High Truths on Drugs and Addiction is a podcast hosted by Dr. Roneet Lev, an emergency and addiction physician who has served at the White House and practices on the front lines. Each Monday new episodes will feature experts that answer questions from you, our audience. We hope to bring your day a little bit more High Truths.
We have standards unit amounts for tobacco and alcohol, what for THC and marijuana? Is it time.
Dr. Tom Freeman is a Reader in Addiction Psychology at the University of Bath, UK. He directs the Addiction and Mental Health Group, an interdisciplinary group bridging Psychology, Life Sciences, Health, Management, and the Institute for Policy Research. He is currently funded by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship. He also leads the Substance Use and Addiction work package of the NIHR Bath Mental Health Research Group, and is deputy lead of the Drugs theme of the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Addictions. His research has generated impacts with the National Institutes of Health, the European Union Drugs Agency, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
Dr. Freeman is internationally known for his research on cannabis and cannabinoids. In this podcast he will discuss his work developing new approaches to help people experiencing problems with cannabis use. These include trials for the treatment of cannabis use disorder, and novel strategies for reducing harms such as the standard THC unit.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the United States Government or any of its agencies. The content was recorded prior to the speaker's current federal service and is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. No agency endorsement or approval should be inferred.
20 Oct 2025
252. Amy Neville | Can't Look Away
Can't Look Away is one of Amy Neville's documentaries showing a case against social media. Her son Alex was killed by a pill bought on Snapchat at the age of 14.
Amy Neville is the President of the Alexander Neville Foundation (ANF), an organization her family founded after the tragic loss of her 14-year-old son, Alexander. A drug dealer on Snapchat convinced Alex to buy a pill that killed him. This heartbreaking experience pushed Amy to dive deeply into understanding the fentanyl crisis and the role social media plays in it.
The work of ANF is rooted in collaboration with young people, aiming to educate and raise awareness about the new drug landscape and social media harms. ANF is now a guiding voice in the effort to curtail substance misuse and redefine the influence of social media on youth today. As a representative for ANF, Amy has shared her families story and insights on CNN, FOX, CBS, and ABC.
To learn more about Alexander's story and the critical issues ANF is addressing, you can visit their website and read Rolling Stone's "Inside Snapchat’s Teen Opioid Crisis,” chronicling their journey and work.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the United States Government or any of its agencies. The content was recorded prior to the speaker's current federal service and is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. No agency endorsement or approval should be inferred.
13 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT
251. Marc Berkman | Social Media Safety
Is social media safe? What protections do our children deserve? Alexander Neville died at 14 years old after buying what he thought was oxycodone on Snap Chat. A 12 year old boy died after doing a Tik Tok choking challenge. Amanda Todd died by suicide at age 15 after cyberbullying and blackmail. Molly Russell was 14 years old when she died by hanging herself after she binged graphic and romanticized self-harm content up to 2 minutes before she died.
Marc Berkman serves as the CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety (OFSMS), which he has grown into the world's preeminent consumer protection organization focused on social media. As a globally recognized expert in social media safety, Marc has testified before Congress and been featured in notable publications like the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times. Previously, Marc served for over a decade as a senior advisor to members of the United States Congress and the California State Assembly. Marc received his JD from Columbia Law School and his BA from UC Berkeley. He lives with his wife and two children in Los Angeles, CA.
Organization for Social Media Safety, OFSMS is the first and leading nonprofit (501c3) consumer protection-organization focused exclusively on social media. Through advocacy, education, and technology development, OFSMS protects against all social media- related dangers including cyberbullying, suicide, human trafficking, and more. OFSMS has taught essential safety skills to hundreds of thousands of students, parents, and educators across the world; has passed groundbreaking social media safety legislation like Jordan’s Law; and has conducted groundbreaking with research in partnership with U.C.L.A.'s School of Education.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the United States Government or any of its agencies. The content was recorded prior to the speaker's current federal service and is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. No agency endorsement or approval should be inferred.
Inside a recent episode
253. Dr. Tom Freeman - The Standard THC Unit
Published 20 Nov 2025 · Transcript excerpt
[…] It's something you see in the communities amongst people. You know you hear lots of problems about people using drugs, especially teenagers using cannabis. But around this time, finishing my PhD, I saw the European Union collecting data on treatment for cannabis problems. And I was surprised to see that cannabis was the main reason people was eating treatment for their addiction. And this to me came with a big surprise because many of your listeners might have heard similar things to what I have, which is people say that cannabis is not addictive. These kinds of problems don't seem real, but actually when you look at the treatment figures, this has been increasing over time, higher than the opioids. […]
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