Morgan Godvin is a researcher at UCLA's Drug Checking Los Angeles and a writer whose work on the drug supply, overdose, and drug policy appears in JAMA and The Washington Post.
Morgan Godvin is an internationally recognized drug-policy expert and writer who turns lived experience — addiction and federal incarceration — into evidence-based research and reform.
Morgan Godvin directs Drug Checking Los Angeles at UCLA, leading chemical analysis of the unregulated drug supply and research on fentanyl and emerging adulterants. A writer published in JAMA and The Washington Post, she brings lived experience of addiction and federal incarceration to evidence-based drug policy. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
Morgan Godvin is an internationally recognized expert in drug policy and harm reduction. Having survived opioid addiction and federal prison, she founded the overdose-prevention nonprofit Beats Overdose, served on Oregon's drug-policy commissions, and now researches the illicit drug supply at UCLA's Drug Checking Los Angeles. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
Morgan Godvin is a researcher and writer at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, where she directs Drug Checking Los Angeles — analyzing the unregulated drug supply and conducting research on fentanyl and emerging adulterants. Her work appears in JAMA and The Washington Post, and reaches millions monthly on social media. She brings deep lived experience to her work, having survived opioid addiction and several years in federal prison before becoming an advocate for evidence-based drug policy. In 2025 she was selected for a study visit with the European Union Drugs Agency in Lisbon. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
Morgan Godvin is an internationally recognized expert in drug policy and substance use. Committed to bridging the gap between science and policy, she served on the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission, the Measure 110 Oversight and Accountability Council, and other state, county, and city committees. She founded the overdose-prevention nonprofit Beats Overdose and provided harm reduction at festivals and events nationwide, in partnership with Rhymesayers Entertainment. She works remotely for UCLA's Drug Checking Los Angeles, doing research into the illicit drug supply. She was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where she is currently based. She has lived experience with substance use disorder and incarceration.
Morgan Godvin is an internationally recognized expert in drug policy and harm reduction. She brings deep lived experience to her work, having survived opioid addiction and several years in federal prison before becoming a leading advocate for evidence-based drug policy. She later served on multiple state commissions, determining funding priorities and doing grant reviews for a half billion dollars in statewide treatment and harm reduction funding. After earning her Bachelor's degree in public health, Morgan founded an overdose-prevention nonprofit, Beats Overdose, that partnered with organizations in dozens of cities and reached hundreds of thousands of people by working within the music industry. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, she has lived and worked across the Global South, focusing on how punitive drug policies shape health and human rights throughout the Americas. Since 2024, she has directed Drug Checking Los Angeles at UCLA, leading chemical analysis of the unregulated drug supply and conducting cutting-edge research on fentanyl and emerging adulterants. Her work makes her a sought-after expert for policymakers, clinicians, and researchers, and her health and science communication reaches millions monthly on social media. In 2025, Morgan completed the European Union Drugs Agency Academy and was selected for a study visit with the agency in Lisbon, advancing research on opioid agonist treatments, including innovative approaches to methadone delivery.