War on Drugs, Suicide in the Media, Losing Weight

Trump Administration Renews War on Drugs Guest: Dan McConkie, JD, Assistant Professor of Law, Northern Illinois University You could argue that the War on Drugs came to an end during the Obama Administration when many of the 80s-era policies meant to get tough on drug crimes were put on hold. Federal prosecutors were instructed not to pursue the harshest penalties for low-level drug offenses. Judges embraced flexibility to not enforce mandatory minimum sentences. President Obama granted clemency to nearly 2,000 non-violent drug offenders serving lengthy sentences he deemed unfair. The expense of keeping all those drug offenders in prison helped create bipartisan support for reforming the way drug crimes are punished.   But President Trump’s Attorney General Jeff Sessions has signaled he’s not ready to end the War on Drugs and he’s already reversed several of the Obama Administration’s policies for drug crimes. Portraying Suicide in the Media Guest: Jon-Patrick Allem, PhD, Research Scientist, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine Even uttering the word “suicide” in earshot of a teenager is terrifying. It’s the second leading cause of death among young people in the US and that rate has been steadily rising for decades. Parents, teachers and the media agonize over how to talk about the suicide of a friend, family member or famous person. Is there a way to promote awareness and suicide prevention without inadvertently planting a dangerous seed in the mind of a fragile young person? The creators of the controversial Netflix drama “13 Reasons Why” say they hoped their graphic dramatization of a high school girl’s path to suicide would spark conversation. That it has, along with a lot of concern that the show glamorizes suicide and could inspire copycats. New Insight into Losing Weight Guest: Sai Krupa Das, PhD, Assistant Professor of Nutrition Science and policy, Tufts University, Scientist, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging So, the doctor says you need to lose some