1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,519 Speaker 1: This is the war on drugs. Yes, this is your war. 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: This is your war on drugs. This is your brain 3 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,400 Speaker 1: on the war on drugs. And this is our classic 4 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: episode on the War on drugs. You could you could 5 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 1: write a book about this. Many people have and some 6 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: of those books are very good. In this episode, we're 7 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: exploring not just the modern idea of the war on drugs, 8 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: but all the precedents that led us to the current situation. 9 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: And uh spoiler alert. You know, we don't really solve 10 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 1: the problem, I think, but we do build a case 11 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: for conspiracy. And you know what, there's not much else 12 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:40,519 Speaker 1: to say. Let's jump right into it. From UFOs two 13 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,519 Speaker 1: ghosts and government cover ups, histories writ with unexplained events. 14 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,599 Speaker 1: You can turn back now or learn the stuff they 15 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: don't want me to now. Hello, and welcome back to 16 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: the show. My name is Matt and I'm Ben not 17 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: a cop Boland and over there is Noel Brown. Ladies 18 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 1: and gentlemen are famous super producer Noel Brown. Could we 19 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: get some sirens at the top of your mild? Perfect? 20 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: Oh why why are there cops here? Well, that's one 21 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: of the reasons why I said that I am not 22 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: a cop. But I'm not so sure about you. Met. Uh, Today, 23 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 1: we have some sirens and some imaginary police officers here 24 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: to help us out with a very sticky, controversial subject, 25 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 1: ladies and gentlemen, the war on drugs. Well, let's get 26 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: right into it. What the heck is it? Where did 27 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: it come from? How did it start? Oh? Yeah, okay, 28 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:46,759 Speaker 1: So the phrase the war on drugs is actually not 29 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:51,240 Speaker 1: that old. It goes back to nineteen seventy one. On 30 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: June the president of the time, Richard Nixon, held a 31 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: press conference, and this was the day after he had 32 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: given a special message to the Congress on drug abuse 33 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: Prevention and Control. So during this press conference, Matt he 34 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: says that drug abuse is public enemy number one, and 35 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,239 Speaker 1: he says that he's going to devote more money to here. 36 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: Here's the first time he was ever said the war 37 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: on drugs. So this phrase the war on drugs really 38 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 1: just got taken up by the media and it was 39 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: used all over the place. Um, and the way we 40 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: think about the war on drugs now in at least 41 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 1: when we're putting this out, is a little different than 42 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: maybe the way it was presented at the time. In 43 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: the beginning, it was you know, about trying to help 44 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:45,839 Speaker 1: people rehabilitate drug users. Uh, it was about preventing new 45 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: addicts from getting addicted. Um. But that kind of that message, 46 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: let's say, UM was kind of put in different places, 47 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,519 Speaker 1: and we'll go maybe go over some of those other organizations, 48 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: but it was focused on just the word war focuses 49 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: you on like battle guns, like create all kinds of 50 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: crazy things. At least those images are are created in 51 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: your head when you hear that phrase, right, Yeah. And 52 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: it's also a war on an idea, which is what 53 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,359 Speaker 1: what drug use. I guess you could argue that it's 54 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,119 Speaker 1: a war on a specific thing, but I think it's 55 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:31,359 Speaker 1: more a war on an activity, which is people using drugs. 56 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: And you make a very interesting point about portraying this 57 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: as a war sort of criminalize is that people who 58 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: are addicted, and in other countries addiction is often treated 59 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 1: like a disease. Right. Uh. But we know, as you said, 60 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: that the war on drugs has evolved from its rehabilitative 61 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 1: aims that that we're part of it. I mean, they 62 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: always wanted to criminalize drugs, but part of it was 63 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: rehab alitation and helping with community oriented solutions. But today guys, 64 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: the war on drugs in the United States takes an 65 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: estimated fifty one billion with a B dollars of the 66 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: US budget. That's according to the Drug Policy Alliance. And 67 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: for everybody who's listening now and saying, you, guys, don't 68 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:24,040 Speaker 1: be shallow. The war on drugs didn't start in the seventies. 69 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: It goes way way back. Well, we know, we looked 70 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: into it. Oh absolutely, Uh. The US has always had 71 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 1: an adversarial relationship with drugs because you know, we we 72 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: think of drugs as a bad thing, an immoral thing 73 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:43,359 Speaker 1: to do, at least in the moral code of let's 74 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:48,359 Speaker 1: say Christianity, just as one yeah, as one example, um, 75 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:51,239 Speaker 1: something you're not supposed to do. So the first drug 76 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: laws actually surfaced way back in the eighteen sixties. Yeah, 77 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 1: those books. Yeah, those were opium related, I think, um, 78 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: and those were local as well, right then. The first 79 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:05,599 Speaker 1: law that restricted drugs on like a national level was 80 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:09,719 Speaker 1: the Harrison Narcotics Act of nineteen fourteen, and that was 81 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: related to again opium, was trying to tax opium as 82 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: well as cocaine. Yeah, and at this time we see 83 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 1: cocaine being illegal unless you are an individual or a 84 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 1: company with a license now I have Uh, I have 85 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,919 Speaker 1: no real idea and full disclosure, Matt Noel and I 86 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 1: are not drug dealers, nor to my knowledge, drug addicts. Well, 87 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:38,480 Speaker 1: I got caffeine. I got a caffeine monkey. Yeah, I've 88 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: got several that are currently legal. Okay, all right, um, 89 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:47,280 Speaker 1: but we know that, you know, the idea that an 90 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: individual could get a license got to be crazy, Like 91 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 1: that guy had the best pickup line at the bar, right, 92 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: It's like, oh here, let me show you my license. 93 00:05:56,160 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: I've got my opium license. Yeah. Yeah. So let's as 94 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: fast forward past alcohol prohibition, that huge debacle from nineteen 95 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: thirty three. Because it did not work. It did give 96 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: us several political dynasties that started out as criminals. Oh yeah, 97 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: tons of those, and fun little secret bars that are 98 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 1: really popular now, speakeasies that you can go to and 99 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: find a hidden door somewhere, the cottage industry of creative 100 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:27,839 Speaker 1: people making moonshine, I mean prohibition. Uh, this is a 101 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:30,360 Speaker 1: scary thing. It will come up later and many ways. 102 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: Prohibition was fantastic for parts of the U. S. Economy, 103 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 1: but at the same time it had a bloody history. 