Shows
Governance FuturesS.1 Ep.6 Inside ZKSync’s Governance Revolution - with Shelby Steidl & Rafa FernándezIn this episode, hosts Jamilya Kamalova and Eugene Leventhal sit down with Rafael Fernández and Shelby Steidl from ZK Sync to unpack one of the most forward-thinking governance frameworks in Web3 today.
Rafa is a Director and Governance Lead at the ZKsync Association, where he supports protocol governance design, token mechanics, and operations. His work spans the entire governance system design, from contracts, to legal architecture for regulatory alignment, and scalable processes for decentralization. He brings a background in organizational design and analytics to help ZKsync evolve governance into public infrastructure—credible, composable, and built for the...
2025-08-141h 16Governance FuturesS.1 Ep.2 “Tech as Governance” Is a Lie? Angela Walch on Power, Protocols & EmergenciesIn this episode of The Governance Futures Podcast, Eugene Leventhal & Jamilya Kamalova speak with Angela Walch about the promises and pitfalls of replacing failing institutions with technologies like crypto and AI.
Angela discusses the collapse of rule of law, the myth of “tech as governance,” and the limits of algorithmic solutions to political problems. Together, we explore how protocol systems assign roles that shape our behavior - and what Web3 emergencies reveal about where power really lies.
Angela Walch is an independent researcher and writer. She writes the Angela Walch publication on Substack, and was a co...
2025-07-171h 00Governance FuturesS.1 Ep.0 Governance Futures Podcast: About usIn this special 'About Us' episode of Governance Futures, we — Jamilya Kamalova and Eugene Leventhal — share a bit about who we are, what brought us into the world of decentralized governance and Web3, and why this space matters to us. We talk about our personal journeys, how we each got involved in this work, and what excites us most about the future of governance. This episode lays the foundation for the podcast — giving you a sense of what drives us and what kinds of conversations you can look forward to in the episodes ahead.
Follow us
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2025-07-1532 minGovernance FuturesS.1 Ep.1 What Constitutes Governance? Conflict, Design, and Purpose with Eric AlstonIn this episode of The Governance Futures Podcast, hosts Jamilya Kamalova and Eugene Leventhal sit down with Eric Alston to explore the evolving dynamics of governance.
Eric is a Scholar in Residence in the Finance Division at CU Boulder. His research and teaching draw from institutional analysis, law and economics, and constitutional design. He pursues questions ranging from institutional and organizational theory to digital governance across a wide range of network-coordinated contexts.
Together, we unpack the limitations of democratic decision-making, the productive role of conflict, and how constitutions shape resilience in both traditional and decentralized...
2025-07-101h 05Governance FuturesGov Futures TrailerWelcome to Governance Futures - a podcast where we explore how governance works (and fails) in Web3 and beyond. Hosted by Eugene Leventhal and Jamilya Kamalova, each episode dives deep into the evolving principles of coordination, accountability, and collective decision-making in decentralized ecosystems.
This is the trailer for the forthcoming podcast. Subscribe to get the first episode of our first season, coming weekly every Thursday starting July 3, 2025.
Subscribe and join us in shaping what comes next.
2025-06-2601 min
SCRF InterviewsCommunity and Governance - Jessica Zartler of BlockScience (Ep. 19)Part 7 of our 7-part series with the team at BlockScience features a conversation with Jessica Zartler, Communications Advisor and Researcher at BlockScience. Jessica delves into various areas, including:What is “decentralization”?What is “progressive decentralization”?What is the relationship between decentralization and centralization?How do decentralization, ethics, and regulation overlap?Jessica Zartler, Communications Advisor and Researcher at BlockScienceWebsite: https://block.science/teamTwitter: https://twitter.com/JessicaZartlerEugene Leventhal, Podcast Host and Executive Director of SCRFWebsite: https://scrf.ioTwitter: https://twitter.com/bbeats1If you...
2022-12-1443 minSCRF InterviewsComputer Aided Governance - Michael Zargham and Jeff Emmett of BlockScience (Ep. 18)Part 6 of our 7-part series with the team at @BlockScience features a conversation with Michael Zargham, founder and CEO of BlockScience, and Jeff Emmett, Communication Lead at BlockScience. They delve into a variety of areas, including:- The definition and role of “computer-aided governance” (CAG) in web3- How CAG compares to computer-aided tools for other disciplines- The ways that BlockScience utilizes CAG in its projects- The necessity of mapping the terrain before using CAG tools- The inherently political nature of #policy decisions that allocate resources- How CAG makes the...
