Garth Mullins is a Canadian radio producer, activist, methadone user,[1] and musician. He is the host of the Crackdown podcast and a board member of Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users.
Garth Mullins | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | University of Victoria, London School of Economics |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, podcaster |
| Organization | Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users |
| Known for | Drug activism, podcasting |
| Awards | The Hillman Prize (2020) |
| Website | www |
His podcast won The Canadian Hillman Prize in 2020.
Early life
editMullins grew up in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in the 1970s.[2]
He was bullied in school about his albinism.[3][2] During high school he worked in banking and construction; after high school he worked in a mine in Northwest Territories.[2] Being blind[3] was a barrier to employment opportunities, prompting him to return to studies at the University of Victoria.[2] While studying, he hosted a radio show called The War Measures Act and took heroin for the first time at the age of 19.[2] After graduating from the University of Victoria, he studied political sociology at the London School of Economics, while writing articles for the Vancouver Sun.[2]
Later life and views
editMullins has hosted the monthly[4] Crackdown podcast since 2019.[1] His team won The Canadian Hillman Prize in 2020.[5]
A previous intravenous user of heroin,[5] Mullins is a user of methadone.[4] He speaks about his own use of drugs on the Crackdown podcast hoping to inprove public education.[4] He serves on the board of directors of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users.[6] Mullins describes how he sees the war on drugs as still affecting people in contemporary times.[1] He is an advocate for the legalisation of street drugs,[6] and has campaigned against the planned expansion in scope of Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying permissibility to include people with disabilities.[3]
Mullins performs as a musician in the band Legally Blind.[7][5]
References
edit- ^ a b c Baker, Rafferty (2019-01-30). "Crackdown podcast tells story of overdose crisis from drug users' perspectives". CBC News. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ^ a b c d e f "Garth Mullins: A Ghost In My Own Life". YARD TALES. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
- ^ a b c Zwarenstein, Carlyn (7 Sep 2022). "What we need to be well". Briarpatch. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
- ^ a b c Nagy, Melanie; Slaughter, Graham (2020-10-08). "'Crackdown' podcast gives drug users a voice in confronting opioid crisis". CTV News. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ^ a b c "2020 Canadian Hillman Prize winners". Hillman Foundation. 2020-03-04. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
- ^ a b Wyton, Moira (2022-05-31). "Drug Decrim Plan for BC Panned as Inadequate". The Tyee. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
- ^ "BAND: "Legally Blind"". Retrieved 2023-02-18.
