Gateway to Heroin with Mariana van Zeller

They said it plainly: "Today when you switch on the television you see a lot of commentary but not a lot of on-the-ground reporting, and that's…" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

In a society where television programming often focuses on celebrity lifestyle and reality TV, the real stories that affect our daily lives are frequently lost. Current TV has placed its focus on real issues affecting people across the country and worldwide, aligning itself with curious and fearless reporters willing to take risks to bring these stories to viewers. One such reporter is Mariana van Zeller, part of Current TV's award-winning series Vanguard. Premier Guide Miami's Judith Wallace recently caught up with Mariana to speak about her latest documentary series Gateway to Heroin. Mariana has documented and reported on many real-life issues — one of which earned her the 2010 Livingston Award for Young Journalists.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Tell us about your latest documentary series Gateway to Heroin.

MARIANA VAN ZELLER: Gateway to Heroin is a documentary about a heroin epidemic that is happening now in Massachusetts. Through our investigation it is being fueled in large part by painkillers and prescription drugs that are being easily dispensed and prescribed all the way down in Florida. Florida has sort of become the Colombia of prescription drugs. People from all over the United States are going down to Florida to these pain clinics that easily dispense these drugs. Back in 2009 we started looking at prescription drugs and did a documentary called The Oxycontin Express. I went into one of these pain clinics with a secret camera and immediately they started asking me what kind of drugs I wanted, how much Oxycontin I wanted. People are coming back with loads of prescription drugs — middle class families from suburban Massachusetts, young kids getting addicted to painkillers. And when they can't find it or afford it, they resort to heroin. So there is this huge heroin epidemic right now in Massachusetts and it's really scary.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: This is a continuation of Oxycontin Express — why did you feel the need to do a follow-up?

MARIANA VAN ZELLER: Absolutely. After we aired The Oxycontin Express we started getting calls and emails from all around the country — mothers who lost their children, sisters trying to help their brothers survive, always tragic and horrifying stories. Prescription drugs kill more people nowadays than heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy combined. It is crazy and not a lot of people know about this or are talking about this. One of the things we kept hearing is that people think of prescription drugs as safe because they are prescribed by a doctor. And this is absolutely not true. And not only that — when these kids can't get their hands on these drugs they are switching to something even scarier, and this is happening all over the country.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: In a time where reality TV seems to have taken over, why do you believe Vanguard is so successful?

MARIANA VAN ZELLER: Today when you switch on the television you see a lot of commentary but not a lot of on-the-ground reporting, and that's what Vanguard does. We go out in the field, get our hands dirty, get as close to the story as possible, and we try to bring stories that we believe are important and can make a difference. That's what Vanguard is all about.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Why are you interested in reporting these thought-provoking real issues?

MARIANA VAN ZELLER: I have always been super interested in contextualizing the stories. I am always reading little short headlines in newspapers and I am always interested in digging a little deeper and finding out what's behind them. This whole investigation into prescription drug abuse in America actually started with a little headline about how a lot of people were traveling to Florida to get their prescription painkillers. It piqued my curiosity — I got on an airplane and traveled there, and this is when I realized that this was a huge story that was under-reported, and that we needed to do something about it.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Who do you believe are the biggest culprits in this prescription drug epidemic — the large drug companies, the doctors who prescribe them, or the lack of stricter legislation?

MARIANA VAN ZELLER: All of those combined — it's the perfect storm. You have pharmaceutical companies making millions and millions of dollars from these prescription painkillers. You have doctors in Florida prescribing with no questions asked — people come in and ask what type of painkiller they want, and they give it to them. No examination, no consultation. We had an interview with a man who revealed he obtained his painkiller from a gynecologist. And then there is legislation — unfortunately not enough has been done to stop this illicit trade. Governor Scott just recently finally signed legislation but for many people it's too little too late. There are still loopholes, and the fact of the matter is that there are more people addicted now to prescription painkillers and heroin than ever before.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: In reporting these stories you sometimes find yourself in dangerous situations. Is there a sense of fear?

MARIANA VAN ZELLER: Yes, I have definitely been in some scary situations. However I am lucky that I actually get to travel with my husband who works with me — he is my producer so he gets the job as my bodyguard as well.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What is the scariest moment you have ever had during filming?

MARIANA VAN ZELLER: I had one in Nigeria where we were doing something about the oil conflict there. We wanted to get access to these militants that were fighting against the government, and we were approached by seven young men carrying big guns who wanted us to stop filming. Another scary situation was filming in Florida. We were trying to film the entrance to one of these painkiller clinics, and we were basically chased in a car on the highway — every time we would try to stop the car they would get out of their car and run towards us. That was extremely scary. You don't expect this kind of thing to happen in the United States. It just goes to show how much money there is and how many interests there are in protecting this story.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What does the Livingston Award for Young Journalists mean to you?

MARIANA VAN ZELLER: It was an enormous honor — not only the fact that I received this award but to be among some of these incredible names in journalism, people that I have looked up to my entire life. One of the judges who picked my name was Christiane Amanpour. I have been a huge fan and admired her my whole life — she is one of the reasons I wanted to become a journalist. So to have her there and know that she actually picked my name to win this award was an enormous honor. And then to also know that the story we reported was about rapes on Indian reservations — how one in three women are raped on Indian reservations in their lifetime, which is an incredible, staggering, and awful number. To know that we were able to shine some light on this story was incredibly important for us.

For more upcoming events across South Florida, visit the Premier Guide Miami Events Calendar .