Skip to content
Log in Join free
Crackdown cover art

Crackdown Productions

Crackdown

A Documentary , Society & Culture and Science podcast

#115 in Documentary · 🇨🇦
Good podcast? Give it some love!

About the show

The drug war, covered by drug users as war correspondents. Crackdown is a monthly podcast about drugs, drug policy and the drug war led by drug user activists and supported by research. Each episode will tell the story of a community fighting for their lives. It’s also about solutions, justice for those we have lost, and saving lives.

Newest episodes

Episode 59: They’re Running Against Us

1 hr 10 min

A big legal win for DULF means a defeat for the drug war: all charges have been dropped against our comrades, Jeremy and Eris. Meanwhile, election time in BC & Ontario means more fearmongering & scapegoating of drug users.  On Episode 59 of Crackdown, Garth and Sam talk about it all with frontline harm reduction worker, drug user activist and researcher Zoe Dodd. Headlines A new prison in the west end? Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s political opponents have accused him of proposing to build a prison for drug users, people with mental health problems, and  homeless people at the soon-to-be former St. Paul’s Hospital site. (Link 1, Link 2).  Prime Minister Mark Carney is fulfilling Stephen Harper’s wildest dreams. Carney’s new Omnibus Bill C-39 – The Building Canada Strong Act gives the government the right to force an end to a strike when it’s deemed to be injurious to the national interest. With that declaration, impacts to Indigenous rights, environmental reviews, and permitting are all after the fact. Carney announced the first Project of National Interest (or PONI) Another pipeline from Alberta’s tar sands to the BC coast. First Nations and Environmental groups are already sounding the alarm. Meanwhile, Carney has continued to sell off Canada’s public assets, including airports, while slashing federal jobs and cutting the budgets of federal departments. (Link 1, Link 2).  Residential school denialism is thriving in Canada. In late September, just before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, masked neo-nazis with the group Second Sons marched in uniform on on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc reserve. The group also unfurled a banner reading “Got Bones” on an overpass. Experts say this kind of residential school denialism has been on the rise in Canada including among far right elected officials and political staffers. This comes in spite of clear, documented evidence that over 4,000 Indigenous children died at residential schools across the country and that many...

Episode 58: Toothless Tiger

1 hr 4 min

Cops kill people. They hurt people. They sexually assault people. And when they do, there’s a whole system that’s supposed to hold them accountable, but it barely works. On Episode 58, Garth and Sam dig into Canada’s rotten history of police accountability—and ask whether the system is failing, or doing exactly what it was built to do. HEADLINES A recent report by the Tracking (In)Justice Project at Carleton University has found that Canadian police officers have killed significantly more people during the 2020s than in previous decades. In 96% of cases Canada’s police oversight agencies declined to recommend or lay charges on officers.  APTN reports that a family from the Swan Lake First Nation in Manitoba is frustrated with the province’s Independent Investigations Unit. In 2025, an officer with the Manitoba First Nations Police Service shot and killed their dog. This week, the IIU cleared the officer of any potential charges. (Link).  Universities are spying on students. The Breach uncovered a secret network of administrators at top Canadian universities. This “top-secret” network worked to surveille and suppress students protesting Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. In Alberta, University managers were found to have colluded with the UCP government and the police to clear student encampments using violent, para-military raids.  Since 2025, the US military has killed over 200 people as part of Operation Southern Spear – a campaign to bomb small fishing boats in the Caribbean. Human rights organizations have called it “illegal” and a “murder spree.” President Donald Trump has claimed that these bombings contributed to a 97% reduction in drugs trafficked to the US by sea. However, a recently leaked Drug Enforcement Administration assessment states that Donald Trumps’ bombings have completely failed to impact the supply, purity, and price of cocaine in the United States. (Link 1, Link 2, Link 3).  UPDATES DULF’s Charter Challenge had its last day in court at...

