In Mississippi, a minor can agree to become a Confidential Informant without their parents even knowing, much less consenting. Dr. Lt. James Nolan spent years as a drug enforcement officer, performing undercover work himself, and joins us to unpack what a CI is, the fear that is leveraged to get participants, and why these programs are so damaging to community trust and ultimately public safety. 

Journalist Alex Berenson released a new book titled "Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence." Dr. Sheila Vakharia PhD LMSW joins us to answer the question, "Does it cause those things?" Dr. Vakharia is a Researcher in the Office of Academic Engagement at the Drug Policy Alliance. 

Detective Howard Wooldridge spent years enforcing the War on Drugs. Today, he travels the country advocating for a legal, regulated market for all drugs. What changed his mind and why is he so passionate about reform?

Our reponse to articles published by Desiring God and the Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission of the Southern Baptist Church on marijuana.

Dr. Alexander, who has spent 50 years studying addiction, joins us to talk about poverty of the spirit as a driver of addiction, and how recovery can happen in a thousand ways, helped along by people just like us.

Dr Bruce Alexander spearheaded Rat Park, a revolutionary experiment that proved the drivers of addiction are far different than what we've been taught. He then spent nearly 50 years researching the causes and solutions to addiction in Vancouver, the city with the highest concentration of drug-addicted people in Canada.  

Seth Still was born and raised in Mississippi, and now pastors a church in the Mississippi Delta where he sees some of the collateral damage from the Drug War in his church and community. Justice, mercy, becoming better listeners, and how people on the margins experience our churches are part of today's conversation.  

The herbal supplement Kratom has been banned in multiple states and now in several counties in Mississippi. As the Drug War tries to expand its targets to include Kratom, we explore why keeping it legal is important for public safety and for reducing any potential for harm from the substance itself. 

Not everyone who is dependent on a substance is addicted to it, and not everyone who wants to be sober should stop using all opioids. Dr. Singer, a senior fellow at the CATO Institute, clarifies why he believes research supports these statements and why it's crucial we understand these concepts if we want to curb our overdose epidemic. 

Dr. Jeffrey Singer, Senior Fellow at The Cato Institute, joins us to answer, “If we’re in an overdose crisis from prescription opioids, how would legalizing all drugs help us?” Dr. Singer explains why we’ve misunderstood what’s happening today, why that misunderstanding is causing more people to die, and what we can do to reverse the trend and save lives.