Drugs and Stuff: A Podcast about Drugs, Harm Reduction, Mass Incarceration, The Drug War and other Stuff, from the Drug Polic

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. To get some fashionable shirts that are DPA-designed and approved, visit store.drugpolicy.org.   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.

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 second in our monthly podcast series featuring a DPA partner sharing their experiences fighting the drug war in one of those six systems. The Ordinary People Society’s Pastor Kenneth Glasgow and DPA’s Gabriella Miyares discuss how the drug war and the poisonous mentality around it have kept people in poverty and unable to access crucial public benefits.  DPA is proud to partner with The Ordinary People Society through our Advocacy Grants Program. To learn more about grants opportunities, visit drugpolicy.org/grants.

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 or family regulation, public benefits, employment, immigration, housing, and education. Today we kick off a new monthly series on Drugs & Stuff, with each episode featuring a DPA partner sharing their experiences fighting the drug war in one of those six systems. We begin with Movement for Family Power’s Co-Founder and Co-Director Lisa Sangoi and DPA’s Gabriella Miyares discussing the difficulties families face in the family regulation system, and what we can do to fight for family power.    DPA is proud to partner with Movement for Family Power through our Advocacy Grants Program. To learn more about grants opportunities, visit drugpolicy.org/grants.   To learn more about how the Family Regulation System became Ground Zero for the drug war, check out the Ground Zero Report, a collaboration among MFP, DPA, and the NYU Family Defense Clinic.    For more information on the resources Sangoi mentions in the episode, visit:  The Bronx Defenders—Family Defense Practice National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls Email repealasfa@gmail.com to get involved with the campaign to repeal the Adoption and Safe Families Act Visit the Reimagine Support campaign page to learn more about the campaign to challenge unconsented drug testing of pregnant people, new parents and newborns and reporting to the family regulation system in NY State Elizabeth Brico’s blog Betty’s Battleground Dinah Ortiz, Vice Chair of North Carolina’s Survivor Union J Mac for Families Parent Legislative Action Network Bobbie Butts and Vonya Quarles  Family Reunification, Equity, and Empowerment Kelis Houston of the NAACP Minneapolis Elephant Circle Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare, book by Dorothy Roberts 

As we approach the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's killing, the connection between deeply problematic policing and the criminalization of drugs has never been more apparent. On this episode, we take a deep dive into the changes that some communities are already making. Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty sat down with DPA Senior Staff Attorney Grey Gardner to discuss the exciting new all drug decriminalization law in Oregon, Measure 110, as well as a community safety initiative in Portland that offers an alternative to policing. As a community leader and advocate for the last few decades, Commissioner Hardesty shares her observations on how the drug war impacts policing, and her thoughts on why a drastic change is needed.   For more information on DPA’s work around policing, visit drugpolicy.org/policing.   Special thanks to DPA’s Digital Communications intern Dilara Balkan for her help on this episode.

Today, news broke that the Department of Justice has reached an $8 billion-plus settlement with Purdue Pharma for its role in the opioid crisis. This money should be used to combat the public health emergency of overdose deaths, but another public health emergency -- the COVID-19 pandemic -- has taken hold of media coverage and government spending. As overdose deaths continue to increase, where will this money actually go? We sat down with Christine Minhee, an expert on opioid litigation and creator of the opioid settlement tracker: a project that asks, "Will opioid settlements actually be spent in ways that bolster the public health response to drug addiction?" She spoke with Mary Sylla, a senior staff attorney with DPA, about what opioid litigation is, why it’s so complex, how it ties into our current moment, and what her pie in the sky dream for a settlement would look like.   To see more of Christine’s work, visit opioidsettlementtracker.com. For more information on DPA’s work to prevent fatal overdose, visit drugpolicy.org/overdose.

Jessie Dunleavy always knew her son Paul was unique. He struggled throughout his life -- to learn, to be accepted -- and she tried however she could to help him along the way. But as he got older, and began to struggle with drug use, system after system began to shut them out. Where he needed hope, he got silence; where he needed support, he got punishment. In April 2017, Paul overdosed and died. Devastated by his passing, Jessie began to learn as much as she could. In the process, she uncovered unknown details of her son’s life, glimpsed the depth of the injustices he was subjected to, and realized that his death had been preventable. In her new memoir, Cover My Dreams in Ink, she chronicles her journey from concerned mother to outspoken advocate.   Visit Jessie’s website for more information about her work and her book. To learn more about the Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition and The Maryland Harm Reduction Action Network, visit baltimoreharmreduction.org and/or check out @BmoreHRC on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For DPA’s work around overdose prevention, visit drugpolicy.org/overdose.