Episode 57: We Ain’t Dead Yet

48 min

Description Garth and Sam discuss Elanore Sturko, Vaughn Palmer and Tristin Hopper’s responses to Canada’s declining overdose deaths in 2025. Was it the NDP’s abandonment of decriminalization and “prescribed alternatives” that caused fewer Canadians to die?  No, it wasn’t. Table of Contents [04:21] SEGMENT 1: Show updates – we ain’t dead yet! [08:01] SEGMENT 2: Canada’s ultraconservatives want credit for the declining overdoses. Do they deserve any?  [23:26] SEGMENT 3: Community Profile – Tyson Singh Kelsall and Police Oversight with Evidence and Research (POWER).  [25:34] SEGMENT 4: Evaluating the federal Liberal Party. Is there anything they can do to stop the attacks on overdose prevention across the country?  [36:05] SEGMENT 5: How much credit does the drug user movement deserve for the declining overdose numbers?  [41:58] SEGMENT 6: Bubble pipes and other kinds of glassware are becoming scarce in BC. We discuss an open letter written by drug users.  Notes You can support our friends at Power here: https://www.policeoversight.ca/ Graph – “Necropolitics” in fatal overdose projections (link): Graph – Declining fentanyl purity since 2023 (link): Graph – Reddit posts discussing fentanyl droughts (link): A link to VANDU’s open letter on glassware shortages in BC will be uploaded to our website when it’s available: https://www.crackdownpod.com/  Works Cited Reports BC Centre for Disease Control. “Population Estimates of Opioid-Related Harms in BC.” 2026. The Public Health Agency of Canada. Modelling Apparent Opioid Toxicity Deaths during the Overdose Crisis. Government of Canada. 2025. The Government of Canada. “Opioid- and Stimulant-Related Harms in Canada: Key Findings.” 2026. Press Conferences Cable Public Affairs Channel. “Federal Officials Hold a News Conference on Illegal Drug Crisis.” Press Conference, 2026. Gebien, Darryl. Zöe Dodd Brave Words to Politicians at Health Canada’s Opioid Symposium 2018 in Toronto. YouTube. 2018. Books L...

Similar podcasts

All episodes

Episode 59: They’re Running Against Us

1 hr 10 min

A big legal win for DULF means a defeat for the drug war: all charges have been dropped against our comrades, Jeremy and Eris. Meanwhile, election time in BC & Ontario means more fearmongering & scapegoating of drug users.  On Episode 59 of Crackdown, Garth and Sam talk about it all with frontline harm reduction worker, drug user activist and researcher Zoe Dodd. Headlines A new prison in the west end? Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s political opponents have accused him of proposing to build a prison for drug users, people with mental health problems, and  homeless people at the soon-to-be former St. Paul’s Hospital site. (Link 1, Link 2).  Prime Minister Mark Carney is fulfilling Stephen Harper’s wildest dreams. Carney’s new Omnibus Bill C-39 – The Building Canada Strong Act gives the government the right to force an end to a strike when it’s deemed to be injurious to the national interest. With that declaration, impacts to Indigenous rights, environmental reviews, and permitting are all after the fact. Carney announced the first Project of National Interest (or PONI) Another pipeline from Alberta’s tar sands to the BC coast. First Nations and Environmental groups are already sounding the alarm. Meanwhile, Carney has continued to sell off Canada’s public assets, including airports, while slashing federal jobs and cutting the budgets of federal departments. (Link 1, Link 2).  Residential school denialism is thriving in Canada. In late September, just before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, masked neo-nazis with the group Second Sons marched in uniform on on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc reserve. The group also unfurled a banner reading “Got Bones” on an overpass. Experts say this kind of residential school denialism has been on the rise in Canada including among far right elected officials and political staffers. This comes in spite of clear, documented evidence that over 4,000 Indigenous children died at residential schools across the country and that many...

Episode 58: Toothless Tiger

1 hr 4 min

Cops kill people. They hurt people. They sexually assault people. And when they do, there’s a whole system that’s supposed to hold them accountable, but it barely works. On Episode 58, Garth and Sam dig into Canada’s rotten history of police accountability—and ask whether the system is failing, or doing exactly what it was built to do. HEADLINES A recent report by the Tracking (In)Justice Project at Carleton University has found that Canadian police officers have killed significantly more people during the 2020s than in previous decades. In 96% of cases Canada’s police oversight agencies declined to recommend or lay charges on officers.  APTN reports that a family from the Swan Lake First Nation in Manitoba is frustrated with the province’s Independent Investigations Unit. In 2025, an officer with the Manitoba First Nations Police Service shot and killed their dog. This week, the IIU cleared the officer of any potential charges. (Link).  Universities are spying on students. The Breach uncovered a secret network of administrators at top Canadian universities. This “top-secret” network worked to surveille and suppress students protesting Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. In Alberta, University managers were found to have colluded with the UCP government and the police to clear student encampments using violent, para-military raids.  Since 2025, the US military has killed over 200 people as part of Operation Southern Spear – a campaign to bomb small fishing boats in the Caribbean. Human rights organizations have called it “illegal” and a “murder spree.” President Donald Trump has claimed that these bombings contributed to a 97% reduction in drugs trafficked to the US by sea. However, a recently leaked Drug Enforcement Administration assessment states that Donald Trumps’ bombings have completely failed to impact the supply, purity, and price of cocaine in the United States. (Link 1, Link 2, Link 3).  UPDATES DULF’s Charter Challenge had its last day in court at...

