ARIZONA 360

Episode 301

This week, Arizona 360 explores issues related to the opioid epidemic as part of Arizona Public Media’s series Arizona Addicted. DR. CARA CHRIST: Lorraine Rivera sits down with Arizona Department of Health Services Director Cara Christ to discuss how provisions created by the 2018 Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act have had an impact on stemming the state’s opioid crisis. FENTANYL AT BORDER: Arizona Public Media’s Judy Alley reports on how federal agencies like Customs and Border Protection and the Drug Enforcement Administration are collaborating to detect and seize fentanyl at Arizona’s ports of entry. FENTANYL IN PINAL COUNTY: Last year, Pinal County saw a 75% increase in the number of fentanyl pills seized by local law enforcement. Sheriff Mark Lamb sits down with Lorraine Rivera to discuss how his deputies intercept these drugs and the impact they have had on communities in the county. JERRY AND LOUISE BEITEL: Arizona 360 follows up with Jerry and Louise Beitel who lost their daughter Kelsey in 2018. A police investigation concluded the 27 year old drowned, but the Beitels maintain an addiction to heroin and meth factored into her death. The Beitels discuss challenges families continue to face when trying to help a loved one battling addiction.