Keri Blakinger has worked for years as a journalist (currently at The Marshall Project) covering the criminal justice system and exposing the abuses within it. She comes with experience that most reporters don’t -- in 2010, she was arrested for drug possession and spent two years in the system herself. Matt Sutton, DPA's Director of Media Relations, who also has first-hand experience of the system due to a drug charge, sat down to talk with her. In their discussion, they reflect on the obstacles they have faced in their lives as a result of having a record, how it affects Keri’s reporting, and what changes are needed in a system that still prioritizes punitive measures over anything else.   You can follow Keri @keribla on Twitter. To learn more about DPA’s work on these issues, visit drugpolicy.org/criminaljustice.

In her own community in Santa Fe, New Mexico, DPA Senior Director Emily Kaltenbach sees police with assault rifles, submachine guns, grenade launchers, and even tanks. To help us understand the far-reaching implications of the presence of this military equipment, Emily joined us to explain the policy, practices, and history behind the militarization of police, and how deeply embedded it is as a tactic of fighting the failed drug war. As an expert in local-level reform, she lays out the key reform initiatives necessary to demilitarize police and ensure real public safety. 

On the latest edition of our “Puff or Pass” series examining how drugs and people who use drugs are portrayed in pop culture, DPA’s marketing coordinator Ifetayo Harvey digs into a recent episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In a dramatic episode that covers many angles -- from problematic drug use to corrupt medical providers, from the intersection of drug policy with other systems to opioid overdose -- one question ties it all together: are the cops portrayed in SVU an accurate reflection of the cops we see in reality?    Note that the opinions on Puff or Pass are the guest's own, and don't necessarily represent the official position of DPA.

Drug courts -- programs that seek to reduce drug use through mandated treatment and close judicial oversight -- sound like a good alternative to incarceration. In theory they are thought to save money and increase access to treatment but in practice they cherry-pick eligible participants and allow judges to preside over treatment decisions. Kerwin Kaye, Associate Professor of Sociology, American Studies, and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Wesleyan University, recently published a book entitled "Enforcing Freedom: Drug Courts, Therapeutic Communities, and the Intimacies of the State." He sat down with Deputy Director of DPA’s Department of Research and Academic Engagement Dr. Sheila P. Vakharia -- whose background in social work makes her no stranger to drug courts -- for a fascinating conversation that dove deep into his ethnographic research and the many issues with the drug court model. They discussed how drug court practices often discriminate against and penalize Black and poor users while insulating those who are white and more class privileged. Kaye’s insights are particularly timely, as we see increasing calls for decriminalization and alternatives to incarceration.   Kerwin Kaye’s book is available through Columbia University Press. To read DPA’s 2011 report on drug courts, visit https://www.drugpolicy.org/drugcourts. 

When the Drug Policy Alliance publicly released our harm reduction-based drug education curriculum Safety First in October, the world was a different place. In the months since, it’s evolved into an even more crucial resource. We’ve had continuing conversations with students, parents and teachers; a collaboration with the mental health foundation Made of Millions; and adaptations for Google Classroom. I talked to Senior Program Manager Sasha Simon about how and why we’re continuing the push to make thoughtful and compassionate drug education part of more people’s lives.   For a look back at the program’s launch, listen to Episode 27. You can download the curriculum on our website for free, and give your feedback.

We’ve all been there: you’re watching TV or a movie, playing a video game or listening to some music, when drugs enter the storyline. This can go well -- and it can also go really badly. On this episode, we’re introducing a new series we call “Puff or Pass.” It examines how drugs and people who use drugs are portrayed in pop culture, for better or worse. Kicking this series off for us is Brian Hackel, currently interning for DPA’s communications team. He digs into a recent episode of The Simpsons called “Highway to Well” -- and his analysis is as brilliant as it is hilarious. Will he puff or pass on this portrayal? Listen to find out.   Note that the opinions on Puff or Pass are the guest's own, and don't necessarily represent the official position of DPA.