2022-12-0737 minSCRF InterviewsChallenges and Opportunities in Governance - Eric Christopher Alston and Kelsie Nabben of BlockScience (Ep. 17)Part 5 of our 7-part series with the team at BlockScience features a conversation with Eric Christopher Alston, a contributor to BlockScience as well as a Scholar in Residence at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Kelsie Nabben, Lead Social Scientist at BlockScience. They delve into a variety of areas, including: Defining “governance” and contextualizing its importance within groupsIdentifying current challenges and opportunities within the spaceAcknowledging prospective vulnerabilities in governanceSharing strategies for creating and maintaining resilient governance systemsDiscussing some emerging methodologies and practiceEric Christopher Alston, Scholar in Resi...
2022-11-301h 05SCRF InterviewsFormal Methods in Complex System Design - Jamsheed Shorish and Michael Zargham of BlockScience (Ep. 16)Part 4 of our 7-part series with the team at BlockScience features a conversation with Senior Research Scientist Jamsheed Shorish and BlockScience Founder and CEO Dr. Michael Zargham. They delve into a variety of areas, including: Defining “formal methods”The need for validation and verificationGeneralized dynamical systems (GDS)The application of formal methods in system designJamsheed Shorish, Senior Research Scientist at BlockScienceWebsite: https://block.scienceTwitter: https://twitter.com/jshorishMichael Zargham, Founder and CEO at BlockScienceWebsite: https://block.scienceTwitter: https://twitter.com/mZar...
2022-11-2353 minSCRF InterviewsComputational Science in Web3 - Danilo Bernardineli and Jeff Emmett of BlockScience (Ep. 15)Part 3 of our 7-part series with the team at BlockScience features a conversation with Senior Engineer Danilo Bernardineli and Communications Lead Jeff Emmett. They delve into the role of models in data, computational methods versus analytical and empirical methods, and using computational simulations to explore uncertainties and help inform decisions.Danilo Bernardineli, Senior Engineer at BlockScienceWebsite: https://block.scienceTwitter: https://twitter.com/danilolessaJeff Emmett, Communications Lead at BlockScienceWebsite: https://block.scienceTwitter: https://twitter.com/jeffemmettEugene Leventhal, Podcast host and Executive Director of SCRF...
2022-11-1645 minSCRF InterviewsIntro to Data & Measurement in Web3 - David Sisson and Kelsie Nabben of BlockScience (Ep. 14)BlockScience is a company that does analytical modeling in the distributed ledger (i.e., blockchain) field, working on complex cybernetic systems. David and Kelsie’s conversation explored a variety of topics, including:What is measurement?What can we measure?What do we do with what we measure? How can measurement data inform decisions?David Sission, Senior Engineer at BlockScienceWebsite: https://block.scienceTwitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-f-sisson/Kelsie Nabben, Lead Social Scientist at BlockScienceWebsite: https://block.scienceTwitter: https://twitter.com/kelsiemvn
2022-11-0944 min
The Clique PodcastEp . 19 [SCRF] Off the Cuff Convo about SCRF & Just Humaning Better ~ Eugene LeventhalThe energy of web3 represents a massive potential in re-shaping the research ecosystem, made inefficient by centralized funding hubs & bureaucracy. The borderline naive but passionate bunch of people coordinating & finding ways to govern better at a never seen before scale across verticals is insane. However without the right reference points, without accepting the need to human better & learning to separate the right signals from the noise, web3 may be in danger of being a replica of its predecessors
This is not your typical web3 convo, this is an off the cuff, thought provoking chat. Eugene Leventhal, Executive...
2022-11-0359 minSCRF InterviewsEngineering Methodology - Matt Barlin and Jeff Emmett of BlockScience (Ep. 13)Our 7-part series featuring the team from BlockScience kicks off with Matt Barlin, Lead Systems Engineer, and Jeff Emmett, Communications Lead. Their wide-ranging conversation spans engineering ethics, its application to real-life projects, and the difference between web2 and web3 engineering methodologies.Matt Barlin, Lead Systems Engineer at BlockScienceWebsite: https://block.scienceTwitter: https://twitter.com/MattBarlinJeff Emmett, Communications Lead at BlockScienceWebsite: https://block.scienceTwitter: https://twitter.com/jeffemmettEugene Leventhal, Podcast host & Executive Director of SCRFWebsite: https://scrf.ioTwitter: https://twitter.com...
