Narcotica Podcast

With perhaps the exception of fentanyl, no drug is seen as more dangerous or controversial than heroin. But when you look at decades of medical literature, it’s clear that heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine, is just another opioid, and it has a place in medicine. On this episode, Troy Farah and Zachary Siegel discuss the controversial idea of prescription heroin with Canadian journalist Travis Lupick, author of Fighting for Space. You can follow Travis Lupick @tlupick Twitter here. Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated! We’re on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Sticher and more. Tell your friends about us! Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary SiegelCo-Producer: Aaron FergusonMusic: Glass Boy and Aaron FergusonImage Credit: Wikipedia / Edit by Troy Farah The post Episode 23: Bring Back Prescription Heroin! with Travis Lupick appeared first on Narcotica.

On this episode Narcotica highlights a new project from the Health in Justice Action Lab at Northeastern University called Changing The Narrative, which aims to correct flawed narratives about drugs, debunked myths, old tropes, and stigmatizing language in mainstream media. It includes a directory of expert sources that journalists can contact for a quote, or organizations looking for panelists or speakers, helping raise the standards for communication in this area.Changing the Narrative is spearheaded by Maia Szalavitz, a drug policy reporter and author of the book “Unbroken Brain” and Leo Beletsky, Professor of Law and Health Sciences at Northeastern University, and created, in part, by our very own, Zachary Siegel. Narcotica co-hosts Troy Farah and Christopher Moraff join in this discussion about scientifically-grounded reporting on drug use and addiction. For more info on Changing the Narrative, go to changingthenarrative.newsFind Maia Szalavitz on Twitter here and find Leo Beletsky here. Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated! We’re on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Sticher and more. Tell your friends about us! Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary SiegelCo-Producer: Aaron FergusonMusic: Glass Boy and Aaron FergusonImage Credit: Pixabay / Edit by Troy Farah The post Episode 22: Changing the Narrative with Maia Szalavitz and Leo Beletsky appeared first on Narcotica.

Sometimes, you’ll be reading a great piece on the drug overdose crisis that is just ruined by a crappy stock image of a gigantic syringe and a mountain of what is obviously flour or someone nodding out on the sidewalk. On this episode, Narcotica explores what accurate, tactful drug imagery should look like. The team speaks with Nigel Brunsdon, the official/unofficial photographer of the modern day harm reduction movement, who is joining us via from the UK. He has shadowed the Chicago Recovery Alliance, Harm Reduction International, and many others on the front lines of the so-called drug war. His photos of the workers, advocates, people who use drugs, and the academics are loaded with grief, emotion, hope, and solidarity. He explains balancing privilege, relationships and representation of impacted communities through drug war photojournalism. Follow Nigel on his website nigelbrunsdon.com and check out harmreductionphilosophy.com for more on how harm reduction works as an ideology. Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated! We talk a lot about this image that we used from Nigel for Episode 3, memorializing harm reduction activist Dan Bigg. Here it is for reference: Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary SiegelCo-Producer: Aaron FergusonMusic: Glass Boy and Aaron FergusonImage Credit: Nigel Brunsdon / Edit by Troy Farah The post Episode 21: Ethically Documenting Drug Use Activism with Nigel Brunsdon appeared first on Narcotica.

via Troy Farah In this episode, Chris and Zach sit down with Eliza Wheeler of the Harm Reduction Coalition in San Francisco. Wheeler has been working in harm reduction, distributing syringes and naloxone directly to people who use drugs, for over two decades. She’s seen a lot of progress in her lifetime. But as harm reduction goes mainstream, Wheeler sees how easily the bedrock values and principles of the movement can be compromised and coopted by political forces. Zach, Chris, and Eliza talk about how funds for naloxone get in the wrong hands, how syringe exchanges deal with NIMBYism, and how the heart of her harm reduction philosophy is bodily autonomy. Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated! Follow the DOPE Project ‏and the Harm Reduction Coalition on Twitter. Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary SiegelCo-Producer: Aaron FergusonMusic: Glass Boy and Aaron FergusonImage Credit: Chris Moraff / Edit by Troy Farah The post Episode 20: The Pitfalls of Mainstream Harm Reduction with Eliza Wheeler appeared first on Narcotica.

If you ask many, many people whose lives have been upended by opioids, buprenorphine is a life saver. It can literally cut the risk of a fatal overdose by half or more in folks who have an opioid addiction. Also known as Subutex or Suboxone, buprenorphine is one of the three FDA approved medications to treat what’s formally known as opioid use disorder. It’s a partial agonist at opioid receptors, relieving cravings but with far less risk for overdose than other opioids like heroin, which are full agonists. Zachary Siegel, Troy Farah and Christopher Moraff speak with Molly Doernberg, a grad student at Yale School of Public Health, who co-authored a recent paper called “Demystifying buprenorphine misuse: Has fear of diversion gotten in the way of addressing the opioid crisis?” which was published in the journal Substance Abuse last April. They discuss what buprenorphine is, why people take it, and why stigma and fears that buprenorphine may be used illicitly are actually contributing to more overdose deaths. Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated!Read Doernberg’s paper here: https://doi.org/10.1080/08897077.2019.1572052 and follow her on Twitter. Producers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary SiegelCo-Producer: Aaron Ferguson Music: Glass Boy and Aaron FergusonImage Credit: Chris Moraff / Edit by Troy Farah The post Episode 19: Debunking Bupe Diversion Myths with Molly Doernberg appeared first on Narcotica.