Immigrant detention centers are bleak places in the best of times, but during a pandemic they are absolutely dangerous. And yet U.S. immigration enforcement has carried on as COVID-19 continues to spread, exacerbating the stress and anxiety that people who are non-citizens and/or undocumented already feel when dealing with a system that is unforgiving in its measures. This week activist Alejandra Pablos joins us to share her experience in one of these centers, in conversation with DPA’s Director of National Affairs Maritza Perez and DPA’s California State Director Jeannette Zanipatin. They examine how the drug war drives much of what’s happening at the federal, state, and local levels with immigration court and ICE raids, and share the urgent need for decarceration and calls for advocacy.   This episode’s guests have listed some resources below for listeners who’d like to take a deeper dive. This Teen Vogue article contains various actions readers can take to help immigrants rights now, including actions around the #FreeThemAll campaign.  The Farmworkers COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund contributes directly to farmworkers who have been left out of Congressional relief packages. Immigrant leaders with the Cosecha Movement launched a national immigrant worker fund to distribute immediate emergency relief to undocumented workers who have been excluded from receiving any federal aid. You can pledge to donate here.  The Free Them All action toolkit from Detention Watch Network is an essential guide to supporting the #FreeThemAll movement at this time. ICE’s official guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here. Vox analyzed the policy and the discrepancies within it in an article here. This op-ed by a co-director and assistant director at Cal ACLU’s immigration response committee outlines the many issues with immigration detention during a pandemic and links to petitions. DPA’s COVID-19 response page contains sign on letters and other actions around immigration and other issues related to drug policy in the pandemic.

On previous episodes, we’ve talked about the impact of COVID-19 in the context of public health and incarceration. But, as an organization, how has Drug Policy Alliance been affected? What about our work has changed, and what stays the same? I asked DPA’s Managing Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns, Kassandra Frederique, to break it down for us. (Visit www.drugpolicy.org/covid19 for more information about DPA’s pandemic response.)  

Of the first seven people who died of COVID-19 in federal prison, five of them were there for drug offenses. In this moment, the inhumanity and disastrous health consequences of our prisons and jails are clearer than ever. In this episode, DPA’s Managing Director of Policy Advocacy and Campaigns, Kassandra Frederique, sits down with CJ Ciaramella, criminal justice reporter at Reason, and Sakira Cook, Director of the Justice Reform Program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, to talk about how this pandemic has blown the broken system wide open -- and the opportunities we have to change it.

In her previous work as a civil rights attorney during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, DPA Senior Staff Attorney Mary Sylla saw firsthand the lack of adequate healthcare available to people who are incarcerated. To better understand how to solve the problem, she went back to school for a Masters in Public Health. On today’s episode, Mary talks about the current reality of health injustice in prisons and jails through the lens of COVID-19.

Joe Rubin is a public school teacher in San Francisco, and health is his favorite subject. In his 36 years of experience, he’s never taught anything quite like DPA’s Safety First drug education curriculum. DPA’s Safety First Program Manager Sasha Simon sat down with Joe to dig into what makes the curriculum special, why it appeals so deeply to teachers and students, and why the harm reduction approach is so critical. 

The Drug Policy Alliance has spent years developing a completely new take on drug education: a curriculum based in harm reduction and science, not a fear-based abstinence-only approach. It’s called Safety First, and it’s now freely available for the first time ever. We sat down with DPA’s Safety First Program Manager Sasha Simon to get the brief rundown on what Safety First is, and why it’s a really big deal. 

DPA’s biennial International Drug Policy Reform Conference takes place in St. Louis, Missouri this November 6-9. Our own Ifetayo Harvey sat down with Stephanie Regagnon, founder of Ava’s Grace Scholarship Program, and Chad Sabora, co-founder and executive director of the Missouri Network for Opiate Reform and Recovery, to talk about the impact of their work, the context of drug policy reform in the St. Louis community, and the importance of the Reform Conference being there. To learn more about Reform, visit reformconference.org.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen huge increases in opioid overdose deaths, and many of them can be traced to powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Drugs & Stuff is back with journalist Ben Westhoff, whose new book Fentanyl, Inc. chronicles his incredible four-year investigation into the world of novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Ben sat down with DPA’s Stefanie Jones to talk about his journey from first hearing about NPS at festivals, tracing the production line into China, and learning about the harm reduction practices working to stem the tide of fatal opioid overdoses. To learn more about Ben’s work, join his mailing list.

