#60: Why are Drugs Illegal Anyway?
Episode description
Drugs were not always illegal in the USA. For a good deal of our history you could walk into your local pharmacy and buy cocaine, heroin or cannabis right off the shelf, without a prescription. But something changed around the turn of the century (1900), and by the 1930s the War on Drugs was in full swing.
Opium was outlawed by associating it with Chinese immigrants.
Cannabis was outlawed by associating it with Mexican immigrants.
Cocaine was outlawed by associating it with Black men.
Later, amphetamines would be criminalized by associating them with poverty.
DMT (Ayahuasca) & Peyote were outlawed by associating them with non-Christian religions.
There is a long history of racism in this country. Without it, the War on Drugs would never have existed.
In this episode, I also talk about LSD, MDMA, Methamphetamine, challenging trips, Communication as a field of study, Bicycle Day, set and setting, the origins of the DEA, Harry Anslinger, PSA campaigns, Junkie Bonds/Junkie Unions, and the name of the show, "The Dr. Junkie Show."