104 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,600 Speaker 1: There were so many people died during prohibition. Uh, not 105 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:45,360 Speaker 1: only from being shot by authorities or authorities being shot 106 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 1: by uh you know, moonshiners or whoever is trying to 107 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 1: make the stuff a bootleggers, people getting killed from poisoned 108 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:58,160 Speaker 1: alcohol and yeah, rock gout alcohol that wasn't made correctly. 109 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: Yeah that because without going into all of the specifics 110 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 1: of how to create moonshine, um, which some which my 111 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: family knows about. Uh, we can point you to I 112 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: believe stuff you should know as an episode on moonshine, 113 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: and they do a great job explaining how to make 114 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: this uh strange, fantastic, potentially blinding drink. But we do 115 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:27,160 Speaker 1: know that marijuana was also one of the things that 116 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: fell under the purview of drug laws, the Marijuana Transfer 117 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,560 Speaker 1: Tax Act, And this thing has its own bunch of 118 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: conspiracy theories, right Matt, it passed in What were some 119 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: of the theories about why it's illegal. Well, there are 120 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:45,000 Speaker 1: a couple of theories about hemp um and hemp production 121 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: and how that might take over other textile industries at 122 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 1: the time, cotton specifically. Yeah, I remember that at the time. 123 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: The the idea is that at the time William Randolph 124 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 1: Hurst newspaper tycoon. I love the word tycoon, get to 125 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: use it very often, but this guy was legit tycoon. 126 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:07,800 Speaker 1: He there could have been a William Randolph Hurst tycoon 127 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:10,280 Speaker 1: video game. Yeah. I wonder if they're going to come 128 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: out with a Simhurst or something. Uh. Anyhow, this so 129 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 1: this Hurst guy, as the story goes, and listeners most 130 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: of you already know this. As the story goes, this 131 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 1: guy owned acres acres and acres and acres of timber, 132 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:30,640 Speaker 1: and with the invention of a new device, decourse Raider 133 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 1: or something himp, all of a sudden became a primary 134 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:39,000 Speaker 1: competitor and was a more efficient plant for the creation 135 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: of paper right and other industrial products rope, et cetera. Uh. 136 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: And that the story goes that Hurst cooperated with some 137 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: of his other buddies in power to shut down the industry, 138 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:57,199 Speaker 1: the burgeoning marijuana or himp industry, and one of the 139 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 1: ways they did that was to put out propaganda pieces 140 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: about the Remember the I think I think one of 141 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:06,680 Speaker 1: the ones we ran in our marijuana video was the 142 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:14,040 Speaker 1: devil weed weed. Yeah. It preyed upon these horrible, horrible 143 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: depictions of like, uh, the caricatures of people who were 144 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:27,319 Speaker 1: Mexican and they were drawn as these like pseudo human 145 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 1: monsters that were, of course, you know, all after the 146 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:34,160 Speaker 1: white women. And if yeah, and if if a young 147 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 1: lady of otherwise good moral standing was foolish enough to 148 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 1: smoke Reefer in a jazz club, oh man, you the 149 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:46,200 Speaker 1: terrible things that would happen to her, It's the end 150 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,079 Speaker 1: of America right there, right, yeah, it is. So we 151 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: know that this, um, we know that there are other 152 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:57,080 Speaker 1: conspiracy theories that maybe this was something to do with 153 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: the depots and the invention of nylon and then wanted 154 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:05,040 Speaker 1: to use that instead. Most of these conspiracy theories are 155 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: related to industrial competition, but have not been conclusively proven. 156 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 1: At this point, I think it's important to say that, yeah, absolutely, 157 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:18,120 Speaker 1: there are holes in some of those stories. There are holes. 158 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: But you know, on the other side, they do point 159 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:24,640 Speaker 1: to just the powerful trying to remain powerful. I mean, 160 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:29,079 Speaker 1: somebody paid for those propaganda pieces, right of Marijuana Madness, 161 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: which is um. That reminds me of that that film 162 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:36,000 Speaker 1: Reefer Madness. Always see that. Oh yeah, I have a 163 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:39,280 Speaker 1: copy of it on my computer. Actually, I think that 164 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 1: you know, I'm not gonna name names, but one of 165 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,079 Speaker 1: my extended family members watched this, and I don't think 166 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 1: they understood it was a comedy. Yeah yeah, I don't 167 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: know how you couldn't get it. Uh yeah, I guess 168 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 1: you're just if you don't have the right frame older 169 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:58,040 Speaker 1: person to I mean, I felt like that had to 170 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: he said. But okay, So we have this history of 171 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:06,360 Speaker 1: all these different attempts to um criminalize, prohibit, or completely 172 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:11,440 Speaker 1: eradicate drugs and drug trades. Here's the million dollar question. 173 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 1: Has the war on drugs worked? Well? Listener, what do 174 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:20,720 Speaker 1: you think since nine seventy one the drug war has 175 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 1: officially been on, It's been waged. We're in the middle 176 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:26,440 Speaker 1: of it right now, front lines. Well not US, but 177 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: like the d hopefully not US, hopefully never US. No. 178 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:36,080 Speaker 1: But but honestly, do you think the just sitting there 179 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:38,960 Speaker 1: listening to this, do you think the availability of drugs 180 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 1: has increased or decreased since n Well, the answer is 181 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:50,839 Speaker 1: it's increased a lot, depending on which drugs we're talking about. Right. Sure, 182 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:55,079 Speaker 1: there are a couple of drugs that slipped through the cracks. Uh, Ludes, 183 00:11:56,760 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 1: Coludes were a prescription drugs. Good point, Yeah, I mean 184 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: because my example, um yeah, and we'll explore some uh, 185 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:08,959 Speaker 1: some different arguments for against prohibition and whether or not 186 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: it is effective. Because any any law that criminalizes a drug, right, 187 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 1: whether it be caffeine, adderall, crack, cocaine, or coludes. Uh, 188 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 1: that is essentially prohibitive law. It's you cannot do something 189 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 1: versus a you must do something. So, so if we 190 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 1: ask has the war on drugs worked? Very interesting thing here, 191 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:38,960 Speaker 1: my friends, because what we're really what we're really answering there, Uh, 192 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 1: it depends on who you are as whether or not 193 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:44,280 Speaker 1: it's worked. So if the goal was to stop the 194 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:49,079 Speaker 1: availability of drugs, as you said, then clearly that hasn't happened. 