In the latest episode of Drugs & Stuff, we are joined by DPA’s Sheila Vakharia, Ph.D., a researcher in the office of Academic Engagement. Sheila joined Gabriella Miyares to talk about Sheila’s professional journey to becoming a leading voice in harm reduction and social work. Sheila helps DPA staff and others understand a range of drug policy issues while also responding to new studies with critiques and analysis. She plans conferences and convenings on cutting edge issues in the area of drugs, drug research, and harm reduction. Additionally, she is responsible for cultivating relationships with researchers from a wide range of disciplines aligned with DPA’s policy interests and working to mobilize academics in service of DPA policy campaigns.

Gretchen Bergman, executive director of A New Path, joined Drugs and Stuff recently to share why her work around addiction and treatment is intimately personal. She shares her personal story and shows the power of a mother’s love. Bergman served as state chair for California’s Proposition 36, which mandated treatment instead of incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders.  A native of San Diego, she is owner/director of Gretchen Productions, a Fashion Show Production Company started in 1979. Her articles on treatment vs. incarceration have been published nationwide, and she has spoken before countless audiences on the topic of therapeutic justice for substance abusers.  She has two grown sons who have struggled with addictive illness.

In 2009, New York reformed its notorious Rockefeller Drug Laws. Ten years later, veteran drug law reform activists Anthony Papa and Terrence Stevens join “Drugs and Stuff” to reflect on the destruction the draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws wreaked on so many New Yorkers and share their thoughts on the reforms. Anthony Papa, manager of media relations for the Drug Policy Alliance, was handed a mandatory minimum fifteen years to life for a first-time nonviolent drug law offense. While incarcerated, Anthony became a highly renowned artist. He became the first person in New York to receive clemency and a pardon. Terrence Stevens, a disabled drug law reform activist, is the founder and CEO of a Harlem-based nonprofit organization that assists children affected by parental incarceration and impacted by the criminal justice system. Terrence was paralyzed from the neck down with Muscular Dystrophy when he was cruelly sentenced to fifteen years to life on a first-time low-level, nonviolent drug offense. He was granted clemency in 2001 after serving 10 years.

In the latest episode of Drugs and Stuff, DPA’s Ifetayo Harvey sat down with Alejandra Pablos, a reproductive justice advocate and immigration activist who is facing deportation for a drug offense.  As a young person, Alejandra was arrested and convicted of several charges, including possession of drug paraphernalia. After she spent two years in a detention center in southern Arizona, she lost her residency and was placed into deportation proceedings.  Alejandra has worked to advocate for human and civil rights, dedicating her life to organizing against attacks on immigrants’ rights and fighting for reproductive rights. Earlier this year, she was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). At a recent court hearing, a judge ordered her to be deported despite living in the United States ever since she was an infant.

DPA’s revolutionary high school drug education curriculum “Safety First” was piloted at Bard High School Early College Manhattan this spring. The results are in, and they’re very encouraging for the future of drug education. Sasha Simon, DPA’s Safety First Program Manager, and Drew Miller, the health teacher from Bard who taught the “Safety First” curriculum, returned to Drugs & Stuff to tell us about their experiences and the positive results that came out of the analysis of the pilot program.

We were lucky to talk with Bernard Noble, who recently came home after serving more than 7 years in a Louisiana prison. Bernard was finally granted parole after being sentenced to 13 years for allegedly possessing two joints of marijuana. You’ll hear all about this grave injustice directly from the man whose case drew national attention as an example of extremely harsh drug sentences in the United States, and how an entire family is tragically affected when a parent is sent to prison. We were also joined by DPA's Anthony Papa, who became the first person in New York State history to receive both clemency (from Gov. George Pataki 1997) and a pardon (from Gov. Andrew Cuomo 2016) after he was unfairly sentenced to 15-to-life for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense under New York’s draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws. This discussion between two men who served a number of years behind bars because of the war on drugs is powerful and, at times, heart-breaking. If you want to support Bernard, you can give here: https://www.youcaring.com/bernardnoble-1182699

In this episode we take you behind the curtain to meet the producer of Drugs and Stuff, the incomparable Katharine Heller. Katharine is a woman of many talents. Actor, voiceover artist, producer, and bartender. She hosts a great monthly podcast called Tell the Bartender, which features tales from everyday people with unique stories to share. We were lucky enough to be guests in an episode you can find here.

