Taboo notes

Notes on last week’s movie, “Breaking the Taboo”

Rob Simpson of the Conscientious Projector movie series has compiled a list of notes from last week’s showing of Breaking the Taboo, a film about our 41 year old War on Drugs. Here’s Rob with more:

Hello again Conscientious Ones,

Rob here with a summary report:  Everyone viewing Monday’s film found it quite provocative and well-produced. Here are some random notes from the film:

• A 2011 Global Commission on Drug Policy has declared the 41-year War on Drugs a complete failure.  The “war” has created a network of criminal supply lines throughout the world.
• It has made wealthy some of the world’s most violent criminals.
• It costs US taxpayers over $10 billion every year.
• Although the US has become the biggest consumer of illegal drugs, the US State Department rejected the findings of the Global Commission and refuses to discuss the matter. Once again, it will require the citizens of our nation to become educated in order to bring about any improvement.
• How have other countries tackled their drug problems?
  • Portugal decriminalized illegal drugs in 2001.  Culturally, they do not approve of drug use.  Where we throw people in jail, Portugal brings those possessing illegal drugs before a board of social workers and psychologists to discuss with the offender what is going on in their lives….and options for rehabilitation that are available to them.
  • Over the last 10 years, Portugal has seen a significant decline in narcotic use.
  • While in the US, use has increased over the last 10-years.
  • Throwing people in jail is not working.  (The US now incarcerates 1 million more people than Communist China, and China has a population 1 billion more than we do.)
  • A US man incarcerated in a maximum security prison for a minor drug charge reported that any drug you wanted, you could obtain in prison.  He posed the question, if we can’t control drug use in a maximum security prison, what makes us think we can do so in greater society by use of force?
  • Switzerland and Holland have decriminalized drug possession and even cultivate medical-use marijuana.  The result over the last 10-years…..drug use is down almost 50%.
  • These societies instead provide a “social instrument” drug users can take advantage of to get themselves off drugs and become contributing members of society… rather than the financial burden they become when we imprison them. (True: these social programs cost money….but not as much as our now for-profit prisons.)
  • Treating illegal drugs as a HEALTH issue rather than a criminal issue is paying benefits all over the world including Canada, Australia, and Europe
• The real taboo in the US is that we cannot even discuss decriminalization.
• We ARE addicted to our war on drugs.

More details about the film are available here: https://streamingmoviesright.com/us/movie/breaking-the-taboo/

The film is available at our library.

You can support the San Juan Update by doing business with our loyal advertisers, and by making a one-time contribution or a recurring donation.