Regional
Welcome to the Drug Issue of The Highlight
Drugs are a perennial American preoccupation, from the war on illicit ones to our massive pharmaceutical industry. This month, Vox reporters looked into the pressing drug questions of the moment: What happens when weed replaces alcohol? Given high costs and v…
Drugs are a perennial American preoccupation, from the war on illicit ones to our massive pharmaceutical industry. This month, Vox reporters looked into the pressing drug questions of the moment: What happens when weed replaces alcohol? Given high costs and various medication shortages, how much do expiration dates matter? What is pink cocaine? We even have an interview with a biohacking anarchist about DIY medicine, for The Highlight podcast.
There’s plenty of non-drug stuff for you to enjoy too: pieces on how to reconcile after a family estrangement and how to rewild your own backyard, recommendations from Vox’s book critic, and an exploration of why nostalgia won’t get us out of the loneliness epidemic.
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How weed won over America
Land of the free, home of the blazed.
By Marin Cogan
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What in the world is pink cocaine?
It’s not cocaine, but it can be just about anything else — except a good idea.
By Celia Ford
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Are drug expiration dates meaningless?
That Tylenol’s shelf life is longer than you think.
By Keren Landman, MD
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The world’s most mysterious psychedelic is already inside your brain
DMT, “the nuclear bomb of the psychedelic family,” explained.
By Oshan Jarow
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How marijuana legalization played itself
Pricey, legal weed is great news — for the black market.
By Lavanya Ramanathan
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Mixael Laufer on DIY health care
Medicine shouldn’t be so hard to access — so the Four Thieves Vinegar Collective is helping people make their own.
By Jorge Just
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Nostalgia won’t fix the loneliness epidemic
There are practical, everyday ways to get out of your head and into community.
By Allie Volpe
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Yes, you can fight climate change in your backyard
One wildflower at a time.
By Cat Willett
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What counts as a landslide? Your biggest election questions, answered.
Split-ticket voting, the Senate, down-ballot issues, and more.
By Eric Levitz and Christian Paz
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Family estrangement doesn’t have to be forever
Reconnecting with someone you’ve cut ties with isn’t easy — but it can be done.
By Fortesa Latifi
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“I’m looking for a fever dream of a book.”
In November’s month’s edition of Ask a Book Critic, novels to scratch the surrealist itch, lesbian necromancers in space, and more.
By Constance Grady