About Drugs and Stuff: A Podcast from the Drug Policy Alliance
Welcome to Drugs & Stuff. We're a podcast about drugs, harm reduction, mass criminalization, the drug war, and other stuff from the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) – the nation's leading organization working to end the war on drugs.
We bring in a wide variety of experts – from scientists to activists, writers to teachers – to hear about how drugs and drug policy play a role in their work and lives.
We also offer a peek behind the scenes as we feature DPA staff talking about the work they do.
Episode 48: Classwide Scheduling of Fentanyl-Related Substances Won’t Save Lives - It Will Overcriminalize Them
Under the Controlled Substances Act, drugs are classified into legal, regulatory categories by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This is known as “drug scheduling”, and it’s generally guided by a drug’s potential for abuse, and its medical value – and then the idea of classwide scheduling came along. In 2018, in a misaligned approach to addressing the overdose crisis, President Trump used classwide scheduling to classify all fentanyl-related substances (FRS) as Schedule I controlled substances. This means that any substance that was structurally similar enough to fentanyl became subject to harsh criminal penalties, regardless of its effects on the body. President Biden, despite apologizing for his tough-on-crime past and promising real criminal justice reform, is advocating to make this Trump-era decision permanent, and it's now up to Congress to decide. In February of 2022, the House voted to extend the policy yet again through March 11, and it’s unclear how long the extensions will continue – the longer they do, the more harm they bring. DPA’s Maritza Perez invited FRS expert and criminal defense attorney Patricia Richman to the podcast to explain more about what classwide scheduling means, and why we are fighting against it.
For more information on fentanyl and related substances, visit https://drugpolicy.org/drug-facts/synthetic-opioids-fentanyl.
Special thanks to DPA’s Communications intern Matthew Gonzalez for his help on this episode.
20 Sept 2021
Episode 47: Maia Szalavitz Considers Harm Reduction’s Past and Future
The harm reduction movement began as a reaction against drug war policies that criminalize, punish, and hurt people – and a need to save lives. As a public health approach that aims to reduce the harms related to drug use and minimize risk, it offers a fresh and compassionate alternative to the war on drugs. In her new book, New York Times bestselling author Maia Szalavitz chronicles the fascinating and impactful history of this movement. DPA's Sheila Vakharia sat down with Maia to talk about her research, her book's timeliness, and where the movement can go from here, including the decriminalization and legal regulation of drugs.
You can keep up with Maia’s work at her website, maiasz.com (https://maiasz.com/). Her new book, Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction, is available wherever books are sold.
21 Jul 2021
Episode 46: The Brotherhood Sister Sol’s Dr. Marsha Jean-Charles on the Drug War and the Education System
The drug war has impacted nearly every aspect of our lives—and it’s time to uproot it. The Drug Policy Alliance has been working closely with other advocacy organizations to create Uprooting the Drug War, a project that shines a spotlight on the insidious ways the drug war has spread into the systems of child welfare, public benefits, employment, immigration, housing, and education. This episode is the third in our monthly podcast series featuring a DPA partner sharing their experiences fighting the drug war in one of those six systems. The Brotherhood Sister Sol’s Dr. Marsha Jean-Charles and DPA’s Gabriella Miyares discuss how the drug war has manifested itself into our education system, including but not limited to mass surveillance, poor drug education, and lasting yet ineffective punishments for drug use.
DPA is proud to partner with The Brotherhood SisterSol through our Advocacy Grants Program. To learn more about grants opportunities, visit drugpolicy.org/grants.
Special thanks to our intern Jake Samieske for his help on this episode.
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