Episode 57: We Ain’t Dead Yet

48 min

Description Garth and Sam discuss Elanore Sturko, Vaughn Palmer and Tristin Hopper’s responses to Canada’s declining overdose deaths in 2025. Was it the NDP’s abandonment of decriminalization and “prescribed alternatives” that caused fewer Canadians to die?  No, it wasn’t. Table of Contents [04:21] SEGMENT 1: Show updates – we ain’t dead yet! [08:01] SEGMENT 2: Canada’s ultraconservatives want credit for the declining overdoses. Do they deserve any?  [23:26] SEGMENT 3: Community Profile – Tyson Singh Kelsall and Police Oversight with Evidence and Research (POWER).  [25:34] SEGMENT 4: Evaluating the federal Liberal Party. Is there anything they can do to stop the attacks on overdose prevention across the country?  [36:05] SEGMENT 5: How much credit does the drug user movement deserve for the declining overdose numbers?  [41:58] SEGMENT 6: Bubble pipes and other kinds of glassware are becoming scarce in BC. We discuss an open letter written by drug users.  Notes You can support our friends at Power here: https://www.policeoversight.ca/ Graph – “Necropolitics” in fatal overdose projections (link): Graph – Declining fentanyl purity since 2023 (link): Graph – Reddit posts discussing fentanyl droughts (link): A link to VANDU’s open letter on glassware shortages in BC will be uploaded to our website when it’s available: https://www.crackdownpod.com/  Works Cited Reports BC Centre for Disease Control. “Population Estimates of Opioid-Related Harms in BC.” 2026. The Public Health Agency of Canada. Modelling Apparent Opioid Toxicity Deaths during the Overdose Crisis. Government of Canada. 2025. The Government of Canada. “Opioid- and Stimulant-Related Harms in Canada: Key Findings.” 2026. Press Conferences Cable Public Affairs Channel. “Federal Officials Hold a News Conference on Illegal Drug Crisis.” Press Conference, 2026. Gebien, Darryl. Zöe Dodd Brave Words to Politicians at Health Canada’s Opioid Symposium 2018 in Toronto. YouTube. 2018. Books L...

Episode 56: Extraordinary Circumstances

53 min

It’s been almost six years since the launch of BC’s tiny safe supply program; also known as “prescribed alternatives.” Although the evidence that safe supply saves lives hasn’t changed, the political favourability of BC’s program has. In episode 56, we talk to safe supply patients, prescribers and experts who are experiencing the dismantling of this life saving program first hand. Share Post Reddit Email

Episode 55: The Man in the High Castle

43 min

With fascism on the rise around the world, we explore the relationship between Canada’s housing and policing policies and the risk of far right authoritarianism at home. Share Post Reddit Email

Episode 54: Get Sober or Get Dead

49 min

Alberta is the involuntary treatment capital of Canada. Since 2006, the province has encouraged parents to waive their children’s rights and force them into detox as part of the Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Act. And in the coming months, Alberta will begin involuntarily detaining adults as well. On episode 54, Crackdown producer Alex de Boer travels to Edmonton to meet Angie Staines and her son Brandon Shaw. When Brandon got wired as a young teen, Angie had a difficult choice to make: should she force Brandon to sober up? And what would happen to their relationship if she did? Share Post Reddit Email

Episode 53: Goodbye Trey

22 min

We lost another soldier from the front lines. Trey Helten, longtime manager of the Overdose Prevention Society and all around harm reduction hero on the Downtown Eastside has died at 42. Trey saved hundreds of lives. He was a friend to Crackdown and often helped connect us with community members. He was featured on the show twice. Today we’re listening back to both segments. Trey, we’re heartbroken. Rest in power. Share Post Reddit Email

Episode 52: We Will Delete All This

32 min

Garth’s new book, Crackdown: Surviving and Resisting the War On Drugs, has just been published by Penguin Random House and is now available for purchase online.  In Episode 52 of Crackdown, Garth reads a chapter of his book called “We Will Delete All This,” about his first time using heroin as a teenager in San Francisco.  *Trigger warning for sexual abuse of a child and sex work.  Share Post Reddit Email

