Narcotica Podcast

The post Episode 19: Debunking Bupe Diversion Myths with Molly Doernberg appeared first on Narcotica.

In this episode, Zach and Troy interview two veteran harm reduction activists: Jess Tilley and Albie Park. Jess and Albie have organized on behalf of drug users for decades, building community to ensure that no one has to die a preventable overdose death. You’ll learn about how they met, how they work, and what policies and ideas they are currently prioritizing. You’ll also hear about what they envision for the future of harm reduction in the midst of, in Jess’s words, an “overdose apocalypse.” Zach and Troy mostly let them do the talking. Enjoy.

Harm Reduction Hedgehogs /@HRH413/Media Toolkit

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!

Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel
Co-producer: Aaron Ferguson
Music: Glass Boy
Image: edit: Troy Farah

The post Episode 18: Drug User Unions – The Rebirth of Harm Reduction with Jess Tilley and Albie Park appeared first on Narcotica.

Psychedelic drugs are weird, but DMT has to be one of the weirdest. Best known as the principle psychoactive ingredient in ayahuasca, this drug, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, occurs naturally in many plants and animals. Troy Farah interviews Andrew Gallimore, a computational neurobiologist, pharmacologist and DMT enthusiast, and author of the new book ‘Alien Information Theory.’ With a healthy dose of skepticism, they discuss hyperspace realms and building a machine that makes DMT trips last for hours on end.

DMT is commonly called the quote ’Spirit molecule’ because while tons of psychedelics offer spiritual insight, DMT is in a category all its own. It can allegedly transport you to another dimension, where you will be greeted by vibrating, chattering ‘machine elves,’ as Terrence McKenna commonly called them. The experience is nothing short of life-changing, yet only lasts about 15 minutes. Are they aliens, spiritual beings or just hallucinations? We’ll let you decide.

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

Find Andrew on Twitter or http://www.buildingalienworlds.com

Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel
Co-Producer: Aaron Ferguson
Music: Glass Boy and Aaron Ferguson
Image Credit: Wikipedia / Composite by Troy Farah

The post Episode 17: Using DMT To Contact Aliens with Andrew Gallimore appeared first on Narcotica.

Canada’s Downtown Eastside in Vancouver is known around the world as a city of pain and trauma. That’s not the whole story. Vancouver has produced trailblazing harm reduction activists and scholars who have changed the fabric of drug user health care. The Crackdown is a podcast that features some of the bravest activists who are pushing the envelope in drug policy. In this episode, Chris, Troy, and Zach interview Garth Mullins, host of The Crackdown, about what spawned the show, the differences between American and Canadian drug policy, and what journalism looks like when it is owned and produced by drug users. Check out The Crackdown.

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

Producer: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel
Music: Glass Boy and Aaron Ferguson
Co-Producer: Aaron Ferguson — https://soundcloud.com/knowmad1

The post Episode 16: The Crew Interviews the Crackdown’s Garth Mullins appeared first on Narcotica.

Mainstream media doesn’t really ‘get’ drugs, but there’s one place that has consistently gotten it right: Filter Magazine. Narcotica hosts Christopher Moraff, Zachary Siegel and Troy Farah talk with Filter’s co-founder and editor-in-chief Will Godfrey. This conversation covers a lot of ground on media literacy and compassionate reporting on drug use.

Learn more about Filter Magazine on their website and follow Will Godfrey on Twitter.

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

Producer: Christopher Moraff / Troy Farah
Image credit: Eduardo Verdugo
Music: KieLoKaz, Glass Boy and Aaron Ferguson
Co-Producer: Aaron Ferguson — https://soundcloud.com/knowmad1

The post Episode 15: Accurate, Compassionate Drug Journalism with Filter Magazine appeared first on Narcotica.

