The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Georgia Voter Suppression | Carl L. Hart

Episode Date: April 6, 2021

Trevor highlights voter suppression in Georgia, Desi Lydic examines how the pandemic disproportionately harms working women, and Dr. Carl L. Hart discusses his book "Drug Use for Grown-Ups."To help at...-risk students grow produce for their communities and build a sustainable, equitable food system that fights food insecurity, donate at dailyshow.com/TeensForFoodJustice. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. Really? But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th,
Starting point is 00:00:32 wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's going on, everybody? I'm Trevor Noah, and this is the daily social distancing show. Today is Monday, April 5th, and I hope everybody had a happy Easter. And I hope you also enjoyed a really nice Easter egg hunt. I actually haven't found my Easter eggs yet, because my trick is I wait a few weeks until all of them start to rot, and then the smell gives them away. Pretty smart. Anyway, coming up on tonight's show, America has a new creepiest congressman.
Starting point is 00:01:03 Desi Lydic discovers why women are leaving the workforce and why Georgia Republicans are switching to Pepsi. So let's do this, people. Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. From Trevor's couch in New York City to your couch somewhere in the world. This is the Daily Social Dist show with Trevor Noah. Ears Edition. Let's kick things off with an update on COVID-19, the pandemic that's harder to get rid of
Starting point is 00:01:30 than a serial killer in a hockey mask. This past year, sometimes felt like an endless repetition of Netflix, crafts, and boring little walks around the neighborhood. Hell, I took so many walks, I started naming the fire hydrants. Hey, what's going on, Yellow? Sprinkley! Yeah, good to see you. Richard! Richard! Where's my fucking money, Richard? I don't forget. You told me you needed to buy a new nut to close the waterhole and you didn't pay? I'll kill you, Richard! I don't forget. But now, things are suddenly moving very fast in the right direction. The only question is, are they moving fast enough?
Starting point is 00:02:10 After a weekend of Easter gatherings and a record number of spring break travelers, the fear this morning, another dangerous surge is looming. Michigan now seeing the country's largest spike in cases, reporting its highest daily count since early December. While infections are rising in over 20 states, health, the country's largest spike in cases, reporting its highest daily count since early December. While infections are rising in over 20 states, health experts aren't in agreement that a fourth wave is imminent. We will see in the next two weeks,
Starting point is 00:02:35 the highest number of cases reported globally, since the beginning of the pandemic. I think that there's enough immunity in the population, that you're not going to see a true fourth wave of infection. What we're seeing is pockets of infection around the country. This as the vaccine rollout is picking up pace. The CDC says more than 3 million doses are now being distributed every day and over 18 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated. That's right people. America may be entering a fourth wave of coronavirus.
Starting point is 00:03:06 This pandemic is getting more spin-offs than law and order. But the good news is, and I really mean this, focus on the good news. The fourth wave might not be as big as earlier waves, because so many people are being vaccinated. Yeah, so in many ways, it could end up being like when the wave comes around for the fourth time at a baseball game. Ooh, yeah, all right. Now the problem is that we just don't know yet.
Starting point is 00:03:33 Some experts are saying things are about to get worse. And some experts are saying things are getting better. It actually makes it hard to know how cautious we should be. That's why I am not taking any chances. I have started licking the their their their their to be to be why I am not taking any chances. I have started licking doorknobs again, but just to be safe I put a condom on them first. Basically right now we're in a race between the people who are masking and getting vaccinated and the people who are spreading the virus. And when you think
Starting point is 00:03:58 about it, that's been the question with every big issue in history. Are the people solving the problem, faster than the people causing the problem? Are the people fixing the climate, going faster than the people changing it? Are the people building sewage systems faster than the people shitting in the streets? Are we producing King Kongs? Fast enough to fight the Godzilla's?
Starting point is 00:04:16 We never make enough Kongs! Regardless, you want to be one of the people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people people the people the people the people the people the people the people the people the people the problem. So please get vaccinated so that you can go back to living your life and keep your mask on so that you can stay safe. And because time is of the essence here, if you do see the coronavirus, you know what you got to do. You got a stall. Oh, hey, Corona. Yeah, no, I know you want to come in in my lungs, but before that, I was just wondering, do you have any good podcasts you'd recommend? Uh-huh. Wow, with serial killers?