Episode 51: Goodbye Shelda

13 min

On March 26th, we learned that our dear friend and comrade Shelda Kastor passed away. Shelda was a hero who dedicated decades of her life to fighting for the poor, drug users, Indigenous people, and women in Vancouver. Since Crackdown’s first meeting, Shelda helped us tell the story of how colonialism and the drug war work together to harm Indigenous people in Canada.  On episode 51 we reflect on this profound loss to our show, our movement, and our community.  We will never forget you Shelda.  Credits Crackdown is produced on the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil Waututh Nations. Our editorial board is Dean Wilson, Jeff Louden, Laura Shaver, Samona Marsh, Elli Taylor, Delilah Gregg, and Martin Steward. Rest in peace Shelda Kastor Dave Murray, Greg Fresz and Chereece Keewatin.  This episode was conceptualized, written, and produced by Garth Mullins, Sam Fenn, and Alex de Boer.  Mix by Alex Kim. All music by Blue Dot Sessions. If you like what we do here at Crackdown, please support us at patreon.com/crackdownpod. Thanks for listening. Stay safe and keep six. Share Post Reddit Email

Episode 50: The Toll

45 min

It’s the end of an era in Canada. On March 10th – after nine years in power – Mark Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as Canada’s Prime Minister. We mark the occasion by looking back at Trudeau’s legacy on the drug war: over 50,000 preventable overdose deaths. And we struggle to describe how this epidemic of death and grief has changed us and our movement. Share Post Reddit Email

What happens when you give drug users drugs?

54 min

In this bonus episode, we’re introducing On Drugs from CBC. On Drugs from CBC looks through the lenses of history, pop culture and personal experience to understand how drugs have shaped our world. Because even if it’s just caffeine or ibuprofen, there’s a good chance you’re on drugs right now. In Vancouver’s East Hastings, the … Continue reading What happens when you give drug users drugs? →

Episode 49: The Best Place

41 min

Vancouver, British Columbia, is one of the best places on earth – a world class city surrounded by ocean and mountains. If you can afford it, the good life is yours.  But over the last fifteen years, Vancouver has become more dangerous for drug users than ever before. Especially young drug users.  In episode 49, … Continue reading Episode 49: The Best Place →

Episode 48: Losing BC

52 min

On the eve of a provincial election in British Columbia, Garth and Sam drill down on the parties’ platforms. Plus — VANDU member Scotty Archondous tells a story relevant to BC’s coming involuntary treatment program.

Episode 47: Low Dead Space

14 min

In episode 47, we bring you a brief update on the show and the harm reduction movement. Plus you’ll hear new tunes from Garth’s band.

Episode 46: The Bench

53 min

In Canada, alcohol is legal and we have a safe supply of booze. So why do some people drink mouthwash or rice wine? And why does the state over-police poor people for public drinking? In episode 46, we learn how Canada’s alcohol policies drive illicit drinking. And we hear from a group of drinkers who … Continue reading Episode 46: The Bench →

Episode 45: Recriminalization

49 min

Politicians and much of the media have been lying and whipping up a moral panic. And now, decriminalization in British Columbia is all but dead. In this episode, Garth talks with Crackdown senior producer Sam Fenn and VANDU organizer Hannah Dempsey to bring you the straight goods on why drugs have been re-criminalized and what … Continue reading Episode 45: Recriminalization →

Episode 44: Kids on the Block Part 3 – Danny

38 min

Right wing politicians say safe supply will hurt kids – that young people will get hooked on drugs they’d otherwise never try. But kids already use drugs. If we want to protect and stabilize the lives of young people who use drugs, we need a regulated, non-toxic drug supply. On episode 44, we hear from … Continue reading Episode 44: Kids on the Block Part 3 – Danny →

Episode 43: Kids on the Block Part 2 – Jade

57 min

Rightwing politicians and media pundits want us to fear safe supply and harm reduction. They say these interventions are putting children and families in danger, when we know the opposite is true. But there is one thing these conservatives are right about: Canadian kids have never been less safe. Not because of harm reduction, but … Continue reading Episode 43: Kids on the Block Part 2 – Jade →

