US: 250 Years Later – Part 41: Drugs (Illicit)
In 1776, the idea of “illegal drugs” would have sounded strange to most Americans. Mood-altering substances existed everywhere, woven into medicine, labor, trade, and ordinary life. Two hundred and fifty years later, substances have become entangled with public health, criminal justice, addiction, policy, and profound social questions. This letter follows America’s changing relationship with illicit drugs and asks whether societies are truly battling chemicals… or the pain that drives people toward them.
Read the letter →