Breaking The Taboo

First things first I'm not a druggie, but prohibition and the "war on drugs", just doesn't work. At least this is what some people think. Not just people like you and me, but top notch officials and others of that calibre. Don't believe it? It's ok, I didn't believe it at first as well, until I saw Breaking The Taboo, one of those documentaries like Wasteland and Burzynski that just grabs you and never lets you go. Moreover it's narrated by the one and only Morgan Freeman (a bit later about this gentleman). So first things first let me give you guys an outline of what this film is all about, though I think most of you got the message from the intro above. But I hope the following highlights will give you a better idea of why this film is that important.

The core of the movie addresses the fact that there are almost 2.3 million prisoners in the us and the fact that this is because of war on drugs. I mean 2.3 million people incarcerated, that's a real mess, right? Especially when you think that this is the situation in a country which was always considered a promise land of some sort (title justly earned, but they sure aren't keeping up wit the reputation). Anyway, the thing is is there are so many people (people we ought to pay taxes for, people who could surely have a better life if free) are spending time in jail just because another group of people (people who we will call "the ignorant") have decided to make a plant illegal. As Bill Hicks said, "calling a plant illegal is like saying God made a mistake. Strange, right?". I say very strange indeed. I wouldn't be surprised if this kind of ban will be coming from a country which far less liberal than the US. However, the greatest pressure on marijuana comes from the US. That's just an abomination in its own right.

Another reminder in this movie is about the fact that campaigns to combat addiction (reminding everyone that marijuana doesn't cause physical addiction, but the reality is that majority of people believe it does) all lack credibility as I wrote in my post about Requiem For A Dream. When I say credibility, I mean that the majority of ads focus on the fact that "smoking marijuana kills!!!".Now, how sick is that and what kind of cred does this kind of campaign want to achieve? When we all know that there are people out there who go on smoking regularly for 10+ years and have a fully functional life for that matter. Then comes a poorly made ad telling the same people that they are all going to die, basing themselves on no scientific fact whatsoever. 

What else can I tell you guys? Ah, yeah!!! Do you remember when I said that there are "people with a capital P" supporting this project? Well the case of Portugal and it's government totally decriminalizing use of ALL drugs (that even concerns heroin), is a good example of the fact that there are nations out there who are already looking into another point of view on the issue. Indeed, after decriminalization drug addiction went from social problem #1 to #13, now that's what I call optimistic results, unlike the once presented by the US which can only boast saying that more people were imprisoned this year than the year before, crazy... In the same way Switzerland (remember this banker, neutral country we have),believe it or not, they had the same initiative and ended up having the following feedback - 50% less AIDS among needle users in Switzerland. 

Then there are also some myths that are broken in this movie. The kind of myths that are worth breaking if you know what I mean. For instance the fact that in Holland (land of the junkie as some people call it), consumption is actually the same as in neighboring countries like France, England, Spain and so on. This just says that the fact that marijuana consumption is legal in Holland, doesn't really raise drug addiction and abuse at all. Just allows a more transparent and regulated consumption which benefits both the users and the state. A "win - win" situation as some might call it:-)

As a final thing to say, I plead for the fact that there should be at least some sort of public debate. I mean we all did it with things like interracial marriages, gay rights, religion and so on, why not this issue, why not...?