Episode 42: Kids on the Block Part 1 – Bones

43 min

Across the country, politicians and the media are fearmongering about children’s safety. They’re using a faux concern about families to attack harm reduction and the drug user movement. And their rhetoric is rolling back life-saving, public health responses to the overdose crisis. But now young people are pushing back. They’re saying they don’t want to … Continue reading Episode 42: Kids on the Block Part 1 – Bones →

Episode 41: New Front, Old War

42 min

Toxic drug deaths continue to break records in BC. We need an immediate expansion on all harm reduction initiatives. More than anything, we need a real safe supply. Instead, the BC NDP is moving backwards. They’ve fallen in line with a nation-wide moral panic and are actively rolling back the province’s hydromorphone prescribing and drug … Continue reading Episode 41: New Front, Old War →

Episode 40: Boys Don’t Cry

43 min

In the trades there’s a zero-tolerance policy on substance use. But the construction industry relies on drugs. Cocaine and stimulants help maintain a demanding rate of production and opioids treat the pain caused by injury and gruelling physical labour. On the 40th episode of Crackdown, we tell the story of one construction industry veteran, Trevor … Continue reading Episode 40: Boys Don’t Cry →

Episode 39: Backlash

37 min

A right wing backlash against harm reduction and safe supply is brewing in Canada. Garth Mullins and Sam Fenn tell the story of how we got here — and what needs to be done to fight back.

Episode 38: The Knock

47 min

Being a mother who uses drugs can put you under constant scrutiny from the government. Especially if you’re Indigenous. You’re judged and watched. You live in fear of that knock on the door, when they come to take your kids away. Many moms are rightly scared to access safer supply, harm reduction, detox and withdrawal … Continue reading Episode 38: The Knock →

Episode 37: Drugstore Cowboy

43 min

Diversion: a cold, technocratic word for when we give, trade or sell our prescribed meds to someone else. A ghost story, whispered among doctors and now, a moral panic, hollered by right wing politicians. But really, everyone’s shared their meds. I’ve done it and I bet you have too – as an act of mutual … Continue reading Episode 37: Drugstore Cowboy →

Episode 36: Some Exceptions Apply

37 min

  BC just decriminalized drugs. Well sort of. For the next three years, it’s legal to carry 2.5 grams or less of certain illicit drugs. But some exceptions apply. We’ve been fighting for decrim for decades. The goal has always been to stop arrests and get cops out of our lives. We got a watered … Continue reading Episode 36: Some Exceptions Apply →

Episode 35: On the Clock

39 min

Sex workers who use drugs are doubly criminalized. They have to look out for bad dope and bad dates. And change comes slow. Fights for incremental change don’t get at the big structures that cause so much harm. Are they worth it? We wonder about this when it comes to drug decriminalization. Next year it’ll … Continue reading Episode 35: On the Clock →

Psychoactive Swap

1 hr 15 min

I know you haven’t heard from us in a while. We’ve been busy. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes. So while we’re working on new episodes, we’ve done a swap with another podcast. Crackdown and Psychoactive podcast are swapping episodes. They played our episode on the Drug User Liberation Front. And we are … Continue reading Psychoactive Swap →

Episode 34: The Iron Law

33 min

Drug decriminalization is coming to British Columbia. And that’s a big step forward. Our movement has been fighting for decriminalization for decades. To us, decriminalization means getting cops, courts and jails out of our lives. It means police stop harassing, arresting and seizing dope off of us. For the past year, VANDU sent Garth and … Continue reading Episode 34: The Iron Law →

Episode 33: You Will Not Destroy Me

45 min

A spectre is haunting BC’s overdose crisis — the ghost of Riverview Hospital. Riverview was one of the province’s main psychiatric hospitals for a century. The giant complex – sitting on 1,000 acres of kʷikʷəƛ̓əm territory just outside of Vancouver – was largely closed in 2012. Today it’s a popular horror film shoot location.  Garth … Continue reading Episode 33: You Will Not Destroy Me →

Episode 32: Goodbye Greg

18 min

Last month, Crackdown Editorial Board member Greg Fresz passed away. As usual, we held a memorial for our comrade at VANDU. Sadly, we do this a lot. There’s nothing really that makes this constant death feel better, but at least we can feel “not better” together. That camaraderie? It’s the only thing that helps. When … Continue reading Episode 32: Goodbye Greg →

Episode 31: Love, Death and Benzodope

52 min

Can Martin and Laura’s fairy tale love story survive benzodope – the next lethal era of the drug war? British Columbia has seen a surge of unusual overdoses – including Martin and Laura’s. People are passing out for hours, losing their memories, and getting robbed and assaulted. And deaths have spiked. Again. But our community … Continue reading Episode 31: Love, Death and Benzodope →

