“I was studying landscape architecture at Penn State and dealing...

“I was studying landscape architecture at Penn State and dealing drugs on the side. At the age of twenty, I got arrested with a quarter pound of mushrooms and a pound of marijuana. I assumed my life was over at that point. I didn’t think I could bounce back from a felony charge so I pretty much gave up on everything. I started doing cocaine and heroin while I waited on my sentencing, and I’ve been an addict ever since. I’ve spent a total of fifteen years in prison for various drug charges. My last arrest was for producing Fentanyl. It’s extremely difficult to make—it’s stronger than heroin and a much more complicated molecule than meth. I only know of one other person on the east coast who figured out how to make it. There were so many laws in place to keep people from getting the materials. I had no resources and no connections but I studied organic chemistry and found a way. When I finally got caught, all they wanted to know was how I did it. That’s the problem with my addiction. I’m smart enough to get around anything. So there’s never been anything to stop me but myself.”

(Federal Correctional Complex: Allenwood, Pennsylvania)