Portugal decriminalized all drugs more than 20 years ago, in 2001. In this episode, I share my thoughts on Portugal's drug policy and I explain how it works: the good, the bad, and the not-yet-finished. Portugal's decriminalization efforts have lowered overall drug use rates by almost 75% and greatly reduced the most dangerous types of drug use through education and (barebones) compassion.

I also discuss Methadone Vans, a new trend in the US which Portugal began using long ago to curb heroin addiction and the crimes associated with it.

This episode is dedicated to the late, great David Poses. Your work was invaluable; we won't stop until it's done. Check out David's incredible memoir, The Weight of Air,  or listen to us chat on this episode of Dr Junkie from 2021. 

David Bronner is the Cosmic Engagement Officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner’s, the top-selling brand of natural soaps in North America and producer of a range of organic body care and food products. He is a grandson of the company founder, Emanuel Bronner, and a fifth-generation soapmaker.

Under David and his brother Michael’s leadership, the brand has grown from $4 million in 1998 to $129 million in annual revenue in 2019. David and Michael established Dr. Bronner’s as a sustainable leader in the natural products industry by becoming one of the first body care brands to formulate with hemp seed oil in 1999 and to certify its soaps, lotions, balms, and other personal care products under the USDA National Organic Program in 2003.

Today, David is helping to lead the effort to establish the Regenerative Organic Certified standard, dedicating time and resources to creating an integrated, comprehensive program that addresses soil health, animal welfare, and fair labor practices to advance sustainable and ecological alternatives to industrial agriculture.

In addition to his support of advocacy for regenerative organic agriculture, David directs Dr. Bronner’s resources to support animal advocacy, wage equality, and drug policy reform. He is a dedicated vegan and enjoys surfing and dancing late into the night.

In this episode, Beth and David discuss ...

• How psychedelics have played a part in David's evolution in business
• How psychedelics are crucial to help us wake up and deal with the immense global challenges we currently face
• Shifting to regenerative organic agriculture
• A new corporate form - the Benefit Corp - that enshrines social impact as a primary purpose alongside generating profit
• Psychedelics and spiritual bypassing
• The Indigenous Conservation Medicine Farm project
• The importance of thinking about your medicine like you think about your food - how it is it grown, harvested, etc.
• Investing your energy and resources in the causes that you're most passionate about
• Drug policy reform

Follow David!

• Website: https://www.drbronner.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbronner
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrBronner

Professor Manisha Shah, Franklin D. Gilliam Chair in Social Justice and director of the Global Lab for Research in Action at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, joins Then & Now producer Maia Ferdman in conversation about the long history of policy approaches to sex work. They discuss the motivations behind the prohibition and regulation of sex work as well as their public health and economic implications. They also discuss the “end demand” policy approach to sex work, which criminalizes those who purchase, rather than sell, sex. They then discuss the empirical evidence that supports the decriminalization of sex work.

Robert W. E  Laurie is a leading Canadian Attorney helping to reform Cannabis and Psychedelic drug laws.  He founded AD LUCEM LAW CORPORATION  in 2013. Robert’s legal practice focuses on commercial business, government, regulatory issues, plus charter and constitutional legalities surrounding cannabis and psychedelic plant medicines. Robert has seventeen years of policy development and legal practice in corporate, commercial, and administrative law, plus licensing, regulatory, and constitutional charter experience concerning medical access to cannabis and psilocybin. As a lawyer in Canada, Robert works to reform drug laws. As a consultant, he devises regulatory, government policy, and business solutions for companies operating globally in the regulated food, cannabis, and psychedelic industries. Robert serves as a board advisor to MAPS Canada, the Last Prisoner Project, and SPORE Denver. In addition, he is a legal advisor to the Heroic Hearts Project, a founder of the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy, and a director of the Ecuador Amazon Restoration Project.

Robert has been working and advocating tirelessly as a lawyer to improve medical patient access to cannabis, psychedelics, and sacred plant medicines and facilitate drug laws to better society. Robert advised Dr. Bruce Tobin and the TheraPsil Alliance litigation team (first Section 56 CDSA medical exemption for psilocybin). He was one of the Decriminalize Nature Canada Petition drafters, part of a national campaign to decriminalize restricted plant medicines and fungi in Canada. His goal is to help provide more options for doctors and treatments for anxiety, depression, addiction, and PTSD. Robert is an acclaimed international speaker, presenting at conferences and events on the laws surrounding cannabis, psychedelic, and entheogenic medicines in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Morgan Godvin joined me last week to talk about Oregon's Measure 110, which decriminalized all drugs around one year ago. In this powerful conversation, we discuss the results of decriminalization, the increase in overdoses nationwide, fentanyl(s) and how we can prevent them from flooding the streets, thefts of desperation, Medication Assisted Treatment success and the stigma that goes with using drugs like Methadone or Suboxone, the cost of doing time in prison, and much more.

