1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,560 Speaker 1: Hi, this is newt Twenty twenty is going to be 2 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: one of the most extraordinary election years of our lifetime. 3 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: I want to invite you to join my Inner Circle 4 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: as we discuss each twist and turn in the presidential race. 5 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 1: In my members only Inner Circle Club, you'll receive special 6 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: flash briefings, online events, and members only audio reports from 7 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:23,680 Speaker 1: me and my team. Here is a special offer for 8 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: my podcast listeners. Join my Inner Circle today at Newtcentercircle 9 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: dot com, slash podcast, and if you sign up for 10 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: a one or two year membership, you'll get ten percent 11 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: off your membership price and a VIP fast pass to 12 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: my live events. Join My Inner Circle today at Newtcenter 13 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: Circle dot com slash podcast use the Code podcast at checkout. 14 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: Sign up today at Newtcenter Circle dot com slash podcast 15 00:00:51,880 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: and use the Code podcast Hurry this Offtway Spires February fourteenth. 16 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:05,960 Speaker 1: On this episode of Newts World, you know, I came 17 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 1: from a family that suffered from addiction to alcohol. My 18 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: father really had problems with alcohol, and my mother was 19 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: really debilitated by her alcoholism and depression. And of course 20 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: my father suffered tremendous post traumatic stress. There's no one 21 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:29,400 Speaker 1: who would better fit a candidate for suffering from PTSD 22 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: than my late father after he witnessed his brothers being 23 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: shot killed. The fact of the matter is my family 24 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:43,959 Speaker 1: was very emotionally impacted and psychologically impacted by everything that happened, 25 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: and my brother and sister and I grew up in 26 00:01:46,959 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: that house where all of that was going on. On 27 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: this episode of Newtsworld, I'm joined by Congressman Patrick Kennedy 28 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 1: for a candid discussion on what it's like growing up 29 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: as a Kennedy following his father and uncle's footsteps into 30 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: public office, only to have addiction tear his life apart 31 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: and ultimately causing him to hit rock bottom. Now, in 32 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: his own recovery, he's become a leading national voice in 33 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 1: addiction issues and sobriety, mental health issues, and our current 34 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: national discussion about the legalization of marijuana. I've known him 35 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: for many years, and it's a privilege to have him 36 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: joined me to tell his personal story. Patrick, tell us 37 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: about the day you hit rock bottom, the car crash 38 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: at the US Capital that made national headlines. Sure, mister speaker, 39 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: and it's great to be with you and to share 40 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,359 Speaker 1: an opportunity to talk about an issue that I think 41 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:53,079 Speaker 1: is really at the core an existential crisis for our country, 42 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:57,920 Speaker 1: and that's the epidemic of addiction and mental illness, and 43 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:02,919 Speaker 1: the rising suicide and over those rates, and the enormous 44 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: number of people who are suffering from addiction and depression 45 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: and anxiety. Underneath that terrible tip of the iceberg, which 46 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: are the completed suicides and overdoses. You know, this is 47 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: a very personal issue to me, and I think it's 48 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:20,799 Speaker 1: probably personal to most Americans. I come at it from 49 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 1: a number of different perspectives. First and foremost, I myself 50 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,359 Speaker 1: am someone who lives in long term recovery, and that 51 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 1: means I haven't had to use alcohol or mind altering 52 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: substance since February twenty second, two thousand and eleven. And 53 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: what happened to me, like what happens to most people 54 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: who end up in recovery, is that we hit a bottom. 55 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: And that bottom for me began when I had that 56 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: car crash in the United States Capital. It was a 57 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: number of years after that that I decided that I 58 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: could not sustain my service in Congress, given the fact 59 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: that my addiction was a progressive illness and it was 60 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 1: getting worse and worse, and I worried about some incident 61 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: like the car crash happening again if I didn't leave 62 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: Congress and devote myself full time to my recovery, which 63 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 1: is what I did in two thousand and ten. But 64 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:22,720 Speaker 1: I say all that because for those who are listening, 65 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 1: you know, it's often a very circuitous route that we 66 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 1: take to finally reach sobriety. The car accident was, if 67 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:35,840 Speaker 1: you will, a real wake up call, even though I 68 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: was essentially unconscious when I was driving because I had 69 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:47,039 Speaker 1: been taking ambient in order to try to sleep. This 70 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 1: was about three months after I got out of rehab 71 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: for oxycotton addiction, and I found it very difficult to 72 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 1: sleep because I'd often self medicated with oxycotton. What happened 73 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:07,479 Speaker 1: to me was I woke up the next day and 74 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 1: my