195 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:53,640 Speaker 1: I mean, teenagers and multiple polls find it easier to 196 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 1: get marijuana or cocaine than it is to buy alcohol, 197 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 1: which is legal. You know. Yeah, you need an idea 198 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:02,960 Speaker 1: to get alcohol, or you know at least somebody who 199 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:04,559 Speaker 1: will go in there and get it for you, Yeah, 200 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 1: whereas you just need to go to the right like 201 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:11,160 Speaker 1: fish concert to get spot yeah, or I mean just 202 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:15,600 Speaker 1: college campus or wherever. I mean, it's it's it's terrifying. Yeah, 203 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:20,320 Speaker 1: it's terrifying how available that's any of those drugs are, right, 204 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 1: because it shows that things don't work. But what if 205 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:29,079 Speaker 1: the goal of US drug policy isn't about eradicating the 206 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 1: drug trade? What do you mean? Of course it is. 207 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:37,120 Speaker 1: Here's where it gets crazy. After a word from our 208 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:49,120 Speaker 1: sponsors and we are back. Okay, So we left off saying, 209 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:54,520 Speaker 1: what if the US drug policy goals weren't necessarily oriented 210 00:13:54,559 --> 00:13:57,040 Speaker 1: towards eradicating the drug trade? What if they were more 211 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:02,760 Speaker 1: towards managing it or using it to do something else, like, oh, 212 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:07,320 Speaker 1: I don't know, increase budgets or police departments and federal 213 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:11,760 Speaker 1: agencies across the board. Yeah, that's true. That's a definite 214 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:14,760 Speaker 1: thing that has happened. If you if you think the 215 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: war on drugs is a failure, right, uh, then you 216 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:21,240 Speaker 1: are like three out of four Americans in two thousand 217 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:25,160 Speaker 1: and eight. How insane is that? Right? In democracies Now, 218 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 1: the US is a republic, but in a democratic system, 219 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: a number that high is supposed to be a clear message, 220 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 1: right yeah, um, depending upon who they're representing at the time. 221 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:43,880 Speaker 1: We know that the war on drugs created soaring incarceration rates. 222 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:46,600 Speaker 1: We've got some scary numbers about it. That's right. Then, 223 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:51,000 Speaker 1: with just five percent of the total world population. The 224 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:56,440 Speaker 1: US has twenty of the world's prisoners, so that means 225 00:14:56,480 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 1: that proportionately we lead the world just hugely, big time. 226 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:07,040 Speaker 1: We live for people who use the word freedom so 227 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 1: often in conversations. I know how cynical this sounds. We 228 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 1: put a lot of people in jail, it doesn't matter 229 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 1: what your political stances. We put a lot of people 230 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:17,160 Speaker 1: in jail. And then a lot of people are there 231 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: for drug offenses. And we don't do it for everybody. 232 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:25,440 Speaker 1: Ben as most of us know, um, dis Disproportionately, these 233 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:32,040 Speaker 1: laws end up in prisoning minorities like way more than 234 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:35,320 Speaker 1: let's say, white people. Ah. Yes, So just for some 235 00:15:35,400 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: perspective here, in two thousand eight, Washington Post found that 236 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:42,120 Speaker 1: of the one point five million Americans arrested each year 237 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: for drugs, half a million would be incarcerated five hundred 238 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 1: thousand a year. And of those five hundred thousand, uh, 239 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 1: the majority are going to be minorities, especially African Americans. 240 00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: So this translates to one in five Black Americans uh. 241 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 1: In estimation, one in five Black Americans spending time behind 242 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 1: bars due to drug laws. And these kind of statistics 243 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: they're overwhelming, first of all, but they're also leading people, UH, 244 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:16,200 Speaker 1: such as Michelle Alexander, who's a critic. She says that 245 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 1: mass in car incarceration is kind of the new Jim Crow, which, 246 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: if we remember the Jim Crow laws, they were meant 247 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: to I don't know a good way to say, it's 248 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:31,280 Speaker 1: stifle the African American UH set of rights. Right. Yeah, 249 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 1: Jim Crow laws come in, UH, you know, in the 250 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 1: period between slavery and UH legalized quality thinks to civil rights. 251 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:44,840 Speaker 1: Jim Crow laws were another way to repress and manage 252 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 1: the United States black population, UH through what was in 253 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:55,960 Speaker 1: many ways systematized enslavement under a different name. I mean, 254 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,560 Speaker 1: we're not talking a lot of people. They hear Jim 255 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 1: Crow law and they think separate water fountains, right, separate restrooms, 256 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:07,440 Speaker 1: separate entrances. But this is also something like enforced work. Right. 257 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:11,160 Speaker 1: You are locked up for an arbitrary reason and then 258 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:15,359 Speaker 1: made to work for uh some of the same companies 259 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:19,160 Speaker 1: and in early days, some of the same people who 260 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:20,639 Speaker 1: thought it was a good idea to have slaves in 261 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:23,000 Speaker 1: the first place. Yeah. It's interesting to use the word 262 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: management again, Ben, because it's something that we're finding throughout 263 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 1: this this series here just trying to manage manage populations 264 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:34,080 Speaker 1: in this weird way without showing the hand of the 265 00:17:34,119 --> 00:17:39,000 Speaker 1: manager because the laws to meet are these rigid structures. Um, 266 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:43,560 Speaker 1: they're faceless. Yeah, it's their ideas, so that I think 267 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:45,960 Speaker 1: that's a really good point. Now I want to be 268 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:50,000 Speaker 1: completely fair and point out that later on in the podcast, 269 00:17:50,119 --> 00:17:55,840 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about the arguments for this prohibition. Right, 270 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 1: and clearly, clearly not everyone thinks that there is some 271 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:09,119 Speaker 1: overarching conspiracy to re enslave um the black population, minority populations. 