Drugs and Stuff: A Podcast from the Drug Policy Alliance

Joe Rubin is a public school teacher in San Francisco, and health is his favorite subject. In his 36 years of experience, he's never taught anything quite like DPA's Safety First drug education curriculum. DPA's Safety First Program Manager Sasha Simon sat down with Joe to dig into what makes the curriculum special, why it appeals so deeply to teachers and students, and why the harm reduction approach is so critical.

The Drug Policy Alliance has spent years developing a completely new take on drug education: a curriculum based in harm reduction and science, not a fear-based abstinence-only approach. It's called Safety First, and it's now freely available for the first time ever. We sat down with DPA's Safety First Program Manager Sasha Simon to get the brief rundown on what Safety First is, and why it's a really big deal.

DPA's biennial International Drug Policy Reform Conference takes place in St. Louis, Missouri this November 6-9. Our own Ifetayo Harvey sat down with Stephanie Regagnon, founder of Ava's Grace Scholarship Program, and Chad Sabora, co-founder and executive director of the Missouri Network for Opiate Reform and Recovery, to talk about the impact of their work, the context of drug policy reform in the St. Louis community, and the importance of the Reform Conference being there. To learn more about Reform, visit reformconference.org.

Over the last few years, we've seen huge increases in opioid overdose deaths, and many of them can be traced to powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Drugs & Stuff is back with journalist Ben Westhoff, whose new book Fentanyl, Inc. chronicles his incredible four-year investigation into the world of novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Ben sat down with DPA's Stefanie Jones to talk about his journey from first hearing about NPS at festivals, tracing the production line into China, and learning about the harm reduction practices working to stem the tide of fatal opioid overdoses. To learn more about Ben's work, join his mailing list.

In the latest episode of Drugs & Stuff, we are joined by DPA's Sheila Vakharia, Ph.D., a researcher in the office of Academic Engagement. Sheila joined Gabriella Miyares to talk about Sheila's professional journey to becoming a leading voice in harm reduction and social work.

Sheila helps DPA staff and others understand a range of drug policy issues while also responding to new studies with critiques and analysis. She plans conferences and convenings on cutting edge issues in the area of drugs, drug research, and harm reduction. Additionally, she is responsible for cultivating relationships with researchers from a wide range of disciplines aligned with DPA's policy interests and working to mobilize academics in service of DPA policy campaigns.

Gretchen Bergman, executive director of A New Path, joined Drugs and Stuff recently to share why her work around addiction and treatment is intimately personal. She shares her personal story and shows the power of a mother's love.

Bergman served as state chair for California's Proposition 36, which mandated treatment instead of incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders. A native of San Diego, she is owner/director of Gretchen Productions, a Fashion Show Production Company started in 1979.

Her articles on treatment vs. incarceration have been published nationwide, and she has spoken before countless audiences on the topic of therapeutic justice for substance abusers. She has two grown sons who have struggled with addictive illness.

In 2009, New York reformed its notorious Rockefeller Drug Laws. Ten years later, veteran drug law reform activists Anthony Papa and Terrence Stevens join "Drugs and Stuff" to reflect on the destruction the draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws wreaked on so many New Yorkers and share their thoughts on the reforms.

Anthony Papa, manager of media relations for the Drug Policy Alliance, was handed a mandatory minimum fifteen years to life for a first-time nonviolent drug law offense. While incarcerated, Anthony became a highly renowned artist. He became the first person in New York to receive clemency and a pardon.

Terrence Stevens, a disabled drug law reform activist, is the founder and CEO of a Harlem-based nonprofit organization that assists children affected by parental incarceration and impacted by the criminal justice system. Terrence was paralyzed from the neck down with Muscular Dystrophy when he was cruelly sentenced to fifteen years to life on a first-time low-level, nonviolent drug offense. He was granted clemency in 2001 after serving 10 years.

In the latest episode of Drugs and Stuff, DPA's Ifetayo Harvey sat down with Alejandra Pablos, a reproductive justice advocate and immigration activist who is facing deportation for a drug offense. As a young person, Alejandra was arrested and convicted of several charges, including possession of drug paraphernalia. After she spent two years in a detention center in southern Arizona, she lost her residency and was placed into deportation proceedings. Alejandra has worked to advocate for human and civil rights, dedicating her life to organizing against attacks on immigrants' rights and fighting for reproductive rights. Earlier this year, she was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). At a recent court hearing, a judge ordered her to be deported despite living in the United States ever since she was an infant.

DPA's revolutionary high school drug education curriculum "Safety First" was piloted at Bard High School Early College Manhattan this spring. The results are in, and they're very encouraging for the future of drug education. Sasha Simon, DPA's Safety First Program Manager, and Drew Miller, the health teacher from Bard who taught the "Safety First" curriculum, returned to Drugs & Stuff to tell us about their experiences and the positive results that came out of the analysis of the pilot program.

We were lucky to talk with Bernard Noble, who recently came home after serving more than 7 years in a Louisiana prison. Bernard was finally granted parole after being sentenced to 13 years for allegedly possessing two joints of marijuana. You'll hear all about this grave injustice directly from the man whose case drew national attention as an example of extremely harsh drug sentences in the United States, and how an entire family is tragically affected when a parent is sent to prison.

We were also joined by DPA's Anthony Papa, who became the first person in New York State history to receive both clemency (from Gov. George Pataki 1997) and a pardon (from Gov. Andrew Cuomo 2016) after he was unfairly sentenced to 15-to-life for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense under New York's draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws. This discussion between two men who served a number of years behind bars because of the war on drugs is powerful and, at times, heart-breaking.

If you want to support Bernard, you can give here: https://www.youcaring.com/bernardnoble-1182699