2022-11-0239 min
The Tally PodcastEugene @ Smart Contract Research Forum || DT Interviews #27Eugene Leventhal is Head of Operations at Smart Contract Research Forum, a community that showcases cutting edge blockchain research and facilitates thoughtful peer review. Eugene talks his background, the origins of SCRF, the state of research in web3, and much more! Enjoy!---Subscribe to the DT Weekly newsletter and get everything we cover on the show, links, and MORE directly in your inbox! https://daotalk.substack.com/---Follow Us!Tally: https://twitter.com/tallyxyzFrisson: https://twitter.com/0xfrissonEugene: https://twitter.com/bbeats1/mediaSCRF: https://twitter.com/S...
2022-10-3132 minSCRF InterviewsDAO Tooling - DAOStar One (Ep. 11)This episode of SCRF Interviews is the second in a mini-series focused on DAO Star One, a “new alliance of DAO builders racing to build standards that will realize the promise of this emerging technology.” At issue: how do you standardize data in DAOs to facilitate the creation of tooling without over-defining what a DAO is. Featuring Gnosis Guild founder Kei Kreutler and Blockcscience founder Michael Zargham. Hosted by Eugene Leventhal, head of operations at the Smart Contract Research Forum.Kei KreutlerWebsite: ourmachine.net Twitter: @keikreutlerMichael ZarghamLinkedIn: https://www...
2022-05-0545 minSCRF InterviewsDAO Standards - DAOStar One (Ep. 10)DAO Standards - DAOStar One (Ep.10)The first of two episodes dedicated to DAOStar One. At issue: Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) lack a common technical standard which would make it easier for developers to create tooling for DAOs, and give DAOs the same level of legibility and interoperability that other web3 entities like NFTs currently enjoy. Featuring a discussion between Metagov Executive Director Joshua Tan and Isaac Patka, Co-creator of Logos DAO and contributor to Moloch Mystics. Moderated by SCRF’s Head of Operations, Eugene Leventhal.Joshua TanTwitter: @joshuaztanWebsite: joshuatan.com/researchMe...
2022-04-2840 minSCRF InterviewsDecentralized Science - ResearchHub (Ep. 9)This episode features a conversation between Research Hub’s co-founder and Head of Operations Patrick Joyce and Research Hub Community Lead Anton Lebed, moderated by SCRF’s Head of Operations, Eugene Leventhal. At issue: How can web3 help decentralized communities like Research Hub incentivize healthy research behaviors and enable decentralized science?Patrick JoyceResearch Hub - https://researchhub.comTwitter - @joycesticks Anton LebedResearch Hub - https://researchhub.comTwitter - @coglebed
2022-04-2133 minSCRF InterviewsSCRF Highlights (Ep. 7)This week we took a departure from our usual format to answer some questions from the Smart Contract Research Forum (SCRF) community. SCRF is the result of conversations between Chainlink founder Sergey Nazarov and Richard Brown and has evolved to become a community devoted to solving the last mile problem in research–how do you connect research to the people who need it, and engage with it? Moderated by Eugene Leventhal, featuring questions from Paul Zube, Larry Bates, and Lorretta Sackey.Smart Contract Research Forumtwitter.com/scrforum https://smartcontractresearch.org
2022-03-3152 minSCRF InterviewsResilient Treasury Management - Daniel Ospina and Darcy Allen (Ep. 6)SCRF Interviews | Resilient Treasury Management - Daniel Ospina and Darcy Allen (Ep. 6)The third episode of our treasury management mini-series co-hosted with RMIT features a conversation between governance expert Daniel Ospina and RMIT Blockchain Innovation Hub senior research fellow Dr. Darcy Allen. At issue: how can treasuries remain secure in the chaos of web3? How can tooling help navigate this complexity? Blockchain Innovation Hub faculty member Kelsie Nabben and SCRF’s Operations Lead Eugene Leventhal moderated the event.Daniel OspinaTwitter: @_Daniel_OspinaWebsite: bit.ly/joinrndaoDarcy AllenTwitter: @DrDarcyAllenWe...