Starting point is 00:04:48 Oh, that's cool. And then like, uh-huh. So the, uh-huh. Yeah, that's right. I got the vaccine, bitch! Woo! But let's move on now to some political news. Donald Trump may have the tholc- thuuuuuu thu thu thu that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's tho. the the. the the the. the. the. the. that's that's th. that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's election. But that's only if you count all the votes against him. The good news, though, is that doesn't mean he walked away from the race, empty-handed. Well, Trump supporters may have gotten or given more than they bargained for when they donated to his re-election campaign. A New York Times investigation found the people who thought they were sending a single donation
Starting point is 00:05:25 were charged over and over again by his campaign operation, and what the Times calls an intentional scheme to boost revenue. Recurring online donations were set up by default. Here is how that fine print disclaimer looked. Take a look at this. It was buried. That tiny line at the bottom of the first yellow box calls for a weekly recurring donation.
Starting point is 00:05:48 Hundreds of thousands of people had money withdrawn without their knowledge, leading to a record amount of fraud claims against more than 64 million bucks in refunds in the last months of 2020. A 63-year-old man willingly, initially contributed $500 to the Trump campaign when the man had his bank account repeatedly charged $500 several times in the weeks to come to the tune
Starting point is 00:06:14 of $3,000 in less than 30 days. God damn. Say what you want about Donald Trump, but this man is a legend. His last act, as president, was to rob his own supporters. They loved him so much, they stormed the capital for him, and meanwhile, he was like, you go on ahead, I'll watch your stuff. Leave your wallet here, Bobby. I got you. What's most surprising to me is that Trump's base didn't expect this from him. Because guys, if you know Donald Trump at all, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that that that that that that, that that that that, that, th, thi, thi, thi, th th thi, th, th thi, thi, th, th, to to to to to to to to to to to to th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi thi thi thi thi thi the the the the the the the the thei the thei thi thi thi thi thi thi. What's most surprising to me is that Trump's base didn't expect this from him.
Starting point is 00:06:46 Because guys, if you know Donald Trump at all, you should know that he will scam anyone. That's why even when Malani is at home, she still takes her purse with her to the bathroom. I'm going peepee now. Credit card comes with me, Donald. Now, you'd probably think that after getting scammed, his supporters would have second thoughts about him, but it turns out some of the victims still say that they are loyal to Donald Trump. I mean, how far does he have to go for these guys to stop believing in him? Well, sure, I missed that checkbox too.
Starting point is 00:07:19 But that's my fault. I would still shake the man's hand, if I had a hand because I missed that checkbox too. And finally, there's another political story that we missed while we were off the air last week. And you know, normally when we miss a political scandal, we just say, oh, big deal, and we wait for the next one. Because it's fine. Scandals about politicians come around more often than YouTube apologies. But this story is so insane that we just have to talk about it. Stunning new allegations that Florida Republican Matt Gates paid women for sex. The Justice Department is investigating whether the
Starting point is 00:07:57 congressman in a local Florida politician gave cash or other items of value to multiple women who are recruited online to sleep with them. The men allegedly told women to meet at hotels and that some of the encounters reportedly involved the drug ecstasy. The inquiry is also examining whether Gates had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and possibly violated sex trafficking laws. Sources tell us that as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, female colleagues referred to him as, quote, creepy Gates because he made them feel so uncomfortable.
Starting point is 00:08:31 Once in Congress, sources say Gates allegedly boasted of his sexual encounters with women, and would allegedly try to show colleagues photos and videos of naked women he'd claimed he'd slept with. One source saying he tried to show him video of a naked woman with a hula hoop. Okay, this is crazy! Matt Gates, Florida congressman, and only living relative of Vivas and Buttheads, being accused of sex crimes. And there are a lot of different accusations happening here.
