Inside Kensington: How America's Drug Supply Really Works

This might be the most important conversation about drugs you’ll ever hear. Fernando Montero, an anthropologist from Columbia University, actually lived among drug dealers in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood to understand how America’s street drug economy really works. We talk about how the War on Drugs created the fentanyl crisis, why arresting dealers only makes overdoses worse, and Fernando’s groundbreaking idea of training drug dealers to save lives. It’s raw, brilliant, and unlike anything you’ve ever heard about fentanyl, addiction, and the drug supply. Watch or listen, and share! Everyone needs to hear this. More: Can Supervised Drug Use Save Lives? Inside OnPoint NYC’s Radical Approach https://youtu.be/Qhvw1Imatr4?si=hDtIOIATqGrwMfRV They’re Not Zombies—They’re Humans Fighting to Survive Kensington, Phila... https://youtu.be/3WhK8sTT43s?si=RrmCE63Ur27AjoNl | The War on Harm Reduction: “Recovery First” Is a Death Sentence https://youtu.be/BdaapOoxPWc?si=6EDUWJB5p8pFU0Li This Homeless Housing Gives Booze to Alcoholics… and It’s Saving Lives https://youtu.be/1ylsw5e8d5g?si=chOlOujQiFp1E7ax Executive producer: Mark Horvath Producer/editor/cinematographer: Alex Gasaway https://www.youtube.com/alexgasaway Associate producer: Erin McGinnis Created by: Alex Gasaway and Erin McGinnis YouTube Podcast https://shorturl.at/XciIu Apple Podcast https://apple.co/4cckQ86 Spotify https://spoti.fi/3XyM98c 00:00 Intro 02:44 Introducing Fernando Montero 03:13 Living Among Philadelphia Drug Dealers 04:06 Inside Kensington’s Open-Air Drug Market 05:03 Hierarchies in Street Drug Markets 06:05 Drug Dealing for Survival, Not Profit 07:08 The Myth of Dealers Poisoning Users 08:00 Retail Dealers Have No Control Over Drug Purity 09:30 Who Really Mixes the Drugs? (Suburban “Cook Houses”) 10:30 Why Street Dealers Don’t Cut Drugs 11:55 Police Raid—How Trust Was Earned 13:20 Life in a Kensington Drug-Selling Block 14:07 Pre-Fentanyl Era: Pure Heroin in Philly 15:18 East vs. West Coast Heroin & HIV Rates 16:40 Black Tar vs. Powder Heroin 18:01 Fentanyl Arrives—Why It Hit the East First 19:10 Xylazine Emerges in Philly 20:17 How Fentanyl and Xylazine Spread Differently 21:38 Prohibition Created the Fentanyl Crisis 22:40 Can We Stop Drug Trafficking? 23:41 Should We Legalize Drugs? (Short Answer: Yes) 24:38 What Legalization Should Actually Look Like 25:32 Portugal, Oregon & Misunderstood Drug Reform 26:22 Why Corporate Drug Legalization Would Be a Disaster 27:10 Radical Idea: Train Drug Dealers to Save Lives 27:51 Working With Existing Drug Supply Chains ================================== Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/c/invisiblepeople?sub_confirmation=1 Invisible People’s website: http://invisiblepeople.tv Support Invisible People: https://invisiblepeople.tv/donate Sign up for our newsletter: https://invisiblepeople.tv/email Invisible People’s Social Media: https://www.youtube.com/invisiblepeople https://twitter.com/invisiblepeople https://www.instagram.com/invisiblepeople https://www.facebook.com/invisiblepeopletv https://www.tiktok.com/@invisiblepeopletv About Invisible People There is a direct correlation between what the general public perceives about homelessness and how it affects policy change. Most people blame homelessness on the person experiencing it instead of the increasing shortage of affordable housing, lack of employment, childhood trauma, lack of a living wage, or the countless reasons that put a person at risk. This lack of understanding creates a dangerous cycle of misperception that leads to the inability to effectively address the root causes of homelessness. We imagine a world where everyone has a place to call home. Each day, we work to fight homelessness by giving it a face while educating individuals about the systemic issues that contribute to its existence. Through storytelling, education, news, and activism, we are changing the narrative on homelessness.