The “Trews” host, who struggled with addiction for many years, sees drug dependence as the inevitable outcome of a consumerist, capitalist society that has stripped human lives of meaning. In an informative as well as hopeful video on the opioid epidemic sweeping the West, Russell Brand also looks at how criminalizing drug use, which began as a way to disrupt black communities and movements against war, according to one of President Nixon’s advisers, only exacerbates the problem.

In the clip below, Brand shares his thoughts on the crisis and talks about the alternative to drugs that has kept him sober for 14 years.

— Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata

WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...

This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.

At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.

Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.

Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.

Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.

Donate now.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG