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Advocates behind a proposed ballot question that could potentially decriminalize certain plant-based hallucinogens, a.k.a. psychedelics, are gathering signatures to put the question in front of voters on election day in November. If successful, people over 21 can use a limited amount of substances like magic mushrooms without worry of criminal penalties from the state.

This week, The Common will present a three-part series that explores the past, present and future of psychedelics and what their decriminalization could mean for Massachusetts.

Today, we’ll delve into the past with Andrew Green Hannon, an adjunct lecturer at Emerson College who holds a Ph.d from Yale University’s American Studies Program. His research focuses on the American counterculture and the New Left, and he is a local expert on psychedelics.

Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Black women and girls make up a disproportionate number of the nation’s missing people, almost one in five. Here in Massachusetts, there are few protocols on tracking these cases, and that number is harder to determine. Now, a new bill on Beacon Hill seeks to shine a light on how missing persons cases involving Black women and girls are handled, including instituting an "Ebony Alert" system, which would provide public alerts when Black women or girls are reported missing under suspicious circumstances.

Tiana Woodard of The Boston Globe joins The Common to discuss.

Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Early last year, the Biden administration issued a policy to allow temporary entry for up to 30,000 people a month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela — countries facing extreme unrest and violence. People in the program, called humanitarian parole, are allowed to live and work in the United States for two years.

The Common speaks with WBUR reporter Simón Rios about what humanitarian parole has meant for Boston's Haitian community.

Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

It's a great time to hit the theater. Today on The Common,  Assistant Director of WBUR CitySpace Candice Springer is back with some top musical happenings to get you out and about this month.

Candice recommends...

The Drowsy Chaperone: Now - May 12, Lyric Stage Company,  Boston
A Strange Loop: Now - May 25, Speakeasy Stage at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion, Boston
“Song Exploder” Live featuring Fenne Lily: May 20, WBUR CitySpace
Field Trip: Plant Night with Emerald City Plant Shop: May 22, WBUR CitySpace
Gatsby: An American Myth: May 23 - August 3, American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, Cambridge


Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

When the city removed a tent encampment in the area known as Mass. and Cass back in November, officials offered to help people find housing as part of a plan to help keep them off the streets. Now, two state run housing programs that were part of the effort are slated to close.

WBUR reporter Deborah Becker joins The Common to talk about why these programs are closing, and how the closures will affect the people they serve.

Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Boston is a cultural hub for Caribbean communities, with people originally from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad, and other Caribbean countries, comprising nearly 9% of the city's population. The new Boston Caribbean American Association in Dorchester aims to unite these communities and promote year-round political and civic engagement.

Kwame Elias of the Boston Caribbean American Association joins The Common to discuss the coalition's goals and mission, and their strategies for engaging with local Caribbean communities.

Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.