Cannabis is a sticky subject, and it continues to show up in every election cycle across the nation. Five years after Colorado voted to legalize marijuana, the Colorado Public Radio newsroom will be helping listeners understand the pros and cons of legalization in its new podcast, whose name is still being developed.
CPR News reporter Ann Marie Awad will host the podcast, combining powers with a 40-person newsroom to explore the impact of marijuana legalization with stories from both here in Colorado and across the nation.
“Since Colorado was one of the first states to legalize cannabis, our newsroom has been covering its effects across the state for years, and this podcast allows us to explore the subject in greater depth and across a number of different spectrums,” said Awad. “We’ll be able to channel some of my wacky story ideas I’ve wanted to hone in on around the subject, and we’ll have a lot more room to be creative in how we approach them.”
The upcoming podcast will explore cannabis in depth by seeking out users, experts, opponents, officials and those who are just curious about weed. There are many marijuana podcasts out there, but the focus of this podcast will be a fact-based, journalistic take on the world of cannabis with a little bit of whimsy tossed in.
“We also won’t shy away from the stickier questions or stories about cannabis,” said Awad. “Subjects concerning morality and racist perceptions. And stories like how non-citizens are at risk for deportation if they accept work in the marijuana industry, or how legal cannabis has a massive carbon footprint.”
CPR News is developing the show through Project Catapult, a podcast accelerator program run by the PRX. CPR was one of five stations from across the country chosen for this unique opportunity to develop innovative on-demand audio. With funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, CPR’s team is undergoing a 20-week intensive training in building a podcast from the ground up.
The CPR News team will spend the next few months applying what they’ve learned to develop the podcast, which will be released in the spring/early summer.
