109: Dr. Marks' Heroin Clinics, Cocaine Cigarettes & Redefining Drugs (Toby Seddon)

From 1985-1992, Dr. John Marks managed a clinic where addicted people in parts of England could go to get prescription heroin, cocaine and amphetamine. And just like those who did so before him, and those who came after, he noted improvements in his patients' quality of life and a reduction in their use (and purchase) of street drugs. But in 1992, he was run off by the government when his work gained too much attention, in part by appearing on 60 Minutes and sharing footage of cigarettes spiked with cocaine and heroin being picked up by users from local pharmacies. Today I am joined by Toby Seddon, who has a podcast of his own in England which you can check out at TobySeddon.com . His research covers various areas of drug policy, but we talk about a few specific articles which you can find below. We discuss the genealogy of drug policy, Michel Foucault's work regarding power and human nature, the changing landscape of pharmacology, capitalism, moralistic arguments against drug use, Dr. Marks's drug clinics, treatment versus sustainment, and lots more.Read Toby's piece on the genealogy of "drug policy." Read Toby's coauthored metanalysis (an analysis of numerous studies) about opioid use and criminality.  You can also read about marijuana and autism in this 2022 article.Support the show