car wasn't where I had parked it, and I 75 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: had this panic overcome me. I went to the Capitol, 76 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:17,159 Speaker 1: I voted a couple of times, and then I got 77 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: a call in the cloak room and my chief of 78 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 1: staffs said that I had better come back because he 79 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:25,719 Speaker 1: had learned from the Capitol police that I had crashed 80 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: my car into a security barrier. Apparently at three in 81 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 1: the morning the night before, I had gotten up, gotten 82 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: to my car, thought I needed to vote, and went 83 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 1: to drove to the capitol and where and I crashed 84 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: my car. You know, it was, as you can imagine, 85 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: a cluster of national media kind of descended upon me 86 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: as everyone tried to figure out, you know, where I 87 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 1: had been the night before. You know what influence was 88 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:05,360 Speaker 1: I under Did I go to a bar? And it 89 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: was the usual kind of you know, purient interest in 90 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:14,559 Speaker 1: someone else's tragedy. And you know what happened was that 91 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 1: I went back to rehab. I thought I was going 92 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: to lose my political career, because of course people were 93 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: calling on me to resign my office. I went back 94 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:27,600 Speaker 1: to rehab, but I spent the whole time there as 95 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:30,360 Speaker 1: opposed to just getting in and out, which I had 96 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: done just a few months earlier, because I was worried 97 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 1: that they would find out that I had been to rehab. 98 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:40,480 Speaker 1: This time, essentially, the gig was up, if you will. 99 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 1: People knew that I had been suffering, and I had 100 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 1: to admit it myself. Is there a lesson the rest 101 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 1: of us can learn from your experience? I guess at 102 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,120 Speaker 1: the end of the day. What I think is the 103 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:54,599 Speaker 1: most important challenge for us as a nation is what 104 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:58,279 Speaker 1: was a challenge for me personally, and that is coming 105 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:01,359 Speaker 1: to the realization that I had a problem. They say, 106 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: for those who suffer from mental illness and addiction, that 107 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:07,839 Speaker 1: we're the last ones to know that we have a problem. 108 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:12,480 Speaker 1: And it's the lack of insight that is the single 109 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: characteristic of anyone suffering from a mental illness and addiction. 110 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: And I would say that not only do many of 111 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: us suffer a lack of insight if we're not constantly 112 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 1: working on a greater consciousness about our illness, but I 113 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 1: think our country is suffering from a lack of insight 114 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: as to how impactful these illnesses are and how little 115 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 1: attention we give to actually addressing a better strategy for 116 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: addressing these illnesses. What was the turning point? How have 117 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:51,520 Speaker 1: you stayed sober? If people want help, there is help. Unfortunately, 118 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: there isn't a system which is in place that works 119 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: in an optimal way to kind of give them the 120 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: best chance of reaching sobriety. You know, we could put 121 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: that system together, mister speaker. It should be put together 122 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 1: and incorporate both the medical system as well as other systems, 123 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 1: and yet we just haven't gotten about the process of 124 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 1: putting the political will to create that system. This is 125 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: a chronic illness. It's not something that can just be 126 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:32,680 Speaker 1: addressed with a quick you know, rehab or it is 127 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:36,400 Speaker 1: kind of a lifetime commitment to recovery, much like someone 128 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 1: with diabetes would struggle with trying to keep their sugar 129 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:42,160 Speaker 1: and balance and try to on a day to day 130 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 1: basis manage an illness that requires their constant attention. That's 131 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:52,240 Speaker 1: what recovering from addiction requires. So I would tell them that, 132 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 1: you know, twelfth step recovery is in my view, the 133 00:08:55,840 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 1: best you know, copnitive behavioral therapy that I know of, 134 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:07,199 Speaker 1: and I have pretty much surveyed every type of treatment 135 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:11,359 Speaker 1: and therapy that there is in this country, and personally, 136 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:14,400 Speaker 1: I've kind of been on this Lewis and Clark voyage 137 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:18,320 Speaker 1: myself through every type of rehab and in patient and 138 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 1: outpatient and psychiatric treatment that there is. So I know 139 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:27,719 Speaker 1: of what I speak and that is that there's at 140 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 1: the end of the day, nothing that works better than 141 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 1: being in recovery with your peers, because the best way 142 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:40,280 Speaker 1: to achieve lasting sobrieties to build a network of support 143 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: and professionals can be very helpful, but they cannot be 144 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:49,560 Speaker 1: there in the kind of ongoing way than your friends 145 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: and those that are, you know, walking and trudging the 146 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:58,400 Speaker 1: road with you in recovery. So I would encourage them 147 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:04,600 Speaker 1: to find recovery through