Im so sorry and I cant even imagine. And they were treating my son like a criminal in a sense. And you talked, just told me about at one point contacting 10 other pharmacists, and none of them would help you report Dr. Cleggett, who was clearly, clearly abusing her capacity and her medical license and writing prescriptions for Oxycontin she shouldnt have. There were a few of them, it was greed. I'd recommend listening to this episode with Dan Schneider first as it'll help you get a sense of the story told in The Pharmacist documentary before we get a behind the scenes take from Julia and Jenner in the next episode. And we, again back to your question, we got to stop passing the buck. Oh, God. He had lied to me. He had been shot in the head in a crack-cocaine deal gone wrong in a drug ravaged part of nearby New Orleans. I was addicted for 18 years and went to prison twice. The story is so captivating that David Permut, the producer behind Hacksaw Ridge, has approached Schneider about making a movie. Prior to me really digging into this I told my wife, and one time my wife says, Please dont get into this. Theres a couple times we went back and forth on this. And he was the killer," Schneider recounts in the docu-series. The Pharmacisttracks the story of Dan Schneider, a man based in Poydras, Louisiana, who attempts to. The Schneider's recount hearing about how Danny was found shot to death in his truck in the Lower 9th Ward, and the police had no apparent leads pointing toward hiskiller. Yeah. The story for Schneider begins at 2 oclock in the morning on April 14th, 1999. You talk about trying to urge people to stand up and say something and do something. I bring it to the Medical Board. And I applied that principle. I was cynical at the time. But where is Dan Schneider now? In a snitches-get-stitches atmosphere, witnesses were thin on the ground. In 2009 she pled guilty to illegally dispensing controlled substances, a crime that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and $1 million in fines. Drugs have the frightening power to change how people act and think, with heartbreaking consequences. ", The Pharmacist ends its murder mystery by revealing that Hall was eventually released after serving a 13-year sentence, at the age of 29. During the collectivefour episodes, however, the focus shifts to the titular subject'spersonal war against a doctor who essentially created an opioidepidemic throughout New Orleans and beyond. This tool will help you understand the risks factors your child may face and actions you can take to. #medtwitter. And then on his dresser, him and his girlfriend, she was long distance, and he had been making long distance phone calls. In audio recordings, he repeatedly references a"special calling," and implies that his son was a "martyr." Dr. Jacqueline Cleggett in "The Pharmacist" Netflix. Okay. Dan Schneider may be a pharmacist by profession, but he is a true hero by his actions and the sheer diligence with which he fights all odds. Msg frequency varies. Dan Schneider's son, Danny Jr, was fatally shot at the age of 22 in April 1999. I didnt trust these people. Through personalaudio recordings, the Netflix docuseries shows Dan's state of mind while grieving with his wife Annie and daughter Kristi. The Schneider familys world was torn apart on April 14, 1999. And so initially I contacted the Medical Board. And so believe it or not, the FBI actually called me. 90% of the prescriptions for opioids that we were filling for a while were Dr. Cleggett, one doctor. region: "na1", The Pharmacist begins by recounting the tragic death of Dan Schneider's son, Daniel Schneider, Jr. Only 22 years old at the time, Danny Jr. was fatally shot while attempting to secure crack cocaine in New Orleans. Okay. And my main focus was going to be talking in schools and talking to parents. In 2013, he founded St. Bernard Anti-Drug Coalition, a non-profit that works to reduce illegal drug use in the parish. We did start a protection. Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play. But it didnt kill them. Here are the biggest reveals from Netflix's docuseries about the opioid epidemic. It all begins when Schneider's son is murdered in the late 1990s while attempting to secure drugs. The police werent much of a help in finding the person responsible. The latest one, The Pharmacist, centers around the story of Dan Schneider, a small-town pharmacist from Louisiana who gets swept up into a personal battle against the opioid epidemic in the United States. The doctor refused to quit, and proceeded to threaten federal agents. And so, believe it or not, I had two policemen, local policemen come there, but directed by the FBI to come there, sit me and my wife down and said, Look, hes got to stop. And believe it or not, it scared me and I basically stopped. I tried to have some compassion, but at the time it eventually got to be too that they not only didnt really work on solving the case, they tried to prevent me from solving the case. Not just because its opioids, because its a heartwarming story that it touches peoples hearts. The letters are from here at home but also from all over the world. Moving away from his investigative ways, Schneider continued to work towards making his community drug-free. As the police embark on a long and complicated investigation, Schneider starts to notice how many prescriptions for opioids are being abused in his town, which eventually leads to a takedown of "big pharma.". Once I shifted to advocacy and the other things that I did, I said, She could do this. Following the jailing of his son's killer, Mr Schneider started investigating the opioid epidemic in New Orleans and uncovered a massive conspiracy. NEW ORLEANS The story of a St. Bernard Parish pharmacist, who solved his 22-year-old sons murder after a drug-related shooting while also shining a light on the deadly opioid epidemic, is far from over. I mean, she was one of the only African American female doctors in New Orleans who had these types of credentials. You wrote letters to everybody who lived in the area, your sons murderer was eventually caught and brought to justice because of you and your own one man vigilante, dare I say, investigation. Schneider zeroes in on OxyContin in particular, which contributed to the boom of addiction cases in the U.S. in the early 2000s. Maybe I didnt know the depth of this. Which obviously I didnt in a sense. Viewers also learn that Cleggett's clinic operated on late nights and weekends, and accepted cash as the only form of payment. Another thing that motivated me, same thing happened in January of 2001 where I saw the cross and I decided, and I went and videotaped the office, Time Magazine had an article about Oxycontin, the killer. Which was a bunch of baloney. Well, honestly, I hate to say it, because of working on my sons case it was probably taking a place fairly bad. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! And maybe, I hope that, I know Partnership, your podcast Im sure goes out to a lot of people that are members of the Partnership. And all of a sudden I had to realize if my son was going to dangerous areas, he apparently had an addiction. Dan and Annie moved east to St. Bernard Parish during the 1980s era of, Shane received frequent death threats as the trial approached and moved to, The DEA's investigation uncovers that Dr. Cleggett prescribed over 180,000 pills in just 10 pharmacies. "Dr. Cleggett herself was addicted. Find all episodes and learn more. Eventually, Purdue Pharma, the group behind the invention of OxyContin one of the most addictive painkillers in the United States was sued by multiple states for its role in the nation's burgeoning opioid crisis. She had a lot of documents she insisted on showing to us, stuff that when we cross-referenced the facts, some of the facts were in her favor, but the vast majority show someone who was overprescribing and who was running a pill mill. Some of them didnt know. When measures were taken to ensure safety with the use of OxyContin, it was already too late. They called it I was interfering in the investigation. There wouldnt be a story. Theres people coming in and out in front of me. I said, Well, how can that be? Well, they pay extra money.. So its an enormous crisis. Otherwise we wouldnt be talking today. But his dogged investigation including cold-calling residents of the Lower 9th Ward eventually ledhim to another witness, Shane Madding, who lived across the street from the site of the shooting and remembered everything from the night of Danny's death. And youd say, Well, why should we do that? Well, because the way its going right now as the older addicts died or get well, then if we keep doing 100,000, its going to be all kids. I tried to get 10 pharmacists to go together with me to the medical. But for Schneider, they hold a crucial reminder for what he has fought for and how far he has come. "I don't feel good about [the murder]," Hall said in the documentary, revealing that he agreed to a plea deal when charged with manslaughter in 2000. I didnt think my son was involved in drugs at all.. Meet Avenue 5 star Lenora Crichlow: Actress behind Billie McEvoy brings sanity to Skys sci-fi comedy. Theyre not addicts that are dying. And I said, You guys have got to help out with the phone bill a little bit. So out of his money, and she had a little part-time job, they would chip in. The Schneiders were shocked and told the police they were wrong, and that their son was upstairs sleeping. I said, Well, they must be in cahoots or they must be being bought out too., Later I would find out that in a sense they were waiting on the DEA and the FBI, and they didnt have the resources to put together the case to actually shut her down. Read our, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}. During the time of the incident that changed his life forever, Dan worked at Bradleys Pharmacy as a head pharmacist. Eventually, it was uncovered she was also selling to a group of people who then sold OxyContin throughout Mississippi. Were still afraid we dont have enough. And they said, We need a smoking gun. At the time I didnt know what a smoking gun was in this particular place. Sister Kristi, 18, went to her brothers room to check on her sleeping sibling and found the bed empty. The first episode of the documentary also explores the crack epidemic and New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward as an epicenter of the drug crisis in the region splicedwith family videos of the Schneider family at the time. Speaking to Den of Geek, director Jenner Furst said: "I spoke with her directly and let her know that, as documentary filmmakers, we're committed to all sides of the story, that we felt that she had a story to tell herself, and that we weren't going to support one side of this. I dont think itd be the case if you had a real stick out doctor that I went to 10 pharmacists now and asked them to go with me to the medical, I think Id get some to go. It released in February 2020 on Netflix, the series relates the efforts of Dan Schneider (activist), a small-town pharmacist in Poydras, Louisiana, to identify his son's killer and how this led to his gathering evidence against a prolific "pill mill" doctor in New Orleans. For some extra regional context, OxyContin sales representative Chris Davis describeshow he connected the dots and learnedwhat was transpiring from afar. According to DEA Diversion Investigator Iris Myers, Dr. Cleggett made St. Bernard Parish "Groud Zero" for overdoses. We know Dan Schneider as the vigilant civilian hero, but how much do we really know about him? Our app features the latest breaking news that impacts you and your family, interactive weather and radar, and live video from our newscasts and local events. Please use the form below to contact us with any questions or feedback related to Heart of the Matter. Their words paint the picture of addiction, but also of hope. While I was investigating, me and the FBI were investigating the same thing. And she said, Schneider, and shes in the documentary. The documentary itself builds the reveal of Jeffery as the killer as a twist for those unfamiliar with the story, only identifying Hall as a "Lower 9th Ward resident" when he is first introduced onscreen. Shane Madding, once an addict herself, faced