Downstream: Who Really Won the War on Drugs? w/ Kojo Koram

Downstream: Who Really Won the War on Drugs? w/ Kojo Koram

Author: Novara Media July 6, 2026 Duration: 1:20:40

Last year, Zack Polanski’s Green Party suggested changes could be made to Britain’s prohibitionist approach to drugs – and felt the full force of the mainstream media’s indignation.

But all over the world, the War on Drugs is shifting shape. Drugs are being legalised and commercialised. America now has its first legal weed-selling billionaire, while others serve out huge prison sentences for possession.

Ash Sarkar sat down with Professor Kojo Koram, to discuss his latest book The Next Fix: The Winners and Losers in the Future of Drugs, which travels from a plantation-turned-prison in Louisiana to the psychedelic boom of Silicon Valley.

So what does a drug policy fit for the 21st century actually look like?

 


Tune in to Novara Media for a distinct and probing take on the world as it is, and as it could be. This independent podcast offers a necessary space for the conversations often sidelined elsewhere, weaving together sharp analysis of current affairs with deeper explorations of culture, philosophy and power. Each episode naturally delves into the interconnected crises shaping our time-be it the fraying edges of our economic system, the urgent fight for climate justice, or the enduring struggles against structural inequality. The discussions are built on a foundation of radical thought and a commitment to imagining alternatives, moving beyond the day's headlines to examine the root causes and potential futures. Hosted by the team at Novara Media, the audio format brings a direct, engaging and often challenging perspective, featuring interviews, panel debates and solo commentaries that refuse simplistic answers. It’s for anyone who finds mainstream narratives insufficient and is looking for a podcast that treats politics, society and culture as the complex, urgent and deeply human matters they truly are.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 50

Novara Media
Podcast Episodes
Downstream: You Will Rent Forever. Here’s Why. w/ Peter Apps [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:48:00
We live in times of crisis. But perhaps none of the crises affect so many people in the here and now, as the housing crisis. Solving it could provide the skeleton key to unlocking so many of society’s problems. Despite t…
ACFM Microdose: Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:36:46
The Meditations of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius are perhaps the best-selling self-help book of all time. Rooted in the rational philosophy of the Stoics, the 12 books offer a stream of personal musings on everything fro…
Do Your Own Research: The True Cost of AI Girlfriends w/ James Muldoon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:25
AI boyfriends and girlfriends are all the rage – for some. For others, they just inspire rage. So what’s the truth about these seductive machines? Do they open up our erotic potential, or are they just an absurd fantasy?…
ACFM Trip 61: Resilience [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:38:28
A weird-left look at the magical properties of resilience, from the colonial legacy of the stiff upper lip to contemporary narratives of trauma and victimhood. Nadia, Keir and Jem wonder whether humans and animals can fl…
Downstream: The Truth About the US Military w/ Matt Kennard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:51:39
The war on terror ended in 2021 with a catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan, but the consequences of that conflict continue to play out both overseas and at home. Aaron Bastani sat down with investigative journalist…