272 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:12,560 Speaker 1: So one of the questions there is, um, is this 273 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 1: disproportionate incarceration occurring on purpose or is it the culmination 274 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 1: of a bunch of short term decisions such as politicians 275 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,399 Speaker 1: who want to be tough on crime. That's great for votes, 276 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:31,639 Speaker 1: right and uh? And also a socioeconomic situation of vast 277 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 1: swass of a population. That's true. Yeah, So what what 278 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:41,359 Speaker 1: is the cause? Is there and orchestrated cause here? And 279 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:46,480 Speaker 1: are drug laws excuse me, our drug laws part of this? 280 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:50,280 Speaker 1: You know, some drugs have been disproportionately legislated. And I'm 281 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:51,680 Speaker 1: sure a lot of people are waiting for us to 282 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:55,480 Speaker 1: get to this. Uh. The famous one hundred to one 283 00:18:55,520 --> 00:19:02,400 Speaker 1: sentencing disparity for possession of crack cocaine. Verse is powder cocaine? Uh? 284 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:06,000 Speaker 1: That's crazy talk. Yeah, and what causes that? Why the 285 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:08,200 Speaker 1: heck is that even a thing? Is it some kind 286 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:12,200 Speaker 1: of media based panic, like a racial bias that's happening 287 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 1: in the media, um or even in the law enforcement system. Yeah, 288 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:20,399 Speaker 1: that's a good question. Uh. I everything that I've heard 289 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:24,320 Speaker 1: of crack sounds terrifying to me. It's one of those 290 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: it's one of those things where just I'm not passing 291 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,120 Speaker 1: judgment on people met but it's one of those things 292 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:33,359 Speaker 1: where I always wonder, like, what is the thought process 293 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:36,000 Speaker 1: that makes you say, you know, what is a good 294 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:43,520 Speaker 1: idea today? Crack cocaine? Yeah? I have some unfortunately personal experiences, uh, 295 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,160 Speaker 1: dealing with somebody who's addicted to crack cocaine that I'm 296 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:48,600 Speaker 1: not going to talk about right here, but I can 297 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:52,120 Speaker 1: just say that it is pretty freaking horrendous and it's 298 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:55,960 Speaker 1: definitely not you know, I just want to establish it's 299 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:59,879 Speaker 1: it's not it's not you, it's not null. Wait is 300 00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 1: it me? Did I black out and do some crack? So? 301 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,440 Speaker 1: I mean, we're making light of a very serious thing, 302 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:09,600 Speaker 1: but The truth of the matter is that for a 303 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: long time, this this sort of disparity in sentencing resulted 304 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:19,600 Speaker 1: in a lot of people who had the same amount 305 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:22,960 Speaker 1: of cocaine in a in a crack form going to 306 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,920 Speaker 1: jail for much much longer if the cocaine possessor even 307 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:29,879 Speaker 1: went to jail at all. Yeah, because the truth is 308 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,399 Speaker 1: right that they found that there were demographics to drug 309 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:39,720 Speaker 1: use and uh, people empower would probably not smoke crack, 310 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,960 Speaker 1: but they might do cocaine, and they got lighter sentencing 311 00:20:44,119 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 1: until what two thousand ten, Yeah, and two thousands ten 312 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:52,160 Speaker 1: Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act to try at least 313 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 1: and reduce this disparity. We'll see if it works out. 314 00:20:56,960 --> 00:20:59,639 Speaker 1: So I want to go back to what you said 315 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,320 Speaker 1: earlier because you made one of the biggest and best 316 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:04,000 Speaker 1: points that I know a lot of people are waiting 317 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: for out there, which is a financial interest in the 318 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: drug war. The idea that the war on drugs is 319 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:18,359 Speaker 1: a um a guaranteed boon or piece of the American economy. 320 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 1: I mean, what do you think. I absolutely believe that. Um. 321 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:27,840 Speaker 1: I mean, the economy as a whole seems to churn 322 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:30,000 Speaker 1: on a couple of different things. And one of them 323 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:33,560 Speaker 1: is the drug trade because of the law enforcement angle 324 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 1: and the incarceration efforts. And think about the private prisons 325 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:40,840 Speaker 1: now and the amount of money that goes into and 326 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,359 Speaker 1: comes out of private prisons. I guess also it's a 327 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:51,560 Speaker 1: it's a boon to the legislative industry or litical litigious industry. Yeah, well, 328 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:54,879 Speaker 1: the drug a drug or drugs in general is a 329 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 1: great enemy to have to wage a war on, at 330 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:02,320 Speaker 1: least from that endpoint, because like you said, it's nameless, 331 00:22:02,359 --> 00:22:05,480 Speaker 1: it's faceless, it doesn't really ever die. Like, how how 332 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:08,480 Speaker 1: do you extinguish Druggs completely? I just can I go 333 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:12,680 Speaker 1: on a right here. If we were to wage wars 334 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:15,960 Speaker 1: on ideas, I would like to wage wars on things 335 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:21,160 Speaker 1: like literacy, things like a war on uh, a war 336 00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:25,040 Speaker 1: on water contamination, a war on poverty would be a 337 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:26,960 Speaker 1: great thing for a lot of Americans. And you're a 338 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:30,120 Speaker 1: good hearted person. Well, I'd never be elected, but thank 339 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: you for saying so. And I think I think earlier 340 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: another US president did declare a war on poverty, but 341 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,639 Speaker 1: it didn't carry as much attention. Yeah, there's not a 342 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:44,360 Speaker 1: lot of money in stopping prop poverty. There's a lot 343 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:47,320 Speaker 1: of money that comes out. Yeah, there's a lot of 344 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:52,480 Speaker 1: money invested in arresting marijuana users. In two thousand nine 345 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:58,160 Speaker 1: h the US spent and estimated seven billion dollars arresting 346 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,440 Speaker 1: people for what I am at egine is I imagine 347 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:08,720 Speaker 1: that's everything. So that's like possession, distribution growing, I guess too. Uh. 348 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:13,119 Speaker 1: And we know that drugs are also pretty good source 349 00:23:13,119 --> 00:23:16,159 Speaker 1: of profit while they were illegal, right, oh yeah, because 350 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 1: inside this black market, the demand is never changed really 351 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 1: for drugs over time. There's always somebody, like a lot 352 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:27,439 Speaker 1: of people who want drugs. And if you if you 353 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:30,840 Speaker 1: control the market that you know, there aren't a lot 354 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 1: of competitors. You're making money. We're looking at profit margins 355 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,880 Speaker 1: I mean over oh yeah, easily. And you know, there's 356 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:44,520 Speaker 1: a question about whether drug cartels would want US drug 357 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:47,680 Speaker 1: laws to change. You know, if it became legal, then 358 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:52,920 Speaker 1: the people swooping in would be multinational corporations with one 359 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:57,560 Speaker 1: hell of a war chest. Yeah, and taxes, I mean 360 00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 1: tax money out of you. So yeah, there's a huge 361 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:04,399 Speaker 1: incentive to perhaps that is that is weird, that's an 362 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:08,040 Speaker 1: angle I've never thought about the incentive of the cartels 363 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:11,280 Speaker 1: to maintain the drug war. Yeah, I wonder, I wonder 364 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 1: if it's true. Now. You know, we have some listeners 365 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:18,920 Speaker 1: in our audience who are in law enforcement. And one 366 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:22,280 Speaker 1: thing I think happens that is unfair that we should 367 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:25,359 Speaker 1: talk about here is that a lot of the people 368 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:29,000 Speaker 1: that you know, you will meet if you just are 369 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 1: on the street level, taking