Former U.S. Drug Czar Richard J. Baum on America’s Opioid Crisis and Lessons from the Drug War

Richard J. Baum spent 35 years working on America’s drug policy, including 28 years with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy across six presidential administrations. He also served as acting director of the ONDCP — the nation’s Drug Czar — and as executive director of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis.

Now an adjunct professor of public policy at Georgetown University, Baum joins us to discuss his new book, Inside America’s Opioid Crisis: 12 Hard Lessons from Today’s Drug War, and what decades of experience inside the federal government taught him about America’s response to opioids and drug policy.

What is Radio Catskill - The Kingfisher Project?

In 2012, Bill Williams tragically lost his son, William, to a heroin overdose at age 24. At William’s memorial, Bill, alongside his wife Margot and daughter Elizabeth Hope, pledged to combat drug abuse by educating others, improving treatment, and reducing stigma. Since then, they've spoken at various forums and published in notable outlets, including the New York Times and Harvard Health Blog.

Bill also hosts a radio/podcast show The Kingfisher Project, as part of their ongoing commitment to honor William's memory.