RNZ: FROM ZERO

Everyone seems to agree that our drug laws are no longer fit for purpose. So what are we doing about it?

Politicians and police agree that drug-checking at music festivals is probably a good idea. So why is it still illegal?

A lot of money is being made from selling illegal drugs in this country. Who's making it, who's taking all the risk and what are the factors that decide what drugs YOU might be taking?

We look at where New Zealand is at now with a drug that is rarely out of the headlines: methamphetamine, or P. Are we seeing a new epidemic of use? If so, why? And is the current situation so acute that it's driving a real change in the approach of the police and other agencies?

It's OK to depict drug-taking on TV or slip cocaine references into songs, but publishing the wrong kind of gardening tips can still get you into trouble with the censors.

Marijuana is by far the most commonly-used illicit drug in New Zealand. Nearly half of all adults say they've tried it and a recent poll found that nearly two thirds of us favour decriminalisation or legalisation. And yet our laws remain harsher than many other Western countries. Why is weed so popular here, what are the impacts and can we ever agree on a way forward?

New Zealand's history with illicit drugs is short but lively. Maori were one of the few societies to have no use for intoxicants - so how did we go from zero to having some of the highest rates of illicit drug use in the world? FROM ZERO is a podcast series produced for RNZ by Russell Brown. Over seven episodes, he uncovers the way drugs have become a part of nearly all our lives, from over the counter opium to energy drinks and designer drugs. Russell knocks on the doors of Tinny Houses and P Labs and talks to dealers, doctors, lawmakers and lawbreakers to find out where our drugs come from, why we so enthusiastically consume them and what, if anything we need to do about them. Accessible, serious and entertaining, FROM ZERO is about the choices and the challenges we face in 2016. It will tell you things you don't know and make you question what you believe.