| Hollywood, CA (PRWEB) June 11, 2008 -- The new Showtime documentary, American Drug War: The Last White Hope, is coming to DVD, and leads the debate on the War on Drugs. The War on Drugs has become the prototype for the War on Terror. Now in it's 38th year, Nixon's Drug War has cost trillions while drug use and availability has skyrocketed putting nearly one million non-violent drug offenders in prison, 85% for marijuana-related charges. Meanwhile, ABC News reports marijuana as America's #1 cash crop, leaving many questioning why the government does not tax a product which, according to polls, a majority of Americans think should be legal. John McCain has repeatedly asserted his views against legalization, while Barack Obama is open to the idea but has not taken a firm stance. "It is now in the hands of those in the media to bring light to this issue," says filmmaker Kevin Booth, "'American Drug War the last white hope' will give them everything they need to know to start the discussion." American Drug War connects the dots from Nixon classifying marijuana as a Schedule 1 substance, to Reagan making the punishment for "crack" cocaine 100-times greater than powder cocaine; from the Iran-Contra scandal to many of it's convicted conspirators working in the White House today. Booth shows how the Patriot Act is being used to prosecute drug crime in the U.S. while those it was supposed to be intended for are profiting from the drug trade abroad. When U.S. forces entered Afghanistan after 9/11, poppy production was at a lull. Since then, the crop's growth has reached an all time high. This is leaving many Americans with unanswered questions.
After losing several family members and friends to the legal, and statistically most lethal drugs of alcohol, tobacco, and prescription pharmaceuticals, Kevin Booth set out on a four year journey that led to some startling conclusions of how, Booth says, "our government has made profit a higher priority than our personal safety or social well-being. Drug addiction is a medical problem and a spiritual problem that will never be solved by punishing sick people." Fresh from winning four first-place festival awards in 2007, American Drug War was picked up by Showtime (CBS) to air for the next two years. Booth hopes his film can start a national dialogue that will reform the country's drug laws. In an April episode of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, the panel was discussing the controversial remarks of Rev. Jeremiah Wright when musician and actor Esai Morales (NYPD Blue, Jehrico) voiced his opinion on this "phony" war and told everyone to learn more by watching American Drug War. He was unfortunately dismissed as a conspiracy theorist by Bill Maher; similar sentiments were echoed later by Bill O'Reilly on his Fox News show. "Those who might fear this is yet another biased conspiracy film should note that at the country's largest annual drug reform conference put on by George Sorros's DrugPolicy.org, where the audience consisted of hundreds of narcotics and DEA agents, not one fact from the film was refuted," says Booth. "This film has already proved its ability to change the minds of even the harshest critics, in the worst cases it has at least sparked a healthy, long overdue debate." American Drug War is released on DVD by Sacred Cow Productions and is co-distributed through Passion River Films and Baker & Taylor. Thousands of DVD's have already sold, shooting the title up to #1 on Amazon.com's Crime & Politics list in a matter of days. Booth recently created a short film about the recent DEA sting at SDSU, Operation Sudden Fall, and is currently working on an American Drug War sequel as well as other documentary projects. Touring schools and appearing on numerous syndicated radio shows, Kevin Booth is available for interviews regarding the film or simply to discuss the Drug War itself. American Drug War stars Tommy Chong, Freeway Ricky Ross, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Joe Rogan, Mike Ruppert, Ron Paul, General Barry McCaffrey, Robert Steele, and many others. Legitimate media outlets please inquire for a free DVD screener at americandrugwar@gmail.com . ### |
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