death threats after making a statement identifying Jeffery Hall as the killer of 22-year-old Dan Schneider Jr in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward. And now I think shes buying into, well, maybe this is a calling. Take one or two, two or three times a day. Daniel Senior and his wife,. The new Netflix docu-series "The Pharmacist"takes a gripping look at a Louisiana pharmacist's hunt to avenge the death of his son which ultimately led to his discovery of a pharmaceuticalcompany'srole in America's still-raging opioid epidemic. Well, and I want to correct a little something thats in the documentary. Absolutely. Some kids are more at risk of developing a problem with substance use than others. Even with shutting the doctor down and some of my other investigations. "The day after, me and my wife stayed in bed all day. Netflixis about to release a new documentary that presents a true-crime tale with a twist. But he, if you notice, he gives a couple of nods to The Pharmacists in there. So, the only way Im going to do this is if I get a direct sign from God. Immediately out of the windshield I recalled a cross formed. It helped motivate him. She was cocky. eflix's latest true-crime docu-drama The Pharmacist features the story of the death of Danny Schneider. But the grief, over . The critically acclaimed Netflix docuseries The Pharmacist recounts Dans rigorous quest to find answers about his sons death, and his mission to stop the overprescribing of opioids taking place in his community. Now, the FBI sends me to DEA, well, the DEA later sends me back to the FBI. Retrospectively the bereaved father - who was a pharmacist - recognised signs that his son may have been suffering with a substance problem. I saw people selling pills in the parking lot. Schneider recounts his investigation through private recordings he often made without telling police. There are no signs of slowing in 2020 though, thankfully! You went to work. I was trying to, I guess, improve her or slow her down or whatnot. I had been chased before. We can try to get agreements with China to go in. Im going to talk in schools. These stories are just a few of the thousand or more letters Schneider has responded to since Netflix turned his story into a docu-series streamed millions of times. They did an article on The Pharmacist and what we accomplished. She said, Please play it. All rights reserved. Swear to God. So I took that as another motivation that one day, one day Time Magazines going to have something about our parish thats positive. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations with other readers. Dan's investigation turns to, Cleggett's medical license is revoked in 2003 after overwhelming evidence is presented. From beginning to end, the concept of fate and acceptance are major themes in The Pharmacist. You also were taping outside her office? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 46,000 individuals died from overdose related to opioids back in 2017, adding that the average American's life expectancy has vastly declined due to the crisis. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. They didnt want her stopped. And even though it cost them maybe $200 or a $100 to go see the doctor, what would happen is they would go there like at eight oclock, she didnt open up until nighttime. And earned all the bonuses of $30,000 per quarter. It released in February 2020 on Netflix, the series relates the efforts of Dan Schneider (activist), a small-town pharmacistin Poydras, Louisiana, to identify his son's killer and how this led to his gathering evidence against a prolific "pill mill" doctor in New Orleans. Dan reveals that law enforcement officials weren't exactlyhelpful at first, most notablySergeant Addie Fanguy - who dismissed Dan's theories and become somewhat threatening. Now, if we can figure out a way to make these kids aware and educate, and I dont know if we can stop it at its source some kind of way. Dear Mr. Schneider, after watching the Netflix documentary, The Pharmacist you have restored my faith in humankind, reads another. But who does this for nothing? Wish I could change it. You divide 90 into eight hours, its less than five minutes, I believe a part. But this lady was making tons and tons of money. 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Six months later, after going to 30 funerals of kids dying and nothing happening with the FBI, I was pulling my hair out and I was praying, but I was afraid to go back in. Hes absolutely fascinating, but lets take a look beyond the documentary. And then I wont have that smoking gun. They talked for two hours about how Schneider found his son's killer and took on the pill . Well, the rest is history. One of the agents actually called me and said, Look, Dan, cool it, we appreciate your help. What would you say though? They distribute their resolutions and hold lectures through schools and churches, and across the community. But it was probably fairly bad even before my sons murder was solved, but I was so focused on that I just could not get involved in that. Unfortunately, I couldnt save my son but maybe because of this I can save others, said Schneider, speaking to WWLTVs Paul Dudley. He was then chased in a car, and made frantic phone calls to his family. "Then the nightmare happened.". And you began to notice at that point an enormous number of prescriptions for Oxycontin. Surprisingly, St. Bernard Parish was a community with some of the highest rates of prescription drug misuse in the entire nation, according to a 2000 Time article. Its so great to meet you and to have you on the podcast. And I still do it because Im not only trying to invigorate them to do some action, but to get them to maybe spread the word to somebody else. ", Dr. Jacqueline Cleggett in "The Pharmacist", SCOTUS Now Just Another Congressional Committee, Secret Chinese Police Stations in Europe Are 'Tip of the Iceberg', Trump's Attorney Just Blew Carroll Rape Case, King Charles Says Royals Require 'Acting Ability', Ukraine Will Regain 'Significant Territory' From Russia, Florida GOP Paves the Way to Help Ron DeSantis Challenge Trump.