What Richard Nixon dubbed the War on Drugs, way back in 1971, is the concentrated, decades-long campaign by American law enforcement to eradicate drugs that, by most measures, has completely failed. In the exclusive clip from the doc that you can see above, you can Susan Sarandon, activist Brian O'Dea and Criminal Justice Policy Foundation president Eric Sterling talk about the many logical fallacies behind this War on Drugs. In particular they're heated about how arbitrary government distinctions-- like how possession of crack carries a much steeper penalty than possession of cocaine-- take away our abilities, as individuals, to choose how and when we alter our minds.
You might be surprised by how many high-profile people are taking a very public stand against the War on Drugs, especially since simplistic slogans like "Say No To Drugs" have been driven into our brains for decades. In addition to Sarandon, the likes of 50 Cent, The Wire and Treme creator David Simon, Russell Simmons and Arianna Huffington, who wrote an article about the film that points out some pretty striking facts about the war on drugs. In 2011, 48% of federal inmates were incarcerated for drug-related crimes, as opposed to 8% for violent crimes. The U.S. spent $25 billion on the drug war last year, compared to $5 billion in 1981. And maybe most strikingly, 90% of those convicted by the Rockefeller drug laws are African-American and Latino.
How To Make Money Selling Drugs premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival, and is now coming your way via Tribeca Film. Directed by Matthew Cooke and produced by Adrian Grenier and Bert Marcus, it's currently available on VOD nationwide, and will be opening in select theaters starting tomorrow, June 26. For more, you can click the above link or check out the trailer below:
