On Drugs

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Each week, On Drugs looks through the lenses of history, pop culture and personal experience to understand how drugs have shaped our world. Because even if it’s just caffeine or ibuprofen, there’s a good chance you’re on drugs right now.

CBC Podcasts


    • Sep 8, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 34m AVG DURATION
    • 34 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from On Drugs

    Introducing: The Flamethrowers

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2021 4:01


    The Flamethrowers captures the punch-you-in-the-mouth energy and sound of right-wing talk radio. Host Justin Ling takes us from the fringe preachers and conspiracy peddlers of the 1920s to the political firestorm that rages today. With humour and candour, Ling examines the appeal of broadcasters like Rush Limbaugh, who found a sleeping audience, radicalized it, and became an accidental kingmaker — culminating in the election of Donald Trump. More episodes are available at smarturl.it/theflamethrowers

    Introducing: Recall: How to Start a Revolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2020 32:28


    The 1950s & 60s saw a wave of radical movements. Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution. The Black Panthers. Quebec and Canada had the FLQ — a showdown that dissolved into crisis. By October 1970, there were soldiers in the streets, communities on edge, kidnapping and terror in the headlines. But those frightening weeks were just the crescendo of a wave of terror and violence that was nearly a decade in the making. This series will reveal the stories of that time through immersive storytelling and the people who lived it: the bomb disposal expert on defusing live explosives, the survivors of terror, their families, and the radicals themselves. More episodes are available at http://hyperurl.co/recallcbc

    S2 E11 The Spell of the Poppy

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2018 61:36


    Opioid drugs have claimed a shocking number of lives across North America in recent years, as people fall victim to overdose. While the intensity of crisis is new, our relationship with opiates — and opioids, as they're often referred to now — goes back millennia. This is an overdose crisis thousands of years in the making, and in this episode, Geoff Turner dives into that fascinating history to figure out how we got to this point.

    Replay: Miltown: A forgotten pharma game changer

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2018 35:23


    It's just one more week until the season two finale of On Drugs, but in the meantime, enjoy this favourite from last season. It's all about Miltown, a drug that is mostly forgotten today, but helped create modern psychopharmacology. We're proud to announce that this episode is nominated for Best Podcast at the 2018 Radio Television Digital News Association awards.

    S2 E10 Prison, On Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2018 43:25


    This episode goes behind bars to learn how Canadian prisons form a nexus of drug crime, trade and addiction. We'll meet people in prison because of crimes committed in the throes of addiction and learn about how prisoners cope with addiction in custody.

    EXTRA: Bill Blair on implementing cannabis legalization

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2018 34:52


    A feature interview with Bill Blair, the former Toronto Police Chief now in charge of implementing the federal government's cannabis legalization law. He reflects on the transition from drug law enforcement to legalization and regulation.

    S2 E9 The Trouble with Rehab

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2018 67:20


    Addiction treatment and recovery is a 37 billion dollar industry in North America. Yet despite decades of research and practice, there's still no surefire way to get people clear of substance dependency. In the absence of consistent standards and availability of care, people looking for help can get lost in the search for support. This episode explores the history and present of addiction rehab and recovery.

    S2 E8 Narcotic Farm

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2018 32:19


    The Narcotic Farm in Lexington Kentucky played a major part in shaping the culture around mid-century heroin use in the United States, as well as our understanding of the science of addiction. This week, On Drugs digs into the history of this unique institution and what went on there.

    REPLAY: Music, On Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2018 39:18


    We're hard at work putting together the next new episode, but in the meantime, here's a favourite from last season. It's deep look at the intersection of music, drugs and creativity. Enjoy.

    S2 E7 More cannabis in Colorado

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2018 57:03


    Host Geoff Turner is back in Colorado for part two of his road trip to see what Canada can learn from four years of legal cannabis in the Rocky Mountain State.

    Extra: check out Personal Best

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2018 32:30


    We're busy working on next week’s show, but I wanted to share another CBC Original Podcast I think you might like. It’s called Personal Best. I wouldn’t be doing it justice to call it a self improvement show, because it’s a lot more than that. In an episode called the Doppelganger, we meet Julia - she’s struggling to find a way to communicate her authentic self through texting and technology. It’s trippy and fun and it has all kinds of heart. Please give it a listen!

    S2 E6 Cannabis in Colorado

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2018 33:53


    Cannabis will be legal and regulated across Canada later this year, but Colorado has a four year head start on ending prohibition. Host Geoff Turner travelled to the Rocky Mountain State to see how legalization looks, four years on.

    S2 E5 Human guinea pigs

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2018 54:16


    Before pharmaceuticals find their way to your medicine chest, they are subjected to batteries of tests for safety and efficacy. Those tests begin with animals, but eventually scientists need to try out the drugs on people. In this episode, we explore the world of clinical drug trials, including host Geoff Turner's own experience as a human guinea pig.

