Absolute, Season 1: Taser Incorporated is at once a tale as old as time - a true believer learns the hard way that the costs of lofty ambition and hubris just might outweigh even the most optimistic upside - and a thoroughly modern story of technology overtaking the very people it is meant to serve.  In this case:  the ubiquitous electric gun carried by cops everywhere and inspiring comedic shenanigans in movies like The Hangover.

Host and documentarian Nick Berardini has been obsessed with this story for his entire adult life. With Absolute, Season 1: Taser Incorporated, he left no stone unturned. 

Taser, Inc., now known as Axon, the 800-pound gorilla in the paramilitary police equipment industry, is led by its charismatic CEO and co-founder, Rick Smith.  Fueled by a self-described religious dedication, Smith’s Star Trek obsession, and an ambitious vision of a world without gun violence, Rick leads Taser, Inc. to be the key tech supplier to virtually every police force in America. But as stories of alleged misuse, deaths, and serious injuries from Tasers begin to emerge, Taser, Inc. and Rick arrive at a crossroads between Rick’s vision and reality, with cops and the citizens they are sworn to serve and protect paying the price.

Absolute, Season 1: Taser Incorporated is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1

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This season, we heard from artists, athletes, and entrepreneurs who’ve lived the consequences of the War on Drugs. But what’s next? In the finale, Greg and Clayton look at the biggest takeaways from these conversations and break down what we can all do to push for change.

A new episode of The War on Drugs will be available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts and Stand Together Music in association with Signal Co. No1.

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Shinedown frontman Brent Smith knows addiction. He’s lived it, fought through it, and come out the other side. But his journey wasn’t a straight line—and that’s the point. In this episode, Brent talks about breaking free from one-size-fits-all recovery models, the role of community in overcoming addiction, and why drug policy needs to be about support, not punishment. 

 

A new episode of The War on Drugs will be available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts and Stand Together Music in association with Signal Co. No1.

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The Buffalo-born rapper and entrepreneur explains the difference between the weed business and the cannabis industry- how is this semi-legal system working for people trying to come off the sidelines and out of the black market and criminal justice pipeline and do it legitimately? How can we ensure those people get to play the game and aren’t thrown right back into the underground by a system that favors deep-pocketed corporate players?  Benny strikes a positive optimistic tone as he talks about the need for a collective of smaller sized business owners, and the need for a coherent national policy to realize the promise of the early progress of legalization and decriminalization. 

A new episode of The War on Drugs will be available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts and Stand Together Music in association with Signal Co. No1.

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Like Episode 3 guest Liz Carmouche, former NHL enforcer Riley Cote knows something about pain.  And also about the problematic cycles of machismo and stigma that can prevent people from seeking out certain paths to treatment and remedy.  Riley overcame those obstacles in his own life, finding success in pain management and mental stability with cannabis and other alternative treatments.  He now advocates for others like him to have access to these medicines, and avoid the paths to alcohol / opioid addiction, depression, and even suicide he has witnessed far too many times among his peers.

A new episode of The War on Drugs will be available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts and Stand Together Music in association with Signal Co. No1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grammy-winning musician John Osborne never imagined he’d turn to psychedelics. But when he went through a mental health breakdown, they saved his life. A skeptic turned advocate, John shares how psilocybin therapy helped him recover from deep depression, persistent anxiety, and more. With research continuing to demonstrate that psychedelics may offer a powerful treatment option for many, why are they still illegal? And how many lives could be saved if we let science and new research shape our drug policies? 

A new episode of The War on Drugs will be available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts and Stand Together Music in association with Signal Co. No1.