a street level look at crime. Right, 370 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:38,400 Speaker 1: A lot of the people who are responsible for arresting someone, right, 371 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,479 Speaker 1: they don't make the laws. It's their job. They have 372 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:44,720 Speaker 1: to do it, you know, It's it's probably criminal for 373 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:48,439 Speaker 1: them not to. And I think it's strange that these people, 374 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: these people who are on the front lines of the 375 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:55,000 Speaker 1: war on drunks, right, Uh, they're the ones who get 376 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 1: so much of the criticism and so much of the flak. 377 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:00,880 Speaker 1: And you know, it's the same aime with the street 378 00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:04,040 Speaker 1: level drug dealers, right, they get most of the prison time, 379 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:07,120 Speaker 1: but not the guys at the top of the pyramid, 380 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:09,600 Speaker 1: you know, on the other side. And you have to 381 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:14,600 Speaker 1: wonder sometimes how often the tops of these two competing 382 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:19,360 Speaker 1: pyramids talk, right, and if they work in unison. Uh, 383 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:24,080 Speaker 1: that's you know, that's the bigcy that that's the that's 384 00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 1: the big question. Um. So what I wanted to ask you, Matt, 385 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:33,240 Speaker 1: is if we could talk a little bit about some 386 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:36,399 Speaker 1: of the drug war stuff that we have covered in 387 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:40,720 Speaker 1: our past videos. We have a whole bunch, right Um. 388 00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:43,960 Speaker 1: I'm trying to think just the numbers. I remember in 389 00:25:44,119 --> 00:25:46,920 Speaker 1: our original War on Drugs episode where we had the 390 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:49,480 Speaker 1: little ticker in the side that shows how much money 391 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:51,800 Speaker 1: is being spent by the US government on the war 392 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 1: on drugs. Yeah, real time while you're watching the video, 393 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:57,119 Speaker 1: and it was it wasn't a huge amount. I think 394 00:25:57,119 --> 00:26:00,240 Speaker 1: it was five dollars a second. I think that's what 395 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,680 Speaker 1: it was. I mean, when you hear that, it sounds 396 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:04,440 Speaker 1: like a lot of money for you or I or 397 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,800 Speaker 1: most of the people listening except for that one other 398 00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:13,120 Speaker 1: tycoon remember from the Bahamas. Yeah yeah, anyway, yeah, ready, 399 00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:16,000 Speaker 1: uh no, but okay, so it doesn't sound like that 400 00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:18,200 Speaker 1: much money. But then when you when you look at it, 401 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:20,920 Speaker 1: you watch this video which is only three and a half, 402 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:23,640 Speaker 1: I forget how many it is, but you just see 403 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:26,120 Speaker 1: this massive number at the end, you realize, my god, 404 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:27,960 Speaker 1: the amount of time it took me to watch this video, 405 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:32,400 Speaker 1: a hundred thousand dollars which just spent. Well, here's let's 406 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:34,919 Speaker 1: change directions a little bit then, because this leads us 407 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:40,840 Speaker 1: to a great question arguments for against prohibition. Uh, do 408 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 1: you think that the current drug laws work or that 409 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 1: there I guess that the system in place is preferable 410 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,240 Speaker 1: to other systems. Well, like you said, the system right 411 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:59,800 Speaker 1: now arrests pawns, and it gets pawns, you know, and 412 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:01,920 Speaker 1: and is a horrible way to look at it, but 413 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:05,600 Speaker 1: pawns in the police department, the guys on the front lines, 414 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:08,680 Speaker 1: the little man who's actually out there trying to fight 415 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:11,959 Speaker 1: the war gets killed, you know, and the low level 416 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:15,360 Speaker 1: drug dealer gets arrested or killed. I don't think that 417 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:20,119 Speaker 1: works to solve anything. That just creates a perpetual pawn 418 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:25,440 Speaker 1: death thing. So just a war of attrition, Yeah, war 419 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 1: progress to me, that's that's what I see. And you're 420 00:27:28,359 --> 00:27:31,880 Speaker 1: saying in your saying ponds completely and I'm not solely 421 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:34,760 Speaker 1: in the chess game non interrogatory sense. I'm just you know, 422 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,480 Speaker 1: you're sending your low level guys out to fight a war, 423 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:40,960 Speaker 1: literally to fight a war, and you never get to 424 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:45,040 Speaker 1: see the bishop make an entrance. Now you would say, 425 00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 1: you know, it's interesting you say that because there are 426 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:51,280 Speaker 1: there are people who say that prohibition in the United 427 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 1: States does work because a smaller amount of our population 428 00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 1: uses opium, for instance, versus those who use something legal, 429 00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:05,719 Speaker 1: such as alcohol. So what what would you say to that. 430 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:08,160 Speaker 1: I guess this is what I would do. I would 431 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:12,359 Speaker 1: go into the argument about the health consequences of drug 432 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:16,240 Speaker 1: X versus drug Y. Okay, I see, So maybe schedule 433 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:19,879 Speaker 1: drugs based on that. Well, yeah, I mean, there are 434 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,640 Speaker 1: a lot of things you could schedule them on. It's 435 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:26,200 Speaker 1: just the way that drugs are currently scheduled. Even if 436 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:28,639 Speaker 1: we just look I mean, honestly, let's just look at 437 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:32,400 Speaker 1: marijuana versus alcohol. And this has been done so many times. 438 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:35,000 Speaker 1: You've heard this over and over all your listeners. But 439 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:39,920 Speaker 1: the known health effects of alcohol versus the known health 440 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:43,040 Speaker 1: effects of marijuana are there's a huge disparity there where. 441 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:45,280 Speaker 1: You know, with alcohol, you can if you consume enough, 442 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:48,720 Speaker 1: get alcohol poisoning. If you consume enough and you drive 443 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:51,800 Speaker 1: a vehicle or you know, use other heavy machinery, either 444 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:54,920 Speaker 1: way it impairs you, you are most likely going to 445 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:59,840 Speaker 1: hurt yourself or somebody else. Um, alcohol is legal. Alcohol 446 00:28:59,920 --> 00:29:02,160 Speaker 1: is good to go. On the other side, with marijuana, 447 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: a lot of the studies in there haven't been enough 448 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:07,120 Speaker 1: studies yet at least that we can cite. But it 449 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:09,360 Speaker 1: doesn't seem to have the same effects. You don't seem 450 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 1: to be able to overdose on it and die. Are 451 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 1: you saying those those posters from the thirties were wrong, 452 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: I'm saying they were propaganda? What no, I know, Come on, man, Jazz, 453 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:27,320 Speaker 1: really that's true. So I'm just messing with you. But 454 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:31,720 Speaker 1: but yeah, that's you know, that's a that's definitely a 455 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:35,080 Speaker 1: valid argument that I see there. Um. I know that 456 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:39,280 Speaker 1: when I've spoken to people who are law enforcement officers, 457 00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 1: the vast majority of them would rather not have to 458 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:50,200 Speaker 1: waste time and paperwork busting somebody with, you know, a 459 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:55,080 Speaker 1: dime bag of pot or something. Because there are people 460 00:29:55,160 --> 00:30:00,160 Speaker 1: out there stealing cars, attacking the elderly, things like at 461 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:03,560 Speaker 1: that should clearly be illegal. That's that's where I would 462 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 1: draw the line, right, And a lot of people in 463 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:08,280 Speaker 1: the line of violent crime. Oh yeah, violent crime absolutely. 