Category Archives: War On Drugs

Octobers busy slate of concerts continues this week with gigs by blues rockers The Black Keys, Colombian singer-songwriter Karol G., and video game rock act Bit Brigade. Also on tap this week are indie darlings Dehd and heartland rockers The War on Drugs. And on Wednesday night, five different local acts will square off in a battle of the bands to claim a spot on the lineup for this years Dusk Music Festival in Tucson.

Read on for more details about these shows or click over to Phoenix New Times concert listings for even more live music in the Valley from Monday, October 10, to Thursday, October 13. The War on DrugsMonday, October 10The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren StreetThe actual war on drugs has been a national disgrace since Nixon coined the term in 1971, months after the president met a visibly high Elvis in the White House. As a band, The War on Drugs have had an altogether more positive effect on the national spirit. Theyre tapping into a vein of heartland rock that Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp mined so deeply in the 80s: deeply sincere lyrics, traditional instruments in lock-step with synths, weary masculine voices, and a wide-open sense of space in the production. But what makes the band sound so modern is how they mix in shoegaze guitars and krautrock motorik rhythms into songs that expand and recede like the shore. Fronted by Adam Granduciel, the Philadelphia band has grown rapidly to become the heirs apparent to Wilcos dad-rock throne. Their latest album, 2021s I Dont Live Here Anymore, builds on the promise of their early work. Meditative and engaging, its the perfect record to get lost in while driving for hours on the highway. With Adam Miller and Inner Magic; 8 p.m., $39.50/$45 via ticketmaster.com. Ashley Naftule The Black KeysMonday, October 10Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 North 83rd AvenueBack in the distant, ancient pre-pandemic years Sun Kil Moon singer/career misanthrope Mark Kozelek sparked a beef with The War on Drugs by calling their music "beer-commercial guitar shit." Few bands more aptly fit that description than Akron, Ohio, blues-rock duo The Black Keys. Whether you consider that to be an insult or not depends on your tolerance for their reverent blues-inflected garage licks and dads-cutting-loose-in-Vegas swagger. The Black Keys emerged around the same time as The White Stripes, drawing similar inspiration from Flat Duo Jets and other garage-rock revivalists. But whereas the Stripes were kinda arty and twee (Beat Happening is as much a part of the bands DNA as the Mississippi Delta), The Black Keys made their bread by being unpretentious dude rockers who just wanna boogie. Pat Carney bangs the drums with metronomic precision while Dan Auerbach shreds and wails like hes auditioning to front a Sonics cover band. The Black Keys make music that makes you want to pound brews, drive fast, get divorced, and alienate your co-workers with your sudden Blind Lemon Jefferson fandom. With Band of Horses and The Velveteers; 7 p.m., $34.50-$169.50 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule Karol GTuesday, October 11Footprint Center, 201 East Jefferson StreetColombian-born pop/reggaeton star Karol G is in the midst of her blockbuster $trip Love arena tour, which is powered by her award-winning 2021 album KG0516. Shes been selling out venues across the country, including her gig this week at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix (dont worry, you can still score tickets through resellers), and the tour qualifies as her biggest to date. All that said, her media coverage lately has been focusing on her on-again/off-again relationship with Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA. Its kind of a shame, considering Karol G. is a groundbreaking artist with an astounding voice who earned the shared honor of having the first song by two female artists to debut at number one on Billboards Hot Latin Songs in 2019 when Tusa, her collaborative track with Nicky Minaj topped the charts. Its on Karol Gs current tour setlist along with her hits "Mi Cama," "Secreto," and "Creme. With Agudelo888; 8 p.m. Benjamin Leatherman

The entrance to Valley Bar in downtown Phoenix.

Benjamin Leatherman

Eric McGrady (left), Emily Kempf (center), and Jason Balla of Dehd.

Alexa Viscius

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Best Phoenix Concerts This Week: The Black Keys, Karol G, The War on Drugs - Phoenix New Times

At the Conservative Party conference last week, police and crime commissioners (PCCs) called for cannabis to be classified as a class A drug. Suella Braverman echoed the calls, which would place cannabis in the same category as heroin and cocaine. No 10 distanced itself from Suella Bravermans reports and rejected them.