2022-03-171h 03SCRF InterviewsTreasury Management - Bull Trapper and Darcy Allen (Ep. 4)Welcome to the first episode in a new mini-series, co-hosted by RMIT, focusing on treasury management and funding public goods. This week Yearn Finance’s Bull Trapper and RMIT Blockchain Innovation Hub senior research fellow Dr. Darcy Allen, chat with RMIT’s Chris Berg and SCRF’s Eugene Leventhal. At issue: what unique challenges does treasury management present for web3 and how do you balance diversification with growth and other long-term goals?Bull TrapperTwitter: @iearnfinanceDr. Darcy AllenPersonal website: https://darcyallen.com/Blockchain Innovation Hub: https://rmitblockchain.io/darcy-allen Twitte...
2022-03-0356 minSCRF InterviewsCulture and Compensation - Ellie Rennie and Zach Anderson (Ep. 3)The third episode of our “Culture and Incentivization'' mini-series featured a conversation between Ellie Rennie, a Professor and Future Fellow at RMIT University, and Coordinape’s Zach Anderson, moderated by SCRF’s Head of Operations, Eugene Leventhal.The episode takes into question how the two interviewees’ experiences with incentivizing individuals through their respective communities have fared and what they believe the future will hold for DAOs when it comes to interfacing culture with tools built on human interaction.How does one receive the most fair and efficient level of reward for their work? Are hierarchies necessary? Or appli...
2022-02-1755 min
On MeaningSpirituality and Meaning with Dr. Pninit Russo-NetzerIn this week's episode I speak with Dr. Pninit Russo-Netzer, who is the head of the academic training program for logotherapy in Israel and co-developer and co-instructor of the Mindfulness-Based Meaning Program, amongst other things. I really enjoyed the conversation touching on spirituality and meaning. If you want learn more about Dr. Russo-Netzer, you should check out her website.
2021-07-1455 minOn MeaningRelationships and Meaning with Amy BucciereIn this week’s episode, I speak with Amy Bucciere, who is a therapist focused on relationships and sex therapy with a particular specialization in Imago therapy and EMDR. I really enjoyed getting the chance to explore the complexity of relationships, how the nature of relationships can change, whether the transactional lens is a useful one to assess relationships, and discussing what Imago Therapy is with Amy. We also touched on the idea that the term itself carries some baggage and it’s important to think about any connections with other people as relationships. The word isn’t just...
2021-07-0146 minOn Meaning7. Meaning Therapy with Dr. Paul WongThe guest this week is Dr. Paul Wong, who is a Professor Emeritus of Trent University and President of the International Network on Personal Meaning. Paul has published across topics relating to meaning related therapies and we touch on his journey getting to the work of Viktor Frankl and logotherapy as a starting point. We spent some time talking about how dealing with depression is not an indicator that a person is ‘broken’ or ‘flawed’ and we got into how we can best repurpose that energy and experience to something positive in the end. We also got to talk a...
2021-06-1752 minOn Meaning6. Virtues and Happiness with Pelin KesebirWelcome to On Meaning. I'm Eugene Leventhal. In this week's episode, I got to speak with Pelin Kesebir, who is a social psychologist interested in the study of happiness and virtue. She is an honorary fellow and a former assistant scientist at the Center for Healthy Minds.We started the discussion be exploring some similarities and differences between existential psychology and positive psychology before getting into virtues and wellbeing, and the role that spirituality can play in regards to well-being.Two things in particular really resonated with me from this conversation. The first was the...
2021-06-0350 minOn Meaning5. Dimensions of Meaning with Joel VosIn today’s episode, I spoke with Dr. Joel Vos, who is, amongst other things, a psychologist, a philosopher, and an existential therapist. We spoke about some of his research that has looked at what components go into living a meaningful life, we talk about the dimensionality of meaning, and we wrap up with some of Joel’s work in the last year looking at meaning during a global pandemic. We also got into phenomenology a bit, which is a school of philosophy exploring consciousness and the structure of experience. Joel also laid out a few different ways...
2021-05-201h 02On Meaning4. Happiness & Dimensions of Life with Prof. Emmy van DeurzenThis week’s episode is with Prof. Emmy van Deurzen, a philosopher, existential psychotherapist, and a Principal of the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling at the Existential Academy in London. We start the chat with the cycle of ideology she mentions early in her book called “Psychotherapy and the Quest for Happiness,” specifically talking about why this cycle is a good place to start a quest for happiness. We then shift to Emmy’s breakdown of the four dimensions of life before wrapping up with a short discussion on the topic of emotions. If you want t...
2021-05-0653 minOn Meaning3. Existential Psych & Meaning with Mick CooperThis week's episode features Mick Cooper, is an internationally recognized author, trainer, and consultant in the field of humanistic, existential, and pluralistic therapies. He is a Chartered Psychologist and Professor of Counselling Psychology at the University of Roehampton. Books he's published include Existential Therapies and The Handbook of Person-Centered Psychotherapy and Counseling, amongst many others.This discussion with Mick is meant to provide an overview of existential psychotherapy, which is a school of psychotherapy that is based on some ideas from existential philosophy. We talk about the influential thinkers and some of the core concepts of existential...
2021-04-2247 minOn Meaning2. Why Am I Doing ThisIn this episode, I get into the background of why I'm doing this podcast and building this community. I touch on my own mental health journey and how I think some of the major factors of my development shaped that journey. If you're interested in connecting, feel free to reach out at OnMeaningPod(at)gmail(dot)com or @OnMeaningPod on Twitter or Instagram
2021-04-2228 minOn Meaning1. About The PodcastThis episode gives an overview of what you can expect from this podcast. I go over the structure and the types of episodes that will be coming out. If you want to connect, reach out over email (OnMeaningPod(at)gmail(dot)com) or OnMeaningPod on Twitter.
2021-04-2210 minOn Meaning0. Trailer - On MeaningOn Meaning is a podcast where we'll go on a journey of finding and refining meaning in life. Join host Eugene Leventhal as he talks to psychologists, philosophers, and people actively working on creating meaningful lives.The goal of On Meaning is to provide you with different ways of looking at how to live a fulfilling life as well as giving you tangible learnings and advice to help you on your own personal journey.The first episodes drop on Thursday, April 22nd and every two weeks from there. Learn more about the podcast or our...
2021-04-0301 min
The History of Drugs In Society25. Intelligent Speech Conference / An AnnouncementI'm speaking as part of a Vice in the Victorian Age panel at the Intelligent Speech Conference this year. You can learn more and get tickets here: https://www.intelligentspeechconference.com/. It takes place on Sat April 21st. I hope to see you there!
Also, I'm putting things on hold prior to then. Feel free to reach out and connect @drugshistory on Twitter or DrugsHistory@gmail.com.
Be well!
2021-03-0903 minThe History of Drugs In Society24. A Cannabis Policy Case Study with Jared MoffatThis week’s episode featured an interview with Jared Moffat, who is a state campaigns coordinator for the Marijuana Policy Project. We talked about some of the previous and current efforts he’s been involved with. We then dove into South Dakota, both in terms of work done getting the ballot in place and in terms of what happens now. We also talked about where cannabis policy is headed and what the fight for further change will look like.
Important to note, this episode was recorded before a judge in South Dakota ruled Constitutional Amendment A unconditional for v...
2021-03-0253 minThe History of Drugs In Society23. Harm Reduction and Cannabis Policy with Scott B. CecilHello and welcome to the History of Drugs in Society with me, Eugene Leventhal. This week, I got to speak with the honorable Scott B. Cecil, who is a city council member in Mount Rainier in Maryland. In addition to that, Scott also runs two podcasts of his own - one called Prohibited which explores prohibition in various contexts, and the other is called the Outlaw Report, which is about cannabis policy and news in the DC area
Below are links to both of Scott’s podcasts and you can follow him on Twitter.
https://prohibitedpodcast.co...
2021-02-161h 00The History of Drugs In Society22. Cannabis Policy Activism with Robert HofmannThis week I speak to Rob Hofmann, who is the Movement Building Fellow for the Northeast, Midwest, and Pacific Regions with the Students for Sensible Drug Policy or SSDP. SSDP is “the largest global youth-led network dedicated to ending the War on Drugs.” (source)
This is the first of the episodes on the topic of cannabis legalization. With Rob, we’re going to talk about cannabis policy more broadly and what constitutes well-thought out legislation in his eyes.
The conversation with Rob starts with how he got involved in drug policy activism in the first place. W...
2021-02-0251 minThe History of Drugs In Society21. Harm Reduction with Julia HilbertThis week, I interview Julia Hilbert, who is the chair of the board of directors at Students of Sensible Drug Policy, the president of DanceSafe Pittsburgh, and works part-time doing direct service amongst other things at Prevention Point Pittsburgh. We talk about her journey getting into harm reduction and drug policy activism, how you can get involved if you’re interested, what harm reduction is, what role stigma plays, and what changes she hopes to see during her career
You can learn more at:
SSDP.org
DanceSafe.org
Pppgh.org
2021-01-1940 minThe History of Drugs In Society20. End of Year Update, Happy Holidays!Giving a short(ish) update as the year wraps up. I talk about some plans for next year:
narrative is on hold until I can release on a weekly basis
interviews coming up related to opioid harm reduction in Pennsylvania and cannabis legalization in the US
random interviews might still show up
I'm really grateful for all of the people who have tuned in since I launched earlier this year! Feel free to reach out if you have any content ideas or just want to chat about any of the topics we touched on in the first...
2020-12-2913 minThe History of Drugs In Society19. Intoxicants and Memory with Lilian KloftThis week’s interview with Lilian Kloft, who is a PhD candidate at Maastricht University in the Netherlands working in Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology. As you’ll hear in this interview, she does a lot of work on the question of how different intoxicating substances affect our memory. We talked about how cannabis, alcohol, and MDMA all affect memory in different ways.
2020-10-2040 minThe History of Drugs In Society18. Update - Oct 7 2020Sorry I've been MIA, still dealing with some health issues. I'll get back to working on season 1 and some interviews (probably focused on cannabis legalization efforts in Pennsylvania) when I'm up to it. Stay tuned.
I do really appreciate every person who checks out the podcast. If you're ever inclined to connect, feel free to do so over email (drugshistory@gmail.com) or Twitter (@drugshistory). I'd love to hear from ya.
Be well!
2020-10-0803 minThe History of Drugs In Society17. The 'ndrangheta, Shipping, & Cocaine with Anna SergiThis week I got to speak to Professor Anna Sergi, who is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Essex. We got to cover a few main areas of her research, including Italian organized crime overall, the ‘ndrangheta (both in Italy and internationally), as well as the role of shipping in global cocaine markets, an area in which the ‘ndrangheta is personally involved.
If you’ve heard the ‘about the podcast’ episode, you might remember that Italian organized crime groups in the NY, particularly the Sicilian La Cosa Nostra, was what initially piqued my own interests i...
2020-08-1854 minThe History of Drugs In Society16. The State, Drug Markets, & Violence with Angelica Duran-MartinezThis week, I speak to Professor Angelica Duran-Martinez, who teaches Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. We explore a few of the ideas and case studies in her book, The Politics of Drug Violence. The book explores the interaction of political structures, security structures, and drug markets and what the results on violence are, specifically in terms of the visibility and frequency of violence.
More on Angelica - https://faculty.uml.edu/Angelica_DuranMartinez/CV.html
Link to her book - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37485693-the-politics-of-drug-violence
A...
2020-08-0458 minThe History of Drugs In Society15. Opiate Addiction, East & West - Opium as a Drug, 1800s (Season 1.4)In the fourth episode of the season, I'm going over addiction in the East and the West. The episode starts by talking about addiction briefly before laying out some basic history of addiction and intoxication. From there, I cover issues with opium smoking in China before shifting to how addiction differed in the West at the time. I also talk about morphism, the Civil War, and where usage stood heading into the 1900s. In the next episode, I'll cover some medical history relating to morphine and heroin and then will cover Prohibition.
If you have an...
2020-07-2834 minThe History of Drugs In Society14. Announcement July 21 2020 - Sorry for the delaySorry I've gone radio silent the last two weeks. Thanks to some lovely Lyme disease, I've been really out of it and needed to take it easy for a bit. I'm hoping to release the next season episode in a week or two.
I also want to create more of a focus for the interviews. If you have ideas, feel free to reach out - DrugsHistory@gmail.com or @DrugsHistory on Twitter.
Be well!
2020-07-2103 min
Feedback with EarBuds: The Podcast Recommendation Podcast40: "The Future & AI" WeekBlack lives matter and we will continue to amplify BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of color) voices in podcasting. Welcome to episode 40. It covers the week of July 6 - 10.This week’s theme is: *The Future and AI*. The curator is Eugene Leventhal.Our presenting sponsor is INDIE DROP-IN, a podcast that wants to help get indie podcasts featured. You can apply to have your show featured. Apply here: https://indiedropin.com/earbudsMore on this podcast:Each week on this podcast, we’ll share the information that's within the newsletter put out...