the twelve step programs which are 148 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:10,679 Speaker 1: available to all and frankly, are you know, working miracles 149 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 1: every single day, all across this country and all across 150 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:16,959 Speaker 1: the world. If somebody walks up to you and says, 151 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 1: you know, I know that I'm addicted. I really would 152 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:25,679 Speaker 1: like to go through a recovery program, but when I try, 153 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:28,280 Speaker 1: I just seem to fail. What's your advice to that person, 154 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 1: And how do you sort of hold their hand or 155 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:32,640 Speaker 1: try to help them have a sense of that they 156 00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:35,319 Speaker 1: can get through it. Yeah, I mean, it shouldn't feel 157 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,400 Speaker 1: like a death sentence, but I know that too people 158 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: who you know are trying to think about getting on 159 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: the road to recovery and kind of what that means. 160 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:49,720 Speaker 1: You know, we take it really simply, and that is 161 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:53,680 Speaker 1: it's just for today. You know, we just decide today 162 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 1: not to drink or take drugs. You know, as my 163 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:02,160 Speaker 1: sponsor tells me, you know, tomorrow, Patrick, you can you know, 164 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:06,199 Speaker 1: have the biggest, wildest party and do everything you want tomorrow, 165 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:10,400 Speaker 1: but just not for today, just today. And then you know, 166 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 1: tomorrow comes around. I make the position, well, today I'm 167 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:16,360 Speaker 1: not going to drink or drive, you know, or if 168 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:19,960 Speaker 1: it's a really a difficult day, you know, this afternoon, 169 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,080 Speaker 1: I'm not going to work or you know, for the 170 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 1: next hour. And then I call my sponsor, I call 171 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:30,680 Speaker 1: my support group, and I get help because what I 172 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 1: end up doing is plugging into what's ever going on 173 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 1: in their life. And you know, then I find that 174 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:41,120 Speaker 1: they've got their own challenges that day and they're sharing 175 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 1: those with me, and all of a sudden, I don't 176 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:46,439 Speaker 1: field is much alone. And I really think it's that 177 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:52,080 Speaker 1: notion of constantly being connected to other people in a 178 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:56,080 Speaker 1: very intimate way. That is what recovery is about. And 179 00:11:56,120 --> 00:12:00,600 Speaker 1: so it's not something that you really, you know, don't 180 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:02,439 Speaker 1: want to do for the rest of your life. In fact, 181 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 1: it's an ongoing process of trying to do what you 182 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 1: know has frankly been very foreign to people who have 183 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:13,680 Speaker 1: fallen into addiction, and that is to connect with people, 184 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:18,479 Speaker 1: because these illnesses of addiction really isolate you and disconnect 185 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 1: you from your friends and family. And the best way 186 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:27,320 Speaker 1: to treat these illnesses is to engage in real, intimate 187 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 1: connections where you're sharing everything that's going on in your life. 188 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:35,840 Speaker 1: You're not holding back, you're not shaming yourself, You're honest 189 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:39,640 Speaker 1: about what your challenges are. And as a result, life 190 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: is a little bit easier to shoulder. And so I 191 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:49,199 Speaker 1: would also say that there's an element here of spirituality, 192 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 1: a very important element. And what we say in recovery 193 00:12:53,679 --> 00:12:57,360 Speaker 1: is that our drinking and drugging is but a symptom 194 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:02,439 Speaker 1: of our problem. And our problem is a lack of power. 195 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 1: We cannot solve all the problems that we want to 196 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:09,959 Speaker 1: in our lives. And that's the reason we drink and 197 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:14,000 Speaker 1: drug is to self medicate because we can't manage. We 198 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: need a power, and that power is God. For me, 199 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:22,440 Speaker 1: you know, as you may know, gone back to my 200 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 1: religion of my childhood, I have baptized all my children, 201 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:32,080 Speaker 1: and my wife and I have gotten married in the 202 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:37,080 Speaker 1: Catholic Church. We initially got a civil marriage and then 203 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:41,600 Speaker 1: decided that we wanted to get married in the church 204 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:44,680 Speaker 1: and went through a process to do that. At the 205 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 1: same time, frankly we recently baptized our fifth child. So 206 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:54,440 Speaker 1: life to me in recovery is much more than not 207 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:57,959 Speaker 1: drinking or drugging. It's about how to live a life 208 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 1: that is, you know, frankly, kind of follows the ancient 209 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:05,320 Speaker 1: tenants of you know, what we should be doing with 210 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 1: our lives as opposed to falling victim to what they 211 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 1: call the seven deadly sins pride, anger, envy, greed, lust, gluttony, 212 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:20,080 Speaker 1: and sloth. And all I know is that those seven 213 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 1: deadly sins have been bedevelopments for me, and I need 214 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,720 Speaker 1: God's help in order to extinguish them. And I often 215 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:32,960 Speaker 1: get God's help through turning to my fellows in recovery. 