Narcotica Podcast

For more than a century, Americans have had a love-hate relationship with cocaine. Once viewed as a cure-all tonic for everything from hemorrhoids to morphine addiction, the drug has inspired infamous rock songs and brought people to their knees.

In the third and final segment of Narcotica’s ‘Speed Up, Slow Down’ series on stimulants, reporter Christopher Moraff examines the strange and perplexing history of cocaine and it’s latest demonization—fentanyl adulteration. He speaks with toxicologist Kevin Shanks, Dennis Cauchon of Harm Reduction Ohio and fentanyl test strip guru Tino Fuentes.

Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated!

Photo credit: Christopher Moraff, edit by Troy Farah.

The post Episode 9: Speed Up, Slow Down Pt. 3 — The Cocaine Fentanyl Blues appeared first on Narcotica.

With the midterms just days away, Zach, Chris and Troy explore America’s newest marginalized political constituency—millions of people with chronic pain or illness that have been ground under the wheel of American opioid policy. We speak with Lauren DeLuca, President of Chronic Illness Advocacy & Awareness Group about how we got here and how the sickest Americans can we come one of the strongest political forces in coming years.

Listen HERE

Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated!

Photo credit: K-State Research and Extension, edit by Troy Farah.

The post Episode 8: Collateral Damage—Patients Fight Back appeared first on Narcotica.

Narcotica co-host Zachary Siegel moderated a panel at the 12th National Harm Reduction Conference in New Orleans. The panel was the brainchild of the Drug Policy Alliance’s Michael Collins, titled: Drug War Déjà Vu: How harm reductionists can push back against drug-induced homicide laws, harsh fentanyl penalties, and the further demonization of drug users.” Panelists include Lindsay LaSalle (Drug Policy Alliance), Jasmine Tyler (Human Rights Watch), William Miller Jr. (BMore Power), and Dan Ciccarone (UCSF).

Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated!

Learn more about HRC at: http://harmreduction.org/conference/

Photo credit: Logan, edit by Troy Farah.

The post Episode 7: Drug War Déjà Vu appeared first on Narcotica.

https://narcocast.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/narcotica-SUSD-troy_mixdown.mp3

In the ’80s, a rampant fear of “crack babies” permeated the mainstream media. But the claims of kids deformed due to crack cocaine turned out to be bullshit. Troy Farah reports on how this urban legend originated, and how it’s morphed into another false narrative: the addicted baby myth. Plus, we examine why pregnant drug users face so much greater stigma than others. We speak with Dr. Carl Hart, a neuroscientist and the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Columbia University, as well as Cherisse Scott, founder of Sister Reach, which fights for reproductive justice.

More info:

Follow Narcotica on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and support us on Patreon. Help keep this podcast ad-free! Your support is appreciated! We’re on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher and more. Tell your friends about us! Rate us! And thanks for your support!

If you liked this episode, here are others you might enjoy:

Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel

Media clips:

More resources:

Substance use during pregnancy: time for policy to catch up with research

Criminal Charges for Child Harm from Substance Use in Pregnancy

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/baby-opioids/

https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/bj75n5/baby-opioid-addicts-dont-exist

Open Letter to Journalists and Editors About “Addicted Babies”

http://www.advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/issues/pregnancy_and_drug_use_the_facts/

Shattering The Myth Of The ‘Addicted Baby’

http://discovermagazine.com/2006/dec/crack-baby-unfounded-stigma

Actual headlines from the crack epidemic: “Crack Babies Born to Life of Suffering,” “Crack’s Toll Among Babies: A Joyless View, Even of Toys,” “Crack’s Tiniest, Costliest Victims,” “A Time Bomb in Cocaine Babies,” “Disaster In Making: Crack Babies Start to Grow Up." pic.twitter.com/3iyFOMvaKR

— Donovan X. (@donovanxramsey) May 10, 2018

View at Medium.com

The post Episode 6: Speed Up, Slow Down Pt. 2 — Myth Evolution: From Crack Kids to Addicted Babies appeared first on Narcotica.

https://narcocast.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Ep5.1-GoSlow_mixdown.mp3

With all the focus on opioids, Narcotica has decided to launch a series on stimulants called “Speed Up, Slow Down.” In the first installment, Zachary Siegel takes a critical look at how media depicts meth and cocaine use. He interviews two users about how stimulants actually help them function. Then, he talks to Sheila Vakharia from the Drug Policy Alliance about harm reduction, and Kat Humphries from the Harm Reduction Action Center about her “Methamphetazine” that features art from Denver stimulant users.

