7 documentaries that shine a light on America's disastrous war on drugs

In case you needed a reminder that our country’s longest running war has ruined countless lives both at home and abroad.

Collage. Images courtesy of YouTube
ByNina Stoller-Lindsey

America’s longest war wasn’t the Afghan war. It’s the war on drugs, which is 50 years in and still going.

An antidote to the one-sided cautionary fare we were served in school, these 7 films help to understand the impact of that war; and provide crucial perspective on both illicit and prescription drugs.

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The House I Live In

50 years in, the war on drugs has netted extreme casualties: more than $1 trillion in government spending, 45 million arrests, and the incarceration of 2.3 million people. Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki brings these statistics to life through interviews, and street and prison footage. The takeaway: Rather than a problem to be fixed by law enforcement, drug use must be reframed as a public health matter. iTunes, Prime Video, Vudu

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