The tragic death of a 13-year-old Hartford student from a fentanyl overdose has brought widespread attention to this deadly drug, which has made its way into every city and town in Connecticut — exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode of Hartford HealthCare’s More Life podcast series, Dr. J. Craig Allen, Vice President of Addiction Services for Hartford HealthCare’s Behavioral Health Network, talks about the dangers of fentanyl and other opioids, what it looks like, how to tell if your children are using it and how to gain their trust and talk to them about drug use.

The pandemic and societal stressors are putting our children, and others, at more risk than ever. In “The Other Epidemic: Recognizing Fentanyl and Other Substance Abuse,” Dr. Allen provides some critical warnings we all need to be aware of to help us get a handle on the dangerous and deadly pandemic of substance abuse.