We caught up with Rep. Ro Khanna during a recent visit to his home district in the Silicon Valley. Rep. Khanna talks about his support for the Marijuana Justice Act, the Justice Department under Jeff Sessions and his favorite place to grab a cup of chai.

This week we sat down with Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno, DPA’s executive director. We had a lot to catch up about since the last time she was on the show back in October 2017. Her new book, There Are No Dead Here: A Story of Murder and Denial in Colombia, was released in February and Maria explains how it created a little bit of controversy with a former Colombian president. We also talked about how DPA has been responding to Trump’s calls to ramp up the drug war, what’s needed to address the overdose crisis, and the future of marijuana legalization.

The time has come for people who care about psychedelics to step out of the shadows and bring our voices to the table. In this episode, we’re joined by a couple of DPA’s in-house psychedelics experts: Jag Davies, DPA’s director of communications strategy, and Ifetayo Harvey, DPA’s communications associate. Both Jag and Ife previously worked at one of our closest allied organizations, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). They share some great wisdom and experience about psychedelic research, changing the conversation about how psychedelics are perceived, and weaving in psychedelics advocacy with the broader mission to decriminalize all drugs.

Kellyanne Conway's lack of experience and inability to effectively address the overdose crisis was on full display last month when she jokingly told a forum of young people: “eat the ice cream, have the french fry, don't buy the street drug.”   Listen to Derek break down a 1-minute clip of Kellyanne Conway's speech and you'll understand that prohibition is the problem and harm reduction is the solution.

Remember last year when we sat down with DPA’s Marsha Rosenbaum to talk about what drug education should look like for young people? If you missed it, check out that great conversation from Episode 05 when Marsha explained the history of “Safety First,” a DPA project that was dedicated to providing honest, reality-based information to parents for when they talk to their teens about using drugs. That project has now grown and evolved into a high school curriculum for 9th and 10th grade health classes, and it’s being piloted right now at Bard High School Early College Manhattan. For the first time ever in a U.S. public school, students are receiving a science and harm reduction-based education about drugs. In this episode we get an inside look and talk about the rollout of DPA’s historic and revolutionary drug education curriculum with Sasha Simon, DPA’s Safety First Program Manager, and Drew Miller, the health teacher from Bard High School Early College Manhattan who is teaching the “Safety First” curriculum.  

Long-time Drug Policy Alliance media relations director, Tony Newman, joined the latest episode of Drugs & Stuff to chat with us about the current state of drug policy reform, and his latest think piece, which you can read here. Newman has witnessed a dramatic change in the drug policy reform landscape since coming to DPA 18 years ago. As director of media relations, he has been at the forefront of most of DPA’s greatest victories and he was – and continues to be - instrumental in the dramatic shift in the public perception of drugs and drug policy. We dove into what brought him into the drug policy sphere and we get to hear the wily veteran share stories about what keeps him energized about this work for so long.

In early January, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions (Mr. “good people don’t smoke marijuana”) began the year by firing a shot across the bow to states that have legalized marijuana. Will it have a chilling effect? Is it even warranted? In this episode, we sat down with our in-house marijuana law reform experts, Tamar Todd and Jolene Forman, to talk about Sessions’ threats and we dig into a report that examines the progress of reform in states that have legalized marijuana. Spoiler alert: the sky hasn’t fallen - it’s actually going very well.

It’s the end of the year, people are getting excited about the holidays, and millions of people are making plans for partying on New Year’s Eve. And for lots of people, their version of partying includes using drugs. So who better to talk to about harm reduction and partying than DPA’s Stefanie Jones? Stefanie Jones is the director of audience development at the Drug Policy Alliance. She oversees communication and outreach to specific communities on drug use and drug policy topics, including on novel psychoactive substances (NPS) and DPA’s youth drug education work. She personally runs the Music Fan program, which introduces harm reduction principles and drug policy alternatives to partygoers, public health officials and city nightlife regulators across the U.S.

