In the premiere episode of Rosie & BJ Save the World, comedian, and podcaster, Rosie Tran, alongside social media marketing expert, and best-selling author, BJ Mendelson, share their views on ending the war on drugs.
Get ready listeners, BJ and Rosie are here to save the day! Tap here to listen to episode one here on Spotify.
Rosie is in favor of decriminalizing drug use as a means to end drug addiction. She cites Portugal’s “use rooms” as an example of state-sanctioned drug use that actually decreases usage and helps those suffering from addiction to seek rehabilitation.
The co-hosts agree that the Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) attitude stalls meaningful action in local legislation, like providing clean needle exchanges or housing units for the homeless.
“As Americans, we’re good at saying we’re for things,” BJ says, “but then when it comes time to actually do something, we have one excuse or another not to do it.”
Americans’ lack of empathy not only hinders legislative change but also contributes to drug dependency, Rosie says. She cites a study showing that isolated rats were more likely to become addicted to opioids.
“The correlation that they made was when you become emotionally isolated, if you have trauma, then you’re more likely to become addicted to opiates. It’s not opioids…
