S2E5: The U.S. Goes Synthetic

In this episode, my father and I discuss my latest interview with Dr. Salvador Maldonado Aranda, which was conducted in Spanish. It is a brief discussion but I wanted to include it to provide any non Spanish speakers some context for my previous episode, while also giving you some personal insight into why I started this season in the first place.This concludes season two of Fickle Future. Thank you all so much for listening. I will see you soon. 

In this epiosde, I speak with researcher and professor Dr. Salvador Maldonado Aranda. For years, he has studied violence in Mexico, in particular in southwestern Mexico, where states such as Michoacán and Guerrero have seen sharp spikes in both narcotic production and trafficking since the 1980s. In this episode, we discuss the origins of these ongoing issues, the inaccurate ways they are often portrayed in the media, and what new challenges may arise in the years to come. NOTE: This episode is in Spanish. If you'd like to hear a little about what we discussed, listen to the next episode on this feed, which features my father and I having a conversation in English about this interview.

In today's episode, I speak with Kendra Mcsweeney, a Professor at the Ohio State University. Focusing in human-environment interactions, her research has largely been concentrated in Central America, and in particular the impact climate change, deforestation and drug trafficking have on the indigenous peoples of the region. For well over a decade, she has specifically studied the Tawahka people of eastern Honduras. As the smallest indegnous community in the country whose native land is deep in the rainforest, their home has been a sought out trafficking destination for years. We discuss the impact this has had, as well as its origins, and the powers at be that make it possible. Please Note: This episode was recorded in 2022.For more work by Kendra McSweeney, check out the links below"Drugs, Destruction, and Deforestation" for Nat Geo Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx6wWbja9cEClimate Change in Central America: The Drug War Connectionhttps://gjia.georgetown.edu/2020/05/13/climate-change-in-central-america-the-drug-war-connection/Acknowledging Cocaine Capital in Central American Development: https://jied.lse.ac.uk/articles/10.31389/jied.110

In this episode, I speak with artist Camilo Restrepo. Born in Colombia in the 70s, he grew up during the rise of the cocaine trade and saw firsthand the effects of the War on Drugs. He has since become an artist, with much of his work being commentary on this subject matter. Working in many mediums, he brings a unique approach to all of his pieces that I hope you all explore after listening. Check out his website here: https://camilorestrepo.co/Photos from his exhibitions: http://steveturner.la/artists/camilo-restrepoFollow him on instagram @camilorestrepo.co

Today, the modern opioid crisis is nearly thirty years old, while the Mexican War on Drugs has been ongoing for nearly twenty. In this episode, explore the the events that have lead us to where we are, and where we may be heading.

The ongoing opioid crisis is something many are all too familiar with. But back in the early nineties, it had yet to even exist. This episode delves into the dawn of an epidemic that continues to this day. 

In this episode, explore the rise of cocaine's popularity in the 1970s, the traffickers involved in moving that product, and the controversies regarding the counternarcotic policies set into action at this time. 

In this episode, explore the history of substance use in a Post War America, the origins of the French Connection, and the leaders behind some of the most impactful drug policies the United States has ever seen. 

For over a hundred years now, the Mexico-U.S. border has been home to the smuggling of all sorts of psychoactive substances. This episode explores the birth of this century long phenomenon and how the actions of decades past continue to affect us to this day. 

The United States has had a long, complicated history with opioids. This episode explores the origins of this relationship which began in the midst of the Civil War, and how, over a century later, we are still aeffected by the policies and perspectives of the past.