Month: October 2019

Episode 32: How Synthetic Drugs Conquered the Globe with Ben Westoff

October 31, 2019 Narcotica Episodes 00:53:05 0 Comments

On today’s show, co-host Zachary Siegel interviews Ben Westhoff about how he gained access to a clandestine lab in China, the prominent role that America’s War on Drugs has played in producing deadlier, more potent drugs that no user actually really wants, and finally, that in order to save the lives of people using drugs, the US must adopt innovative harm reduction strategies that have been tested around the world, like supervised injection sites and drug checking.

Episode 31: Supervised Consumption: Narcotica Breaks Down Safehouse Ruling with Av Gutman

October 21, 2019 Narcotica Episodes 1 Comment

Safehouse is safe, for now. On Wednesday Oct. 2, a federal judge in Philadelphia ruled that a supervised injection site proposed by the nonprofit Safehouse would not violate a provision of the Controlled Substances Act, known as the “Crack House” statute, authored by none other than Democratic presidential frontrunner, Joe Biden. On today’s episode, hosts Troy, Chris, and Zach are joined by Philadelphia Inquirer’s Abraham Gutman. Gutman has been cranking out fiery editorials in support of harm reduction, criminal justice reform, and tons of other topics for Philly’s biggest newspaper. He breaks down the complicated legal, political, and social implications of the Safehouse ruling and what comes next. 

You can follow Gutman on Twitter and read his work here. 

Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated! We’re on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher and more. Tell your friends about us! Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel 

Co-Producer: Aaron Ferguson 

Music: Glass Boy 

Photo: Holden Blanco 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Episode 30: Getting Wrecked with Dr. Kim Sue

October 4, 2019 Narcotica Episodes 00:57:51 0 Comments

Doctors are often blamed for prescribing America into the opioid crisis. Their reckless actions, relying on opioids to relieve just about every morsel of pain, ignited the deadliest overdose crisis in history, so we’re told. Of course, the narrative around doctors is much more complex than that.

But one truth is inescapable: Without doctors prescribing methadone and buprenorphine, and taking care of some of the most marginalized people in the health care system, like incarcerated women, there is no end to the crisis in sight. Meet Dr. Kimberly Sue, the medical director of the Harm Reduction Coalition, and a leader in addiction medicine. Dr. Sue wrote a new book, Getting Wrecked: Women, Incarceration, and the American Opioid Crisis. In this episode, co-host Zachary Siegel interviews Dr. Sue, and they talk about women’s self-determination, the brutality of incarceration, and they imagine a world where women are treated humanely, not criminalized. 

Buy Dr. Sue’s book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520293212/getting-wrecked
Follow Dr. Sue on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrKimSue

Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated! We’re on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher and more. Tell your friends about us!
Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary Siegel
Co-Producer: Aaron Ferguson
Music: Glass Boy, Pictures of the Floating World