464 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: But that other thing you mentioned about cocaine versus crack picking, yeah, 465 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:17,520 Speaker 1: oh my gosh. I mean there have been numerous exposees 466 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:21,800 Speaker 1: about Washington, d c. And the amount of cocaine that 467 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:25,120 Speaker 1: goes around that city, and you know, not for any 468 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:27,760 Speaker 1: kind of miscreant, just running around on the south side 469 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:29,560 Speaker 1: of town or the north side of town. You're talking 470 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:34,040 Speaker 1: about the players, Yeah, yeah, the people in the houses 471 00:30:34,280 --> 00:30:37,800 Speaker 1: of power, whether corporate or governmental. You know, it's funny 472 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:39,479 Speaker 1: because one of the things I learned we're looking at 473 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:45,920 Speaker 1: this practice was that the human species at large seems 474 00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:49,680 Speaker 1: to go like nuts over cocaine. Were like that bird 475 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:54,120 Speaker 1: in that Coco puffs, Uh, that Coco puffscot is like 476 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:57,520 Speaker 1: cuckoo for Coco puffs or whatever. Yeah, people are cuckoo 477 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:01,640 Speaker 1: for cocaine, you know. Uh. The Mayor Rob Ford was 478 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:04,880 Speaker 1: in the news a lot for his use of crack cocaine, 479 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:07,640 Speaker 1: so I assume that would be regular cocaine as well. Um. 480 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:10,320 Speaker 1: There was a weird study that came out of a 481 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:13,920 Speaker 1: few years back that said, um, I think there's some 482 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:18,960 Speaker 1: towns in Italy where so many people use cocaine that 483 00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:22,440 Speaker 1: you can find trace amounts of it in the water. Uh. 484 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 1: And you know they're always those statistics people like to 485 00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: whip out where they say, like of euros or dollars 486 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:32,920 Speaker 1: have traces of drugs and fecal matter on them and 487 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:36,800 Speaker 1: stuff so I don't know how how realistic that is. 488 00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:41,160 Speaker 1: But then again, I don't know how realistic it is 489 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:47,600 Speaker 1: to try to ban something that's so many people indulge in. 490 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:50,720 Speaker 1: The only kinds of prohibition that seemed to work for 491 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:54,800 Speaker 1: a long time in human history are religious prohibitions, like 492 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:59,719 Speaker 1: dietary restrictions, and it's because somebody's God has commanded them 493 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:03,840 Speaker 1: not too Yeah, so it's voluntary, right, But I don't know, 494 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:06,920 Speaker 1: I'm I'm ranting, I guess a little bit. It's just 495 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:09,320 Speaker 1: it's just strange to me. We haven't even talked about 496 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:13,680 Speaker 1: opium production in Afghanistan during the war, you know what. 497 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:17,320 Speaker 1: Let's talk about that next. But first pausible word from 498 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:31,920 Speaker 1: our sponsors. We're back. So the opium trade, the opium war, 499 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:36,400 Speaker 1: and the Afghanistan war, let's talk about it, man, Okay. Well, 500 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:42,880 Speaker 1: one thing that's interesting about the operations in Afghanistan, which 501 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:46,600 Speaker 1: I think most of the American public was on the 502 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:52,040 Speaker 1: same page this was these were operations to catch terrorists, right, 503 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:57,120 Speaker 1: They were after terrorists, and they were hoping to stem 504 00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:02,320 Speaker 1: the flow of terrorism. Uh at the time, one one 505 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 1: unforeseen side effect, at least most of the American public 506 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:10,280 Speaker 1: didn't see this coming was that opium production in Afghanistan increased. 507 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:15,160 Speaker 1: Their their number of possible factors for this. Uh. People 508 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:18,640 Speaker 1: who believe there's a conspiracy of foot will say that 509 00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:25,160 Speaker 1: UM intelligence agencies or private companies wanted to rest control 510 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:27,680 Speaker 1: of this of the you know, one of the world's 511 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:32,120 Speaker 1: prime opium sources and UH profit from it. But then 512 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:36,600 Speaker 1: other people would say, well, that's that's a little bit crazy. 513 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:41,080 Speaker 1: What's happening instead is that farmers in Afghanistan are finding 514 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:44,040 Speaker 1: that is more profitable to grow poppies than it is 515 00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:47,840 Speaker 1: to grow you know, other products. Right, Oh, yeah, it's 516 00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:52,760 Speaker 1: it's hugely profitable. And you have to think the thought 517 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:55,720 Speaker 1: of going into the opium fields the you know, and 518 00:33:55,840 --> 00:33:58,440 Speaker 1: we're talking this is one of the largest, if not 519 00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:02,120 Speaker 1: the largest opium deduction areas in the entire world, right 520 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:04,800 Speaker 1: in Afghanistan. So the idea of going in there is 521 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:07,880 Speaker 1: to stop that money that would be coming from the 522 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:11,800 Speaker 1: profit of the sale of that product to fun terrorism. 523 00:34:12,120 --> 00:34:14,480 Speaker 1: And now you've got the soldiers in there, and in 524 00:34:14,640 --> 00:34:18,400 Speaker 1: theory they're protecting it and making sure you know, I 525 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:22,200 Speaker 1: guess none gets sold or you I don't. I mean, 526 00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:25,920 Speaker 1: I I guess I just don't understand the operational like 527 00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:28,920 Speaker 1: what they're doing the goals. Yeah, you know, it's funny 528 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:30,840 Speaker 1: because and this is a bit of a tangent. We 529 00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:35,640 Speaker 1: can do an entirely different series about wars. But uh, 530 00:34:36,680 --> 00:34:39,359 Speaker 1: one thing that was interesting to me is that UM, 531 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:44,319 Speaker 1: before the United States became involved in Afghanistan, Uh, there 532 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:46,680 Speaker 1: were some discoveries that you and I have talked about 533 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:50,880 Speaker 1: about large amounts of what are called rare earth metals 534 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:57,040 Speaker 1: or minerals, and some of these deposits rival those found 535 00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:00,520 Speaker 1: in Mongolia, which is a huge source of rare earth 536 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:04,400 Speaker 1: materials UM and and rare earth material is sort of 537 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:09,400 Speaker 1: a misnomer because it's relatively rare in earth right in 538 00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:13,160 Speaker 1: the natural world. But if you live in an industrialized society, 539 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:16,839 Speaker 1: it is all around you in your smartphone and your microphone. 