Product Description

Studio: Repnet Llc Release Date: 05/27/2008 Run time: 118 minutes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11313 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-04-08
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 118 minutes

Review
AMERICAN DRUG WAR FOUR STARS (Highest Rating). A mind-altering experience. This is an exceedingly important documentary. It makes a clear case for why the so-called 'war on drugs' has been -- and will continue to be -- such a colossal failure. We have spent billions upon billions of dollars trying to prevent the influx of substances so many Americans demand to have, and the availability of illicit drugs is at an all-time high.This 'war on drugs' is one of the worst examples of our government's embarrassing close-mindedness and immaturity, not to mention lack of sophistication, bravery, and foresight.The film depicts the hypocrisy of this failed policy: marijuana and cocaine are illegal, yet alcohol and tobacco are perfectly legal, these latter two substances having caused more damage and ruination than any other substances to which our government has given its stamp of approval.And speaking of hypocrisy, the film also chronicles the Iran Contra scandal, our government's sickening, morally debauched effort to actually facilitate the introduction of illegal drugs into society, utilizing the profits to finance a wholly illegal military operation.While Booth quite understandably argues that this 'war' is a ludicrous waste, he is open-minded and intellectually honest enough to show the devastation that drugs (mostly of the legal variety) have wreaked upon close friends and members of his family. So, in the end, he presents a wide-ranging, multi-faceted look at the problem: Yes, drugs destroy lives, but this 'war' has proven to be a meaningless and ill-conceived solution. There's so much to consider here, and Kevin Booth has done an outstanding job of providing the appropriate fodder for contemplation and, hopefully, political action. --Todd David Schwartz Contributing Arts & Entertainment Critic, The Paul Mitchell Show, CBS Radio

Review
Kevin Booth's film AMERICAN DRUG WAR, an eye-opening and compelling examination of the war on drugs, won the Best Documentary awards at both the DIY and Evil City film festivals, the latter of which featured filmmakers Morgan Spurlock and Mary Harron as judges.Additionally, High Times magazine gave the film four full buds, it's highest rating (no pun intended). Booth, who authored the book BILL HICKS: AGENT OF EVOLUTION about his best friend and notable cult comedian, was inspired by the loss of those close to him to legal substances to try and make sense of what is dubbed the longest, most costly and destructive war in American history. And oh, the things he discovers. Three minutes into the doc we are told the main source of funding for Partnership of a Drug Free America comes from the tobacco and alcohol industries. Booth captures the perspectives from a former LAPD narcotics officer, gang members, prisoners, cops, a sheriff, a former New Mexico governor, civil rights attorneys, Tommy Chong and Ricky Ross from jail and a host of others. --Elston Gunn Aint it Cool News

Review
Four Pot Leafs  Brace yourself for Afghani opium, interviews with  a former drug czar and Amsterdam's lone crack connoisseur, and basic bad-guy bedlam in this informative documentary CINEPHELIA  - C. Dempsey AMERICAN DRUG WAR is worth some serious frontal lobe absorption. This is a documentary that  will show you just how well the war on drugs is going. And let me tell you it really seems to be going great - drug use is up, education is down and all while you the taxpayer keep pouring the money in -- --High Times Magazine - Mary Ought Six

Customer Reviews

It's not about morality
Understanding the "drug war" is all about understanding profit. Alchohol and tobacco cause problems that folks profit from - drug companies, hospitals, etc. Marijuana on the other hand, which anyone can grow in their backyard, has been shown to be effective in treating a wide range of illnesses that drug companies would like to charge thousands of dollars to treat. The decriminalization of drugs like pot would cut the profits of large industries by huge amounts. Those industries exert enormous political pressure, hence the drug war.

Don't ever think for an instant the Government has your well-being at heart. It cares only about money, and the drug companies line its pockets, both directly and with tax revenue. That's why there's a drug war. It's a war on competition.

Brilliant
American Drug War: The Last White Hope
The subject of America's love for mind-altering substances (legal and illegal) is broad and deep enough to provide material for a dozen documentaries, but Kevin Booth does an excellent job of putting together a coherent two-hour film that takes on several aspects of the drug war. I got this movie two weeks ago in the mail and since then have been trying to make every friend and family member watch it.
That there are over a million non-violent people in jail and prison in this country because of the drug war is beyond absurd. But here we are. And there they are. And only a few politicians dare to question the rationality of criminalizing the very human impulse to feel good. Why? Among other reasons: The money that the prison-industrial complex and the alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceutical industries lavish on politicians ... and the cut of the action that Wall Street and the gov't takes from the illegal drug trade.
Go to YouTube to watch the trailer.
Then buy the movie.

Amazing. Enlightening. Insightful.
American Drug War really shook me up. I think it changed the way I feel about living and breathing in this country and inspired me to act on things that I've always just thought about. It made me very sad in a way, but very enlightened and empowered too. Everyone needs to see this movie. It's affecting all of our lives and no one is talking about it.

It's people like the Booth brothers that can inspire us to become grassroots activists to help people that cannot help themselves. Our government is a big, mean dog and I thank them for being brave enough to stand up to it, and to do it in a way that deserves respect and attention.

I encourage anyone and everyone to purchase this movie.