Episodes

  • Introducing: The Flamethrowers

    Introducing: The Flamethrowers
    Sep 8 2021
    The Flamethrowers captures the punch-you-in-the-mouth energy and sound of right-wing talk radio. Host Justin Ling takes us from the fringe preachers and conspiracy peddlers of the 1920s to the political firestorm that rages today. With humour and candour, Ling examines the appeal of broadcasters like Rush Limbaugh, who found a sleeping audience, radicalized it, and became an accidental kingmaker — culminating in the election of Donald Trump. More episodes are available at smarturl.it/theflamethrowers
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    4 mins
  • Introducing: Recall: How to Start a Revolution

    Introducing: Recall: How to Start a Revolution
    Sep 8 2020
    The 1950s & 60s saw a wave of radical movements. Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution. The Black Panthers. Quebec and Canada had the FLQ — a showdown that dissolved into crisis. By October 1970, there were soldiers in the streets, communities on edge, kidnapping and terror in the headlines. But those frightening weeks were just the crescendo of a wave of terror and violence that was nearly a decade in the making. This series will reveal the stories of that time through immersive storytelling and the people who lived it: the bomb disposal expert on defusing live explosives, the survivors of terror, their families, and the radicals themselves. More episodes are available at http://hyperurl.co/recallcbc
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    32 mins
  • S2 E11 The Spell of the Poppy

    S2 E11 The Spell of the Poppy
    May 7 2018
    Opioid drugs have claimed a shocking number of lives across North America in recent years, as people fall victim to overdose. While the intensity of crisis is new, our relationship with opiates — and opioids, as they're often referred to now — goes back millennia. This is an overdose crisis thousands of years in the making, and in this episode, Geoff Turner dives into that fascinating history to figure out how we got to this point.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Replay: Miltown: A forgotten pharma game changer

    Replay: Miltown: A forgotten pharma game changer
    May 1 2018
    It's just one more week until the season two finale of On Drugs, but in the meantime, enjoy this favourite from last season. It's all about Miltown, a drug that is mostly forgotten today, but helped create modern psychopharmacology. We're proud to announce that this episode is nominated for Best Podcast at the 2018 Radio Television Digital News Association awards.
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    35 mins
  • S2 E10 Prison, On Drugs

    S2 E10 Prison, On Drugs
    Apr 24 2018
    This episode goes behind bars to learn how Canadian prisons form a nexus of drug crime, trade and addiction. We'll meet people in prison because of crimes committed in the throes of addiction and learn about how prisoners cope with addiction in custody.
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    43 mins
  • EXTRA: Bill Blair on implementing cannabis legalization

    EXTRA: Bill Blair on implementing cannabis legalization
    Apr 22 2018
    A feature interview with Bill Blair, the former Toronto Police Chief now in charge of implementing the federal government's cannabis legalization law. He reflects on the transition from drug law enforcement to legalization and regulation.
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    35 mins
  • S2 E9 The Trouble with Rehab

    S2 E9 The Trouble with Rehab
    Apr 17 2018
    Addiction treatment and recovery is a 37 billion dollar industry in North America. Yet despite decades of research and practice, there's still no surefire way to get people clear of substance dependency. In the absence of consistent standards and availability of care, people looking for help can get lost in the search for support. This episode explores the history and present of addiction rehab and recovery.
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • S2 E8 Narcotic Farm

    S2 E8 Narcotic Farm
    Apr 9 2018
    The Narcotic Farm in Lexington Kentucky played a major part in shaping the culture around mid-century heroin use in the United States, as well as our understanding of the science of addiction. This week, On Drugs digs into the history of this unique institution and what went on there.
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    32 mins