216 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:36,280 Speaker 1: And that, to me is what being in long term 217 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 1: sobriety means. When we come back, we'll talk about what 218 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:42,840 Speaker 1: it was like growing up in the Kennedy family and 219 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 1: being a congressman at the same time. Your father is 220 00:14:45,840 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 1: the senior Senator from Massachusetts. I think one of your 221 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 1: amazing accomplishments during your service in Congress was getting the 222 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 1: Mental Health Parity an Addiction Equity Act of two thousand 223 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: and eight signed into law. Will you tell us that 224 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:16,680 Speaker 1: story well, as you know the mister Speaker. At the 225 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:20,480 Speaker 1: time that I had come back from rehab, I was 226 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: still the main sponsor of the Mental Health Parity an 227 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:28,720 Speaker 1: Addiction Equity Act, which basically said that insurance companies couldn't 228 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: treat illnesses of the brain any differently than they reimbursed 229 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 1: for other illnesses of a body. And it seems so 230 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:41,240 Speaker 1: rational and obvious, but as you mentioned, it's not an 231 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: easy prospect when we are living in this nation with 232 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 1: so much denial about the fact that these are real 233 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: illnesses and that all that we've learned from neuroscience we've 234 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:56,240 Speaker 1: actually known intuitively for years, and that is that these 235 00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:01,480 Speaker 1: are real, they're physical, they're debilitating, and they're deadly. So 236 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:04,280 Speaker 1: the irony of all ironies, as I won my next 237 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,560 Speaker 1: election and it was the following session that we passed 238 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: the parody bill. And the amazing thing is due to 239 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:18,960 Speaker 1: the untimely death of Paul Wellstone. Tragic passing of Paul 240 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 1: Wellstone on the Senate side, he was our main champion. 241 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:25,520 Speaker 1: On the Senate side, it had to fall on my 242 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:31,400 Speaker 1: late father, Senator Edward Kennedy, to sponsor the legislation as 243 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:35,040 Speaker 1: the chairman of the committee. Basically, you know, he took 244 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:38,440 Speaker 1: over for leading that legislation, which meant that I had 245 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 1: to negotiate with my late father in what went into 246 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:46,640 Speaker 1: the parody bill, And that is pretty much illustrative of 247 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 1: what you know, we as a nation are grappling with them, 248 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 1: that is coming to grips with this. My father was 249 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: a prior generation that really didn't want to acknowledge that 250 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:00,440 Speaker 1: these were real illnesses because they were brought up with 251 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:03,400 Speaker 1: the idea that they were character flaws and there were 252 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:09,840 Speaker 1: moral weaknesses, and that was the generation that he came from. 253 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:14,720 Speaker 1: So he was, needless to say, very distraught and upset 254 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:17,440 Speaker 1: with me for a good part of my life while 255 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:21,000 Speaker 1: I was suffering from these illnesses, and he really just 256 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,080 Speaker 1: thought I needed a good swift kick in the ass, 257 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,439 Speaker 1: which in some respects I probably needed, but that was 258 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:30,000 Speaker 1: the attitude that he had to how to treat these illnesses, 259 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:35,240 Speaker 1: and that it was really stern and disciplined way, and frankly, 260 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:38,280 Speaker 1: our country does it the same way. We arrest people, 261 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 1: we incarcerate people, we punish people for their illnesses. So 262 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: I had to negotiate with my father, and the Senate 263 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:49,159 Speaker 1: bill did not include addiction and depression and anxiety and 264 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 1: post traumatic stress. It only included what they called biologically 265 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 1: based disorders, you know, so that was kind of the 266 00:17:56,680 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: classic fight in this country is what is a real 267 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 1: mental illness? So, needless to say, he did help me 268 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:07,919 Speaker 1: pass the House bill, which was the more expansive version 269 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:12,160 Speaker 1: of the parody law, and that happened because he asked 270 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 1: his friend Chris Dodd to help me, and Chris wrote 271 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 1: the whole tart bill into our HR fourteen twenty four 272 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:25,480 Speaker 1: and that was the mental health parody in the diction equitec, 273 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:28,440 Speaker 1: which means that, mister speaker, I'm the sponsor not only 274 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:32,480 Speaker 1: the parody law, but technically speaking, I'm the sponsor of 275 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:37,480 Speaker 1: the largest federal bailout of our nation's banks in our 276 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:42,680 Speaker 1: country's history. Just to show people how this bill did 277 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:46,320 Speaker 1: not pass because there was some great outcry from the 278 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:49,840 Speaker 1: American public that, you know, they wanted their friends and 279 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:54,120 Speaker 1: family members to no longer be discriminated against. It happened 280 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 1: because it was in the Senate and it was Chris 281 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:02,439 Speaker 1: Dodd was my dad's friend. My dad was really dying 282 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:05,119 Speaker 1: at the time, and my dad had asked Chris to 283 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:08,800 Speaker 1: help him with this get my bill off the desk 284 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,000 Speaker 1: and Chris. You know, of course just happened at the 285 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:16,120 Speaker 1: same time to be facing this economic crisis that hit 286 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:19,399 Speaker 1: this country with the banking collapse, and what he decided 287 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:22,200 Speaker 1: to do is take that