The Drug War

THE DRUG WAR

"Science should be driving our drug policies, even if it makes us uncomfortable." - Dr. Carl Hart

Topic 4

WHY THE DRUG WAR?

So what if the War on Drugs wasn’t actually a War on Drugs, but a War on People…a fight against counter cultural movements, driven by racism and classism?

Was an official war on drugs actually necessary in 1971, when the country was already fighting a war in Vietnam? What if this war actually has made things worse? What if drugs don’t actually cause violence? What if we didn’t spend $1 TRILLION on this war in 50 years? What if that money was put towards helping people recover? What if we focused on harm reduction instead of criminal justice action?

The Drug War

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The Drug War

RESOURCES

The Drug Wars in America by Kathleen J. Frydl
"… a sweeping, complex, and searching history of America’s drug wars. Kathleen J. Frydl’s sophisticated, 'state-centered' analysis helps us to understand in new ways the causes of the nation’s greatest social policy failure. A brave and provocative work." – Gary Gerstle, James G. Stahlman Professor of American History, Vanderbilt University

The War on Drugs: A Failed Experiment by Paula Mallea
“A criminal prosecutor discusses the illegal drug trade and the failure of the so-called “War on Drugs” to stop it. Mallea approaches this issue from a variety of points of view, offering insight into the history of drug use and abuse in the twentieth century; the pharmacology of illegal drugs; the economy of the illegal drug trade; and the complete lack of success that the war on drugs has had on drug cartels and the drug supply. She also looks ahead and discusses what can and is being done in Canada, the U.S., and the rest of the world to move on from the “war” and find better ways to address the issue of illegal drugs and their distribution, use, and abuse.” – from the Publisher

High Price: A Neuroscientist's Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society, by Dr. Carl L. Hart
“In this provocative and eye-opening memoir, Dr. Carl Hart recalls his journey of self-discovery, how he escaped a life of crime and drugs and avoided becoming one of the crack addicts he now studies. Interweaving past and present, Hart goes beyond the hype as he examines the relationship between drugs and pleasure, choice, and motivation, both in the brain and in society. His findings shed new light on common ideas about race, poverty, and drugs, and explain why current policies are failing.” – from the publisher

Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear, by Dr. Carl L. Hart
“Hart’s argument that we need to drastically revise our current view of illegal drugs is both powerful and timely . . . when it comes to the legacy of this country’s war on drugs, we should all share his outrage.” —The New York Times Book Review

How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan
“Pollan’s deeply researched chronicle will enlighten those who think of psychedelics chiefly as a kind of punchline to a joke about the Woodstock generation and hearten the growing number who view them as a potential antidote to our often stubbornly narrow minds. . . . Engaging and informative.” —The Boston Globe

This Is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan
“In his latest exploration of the enduring relationship between the human and natural worlds, Michael Pollan dives deep into how psychoactive plants—specifically opium, caffeine and mescaline—impact our brains and our cultures. Pollan is a master of breaking down complex science into an engaging story and challenging long-held societal beliefs. His newest offering, which follows his examination of the science of psychedelics in 2018’s How to Change Your Mind, aims to unpack our ideas about what constitutes a “drug” and, fundamentally, why we seek them.” — Time Magazine

Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari
What if everything you think you know about addiction is wrong? Johann Hari’s journey into the heart of the war on drugs led him to ask this question--and to write the book that gave rise to his viral TED talk, viewed more than 62 million times, and inspired the feature film The United States vs. Billie Holiday and the documentary series The Fix. – from the Publisher

Smoke and Mirrors: The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure by Dan Baum
In a blistering expose based on interviews with policy makers and a catalog of damning statistics, journalist Dan Baum shows how America's war on drugs went from a politically potent campaign ploy (courtesy of Richard Nixon) to today's multibillion-dollar government boondoggle -- a war that's run roughshod over Constitutional rights and put a quarter of young black men behind bars without so much as denting the demand for drugs.” – from the Publisher

Manifesting Minds: A Review of Psychedelics in Science, Medicine, Sex, and Spirituality Kindle Edition by Rick Doblin Phd. (founder of MAPS)
"During the decades when society has generally been barred from the careful and legal use of pure psychedelics, MAPS has supported research in the U.S. and elsewhere on the use of mindful molecules in the treatment for example, of post traumatic stress disorder and anxiety about dying from a disease such as cancer." --Craig Comstock, co-author of Sanctions for Evil: Sources of Social Destructiveness

Breaking the Taboo
“Narrated by Morgan Freeman, this groundbreaking new documentary uncovers the UN sanctioned war on drugs, charting its origins and its devastating impact on countries like the USA, Colombia and Russia. Featuring prominent statesmen including Presidents Clinton and Carter, the film follows The Global Commission on Drug Policy on a mission to break the political taboo and expose the biggest failure of global policy in the last 50 years.”

American Drug War: Last White Hope
“With commentary from soldiers on both sides of the conflict, filmmaker Kevin Booth's incisive documentary wades into the murky waters of the American war on drugs, the longest and costliest war in U.S. history.”

The Business of Drugs
"Former CIA analyst Amaryllis Fox investigates the economics of six illegal substances, show how drugs push people into risky behaviours."

The House I Live In
“From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, a penetrating look inside America's criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.”

The Coca Trap
“A country wants to fight the War on Drugs. Who does it put at the forefront of the war? Hapless peasants! In Colombia, the government has asked farmers to swap coca with alternative plants in exchange for incentives. But when they do that, they face threats from the cartel, & even the military & the police! Why are farmers paying this hefty price to keep drugs at bay?”

