Crackdown

Crackdown


Latest Episodes

Episode 53: Goodbye Ashtrey
April 25, 2025

We lost another soldier from the front lines. Trey Helten, longtime manager of the Overdose Prevention Society and all around harm reduction hero on the Downtown Eastside, has died at 42. Trey saved h

Episode 52: We Will Delete All This
April 15, 2025

Garths new book, Crackdown: Surviving and Resisting the War On Drugs, has just been published by Penguin Random House and is now available for purchase online. In Episode 52 of Crackdown, Garth read

Episode 51: Goodbye Shelda
April 07, 2025

On March 26th, we learned that our dear friend and comrade Shelda Kastor passed away. Shelda was a hero who dedicated decades of her life to fighting for the poor, drug users, Indigenous people, and w

Episode 50: The Toll
March 12, 2025

Its the end of an era in Canada. On March 10th after nine years in power Mark Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as Canadas Prime Minister. We mark the occasion by looking back at Trudeaus legacy o

What happens when you give drug users drugs?
February 03, 2025

In this bonus episode, were introducing On Drugs from CBC. On Drugs from CBC looks through the lenses of history, pop culture and personal experience to understand how drugs have shaped our world. Be

Episode 49: The Best Place
December 05, 2024

Vancouver, British Columbia, is one of the best places on earth a world class city surrounded by ocean and mountains. If you can afford it, the good life is yours. But over the last fifteen years,

Episode 48: Losing BC
October 17, 2024

On the eve of a provincial election in British Columbia, Garth and Sam drill down on the parties platforms. Plus VANDU member Scotty Archondous tells a story relevant to BCs coming involuntary tre

Episode 47: Low Dead Space
September 03, 2024

In episode 47, we bring you a brief update on the show and the harm reduction movement. Plus youll hear new tunes from Garths band.

Episode 46: The Bench
July 07, 2024

In Canada, alcohol is legal and we have a safe supply of booze. So why do some people drink mouthwash or rice wine? And why does the state over-police poor people for public drinking? In episode 46, w

Episode 45: Recriminalization
May 10, 2024

Politicians and much of the media have been lying and whipping up a moral panic. And now, decriminalization in British Columbia is all but dead. In this episode, Garth talks with Crackdown senior prod