Class A drugs carry a potential life sentence for suppliers. Possession of class A drugs carries a maximum penalty of a seven-year prison sentence. This is a two-year increase from the maximum five-year custodial sentence for possession of a Class B substance.

PPCs have no impact upon criminal law or police procedures; however, they are responsible for the accountability and efficiency of the police service. The PCC for Dorset, David Sidwick, says that cannabis is causing increasing harm in communities due to its gateway nature. He claims it is the most common drug young people seek rehabilitation for, and elevating it to be on par with heroin would allow for increased education and subsequent punishment.

Despite these reports, Downing Street has confirmed there are currently no plans to reform the categorisation of cannabis. The prime ministers spokesperson commented: our priority is cracking down on illegal drugs and the crime they driveweve launched a drug strategy to deliver a whole-system approach to tackling supply and demand.

Amongst campaigners fiercely protesting against cannabis being illegal is Peter Reynolds, the president of the lobby group CLEAR, which aims to reverse the prohibition of cannabis. Reynolds believes its elevation to Class A status will do more harm than good, stating that the PCCs were promoting ideas which will increase crime.

Protesters have long argued that the UKs rigid drugs strategy has so far been ineffective. Their proposals for reform include moving away from criminalisation and instead exploring the notion of a regulated market.

Reynolds adds that only ignorant politicians want to continue using the law as a weapon in the war on drugs.

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The war on drugs: No 10 dismisses claims that cannabis could be re-classified as a class A drug The Justice Gap - thejusticegap.com

Pink at Austin City Limits 2022, by Charles Reagan

While Austin City Limits may have technically kicked off weekend 1 on Friday, the festival seemed to wait until Saturday night to, uh, "Get the Party Started." Because that's exactly what Pink did on day 2.

But before the hit-maker took over the American Express stage on Saturday, it was The Midnight who shined brightly, dominating the same stage and thoroughly enjoying the thrust set up for the night's headliner. It was clear the Los Angeles outfit definitely had their fans who came to see them, but the vast majority of the audience were new converts, easily won over by the 80's synthwave and, of course, the saxophone. This band might have been playing a 2 p.m. slot, but they are ready for primetime.

Next, Role Model was bringing the best to the nearby T-Mobile stage, giving fans live renditions of his recent debut album Rx. Surrounded by a swarm of hardcore fans, the singer, also known asTucker Pillsbury, offered up a dazzling set of moody pop and bangers, showing he has nowhere to go but up, having graduated from playing the smaller BMI stage in the past.

Over at the Barton Springs stage, rising rapper Tyla Yaweh started off his set with a delay as he continued nodding to sound difficulties. But he powered through as he acknowledged the support of his true fans for sticking with him. He also gave them a taste of his new music, teasing a new single coming later this monthOct. 21, to be exact.

The day continued with strong performances from the likes of New York-based singer-songwriter Samia conquering the Miller Lite. She even took a moment to take in the sight of the crowd, thanking those who came to watch her, saying she was grateful they chose to be there over other options in Zilker Park at that time.

Then it was a somewhat hometown welcome at the Honda stage for Conan Gray, who is from nearby Georgetown, which is just outside Austin. He gave a headline-like performance worthy of being on one of the two main stages, and it was exactly what we needed in the late afternoon timeframe.

But if we were needing a pick-me-up of any kind, Sofi Tukker more than took care of that at the Miller Lite stage, proving they deserved to be at one of the bigger stages, drawing a mammoth crowd excited to see the duoSophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern. And the energy was palpable, as they pair delivered one of the day's best sets, donning the matching, orange-hued tennis outfits in support of their new album Tennis.

The party only continued further over at the American Express stage as Lil Nas Xwarmed up the crowd for Pink's upcoming closer with a headlining-worthy set of his own. He acknowledged it might be another three years before he saw the crowd again, as festival lineups tend to rotate through a number of acts before bringing artists back through for another performance. But perhaps next time around, he'd be the one closing the main stage.

Meanwhile, Honda stage was equally lit, with Atlanta representing courtesy of Big Boi, who brought out his friend and collaborator Sleepy Brown for a number of songs as he churned through solo favorites as well as a slew of OutKast hits, including "ATLiens," "So Fresh, So Clean," "Ms. Jackson" and "The Way You Move."

