Marshall Poe
Marshall Poe
Benjamin Y. Fong, "Quick Fixes: Drugs in America from Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge" (Verso, 2023)
Benjamin Y. Fong, "Quick Fixes: Drugs in America from Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge" (Verso, 2023)
Benjamin Y. Fong, "Quick Fixes: Drugs in America from Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge" (Verso, 2023)
Tuesday 15th August 2023
Benjamin Y. Fong discusses America's drug binge and its ties to capitalist pressures, challenging simplistic drug policy views.
45 minutes
Informative
Thought-provoking
Transformative
Insightful
Critical
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Marshall Poe
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Understanding Addiction & Recovery
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Get the buttons here!Quick Fixes: Benjamin Y. Fong on Drugs, Capitalism, and Society's Crutches
Episode Overview
- Drug use in contemporary society is primarily driven by the stress and alienation imposed by capitalist structures.
- The distinction between licit and illicit drugs is revealed as a class distinction rather than based on inherent dangers of the substances.
- The knee-jerk reaction to replace criminalization with legalization may pose potential dangers if powerful psychoactive substances are incorporated into profit-driven markets.
- Broader structural reforms, including a federal jobs guarantee and improved healthcare, are advocated as essential for addressing the societal problems associated with drugs.
Drugs are spectacular benefits to human beings in so many different ways. They're going to alleviate the pain associated with them. They're going to be a lot of fun a lot of the time, but they're not going to ultimately like deal with problems of human meaning and politics and happiness on a grand scale.
Why are Americans reaching for more drugs than ever before? In this thought-provoking episode, Marshall Poe sits down with Benjamin Y. Fong, the author of 'Quick Fixes: Drugs in America from Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge'. Fong's book takes a deep dive into America's escalating drug consumption and its ties to the pressures of capitalist society. You'll hear about the rise in usage of everything from opiates to antidepressants, and how this reflects broader societal issues.
Fong doesn't just stop at analyzing drug use; he challenges the simplistic views on drug policy, questioning the distinctions we make between legal and illegal substances. He points out that these distinctions often have more to do with class than actual danger. The conversation also tackles the controversial idea of replacing criminalization with legalization and the risks of letting profit-driven markets control powerful psychoactive substances.
Instead, Fong argues for sweeping structural reforms like a federal jobs guarantee and better healthcare to truly address the root causes of drug dependency. This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about the intricate dynamics between drugs, capitalism, and society.