A Conversation with Professor Carl Hart About America's Failed "War on Drugs" and How Everything You Think You Know About Drugs is Wrong

Carl Hart is the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Columbia University. Professor Hart is also the Ziff Professor of Psychology in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry. Professor Hart has published numerous scientific and popular articles in the area of neuropsychopharmacology and is co-author of the textbook Drugs, Society and Human Behavior (with Charles Ksir). His most recent book, High Price: A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society.

On this week's show, Carl and Chauncey discuss the myths fueling the racist and classist "War on Drugs" in America, untruths about America's supposed "opiate addiction crisis" and Donald Trump's white "working class voters", why illegal drugs should be made legal, and basic questions of human agency and freedom.

Carl also shares how the 1980s crack baby myth came into existence and the way that movies such as New Jack City fueled the War on Drugs and its many lies about "urban crime.

Alasdair Stuart also stops by the virtual bar and salon this week as well. He tells a story about going to this year's Worldcon convention in San Jose and the right-wing wannabe "alt-right" Nazis he encountered there. Alasdair and Chauncey also talk about all manner of popular culture including Henry Cavill and Superman, the failures of The Walking Dead, Star Wars, and Patrick Stewart's return to Star Trek.

During this week's podcast Chauncey reflects on American dystopia, Donald Trump, and the alleged sex crimes of United States Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. And Chauncey also shares an email from a reader/listener about if America under Trump is becoming like Nazi Germany.

Spoiler alert! There is some bonus Predator themed content at the end of this week's show.

This episode with Carl Hart and Alasdair Stuart can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here.