(Photos by Alexander B. Kim)
On episode 14, Garth Mullins, host of the award-winning Crackdown podcast, drew on his experience as a drug user and activist to discuss harm reduction and the overdose crisis, the challenge of distributing a safe unadulterated drug supply, defunding the police, the positives and negatives of British Columbia’s decriminalization pilot, starting a grassroots drug user activist group, and his new band Low Dead Space.
“People in charge don’t give us things because they have good hearts,” said Mullins. “I mean, some of them might, but the system doesn’t, so we have to arm twist and pressure and take those things and, of course, they will want to give us the cheapest, smallest, most nickel and dime, watered down version of it that they possibly can.”
For more information about VANDU, a group of current & former drug users who work to improve the lives of illicit drug users through user-based peer support, education, and action, follow its work on Twitter.
Find out more about DULF and the compassion club actions to distribute safe tested drugs.
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Here are some episodes of Crackdown for more information about the subjects Garth spoke about in this episode. The notes to each episode contain a wealth of links and suggested reading.
Some Exceptions Apply tackles BC’s decriminalization of drugs.
Love, Death and Benzodope is a heart-wrenching introduction to what the advancing toxicity of street drugs is doing to communities.
The episode, simply titled DULF, tells how the Drug User Liberation Front has stepped up to offer people a safe version of the drugs they already use when policymakers won’t.
The episodes Stand Down, and Cop Free Future are among several episodes that examine the history of the war on drugs, police involvement in the escalation of stronger drugs on the streets, and the reasoning for defunding the police.
Andrea Charest’s column (accidentally referred to in the podcast as a letter) printed in the Listowel Banner regarding the effect of the overdose crisis in North Perth, Ontario.
Music played in this episode.
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