The Business of Drugs

- Season 1

(2020)

The Business of Drugs follows Amaryllis Fox as she investigates the Cocaine trade. She visits Columbia and follows the drug trade from farmers to refiners to traffickers and talks to both smugglers about police about the drug trade to see how it gets into the United States.

The Business of Drugs examines the history of and market for synthetic drugs. It discusses the development of the first psychedelic drugs by Alexander Shulgin. It examines how MDMA was declared illegal despite research suggesting its beneficial medical effects. It also looks at the rise of synthetic analogs and artificial cannabis. It also discusses how psychedelic drugs can be used in PTSD treatment.

The Business of Drugs looks at the heroin trade which is growing in East Africa. Amarylli Fox first visits Kenya talking to dealers and politicians about the drug trade. Experts discuss how poppies grown in Afghanistan become heroin which is then smuggled through East Africa to the rest of the world.

The Business of Drugs looks at the growing problem of methamphetamine around the world. It goes to Myanmar where the drug trade is booming. It is commonly sold as an oral tablet called Yaba which combines methamphetamine and caffeine. Money from drug sales is used to fund anti-government militias in the north.

The Business of Drugs looks at the business side of legalized marijuana and how it works to control the market. It discusses how California among the first states to legalize both medical and recreation marijuana is the largest producer of the drug in the world. It talks to entrepreneurs who discuss the challenges they face bringing their product to market. It also looks at the black market which continues to exist and be profitable.

The Business of Drugs examines the market for Opioids. It examines the growing problem in the northeastern United States and how many heroin users were once users of medically prescribed opioids like Oxycodone. Amaryllis Fox talks to drug enforcement officers and former addicts about the toll the drugs take individuals and communities.