Thrilled for start to Season 2 of "Drugs on the Docket" podcast

Around this time last year in this post, I flagged that the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at The Ohio State University had just released Season One of a new podcast, "Drugs on the Docket."  All six full episodes of this first season, each running under an hour, were released at once (and are all still  available via Apple Podcasts and YouTube).  In fall of last year, the Drugs on the Docket team released, every couple weeks, some bonus "mini-episodes" which followed up on various Season 1 topics (which included the evolution of the crack cocaine sentencing, SCOTUS cases like Ruan v. US and Whren v. US, federal mandatory minimums, and much more).

Since the fall, the DEPC team has been hard at work putting together Season 2 of Drugs on the Docket, which will premire late this week.  Here is how the podcast is described via this podcast webpage along with a preview of the first episode of the new season:

Drugs on the Docket is a production of the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center (DEPC) at The Ohio State University.  Each episode explores how U.S. court rulings — primarily those handed down from the Supreme Court — impact drug law and policy and continue to shape the War on Drugs.... The series, hosted by Hannah Miller, invites guests with expertise in criminal justice, drug policy, and drug enforcement to help us break down the sometimes complex and always interesting stories behind today’s drug law landscape.

Drugs on the Docket is produced by DEPC’s Service Engagement Project Manager Hannah Miller and Public Engagement Specialist Holly Griffin.  DEPC Executive Director Douglas A. Berman is our editorial advisor.  Music by Joe DeWitt.

The Drugs on the Docket podcast is back with Season 2!  This time around, we'll release an episode every two weeks. Episodes unpack ATF sting operations, the history of US drug policies and constitutional law, the revival of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, compassionate release and the 2018 First Step Act, the role of law enforcement in harm reduction, the relationship between stigma and substance use, and more.

Season 2 Episode 1 – Stash house stings with Alison Siegler and Erica Zunkel (Part 1 of 2)

Host Hannah Miller and co-host Douglas Berman, executive director of the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, kick off Season 2 with guests Alison Siegler and Erica Zunkel from the University of Chicago.  Part 1 of this two-part episode focuses on clients ensnared in undercover stash house sting operations carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and how the Federal Criminal Justice Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School sought to prove that the ATF violated the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause by discriminating on the basis of race when selecting its targets.

Alison Siegler is Clinical Professor of Law and Founding Director of the Federal Criminal Justice Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School; Erica Zunkel is Clinical Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School and teaches in the school’s Criminal and Juvenile Justice Clinic.

Release date: Friday, May 31, 2024  

As I have said before, in my (admittedly biased) view, the curated discussions in this "Drugs on the Docket" podcast are all quite interesting and informative.  As I have also said before, because I am eager to see this podcast continue to develop and audience (and also because my colleagues at DEPC have worked extremely hard to put this content together), I am sure to keep using this space to encourage everyone to check out new Season 2 (and old Season 1) in the coming weeks.