Following Sofi Tukker's set at Miller Lite was a tall order, but Diplo was up for it and he delivered a club-ready show of his own as a similar sea of fans turned up ready for a lively performance from the hit DJ-producer, whose own self-titled album recently released.

As the day turned to night, it was perfect for The War On Drugs to wrap up the T-Mobile stage with a uniquely extended performance which felt simultaneously epic and intimate, as if everyone there was friends just watching their favorite band. AsAdam Granduciel and company navigated through their catalog of standout selects, you could truly sense the connection between the band and their fans, the latter of whom were soaking up every second of the performance from the start to finish. And it was fitting for the band to close with "I Don't Live Here Anymore," the lead single off their incredible 2021 album, of which they recently shared an deluxe edition.

Then was the finale, from none other than Pink, closing out the American Express stage. It was such a big moment for the singer, especially as festivals embrace big pop artists as headliners, in contrast with past years, when rock artists are traditionally favored. As Pink kicked off her set, it was clear ACL made a great decision bringingAlecia Moore to top-line day 2, as she launched with the perfectly fitting "Get This Party Started," with the crowd loudly chanting back the lyrics: "I'm comin' up so you better get this party started /Get this party started on a Saturday night."

Pink proved exactly why she was a wise choice, as she delivered hit after hit, continuing on with "Raise Your Glass," "Just Like a Pill," "Just Give Me a Reason" and "Try," with a handful of impressive covers, including Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "River" by Bishop Briggs. She later closed with "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" and then returned for a stunning encore flying overhead as she performed her hit single "So What."

Pink at Austin City Limits 2022, by Charles Reagan

Pink at Austin City Limits 2022, by Brittany Hallberg

Pink at Austin City Limits 2022, by Charles Reagan

Sofi Tukker at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Role Model at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Flume at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

The crowd at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Charlotte Sands at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

The crowd at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Flume at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Adrian Quesada at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Role Model at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Tyla Yaweh at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Tyla Yaweh at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Conan Gray at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Sofi Tukker at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Sofi Tukker at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Tobe Nwigwe at Austin City Limits 2022, by Greg Noire

WALLOWS at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dusana Risovic

Sofi Tukker at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Lil Nas X at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Lil Nas X at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Lil Nas X at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Diplo at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

Diplo at Austin City Limits 2022, by Dan DeSlover

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ACL 2022 day 2: Pink, Lil Nas X, The War On Drugs & more truly got the party started - Variance Magazine

It's an exciting time for some cannabis entrepreneurs ahead of the state's selection on who will open the first marijuana dispensaries - but not for everyone.

One local veteran Turned to Tara in the hope of getting a better chance of securing a role in New York's budding cannabis industry.

Unlike 19 other states that have legalized recreational marijuana in the U.S., only applicants with past marijuana-related convictions will get the first chance to sell itin New York.

However, Fiore,who suffered an injury in 2016 thatbroughthis military career as an Army combat medic to an abrupt halt, has battled and won his personal war with drugs.

"Painkillers were fed to me, which created you know, a habit," he says.

He also overdosed on heroin, which required six units of Narcan. A smashed-up car was the casualty of his 14thoverdose, which also landed him intheICU again.

"I was in the beginning of multi-organ system failure. And through the grace of God, I pulled through and I finally decided that I needed to change something. And my friend said why don't you try cannabis, and you know, I took it as a joke. And believe it or not, just turned off that addiction switch in my brain. It still amazes me to this day," he says.Three years into his recovery and back on the job with the FDNY, Fiore says a new fight is fueling himashe struggles to secure a role in New York's budding cannabis industry.

The legislation for the first 150 conditional retail dispensary licenses that will be issued in the coming weekswasintended by lawmakers to serve as a catalyst for social justice, making up for some of the damage done to communities, mainly of color, during the decadeslongwar on drugs.Fiore says veterans deserve a seat at the table, too.

That's why Fiore decided to Turn To Tara inhopethat more people who hear his story will give veterans like himself a chance to be included in the next round of licenses being issued sometime next year.

Fiore also said thatthe Cannabis advisory board in New York has members who represent women and minorities, but there were no representations of veterans on that board.

The Office of Cannabis Management responded with a statement sayingthenew laws place a priority on equity applicants, which "includes serve-disabled and veteran-owned businesses."

