The scholar and activist Susan Boyd discusses her new book Heroin: An Illustrated History (Fernwood Publishing, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Heroin: An Illustrated History by Susan Boyd (Fernwood Publishing, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Heroin

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the more readable and engaging books is Heroin: An Illustrated History. Its author Susan Boyd joins me now. In the book, she takes a historical look at heroin regulation over two centuries, from when the opioid was discovered in 1898 to today. She looks at the political policies that criminalise and pathologise drug users, leading to a failure today of addressing the overdose death epidemic. She looks critically at the evidence as to the harm of heroin, and how its prohibition has been tied up with colonisation and systemic racism, as well as class and gender injustice. Susan also looks at the cultural history of heroin, from its early use to its depiction in popular culture, like films, going back to 1930s movies like Narcotic and Reefer Madness to later films like Sinatra in The Man with the Golden Arm, and Panic in Needle Park which co-stars Al Pacino. There’s remarkable cartoons and art that’s showcased in the book that shows how the public was influenced. Susan C. Boyd is a scholar and activist and distinguished professor emerita at the University of Victoria. Her previous book was Busted: An Illustrated History of Drug Prohibition in Canada. This book is from Fernwood Publishing. We spoke last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Susan Boyd; Professor Boyd, good morning.

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