Drugs are a perennial American preoccupation, from the war on illegals to our vast pharmaceutical industry. This month, Vox reporters looked at pressing drug questions of the moment: What happens when weed replaces alcohol? Given the high costs and shortages of various drugs, how important are expiration dates? what is Pink cocaine? Even for the highlights podcast, we have an interview with a biohacking anarchist about DIY medicine.
There’s plenty of non-drug content for you to enjoy: How to Reconcile After a Family Breakup and How to Redecorate Your Own Backyard, Vox’s Book Critic Recommendations, and An Exploration of Why Nostalgia Won’t Get Us Out of the Loneliness Epidemic.
How Weed Conquered America
Land of the Free, Burning House.
By Marine Kogan
What is pink cocaine in the world?
It’s not cocaine, but it could be anything else – except a better idea.
By Celia Ford
Are drug expiration dates meaningless?
That Tylenol has a longer shelf life than you think.
By Karen Landman, MD
The world’s most mysterious psychedelic is already inside your brain
DMT, the “nuclear bomb of the psychedelic family,” explained.
Written by Ocean Jaro
How Cannabis Legalization Played Itself
Expensive, legal weed is great news — for the black market.
Written by Lavanya Ramanathan
Mixael Laufer on DIY healthcare
Accessing medicine shouldn’t be this hard – that’s why the Four Thieves Vinegar Collective is helping people make their own.
By George Just
Nostalgia won’t fix the loneliness epidemic
There are practical, everyday ways to get out of your head and into the community.
By Ally Volpe
Yes, you can fight climate change in your own backyard
One wildflower at a time.
By Kat Willett
What counts as a landslide? Your biggest election question, answered.
Split-ticket voting, Senate, down-ballot issues, and more.
By Eric Levitz and Christian Paz
Family separation doesn’t have to last forever
Reconnecting with someone you broke up with isn’t easy — but it can be done.
By Faresa Latifi
“I’m looking for a book fever dream.”
In the November edition of Ask a Book Critic, novels to scratch the surrealist itch, lesbian necromancers in space and more.
By Constance Grady