and welcome back to our cnn town hall about this country s fentanyl crisis. we could not end this evening without talking to the people on the front lines of this battle against fentanyl. i m joined now by dr. ayanna jordan, associate professor of psychiatry at nyu, and lou or ten zero, a former doctor who is in recovery after becoming addicted himself after prescribing painkillers to patients. he helps others now with their recoveries, as the executive director of the clarksburg mission in west virginia. thank you both so much for being with us. you actually brought narcan with you. i did, i did. so, show, i think it s important for people to see it. i haven t actually seen it up closely. thank you for that opportunity. before i get started, i really just want to express my sincere empathy for the people that are here today. it s not easy, it s more to say, i am beyond sorry for your loss. but i am committed to doing things is a friendly, okay. my role as a phy
addicted himself while prescribing painkillers to patients. he helps others now with their recoveries, as the executive director of the clarksburg mission in west virginia. thank you both so much for being with us. you actually brought narcan with you. i did, i did. so, show, i think it s important for people to see it. i haven t actually seen it up closely. thank you for that opportunity. before i get started, i really just want to express my sincere empathy for the people that are here today. it s not easy, it s more to say, i am beyond sorry for your loss. but i am committed to doing things differently, okay. my role as a physician is to save lives, all right. i don t want to blow people up. i want to stop this from ever happening again, right. all right. so, thank you for that. [applause] and just as a physician, this is emotional for you. because you see this up close. i see this up close all the time. and i feel like we are not concentrating on the science
how long are you doing that? probably 20 years. but i ve been sober 19 years. this is my 19th year sober recovery point. yes! [applause] i m so happy you re here. and now i just want to give back to people. i m in the same town that was a casualty of the opioid deck epidemic. i want to get. back i want to show people there s another way to live. at the clarksburg mission where i worked and the recovery ministry that we have. i see miracles every day. i have great open west virginia now. great hope in our nation. as we talk about this. this is a fabulous, to be talk about these things that are often held to be secret. but i hear what you re saying when you say, you know, supply alone, that s not going to do it. but there are a lot of folks in this room who have lost their children who were not using drugs, who weren t long term drug users, someone gave them a xanax.
how long were you doing that? probably 20 years. but i ve been sober 19 years. this is my 19th year sober recovery point. yes! [applause] i m so happy you re here. and now i just want to give back to people. i m in the same town that i was contributor amd a casualty of the opioid deck epidemic. i want to get. back i want to show people there s another way to live. at the clarksburg mission where i worked and the recovery ministry that we have. i see miracles every day. i have great hope for west virginia now. great hope in our nation. as we talk about this. this is a fabulous, to be talking about these things that are often held to be secret. but i hear what you re saying when you say, you know, supply alone, that s not going to do it. but there are a lot of folks in this room who have lost their children who were not using drugs, who weren t long term drug users, someone gave them a xanax.