in of the most hotly contested races in one of the most consequential states in U.S. electoral politics. So I’m so glad to have him on to talk about how to take care of ourselves and one another in this final stretch of election season, while also getting his unique perspective on the current state of the overdose crisis and drug policy overall.  

Of course, we get a front-row seat to his experience within the political system at this intense time, including his thoughts about how to overcome polarization and advocate for important issues relating to addiction, recovery, and public health. But even better, Ryan has a great new book out called Fentanyl Nation: Toxic Politics and America’s Failed War on Drugs. which examines how fentanyl has contaminated the drug supply and driven overdose fatalities to unprecedented levels. In the book, he discusses not only the most proximate policy missteps and regulatory failures that have exacerbated the crisis, but also the big-picture political and cultural issues that have contaminated the dialogue and made change so difficult. We talk about homelessness, crime, corporate greed, punishment policies, the state of the crisis today, and how to connect with people on these important topics. Personally, I was inspired by his discussion of how recovering out loud and sharing his stories is making a real difference. I hope you do too. 

Ryan Hampton is a national addiction recovery advocate, author, media commentator, and person in long-term recovery. He has worked with multiple non-profits nationwide to end overdose and served in leadership capacities for various community organizing initiatives. Hampton is in recovery from a decade of active opioid use and is a leading voice in America's rising recovery movement. He is the author of Unsettled and American Fix—and lives in Nevada with his husband, Sean, and their boxer dog, Quincy. 

His next book, Fentanyl Nation, is available today!

Sign up for my newsletter and immediately receive my own free guide to the many pathways to recovery, as well as regular updates on new interviews, material, and other writings.