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Veteran Turns To Tara to help secure role in NY's budding cannabis industry - News 12 Bronx

UPDATE giveaway is now over. Austin City Limits will be taping a performance by The War on Drugs on Sunday, October 16th at 8 pm at ACL Live at The Moody Theater (310 W. 2nd Street, Willie Nelson Blvd). We will be giving away a limited number of passes to this taping. Enter your name and email address on the below form by Thursday, October 13th at 2 pm.

Winners will be chosen at random and a photo ID will be required to pick up tickets. Winners will be notified via email. Duplicate entries for a single taping will be automatically voided. Tickets are not transferable and will be voided if sold. Standing may be required. No photography, recording or cell phone use in the studio. No cameras, computers or recording devices allowed in the venue.

For entry to Austin City Limits tapings, you agree to abide by the Taping Health & Safety Protocols based on the current COVID-19 Community Risk Stage in effect at the time of the event. By attending the ACL tapings, you agree to the Terms & Conditions.

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Giveaway: The War on Drugs 10/16 - ACLTV.com

A fentanyl test kit distributed for free by an organization in Baltimore. Photo by Ian Round/Capital News Service.

By Brandon M. Scott

The writer is the 52nd mayor of Baltimore.

In 2021, nearly eight Marylanders died each day from an overdose. In my city of Baltimore alone, our community lost more than 600 people last year a stunningly tragic situation that demands action.

These preventable deaths are the consequences of systemic discrimination and suffering rooted in the war on drugs. Decades of police violence and generations of mass incarceration have pushed people who use drugs into the shadows. Our family members, our friends, and our neighbors are disappearing into social and emotional isolation, where they engage in risky behaviors that put their health and that of others at risk.

But in Baltimore, were charting a new course toward proven solutions to address the overdose crisis and save lives.

Baltimore is the first jurisdiction in Maryland to expand access to naloxone allowing anyone to access the life-saving medicine without a prescription or training certificate. We expanded access to methadone, the gold standard of addiction treatment, and now provide psychosocial support and wraparound social services. And we created an Opioid Intervention Team (OIT), which brings governmental, medical, and community-based partners together to develop and lead a comprehensive response to the overdose crisis.

But until we take transformative action to change the way we treat and discuss the overdose crisis, the continual impact of the war on drugs including preventable deaths, mass incarceration, and social and emotional isolation will continue to devastate our communities. To truly save lives, Maryland must be bolder.

New York City recently arrived at the same crossroads we are facing today a choice between the status quo and the implementation of overdose prevention sites (OPS). OPS are safe spaces operated by community-based organizations that provide people who use drugs a place to use and access life-saving interventions, like naloxone and support networks. New York City chose to leave the status quo behind and save lives by expanding access to care. As mayor of Baltimore, I am calling on legislators in Annapolis to pass the Overdose and Infectious Disease Prevention Services bill in 2023, which would allow community-based organizations to operate overdose prevention sites (OPS) in Maryland.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) speaks at a news conference in the city in 2021. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.

Over 150 OPS exist in 12 countries around the world, and many have been operating for decades. Visitors can access sanitary materials and spaces, as well as fentanyl test strips all of which reduce the risk of fatal overdose and mitigate transmission of bloodborne illnesses. By meeting the people where they are, OPS are a proven solution to the overdose crisis ravaging our communities. In fact, OPS have been proven to reduce overdose fatalities by 35% in the surrounding area within one year of opening; New York Citys own two sites saved nearly 200 lives within their first three months.

Not only do OPS ensure fewer lives lost to drug use, but for many, it is an opportunity to take the helping hand of community organizers and start their journey to recovery. Simply put, we cannot address the overdose crisis without first saving the lives of those who use drugs. Its time for our state legislators to recognize the success of our neighbors, both up Interstate 95 and abroad, and take action to save lives including passing legislation allowing the establishment of life-saving OPS throughout the state.

Last year, we lost nearly 3,000 people to drug overdose in the state of Maryland a 17% increase from 2020. Their loved ones and communities endure an unimaginable loss, which is why we need to take action today to help our friends, family, and neighbors avoid suffering the same fate. Together and through a community lens, we can improve the health and wellbeing of our residents without criminalizing addiction.