540 00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:18,920 Speaker 1: If it has a phone on it, then it probably 541 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:22,240 Speaker 1: has or if there's electronics, I mean, if there's a motherboard, 542 00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:25,040 Speaker 1: just there's some rare earth elements. So I've heard some 543 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:28,080 Speaker 1: people say that that was one of the actual aims 544 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:31,719 Speaker 1: of US intervention there. But if you check out our 545 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:36,120 Speaker 1: Great Game podcast, you will see how the Soviet Union 546 00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:41,120 Speaker 1: and the United States and the UK before it have 547 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:46,400 Speaker 1: always fought over this part of the world, Eurasia, Central Asia. 548 00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:52,520 Speaker 1: UM has always been a a huge piece of the 549 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:56,120 Speaker 1: global hegemonic pie that no one can seem to hold 550 00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:59,719 Speaker 1: for very long. Right. It's still really strange to me 551 00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:02,280 Speaker 1: that after all that and thinking about all those factors, 552 00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:08,279 Speaker 1: the fact is global opium production is at an all 553 00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:12,120 Speaker 1: time high. Yeah, it's increased. And we know that there 554 00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:14,520 Speaker 1: was a much earlier war on drugs, and we won't 555 00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:16,439 Speaker 1: talk too much about today because we have a video 556 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:18,520 Speaker 1: series about this coming out that you guys should check 557 00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:21,960 Speaker 1: out if you're interested, and that is on the opium wars, 558 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:27,520 Speaker 1: which don't get reported that much in Western textbooks nowadays. 559 00:36:28,040 --> 00:36:34,520 Speaker 1: Um maybe because it is such a a grossly unethical war. 560 00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:39,480 Speaker 1: UM Quick and Dirty reader's digest version here. Essentially, the 561 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:44,879 Speaker 1: West wanted to do more trade with China at the time, right, 562 00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:50,279 Speaker 1: And the problem was that the West, specifically Britain the 563 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:55,160 Speaker 1: United Kingdom, didn't have anything that China really wanted, right 564 00:36:56,080 --> 00:36:59,920 Speaker 1: except for opium because they still controlled that in the 565 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:05,080 Speaker 1: British Empire. So they started trying to uh make trade 566 00:37:05,239 --> 00:37:10,760 Speaker 1: with opium right and get the population addicted. And China 567 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:14,960 Speaker 1: had a problem with that and a war began because 568 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:17,520 Speaker 1: of that. It was it was literally a drug war. 569 00:37:18,840 --> 00:37:20,680 Speaker 1: And you're going to find out a lot more about 570 00:37:20,719 --> 00:37:23,040 Speaker 1: that in the video series, so stay tuned and then 571 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:25,560 Speaker 1: we will be making an audio podcast about that as well. 572 00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:28,200 Speaker 1: Yeah we probably should. Yeah, so I should stop talking 573 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:32,359 Speaker 1: about there, So let's instead talk a little bit more 574 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:36,600 Speaker 1: about conspiracy surrounding the war on drugs. Other criticisms are 575 00:37:36,719 --> 00:37:41,440 Speaker 1: that this creates a permanent underclass, that current drug policies, 576 00:37:42,120 --> 00:37:47,160 Speaker 1: in one way or another, accelerate inequality. Yeah, so now 577 00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:50,719 Speaker 1: you have a large part of the population that has 578 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:53,440 Speaker 1: to I mean that there isn't really much of a 579 00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:58,200 Speaker 1: way out of their let's say situation then to be 580 00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:01,160 Speaker 1: low level criminal, low level per and selling drugs because 581 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:04,480 Speaker 1: it's profitable enough in the short term to maybe get 582 00:38:04,560 --> 00:38:07,600 Speaker 1: you out of that that situation. Um. And then you've 583 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:10,200 Speaker 1: also got and I don't know how to how to 584 00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:13,600 Speaker 1: put this, but you have a huge amount of job 585 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:18,200 Speaker 1: openings for law enforcement, for low level law enforcement, um, 586 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:21,080 Speaker 1: because you need people to fight the battle on the 587 00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:25,200 Speaker 1: other side. M it's interesting, Yeah, the the entry level 588 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:28,360 Speaker 1: and just another thing, I don't know if you know 589 00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:31,000 Speaker 1: this or not, but police officers don't get paid very 590 00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:34,319 Speaker 1: well for the amount of risk they go through every day. Yeah, 591 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:37,600 Speaker 1: that is absolutely true. That's a that's a huge problem. 592 00:38:37,719 --> 00:38:41,759 Speaker 1: I would say that teachers and police officers, e m 593 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:45,680 Speaker 1: t s and firefighters are some of the most dramatically 594 00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:52,400 Speaker 1: underpaid people in US society. And while we're talking about 595 00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:57,080 Speaker 1: government jobs, Uh, let's go to one of your favorite 596 00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:01,080 Speaker 1: conspiracy theories, met and I guess in some cases it's 597 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 1: a conspiracy fact. Is it true, Matt, that government agencies 598 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:10,400 Speaker 1: have participated in the illegal drug trade? Ah? This is 599 00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:15,240 Speaker 1: a difficult thing to prove with cold heart evidence. Although 600 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:18,200 Speaker 1: if you if you know this one guy's name, you 601 00:39:18,320 --> 00:39:22,360 Speaker 1: might have a clue. Mr Gary Webb. Uh. He was 602 00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:26,560 Speaker 1: a journalist who stumbled upon a story that was probably 603 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:31,560 Speaker 1: too big for him or for any other singular person 604 00:39:31,719 --> 00:39:35,759 Speaker 1: to take on. So Gary discovered that, at least allegedly 605 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:41,600 Speaker 1: that the CIA was trafficking drugs, and uh he tried 606 00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:43,239 Speaker 1: to get the story out as much as he could. 607 00:39:43,440 --> 00:39:48,120 Speaker 1: He was largely discredited by a lot of his peers 608 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:51,719 Speaker 1: for trying to go forward with the story. Um, I 609 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:54,560 Speaker 1: don't want to spoil it. If you don't know what happened. 610 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:56,399 Speaker 1: To Gary Webb. I guess this would be the place 611 00:39:56,520 --> 00:39:59,560 Speaker 1: to hear about it. But check out our video series 612 00:39:59,640 --> 00:40:02,080 Speaker 1: right yeah, check, We've made a video episode about this. 613 00:40:02,760 --> 00:40:05,120 Speaker 1: But also there is a film I believe still in 614 00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:08,200 Speaker 1: theaters called Killed the Messenger that is all about the 615 00:40:08,239 --> 00:40:11,359 Speaker 1: Gary web story. That's true, and I've heard good things 616 00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:14,440 Speaker 1: about it. I haven't seen it yet, um, just because 617 00:40:15,520 --> 00:40:17,520 Speaker 1: you know, we had we had looked into it so much. 618 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:19,000 Speaker 1: I didn't want to be that guy in the movie 619 00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:23,800 Speaker 1: theater going what oh sure, because those people are annoying 620 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:26,160 Speaker 1: and uh, and we also know there have been other 621 00:40:26,239 --> 00:40:31,480 Speaker 1: implications of governmental shenanigans involving turning a blind eye to 622 00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:35,759 Speaker 1: the drug trade. There's been uh, conspiracy theories about every 623 00:40:35,840 --> 00:40:38,719 Speaker 1: aspect of the drug trade, including the idea that the 624 00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:44,879 Speaker 1: c i A purposefully marketed crack cocaine to impoverished minorities, 625 00:40:45,760 --> 00:40:50,879 Speaker 1: especially there in California, as a way of sending out 626 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:55,920 Speaker 1: the population or attempting to. And there are also allegations 627 00:40:55,960 --> 00:40:59,640 Speaker 1: that it was to be used to kind of break 628 00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:04,200 Speaker 1: up the Black Power movement. Um the because you know 629 00:41:04,280 --> 00:41:06,720 Speaker 1: they are they already kind of at least the FBI 630 00:41:06,840 --> 00:41:10,160 Speaker 1: worked on destroying the Black power movement by segmenting it up, 631 00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:13,360 Speaker 1: by turning all the different groups against each other, and 632 00:41:13,440 --> 00:41:14,960 Speaker 1: then you know, later on down the road to get 633 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:16,680 Speaker 1: cracked and you kind of do the same thing when 634 00:41:16,719 --> 00:41:19,960 Speaker 1: you have gangs formed. You know. I would like to 635 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:22,640 Speaker 1: hear from our listeners to hear if you guys think 636 00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:26,360 Speaker 1: that there is any proof to that um and we 637 00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:28,360 Speaker 1: are going to start heading out today. But I have 638 00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:30,840 Speaker 1: to ask you, Matt, if you were going to change 639 00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:33,960 Speaker 1: the US drug laws, what would you change and how? 640 00:41:35,800 --> 00:41:40,840 Speaker 1: Thanks Ben for that simple softball question. I'm just popping it. 641 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:44,960 Speaker 1: It's it's so soft. It's like I'm tossing your kitten 642 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:48,239 Speaker 1: to you and zero gravity. Alright, Well, Senator Frederick, would 643 00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:53,640 Speaker 1: uh would put forth legislation that would honestly, I would 644 00:41:53,800 --> 00:41:58,200 Speaker 1: probably want to. I mean, the best way to kill 645 00:41:58,239 --> 00:42:01,360 Speaker 1: a black market is to make it leagal, and I 646 00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:08,799 Speaker 1: think I think that's true currently Portugal. Huh like Portugal? Yeah, uh, 647 00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:13,600 Speaker 1: that's weird because they've They've become an often cited example. 