120: For the Love of Heroin

Today I revisit one of my favorite topics: opioids. The ongoing overdose crisis is due to the Iron Law of Prohibition, which states that any time a substance is illegal, the most potent form of it will become the most common form. Fentanyl replaced heroin because it is more potent, and therefore easier to smuggle. But that dynamic creates a lot of avoidable problems for drug users.  For more about opioids in the brain and body, check out the PBS article and video, "How A Brain Gets Hooked on Opioids."  You can find my article "Our Pathway to the Legal Regulation of All Drugs" on Filter. You can listen to episode 102 for more about places where drugs are legal now.Support the show