Season One of The War on Drugs concludes with the story of a single addict’s journey, Morgan Godvin. Her story illustrates the disastrous consequences of America’s decision to treat addiction as a crime. Morgan spent five years addicted to heroin and four years incarcerated as a direct result of her addiction. She lost her mom and four close friends to overdose. And yet, Morgan’s story is ultimately one of hope—one that takes her from addiction to advocacy. Told by Morgan herself and set in an immersive audio soundscape, Morgan’s journey lays bare how our nation’s 50-year War on Drugs has destroyed millions of lives. It also suggests a better path forward where solutions to America’s overdose crisis are not found by punishing those in need of help, but in harm reduction policies that treat addiction as the medical and mental health crisis it is.

To learn more, visit:

https://www.morgangodvin.com

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

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Johann Hari tells Clayton and Greg how Portugal kicked its heroin habit.

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

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MDMA therapy gained a following among psychiatrists in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Some psychiatrists believed that it allowed their patients to achieve unique insights into their mental health problems. It was also during this time that MDMA started becoming more widely available on the street. It gained a foothold as a ‘party drug' under the names Ecstasy and Molly. Then, in 1985, the DEA declared an emergency ban on MDMA, placing it on the list of Schedule I drugs, meaning it had no medical use and a high potential for abuse. Today, guided MDMA therapy is on the verge of being approved by the FDA. This revolution in therapeutic treatment, mostly of PTSD, is largely because of the decades-long effort of one organization: MAPS. (Short for Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.) Clayton and Greg are joined by Ismael Ali, Director of Policy and Advocacy at MAPS to discuss the science and history of MDMA therapy. 

To learn more and get involved, visit:

MAPS: https://maps.org                                              

MAPS Clinical Trials: https://maps.org/take-action/participate-in-trial/

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

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Clayton and Greg explain how the War on Drugs allows law enforcement to examine your medical records without a warrant.

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

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Jesse Gould graduated from Cornell University in 2009 and shortly thereafter, driven by a sense of duty and patriotism, enlisted in the Airborne Rangers. He returned home in 2014 from three tours in Afghanistan only to find himself with debilitating PTSD. After finding that none of the traditional treatments offered by the VA helped his PTSD, Jesse quit his job in finance, sold all his belongings, and took off for Peru where he underwent a traditional ayahuasca healing ritual. The experience was transformative. Jesse now heads the Heroic Hearts Foundation that helps veterans who are suffering from PTSD find the psychedelic treatment they need to heal. Jesse talks with Clayton and Greg about his personal journey and how psychedelics, long demonized by the War on Drugs, are now being seen by the medical community as a possible key to helping solve our veteran health crisis. 

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://www.heroicheartsproject.org

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

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Greg tells Clayton about the time the police in Henry Country, GA served a No Knock Warrant to the wrong house and violated the civil liberties of a 79 year old innocent man.

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

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Clayton and Greg are joined by New York Times columnist Maia Szalavitz to discuss one of the least talked about consequences of the War on Drugs: the criminalization of pain. Millions of Americans have been cut off from the pain medications they need to survive (including terminal cancer patients) as the United States tries to stem the tide of the opioid epidemic. Doctors who treat patients with chronic pain are finding themselves being labeled by the DEA as drug traffickers. The CDC has set guidelines for pain management that has left thousands of Americans without the medications they need. The results have been as horrifying as the opioid crisis these policies were meant to address—another clear example of the systemic failure of the War on Drugs.

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

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Clayton and Greg dispel the myth that if fentanyl touches your skin, you die. 

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

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The War on Drugs killed Breonna Taylor. Clayton and Greg sit down with journalist Radley Balko to talk about how the War on Drugs has steadily eroded our Constitutional rights and led to the militarization of the police. They zero in on the practice of no-knock warrants and discuss how deadly and unnecessary they are. Special attention is paid to the case of Breonna Taylor and how she was a tragic and innocent victim of America’s decade-long War on Drugs. 

To learn more and get involved, visit:

Radley Balko’s The Watch: https://radleybalko.substack.com

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Biden administration pardons those convicted of possession of marijuana at the federal level.

The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

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