In this episode, Zach and Troy interview two veteran harm reduction activists: Jess Tilley and Albie Park. Jess and Albie have organized on behalf of drug users for decades, building community to ensure that no one has to die a preventable overdose death. You’ll learn about how they met, how they work, and what policies and ideas they are currently prioritizing. You’ll also hear about what they envision for the future of harm reduction in the midst of, in Jess’s words, an “overdose apocalypse.” Zach and Troy mostly let them do the talking. Enjoy. Harm Reduction Hedgehogs /@HRH413/Media Toolkit 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 SiegelCo-producer: Aaron FergusonMusic: Glass Boy Image: edit: Troy Farah The post Episode 18: Drug User Unions – The Rebirth of Harm Reduction with Jess Tilley and Albie Park appeared first on Narcotica.

Psychedelic drugs are weird, but DMT has to be one of the weirdest. Best known as the principle psychoactive ingredient in ayahuasca, this drug, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, occurs naturally in many plants and animals. Troy Farah interviews Andrew Gallimore, a computational neurobiologist, pharmacologist and DMT enthusiast, and author of the new book ‘Alien Information Theory.’ With a healthy dose of skepticism, they discuss hyperspace realms and building a machine that makes DMT trips last for hours on end. DMT is commonly called the quote ’Spirit molecule’ because while tons of psychedelics offer spiritual insight, DMT is in a category all its own. It can allegedly transport you to another dimension, where you will be greeted by vibrating, chattering ‘machine elves,’ as Terrence McKenna commonly called them. The experience is nothing short of life-changing, yet only lasts about 15 minutes. Are they aliens, spiritual beings or just hallucinations? We’ll let you decide.Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated!Find Andrew on Twitter or http://www.buildingalienworlds.comProducers: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary SiegelCo-Producer: Aaron Ferguson Music: Glass Boy and Aaron FergusonImage Credit: Wikipedia / Composite by Troy Farah The post Episode 17: Using DMT To Contact Aliens with Andrew Gallimore appeared first on Narcotica.

Canada’s Downtown Eastside in Vancouver is known around the world as a city of pain and trauma. That’s not the whole story. Vancouver has produced trailblazing harm reduction activists and scholars who have changed the fabric of drug user health care. The Crackdown is a podcast that features some of the bravest activists who are pushing the envelope in drug policy. In this episode, Chris, Troy, and Zach interview Garth Mullins, host of The Crackdown, about what spawned the show, the differences between American and Canadian drug policy, and what journalism looks like when it is owned and produced by drug users. Check out The Crackdown. Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated! Producer: Christopher Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary SiegelMusic: Glass Boy and Aaron FergusonCo-Producer: Aaron Ferguson — https://soundcloud.com/knowmad1 The post Episode 16: The Crew Interviews the Crackdown’s Garth Mullins appeared first on Narcotica.

Mainstream media doesn’t really ‘get’ drugs, but there’s one place that has consistently gotten it right: Filter Magazine. Narcotica hosts Christopher Moraff, Zachary Siegel and Troy Farah talk with Filter’s co-founder and editor-in-chief Will Godfrey. This conversation covers a lot of ground on media literacy and compassionate reporting on drug use. Full disclosure: all three of us at Narcotica have worked with Godfrey in some way. But we completely support the work that Filter is doing, which is what we hope Narcotica accomplishes: responsible, scientific, and compassionate reporting on drugs. Learn more about Filter Magazine on their website and follow Will Godfrey on Twitter. Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated! Producer: Christopher Moraff / Troy FarahImage credit: Eduardo VerdugoMusic: KieLoKaz, Glass Boy and Aaron FergusonCo-Producer: Aaron Ferguson — https://soundcloud.com/knowmad1 The post Episode 15: Accurate, Compassionate Drug Journalism with Filter Magazine appeared first on Narcotica.

Few would disagree with the notion that the United States government has dropped the ball on responding to the opioid crisis, particularly the threat posed by illicitly manufactured fentanyl in the heroin supply. That’s the basis of a new piece called “The Fentanyl Failure,” a Washington Post investigation into the Obama Administration. Only, there’s just one problem: the sources used by the Washington Post are angry drug warriors and zealous prosecutors who are mad that Obama didn’t let them lock up enough dealers. In this episode of Narcotica, co-host Zachary Siegel and special guest Jeff Deeney deconstruct the Washington Post’s exposé. They discuss the ways in which the supply-side narrative is for Serious People while harm reduction activism and interventions that actually save lives are still to the side in policy debates.  Follow Jeff Deeney. Follow Narcotica on Facebook, Twitter and support us on Patreon. Your support is appreciated! Producers: Chris Moraff, Troy Farah, Zachary SiegelEngineer: Aaron FergusonMusic: Glass Boy, Aaron Ferguson The post Episode 14: Harm Reduction Dies in Darkness—Jeff Deeney appeared first on Narcotica.