Who REALLY Won the War on Drugs? | Ash Sarkar Meets Kojo Koram

Support our work: http://novara.media/support Zack Polanski’s Green party felt the full force of the mainstream media’s indignation last year, after suggesting that changes could be made to Britain’s prohibitionist approach to drugs. But all over the world, the War on Drugs is shifting shape. The legalisation and commercialisation of drugs is on the rise, and there is huge money to be made with Canada adding $76 billion to its economy since it took these steps in 2018. Ash Sarkar sat down with Professor Kojo Koram, to discuss his latest book The Next Fix: The Winners and Losers in the Future of Drugs. From America’s plantation-turned-prison known as Angola in Louisiana to the psychedelic boom of Silicon Valley, The Next Fix tracks a seismic shift in global drug policy. America now celebrates its first legal weed-selling billionaire, while others serve out huge prison sentences for possession. Now, Koram argues, is the time to pay close attention to what’s happening in the world of drugs. How are these formerly criminalised substances being rebranded as commodities in a new billion-dollar industry? What can be done to repair the immeasurable devastation that was wrought on poor, racialised communities, during the War on Drugs era? And what does a progressive, harm-reducing, emancipatory drug policy framework, fit for the 21st century, actually look like? 00:00 Intro 02:30 How is the Drug Economy Changing? Memories of Angola Prison 08:20 If the War on Drugs Is Over, Who Won? 14:07 Drugs and Harm 18:39 The Privatisation of Drugs 26:12 The Downsides of Liberalisation 30:09 Prohibition & Leah Betts 37:36 Fear and Reactionary Policies 47:53 Drugs as a Salve for Trauma 56:17 Silicone Valley & Elite Drug Use 1:02:18 The War on Drugs and Colonialism 1:15:37 Reparations for the War on Drugs: Intervention in Drug Policy Now Buy Novara Media merch: https://shop.novaramedia.com/