The war on drugs

[Skybird]

I saw a documentary on the so-called war on drugs in America this evening, a 105 minutes program that was indeed mindblowing: "The House I Live In". It is made by the guy behind "Why we fight", which was a stunningly good documentary on the Iraq war years ago.

It was broadcasted on German-French TV channel ARTE, and will be repeated again on July 8th, 2 a.m. in the morning.

It gave insights and empirical data that not just linked contexts and facts that you would not expect to learn easily, and presented an amount of critical self-reflection and criticism of the installment of this war on drugs that is rare on TV these days, at least by German standards. The war on drugs has turned into an economic profit-making business branch that has already changed society as a whole, and not for the better, it has negatively affected the self-understanding of the police and the relation between police and civilian society, and has given the law system an unbelievable spin that send it pretty much off balance. That there also is an empirical link between the criminalising of certain drugs and the wanted "ghetto-isation" of certain minority groups to ban them from competing on the labour market, was not clear to me, not in that clarity at least.

The film does a very good job in explaining that the whole thing is far more complex and multi-levelled than ordinary pub-discussions usually recognize. And it paints a frightening picture of the future. Frightening not because of drugs, but because of what the society and the state is turning into.

The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival 2012.

This is the trailer.


And an introduction by The Guardian:


The official website:
http://www.thehouseilivein.org/

Highly recommended to see the whole show.

P.S. On a sidenote, I found it ironic that it was especially Nixon who seem to have understood the real complexity and nature of th problem better than any politician before and after him. Of course, cheater that he was, this insight did not stop him from nevertheless acting in violation of his understanding, for opportunistic powerpolitical reasons.

No pleasant outlook. And the American way to tackle the problem simply is very unjust, racist, and profit-led. It seem to aim at noit solving it, but to intentiknally boost and foster it to make the imprisonment industry (that'S what it is for sure: an industry) a regular branch of the ordinary economy.

[mookiemookie]

Sounds interesting, and not simply because I already agree with its premise. You can be sure if the government declares "War" on a nebulous concept (drugs, poverty, hunger, etc), we're in for wasted time and money and no real progress made on the issue at all.

I'm happy to see that decriminalization of marijuana is beginning to take a foothold in this country. I'm not a user anymore, so I don't have a dog in that hunt (aside from my tax dollars) but the idea of "reefer madness" is so archaic and outdated as to be laughable.

I think in my lifetime we may see minor drug offenses turn into something akin to a speeding ticket. I believe our society will be better for it.

[CaptainHaplo]

For once, I agree with Mookie on the whole governmental "war on ________" is a waste.

To that end, lets end the war on poverty. Stop "fighting" against it with welfare.

[Wolferz]

The governments war on drugs is and has always been a pathetic excuse to incarcerate people into what has become a for profit prison system and it's cottage industries within the walls that need slave labor to fill the workforce.
When you get ten years for two joints something just ain't right.
Then there's a darker side to the whole mess. A side that I doubt the documentary even mentions. Legal drug dealers called big Pharma and a shadow government within the legitimate one, controlled by the worst drug pushers on the planet. Skull and Bones.
The old guard is finally beginning to wane and be replaced by those with more open minds.

[Armistead]

Yep, it's amazing our last 3 presidents admit to drug use, they win the highest office in the world, why millions doing the same go to jail.

[Skybird]

what stunned me was the link between ethnic minorities becoming a competitor on the job market, and tackling them by not discriminating them - formally - for being that ethnicity, what would have translated into unhidden racist arguments, but by criminalising them by criminalising previously legal consummation of typical drugs. To get rid of Chinese workers, smoking Opium was criminalised. To get rid of Mexicans, smoking cannabis was criminalised and called Marihuana. To get rid of Blacks, cocains negative effect was blown beyond proportion by raising a hysteria over "crack". The weight of the empirical links and evidences stunned me, I did not know that it all was SO MUCH pushed off balance.

reminds a bit of how beer producers demonised a threatening rival to their profits when it emerged - the "green fairy", absynth. Even the original unfiltered drink never was that great a health danger to the public, as the horror stories implied and that got started by beer producers when they had already lost 15 percent of their market to the producers of this new drink.