Morgan has tons of work available with an internet search. You can read her Marshall Project piece, "I thought Going to Jail would get me Clean: I was Dead Wrong."
Morgan also published an article about Oregon's drug decriminalization efforts.
She also came on my podcast last year to talk about her convictions, time in prison, and recovery after release: available here.

Morgan also appeared on a recent episode of The Tamron Hall show.

In this week’s episode of Cautious Coffee, Austin and DeRae chat about the legalization and decriminalization of illicit drugs. 

There is no serious doubt that illicit drug use and smuggling are detrimental to the human condition, and the United States has taken a hard line with its War on Drugs campaign. Former President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse public enemy number one. 

DeRae attributes drug abuse to addictive behavior, while Austin doesn’t wholly disagree, they don’t quite see eye-to-eye. Austin lays out his plan on how he would tackle the problem, while DeRae says “the hell with that, legalize them all!”

SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.

ABOUT CAUTIOUS COFFEE
Cautious Coffee is a forum for candid, often uncomfortable conversations. Hosted by Austin Staton and DeRae Crane, each episode brings you unscripted and unfiltered commentary on key issues that are impacting our country and culture. Tune in as we seek empowerment, not power; as we meet people where they are; and most importantly, as we strive to be better humans. 

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA 
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ABOUT CAUTIOUS COFFEE

Cautious Coffee is a forum for candid, often uncomfortable conversations. Hosted by Austin Staton and DeRae Crane, each episode brings you unscripted and unfiltered commentary on key issues that are impacting our country and culture. Tune in as we seek empowerment, not power; as we meet people where they are; and most importantly, as we strive to be better humans. 

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
🎟 Patreon
👕 Merch
🎬 Facebook
📸 Instagram
📥 LinkedIn
🎥 YouTube
🐦 Twitter

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST
🎙 Apple Podcasts
🎙 Spotify
💻 Website

About Mayor Kennedy Stewart:

Kennedy Stewart was elected the 40th Mayor of Vancouver on October 20, 2018, and is the City's first independent Mayor in three decades. Elected as a Member of Parliament in 2011, he served in Ottawa for seven years working to fight climate change and increase federal investment in affordable housing. Stewart served at SFU's School of Public Policy where, as a tenured professor, he wrote, taught, and provided advice to governments and the United Nations about cities and housing. 

• Vancouver Sun Op-ed in support of decriminalization by VCH Vancouver Coastal Health Chief Medical Health Officer Dr.Patricia Daly:
  • https://vancouversun.com/opinion/dr-patricia-daly-decriminalization-in-vancouver-a-step-in-the-right-direction
• Globe and Mail: City of Vancouver makes final submission seeking federal exemption to decriminalize simple drug possession
  • https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-city-of-vancouver-makes-final-submission-seeking-federal-exemption-to/
• CBC News: Vancouver mayor says no time to argue over details of drug decriminalization plan
  • https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-mayor-drug-decriminalization-urgent-1.6024249
• City of Vancouver: Decriminalizing simple possession of illicit drugs in Vancouver
  • https://vancouver.ca/people-programs/decriminalizing-simple-possession-of-illicit-drugs-in-vancouver.aspx
• CCSA Decriminalization: Options and Evidence [Policy Brief]:
  • https://www.ccsa.ca/decriminalization-options-and-evidence-policy-brief

Amy-Marie Merrell is the executive director of a nonprofit organization in Las Vegas, Nevada called "The Cupcake Girls." This organization assists sex workers, victims of sex trafficking, etc. with needs ranging from getting back on their feet to simply maintaining a healthy, functional lifestyle. 

Some major topics covered:
- mental health impact of working with troubled clients
- the difference between consensual sex work and non-consensual sex work (trafficking)
- what sex trafficking really looks like
- the decriminalization of sex work

For more information regarding The Cupcake Girls, please visit https://thecupcakegirls.org/

Jen Elizabeth is a sober mom, writer, sexual abuse survivor, and harm reduction specialist. She works with the Sidewalk Project, an organization that works to empower unhoused communities around the world, and is also a host at the Sober Mom Squad, a community and space to discuss all things motherhood, without the mommy juice. 

I invited Jen on to talk about the meaning of harm reduction and why she is so passionate about this approach to treating substance abuse. She is very outspoken about why she believes the war on drugs is not working for anybody, and why we need to shift the focus to addressing the unresolved trauma that she believes is the root of all problematic drug use – and all houselessness. She also shares her own experience of living on the street – and how learning to advocate for herself is what led to her work in advocating for others who don’t have the capacity to stand up for themselves.

This interview is raw and moving and real and I hope you find it as eye-opening as I did. In the episode we discuss: 

-The definition of “harm reduction” when it comes to treating drug and alcohol misuse.

-Why alcohol is an example of “safe supply” (and the meaning of this term).

-Why being sober does not make us superior.

-The argument for decriminalization of all substances – and why drugs are winning the war on drugs.

-Why she stopped posting “before and after” pics and how she honors the person she was before she got sober.

-Why some lives are viewed as more valuable than others in our society.

-Why living in close proximity to houseless communities makes us so uncomfortable.

-Her personal experience of living on the streets.

-Why she believes that everybody experiencing substance abuse is a trauma survivor.

-Why the way we speak about people who are struggling is part of the solution.

-How sobriety helps her engage more deeply with her healing work – and the practices that work for her.

-Why she believes everybody should be trauma informed.

-Why there’s no such thing as being a perfect mom – and how to accept ourselves and our kids exactly as we are.

Discover more about Jen's work with The Sidewalk Project and Sober Mom Squad and follow her on Instagram @resurrektion_of _ me

Big thanks to Athletic Brewing for partnering on this episode. Place an order today at athleticbrewing.com and get free shipping on two six packs or more. New customers can also get 20% off their entire order with code RUBY20. Limited to one use per customer

It's not Thursday but we're here with our first THROWBACK episode. If you've been with us, you'll know this episode on the decriminalization of drugs is from season 1!

We wanted to air this one again because the conversations about the decriminalization of drugs is always important. 

Thank you to today's experts: Scott Bernstein (@scott_bern) from the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (@CANdrugpolicy), and Caitlin Shane (@caitlin_Ona) from Pivot Legal Society (@pivotlegal).

If you like literally any of Decomplicated's episodes, we—(@caroleugenepark) & Rumneek (@rumneeek)—would LOVE it if you could leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Even better, tell a friend about us & y'all can be subbies together.

 Psst! We also have a daily newsletter, which you can sign up for at www.decomplicated.com!

Follow us on Twitter (@decomplicatedca) & Instagram (@decomplicatednews).

THIS EPISODE CONTAINS REAL-LIFE DESCRIPTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT. LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Publication date of this episode (June 2, 2021) marks International Sex Workers' Day. For more information on the human rights issues facing sex workers visit Sex Workers Outreach Project, USA.*

Retired full-service Sex Worker Betty James (pseudonym) shares her story of five years as a successful and highly sought-out escort. Our candid discussion covers James' own motivations for entering the profession, as well as questions many are afraid to publicly ask due to the burden of stigmatization placed on sex work. James articulately breaks down everything from the nuanced issue of consent to her views on decriminalization. In between, there is levity and laughs, and even some salacious bits, as the interview aims to make transparent a service labor that is both ancient and ubiquitous, yet often shrouded in repressive societal moral codes.

This episode uses the song "A1 Rogue" by Podington Bear, under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

*"Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA is a national social justice network dedicated to the fundamental human rights of people involved in the sex trade and their communities, focusing on ending violence and stigma through education and advocacy."

Nia and Aughie discuss the work of the The Shafer Commission. The discussion touches on Reefer Madness and moves to the 1974 report and the recommendations regarding decriminalization of recreational marijuana use. The Commission's report on marijuana use was largely ignored by the Nixon Administration.

Resources mentioned during the show and further reading:

Read about MP Greg Fergus here.  

https://www.hilltimes.com/2020/06/17/the-black-caucus-has-laid-out-yet-another-road-map-and-its-time-for-the-feds-to-drive/253093

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/gatineau-aylmer-ottawa-light-rail-1.4713843

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/black-caucus-systemic-racism-1.5614203

Welcome, Courtney Barnes from Barnes Caplan LLP to the podcast! Courtney is a passionate criminal justice and drug policy reform advocate. Courtney serves as State Policy Advisor for Decriminalize Nature, and has extensive experience drafting and helping to implement state and local policy change relating to the regulation of cannabis and the decriminalization of psychedelics. In this episode we talk about:

• Courtneys impressive accomplishments in the space of cannabis and psychedelic advocacy
• Mistakes that happened with Cannabis and how cannabis is paving the way for psychedelics
• The primary issues that are most important for creating a future regulatory environment for psychedelics
• Equitable access and equitable opportunity
• Legalization vs. Decriminalization
• Importance of public knowledge and acceptance for the movement for psychedelics
• Why both the clinical therapeutic model and community access models will be beneficial upon legalization
• How Courtney got involved in decriminalization
• De-stigmatization around mental health with psychedelics
• The legality around microdosing and how to know if it’s legal in your country
• Legal hurdles for psychedelics
• Why Courtney continues to fight for the legalization of psychedelics
• How you can get involved in policy reform

