What Mariana van Zeller has said about Opioid addiction

Van Zeller describes a whistleblower account that DEA agents in New Mexico let fentanyl circulate to build bigger cases.

“the DEA in New Mexico was allowing millions of pills of fentanyl to go out on the streets in order to build bigger cases”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2567 - Mariana van Zeller (Oct 16, 2026) · Listen from 1:49:21

Van Zeller criticizes the Trump administration for cutting funding for treatment, test strips and naloxone while expanding enforcement.

“they are now taking money away from rehab facilities, from Medicare, from from fentanyl test strips, which I think are incredibly important”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2567 - Mariana van Zeller (Oct 16, 2026) · Listen from 1:55:05

Van Zeller says most fentanyl enters the U.S. through official ports of entry rather than between them.

“I think 95 percent of fentanyl comes across the official board ports of entry, right?”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2567 - Mariana van Zeller (Oct 16, 2026) · Listen from 1:58:34

Van Zeller warns of nitazenes, a new synthetic opioid she says is far stronger than fentanyl.

“there's a new drug out there right now called nitazines that is 50 times more powerful than fentanyl”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2567 - Mariana van Zeller (Oct 16, 2026) · Listen from 2:00:28

Van Zeller states that about a million Americans have died in the opioid epidemic over roughly two decades.

“A million people have died from the opiate epidemic in the last 20 something years”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2567 - Mariana van Zeller (Oct 16, 2026) · Listen from 2:06:22

Van Zeller recommends diverting even a small share of enforcement spending to demand-side treatment.

“even if it's just like 10% of the money that you spend on enforcement, let's put that on actually treating the demand side of it”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2567 - Mariana van Zeller (Oct 16, 2026) · Listen from 2:22:50