iHeartMedia Los Angeles’ KFI-AM has launched a limited series podcast and radio news documentary, Deadly Pill.The podcast and radio special take a close look at the opioid crisis.
The 2-hour radio version debuts Sunday at 4:00 PM Pacific with an encore broadcast on Saturday, November 5th at 6:00 PM Pacific.
Deadly Pill, the podcast, is a 12-part limited series that begins with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Special Agent in Charge of Los Angeles, Bill Bodner. Bodner explains how illicit fentanyl took everyone by surprise and how the agency had to change tactics to go after the makers and the sellers.
The podcast also features an Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy from the University of Southern California who walks us through the history of fentanyl and how future pharmacists are being trained to watch for signs of opioid abuse. The series also highlights the rush to put Naloxone (Narcan) in the hands of cops, teachers, firefighters and even librarians across the country. Naloxone quickly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. A researcher from New York University even explores a nexus between addiction and a social nightlife.
The series also explores the challenges of the medical field to catch up with the overwhelming number of people who have become addicted to opioids or have caused severe injury to themselves. The Medical Examiner of Los Angeles County provides sobering stats on the number of bodies his operation has had to handle because of overdose deaths, on top of the Covid-19 pandemic.
We speak with a narcotics detective who created a special Overdose Response Task Force dedicated to tracking down the origin of the millions of fentanyl pills coming across the US/Mexico border into the Los Angeles area, known as the gateway hub for drug trafficking across the United States.
Deadly Pill, the podcast, will be available on October 31st, 2022, Halloween night, on the iheartradio app and other popular platforms.
Deadly Pill is a production of the KFI News Department for iHeartMedia Los Angeles/iHeartRadio Podcast Network. The program’s executive producer and host is award-winning investigative journalist, Steve Gregory. The program is co produced by award-winning producers, Jacob Gonzalez, and Alex Razo.