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Kansas City Today

One man's battle against opioid addiction

By Nomin Ujiyediin,
Byron J. Love
Published December 21, 2022 at 4:00 AM CST
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An illustration showing the Kansas City skyline with the words "Kansas City Today"

Opioid overdoses spiked during the pandemic and recovering from addiction can take years and involve multiple relapses. One Kansas man explains how access to medical care has played a pivotal role on his path to recovery.

Kansas and Missouri have seen drug deaths skyrocket amid the opioid epidemic and the rise of fentanyl. Celia Llopis-Jepsen with the Kansas News Service spoke to one man — Tanner — about his ongoing fight with addiction and how medication has helped. We’re using his first name only to protect his identity.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR onTwitter andFacebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

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Kansas City Today Opioidsaddictionhealth caremental healthKansas News Service
Nomin Ujiyediin
As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
See stories by Nomin Ujiyediin
Byron J. Love
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
See stories by Byron J. Love
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