In Part 2 of our conversation with investigative journalist and author Ben Westhoff, we continue exploring the hidden world of synthetic drugs and the global business behind the opioid crisis.

Ben shares how he created an online identity on the dark web and infiltrated a Chinese drug lab while posing as a drug dealer. We discuss the risks he faced, the realities of illicit drug manufacturing, and what his investigation revealed about the people and networks fueling the fentanyl crisis.

We also examine the ongoing “war on drugs,” lessons from other countries, and potential approaches to addressing the crisis.

Ben Westhoff is the author of Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic, an investigative look at the emergence of fentanyl and other novel psychoactive substances around the world.

If you missed Part 1, be sure to listen to that episode first.

In this episode:

• Ben’s undercover investigation into the dark web and illicit drug production
• His experience infiltrating a Chinese drug lab
• The global supply chain behind fentanyl and other synthetic drugs
• The challenges and limitations of the war on drugs
• What other countries are doing—and what lessons the U.S. might learn

Guest: Ben Westhoff, investigative journalist and author of Fentanyl, Inc.

Links:

• Ben Westhoff’s website
• Fentanyl, Inc.
• Physician Financial Services

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