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Brandon Scott: To save lives from drug overdoses, Maryland must lead - Maryland Matters

Colombias recently elected president Gustavo Petro has told the UN General Assembly that bloody campaigns against cocaine production have failed and are only hurting his country.

From my wounded Latin America, I demand you end the irrational war on drugs, Petro stated in his address in New York on Tuesday.

Reducing drug consumption doesnt require wars. It requires us to build a better society, a more caring, more affectionate one. He added that demonized farmers resort to growing coca because they have nothing else to grow.

The worlds largest producer of cocaine, Colombia is often pressured by the US to step up raids against coca farmers and drug cartels.

Petro, who assumed office last month as the countrys first leftist leader, vowed to rethink the protracted and bloody drug war in the Colombian rainforest and jungle. Speaking at the UN, the president accused the international community of being hypocritical in terms of fighting drug trafficking and addressing climate change.

The forest that should be saved is at the same time being destroyed. To destroy the coca plant, they throw poisons such as glyphosate that drips into our waters, they arrest their cultivators and then imprison them, Petro said.

What is more poisonous for humanity, cocaine, coal or oil? The opinion of power has ordered that cocaine is poison and must be persecuted, while it only causes minimal deaths from overdosesbut instead, coal and oil must be protected, even when it can extinguish all humanity.

The Colombian government previously announced plans to overhaul drug policies, but rejected reports that it wanted to decriminalize the use of cocaine.

The US is not a supporter of decriminalization, Jonathan Finer, the White House deputy national security adviser, told The Washington Post last month.

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Colombia blasts irrational war on drugs RT World News

By David M. GreenwaldExecutive Editor

San Francisco, CA San Francisco DA Brooke Jenkins, Supervisor Matt Dorsey and Mayor London Breed held a press conference on drug policies.

Jenkins in a tweet on Wednesday noted, For the past 2+ years, drug dealing was essentially decriminalized in SF by the previous administration. Today, I joined @LondonBreed, @SFPDChief, & @mattdorsey to announce new stats about the progress were making + to discuss how were holding dealers accountable.

Brooke Jenkins at the press conference said, People want to talk about, well, the War on Drugs this, the War on Drugs that. It is a War on Fentanyl.

Whats happening in San Francisco is not the war on drugs. What is happening in San Francisco right now is a war on drug addicts. And I think its intellectually lazy to just criticize solutions as a return to the drug war when its not, Supervisor Dorsey said.

Jenkins argues that since taking office, [w]e increased felony narcotics charges filed by 95%. Doubled the amount of dealers who were arraigned. Filed 9 motions to detain + are advancing new legal theories/arguments to keep serious dealers off our streets.

She also pledged, We will do our part & work w/ City agencies & @SFPD to disrupt open air drug markets, restore public safety, & help those suffering from addiction get the help that they need. Theres more work to do. But, we are making progress & just getting started!

Once again, however, critics such as San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju pushed back.

In a statement, he said, While it is encouraging to hear of coordinated efforts to expand treatment options and services, the heavy focus on relying on police and prosecutions to arrest and cage our way out of a public health crisis remains in direct conflict with decades of social and scientific data which indicates otherwise.

The public defenders office noted that evidence from decades of the drug war has shown that punitive approaches, such as threatening homicide charges for drug sales in the case of an overdose, do not deter crime or drug use, but may deter people from seeking life-saving medical assistance.

They cited a report from Fair and Just Prosecution that notes that such prosecutions do not alleviate the risk of fatal overdoses; are ineffective as a deterrent to drug use, drug sales, and overdose deaths; can be legally problematic and consume significant resources; often target friends and family members; and worsen racial disparities in the system.

Moreover, the Drug Policy Alliance concluded that drug-induced homicide prosecutions waste resources that could be spent on effective interventions.

Raju pointed out, As public defenders, we want to save lives and have safe neighborhoods. As advocates for the majority of the indigent people arrested in San Francisco, many of whom live in neighborhoods greatly impacted by addiction and criminalization, we know that becoming entangled with the criminal legal system often leaves people in a worse place.

One of the problems he noted: The services that people are supposed to be able to access through the courts are wholly insufficient, which can result in prolonged incarceration while people are put on wait lists for underfunded services.