Additional notes:
To find more information about psychedelics  and the evidence-based approaches used to treat various mental health conditions, visit the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) website. LINK

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Lead MC of the legendary Cypress Hill, B-Real grew up in LA at the height of the drug war, initially on the street hustling side of things. Music took him out of that life, but when California began to legalize in 2016 B-Real got back into the game on the legitimate side.  He found however what many early-adopting entrepreneurs are finding - the Federal ban means you can’t use the banking system, and when you try and expand state to state you’re faced with a byzantine maze of conflicting regulations.  What all this means is that the people that were formerly operating outside the system - are finding that operating inside the system is something of a dead end.  B-Real’s companies employ hundreds of people in California, and could do so for thousands nationwide. But small operations like his can’t afford the regulatory navigation, so are increasingly losing market share to bigger institutional players, or worse, being driven right back into the black market.

A new episode of The War on Drugs will be available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.
The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts and Stand Together Music in association with Signal Co. No1.

Additional Notes:
Because of federal restrictions, most banks won’t work with cannabis businesses, forcing them to operate almost entirely in cash. This makes them easy targets for crime and creates huge financial challenges. Reforms are needed so legal businesses can use banks like any other industry— reducing crime, improving oversight, and keeping the public safer. To learn more, click here.

High taxes, complex regulations, and expensive licensing don’t just hurt legal cannabis businesses—they push consumers back into the black market. When legal products are too expensive or difficult to access, unregulated sales grow, putting people at greater risk from unsafe products and criminal activity. To learn more, click here.

The podcast, its co-hosts, and its sponsors do not endorse or promote any specific products or companies discussed during the episode.

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Marcus King grew up in Greenville, SC, watching people around him get written off—criminalized instead of helped, cast aside instead of supported. His own story could have gone the same way. Instead, music, finding sobriety, and building supportive community saved him. In this episode, Marcus talks about his journey to sobriety, the shifting cultural conversation around addiction, and why meeting people where they are—without stigma or judgment—is the key to real change.  

A new episode of The War on Drugs will be available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts and Stand Together Music in association with Signal Co. No1.

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The champion MMA fighter and Marine Corps veteran is no stranger to pain - both dishing it out and taking it.  Hear her take on the ongoing War on Drugs, and what the lack of coherent federal policy means for our community of Veterans, athletes and others dealing with high-level pain management - how she has found positive results managing her own pain with CBD, to the point where her brain scans show a marked drop-off in inflammation since her use of cannabinoids, and even recovered from surgery without any use of traditional pharmaceutical painkillers.  Meanwhile the VA, taking its cues from the Federal policy, is not even allowed to discuss these alternate treatments with its patients, often forcing Veterans down the path of pharmaceuticals with the risk of addiction and other consequences.

A new episode of The War on Drugs will be available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.

Veteran suicide remains a serious issue. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 17.6 veterans die by suicide each day. Source: VA News

CBD exists in a legal gray area. The FDA has not approved CBD for general medical use and many states heavily restrict or even ban CBD products - including those that can't get you high. Source: PBS News 

Studies show that veterans are at higher risk of opioid overdose compared to the general population. This underscores the urgent need for safer pain management alternatives. Relevant studies: Saving Lives: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Rapid Naloxone Initiative; Changing Trends in Opioid Overdose Deaths and Prescription Opioid Receipt Among Veterans; VA Fact Sheet (CSPEAR) on Opioid Use Disorder

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), prescription medications including painkillers, are provided to eligible veterans at low or no costs. Meanwhile, CBD products are not covered by VA healthcare and must be paid for out-of-pocket. Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; VA Copay Rates 

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts and Stand Together Music in association with Signal Co. No1.

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For years, the headline was: “Heisman Trophy winner and NFL All-Pro running back Ricky Williams quit the NFL to smoke weed.” The real story? Much deeper. Cannabis helped Ricky manage pain, both physical and mental, in ways the media and the sports world didn't understand in 2004. Now that the NFL has progressed significantly on cannabis policy, Ricky reflects on the cost of systems that punish people for making their own health choices. What happens when we stop treating all substances like one-size-fits-all dangers? And how much potential—on the field, in the workplace, in life—is held back when those closest to a problem aren't in control of the solution?

A new episode of The War on Drugs will be available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts and Stand Together Music in association with Signal Co. No1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.