Apocalypse Now
"My film is not about Vietnam. It is Vietnam." This is how Francis Ford Coppola described his masterpiece, Apocalypse Now, to the press covering the 1979 Cannes Film Festival, where the film made its debut. It may seem like a grandiose statement, but the war in Vietnam was a conflict that dragged on longer than anyone expected, saw insane amounts of drug abuse and brutality, and forced everyone involved to examine their very souls in ways that none before it had.”

Code of the West
At a time when the country is rethinking its drug policies large and small, one state raises to the forefront of national attention. Once a pioneer in legalizing medical marijuana, the state of Montana is poised to become the first in the nation to repeal its medical marijuana law. Set against the sweeping vistas of the Rockies, the steamy lamplight of marijuana grow houses, and the bustling halls of the State Capitol, CODE OF THE WEST follows the 2011 Montana State Legislature as it debates the fate of medical marijuana. This is the story of the many lives and fraught emotions tied to one of the most heated policy questions facing the country today. —Racing Horse Productions

How to Make Money Selling Drugs
“A shockingly candid examination of how a street dealer can rise to cartel lord with relative ease, How to Make Money Selling Drugs is an insider's guide to the violent but extremely lucrative drug industry. Told from the perspective of former drug dealers, and featuring interviews with rights advocates Russell Simmons, Susan Sarandon, and David Simon, the film gives you the lessons you need to start your own drug empire while exposing the corruption behind the ‘war on drugs.’”

[Psychedelics]

The Battle Over Psychedelic Therapy’s Future
From Vice News…”Psilocybin therapy is on the brink of becoming legally available in the US. But access isn’t guaranteed. There’s a struggle playing out right now between pharmaceutical companies, nonprofits, and other entities over who gets to control and profit off the treatment. The outcome will determine whether the people most likely to benefit from psilocybin therapy will even be able to afford it.“

How to Change your Mind
“Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney and New York Times best-selling author Michael Pollan present this documentary series event in four parts, each focused on a different mind-altering substance: LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, and mescaline. With Pollan as our guide, we journey to the frontiers of the new psychedelic renaissance – and look back at almost-forgotten historical context – to explore the potential of these substances to heal and change minds as well as culture.”

Dosed
After many years of prescription medications failed her, a suicidal woman turns to underground healers to try and overcome her depression, anxiety, and opioid addiction with illegal psychedelic medicine such as magic mushrooms and iboga. Adrianne’s first dose of psilocybin mushrooms catapulted her into an unexpected world of healing where plant medicines are redefining our understanding of mental health and addiction.

From Shock to Awe
From Shock to Awe, an intimate and raw look at the transformational journey of two combat veterans suffering from severe trauma as they abandon pharmaceuticals to seek relief through the mind-expanding world of psychedelics.

Trip of Compassion
“I first watched “Trip of Compassion” about six months ago, when I was sent a link to a private video. The film had been broadcast once on Israeli television, but it wasn’t distributed or available anywhere else. This documentary affected me so deeply (and immediately) that I flew to Tel Aviv, met the filmmakers, and offered to help launch the film digitally worldwide for free. Everything I am doing for this film is 100% pro bono, and all proceeds go to the filmmakers.” - Tim Ferriss

Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research - They are leading the way in exploring innovative treatments using psilocybin. The molecular structure of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in 'magic mushrooms,' allows it to penetrate the central nervous system and the scientific and medical experts are just beginning to understand its effects on the brain and mind and its potential as therapeutics for mental illnesses.

Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) - MAPS are “Researchers of Psychedelics, Leaders of Change.” Founded in 1986, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization specializing in research and education that develops medical, legal, and cultural shifts so people can benefit from the careful use of psychedelics and marijuana for mental health, well being, and connection. In other words, they’ve dedicated the last 35 years to changing the way people think of, talk about, and consume psychedelics through research, education, and advocacy.

The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) - At DPA, they fight for people. They believe that every person should be able to work, parent, be housed, have a community, experience joy, and live freely regardless of drug use.

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES IN YOUR JOURNEY FOR RECOVERY & HEALING IN ANY AREA OF LIFE, CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING…

Terry Real - Therapist, specializing in relationships Please check out his course “Fierce Intimacy” for relationships and marriages.

Dr. Gabor Mate - Addiction, ADD, Trauma, Ayahuasca

Byron Katie - Author, known for “The Work’ - “To question what you believe is an amazing gift to give yourself…The answers are always inside you, just waiting to be heard.” Free questions, resources, worksheets, articles and more about “The Work” here.

Esther Perel - Therapist, Marriage & Sex specialist
- Podcast: The Tim Ferriss Show: The Relationship Episode: Sex, Love, Polyamory, Marriage, and More with Esther Perel
- Podcast: Where should we begin with Esther Perel

Richard Swartz - Therapist, author, developed Internal Family Systems (IFS) in response to clients’ descriptions of various parts within themselves.

The Gottman Institute - Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman have revolutionized the study of marriage. Check out their books, online courses, and more.

Hendricks Institute - Seminars, resources and more on “Conscious loving & body intelligence.”

Imago Relationship Therapy - Developed by Dr. Harville Hendrix and Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt in 1980, Imago is a form of relationship and couples therapy that focuses on transforming conflict into healing and growth through relational connection.

Diana Chapman - Author, Conscious Leadership

Sam Harris - Mindfulness, Waking Up App

Andrew Huberman - Huberman Lab - Sleep, Trauma, Grief Work & more

*Disclaimer: Not all views shared in these resources are exactly the views of Mad Priest Coffee*