Historical Controversies: Season 1

Following the death and torture of a DEA agent, the War on Drugs is taken to even greater heights. In the final episode of the Historical Controversies "War on Drugs" series, Chris Calton explains the legislation and police operations that led to America having the world's largest prison population.

During the 1980s, the war on drugs became defined by cocaine and crack. In this episode, Chris Calton explains how the potent mix of politicians and fake news created the myth of the "crack baby", and the CIA became drug runners for the Contras.

In spite of declining drug usage, the Reagan Administration placed renewed interest in the War on Drugs. Chris Calton explains how President Reagan eliminated restrictions that prevented the US military from enforcing domestic laws, while also reducing Constitutional safeguards that prevented police from using illegally obtained evidence. The consequences? A rise in drug potency—and danger.

In this episode, Chris Calton explores US drug policy between the Nixon and Reagan Administrations. Calton explains how one Chirstmas party in the 70s undermined the first serious effort to roll back the War on Drugs.

In Vietnam, many soldiers found narcotics to be a coping agent against the horrors of war. Narcotics also became an easy scapegoat for a government looking to obfuscate the results of its own actions. In this episode, Chris Calton explains how the US government escalated the War on Drugs at home, while serving as a drug runner in Southeast Asia.

In this episode, Chris Calton explains how the Nixon Administration kicked off the modern War on Drugs, featuring no-knock raids, fictional crime stats, and the expansion of the American police state.

Learn why Chris Calton maintains that "of all the drugs we've talked about on this podcast, the history of LSD may be the most difficult to believe." Music: "On the Ground" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

While the phrase "War on Drugs" was coined by the Nixon Administration, it was FDR who earned the first headlines for his "Narcotic War." In this episode, Chris Calton details the first arrest made for marijuana in the US, the military's earliest attempts to control narcotics distribution, and how the FBI used drug laws to target black Jazz musicians. Music: "On the Ground" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Chris Calton traces the history of cocaine, showing how it went from common medicine to the target of US military action. Music: "On the Ground" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Chris Calton looks at the history of opium use around the world. The tale takes us to baby farms in Victorian England, 19th Century China, and even one of the most prominent examples of fake news from the 'Washington Post'. For further reading, see 'Opium: A History' edited by Martin Booth (St. Martin's Griffin, 1996). Music: "On the Ground" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

How did Americans fall for the government's reefer madness? Chris Calton explains how junk science, overt racism, and myths of bloodthirsty soldiers all played a role in the criminalization of marijuana in America. Music: "On the Ground" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In the first episode of "Historical Controversies", Chris Calton looks at how American society originally viewed drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and heroine, and he details the origins of prohibition in America. Music: "On the Ground" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0