Film Review: American Drug War

Title: American Drug War

Year Of Release: 2007

Review Date: August 31, 2009

Rating: R

Running time: 118 minutes

Box Office Gross: N/A

The "American Drug War: The Last White Hope" was an interesting, albeit misguided documentary by Kevin Booth. The piece focused on the American war on drugs, implemented by former U.S. President Richard Nixon.

Richard Nixon

I certainly didn't agree with Nixon's Watergate scandal or the fact he misused the Secret Service to spy on rivals such as Ted Kennedy, looking for dirt on the senator, to disgrace and discredit him, such as adultery. How ironic, given the illegal wiretapping he was engaging in. Oh, times haven't changed.

John Lennon

I also did not agree with Nixon spying on and seeking to deport singer/songwriter John Lennon. It was one of the worst political moves he made. Lennon was no saint, but to turn that level of federal attention, into prying in his life, was unconstitutional.

However, Nixon was right to initiate the war on drugs. I didn't agree with this documentary, as it glorifies drug use and condemns the authorities for trying to stamp it out.

Another irony of this documentary is, so many of the interviewees were stoned out of their minds and it is proof positive drugs are not good for you.

What kind of an endorsement for the drug trade is a group of men and women slurring their speech, speaking incoherently and looking dead in the eyes, clearly suffering from an ongoing loss of brain cells.

They were incapable of proper thought and speech. Sobriety, intelligence and responsibility are the better choice.

However, I do not wish to condemn them for their addictions, as many people struggle with horrible emotional pain and choose drugs as the outlet to forget the bad things that have happened to them, but it is not the right choice. Keep trying to get sober and drug free. God bless you.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Another misconception stated in the film is, "Music and drugs go hand in hand." I beg to differ. Stoned musicians turn up for work late, costing everyone including themselves income, cannot get their act together, make many mistakes while recording and performing at shows and destroy their vocal chords with drug abuse. Cocaine, crack and smoking are not good for the human voice.

It is referred to as, "Opening up your mind" but what are you opening it up to? Paranoia, schizophrenia, brain cell depletion, scary imagery and hallucinations.

Interestingly enough, Robert Steele, a former CIA agent featured in "American Drug War" stated, prior to the September 11th attacks, there were, "No drugs under the Taliban" but now the region, "Is responsible for 80% of the heroin coming to the United States and Western countries."

A former DEA Agent, Celerino Castillo III, also stated the Taliban was against "opium crop development" but after September 11th, "with the U.S. government controlling Afghanistan" poppy flowers grew in abundance and shipments to America increased.

A poppy field in Afghanistan (photo credit: the Telegraph UK)

It also explored the Taliban's role in the drug trade. Another allegation included, Osama's alleged anger towards George W. Bush for attempting to reduce opium and heroin shipments.

It was stated, Nixon gave Nepal $50,000,000 to outlaw drugs and hashish. However, later, the CIA allegedly, "Allowed drug production for political reasons."

Another item of note, is a segment featuring incarcerated drug dealer, Freeway Ricky Ross, who rapper "Rick Ross" took his name and persona from, for his hip hop career, which has been called into question for the past year.

Soldier in Afghanistan surveying poppy fields

The documentary points out that drug dealer, Freeway Ricky Ross, "Is at the bottom of the food chain, so he went to prison." While, according to CIA Officer, Robert Steele, "All the guys that violated the law, that ignored Congressional sanctions on Iran Contra, they're all in power. And George W. Bush, a guy that never succeeded at anything and is certainly not succeeding at this presidency, a guy who stole two elections, who has committed at least 10 impeachable offenses, he's President of the United States."

It goes on to list the men "still in power" as Otto Reich, Elliot Abrams, John Pointdexter, Michael Hayden, Robert Gates, John Walters and John Negroponte.

Then it closes with the hard-hitting line, "Ricky Ross is doing George Bush's time."

Propofol Killed Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Lethal doses of the drug Propofol, killed singer Michael Jackson, when it was improperly dispensed outside of a hospital setting, without the expertise of an anesthesia technician.

In a practice this Column has slammed in the past, Jackson was given Propofol and a host of other sedatives, hours apart. It is very difficult for the human body to survive such toxicity, when so many elements of potent drug compositions, besiege the bloodstream and cells.

