Drug Cultures

E26 - Iboga: Gabonese Sacrament and Western Commodity

You may know ibogaine as the hot new psychedelic of recent years. Extracted from the roots of the iboga shrub, opioid addicts are taking it in the hopes of curing their a

E25 - Making the Mainstream More Psychedelic ft. Shelby Hartman

DoubleBlind Mag co-founder and journalist Shelby Hartman stops by Drug Cultures to discuss her new book, The Doubleblind Guide to Psychedelics. We talk about DoubleBlind'

E24 - Opioid Whack-A-Mole Ft. Soren Shade

Friend of the show Soren Shade returns to discuss the current state of prohibition, as the DEA attempts to criminalize a number of opioid compounds through emergency plac

E23 - The High Priestess ft. Susannah Cahalan

Susannah Cahalan stops by Drug Cultures to talk about The Acid Queen, her recently published biography of counterculture icon Rosemary Woodruff Leary, Timothy Leary's wif

E22 - Kratom and Sustainability in Borneo ft. Oshin Diaz

A third kratom episode! I sit down with Oshin Diaz from Jaya Kratom to talk about the industry and how it is rapidly changing the economy, and environment, of Borneo. An

E21 - Bring Back Anti-War Psychedelia

I unpack Trump's ongoing threats of terrorism against Iran. Is there any future where Trump supporters can remain a part of the psychedelic renaissance without damaging t

E20 - Kratom, 7-OH, and Corruption ft. Soren Shade

I discuss my latest piece for High Times breaking down the divide in the kratom world between the leaf kratom and 7-OH industries. I dive into the world of kratom lobbyin

E19 - Cocaine and Oil in Venezuela

The United States, after months of bombing speedboats alleged to be carrying drugs, has just abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. In this episode, I do a deep di

E18 - Kava and Christianity in the Pacific

Kava has become one of the most popular "alcohol alternatives" in many Western countries in recent decades. But for thousands of years, it held an important spiritual and

E17 - Psychedelic Gray Markets ft. Mycopreneur

I sit down with Dennis Walker from the Mycopreneur podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on psychedelic consumer packaged goods, biopiracy, and how to best keep people

E16 - Peyote Mormons

Mormons are notoriously straight-edged; for most, temperance not only includes alcohol, but stimulants like coffee as well. In this episode of Drug Cultures, I explore

E15 - MAPS Israel and the Weaponization of Collective Trauma

I debrief the recent Psychedelic Science 2025 conference, particularly the panels on Israeli and Palestinian perspectives on psychedelic therapy for conflict-related trau

E14 - California Sober

In what I hope to be part 1 of a Drug Cultures mini-series on sobriety, I take a look at the recent phenomenon of choosing to be "Cali sober" - a version of sobriety that

E13 - Take Me To Mushroom Church

I sit down with Jonathan Maxwell Stanaford, founder of Oregon's first psychedelic mushroom church, to discuss his upbringing, the legal landscape of psychedelic churches,

E12 - Opium Eradication in Communist China

In the 19th century, the Opium Wars began a "century of humiliation" for China, which would repeatedly suffer economic and military catastrophes in the decades to follow.

E11 - Ether, Sobriety, and Independence in Ireland

Through centuries of prejudice (and deep national pride), Ireland has long been known for its alcohol drinking culture. In the 19th century, however, much of Northern Ire

E10 - Catnip Evergreen

When cats roll around in catnip, are they getting high? What about when humans smoke it? And why did people keep getting arrested for using it in New York in the early 19

E9 - Syria: Captagon For Good?

There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen. In this episode of Drug Cultures, join me as I dive into the sudden collapse of the Ass

E8 - Donald Trump: Our First Psychedelic President?

Republicans, for decades, have been the loudest cheerleaders for the war on drugs. Trump's 2024 coalition, however, is remarkably pro-psychedelic. In this episode, I expl

E7 - Israeli Anti-Foraging Laws

Palestinians have long foraged for the wild plants za'atar and akkoub, staples of their cuisine. Israel has deemed this practice illegal, and cited environmental concerns