Starting point is 00:09:06 Now, do I think that Matt Gates looks like a guy who shows photos of naked women to people at work? Yes. But do I think that he would have paid for sex? Yeah, definitely. But do I think that he's the kind of guy who would take ecstasy and have sex with an underage girl? Also, yes.
Starting point is 00:09:29 So really, there's only one question left for Gates. Does he deny all of the charges? Or does he admit to everything and just become king of Florida? And no forget, these allegations would be criminal no matter what, but the fact that he's in Congress makes them even worse. Because at what points in the day is he showing all of these nude videos? And that's why Americans should be free to choose their own health care. And speaking of free, check out these today! But let's move on to our main story.
Starting point is 00:10:04 Voting. It's democracy's rose ceremony. Ever since last November's election, when Democrats turned out in large numbers, Republicans around the country have been working hard to make voting harder. And last week, the biggest voter restriction law just passed in one of the states where the results were the closest. A new law signed by Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp, imposes a series of new restrictions on elections in the state.
Starting point is 00:10:31 Let's remind folks about what that law does. It shrinks the window for sending absentee ballots, severely limits the number of ballot drop boxes and gives more control of local elections to state lawmakers who are majority Republican. It also makes it a crime to give water or food to people to people to people to people to people to state lawmakers who are majority Republican. It also makes it a crime to give water or food to people waiting in line to vote. President Biden last week slammed the Republican-backed law as sick.
Starting point is 00:10:52 When I'm worried about is how un-American this whole initiative is. This makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle. Yeah, you tell him Biden. And then maybe explain what you just told him because I have no idea what you're talking about. Like. Like, like, like to, like to, like to, like to, like to, like to, like to, like to, like to to to to to people to to to to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to people to to to people to to to to to to to people to to to to to people to people to to to to to their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their people their people their people their people Biden and then maybe explain what you just told him because I have no idea what you're talking about. Like is he saying eagles are worse than crows? Like are we all supposed to share his personal bird rankings? Because I don't know about you but this is the most Joe Biden thing ever. He's trying to make a point about America's history of racist voting restrictions and instead, he's got us arguing about birds. Look, man, I agree Eagles are the goat, but you can't be disrespecting the crow like
Starting point is 00:11:31 that, man. You show me another bird that can use tools to obtain food. Shee. But that's right. After losing in November, Georgia Republicans decided to basically make voting more like all of the worst parts of flying. Okay, so there's going to be really. the tha tha tha tha tha tha tha to to tha to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to tho to tho to to thoge the thia the thoge thoge thoge theage theage theage theage the the the the the the the the the. the the. I I I th. I I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I the. I the. I the. I the. I'll to the. to to to to the. to to to to the. toe. tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooea. toea. the. th all of the worst parts of flying. Okay, so there's gonna be really long lines. No one can have water. And if you're late, you can go, fuck yourself. In fact, you know what, no shoes. Everybody take off your shoes. So obviously a lot of people whosepilet theeats
Starting point is 00:11:55 thiiiiocrats were angry. So for help, they turned to the only people whose opinions might actually count for something, giant corporations. More fallout now over the new voting law in Georgia. Major League Baseball pulled the All-Star game out of Atlanta and over the weekend, the Braves covered up the All-Star Patch on their uniform. The MLB's decision comes after civil rights groups put pressure on organizations and corporations to pull business out of Georgia. Two major Georgia-based companies, Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines, are now taking the same
Starting point is 00:12:33 stance, arguing the Republican law was based on a lie and will restrict voting rights. Delta CEO, Ed Bastian, spoke to CBS this morning. The right to vote is sacrosanct, and we can't do anything to send a message to people that we're going to make it more restrictive and harder to have their voice heard. That's right. Corporate America has come out in force against George's new laws. Delta and Coke spoke out. The MLB moved its all-star game, and FX decided to film the next season of Atlanta in Alaska. Who, Paper Boy is not going to be happy. And look, it's great to
Starting point is 00:13:11 see corporations use their influence and support of voting rights, but just to be clear, they don't do this out of the goodness of their hearts, right? They did it because liberals were threatening to boycott them if they didn't speak out. And it's actually amazing what you can get companies to do when you threaten a boycott. I mean, just the threat of a boycott got Coca-Cola to back a voting rights group. Think about that. That means with just a little more pressure, we can probably convince Coke to put cocaine back in their drinks. It's Denas, people! But I guess I'm not surprised that they gave in.
