Drugs and Stuff: A Podcast from the Drug Policy Alliance

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.

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. Her new book, Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction, is available wherever books are sold.

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.

In this episode of "Puff or Pass", our series on the portrayal of drugs and drug users in popular culture, DPA's former digital communications interns Dilara Balkan and Marisa Hetzler take us on a journey through fashion, irony, and drug (mis)education with an exploration of the D.A.R.E. shirt. How did the infamous D.A.R.E. program transition from failed Copaganda "drug education" to a counterculture sartorial statement? Listen to find out -- and learn why D.A.R.E.'s abstinence-based approach to drug education was so unsuccessful, what alternatives exist, and where you can get yourself some D.A.R.E. merch to pull off the 90s alt-aesthetic you've always wanted. To learn more about DPA's harm-reduction based drug education curriculum Safety First, visit drugpolicy.org/safetyfirst. Special thanks to our intern Jake Samieske for his help on this episode.

Have you ever noticed just how many series, films and documentaries focus on the drug trade? The "narcos" narrative is so popular, and so ingrained, that it's universally known. It's also really problematic, and on this episode, we'll do some digging into why. Screenwriter and director Priscila García-Jacquier was born and raised in Colombia, whose economy, people, and reputation have been intimately affected by drugs. "For countries so shaped by the drug trade, whenever I read about it, it feels more like I'm doing 23andme than just like reading about history, you know?" Priscila connected with Jeannette Zanipatin, DPA's California State Director, and Alexis Martin, DPA's Development Manager, to talk about challenging the story we so often see, while also considering larger questions around cultural perspective, Latinx identity, and harmful stereotypes. You can keep up with Priscila's work at her website, priscilagarciajacquier.com, and on her Instagram @priscilagarciajacquier and Twitter @priscilagarciaj. Her show Blindspotting is currently airing on Starz.