Crackdown

Apr 14 2025 60 ep. 42 mins 4.6k
Crackdown Podcast artwork

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.

  Society & Culture  Science
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Episode 52: We Will Delete All This

Apr 14 2025 32 mins  
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 … Continue reading Episode 52: We Will Delete All This →

Episode 51: Goodbye Shelda

Apr 07 2025 13 mins  
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 … Continue reading Episode 51: Goodbye Shelda →

Episode 50: The Toll

Mar 12 2025 45 mins  
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 … Continue reading Episode 50: The Toll →

What happens when you give drug users drugs?

Feb 03 2025 54 mins  
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 g

Episode 49: The Best Place

Dec 05 2024 41 mins  
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

Oct 16 2024 52 mins  
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

Sep 03 2024 14 mins  
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

Jul 07 2024 53 mins  
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

May 10 2024 49 mins  
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

Mar 22 2024 38 mins  
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 →