The day he died, Jackson repeatedly complained of insomnia, demanding more and more sedatives. It is clear, the issues that plagued him, creating the sleeplessness, were not properly addressed by the right psychologists and physicians.

There is no necessity to ever medicate a patient to the extremes Jackson was treated. It was very unwise to believe someone's system could survive that chemical onslaught.

Jackson's last doctors, Dr. Conrad Murray and Dr. Arnold Klein are under active investigation, with a stream of misconduct by the two, continually being uncovered. Dr. Murray is facing the greatest scrutiny, as the physician that administered the fatal dose.

The two men should not be medical doctors under the circumstances, as the mere fact they thought this was an appropriate course of treatment, to appease a pop star that wanted what he should not have, says their judgment is very poor and it poses a risk to the general public.

Pharmaceutical drugs are not candy, to be gobbled up, with the most you will take away from it being a belly ache and cavities. There is an exact science to it and I can't fathom how men that went to medical school did not know better. In short, it was reckless.

Their conduct is the scientific equivalent of a scientist taking home batches of controlled nuclear substances to play around with in their kitchen. You just don't do that, as the risks are too great and deadly.

AP Source: Coroner rules Jackson's death homicide

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Michael Jackson's death a homicide and a combination of drugs was the cause, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press, a finding that makes it more likely criminal charges will be filed against the doctor who was with the pop star when he died...

Dr. Conrad Murray, a Las Vegas cardiologist who became Jackson's personal physician weeks before his death, is the target of a manslaughter investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. A designation of homicide means that Jackson died at the hands of another, but does not necessarily mean a crime was committed.

A search warrant affidavit unsealed Monday in Houston includes a detailed account of what Murray told investigators.

According to the document, Murray said he'd been treating Jackson for insomnia for about six weeks with 50 milligrams of propofol every night via an intravenous drip. But he said he feared Jackson was forming an addiction to the anesthetic, which is normally used in hospitals only, and was attempting to wean his patient by lowering the dose to 25 milligrams and adding the sedatives lorazepam and midazolam...

Then around 1:30 a.m. on June 25, starting with a 10-milligram tab of Valium, Murray said he tried a series of drugs instead of propofol to make Jackson sleep. The injections included two milligrams of lorazepam around 2 a.m., two milligrams of midazolam around 3 a.m., and repeats of each at 5 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. respectively. But they didn't work.

Murray told detectives that around 10:40 a.m. he gave in to Jackson's "repeated demands/requests" for propofol, which the singer referred to as his "milk." He administered 25 milligrams of the white-colored liquid, — a relatively small dose — and finally, Jackson fell asleep.

Murray remained with the sedated Jackson for about 10 minutes, then left for the bathroom. No more than two minutes later, he returned — and found Jackson had stopped breathing.

"There's no surprise there" that death could result from such a combination, said Dr. David Zvara, anesthesia chairman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"All those drugs act in synergy with each other," Zvara said. Adding propofol on top of all the other sedatives "tipped the balance."

Besides the propofol and two sedatives, the coroner's toxicology report found other substances in Jackson's system but they were not believed to have been a factor in the singer's death, the official told the AP.

When he died, Jackson was skinny but not overly emaciated, and his body had bed sores, the official said. The singer is believed to have developed bed sores in the months following his 2005 acquittal of child molestation charges, when he went into seclusion and spent long stretches in bed...

Cantrell said it's perplexing that someone would give various benzodiazepines if one was found not to be effective.

"This is horrible polypharmacy," he said, referring to the interaction between the various drugs. "No one will treat an insomniac like this."...

http://news.yahoo.com

Michael Douglas' Son Charged As Drug Dealer

The United States Drug Enforcement Agency, has arrested and indicted Hollywood actor, Cameron Douglas, the son of wealthy veteran actor, Michael Douglas, the star of such films as "Wall Street" for dealing in large quantities of crystal meth. He is accused of selling many pounds of the drug and as such, he is now facing a decade in prison if convicted.

True to federal form, the DEA was silently watching Cameron Douglas for years (three), quietly conducting an investigation, moving in on him this week, with criminal charges that came as a surprise to many.

Many of you are probably wondering, why the son of a rich actor would become a drug dealer. Maybe his dad cut him off financially, not wanting to support his habit and it mushroomed into something else, drug dealing.