A lot of us are coffee-drinking drug addicts that turn into zombies without a morning caffeine fix. But what is the difference between coffee and opium, especially when they both come from a plant? Author Michael Pollan tells us why we should start thinking about our morning coffee in the same way as smoking opium or taking the Native American peyote cactus.

Humans love drugs. Every culture in human history has looked for ways to alter its consciousness. So where does this desire come from? And why are some drugs legal and others illegal? What is it about some drugs that make governments declare war on them? And what on earth is psychedelic toad venom? This is how psychoactive plants changed the world.

In News on Drugs, writer JS Rafaeli chats to fellow drug nerds about their studies to tackle some of the biggest questions in the crazy world of mind-altering substances.

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