AlterNet editor-at-large and associate publisher Jan Frel sits down with us to expound on non-problematic drug use and how drugs are interwoven into modern society. Jan explains how the war on drugs is essentially a war on fun that demonizes and destroys lives. Jan is the author of Neighbors from Hell: An American Bedtime Story (Feral House, 2015). AlterNet is a progressive news magazine that publishes original content as well as journalism from a variety of sources.

On November 8, 2016, California voters approved Proposition 64, which legalized possession and consumption of marijuana for adults 21 and over and immediately reduced or eliminated many criminal penalties for marijuana in California - including the sale, and cultivation of marijuana. As the state gears up for full implementation on January 1, 2018, Matt SotoRosen, a senior trial attorney with the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, and DPA’s own Rodney Holcombe, joined the show to discuss what marijuana legalization looks like in California one year later. We also dig into the oft-overlooked criminal justice provisions in Proposition 64, including record clearing or resentencing for previous criminal convictions for marijuana.

We pulled aside a handful of experts to talk with us during the Drug Policy Alliance's 2017 International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Atlanta last month. Jon Perri works at change.org and his new project, Nation of Second Chances, explores the stories of many people who received clemency from President Obama. We also found time to talk about Phish, race, drug use at concerts/festivals, and nuclear war. It was a great conversation, hope you enjoy!

Dr. Malik Burnett is a general surgeon and former DPA staff member who successfully led our campaign to pass Initiative 71, which legalized marijuana for adults in Washington, D.C. in 2014. Dr. Burnett is a physician advocate and a board member of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation. Currently a resident physician in the Johns Hopkins General Preventive Medicine program, Dr. Burnett analyzes the public health implications of current drug policy. Burnett, an Atlanta native, joined us to talk about marijuana legalization through a racial justice lens, and what every aspiring cannabis industry entrepreneur should know.

We pulled aside a handful of experts to talk with us during the Drug Policy Alliance's 2017 International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Atlanta. Marsha Rosenbaum sat down to talk with us about what drug education should look like for young people, and her experience as a mother, researcher and drug policy reformer trying to get schools to implement a curriculum grounded in science and harm reduction. Rosenbaum founded DPA's San Francisco office and is the author of the prominent education booklet, "Safety First: A Reality-Based Approach to Teens and Drugs." From 1977 to 1995 she was the principal investigator on National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded studies of heroin addiction, methadone maintenance treatment, MDMA (Ecstasy), cocaine, and drug use during pregnancy. She is the author of three books, four education booklets, as well as numerous scholarly articles about drug use, addiction, women, treatment, and drug policy.

We sat down with DPA’s new executive director to find out more about her history and look ahead to next week’s gathering at the 2017 International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Atlanta. Maria’s commitment to social justice and drug policy reform dates from her childhood, which she spent mostly in Peru. She was strongly influenced by her early work at Human Rights Watch researching Colombia, where drug profits fueled massacres and official corruption.

We're back with a timely new episode. This week we sat down with Marvin Washington, former NFL player and Super Bowl champion, to talk about the war on drugs, marijuana policies in sports, socially conscious athletes, and this past week’s display of solidarity across the NFL in response to Donald Trump’s comments calling players who kneel during the national anthem “sons of bitches.”

DPA's Tommy McDonald sits down with Ro Khanna, the U.S. representative from California's 17th congressional district, to talk about the drug war, the opioid overdose crisis and Overdose Awareness Day.

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day. Recently, the Drug Policy Alliance held a national briefing for the press on preventing overdoses in the wake of the opioid crisis. How is the federal government responding? How can overdoses be prevented in humane, non-punitive ways? Listen in as experts, advocates and legislators offer their solutions to the overdose crisis.

The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is the nation's leading organization working to end the war on drugs. We focus on legalizing marijuana; criminal justice reform and ending draconian prison sentences for drugs; harm reduction policies that prevent overdoses and save lives; and we educate the public about drugs while dispelling popular myths and misinformation. Our host, Tommy McDonald, has been on DPA’s media team for 12 years and worked in journalism and radio before coming to DPA, and he’ll be mostly joined by Derek Rosenfeld, who has run DPA’s social media since 2010. Follow on Twitter @drugsnstuffDPA