whole bail out of our 288 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:28,320 Speaker 1: banks and put that whole legislation into Hr. Fourteen twenty 289 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:31,280 Speaker 1: four in order to get our bill to pass. And 290 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:34,600 Speaker 1: of course you can't make it up. That's how it 291 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:39,199 Speaker 1: passed them. And again the paradoxes we that bill was 292 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:42,160 Speaker 1: meant to stop our country from going into a another 293 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:47,000 Speaker 1: great financial depression like we saw in the thirties, and 294 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:53,560 Speaker 1: the underlying bill mandated treatment of depression for Americans. Patrick, 295 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:56,760 Speaker 1: we go back many years. People often are surprised because 296 00:19:57,119 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 1: Washington has seen is such a partisan place. I have 297 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,320 Speaker 1: ask you know, on our side of the aisle, we 298 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:06,760 Speaker 1: always saw your dad as a really tough negotiator who 299 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:12,080 Speaker 1: was very determined, often pleasant, but very firm and what 300 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:15,439 Speaker 1: he wanted. What was your experience trying to negotiate with him? 301 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: I would think there are a lot of cross pressures 302 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:21,960 Speaker 1: when you both represent the House, but you're also his son. Yes, 303 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:25,160 Speaker 1: So the other perspective that I didn't talk about when 304 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:29,040 Speaker 1: I introduced the subject of my suffering from addiction was that, 305 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:32,080 Speaker 1: you know, I came from a family that suffered from 306 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:37,200 Speaker 1: addiction to alcohol. My father really had problems with alcohol, 307 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: and my mother was really debilitated by her alcoholism and depression. 308 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:48,959 Speaker 1: And of course, my father suffered tremendous post traumatic stress. 309 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:53,119 Speaker 1: If you ever wanted to look up post traumatic stress 310 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: in the dictionary, there's no one who would better fit 311 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:00,600 Speaker 1: candidate for suffering from PTSD than my late father after 312 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 1: he witnesses brothers being shot killed and numerous other tragedies. 313 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 1: And so, you know, the fact of the matter is 314 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:16,000 Speaker 1: my family was very emotionally impacted and psychologically impacted by 315 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:19,040 Speaker 1: everything that happened to my family, and my brother and 316 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:22,800 Speaker 1: sister and I grew up in that house and where 317 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:25,680 Speaker 1: all of that was going on, and I think that 318 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:29,400 Speaker 1: really had an impact on our own mental health. I 319 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,679 Speaker 1: think it's a genetic illness. Personally, I think the depression 320 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: that my mother suffered from her mother suffered from her 321 00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:39,159 Speaker 1: mother died at sixty one and wasn't found for a 322 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:44,320 Speaker 1: week in her single room apartment in Cocoa Beach, Florida, 323 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,880 Speaker 1: And that is frankly emblematic of anybody who suffers from 324 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:53,639 Speaker 1: an alcoholic death. They're often alone because these illnesses isolate people. 325 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 1: You know, my mother suffered from that, My aunt Candy, 326 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:01,000 Speaker 1: my mother's sister, suffered from it. All but one of 327 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,960 Speaker 1: her children suffered from it, as to my brother and sisternized. 328 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: Just as an individual has to come to grips with 329 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:12,119 Speaker 1: whether it's an addiction or it's a mental illness, we 330 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:16,239 Speaker 1: as a country now have such depth of problems with 331 00:22:16,359 --> 00:22:21,119 Speaker 1: both addiction and with untreated or inappropriately treated mental illness 332 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:25,320 Speaker 1: that we almost need a national coming to grips parallel 333 00:22:25,359 --> 00:22:28,040 Speaker 1: to what an individual has to do. I mean, I 334 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: think that's a very interesting insight in your part to 335 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:33,359 Speaker 1: frame it that way. And I know you've been a 336 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: tremendous advocate for making sure that we deal with mental 337 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: health parity as a part of this and you want 338 00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: to just from going to share with all of us 339 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 1: to struggle. You had to get people to understand that 340 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,919 Speaker 1: mental health is integral to your health and to have 341 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 1: a system which is only dealing with the physical side, 342 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:56,119 Speaker 1: as to have a system which is utterly inadequate for 343 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,600 Speaker 1: the reality of how humans function. Frankly, I traveled the 344 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,879 Speaker 1: country I've spoken about this and the need for insurance 345 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:08,040 Speaker 1: companies to reimburse for these illnesses. I find that, you know, 346 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:11,760 Speaker 1: everybody has a story, and what's shocking to me is 347 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:14,720 Speaker 1: that no one wants to really make the move or 348 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:17,800 Speaker 1: talk about it. And that's how I found in my 349 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 1: old family, no one wanted to talk about these things. 350 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,080 Speaker 1: They were supposed to be secrets. Of course, in my family, 351 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:27,280 Speaker 1: all of our secrets were published in numerous books, but 352 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:30,439 Speaker 1: in spite of that, I still myself thought that I 353 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:34,120 Speaker 1: had to keep the family secrets. And I think it's 354 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:39,640 Speaker 1: that silence, mister speaker, that is really destructive to our country. 