January 12, 1998: The War on Drugs - Peter Gorman

Art Bell speaks with Peter Gorman, editor-in-chief of High Times Magazine, about the failed war on drugs, the counterculture legacy, and his extensive fieldwork in the Amazon. Gorman argues that mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana possession have filled American prisons with nonviolent offenders while violent criminals are released early. He reveals that the DEA has recently acknowledged it lacks scientific grounds to classify marijuana as a Schedule I substance, a development he calls a potential turning point in federal drug policy.

The discussion broadens to the collapsing price of street cocaine, the corruption fueling international drug trafficking, and the medical community's fear of prescribing adequate pain medication due to DEA surveillance. Gorman also describes his discovery of a bioactive frog secretion used by the Matses Indians of Peru, a substance containing a naturally occurring opioid now drawing pharmaceutical interest for its potential as a non-addictive painkiller.

Callers raise questions about cannabis buyers clubs, hallucinogen safety, and the political obstacles to reform. Gorman maintains that existing criminal laws already cover harmful behavior, making drug-specific penalties redundant and counterproductive.