Starting point is 00:13:47 Because a lot of these companies aren't exactly in a great position to negotiate. Well, you can't boycott Delta Airlines, because what are you gonna do? Fly a different airline? Ha ha ha ha. Yeah. Oh, well, when you put it that way, I guess we'll put out a statement. Now here's the problem for these corporations. Anytime they try to make one side of an issue happy, people on the opposite side are going to get pissed off, which is exactly what happened next.
Starting point is 00:14:17 Georgia-based companies are facing backlash from Republicans after expressing their dissatisfaction with that state's new voting law. Now, Delta Airlines and Coca Cola have found themselves in a heated the the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their dissatisfaction with that state's new voting law. Now, Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola have found themselves in a heated fight with Governor Brian Kemp. After Delta's CEO, Ed Bastion, condemned the restrictive voting rights bill, Republicans in the state legislature are looking at increasing taxes on the company in retribution. The group of Georgia House Republicans is canceling Coca-Cola. They're saying Pepsi is okay. After the company's CEO spoke out against the state's new-st-coc-coc-coc-coc-coc-coc-coc-coc-coc-coc-lling Coca-Cola. They're saying Pepsi is okay. After the company CEO spoke out against the state's new restrictive voting law asking for all Coke products to be removed from their offices. GOP chairwoman Rana McDaniel tweeted quote, guess what I am doing today?
Starting point is 00:14:56 Not watching baseball followed by four exclamation marks. Former President Donald Trump is calling for conservatives to boycott corporations. Saying it's finally time for Republicans and conservatives to fight back. Boycott Major League Baseball, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, JPMorgan Chase, Viacom, CBS, CISCO, UPS and Merck. The radical left will destroy our country if we let them. We will not become a socialist nation, adding Happy Easter. Okay, first of all, I love how he just threw happy Easter in there.. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, I love how he just threw Happy Easter in there.
Starting point is 00:15:28 I mean, forget politics. I think Trump needs to start a line of greeting cards. Hunter Biden's laptop exposes the whole Russia hoaxed. The election was rigged. Mazzle tough on your Bermitzp. But more importantly, Trump has now called for boycotting the NFL and the MLB. I mean at this rate, pretty soon the only sport left for him to watch will be what? Soccer. And I actually think that he'll like it, especially the flopping.
Starting point is 00:15:54 Mr. President, an important part of this sport is making it seem like your opponent did something wrong when, in fact, they didn't. It truly is the beautiful game. And honestly, you got a feel for the GOP, because they spend so much time defending corporate interests, trying to cut corporate taxes, letting corporations do whatever they want. And then the corporations are just like, cool. Now we have more money to pay Colin Kappanick.
Starting point is 00:16:20 Not only that, Democrats are like, we will disband every corporation and make them pay. And Coke and Delta are like, yes, Queen, slay us. But this is tough for these corporations too. I mean, they must really miss the old days, you know, when they didn't have to take sides on voting rights or culture wars. You know, they just made diapers out of asbestos, and that was that. But these days being a cooperation means trying to navigate all these political issues without getting boycotted, which is not easy. But luckily we have an idea for how they can avoid this problem altogether. Here at Delta Airlines we've heard your concerns. You want us to
Starting point is 00:17:00 speak out against voter suppression and you want us to speak out for voter suppression. And you want us to speak out for voter suppression. It's been an uncomfortable position for us, like trying to squeeze your knees into one of our coach seats. Until now. Introducing Blue Delta and Red Delta are new subsidiaries that let you patronize the company with your values. At Blue Delta, we offer carbon offsets, an in-flight copy of Michelle Obama's memoir, and direct service between New York and Los Angeles with nowhere
Starting point is 00:17:32 in between. At Red Delta, every plane features an in-flight shooting range. And in the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, no masks will drop. Hungry, take Delta Blue and enjoy our gluten-free and vegan meals. Or take Delta Red, where everyone is served a cow personally shot by Don Jr. But most importantly, Red Delta's official corporate position is that black people should not vote. While Blue Delta's corporate headquarters is located in a cloud above the ocean and will not return to America until racism is over. So buy blue or red, no matter which you choose, we guarantee that your money will never
Starting point is 00:18:14 go to the other one. Delta Airlines, guys, we're try in here. All right, when we come back, Desileticic figures out why women have been hit so hard during the pandemic. Stick around. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives.
