Plunder, Profit, & Punishment: Drug War Profiteers | S2: Profiting from "Social Support Systems"

The war on drugs is immensely profitable - for some entities - and in order to successfully end the drug war and its associated harms we have to follow the money to see who’s benefiting from systematically punitive responses. The accounting of the drug war typically focuses on the expenditures of systems and institutions in terms of enforcing drug prohibition. In this series, we will shift from tracing institutional funding and delve into a people-centered accounting of the drug war. We will explore how private and public companies, agencies, and organizations profit from the drug war, extract money and resources from people, and plunder entire communities - often targeting those who are already navigating financial precarity. We’ll expose malfeasance across different systems - including treatment and recovery, housing, healthcare, and family policing - to ultimately develop strategies to curb the influence of drug war profiteers.
Session 2 explored areas of people’s lives where the drug war is a mechanism for extracting resources and payment from people in ways that are more invisible across systems that are understood as benevolent, such as family services, public benefits, and housing.
Speakers:
Stephanie Jeffcoat
Andrew Hutchinson
Anjana Samant
Moderator:
Melissa Moore
Recorded: May 23, 2024
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The Drug Policy Alliance is building a world without the drug war where people who use drugs are supported, not punished. We’re building a world where drug policy is grounded in evidence, health, equity, and human rights. Join us: drugpolicy.org/ .
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