drugpolicy

Rene Zegerius, a drug policy expert with the City of Amsterdam, discusses solutions and drug policy history in The Netherlands with Robert F. Kennedy Jr in this episode.

In 2020, motivated to try a different way to combat drug use, Oregon voted to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of hard drugs including fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine.

Things didn’t turn out as planned.

Mike Baker, a national reporter for The Times, explains what went wrong.

Guest: Mike Baker, a national reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Amid soaring overdose deaths, Oregon lawmakers have voted to bring back some restrictions.
• State leaders declared a 90-day state of emergency in central Portland in an effort to tackle fentanyl abuse.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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The Great Debates Episode 1 | Should the United States move to decriminalize drugs and drug use? 

The Great Debates is a new Valuetainment Production hosted by Patrick Bet-David, where we bring on guests with polarized opinions to discuss different topics. Subscribe to PBD Podcast and don't miss any new uploads https://bit.ly/3MsDzQH

(For Decriminalization) Lt. Diane Goldstein (Ret.) was born in Mexico City and moved to the US as a child. She is a nationally recognized speaker, writer, and guest lecturer on criminal justice and drug policy reform. Follow her on Twitter here: https://bit.ly/3tgzZju. You can find more information on L.E.A.P. here: https://bit.ly/3hvHgqj

(Against Decriminalization) Hector Berrellez is a former D.E.A. Supervisor and Special Agent, with thirty years of extensive experience in counter-terrorism and narcotics enforcement. He is recognized as one of the most highly decorated Drug Enforcement Agents in the history of the bureau. You can purchase Hector's book "The Last Narc" here: https://amzn.to/3ICZQJ7

(Moderator) Patrick Bet-David: CEO, author, and Founder of Valuetainment Media. Patrick has interviewed athletes, notorious individuals, politicians, authors, and entrepreneurs from all walks of life. 

Want to be a guest on The Great Debates or have a debate topic you want to suggest? Email booking@valuetainment.com

Music selection used through agreement with Epidemic Sound http://bit.ly/2B8DxK1  

*** Opinions, statements, statistics, and references made by our guests do not express the views or opinions of Patrick Bet-David or Valuetainment Media ***

David Nutt is a psychiatrist and a neuroscientist at Downing College, Cambridge.  His research focuses on illicit drugs—their harm, classification, and potential for therapeutic use in psychiatry. In this episode, David discusses his framework for assessing the potential harm caused by common recreational drugs and explains how they are regulated, which is oftentimes misaligned with actual risk. He describes in detail the neurobiology, mechanisms of action, and addiction potential of alcohol, opiates, cocaine, and methamphetamine and contrasts those with psychedelics, which have been given a similar regulatory classification despite their relatively low risk of harm and their numerous potential therapeutic uses. Additionally, David explains the promise of psychedelics like ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin for treating drug addiction and depression and discusses how political pressures have created roadblocks to future necessary research.

We discuss:

• David’s early interest in the brain and experience in psychiatry [2:45];
  
• David’s brief work on government drug policy in the UK [10:15];
  
• A scale for rating the relative harm of certain drugs [13:45];
  
• The contrast in regulation between cannabis vs. alcohol and why research on potential benefits of cannabis is lacking [19:15];
  
• The opiate crisis and rise of fentanyl: the cause and potential solution [25:00];
  
• The science of addiction and the potential use of psychedelics for treating drug addiction [35:00];
  
• Cocaine: mechanisms of action and risks [41:45];
  
• Methamphetamine and crystal meth: mechanisms of action and neurotoxicity [48:15];
  
• How psychedelics came to be classified as schedule I drugs despite their numerous therapeutic uses [52:45];
  
• The history of MDMA and the bad science and political forces leading to its demonization [1:08:45];
  
• History of ketamine, medical use of esketamine, and the waning effects of psychedelics with increasing usage [1:13:30];
  
• Psilocybin for depression: David’s promising research and the roadblocks to more robust experiments [1:20:15];
  More.

Tiller Russell is the director of the new feature film "Silk Road," and Netflix's limited documentary series "Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer".

Dubner and Levitt talk about fixing the post office, putting cameras in the classroom, and wearing hats.