355 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:44,679 Speaker 1: I think we need to acknowledge and be proactive in 356 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: intervening and preventing these illnesses from pathologizing by doing more 357 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:55,720 Speaker 1: in terms of early intervention. And we're losing so many 358 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 1: people in this country because we're not doing what we 359 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:02,879 Speaker 1: know works, and that's what's so frustrating to make. Next, 360 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:09,480 Speaker 1: we'll have a candid discussion about the legalization of marijuana. 361 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:15,720 Speaker 1: An unfairly discharged marine with a dark secret, a brilliant 362 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:19,720 Speaker 1: intelligence officer recovering from tragedy. 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In the United States, there are now ten 370 00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:56,480 Speaker 1: states that have legalized the use of marijuana for recreational 371 00:24:56,480 --> 00:25:06,640 Speaker 1: purposes Alaska, California, Colorada, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, 372 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 1: and Washington. In another twenty two states have legalized marijuana 373 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:14,639 Speaker 1: for medical treatment. Patrick against this backdrop of legalization that 374 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:17,639 Speaker 1: is sweeping our nation, what do we know about the 375 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:20,840 Speaker 1: emerging business of big marijuana and the short term and 376 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 1: long term health effects of marijuana use. We love our 377 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:28,280 Speaker 1: addictions in America. We love our addictions. I live not 378 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:32,480 Speaker 1: too far from Atlantic City. I mean it's everywhere, and 379 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:36,240 Speaker 1: we as a nation are suffering enormous and epidemic rates 380 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:41,359 Speaker 1: of addiction. Just overall, it's just a question of this 381 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:47,560 Speaker 1: will not be a solution to trying to stop future addiction. 382 00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:52,640 Speaker 1: If we were to end this idea that it's okay 383 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:57,399 Speaker 1: to commercialize this new addictive drug, but it's just doing 384 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:01,760 Speaker 1: what we can to stop the the pipeline of people 385 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:05,119 Speaker 1: that are going to fall into addiction because they are 386 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:08,280 Speaker 1: lulled into this false sense that, you know, marijuana is 387 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 1: really not that addictive and that it's not going to 388 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:15,960 Speaker 1: be a gateway and lead to other addictive substances and 389 00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:19,879 Speaker 1: to a life that would really be disabled because of 390 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 1: the fact that they're dependent on using marijuana to solve 391 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:28,080 Speaker 1: their depression or their anxiety or whatever it might be. 392 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:31,680 Speaker 1: Because everyone's telling them that it's medical and it's okay 393 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:35,400 Speaker 1: and there's no problem with it. That is kind of 394 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:39,680 Speaker 1: the reminiscent of the early days when tobacco was really 395 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:43,639 Speaker 1: commercialized and there were doctors, you know, smoking a certain 396 00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:47,600 Speaker 1: type of cigarette, and that was a very well kind 397 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:51,440 Speaker 1: of thought through strategy, you know, fifty years ago, when 398 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:56,800 Speaker 1: big tobacco was getting started, and frankly, big marijuana has 399 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:03,879 Speaker 1: followed the same well orchestra strategy of introducing the idea 400 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:08,920 Speaker 1: of legalization after first derisking it in the public's mind 401 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:13,879 Speaker 1: by marketing marijuana as a medical product. And what that's 402 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: done is really made people feel like there's really no 403 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:24,199 Speaker 1: problem in using marijuana because it's being, you know, accepted 404 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 1: as some type of medicine. So I just see this 405 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:32,760 Speaker 1: major problem that conflicts with our public health needs, and 406 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:36,639 Speaker 1: that is that there is a profit motive in getting 407 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:41,680 Speaker 1: more people to use I mean, that's the nature of capitalism. 408 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:44,200 Speaker 1: You know, you want more people to use your product, 409 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:48,560 Speaker 1: and that's where you derive your profits. But in this case, 410 00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:51,600 Speaker 1: if more people use marijuana, that's not going to be 411 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,359 Speaker 1: good for the public health of our country. It's not 412 00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:56,119 Speaker 1: going to be good for the future of our country 413 00:27:56,119 --> 00:28:01,919 Speaker 1: when you consider the stark increase in teenage use of 414 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:05,639 Speaker 1: marijuana in those states where it has been legalized. And 415 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:09,200 Speaker 1: we know a little bit about the impact of marijuana 416 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 1: on the developing brain. We don't know enough. But I 417 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:18,199 Speaker 1: hate to think that our intuition in our gut is 418 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:21,399 Speaker 1: wrong when it says that we will pay a heavy 419 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:26,320 Speaker 1: price by waiting for another twenty years to find out 420 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:29,520 Speaker 1: whether we knew intuitively what was going to happen, and 421 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:31,639 Speaker 1: that is that this was not going to be good 422 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:35,280 Speaker 1: for young people, and that it was going to lead 423 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:38,720 Speaker 1: to a lot of disability. And you know that we 424 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:42,480 Speaker 1: had a chance to stop it early on, but we 425 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:45,960 Speaker 1: didn't do it, even though our common sense told us 426 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 1: that it was something that we should do. I'd like 427 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:52,240 Speaker 1: to talk about the states where marijuana has been legalized. 428 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:56,680 Speaker 1: Can you talk about their ineffectiveness to properly regulate the industry. 