2020-07-0509 minThe History of Drugs In Society13. The History of Drug Prohibition in Mexico with Nidia OliveraThis week’s ep features Nidia Olivera, who is a professor at the National School of Anthropology teaching history and drug history specifically. She is also a current PhD candidate at the Mora Institute, where she is looking at the ancient and modern history of psychoactive substances and drug policies in Mexico.
We talked about the history of drug prohibition in Mexico from the time the Spanish arrived through the 1950’s. We covered a wide swath of history and we couldn’t cover everything, so I’m including some additional resources below. Feel free to reach out on @Drugs...
2020-06-3043 minThe History of Drugs In Society12. Intelligent Speech Conference Tomorrow! Late AnnouncementLate announcement, but it looks like I'll be joining the list of speakers at Intelligent Speech Conference which is taking place virtually on Saturday, June 27th. Tickets are only $15 and you'll get to see a bunch of great, different podcasters. The topic for this year is Hidden Voices and there are a lot of panels that I'm excited to catch. I think I'll be on 12:15p.
There's a trailer for Intelligent Speech that starts around 1:24. See you there!
Schedule: https://www.intelligentspeechconference.com/program/
Tickets: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/intelligentspeech/register
2020-06-2603 minThe History of Drugs In Society11. Synthetic Opioid Policy with Jirka TaylorFor this week's bonus episode of the History of Drugs in Society, I spoke to Jirka Taylor about synthetic opioid policy. Jirka is currently a Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation. A social scientist by training, his research portfolio mainly focuses on drug policy and criminal justice more broadly and he explores where those systems intersect with healthcare and social services. We talk about policy responses to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
Feel free to reach out on Twitter (@DrugsHistory) or over email (drugshistory@gmail.com)
You can read more of Jirka’s research here: htt...
2020-06-2343 minThe History of Drugs In Society10. Impacts of COVID on EU Drugs Markets with Andrew CunninghamFor this week's bonus episode of the History of Drugs in Society, I spoke to Andrew Cunningham who heads the drug markets, crime and supply reduction section of the EMCDDA, which stands for European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and is the main drug-focused agency across the EU. This interview is focused on a recent report titled “EU Drug Markets Impact of COVID-19“ that was co-authored by Andrew, his colleagues at the EMCDDA, and colleagues at Europol.
Report: https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/joint-publications/eu-drug-markets-impact-of-covid-19_en
2020-06-1642 minThe History of Drugs In Society8. Update June 9 2020Just explaining why I didn't publish last week and what to expect in the coming weeks. I hope you're doing well
2020-06-0901 minThe History of Drugs In Society9. Britain, China, & the Opium Trade - Opium as a Commodity Pt. 2, 1600s-1800s (Season 1.3)This episode, the second of two exploring opium as a commodity, focuses on the British role in the opium trade in the 1700-1800s and an overview of the market as we head into the 1900s. I focus on the expansion of the British in India, the Opium Wars, the opium trade overall, and how this sets the stage for prohibition.
Suggested podcasts:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00776k9
https://jorschneider.com/2018/11/02/when-trade-wars-turned-bloody-the-opium-war-with-stephen-platt/
https://soundcloud.com/teacupmedia/chp-006-the-opium-war
Throughline Hong Kong episode
More on Chinese perspective?
Book: Imperial Twilight by Stephen Plat...
2020-06-0933 minThe History of Drugs In Society7. Fentanyl with Prof. Jon CaulkinsHello and welcome to the History of Drugs in Society, where we explore the history of different substances and how we’ve lived alongside and interacted with them. I’m your host, Eugene Leventhal.
If you’re interested in learning more about how fentanyl markets came about and how they look like today, you should enjoy this discussion. In this episode, I interview Jon Caulkins, who is a University Professor Of Operations Research And Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. Our interview focuses on fentanyl in the United States, looking at both the history and curre...
2020-05-2655 min
kpcradio.comTime Machine Express featuring Eugene LeventhalEugene Leventhal of Carnegie Mellon University [CMU] is the creator of the History of Drugs in Society. We briefly explore the history of the medicinal drug opium and its impact throughout the world. Learn more about his research at https://historyofdrugsinsociety.podbean.com/ - And click here to get updates about upcoming history shows.
Hosted by William Rogero
This episode was recorded remotely from the studio during the COVID-19 Los Angeles Safer-at-Home initiative.