648 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:16,680 Speaker 1: But do you think that all drugs then would be legal? 649 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:19,439 Speaker 1: Like would you want heroin to be legal? I would? 650 00:42:19,680 --> 00:42:22,319 Speaker 1: This is gosh, I sound I probably sound like an 651 00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:24,040 Speaker 1: idiot to many of you. But yeah, I would say 652 00:42:24,080 --> 00:42:26,399 Speaker 1: I would want heroin to be legal and it would 653 00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:28,719 Speaker 1: be on a shelf, and I wouldn't buy it the 654 00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:31,200 Speaker 1: same way. I wouldn't, you know, go in and try 655 00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:33,560 Speaker 1: and get xan X or something, or I wouldn't go 656 00:42:33,640 --> 00:42:36,319 Speaker 1: in and try and I don't know, get some other 657 00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:40,640 Speaker 1: high level drug that I don't need that's prescription right now. Um. 658 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:44,120 Speaker 1: I would view it that way. And then if somebody 659 00:42:44,719 --> 00:42:48,279 Speaker 1: really needs heroin because they're going to die if they 660 00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:50,840 Speaker 1: don't get it, you know, from the reactions of not 661 00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:55,160 Speaker 1: having it, then it's there. Um. And then I would 662 00:42:55,160 --> 00:42:59,560 Speaker 1: also Senator Frederick would introduce legislation that would focus on 663 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:05,440 Speaker 1: again rehabilitation, the idea that this looking at addiction differently, 664 00:43:05,680 --> 00:43:09,960 Speaker 1: not as a criminal activity, but as a chemical issue 665 00:43:10,040 --> 00:43:14,120 Speaker 1: with your body. I see, Yeah, that's that's pretty fair. Yeah. 666 00:43:14,480 --> 00:43:16,600 Speaker 1: I I don't know, I've been listening to too much 667 00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:18,960 Speaker 1: Russell Brand lately. He gets I mean, he he is 668 00:43:19,000 --> 00:43:22,200 Speaker 1: a has a really good insight into what it means 669 00:43:22,239 --> 00:43:24,440 Speaker 1: to be addicted to drugs. And you know, he is 670 00:43:24,440 --> 00:43:29,239 Speaker 1: a comedian and an actor, but he's lived for that life. Yeah, 671 00:43:29,239 --> 00:43:32,799 Speaker 1: and he's got a great show. We're actually pretty big fans. Yeah, 672 00:43:33,040 --> 00:43:36,360 Speaker 1: I watch it probably every day. Yeah, so we're actually 673 00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:39,640 Speaker 1: pretty big fansy years, Mr brand Uh, if you ever 674 00:43:39,760 --> 00:43:42,600 Speaker 1: want to hang out, let us let us know, please, 675 00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:44,439 Speaker 1: I don't know, if you ever happen to be down 676 00:43:44,560 --> 00:43:47,400 Speaker 1: this way down Atlanta way. Uh, you know what I 677 00:43:47,440 --> 00:43:51,520 Speaker 1: would like to try to do, Matt where I Senator Boland? Well, 678 00:43:51,640 --> 00:43:54,840 Speaker 1: I guess this wouldn't really work in a democracy and 679 00:43:54,920 --> 00:44:00,120 Speaker 1: need to be a dictator, umator. I mean sure all 680 00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:03,239 Speaker 1: dictators are like kind of benevolent during the honeymoon period. Right, 681 00:44:03,719 --> 00:44:06,200 Speaker 1: Here's the way I would do, just for like a 682 00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:10,840 Speaker 1: year or two, I would make everything illegal, everything, every 683 00:44:10,960 --> 00:44:14,360 Speaker 1: single thing, and turn the country into a prison. The 684 00:44:14,440 --> 00:44:18,560 Speaker 1: whole country. Everybody's under arrest. What did you do? Don't answer, 685 00:44:18,600 --> 00:44:21,759 Speaker 1: it was against the law. And then I'd slowly start 686 00:44:21,800 --> 00:44:24,640 Speaker 1: to make things legal again and let some people out 687 00:44:24,719 --> 00:44:28,320 Speaker 1: of this massive prisons. Everybody stays in the country in 688 00:44:28,440 --> 00:44:32,040 Speaker 1: or out. We're like Madagascar and pandemic and uh, you know, 689 00:44:32,800 --> 00:44:36,200 Speaker 1: slowly ease back into some things and then you know, 690 00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:39,359 Speaker 1: see which one is the trigger point? You go start 691 00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:43,040 Speaker 1: with walking outside is now legal again, and people can 692 00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:47,479 Speaker 1: walk outside only between three and four, because you gotta 693 00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:51,960 Speaker 1: start small, repeal all this stuff at once. Now, of course, 694 00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:54,319 Speaker 1: ladies and gentlemen, I hope you understand that I am 695 00:44:54,440 --> 00:44:57,600 Speaker 1: joking and that is a terrible, terrible form policy. If 696 00:44:57,640 --> 00:45:01,560 Speaker 1: there are any world leaders in the audience today, please please, 697 00:45:01,640 --> 00:45:05,680 Speaker 1: please please do not make everything illegal just to see 698 00:45:05,760 --> 00:45:09,600 Speaker 1: what would happen. Thank you for putting that idea into 699 00:45:09,640 --> 00:45:11,719 Speaker 1: their brains. Now, man, I look forward to in twenty 700 00:45:11,800 --> 00:45:16,600 Speaker 1: years when somebody goes, you know, let's do it. Why not, 701 00:45:16,880 --> 00:45:19,520 Speaker 1: why don't we just make everything illegal? Um? But then 702 00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:22,400 Speaker 1: there's a question, what would happen to the economy. For instance, 703 00:45:22,440 --> 00:45:25,560 Speaker 1: if if all drugs were legal in the United States, Uh, 704 00:45:25,640 --> 00:45:30,719 Speaker 1: there would be a massive shift in the economy. Um. 705 00:45:30,840 --> 00:45:35,560 Speaker 1: And that is something to consider. Also, quit plug for Freakonomics. 706 00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:38,040 Speaker 1: If you guys checked them out, they have this great 707 00:45:38,360 --> 00:45:40,600 Speaker 1: They have this great investigation of how much money a 708 00:45:40,640 --> 00:45:43,759 Speaker 1: drug dealer actually does or does not make, and they 709 00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:47,399 Speaker 1: equated it to something around minimum wage before minimum wage 710 00:45:47,440 --> 00:45:51,919 Speaker 1: got raised. Yeah, it's it's sobering and saddening. Then there's 711 00:45:51,960 --> 00:45:54,640 Speaker 1: the show called drug inc. That I watched a special 712 00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:57,360 Speaker 1: on not long ago, and it focused on Atlanta and 713 00:45:57,560 --> 00:46:02,520 Speaker 1: the molly trade or the ecstasy trade in Atlanta, and 714 00:46:02,960 --> 00:46:06,920 Speaker 1: it focused on some low level drug dealers, and that 715 00:46:07,080 --> 00:46:09,560 Speaker 1: was one of the main points was just how how 716 00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:12,840 Speaker 1: not lucrative it is for somebody who's actually in danger 717 00:46:12,920 --> 00:46:16,239 Speaker 1: of getting arrested and put in jail for years. Right, Yeah, 718 00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:19,960 Speaker 1: not to mention no health insurance, no benefits, none of that. 719 00:46:20,160 --> 00:46:23,880 Speaker 1: I guess you get cobroke. You had to ouch. So 720 00:46:24,280 --> 00:46:26,440 Speaker 1: on that note, listeners, we hope you enjoyed this episode 721 00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:28,600 Speaker 1: as much as we enjoyed making it, and we want 722 00:46:28,640 --> 00:46:31,279 Speaker 1: to hear your thoughts on the drug war. If you'd 723 00:46:31,320 --> 00:46:34,239 Speaker 1: like to check out our videos or our podcasts, go 724 00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:36,120 Speaker 1: to Stuff they Don't want you to Know dot com. 725 00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:38,560 Speaker 1: You can find every little thing we've ever done, I 726 00:46:38,640 --> 00:46:41,000 Speaker 1: think pretty much. You can also go to our YouTube 727 00:46:41,040 --> 00:46:43,080 Speaker 1: channel if you don't already do that on the RAG, 728 00:46:43,280 --> 00:46:47,480 Speaker 1: because you should. And that's the end of this classic episode. 729 00:46:47,560 --> 00:46:51,400 Speaker 1: If you have any thoughts or questions about this episode, 730 00:46:51,800 --> 00:46:53,839 Speaker 1: you can get into contact with us in a number 731 00:46:53,880 --> 00:46:55,879 Speaker 1: of different ways. One of the best is to give 732 00:46:55,920 --> 00:46:58,439 Speaker 1: us a call. Our number is one eight three three 733 00:46:58,840 --> 00:47:01,680 Speaker 1: std w y t K. If you don't want to 734 00:47:01,719 --> 00:47:04,320 Speaker 1: do that, you can send us a good old fashioned email. 735 00:47:04,560 --> 00:47:09,200 Speaker 1: We are conspiracy at i heart radio dot com. Stuff 736 00:47:09,239 --> 00:47:11,080 Speaker 1: they don't want you to know is a production of 737 00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:14,160 Speaker 1: I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 738 00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:17,080 Speaker 1: visit the i heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 739 00:47:17,200 --> 00:47:18,520 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.