429 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:03,400 Speaker 1: Marijuana obviously is building amassing more and more power as 430 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:08,560 Speaker 1: the market for selling marijuana grows and grows because of 431 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:14,480 Speaker 1: legalized marijuana in the various states. And just like other 432 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:21,280 Speaker 1: powerful industries, when you amass great wealth in a given industry, 433 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:26,240 Speaker 1: that wealth can be put to use, you know, for 434 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:34,280 Speaker 1: stifling kind of regulations that would otherwise impede the making 435 00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:38,000 Speaker 1: of additional money. You know, we are really seeing the 436 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:43,239 Speaker 1: impact of a huge lobby effort by big marijuana in 437 00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:49,520 Speaker 1: these states to allow for the commercialization of products that are, 438 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:54,360 Speaker 1: like I said, elixers, which are our drinks where THHC 439 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:58,880 Speaker 1: is infused, edibles which are all kinds of foods where 440 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:03,480 Speaker 1: which THHC is infused into, as well as the kind 441 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:08,680 Speaker 1: of vaping products. I mean, for anybody over forty, they 442 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 1: just don't know what the new marijuana that we're talking 443 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:15,640 Speaker 1: about really is all about. And I just am concerned 444 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:19,080 Speaker 1: that we're going to wake up, you know, and we're 445 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:22,120 Speaker 1: gonna wonder how in the world do we let this happen, 446 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:28,440 Speaker 1: especially after having learned our lessons from the overmarketing of 447 00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:34,600 Speaker 1: oxycotton by Purdue Pharma, and everybody is so outraged by that, 448 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:39,280 Speaker 1: the more and more they learn about how Purdue Farma 449 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:45,320 Speaker 1: really influenced CMS to change their regulatory oversight to really 450 00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:48,800 Speaker 1: make pain and the indicator of pain one of the 451 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:56,120 Speaker 1: real indicators for the prescribing of oxycotton. And so essentially 452 00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 1: the money was so big that it was influenced the 453 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:07,160 Speaker 1: American Medical Association, American Hospital Association CNS. It was having 454 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:12,520 Speaker 1: a very destructive influence. And I use that as a 455 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:16,520 Speaker 1: kind of metaphor for what is going to happen with marijuana. 456 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:18,880 Speaker 1: It's going to have a lot of money, and that 457 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:22,080 Speaker 1: money is going to have a very pernicious and destructive 458 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: impact in the public policy that's developed a kind of 459 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:32,800 Speaker 1: in concert with the legalization and so far as regulation 460 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:37,720 Speaker 1: is concerned, and that public health element is just not 461 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:41,240 Speaker 1: going to be taken into account. What's your reaction to 462 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:45,720 Speaker 1: the whole wave of legalizing and normalizing marijuana to what 463 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:48,560 Speaker 1: extent are we in effect doing something logical and to 464 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:50,880 Speaker 1: what extent are we in fact opening the door to 465 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,120 Speaker 1: what a generation from now people will look back on 466 00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:56,440 Speaker 1: as a major mistake. You know, know of how much 467 00:31:56,560 --> 00:32:00,400 Speaker 1: you have done in the area of criminal justice or form, 468 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:05,280 Speaker 1: and I want to, once again, you know, say to 469 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 1: you that there is a All the indicators show that 470 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:16,360 Speaker 1: this has not been the panacea for arrests amongst the 471 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:23,480 Speaker 1: minority community. The drug arrests we are seeing in Colorado 472 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:27,960 Speaker 1: between twenty twelve and twenty fourteen, the percentage of Hispanic 473 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:33,680 Speaker 1: and African American arrests for teams under eighteen increased by 474 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:38,800 Speaker 1: twenty nine percent and fifty eight percent, respectively, while white 475 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 1: youth decreased in arrests by eight percent. That's pretty a 476 00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:49,800 Speaker 1: stark comparison, and that shows that even with a legalization, 477 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:56,480 Speaker 1: we're not addressing the societal problem of the disproportionate number 478 00:32:56,520 --> 00:33:01,880 Speaker 1: of arrests amongst minority populations. Anyone who thinks that this 479 00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:05,920 Speaker 1: pot industry is going to be good for social justice, 480 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:13,200 Speaker 1: they're ignoring the fact that most pot shops are in 481 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:18,600 Speaker 1: minority neighborhoods as opposed to white neighborhoods who want nothing 482 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 1: to do with it. And that's really because we've seen 483 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:25,840 Speaker 1: the same with alcohol. They're more liquor stores and minority 484 00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:29,880 Speaker 1: neighborhoods than white neighborhoods. And that really is the reason 485 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:34,880 Speaker 1: why the NAACP of Detroit, the largest branch of the 486 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:38,920 Speaker 1: NAACP in the country, has come out against the legalization 487 00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:44,760 Speaker 1: of marijuana in Michigan. That's why places like Compton, California, 488 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:51,480 Speaker 1: have rejected pot shops in their neighborhood because minority community 489 00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:55,880 Speaker 1: knows that this is not good for the public health 490 00:33:55,920 --> 00:34:01,480 Speaker 1: and for their community. And you know, anybody who's out 491 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:06,280 Speaker 1: there thinking they're on some social justice crusade by supporting 492 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:12,640 Speaker 1: legalization is just ignorant of what the real facts are. Next, well, 493 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:15,480 Speaker 1: you've been through what Patrick Kennedy's been through. How do 494 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:25,600 Speaker 1: you fill the hole in the soul? The Westwood One 495 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:29,520 Speaker 1: Podcast Network A Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro Show. What's amazing 496 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:31,360 Speaker 1: is that Joe Biden then gets called out by his 497 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:34,480 Speaker 1: own side and he runs screaming from his own bipartisanship. 