Why we love drugs

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Politics, News, News Commentary, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.5 • 11.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 July 2021

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Vox's Sean Illing talks with author Michael Pollan about his new book This Is Your Mind on Plants, why some societies condemn drugs that other societies condone, what will happen as the war on drugs draws to a close, and whether or not taking psychedelic drugs can improve humankind. We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes about five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: vox.com/survey Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), Interviews Writer, Vox Guest: Michael Pollan (@michaelpollan), author References: This Is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan (Penguin; 2021) How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan (Penguin; 2018) The Natural Mind: A Revolutionary Approach to the Drug Problem by Andrew T. Weil (HMH; 2004) "Opium, Made Easy" by Michael Pollan (Harper's; Apr. 1997) "The intoxicating garden: Michael Pollan on growing psychoactive plants" by Michael Pollan (Financial Times; July 9) Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts This episode was made by: Producer: Erikk Geannikis Editor: Amy Drozdowska Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey VP, Vox Audio: Liz Kelly Nelson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:24.1	terrain, battery age, loading, use, and maintenance.
0:26.6	2023 Lyric orders our full C dealer for 2024 availability details.
0:33.4	What makes a drug a drug?
0:35.6	I'm Sean Elling, and I write for Vox about politics and philosophy,
0:40.4	and I'm your host for Vox Conversations.
0:51.4	It's strange to say, but we don't really have a good definition of a drug.
0:55.6	You could say a drug is any substance that transforms our experience of the world.
1:01.6	But food does that too. So what's the difference?
1:05.2	It turns out the difference is pretty arbitrary, at least in this country.
1:09.0	Drugs are whatever the government says they are, and for a long time,
1:13.0	the government has classified drugs in a very dishonest and cynical way.
1:17.8	We call this insanity the drug war.
1:20.6	But here's the good news.
1:22.2	The drug war is dying. You can see it in the marijuana legalization movement,
1:26.6	and you can see it in the so-called psychedelic renaissance.
1:30.2	So the country will have to think seriously about what comes next.
	...

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