Frightening path the US society has embarked on. The monetarian business model of changed police rules of operation, due to declaring a policy of war on drugs, only detoriates things.

The problems are so very much homemade. Haplo, you shoot not far enough - wellfare is not the root of this evil, but the simple fact that at various points of US industrial history masses of employees suddenly were not needed anymore and thus threatened the privileged majority of workers still having jobs, which corresponded with skin coloer very much. See that film in full. There are some things to see and learn that you will not like to hear about - nevertheless are true.

[Armistead]

I haven't watched it, but seen some close. I dont think they get rid of job competition by criminalising previously legal drugs. All races get arrested for drugs. I think the bigger problem was discrimination that led to poverty which cause more crime and drug use.

I know some black leaders complain pot remains illegal, because the black man would get rich selling it, which is silly. It becomes legal, white corporate America would find a way to get the market and get rich off it.

Anyway, the prision system has become a profit system over these minor drug offenses.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Armistead

I haven't watched it, but seen some close. I dont think they get rid of job competition by criminalising previously legal drugs. All races get arrested for drugs.

Think again. Somewhere in the film they count that up to 90% of a certain drug mentioned got consumed by whites, but at that time almost 90% of all drug addicts and traders arrested in relation with that drug were blacks.

As I said, the film makes it clear that what seems to be obvious and self-offering to reason - is not reasonable and obvious at all. There are some serious things going terribly wrong. Politicians calling for even more law and order and draconic penalties just makes it worse - but they accept that since such populistic slogans get them elected.

Watch that film. For me, it is just interesting. For you, assuming you are living in America, it becomes or already is an issue of vital self-interest. Somebody in that film says at the end that the war on drugs compares to a holocaust running in slow motion. After having seen all the film I understood the truth in that apparently rhetoric phrase. And when judges, policemen and prison staff voice their criticism and resignation that openly as in that film, then this should make every American think about his own fate, where I am just listening in for reasons of curiosity. The fallout from the distorted system no longer just raisn down on the ethnic minority groups. It now has started to rain down on the white mainstream as well.

[WernherVonTrapp]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Think again. Somewhere in the film they count that up to 90% of a certain drug mentioned got consumed by whites, but at that time almost 90% of all drug addicts and traders arrested in relation with that drug were blacks...

Interesting. I made lots of drug arrests during my career, and not one of them was "black".

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by WernherVonTrapp

Interesting. I made lots of drug arrests during my career, and not one of them was "black".

It was a scene before I think a senate committee, a hearing, something like that, and the considered state was I think California. The issue discussed was the impact of one certain drug, over a certain period of time when it became a problem some time in the 80s, I think I recall they talked about Crack. The scene is in the movie somewhere. It was not just a claim by the film maker, but info voiced by I think an official in public, before such a committee.

Also, check your national statistics on arrests and skin colour, and how they changed, or not changed over the past 50 years, regarding drugs, and skin colour. Most drug consumers are whites, it thus should be whites leading the arrest numbers. But for some reason it is not like that. Says the police representatives in that film. Blacks consume drugs less than whites, but are overrepresented in arrest over consummation by several factors. That needs to be explained.