Episode 30: DULF

47 min

In spite of a massive spike in overdose death, BC’s government still refuses to offer a genuinely safe supply of drugs. Eris Nyx and Jeremy Kalicum tell the story of how the Drug User Liberation Front has stepped up to do what the policy makers refuse to do themselves: offer people a safe version of … Continue reading Episode 30: DULF →

Episode 29: Resign

42 min

2,224 people died of toxic drug overdose in BC in 2021, says the Chief Coroner. How many months of fatal OD statistics have we seen since 2016? Fifty? Sixty? How many health and addictions ministers have passed through our lives as those numbers got bigger, only to move on after a few years? Enough. Politicians … Continue reading Episode 29: Resign →

Episode 28: After the Flood

43 min

2021 was a year of very ominous weather reports. There were unprecedented heat emergencies, wildfires, and Biblical floods. Meanwhile COVID-19, income inequality, and the overdose crisis continued to become more and more grim.  What would it feel like to endure all of this as a young person? What would it be like to try to … Continue reading Episode 28: After the Flood →

Yard Tales Swap

1 hr 0 min

This month we’re bringing you an episode of the podcast Yard Tales, where Garth was recently a guest. Crackdown’s musical wizard James Ash is also featured on this one. Yard Tales is a show about forbidden spaces hosted by Luz Fleming. Some stories feature border crossings, life altering events, the need to express one’s self … Continue reading Yard Tales Swap →

Episode 27: Cop Baked In

50 min

Editorial Statement on the Criticism of Suboxone Since 2017, the BC government has been massively expanding access to a prescription medication called Suboxone that provides far less euphoria than methadone or heroin. On episode 27 of Crackdown, we tell the story of Crackdown Editorial Board Reija Jean as she tries to become a “Suboxone person.” … Continue reading Episode 27: Cop Baked In →

Live at AAA 2019

59 min

Here’s a little bonus content. In November of 2019, Crackdown held a panel at the American Anthropological Association Conference in Vancouver. As drug users, we’ve gotten familiar with what it feels like when anthropology is done to us, when we are its subjects – its Guinea pigs. But in this panel we talk about what … Continue reading Live at AAA 2019 →

Episode 26: Artificial Energy

47 min

On Episode 26 of Crackdown, we look at crystal meth and the need to adapt to an unrelenting world.

The Lab

43 min

While overdoses in BC are climbing to unprecedented rates, some doctors still refuse to provide drug users with access to pharmaceutical versions of illicit drugs. Instead, many doctors view addiction as a chronic disease to be treated by limiting euphoria, prescribing “safer” analogues, or surveilling their patients. On episode 25, Garth interviews Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute … Continue reading Episode 25: The Lab →

Episode 24: If It Wasn’t Drugs It Would Be Something Else

39 min

On Episode 24, Garth talks with the best-selling writer and activist Desmond Cole about how police use Canada’s drug war as a pretext for violence against Black communities. Garth and Desmond also discuss the relationship between the movement to decriminalize drugs and the movement to defund and abolish the police.

Episode 23: Cop Free Future

45 min

https://www.patreon.com/posts/49524957 After 113 years, things might be changing in Vancouver. Mayor Kennedy Stewart has written to the federal government, asking for an exemption from Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. If he gets it, the city could decriminalize the simple possession of drugs. In light of this announcement, Crackdown is taking a look at the birth of the drug war in Canada. When and why did it start? And what is it going to take to finally end it?

Episode 22: We’re Not Afraid of Needles Around Here

32 min

In the midst of a pandemic and overdose crisis, members of Crackdown’s Editorial Board are relieved to be getting the COVID vaccine. But we don’t just trust the government, so we’re doing our homework. For years, drug users have looked at medical and public health interventions critically, assessing things for ourselves. Drug users are particularly vulnerable to COVID and its new variants. We need to get that vaccine in our arms now. But there is so much disinformation floating around. On episode 22, Dr. Kimberly Sue, Medical Director of the Harm Reduction Coalition, answers our questions about COVID19 and the politics of vaccination.

Canadaland Swap

45 min

Something different for you today. We’re swapping shows with the Canadaland Podcast. We’re running one of their episodes, and they’re running one of ours. This is Canadaland’s episode  #347 from November - The Brayden Bushby Trial And Pity Porn. In this episode, Jesse Brown interviews Jody Porter, CBC's national “Indigenous affairs” reporter. Porter reflects on the damage that can come from being a white journalist, telling other people’s stories.  Happy New Year!

Episode 21: Control

53 min

https://www.patreon.com/posts/45543505 Activist Kali Sedgemore and anthropologist Danya Fast tell a story about the government’s desire for control—the way its attempts to detain and manage drug users often backfire.   CREDITS  Crackdown is produced on the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.  We make this podcast with funds from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. And from our Patreon supporters.  You can find a complete transcript for today's show, as well as photographs and links to further readings, at patreon.com/crackdownpod. While there, consider giving us a few bucks. It helps a lot.  Our editorial board is:  Samona Marsh Shelda Kastor Greg Fess Jeff Louden Dean Wilson Al Fowler Laura Shaver Rest in Peace Dave Murray and Chereece Keewatin. Today's episode was conceptualized, written, and produced by Sam Fenn, Alex Kim, Alex de Boer, Danya Fast, Ryan McNeil, and me, Garth Mullins.   Danya Fast’s research is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Vancouver Foundation, The Sick Kids Foundation, and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. Original score written and performed by Garth Mullins, Sam Fenn, and James Ash.  Our credits music was “Pinkjet P***y” by Randy and the Pandoras. You can buy this song on 100 Block Rock, a compilation of music produced by Downtown Eastside artists. 

Updates

The next episode is delayed a few weeks. In the meantime, here's what we've been up to.

Episode 20: Cut Off

58 min

Crackdown is made possible thanks to listener contributions made at https://www.patreon.com/posts/42397641. Thanks for supporting the show! In 2015, Crackdown editorial board member, Jeff Louden, was on morphine pills for his chronic pain. The medication allowed Jeff to find some stability and avoid Vancouver's increasingly dangerous drug market. But, when Jeff's doctor unexpectedly cut down his medication, he turned to the street to outrun dopesickness.  Five years later, Garth Mullins investigates what happened to Jeff.  What can it tell us about North America's so-called "overprescribing crisis?"  Guests Jeff Louden is a member of Crackdown's editorial board and is from the Curve Lake First Nation.  Laura Shaver is a member of Crackdown's editorial board and is the President of the BC Association of People on Methadone.  Christy Sutherland is a family doctor, the medical director at the Portland Hotel Society, and the Physician Lead at the BC Centre on Substance Use [BCCSU].  Helena Hansen is a doctor and Professor and Chair of Translational Social Science and Health Equity at UCLA. Bryan Quinby is the host of the podcast Street Fight. You can follow Bryan on twitter here.   Stefan Kertesz is a physician and a Professor in preventative medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. You can follow Dr. Kertesz on twitter and listen to his podcast, On Becoming a Healer here.  Dawn Rae Downton is a writer and journalist. You can read her National Post article, "My Year on Death Row," here. 

Episode 19: Losing Hope

33 min

August 31, 2020.  Today is International Overdose Awareness Day, but so what? Who needs to be made aware? Who among us can’t see the corpses piling up from this endless war? And just when you think things can't get much bleaker, they do. On today's show Garth interviews Tim Slaney. Tim is a harm reduction worker at the supervised consumption site in Lethbridge, Alberta - one of the busiest in the world. And the government is shutting it down. Music from the Arches Mic Club featured in this episode: "Dream Big" by Lonzo, Leland, and Doobyis "Fully Beaded" by Lonzo, Doobyis, and Buck  "Back at the Start" by Karley B  "Speak These Words" by Lil Branden, Doobyis, Colicchie, and Lonzo 

Episode 18: Blue Metal Fence

51 min

The first thing that the plague brought to Vancouver was exile. In March, People vanished. The city looked like a ghost town. But on the Downtown Eastside, the sidewalks were still packed. People still lining up for food. And lining up to get into supervised injection sites. Vancouver’s biggest tent city--Oppenheimer Park-- had never been so full. A full transcript of this episode will be available for free soon. Thank you to the Red Braid Alliance for Stewart Squat audio. Thank you to Global News Vancouver and CTV News Vancouver for newscast audio. Links The Homeless Idea podcast https://thehomelessidea.ca/ The Right to Remain research project http://www.righttoremain.ca/ Credits Crackdown is produced on the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.  This month we lost a good friend, warrior and activist - Wade Crawford - from Six Nations. RiP Wade Our Editorial Board is:  Samona Marsh Shelda Kastor Greg Fess Jeff Louden Dean Wilson Al Fowler Laura Shaver Dave Murray. RiP Dave...and   Chereece Keewatin, RiP Chereece. Crackdown’s senior producer is Sam Fenn. Our producers are Lisa Hale and Alexander Kim.  Our science advisor is Ryan McNeil. Assistant Professor & Director of Harm Reduction Research at the Yale School of Medicine.  Garth Mullins is our host, writer and executive producer. You can follow him on twitter @garthmullins.  Original score written and performed by Sam Fenn, James Ash and Garth. Our theme song was written by me and Sam with accompaniment from Dave Gens and Ben Appenheimer.    We make this podcast with funds from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. And from our Patreon supporters.  Stay safe. And keep six.

