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Ben Fong on Drugs in America

On this episode of American Prestige, Ben Fong, author of Quick Fixes, on our nation's history with substances.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

December 3, 2024

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Drugs in America, Pt. 1 w/ Ben Fong | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of American Prestige, hosts Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner are joined by Ben Fong of Arizona State University for a two-part discussion of his book Quick Fixes: Drugs in America from Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge. In this episode, the group covers everything from coffee to opiates to antidepressants, how they interact with capitalist society, the CIA, commodity fetishism, licit vs. illicit as distinct from legal vs. illegal, and more.

Check out more of Ben's work at his Substack on labor and logistics, On the Seams.

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On this episode of American Prestige, we’re joined by Ben Fong of Arizona State University for a two-part discussion of his book Quick Fixes: Drugs in America from Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge. We cover everything from coffee to opiates to antidepressants and how they interact with capitalist society, touching on the CIA, commodity fetishism, the definitions of licit vs. illicit as distinct from legal vs. illegal, and more.

You can check out more of Ben’s work at his Substack on labor and logistics, On the Seams.

The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Sheriffs as Members of the Security State w/ Jessica Pishko | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of American Prestige, Independent journalist and lawyer Jessica Pishko sits down with Danny and Derek to talk about sheriffs and the power that they hold. The group explores the rise of sheriffs in the 1820s under Andrew Jackson, their unique position as both law enforcement officers and politicians, their relationship to militias, the rise of “constitutional sheriffs”, figures from Wyatt Earp to Joe Arpaio, sheriffs and border policy, and more.

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Daniel BessnerTwitterDaniel Bessner is an historian of US foreign relations, and cohost of American Prestige, a podcast on international affairs.


Derek DavisonDerek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.


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