Fighting Fentanyl at the Root: Why Every City Needs Project SMART with Larry Kenemore

Sep 2, 2025

Fentanyl isn't just stealing lives— it's exposing a broken system. Year after year, billions are spent on programs that barely move the needle, while families keep losing loved ones. But what if the solution has been sitting right in front of us all along?

In this episode of The Opioid Matrix, Michael Brown talks with Larry Kenemore— a retired paramedic who's seen addiction up close and now leads the North American Rotarian Action Group on Addiction Prevention. Larry shares Project SMART, a practical, community-driven plan to shut down the "addiction pipeline" before it claims more lives. The problem? Politics, pride, and money are keeping proven ideas on the sidelines. Together, they break down why past efforts fell short, how fentanyl is showing up in vape pens, and why the real fix might come from neighbors helping neighbors.

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Views expressed in this material are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rigaku Analytical Devices.

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Michael Brown

Michael W. Brown is the global director of counter-narcotics technology at Rigaku Analytical Devices. He has a distinguished career spanning more than 32 years as a Special Agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He served as the country attaché in India and Myanmar; During his tour in Myanmar, he provided foreign advisory support for counter narcotic enforcement that, to date, has resulted in the interdiction of over US$250 million in precursor chemicals and implementing the regions first use of Raman spectroscopy to degrade the supply chain for narcotics production. He was also part of a special specialized counter narcotics unit operating in the jungles of South America tasked with locating and destroying drug labs and narcotic supply chains. Most recently he was the DEA Headquarters staff coordinator for the Office of Foreign Operations for the Middle East-Europe-Afghanistan-India. Michael is a graduate of the United States Ranger Training Battalion and has a master’s degree in interdisciplinary technology and management from the University of Eastern Michigan.

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