The One Oh One - Murrow Award entry 2021 (Podcast Category)

By the end of 2021 the number of yearly overdose deaths in Ventura County could be as high as 270, if the current trend continues. That’s a 132 percent increase over five years. Experts blame the continuing surge on the spread of more dangerous street drugs like fentanyl.

In the very first episode of The One Oh One podcast, we cover the crisis of fentanyl in Ventura County. In this sound-rich podcast episode you’ll hear from a doctor treating homeless people with addiction on a sandy river bed, among makeshift tents; and a medical examiner who allowed us to sit in on an autopsy of a potential fentanyl overdose. We’ll also speak to those in recovery who say there’s a way out of this crisis.

“What I want people to know about opioid addiction is that it's not hopeless.”

These are the stories of those trying to find solutions in one coastal California county.

Note: This page was created specifically for the Edward R. Murrow Awards entry 2021. This episode contains no commercial breaks. The original episode can be found here or where ever you find your podcasts.