Drug Addiction and the Paths to Prison

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Inside Story examines the cases of women who lost their pregnancies and faced charges because they tested positive for drugs while pregnant — a practice experts expect to increase now that Roe has been overturned.

Host Lawrence Bartley also sits down with Dr. Carl Hart, a Columbia University professor, to discuss his path to the study of drugs, addiction and racially-motivated drug policies.

Tarra Simmons recounts her early struggles with addiction, serving time behind bars, and how she became a member of the Washington state House of Representatives.

Bartley tells the story of his friend’s addiction to fentanyl and the discrimination he faced from fellow incarcerated people — a reminder, he says, to be compassionate to them.

• They Lost Their Pregnancies. Then Prosecutors Sent Them to Prison.