History Channel tells stunning secret story of War on Drugs from the beginning it was a political war on people – American Enterprise Institute

From a very important article in The Intercept by Jon Schwartz The History Channel Is Finally Telling the Stunning Secret Story of the War on Drugs (emphasis added):

The History Channel is showing a new four-part series called Americas War on Drugs. Not only is itan important contribution to recent American history, its also the first time U.S. television has ever told the core truth about one of the most important issues of the past 50years.

That core truth is: The War on Drugs has always been a pointless sham. For decades the federal government has engaged in a shifting series of alliances of convenience with some of the worlds largest drug cartels. So while the U.S. incarceration rate has quintupled since President Richard Nixon first declared the war on drugs in 1971 (see chart above), top narcotics dealers have simultaneously enjoyed protection at the highest levels of power in America.

On the one hand, this shouldnt be surprising. The voluminous documentation of this fact in dozens of books has long been available to anyone with curiosity and a library card. Yet somehow, despite the fact the U.S. has no formal system of censorship, this monumental scandal has never before been presented in a comprehensive way in the medium where most Americans get their information: TV.

Thats why Americas War on Drugs is a genuine milestone. Weve recently seen how ideas that once seemed absolutely preposterous and taboo for instance, that the Catholic Church was consciously safeguarding priests who sexually abused children, or that Bill Cosby may not have been the best choice for Americas Dad can after years of silence finally break through into popular consciousness and exact real consequences. The series could be a watershed in doing the same for the reality behind one of the most cynical and cruel policies in U.S. history.

That this series exists at all shows that were at a tipping point with this brazen, catastrophic lie. We have to push hard enough to knock it over.

You can watch a 4-minute overview of the series above and you can watch full episodes of the series online here:

Episode 1 Acid, Spies, & Secret Experiments

Episode 2 Cocaine, Cartels, & Crack Downs

Episode 3 Gangs, Prisons, & Meth Queens (requires sign-in with your cable TV provider)

Episode 4 Heroin, Terrorists, & Kings of Pain (requires sign-in with your cable TV provider)

Bottom Line: As Ive written before, Im confident that in a future, more enlightened, advanced, open-minded and tolerant America, well look back on Americas immoral, senseless, expensive and failed War on Drugs Otherwise Peaceful Americans Who Chose to Ingest or Smoke Plants, Weeds and Recreational Substances Proscribed by Arbitrary Government Regulations with the shame, contempt, and embarrassment that it so rightfully deserves for such cruel, intolerant, and inhumane treatment of our fellow citizens (and our children and family dogs). Kudos to The History Channel for making such an important contribution to bringing us much closer to that future reckoning with such an embarrassing and shameful chapter of Americas history that matches (if not exceeds) Americas previous failed, costly and shameful War on Alcohol Otherwise Peaceful Americans Who Chose to Ingest Recreational Beverages Proscribed by Arbitrary Government Regulations during the 1930s.

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History Channel tells stunning secret story of War on Drugs from the beginning it was a political war on people - American Enterprise Institute