    EXTRA: Dan Snarr on Mormon culture and drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2018 35:40


    In our episode on Utah, Mormonism and drugs, you met Dan Snarr, the former mayor of Murray Utah. He told us about losing his son to opioid overdose. Here's a full length version of Geoff's conversation with Dan.

    S2 E4 Utah, Mormons and addiction

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2018 49:51


    There’s an expectation that members of the Church of Latter Day Saints will live with chastity and modesty in order to secure a place in heaven. And yet, Utah, the heart of Mormonism, has one of the highest overdose rates in the U-S. In this episode of On Drugs, we hit the road to investigate why.

    S2 E3 Caffeine: a buzzed history

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2018 34:20


    People have been using caffeine in one form or another for thousands of years. And for more than a century, people have been fretting about what it does to our health and our moral condition. This episode dives into the history and significance of the most widely used psychoactive drug on earth.

    S2 E2 Cannabis: from prohibition to legalization

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2018 50:42


    This episode of On Drugs explores how cannabis went from unknown, illegal and vilified to the present day, where it's considered medicine and the foundation of a multi-billion dollar industry.

    On Drugs Extra: Ayahuasca in the jungle

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2018 38:53


    We launched season two of On Drugs with an episode about how people are using psychedelics in search of spiritual enlightenment. One of the people we met was Tanya Kammonen. Tanya and I spoke at length about her experience with psychedelics -- ayahuasca in particular -- and if you’ve listened to the episode already, you’ll have heard some of that conversation. But I thought you might be interested in hearing what didn’t make it to air. So here's a special extended version of my conversation with Tanya Kammonen.

    S2 E1 Psychedelics and Spirituality

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2018 53:23


    In this episode of On Drugs, we explore the connection between psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin and the transcendent feelings and perceptions that users report. Ethnobotanist Wade Davis shares his insight into the seeming ubiquity of psychedelics in mystical experience in the Americas. Dr. Rick Strassman describes what happened when he went in search of the spirit molecule. And Tanya Kammonen explains how ayahuasca prepared her scientific mind for religious experience.

    On Drugs Season 2 Preview

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2018 14:47


    If you've been craving a fix of the CBC original podcast, On Drugs, the wait is nearly over. Season 2 launches February 13. Here's a chance to meet the people who put it all together and to hear some highlights from the season ahead.

    Introducing: How Do You Sleep at Night? + Season 2 Coming Soon!

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2017 3:29


    How Do You Sleep at Night? is a great podcast from the team at ABC about people who live their lives in the face of judgement. The show explores the different moral codes we all live by. Because no one thinks they’re a bad person, right?

    Gender, On Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2017 33:33


    The drugs we choose - legal and illicit - and the ways we use them, are at least partly determined by gender expectations. This episode explores how those expectations affect our relationships with drugs.

    Stronger, smarter, better, On Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2017 37:16


    From athletes pumping steroids to tech entrepreneurs microdosing LSD, what happens when people use drugs to make themselves stronger, smarter and faster than their normal healthy selves?

    Fun, On Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2017 32:09


    If most recreational drug users do it because it feels good, why is pleasure always left out of policy conversations about drugs?

    Miltown, On Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2017 34:35


    In this episode of On Drugs, it's the story of a very important drug that you've probably never heard of. The Drug is called Miltown and it changed the world of psychiatric medicine forever.

    Extra: Addiction and Rat Park

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2017 26:44


    We explore the topic of drug addiction and how to think about it in this extended interview with Bruce Alexander

    City, On Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2017 27:30


    If you want to learn about drug addiction, Vancouver is a good place to start. The city has struggled with opioid abuse nearly as long as it's existed. This episode explores Vancouver's narcotic past and present through the voices of residents struggling

    War, On Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2017 31:52


    From berzerkers on mushrooms, to Nazis on meth and Iraq vets on ecstasy, armies and soldiers have used drugs to fight, cope with and recover from war since ancient times.

    Sex, On Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 30:52


    The relationship people have with drugs is complicated and a little bit messy, but not as messy as the relationship people have had with sex throughout history. Combine the two and things get interesting.

    Race, On Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2017 34:46


    Drugs don't exist in a vacuum. In many cases, they've been used to prop up mythologies around race and justify discriminatory policies against already struggling communities.

    EXTRA: Music and Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2017 19:00


    We dig deeper into our conversation about the historical intersection between drugs and music with author Martin Torgoff.

    Music, On Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2017 38:23


    The connection between drugs and rock and roll is a comic and tragic cliche. On Drugs gets past the cliches and explores the intersection of drugs and music from classical to hip hop.

    Pain, On Drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2017 27:30


    Of all the reasons we use drugs, the management and suppression of pain is one of the most fundamental. And yet for all the advances in medication, our relationship with pain is still fraught with moral and chemical challenges.

    On Drugs trailer

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2017 1:13


    Each week, On Drugs looks through the lenses of history, pop culture and personal experience to understand how drugs have shaped our world.

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