498 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:36,520 Speaker 1: When people on the left are called out by their 499 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 1: own side, they will not step forward to defend people 500 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:41,960 Speaker 1: with whom they are purportedly friends. Very often it's pretty rare. 501 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:45,960 Speaker 1: The Ben Shapiro Show download and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, 502 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:49,400 Speaker 1: Google Play, and the Westwood One Podcast at free free 503 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:58,560 Speaker 1: from the Westwood One Podcast Network. Well, and I can 504 00:34:58,600 --> 00:35:01,560 Speaker 1: testify that you have a beautiful family and just a 505 00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:04,879 Speaker 1: wonderful children, and in that sense, so that there has 506 00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:06,600 Speaker 1: to be a great deal of joy in your life, 507 00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:09,040 Speaker 1: which I think is an important thing for people to realize. 508 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:11,319 Speaker 1: It's not it's not like you're grimly getting up every 509 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:13,919 Speaker 1: morning and saying, well, I'm you know, I'm not gonna 510 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:16,720 Speaker 1: do drugs. There. You're also getting up every day surrounded 511 00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:19,040 Speaker 1: by your kids and surrounded by with your wife and 512 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:22,279 Speaker 1: doing positive things. And I've been on the road with 513 00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:25,480 Speaker 1: you when you've had a tremendous impact on audiences. So 514 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:28,040 Speaker 1: that you have a life that in many ways is 515 00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:31,920 Speaker 1: remarkably fulfilling at this stage, Thank you, mister speaker. It 516 00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:35,319 Speaker 1: fills the hole in the soul, you know, it really does. 517 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:39,800 Speaker 1: I've been blessed to find a purpose in my life, 518 00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:43,920 Speaker 1: and I thought my purpose was higher office, and I 519 00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:46,760 Speaker 1: thought that would somehow fill that hole in my soul. 520 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:50,040 Speaker 1: And I was driven out of office really because of 521 00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:54,759 Speaker 1: my inability to try to solve my addiction problem by myself, 522 00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:59,520 Speaker 1: and the God had bigger plans for me because after 523 00:35:59,560 --> 00:36:02,600 Speaker 1: I left Congress, so it's able to get married and 524 00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:07,279 Speaker 1: have five children. And fortunately, I'm trying to every day 525 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:10,439 Speaker 1: break this cycle in my family of not exposing them 526 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 1: to alcohol and drugs, and I'm fortunate to say that 527 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:19,160 Speaker 1: none of them have ever seen me intoxicated, and I'm 528 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:21,400 Speaker 1: blessed to be able to say that. I think it 529 00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:24,839 Speaker 1: means a lot to America to have you remain a 530 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:28,680 Speaker 1: public figure, to have you remain in the middle of 531 00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:34,920 Speaker 1: this kind of advocacy, and I can tell our audience 532 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:37,640 Speaker 1: based on my being with you around the country, that 533 00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:41,920 Speaker 1: you do have a real impact and that people leave 534 00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:45,640 Speaker 1: having had their minds changed and a whole new range 535 00:36:45,640 --> 00:36:46,960 Speaker 1: of thoughts. So I just want to thank you as 536 00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:51,640 Speaker 1: a fellow citizen for your continued activism and your continued involvement. Well. 537 00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:55,399 Speaker 1: I appreciate that, mister speaker, and I've really enjoyed being 538 00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:58,839 Speaker 1: able to work with you and to learn from you 539 00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:02,040 Speaker 1: and to see the impact that you continue to have 540 00:37:02,280 --> 00:37:06,520 Speaker 1: across the country, especially on how to improve our healthcare 541 00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:10,040 Speaker 1: system and the delivery of healthcare in this country in 542 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:15,600 Speaker 1: a more accessible and affordable way. His personal story of 543 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:18,680 Speaker 1: his struggles with addiction and recovery are representative of what 544 00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:22,239 Speaker 1: many Americans are facing today as we consider the legalization 545 00:37:22,280 --> 00:37:25,120 Speaker 1: of marijuana across the country. We ought to remember his 546 00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:29,120 Speaker 1: story and really consider what don't we know about the 547 00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:40,759 Speaker 1: effects of long term marijuana use. Thanks for listening. Thank 548 00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:44,000 Speaker 1: you to my guests, Congressman Patrick Kennedy. You can learn 549 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:47,719 Speaker 1: more about his story and his organization at Don't Deny 550 00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:51,800 Speaker 1: Me dot org at newtsworld dot com. Newts World is 551 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:55,320 Speaker 1: produced by Westwood One. The executive producer is Debbie Myers. 552 00:37:55,680 --> 00:37:59,600 Speaker 1: Our producer is Garnsey Slump. Our editor is Robert Borowski. 553 00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:03,600 Speaker 1: Our researchers Hunter Estes. The artwork for the show was 554 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:07,600 Speaker 1: created by Steve Penley. The music was composed by Joey Salvia. 555 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:10,840 Speaker 1: Special thanks to the team at Gingwish three sixty in 556 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:15,040 Speaker 1: Westwood Ones, Tim Sabian and Robert Mathers. Please subscribe to 557 00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:19,040 Speaker 1: Newtsworld on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you 558 00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:24,399 Speaker 1: get entertaining podcast. On the next episode of Newtsworld, our 559 00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:29,640 Speaker 1: Immortal series continues with Julius Caesar, a legendary leader who 560 00:38:29,719 --> 00:38:34,320 Speaker 1: still impacts our lives today. I'm New Gingwich. This is 561 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:43,000 Speaker 1: News World, the Westwood one podcast network. Everyone's listening.