Dec. 11, 2006: Drug War Odyssey

This is thought provoking, informative, a topic that should be discussed openly and perhaps in the House, given the level of drug-related crime and the number of drug related gangs, criminal activity and money-laundering operating in Canada, with tentacles leading all over the world. Take it from one who hates drugs and what it has done to even the few families I know who have been affected, I can only say that this is worth watching and the subject is worth debating ... Leave the political partisanship and all preconceived notions at the door.

Whatever is being done right now, the drug and related industry and problems are growing. Listen to what the police report--not just in this documentary, but what others say, their studies and reports--about the extent and the impact: on human beings, the sentencing (or laxity thereof), the courts, the whole industry built around drugs and its related costs of doing business ... the "wink, wink, nod, nod" complicity ... the scope for bribery and blackmail, given the vast amount of money to be made ... the system: the laundering, the underground economy, the criminality related to maintaining a drug habit, the costs to everyone, the scope for corruption of our institutions ... the array of lawyers, the court time, the vast resources on one side only ... the mainstream media who, too often, find mostly negatives to report on our police at all levels, magnifying or distorting any errors, any mistakes, it seems, to tarnish all ... for what purpose, anyway? To sell news or what? Entertainment? Goods? ... We have to ask what it does to all who are involved in security and policing: the self-image, the confidence, the attitude of police in their work ... what it does to the rest of us who hate drugs, but see that the problem is growing ... This documentary may or may not contribute to finding a solution, but it is worth considering what these people say about what they have learned. Could this whole drug industry exist without the complicity of at least some politicians and those others who don't want to see, as long as they and theirs thrive?

GlobalTV.com - Damage Done - The Drug War Odyssey , shown December 9, Global Television, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Inc.

A repeat is scheduled but subject to change: March 10, 2007

www.canada.com/globaltv/
globalshows/globalcurrents/index.html

www.canada.com/globaltv/globalshows/
globalcurrents/damage_done/index.html

After 30 years of Drug War, illegal narcotics are decreasing in price, increasing in purity, and demand continues to surge. The heroes of our film are veterans of the Drug War [Check LEAP], and they urge us to consider ending drug prohibition. They have had a complete revolution in their thinking: now they are working to end the War on Drugs. Find out what happened to change their minds.

This question was on the website, "What if nobody believes in the law? Should police still be asked to enforce it?" There are others.