Liberalism for All — The War on Drugs

On this episode of the Hayek Program Podcast, we begin a special summer series of the podcast on Liberalism for All, hosted by Jayme Lemke as she explores the underpinnings and outworkings of a free and open society. Driving the discussion is a set of core questions, including:

• What does it mean to be liberal in the 21st century?
• What is the relationship between liberalism and equality?
• Is the pursuit of equality a threat or opportunity for the liberal project?

Joining Lemke for this episode is Audrey Redford, assistant professor of economics at Western Carolina University and an alum of the Adam Smith Fellowship. Redford shares her journey in becoming a political economist before explaining her concept of 'malnovation' in illicit drug markets and how it shapes the efforts of individuals to acquire illicit drugs. They also discuss what low-hanging fruit exists for drug policy reform, and what a more liberal approach to public drug policy would look like. As they close their conversation, Lemke and Redford share broadly what political economy can contribute to shaping free and open institutions.

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