Few would disagree with the notion that the United States government has dropped the ball on responding to the opioid crisis, particularly the threat posed by illicitly manufactured fentanyl in the heroin supply. That’s the basis of a new piece called “The Fentanyl Failure,” a Washington Post investigation into the Obama Administration. Only, there’s just one problem: the sources used by the Washington Post are angry drug warriors and zealous prosecutors who are mad that Obama didn’t let them lock up enough dealers. In this episode of Narcotica, co-host Zachary Siegel and special guest Jeff Deeney deconstruct the Washington Post’s exposé. They discuss the ways in which the supply-side narrative is for Serious People while harm reduction activism and interventions that actually save lives are still to the side in policy debates.  Follow Jeff Deeney.

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

Producers: Chris Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel
Engineer: Aaron Ferguson
Music: Glass Boy, Aaron Ferguson

The post Episode 14: Harm Reduction Dies in Darkness—Jeff Deeney appeared first on Narcotica.

For the last installation of Narcotica’s Beyond Border series, Zachary Siegel interviews Dawn Paley, journalist and author of “Drug War Capitalism.” Paley’s scholarship and research situates paramilitarized drug violence in countries from Colombia to Honduras in historical, political, and economic context. On the show she discusses how the War on Drugs benefits big businesses across the hemisphere. Paley has reported about the War on Drugs from Mexico, South America, and Central America for The Nation Magazine, and recently finished her Ph.D. from the Autonomous University of Puebla in Mexico.

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

Producers: Chris Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel
Music: Glass Boy

The post Episode 13: Beyond Borders – “Drug War Capitalism” appeared first on Narcotica.

Follow Keegan Hamilton on Twitter.

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

Producer: Christopher Moraff / Troy Farah
Image credit: Eduardo Verdugo
Music: Scanglobe, Glass Boy, and Fourmi

The post Episode 12: Beyond Borders — “El Chapo” and the Mexican Fentanyl Pipeline with Keegan Hamilton appeared first on Narcotica.

America practically invented prohibition, or at least popularized it to the point where nearly every country models itself after U.S. drug policy. The results have been nothing short of disastrous. Troy Farah talks with foreign policy expert Sanho Tree about how the ‘Land of the Free’ have exported draconian drug laws, enslaving the rest of the planet. This discussion covers poppy fields in Afghanistan, Central American migrants fleeing gangs, the Bolivian model for cocaine regulation, death squads in the Philippines and how Trump’s wall is just more bad drug policy.

Follow Sanho Tree on Twitter.

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

Producer: Troy Farah
Image credit: Alastair Rae, Flickr / Edit by Troy Farah
Music: Inaequalis and Glass Boy

The post Episode 11: Beyond Borders — How the U.S. Exports Dangerous Drug Policy with Sanho Tree appeared first on Narcotica.

For the last several years there’s been a lot of controversy surrounding a drug called kratom, a plant from Southeast Asia that is used by millions of Americans to relieve pain and anxiety. The federal government has said this drug has high potential for abuse and has been quietly waging a war against kratom, leaving many people to wonder when, not if, it will be banned. That day seems to be today: Tuesday, November 27 2018.

A new announcement by the Food and Drug Administration today says “Kratom is not legally marketed in the U.S. as a drug or dietary supplement.” This is a distinction that the FDA has made before, but never so blatantly. This puts kratom in a precarious position and invites police departments across the country to now raid anyone who sells it. We spoke to Drew Turner, a longtime kratom advocate from Washington, D.C., about the changes this will make.

For more info on what kratom is, how dangerous it is (or isn’t) and how it affects people, check out this primer here.

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

Producer: Troy Farah

EDIT: In the podcast, it’s said that this legal distinction has not been made before. The statement was found at least once before buried deep in a press release and the FDA has never clarified this before. The FDA may say that’s always been their stance, but if so, then they haven’t been enforcing it, and this still could signal big changes to come. We regret the error.

The post Episode 10: Did The FDA Just Say Kratom Is Illegal? appeared first on Narcotica.