January 25, 2023, Arlington, VA – Stand Together today announced the release of the first two episodes of The War on Drugs, a new podcast from award-winning multimedia platform Lava for Good. The podcast is hosted by Americans for Prosperity Senior Criminal Justice Fellow Greg Glod, who also serves as Advisor to Stand Together on Criminal Justice and Drug Reform, and award-winning comedian, actor, and writer Clayton English.
"The last five decades of the 'War on Drugs' have been tremendously detrimental to society, contributing to everything from stunted economic growth to perpetual cycles of crime to the destruction of American families," said Glod. "To solve these problems, we need to dive deep into what went wrong. That is exactly what this podcast does. The 'War on Drugs' has failed us all, but it's important we learn from it so we can refocus the justice system on protecting individual rights and promoting public safety, and adopt better ways to address drugs and addiction."
The 10-episode debut season of the series invites subject matter experts to peel back the layers of the "War on Drugs." The episodes released today examine the origins of the "War on Drugs" and explore mandatory minimum sentencing laws with special guests Johann Hari and Eric Sterling.
"I have firsthand experience with the so-called 'War on Drugs,' and when you start to dig deeper, you realize that this war has failed every single person in this country," said English. "I'm excited this series is finally out so we can spread the word and educate people about how this is tearing communities apart. How we handle the drug crisis in America needs to change."
Stand Together, the series' sponsor, has worked with nearly 150 partners, including Americans for Prosperity, to reform and build a better criminal justice system – a system that treats people with dignity, ends the failed policies of the "War on Drugs," and ultimately makes society safer. The Stand Together community worked to support the passage of the bipartisan First Step Act in 2018 – the first major federal criminal justice reform bill in a decade – which expanded anti-recidivism programming and reformed harsh mandatory minimum sentencing rules.
"It's been great working with Stand Together on this podcast," added Jason Flom, founder and CEO of Lava for Good. "It is an organization that actually walks the walk when it comes to restoring dignity to our criminal justice system, providing the justice-involved with second chances, and reversing damaging policies."
The War on Drugs and the full Lava for Good lineup are available at lavaforgood.com and on all popular podcast platforms.
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About Stand Together
Stand Together is a philanthropic community that tackles the root causes of our country's biggest problems. Alongside inspiring partners, we drive solutions on education, economic opportunity, health care, bridging partisan divides, and dozens of other pressing issues. We can all make a greater difference by uniting on areas of common ground than we can by acting on our own. Learn more at standtogether.org. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Lava for Good
Lava for Good creates standout original content, podcasts, and experiences, amplifying the voices of contemporary social justice champions and inspiring action towards a more informed, empathic, and just society.
Founded and led by renowned music executive, children's book author, and philanthropist Jason Flom along with Lava Media COO Jeff Kempler, Lava for Good's #1-charting lineup of podcasts, produced in association with Signal Co. No1, has been downloaded over 40 million times and is credited with influencing exonerations, clemencies, pardons, legislation, and reforms nationwide. The lineup, hosted by leading experts, attorneys, activists, formerly incarcerated persons, and journalists on the frontlines of human rights and justice movements, currently includes Bone Valley, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng, Righteous Convictions with Jason Flom, False Confessions, Junk Science, and more, and is available at lavaforgood.com and on all popular podcast platforms.