Starting point is 00:18:43 But that's all about to change. Like, none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible.. thiiiiiiiiii. th. th. th. th. th. th. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick thi. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. Stick. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. th. th. thi. thi. thi. S. thi. thi. S. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thithe treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. The pandemic recession has hit many people hard. but it's hit one group especially hard.
Starting point is 00:19:10 Desilic has more. The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the U.S. economy with millions out of work. And much like underwire and microblading, it's disproportionately hurting women. Economist Olga Shirkoff told me why. Since February 2020, about 2 and a half hurting women. Economist Olga Shirkoff told me why. Since February 2020, about 2.5 million women left the workforce. Two and a half million? That's right. 80% of net job losses.
Starting point is 00:19:36 Wow, even when it comes to unemployment women are overachieving. For decades, women have been chipping away at the glass ceiling, joining the labor force in greater numbers with each year, until the pandemic, which has reduced the percentage of working women to 1988 levels. The question is, why is this happening? Well, my interview with Dr. Darushana-Muthalingum provided one compelling reason why. The pandemic is one of the reasons that I just needed to step back for my research. We lost child care for several months.
Starting point is 00:20:07 Sorry, I couldn't quite hear there was a bit of a, like a something in the background. Um, that's my three-year-old son with a Lego train car. Sorry, hold on, no, it's my, I think it's my background. Is that the trash compactor? There better not be any Nijago's in there. There were Nijagoes in there. And thanks to school closures and child care disruptions, mothers are stepping back from the workforce in large numbers and not because they want to. I think we really need to move away from this idea of personal choice. If you have to choose between bringing home a paycheck to feed your family and you know avoiding a deadly disease that's not a choice. No it's it's
Starting point is 00:20:50 not. And it doesn't matter if you're young, old, black, white or that slick bitch in the next apartment that keeps eyeing my husband. This affects you. My research has been focused on infectious disease and incarcerated populations and so I were looking at sort of how can we improve testing and support for these individuals who are very vulnerable to getting infected. So you were researching COVID and you had to take a step back? Yeah I mean it was a very difficult decision. God think of all that you could have accomplished in this past year if you had full-time COVID-safe child care. Like I know for me I just know I would have been able to finish my one woman show from home.
Starting point is 00:21:29 Homelton. My whole life is in this room where it happens, this room where it happens. This room where it happens. Yeah. Art is important. So millions of women have just been a year stuck at home. We're worshopping our dream projects with our kids instead of with audiences or producers. And much like a stoned Elon Musk tweet, this could affect the whole economy. Women leaving the workforce means that these women are now losing the skills that they had
Starting point is 00:21:58 and becoming less productive. And so that could affect actually the entire economy and economic growth for years to come. Even women who are still working are experiencing sort of hidden burdens that they're doing this dual role. They say, no, no, you can't have a snack. You just ate. Can't have a snack. They have to work and at the same time take care of their children. And so there are also mental health repercussions. Something's got to give.
Starting point is 00:22:30 Hey, babe, can he have a snack? No, he can't, no, he can't have a snack. So how do we fix this before moms across America just lose it? Askinga, theyme. to the snacks. Dr. Schurchcoff says it's going to take a lot of work. COVID-19 highlighted and exasperated, long-standing, structural, gender, and racial and ethnic gaps that need to be addressed. And not to mention women, I think, have learned. Yes. Oh my goodness.