Mentioned in the episode:

• Barnes Caplan LLP
• Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
• Decriminalize Nature
• Oakland Community Healing Initiative
• Heroic Hearts Project

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DISCLAIMER: Modern Psychedelics does not endorse or support the illegal consumption of any substances. This show is meant for entertainment purposes only. Modern Psychedelics does not sell or promote the sale of any illegal substances. The thoughts, views and opinions on this show should not be taken as life advice, medicinal advice, or therapeutic guidance. 

Today’s show highlights the importance of creating safe spaces for Black folk, particularly women, in psychedelic spaces. We are joined by the eloquent and influential writer and mental health advocate, Robin Divine. Robin recognizes the deficiencies in contemporary American psychedelic culture for BIPOC, and is committed creating resources to build thriving communities. Her latest project is a book to be titled “Black People Trip” that will be a collection of essays on trauma, mental illness and psychedelics from the perspective of Black queer women. 

Robin Divine is a writer and mental health advocate for Black women. Her personal history of trauma, medication resistant depression, and innumerable unsuccessful therapies, led her to eventually reach for psilocybin mushrooms. She began to see real results. Her work can be found on the online publishing platform, Medium. 

Topics covered:

• Intersectionality in contemporary psychedelic spaces 
• Microdosing and macro-dosing for mental health
• Being a black, queer woman in the US and in psychedelic spaces
• Tips and resources for BIPOC seeking psychedelic therapy
• Individual actions and inactions for propelling BIPOC in this spaces
• The importance of decriminalization of psilocybe mushrooms and other psychedelics
• Considerations for the imminent psychedelic renaissance 

Show notes:

Robin’s Medium Profile: https://blackpeopletrip.medium.com/
Robin’s Venmo: @DivineRobin
Robin’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackpeopletrip/
People of Color Psychedelic Collective: https://www.pocpsychedelics.com/
The Sabina Project: https://www.instagram.com/thesabinaproject/
Diaspora Psychedelic Society: https://www.diasporapsychedelicsociety.org/
Go Fund Me for the book “Black People Trip”: https://www.gofundme.com/f/black-women-and-psychedelic-healing-book

Why Don’t More Black People Use Psychedelics? https://blackpeopletrip.medium.com/why-dont-more-black-people-use-psychedelics-907d3aa19cc8

How This Black-Led Psychedelic Collective Is Combining Anti-Racism With ‘Sacred Plant Medicine’: https://www.vogue.com/article/sabina-project-psychedelic-collective

www.mushroomrevival.com

We are a functional mushroom company and make 100% certified USDA Organic and Vegan mushroom supplements. We are transparent with our lab results, and use actual fruiting bodies aka mushrooms! We provide our supplements in tincture, capsule, powder, and delicious gummy form. 

Not sure where to begin? Take our mushroom quiz here.

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Honest answers about marijuana and its active ingredients.  

Marijuana doesn't actually contain any chemicals that get us high. But with a bit of chemistry--like lighting it on fire--we can produce psychoactive ingredients that many of us enjoy regularly. Join me to discuss how weed works in the body, and how to use it without wasting your buzz. Plus the history of marijuana, from homeopathic healers to racist politicians, the drug has taken an interesting route through US history. 

Nick and Tom discuss different ways of thinking about addiction and why it matters for tackling one of the world's most important challenges.

Show Notes:

• Common misconceptions about addiction
• The 3 fundamental addictive behaviors
• Are addicts fundamentally different than non-addicts?
• Is addiction a habit?
• Addiction, loss of control, and the gun-to-the-head test
• How important is self-control and willpower in overcoming addiction?
• Cravings, Urge Surfing (Alan Marlatt), and Confidence
• Transforming desire
• Addiction as a relationship, not a thing (Stanton Peele, Love and Addiction)
• Should we legalize and/or decriminalize recreational drugs?
• The world’s first self-help books (Nichomachean Ethics)
• Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies professionally vetted self-help books
• Addictive personalities
• Positive addictions
• Slips vs relapses and why the distinction matters
• The opposite of addiction is connection (John Hari)
• St. John’s College 
• How to help someone who’s struggling with addiction
• Smart Recovery
• Beyond Addiction
• Practical Recovery

You can follow Tom and learn more about his work here:

• Website
• Book: Sex, Drugs, Gambling, and Chocolate: A Workbook for Overcoming Addictions

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