Pills and Power

What happens when a hostage crisis collides with geopolitics, decades of oppression, and one of the most potent drugs on Earth? In October 2002, Chechen militants took over a packed Moscow theater—and the Russian government decided to end the standoff in a way that still stuns toxicologists today. We’ll unravel the tangled history of Chechnya’s fight for independence, the Kremlin’s heavy-handed responses, and why carfentanil—yes, the elephant tranquilizer—was ever on the table. This is a story of political theater, actual theater, and overdose used as a weapon.Sources:International Negotiation Journal: The Moscow Theater Hostage Crisis: The Perpetrators, their Tactics, and the Russian ResponseMilitary Medicine: Nord-Ost: Russia’s Medical Failure in the 2002 CrisisGIS Reports: Chechnya: A litmus test of Russia’s powerBritannica: Moscow theater hostage crisis of 2002MSNBC: Moscow Theater Hostage Crisis of 2002 (video)

What started with speakeasies and rum runners during U.S. Prohibition spiraled into a global criminal network. In this episode, we trace the underground booze routes of the 1920s, and how these early smuggling networks laid the groundwork for today’s powerful cartels. From the Gulf Cartel’s origins to the chilling violence of CJNG’s death camps, this is the dark evolution of an illicit economy born in the dry days of Prohibition.Sources:Washington State University: Bootlegging During ProhibitionDrug Enforcement Administration: National Drug Threat Assessment 2024Cato Institute: Making a Narco: Childhood Exposure to Illegal Labor Markets and Criminal Life PathsThe New York Times: Canaries sing in Mexico, but Uncle Juan will notKen Burns: Unintended Consequences of Prohibition

Step right up! In this episode, we dive into the raucous world of Wild West traveling medicine shows—part vaudeville, part medieval quackery, and all about the drugs. From narcotic-laced “cures” to the birth of the phrase “snake oil,” we trace how these spectacles peddled more than entertainment—and left their mark on drug history.Sources:Ann Anderson: Snake Oil, Hustlers and Hambones Smithsonian: Hamlin’s Wizard Oil LinimentThe Henry Ford Collection: Dr. F.G. Johnson’s French Female PillsAmerican Institute of the History of Pharmacy: Kickapoo Indian Medicine CompanySauk County History: Traveling Medicine Shows of Yesteryear

In Part 1, we sniffed around the medical labs. Now, in Part 2, we hit the streets. This episode dives into how real-life Victorians embraced the white stuff: from coca wine and the original cocaine-laced Coca-Cola to Sherlock Holmes' habit and Dr. Jekyll’s chemical curiosities.Sources:Mike Jay: Miracle or Menace?The Atlantic: Why We Took Cocaine Out of SodaThe Guardian: The story of Dr Jekyll, Mr Hyde and Fanny, the angry wife who burned the first draftUnited Nations: World Drug Report 2025Smithsonian: Vin Mariani

This episode uncovers how a sacred South American leaf turned into Victorian society’s favorite “miracle” drug. Ray and Eliza explore coca’s ancient uses, its transformation into cocaine, and the irony of prudish Victorians throwing eye-drop parties and praising Freud’s favorite stimulant. From mummy girlfriends to botched surgeries—this is the strange trip from ritual leaf to pharmaceutical gold rush.Sources:National Geographic: How Coca Leaves Become CocainePublic Broadcasting Service: How ‘Miracle Drug’ Nearly Destroyed Sigmund Freud, William HalstedDrug Enforcement Administration: CocaPostgraduate Medical Journal: The Case of Emma EcksteinBritish Broadcasting Corporation: Peruvian delivery man carried ancient mummy around in his bag

Beneath the brutal order of South African prisons lies the secret code of the Numbers gang — a sprawling brotherhood with its own legends, rules, and rituals. In this episode, Ray and Eliza trace the gang’s shadowy origin story, decode its mythos, and ask why these secret societies endure far beyond prison walls. From tattoos inked with melted plastic to contraband slipping past guards, we unpack how drugs — especially the infamous Mandrax — grease the gears of this underworld. Sources:Jonny Steinberg: The NumberHeinrich Veloen: The Numbers Gang in South African Correctional FacilitiesVICE: Portraits of South Africa’s Bloodiest Prison Gang: The NumberUN Institute for Disarmament Research: Project Coast: apartheid’s chemical and biological warfare programmeBritannica: Methaqualone

When the troops came home from World War II, they didn’t just bring back stories—they brought back a taste for amphetamines. In this episode, we trace how wartime “pep pills” flooded postwar America—this time marketed at women. In this episode, we explore how “pep pills” promised energy, slim figures, and a cure for the quiet desperation of domestic life. From the pharmacy counter to pop culture, discover how a generation of housewives was sold a chemical solution for an impossible ideal.Sources:University of Wisconsin-Madison advertisement catalogNicholas Rassmussen: America’s First Amphetamine EpidemicPBS: Mrs. America: Women’s Roles in the 1950sSmithsonian Magazine: A Speedy History of America’s Addiction to Amphetamine

During WWII, methamphetamine wasn’t just a drug—it was a weapon. In this episode, we explore how drug affected Nazi brains, powered Blitzkrieg tactics, fueled Hitler’s personal addiction, and found their way into the supply kits of Allied troops. Discover the hidden role stimulants played in shaping the course of the war.Sources:Normal Ohler: Blitzed: Drugs in the Third ReichTIME Magazine: How Methamphetamine Became a Key Part of Nazi Military StrategyMBio: Understanding the Basis of METH MouthNicholas Rasmussen: America’s First Amphetamine Epidemic

In this episode, we unravel the surprising colonial legacy behind one of the world's most iconic cocktails: the Gin and Tonic. What began as a bitter necessity for British soldiers in India turned into a fashionable drink with a chilling backstory. From malaria prevention to imperial expansion, we trace how quinine, tonic water, and a splash of gin became tools of empire. Discover how this bubbly drink is soaked in history, empire, and exploitation- proof that not all light drinks come without a dark twist.Sources:PBS: How Quinine Caused World War OneScientific American: Quinine and EmpireInfez Med: When Gin and Tonic was not Ordered but PrescribedThe Atlantic: The Medical Case for Gin and TonicJournal of Military and Veterans’ Health: Antimalarial Drug Supply Issues during the Second World War

In this episode, we dive into one of the most infamous covert programs in U.S. history: MK-Ultra. Born in the shadows of the Cold War, this CIA-led operation explored the use of LSD to control people’s minds— “whether they were willing or not.” We explore the origins of the program, the disturbing experiments conducted on unwitting subjects, and the long-lasting impact on the American psychedelic landscape. Plus, we look at some of the notable figures—both famous and forgotten—who were caught in MK-Ultra’s web.Sources: United States Senate: Report on CIA MKULTRA Behavioral Modification ProgramNational Public Radio: The CIA’s Secret Quest for Mind Control: Torture, LSD, and a ‘Poisoner in Chief’Central Intelligence Agency: Project MK-ULTRACBC News: ‘She went away, hoping to get better’

Welcome to Pills & Power - a raw, revealing, and often ridiculous dive into the world of drugs, addiction, and the bizarre truths that never made it into your school textbooks.We’re your hosts, Eliza and Ray, and we’re here to unpack the highs, the lows, and all the messy, mind-blowing bits in between.From crack dens to chemistry labs, from devastating lows to euphoric highs, we explore the stories, science, and stigma surrounding drugs and the people who use them.🎙️ Expect wild history, uncomfortable truths, and a few laughs along the way.Subscribe now – this is not your average education…It’s a trip.