Starting point is 00:23:05 You want me to Google. We're looking up a Pokemon. Which is my other new PhD level area of expertise. So where was I? Yes, if we would like to see things get better, we need institutions, policy makers to pay attention to child care and expand access to child care. Shoot, I had a question off of that, actually. Sorry, maybe my producer, Sarah, the question of the women.
Starting point is 00:23:37 I definitely have it written down in here. I remember when we came up with that question. Yeah. Sorry. Yeah, you got your hands full. It's okay. Oh boy, okay. Actually, I come prepared. Can't go. But, mommy's working.
Starting point is 00:23:54 Well, one thing is certain. The pandemic has shown us that the system is broken, and women need institutional support. Something has to be done. Probably by someone who doesn't have kids at home. Thank you so much for that, Desi. All right, when we come back, I'm going to be talking to Dr. Carl Hart, an Ivy League professor about why he uses drugs. You don't want to miss it. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.
Starting point is 00:24:26 This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show.
Starting point is 00:24:53 Earlier today, I spoke to Dr. Carl Hart. He's a professor of psychology at Columbia University, an Air Force veteran, and a recreational heroin user. We talked about that and his new book where he explains what the real problem with drugs is. Dr. Carl Hart, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Thank you for having me, Trevor. Good to see you again. You have a new book out that's got everybody talking.
Starting point is 00:25:19 Drug Use for Grownups. Now, just to set the stage, you are a tenured professor at Columbia, right? You are an established and respected neuroscientist. You are not some dude who's just like selling bankies, like little baggies of weed or whatever. This is like we're talking to a doctor here. First things first. First things first, what is the biggest misconception around drug use? Because when people say like drug use for grown-ups, people might be like, wait, you talking like vicidin?
Starting point is 00:25:50 What do you mean by drug use? Yeah, so when I'm talking about drug use, I'm talking about the fun drugs that people take cocaine, MDMA, syllaicine. And the biggest misconception is that most people who use these drugs are addicted. The vast majority of people who use drugs are not addicted. 70, 80% of those people who use drugs don't have problems like addiction.
Starting point is 00:26:13 They are responsible individuals. They go to work, they take care of their families, they pay their taxes. Responsible people, they are professionals. And that's one of the reasons that I wrote the books. So to clear to clear their their their their their their their their their, their, thiiiiiia, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, their, their, thi, thi, thi, their, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. And, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi.ea.ea.ea.eaugh, their, their, their, their, thea.ea.ea.ea.ea, that I wrote the book so to clear up some of those misconceptions. You you speak from experience. I mean I remember how short people were when you said, oh I use heroin. Everyone was like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What? Yes. So let's talk about that for a second. So I acknowledge the heroin use, cocaine use MDMA use. I acknowledge all this drug use in order to dramatize the fact that. that. that. that. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the th. thi. thi. the thi. the the the the the the the their, their, their, their, their, you their, you you you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi. their, their, their, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're their, you're, I acknowledge all this drug use in order to dramatize the fact that most people who use these drugs are not addicted.
Starting point is 00:26:49 So I wanted people to see somebody who's responsible, somebody who writes books, somebody who meets their obligations, so they can understand that, see, we've been misled. Instead, they don't want to believe that. But one of the major concerns when we think about the drug them themselves, let's think about a drug like fentanyl. Fentanyl has been approved in the United States in medicine since 1960s. So we use fentanyl in medicine safely, not a problem.
Starting point is 00:27:18 But when you think about somebody like Prince, for example, he died in part because he had fentanyl in a drug, in a pill that he thought was oxycodone, a percocet. He didn't know. Fentanyl is a lot more potent than oxycotin. So if the same amount that you take of oxycotonin, then you take that same amount for fentanyl can kill a person. And so if Prince knew what was in his drug, he might still be with us today. So in the book, I'm arguing,
Starting point is 00:27:47 we need to regulate these things. We need to make sure we have drug-checking facilities. So people will know what's in their substance, so it decreases the likelihood of them dying from ignorance, not knowing what's in their substance. If somebody's addicted to cigarettes, is that as bad as bad as bad as bad as bad as bad as bad as bad as bad as bad as bad as bad as a the effects the effects the effects the effects the effects to to the effects the effects to to the effects the effects somebody's addicted to cigarettes, is that as bad as being addicted to crack? Are the effects of certain drugs not worse than other drugs in the addiction?
