Playlist: Drug War Dispatches
Compiled By: Jonah Engle
From the bloodshed in Mexico, to America's overcrowded prisons, to Afghanistan's opium fields; battles over drugs and for drugs have profound and global effects. This podcast goes behind the sensational headlines to take a critical look at the politics of prohibition.
A regular podcast featuring news and in-depth interviews on the global drug trade and the wide ranging impacts of drug policy.
Drug War Dispatches 3: How Drug Gangs Took Over Rio's Favelas
From Jonah Engle | Part of the Drug War Dispatches series | 37:26
As Rio de Janeiro prepares to host both the World Cup and the Olympics in the next 4 years, the Brazilian government is hard at work making the city safe for foreign visitors. As part of those efforts, late last year, the army invaded one the city’s largest slums, or favelas, in a bid to wrest control of the favela from the Red Command - one of several alliances of drug gangs.
Professor Desmond Arias, of Manhattan’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, spent many years conducting research in favelas and is the author of Drugs and Democracy in Rio. On today’s show, he explains how drug gangs came to dominate many of Rio’s favelas. Arias also describes the relationships between drug traffickers, a highly corrupt police force, violent militias and politicians which maintain the status quo and leave Rio’s poorest citizens exposed to high levels of violence without recourse.
As Rio de Janeiro prepares to host both the World Cup and the Olympics in the next 4 years, the Brazilian government is hard at work making the city safe for foreign visitors. As part of those efforts, late last year, the army invaded one the city’s largest slums, or favelas, in a bid to wrest control of the favela from the Red Command - one of several alliances of drug gangs.
Professor Desmond Arias, of Manhattan’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, spent many years conducting research in favelas and is the author of Drugs and Democracy in Rio. On today’s show, he explains how drug gangs came to dominate many of Rio’s favelas. Arias also describes the relationships between drug traffickers, a highly corrupt police force, violent militias and politicians which maintain the status quo and leave Rio’s poorest citizens exposed to high levels of violence without recourse.
Drug War Dispatches 1: The defeat of Prop 19 and what it means for American drug policy
From Jonah Engle | Part of the Drug War Dispatches series | 38:22
Sasha Abramsky, a California-based journalist and author, explains why the recent measure to legalize marijuana in California, which polls showed might succeed, was defeated. Abramsky also discusses the broader context of shifting attitudes towards drugs on the part of Americans and their leaders.
Sasha Abramsky, a California-based journalist and author, explains why the recent measure to legalize marijuana in California, which polls showed might succeed, was defeated. Abramsky also discusses the broader context of shifting attitudes towards drugs on the part of Americans and their leaders.