Episode 17: Class Action

23 min

People on methadone in B.C. are suing the government and a pharmaceutical company for decisions which may have contributed to the overdose crisis. Laura Shaver is the lead plaintiff in a new proposed class action lawsuit against British Columbia’s College of Pharmacists, the Ministry of Health, and the pharmaceutical corporation Mallinckrodt. Laura - who is also on Crackdown’s editorial board - may wind up representing all of the province’s methadone users. She’s seeking damages for harms related to the switch from compound methadone to Methadose in 2014.   You can find a transcript for today’s episode here. Crackdown believes that transparency is a cornerstone of journalism. For that reason, we have made our transcripts as detailed as possible, with footnotes sourcing how and where we have found our information. We also highlight the sections of our episodes that contain analysis, opinion or advocacy.    Credits Crackdown is produced on the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.Our Editorial Board is: Samona Marsh, Shelda Kastor, Greg Fess, Jeff Louden, Dean Wilson, Al Fowler, and Laura Shaver. Rest in Peace Dave Murray and Chereece Keewatin.  Crackdown’s senior producer is Sam Fenn. Our producers are Lisa Hale and Alexander Kim. Our science advisor is Ryan McNeil, Assistant Professor & Director of Harm Reduction Research at the Yale School of Medicine.  Today’s episode was fact-checked by Polly Leger.Garth Mullins is Crackdown’s host, writer and executive producer. You can follow Garth on twitter @garthmullins.Original score written and performed by Sam Fenn, James Ash and Garth Mullins. Our theme song was written by Garth and Sam with accompaniment from Dave Gens and Ben Appenheimer.    Crackdown is produced with funds from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and our Patreon supporters. 

Episode 16: Goodbye Dave

32 min

We were working on an episode about the housing crisis during the pandemic. But a couple weeks ago, Crackdown lost another member of our editorial board: Dave Murray.  We can’t all get together to mourn him right now, to remember him and tell stories. Like we did with Chereece last year. I know we’ll get to it eventually, when the quarantine lifts, but until then, we’ll do it here.  Dave Murray was a veteran drug user activist. He was a mentor to the next generation of organizers like me. He’s pretty much the reason why there is a prescription heroin program in Vancouver today. And he was our friend.    Dave was an intellectual - wIth taped up glasses and newspaper tucked under his arm. But he was also bold as hell.  He helped us launch this podcast. In fact, Dave was there before we even had a name. He was a soft-spoken guy, and he made sure Crackdown got off on the right foot. Safe journey home, Dave. Take care, buddy. Crackdown is produced on the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Our Editorial Board is: Samona MarshShelda KastorGreg FessJeff LoudenDean WilsonAl FowlerLaura Shaver Chereece Keewatin, RiP Chereece...and Dave Murray. Good-bye Dave.   You can read obituaries by Travis Lupick and also by Guy Felicella, Dean Wilson and Matt Bonn. Ann Livingston has created a Facebook page with lots of Dave’s speeches  Thanks to Gordon Katic and Travis Lupick for tape of Dave gathered in 2017 for a documentary called The Heroin Clinic.  All the links are on our webpage. You can support us at Patreon.com/crackdownpod

See all 68 episodes

–

0 ratings from members

5
4
3
2
1

Rate this podcast

Log in to rate and review the shows you listen to.

No reviews yet — be the first member to rate "Crackdown".

This podcast, its content and its artwork are not owned by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Castquire.

Keep listening

Discover more podcasts like this.

Browse podcasts See the charts

Up next

  1. Nothing queued. Use + Queue on any episode to line it up.

0:00 0:00

Cookies

We set only what the site needs to sign you in and remember your theme. No advertising, no analytics. Read more.