Starting point is 00:28:11 Yeah, so let's think about that. We can think about people who are addicted to alcohol. And then if they abruptly discontinue their alcohol use, they can die. The same sort of thing is less likely with something like heroin. So alcohol withdrawal can kill people. So when we think about the severity of addiction, alcohol is one of the sort of worse. But we manage to deal with that okay in our society,
Starting point is 00:28:36 although we still lose people every year from alcohol withdrawal. But the point is thatthat it's an important point here. If the majority of people who use any drug are not addicted, it tells you that you have to look beyond the drug itself. There are other factors that are important for drug addiction. Other factors like psychosocial factors, psychiatric factors, like people who have co-occurring psychiatric illnesses are far more likely to be addicted to a drug
Starting point is 00:29:07 than somebody who doesn't. So it tells us, as a society, we have to be better, we have to treat people better, we have to do better, we have to make sure we have social safety nets. All of these things will radically decrease the amount of addiction that we see in a society. But when we focus on a drug, then we're not focusing on the most important aspects of addiction.
Starting point is 00:29:30 What terrifies me though, on a completely uninformed level, I look at the stories, I go, man, Whitney Houston, and then DMX, I read in the news, DMX, and they go, like, he's in a coma? And you like, it's because of drugs. And then I go, man, Dr. Hart, I mean, I'm all for, you know, people legalizing drugs, but I don't want to keep losing people. Is there something that I'm missing when I think like that? Yeah, let's think about Whitney. Oftentimes you see the headline.
Starting point is 00:29:59 She had cocaine in her system and it probably had nothing to do with her death. She died in a bathtub because she fell asleep. She also had antihistamines in our systems, which you can get over the counter. She had benzodiazepines in her system that she was prescribed. She fell asleep in the tub. So if anything, you know, you want her to be awake. Cocaine keeps people awake. And so people people need to understand that that the headlines are often wrong. Let's thx, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I tho, I tho, thom, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, she, she, she, she, she, their, she, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, thin, tom. tom. toma, toma, toma, toma, toma, tom. toma, toma, toma, their, their, their, their,. And so people need to understand that the headlines are often wrong. Let's think about DMX. I don't know what happened with DMX yet. We don't know, but there are a number of people who are speculating. And it would be nice to know,
Starting point is 00:30:35 but that's why we're trying to get the right information out. So if there was a drug involved, and he may have hidden what he was doing because it's stigmatized. We help people come out of the shadows and they can seek help or they can seek information about doing the activity more safely. So we don't lose people. If you said to me six years ago, hey Trevor, weed should it be legal and I'll be like, that is the devil. People are going to smoke the weed and it's a gateway drug and it's going to kill them all all all all all thall people thall thall th all th all tho. the tho. the the tho. th. If the th. If th. If th. If th. I I I th. I, th. I's, th. I's, th. I's, te, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, thi. thi. thi. the, the, the, the, th. We, th. We, th. th. We, th. th. We, th. th. th. I, th. I, th. I, th. I, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, thr. thr-s, thro. tea. tea. tro. tro. tr-s, tr-s, tr-s, thr-s, thr-s, thr be like, that is the devil. People are going to smoke the weed and it's a gateway drug and it's going to kill them all.
Starting point is 00:31:07 Because that's what I was brought up to believe in my school, in my community, in my life. Now I look and I go like, man, I wasn't an idiot. I can't believe I even tho'theat that. So how are we all so wrong. is in the United States, drugs are not banned because of pharmacology or science. Drugs are banned because of racism. We banned all of these drugs originally because of their association with despised group. The opioids we banned because of our hate of Asian Chinese folks.
