Episode 200 - The Rise of the War on Drugs 2.0: This Time It's Different, We Promise
\u201cSen. Chuck Schumer warns drug dealers are pushing rainbow fentanyl to children,\u201d CBS News cries. \u201c'It's very challenging': Inside the fentanyl fight at the border,\u201d ABC News reports. \u201cThe hard-drug decriminalization disaster,\u201d New York Times columnist Bret Stephens laments.
In recent years, we\u2019ve been warned about the growing threat of hyperpotent street drugs, particularly opioids. Fentanyl is disguised as Halloween candy to appeal to children. US Border Patrol doesn\u2019t have enough resources to keep up with drug screenings. Efforts to decriminalize drug use and possession are causing chaos and suffering on our streets.\xa0
The dangers of drugs like fentanyl are, of course, very real, and concerns about them are certainly legitimate. But too often, media framings don\u2019t reflect genuine concerns. Rather than offering urgent solutions to help those who are truly struggling-like reduced penalties, or stable housing and healthcare\u2013media, alongside policymakers, consistently promote the same old carceral logic of the Nixon-era War on Drugs, turning a true public-health crisis into an opportunity to increase arrests and policing in general.
On this episode, we look at the War on Drugs 2.0: This Time It\u2019s Different We Promise, and how, despite lofty liberal rhetoric about how the War on Drugs has been cruel and counterproductive, media and elected officials are doubling down on fear-mongering, stigmatization, and severe prison and punishment.\xa0
Our guest is Emily Kaltenbach.