2020-05-2424 minThe History of Drugs In Society6. Needle Exchange Service in Philadelphia with Clayton Ruley, Prevention Point PhiladelphiaMy guest this week is Clayton Ruley, who is the Director of Community Engagement and Volunteer Services for Prevention Point Philadelphia. We talk about harm reduction overall as well as how these services have been affected as a result of COVID-19. We also get into questions regarding community, policy, and what makes Clayton most hopeful in terms of harm reduction.
In case you want to learn more:
Prevention Point Philadelphia
Site - https://ppponline.org/
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2020-05-1222 minThe History of Drugs In Society5. Opium as a Commodity Part 1 - Ancient - 1600s (Season 1.2)Opium has been traded for a long time. It was part of a variety of goods that have been bought and sold for millenia. In this episode of the History of Drugs in Society, we start by exploring the early evolution of opium being traded, Marco Polo and the Silk Road, and European colonization in Asia through the 1600s.
Feel free to reach out on Twitter (@DrugsHistory) or email (DrugsHistory@gmail.com).
The audio used for the intro comes from The Great Age of Exploration (1400-1550) Documentary from Discovery Education Documentary and The Distant Drummer: Flo...
2020-05-0528 minThe History of Drugs In Society4. Creating the American Junkie with Prof. Caroline AckerIn this episode, I interview Prof. Carolina Acker. She is a historian, professor emerita at Carnegie Mellon's Dietrich College, and author of the book Creating the American junkie. We touch on topics ranging from the history of psychiatry to the laws that started drug prohibition to the changing nature of who was using opiates from the 1890s through the first half of the 20th century. We talk a lot about the context around drug usage and the study of addiction, though a few questions are directly related to opium and its usage.
You can learn more about:
2020-04-2855 minThe History of Drugs In Society3. Covid-19 & Opioid MarketsThis episode will review the impacts of the coronavirus on both illegal and legal drug markets. In terms of illegal markets, this includes how drug trafficking organizations and street-level drug markets have been affected. As far as legal markets go, we'll take a look at how harm reduction and medical support services and opioid prescriptions overall are dealing with the pandemic, and an example of disinformation.
You can find the full transcript with citations here.
Audio used for the intro:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_sS28TZL90
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
2020-04-1427 minThe History of Drugs In Society2. Opium as a Medicine - Ancient-1800s (Season 1.1)In the first full episode of the History of Drugs in Society, we explore opium as medicine. This will take us from its origins thousands of years ago until the early 1800s. One of the main points of this episode is to see when opioid usage started in the doctor's office.
Intro clip takes audio from Dr. Lydia Kang's talk entitled Origin of Opium and Heroin Treatment from C-SPAN on 12/11/2017.
Some main sources used include:
Opium by John Halpern and David Blistein
Milk of Paradise by Lucy Inglis
Opium's Human History by Lucy Inglis, Natu...
2020-04-0724 minThe History of Drugs In Society1. About The PodcastIn this episode, I go over why I am doing this, what you can expect from the podcast, some context on where this journey ends, and some terms. All of this is meant to provide some additional context but isn't necessary to follow the podcast. Feel free to reach out over email HistoryofDIS@gmail.com
Credit to Blue Dot Sessions for the music. You can find the audio used for in the intro on C-SPAN.
For a full list of citations, you can go here.
2020-04-0712 minThe History of Drugs In SocietyTrailer: History of Drugs in SocietyThis is a brief introduction to the History of Drugs in Society podcast, which is launching on April 7th. This podcast explores the history of different substances and how we’ve lived alongside and interacted with them.
I hope you'll join along for the journey. Feel free to reach out at HistoryofDIS@gmail.com.
2020-03-2702 min
ConsequentialSeason 1 Trailer | The Human Side of Technological ChangeOur future isn’t a coin flip. In an age of artificial intelligence and increasing automation, Consequential looks at our digital future and discusses what’s significant, what’s coming and what we can do about it. Over the course of our first season, hosts Lauren Prastien and Eugene Leventhal will unpack the narrative of technological change in conversation with leading technologists, ethicists, economists and everything in between.
2019-10-1802 min
Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Podcast SeriesBlockchain at CMU and BeyondBeyond its financial hype, researchers are exploring and understanding the promise of Blockchain technologies. In this SEI Podcast, Eliezer Kanal and Eugene Leventhal discuss blockchain research at Carnegie Mellon University and beyond.
2019-02-1846 min