Akron man who sued China company for son's fentanyl death appearing on 'Dr. Phil' show
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
An Akron resident who founded an organization to fight fentanyl distribution and abuse after the overdose death of his son in 2015 is scheduled to talk about the issue Thursday on the "Dr. Phil" show.
Jim Rauh, founder of Families Against Fentanyl, has advocated to declare the drug a weapon of mass destruction to intensify efforts to stop its illicit use.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is involved in more deaths than any other cause for Americans under 50 years of age.
More: Akron to be on '60 Minutes'
More: Akron man sentenced to 20 years in prison for selling fentanyl to man who died after taking it
Rauh appeared on "60 Minutes" in 2019 to speak about the experience of losing his son to the drug.
In 2020, Rauh filed a lawsuit against the China-based supplier of fentanyl traced to the death of his son and others, and in May 2021 wrote an opinion column in the Akron Beacon Journal about confronting fentanyl distribution at the source.
"Families Against Fentanyl advocates the classification of fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction — a move that would marshal national resources and federal agencies to target fentanyl with a heft equal to its danger," he wrote.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates 70,601 deaths from fentanyl or similar synthetic opioids took place in the U.S. in 2021.
The Dr. Phil show is broadcast in the Akron area on WKYC Channel 3 at 3 p.m.
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron man who sued over son's fentanyl death appears on 'Dr. Phil'