Download link for the zine.

More info on harm reduction for stimulants here. Follow Sheila Vakharia: @MyHarmReduction

Follow Narcotica on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and support us on Patreon. Help keep this podcast ad-free! Your support is appreciated! We’re on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher and more. Tell your friends about us! Rate us! And thanks for your support!

If you liked this episode, here are others you might enjoy:

Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel

The post Episode 5: Speed Up, Slow Down Pt. 1 appeared first on Narcotica.

https://narcocast.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Injection-Sites-Mixdown-NEW.mp3

In response to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s outrageous supervised consumption op-ed in the New York Times, the Narcotica team speaks with Laura Thomas, of the Drug Policy Alliance, who broke down the obstacles harm reduction workers face in opening a site in the United States. Thomas, who is deputy state director at DPA, has been championing supervised consumption sites for over a decade, because she knows what the data says: SCS save lives.

But how long until we see a facility in the U.S.? We discuss the status of many projects in Washington, New York, and California, and what kind of fight we can expect from the Department of Justice.

You can follow Laura on Twitter @LThomas and learn more about the Drug Policy Alliance at drugpolicy.org.

Follow Narcotica on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and support us on Patreon. Help keep this podcast ad-free! Your support is appreciated! We’re on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher and more. Tell your friends about us! Rate us! And thanks for your support!

If you liked this episode, here are others you might enjoy:

Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel

The post Episode 4: Supervised Consumption Breaks Rod Rosenstein’s Brain appeared first on Narcotica.

https://narcocast.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Bigg-Interview-Episode-Narcotica.mp3

Dan Bigg, activist, visionary, and harm reduction pioneer, died on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. In this episode, Zach Siegel interviews journalist Max Blau, who has been researching the history of naloxone, about Bigg’s radical legacy.

You can follow Max on Twitter @MaxBlau

Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and support us on Patreon. Help keep this podcast ad-free! Your support is appreciated! We’re on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher and more. Tell your friends about us! Rate us! And thanks for your support!

If you liked this episode, here are others you might enjoy:

Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel

The post Episode 3: Remembering Dan Bigg, Naloxone Renegade appeared first on Narcotica.

https://narcocast.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Bourdain-6.23.18.mp3

*CW: Suicide is discussed on this episode.*

Narcotica heard that members of the addiction recovery community were wildly speculating about whether or not drinking played a role in Anthony Bourdain’s suicide. Not only do we think that speaking for someone who cannot speak for themselves—especially someone like Bourdain, who was an incredibly empathetic human being and storyteller—is a shitty thing to do. But to do it without any shred of evidence or rigor, makes it all even worse. In this episode, more commentary than radio magazine format, Troy, Zach, and Chris, discuss the CDC’s latest suicide report, and cross addiction, a popular myth that people who recover from addictions continue to believe.

If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide, please visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and support us on Patreon. Help keep this podcast ad-free! Your support is appreciated! We’re on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher and more. Tell your friends about us! Rate us! And thanks for your support!

If you liked this episode, here are others you might enjoy:

Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel

The post Episode 2: Anthony Bourdain, Suicide and the Myth of Cross Addiction appeared first on Narcotica.

https://narcocast.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Narcotica-Episode-1.mp3

Episode 1 of Narcotica is here! In the first segment Zachary Siegel does some mythbusting around overdosing by touching fentanyl; Troy Farah gives a nuanced take on what’s driving the overdose crisis; and Christoper Moraff talks with experts and drug users about the disease-model of addiction.

Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated! We’re on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher and more. Tell your friends about us!

If you liked this episode, here are others you might enjoy:

Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel

The post Episode 1: Opioid of the Masses appeared first on Narcotica.