Season 2, Episode 68

Monday Motivation: Michael Pollan's New Book and The True Meaning of Media Hype

This week's Monday Motivation is Jay chatting about Michael Pollan's new book, This Is Your Mind On Plants. It's not a bad book. In fact, as one listener put it, parts of it were compelling, other parts simply were not. Which is fine! Jay's feelings about the book actually have little to do with the book itself. More, he was frustrated with how much press this book got as we only get a few books on drug use and drug policy a year that get any sort of focus. In summation, Jay's frustration was with how the media picked a very SAFE book on drug use by an old, rich, white guy to be one of the few that got support. Which, let's be honest, isn't surprising. And, as Jay shares, he's simply DONE with any conversation about these topics being labeled a positive. We need to move on to the next step, where simply talking about this isn't good enough. We need to go further. 

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If something in this episode upsets you, or makes you feel a certain way, take a moment and do some mindfulness. When you have the words, the thought thrashed out, send it to me! Share the podcast, tell the world your thoughts. That's how we make change.

No Good Egg or Card on Monday episodes.

Looking for someone to wow your audience now that the world is reopening? My speaking calendar is booking up fast! But if you're interested in bringing me to your campus, your community group, your organization or any other location to speak about Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, or Drug Use & Policy, reach out to my strategist Ryan Holzhauer at ryan@jayshifman.com.

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