Ben Westhoff ed.,"Lives Interrupted: The Fentanyl Tragedy" (Arsenault Family Foundation, 2026)Ben Westhoff ed.,"Lives Interrupted: The Fentanyl Tragedy" (Arsenault Family Foundation, 2026)
New Books in Drugs, Addiction and Recovery
Journalist Ben Westhoff talks with host Emily Dufton about "Lives Interrupted: The Fentanyl Tragedy", a photo-driven collection of fentanyl stories created to humanise overdose statistics and influence policy. Their discussion touches on undercover reporting, grieving families, and the push to shift resources from enforcement to treatment.
30:09•9 Sept 2026
Putting Faces to the Fentanyl Crisis in "Lives Interrupted"
Episode Overview
- The book "Lives Interrupted" profiles 80 people affected by fentanyl, using photos and short biographies to move beyond statistics.
- Westhoff argues that blocking drug supply is unrealistic and that funding should be redirected from enforcement to treatment.
- Families affected by fentanyl were eager to participate, viewing the project as a way to turn personal pain into prevention and awareness.
- The story of Lauren Cole shows how a single person’s wish for better access to treatment led to the creation of the programme Lauren’s Wish.
- The project is designed to reach policymakers and leaders directly, using human stories to push for a different response to the opioid crisis.
“We spend tens of billions of dollars every year trying to stop drugs from coming in... we should take that money and instead put it into drug treatment.”
How do different strategies aid in addiction recovery? This conversation on New Books in Drugs, Addiction and Recovery centres on journalist Ben Westhoff’s new project, *Lives Interrupted: The Fentanyl Tragedy*, and shows how shifting focus from cartels to people can change the debate. Host Emily Dufton chats with Westhoff about a book that profiles 80 individuals – 76 who died from fentanyl and 4 survivors – presented as a coffee-table volume with large photos and short portraits.
Rather than more statistics, the aim is to “put a human face on a tragedy too often discussed only in numbers” and get leaders to rethink how they respond. Westhoff draws on his earlier work *Fentanyl, Inc.*, including undercover trips to Chinese labs and chemical companies.
He explains why trying to block supply is a losing game: “If we couldn’t stop 50 suitcases [of heroin] from getting into this country, how are we going to stop one suitcase of fentanyl?” His message is clear: shift those billions into treatment and support. The episode walks through how the book was commissioned by philanthropist John Arsenault, whose son died from fentanyl, and built with the help of networks of bereaved families in the US and Canada.
Westhoff and Dufton describe the emotional weight of calling parents to ask about their children, and how many families felt sharing their stories was cathartic and a way to turn grief into action. One of the most memorable profiles is Lauren Cole from West Virginia, whose wish to help others access treatment inspired her parents to create “Lauren’s Wish”, now supporting thousands who lack resources. The book even includes an introduction by Senator Chuck Grassley, underlining its policy ambitions.
If you’re interested in how personal stories can push for better treatment, reduce stigma, and challenge the current response to fentanyl, this episode may leave you asking: how could these lives change the way we tackle overdose and recovery?
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