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Probably one of t
he best videos; America’s Disastrous Drug War, produced by Walter Cronkite was removed from all you-tube archives. Go Figure! One Cronkite video that survived is called Harm Reduction. Many informative videos on the drug war are still out there and readily available on the costliest problem we face. Here are a few notable video producers and interviews on the subject: Neil Franklin, Frontline, Robert Capecchi , a 12 minute clip from a great 2007 series from Kevin Booth’s the American Drug War. If you have time check out the rest of Kevin’s series on TagTélé and you-tube.
Ethan Nadelman’s recent commentary on the drug war, right or wrong, is part of a convers
ation. America needs this conversation on drugs, politics, incarceration and soaring costs to continue from many perspectives until we have a sane solution to the problem. This is the Drug Policy Alliance’s stand, re-printed in the Huffington Post. Nadelman, the Alliance spokesman, stresses his point that America plays an immensely expensive cat and mouse game that not only costs taxpayers dearly, but does nothing to keep our jails from swelling beyond capacity with drug related criminal offenders. He see’s it as a pork barrel ruse to prop up the drug enforcement and prison industries in an illusionary quest to reduce drug demand. Some hold to zero tolerance; others to liberal legalization. Time and time again, answers to problems, fall somewhere in the middle of extremes. What is your take on the perennial battle for a sane and sober drug policy in America? Should America continue to invest in a losing war on drugs or divert taxpayer dollars better use?
OxyContin and the Opium Epidemic of the 21st Century. Larry G. of Prescription Addiction Radio wrote this piece early in 2009 to bring attention to the epidemic sweeping America; quite frequently culminating in street heroin addiction. Its not about responsible use of pain medication. Its about kids dying. A dozen young people died just in the NW part of Tucson this year! Evan Cueto was the 3rd overdose death at Canada Del Oro High School in just 3 months into 2009. Many Blessings to his family. This is an epidemic. If it were a terrorist incident, it would be all over the news. The death toll of opiate overdose barely gets print. Why is America silent? The carnage won’t end without communities demanding it stop. Opiate Addiction is a serious illness and is treatable if addicts want it and have an accessible support network behind them. Current estimates of opiate addiction in America is roughly 2 million and growing. 100,000 may die. The writing is on the wall. Parents can start by educating themselves. Time to Act.
Stanton Peele is a rogue in the treatment industry. Controversial is his middle name. Check out his blog. While your at it, look through his videos. He doesn’t see addiction as a disease; but moreover a personal behavioral problem and more related to social ills. His latest book Addiction Proof Your Child explores addiction in his own view which you can judge for yourself in Amazon’s expanded preview of the book. It is actually a fairly big chunk of the book which is anything but traditional in what people believe about addiction and young people…and people in general. It’s worth a look.
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