Podcast / American Prestige / Dec 3, 2024

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.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

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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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(Verso Books)

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
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.

How the New Deal Invented the National Security State w/ Andrew Preston / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek speak with historian Andrew Preston about the origins and development of the American national security state as we know it. They discuss the original meaning of “national security” in the early days of the republic; the idea of free security; the New Deal and the relationship between social security and national security; World War II, the Cold War, and the expansion of the security state; liberalism and American empire; and what national security looks like moving forward.

Be sure to grab a copy of Andrew’s book on the subject, Total Defense: The New Deal and the Invention of National Security.

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Daniel Bessner

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

Derek Davison

Derek 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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