Another interview they included - from a police guy, mind you - reflected on how the priority put on war on drugs changed arrest behaviors and shifted the focus of police work from generally more harmful crime like robbery and murder, to bagatelle crimes regarding consummation or possession of even smallest amount of drugs, even such harmless stuff like Marihuana. That officer asked the interviewer this: when an officer gets payed by numbers of arrests per month, and focus is politically wanted on drugs, then this has two effects. The one officer may spend many hours and days for investigating a case of murder or robbery , and at the end of the month gets two or three arrests scored. The other officers knows he gets payed by arrests, so he goes onto the street and starts to arrest suspects over minor drug offences that the law has blown out of proportion, and thta way he scores let'S say 60 arrests by the end of the month. Guess what the police is focussing on, robbery and murder, or arresting persons who consume drugs, may it be Crack, may it be Marihuana? This officer worried about the quality of police investigation work suffering from this, because police now tends to not care for patient, long investment of time, but just sees the street as a fish pond where they take a big fork ionce a day and catch out what they get, without caring anymore for the severity of the offender's "crime" or any contexts leading beyond the letter of the paragraph that calls it an offence.

There seem to be quite some police officers and judges who are seriously worried by how things have turned, and they question both the effic iency and the morality of the rules and paradigms currently being acted by. Many seem to have resigned and do not care anymore. What wil not help to reinstall the trust that the civilian population already has lost.

Anyhow, I'm telling some info from the film by memory only. If somebody has doubts, he better goes out and watches that movie somewhere. I refer to that film only, and by memory. But the real important witnesses are not me, but those people they interview in that film, and who are prison wards, judges, activists, police officers, offenders, family members.

[Wolferz]

Originally Posted by WernherVonTrapp

Interesting. I made lots of drug arrests during my career, and not one of them was "black".

What was the most common drug you made arrests for?

[Betonov]

Good thing I live in a country that possesion of (small quantities) only ends up with a fine. Mostly just confiscation and your name in the cops little badboy book.

[Catfish]

A war on drugs, in the USA ?

There were wars against middle and south american countries
(financed by drugs)
There were wars in Corea and Vietnam
(financed by drugs)
There were wars against middle east countries
(financed by taxpayers)
There is a world war against terrorism
(financed by taxpayers)

Who fights a war against drugs ?
The Cocaine Importing Agency ?

Sorry, but

[WernherVonTrapp]

Originally Posted by Wolferz

What was the most common drug you made arrests for?

The most common, or most often arrested were marijuana, then heroin, crack, illegal prescription drugs, some Special-K (or Ketamine), Ecstasy (methylenedioxymethamphetamine). Too many to remember. Oh, and I was wrong. After thinking about it, I did remember where I was involved (not the arresting officer) in an arrest that involved two "blacks" and two "whites".
It came about after a call of a suspicious vehicle parked in front of a known (or common) actor's residence. Upon arrival with other units and subsequent investigation, it was learned that this white male was pimping his girlfriend out for sexual favors in lieu of payment from two male drug dealers (black males). During a probable cause search, illegal drugs (crack) was found and all parties were arrested on various different charges. But that's the only one I can think of. I worked in a small suburb just outside the city of Paterson, NJ (where I just happened to be born and raised).

I'm not disputing anyone's claim's here; just stating a fact. I became a LEO in the mid-late 80s. I grew up with friends who (for purposes of this topic) were black, hispanic, circassian and eastern european. I suppose, because of that, I never looked at things from a color standpoint, though early as a child, I remember hearing racial slurs of every kind coming from older people.

[WernherVonTrapp]

Originally Posted by Betonov

Good thing I live in a country that possesion of (small quantities) only ends up with a fine. Mostly just confiscation and your name in the cops little badboy book.

You cannot do that in the states because, even the guys who you give a warning to, will run off and brag to their friends. I've seen it happen with various things (drugs, fireworks, alcohol, etc.) where word gets around that "the cops probably kept it for themselves or smoked it", etc.. Then IAD comes looking for YOU and a big investigation ensues. Where applicable, I've only handed out citations too, but always tagged and bagged the evidence, turning it over to the evidence custodian to maintain the "chain of evidence". Maybe the big cities can get away with that, since there are always shootings, robberies and such to occupy their time, but in the smaller suburbs, if you turn in evidence w/o filing charges, you yourself can potentially be charged with failing to enforce the law, malfeasance, nonfeasance, etc.. In essence, it could end up costing you your job.