Starting point is 00:31:38 Cocaine because of our hate of black people, marijuana because I hate Mexican Americans and black people. And so when we understand why drugs are banned in the first place, then we can start to look behind a sort of curtain and see some of the, what the reality really is. Like you said with marijuana, you can no longer fool people because more than 50% of adults have used marijuana in their life. So it's harder to fool them. But with something like cocaine or crack, it's still, it's the their their their their their th, it, it, it, it's th, it's th, it's th, it's th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi thrace thracea, and thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi, and thi thi thi, and thi thi thi, and thi, and thi thi, and thi thi, and thi, and thi, and th. And thi, and thi, and thi, thi, thi. And thi, thi. And thi, thi. And thru thru thru. And thrui thruui thrui thrui thrui thrui thrui thrui. And, thru have used marijuana in their life. So it's harder to fool them, but with something like cocaine or crack, it's still easy to fool people because most people haven't used that drug.
Starting point is 00:32:13 It's still easy to fool people about heroin because most people haven't tried heroin. And so as we increase the number of users with these drugs, it becomes more difficult to fool people. Or when you have people like me and other scientists who speak up, it will become less likely that we mislead the public. But you have to remember, Trevor, there is a lot of money in misleading the public about drugs, in science, in law enforcement, all of these sort of industries that have popped up around prisons. So there's a lot of money in this.
Starting point is 00:32:48 People have to know and remember that drug trafficking, the illegal drug trafficking business is a multi-billion dollar industry. And that industry is supported primarily by middle class and upper class people, white people. But when we think about drug users, we don't think of them as being the users. So there are a number of people in our society who know that drugs are not the boogieman and not the devil that we've been told.
Starting point is 00:33:17 But they are comfortable doing the activity for themselves, but they don't want anybody else doing this activity. Right. And then, what do you say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say to say thiiiuuiiui thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thia thia thia thia thi thi thi thi thi thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi???uuuui. thi. thi?? We thia? We's thia? We's thia. thia. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thii. Wea. thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiia. Wea. Wea.a doing this activity. Right, right. To remember that. And then, what do you say to the communities out there, especially black communities where community would go like, Dr. Hart, what are you doing? We watch the crack epidemic destroy our communities. Why would you advocate for drugs?
Starting point is 00:33:39 Yes, I'm not advocating for drugs, by the way. I'm just saying that if people are using drugs, we shouldn't throw them away because of their drug use. We should look at their other behavior. That's what I'm saying, number one. And number two is that when we talk about the crack epidemic, destroying the black community, it was just wrong. I mean, it's true things like unemployment, the highest unemployment rates in the United States
Starting point is 00:34:05 in black communities was 1982. Crack didn't come on the scene until 1985, but yet Crack is blamed for that sort of thing. We think about violence. We had the peaks in violence in 1933, 1980, 1991. Crack was on the scene in 85 for the 91 one, but we've had these periodic peaks in violence. That's how, that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that on the scene in 85 for the 91 one, but we've had these periodic peaks in violence. That's how, that's how societies work. And so crack was blamed for these things
Starting point is 00:34:32 that were really caused by things like Reagan's economic policies. But crack was blamed. And so I'm trying to get people to understand that if you look beyond drugs then we might find some real solutions. Right. Well I could talk to you for ages but luckily that's why you wrote the book. I hope people read it before they comment on it because it's one of the most thought-provoking reads that I've had the pleasure of exploring in a in a very long time. Dr. Hart, thank you for taking the time, t. t. th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thin, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. thi, th. th. thi, thi, th. th. th, th. th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. th. th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thin, thin, thin, thr, thr. thri, throi. throa. throa. throa. throa. throi. throi. throwneee, thr. Hart, thank you for taking the time. I appreciate you coming on. Thank you for having me, man. I really appreciate you. Thank you so much. Always a pleasure. Drug use for grown-ups is available now. All right, we're going to take a quick break, but we'll be right back after this.
Starting point is 00:35:15 When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 minutes, a second look starting September 17th wherever you get your podcasts. Well that's our show for tonight but before we go please consider supporting an
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Starting point is 00:36:26 from Matt Gates. The Daily Show with Trevnoa, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.
Starting point is 00:36:55 This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a Second Look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:37:21 This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.

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