Raju added, Criminal records create barriers to employment and housing, which set people up for failure rather than for health and success.

Thus, Raju believes, Prosecuting subsistence-level drug sellers will do nothing to disrupt the supply and demand, and arresting someone using or selling drugs can often lead to worse health outcomes, like accidental overdoses. What San Francisco really needs is to prioritize universal health care and treatment on demand, along with other basic and vital support like housing.

He added, Now is the time to listen to and collaborate with public health experts and community-based treatment and harm reduction providers who are working daily to save lives and treat community members suffering from substance use disorders. While we are all deeply concerned about the impact of overdoses in San Francisco, we must be focused on evidence-based solutions.

The public defenders office said they will be holding a press briefing next week with public health experts and community-based treatment and harm reduction providers to provide further details.

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Is San Franciscos DA Waging a War on Drugs? - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis

Its the little things you take for granted. The last time I saw the riveting Philadelphia psych-rockers the War on the Drugs, at the sizable Fillmore Miami Beach in 2015, I had the luxury of raising my arms, maybe dancing a little bit.

Seven years later, with the band now immeasurably more popular2021s I Dont Live Here Anymore peaked at No. 3 on Billboards Top Rock Albums chart, for instanceand inexplicably downgraded to a smaller venue, motility wasnt much of an option. Personal space was a blessing most of us couldnt afford if we wanted to be near the action; a fight nearly broke out next to me because of this. Its a regional booking vagary that an act that sold out the 20,789-seat Madison Square Garden, as the War on Drugs did in January, would then be scheduled at the 1,300-capacity Revolution Live, but Florida is weird like that. We endure it for the bands we love.

The night opened with a 30-minute set from ADVERTISEMENT, a Seattle band that wears its Seattleness all over its look and sound. The six-piece groups 2020 debut was praised by NME for its Rolling Stones-sized swagger, but I heard different derivations last night. Essentially, ADVERTISEMENT conjured various bands from the 90s alt-rock heyday throughout its seta little Nirvana, a little Lemonheads, a little Afghan Whigsalong with a dollop of the Doors, thanks to the rollicking keyboards. It all added up to a pleasing, muscular dynamic, enhanced by sometimes three guitars slashing and chiming at once, though it still feels like the group is developing its identity.

As for the headliner, my perspective is limited: I had to leave the War on Drugs set after just an hour for a family obligation. But that 60 minutes of transportive bliss revealed a band that has grown, paradoxically, both tighter and more expansive in the years since I last saw them perform.

Surprising opener Baby Missiles, the only tune to make the set list from 2011s Slave Ambient, was a bath of churning drone in which the other instruments swam. The bombastic, unremittingly anthemic Oceans of Darkness, from the bands newly released deluxe edition of I Dont Live Here Anymore, suggested the outsized influence of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, further evidence that arenas, not mid-sized clubs, are the War on Drugs bailiwick. In the staggering An Ocean Between the Waves, singer-songwriter Adam Granduciel (clad in a trippy Beach House T-shirt) turned on an echo effect, his vocals rippling throughout the venue and seemingly beyond it.

Though it hurt to leave such an extraordinary show so early, it so happened that the group played several of the songs I wanted to hear most in that first hour, and they did not disappoint, to say the least. During the extended synthesizer intro to Harmonias Dream, simultaneously icy and inviting, I felt I had been teleported to a Kraftwerk concert. And I Dont Wanna Wait and Victim were both slow burns that built, magisterially, into massive conflagrationsfrenzies of communal ecstasy that felt bigger than life. I understand from a friend that this feeling intensified later on, during some of the hits I missed.

It was wonderful to hear sounds that, on the albums, could have been synthesized, but were in fact created organically, like Jon Natchezs saxophone and trumpet, or even Charlie Halls drums, as tight, metronomic and hypnotic as a drum machine.

At some point, the magical, psychic break thats unique to live music took hold, and I no longer felt like a sardine crammed in a tin can. I was floating somewhere amid the accommodating ether of the War on Drugs heartland dispatches, thinking that this must be how people felt seeing the Grateful Dead in their primacy. As with the Dead, theres really no comparison between studio War on Drugs and live War on Drugs: Its like transitioning from 2D to 3D, or black-and-white to color.

And this is all from seeing just one hour. I cant imagine the wonders that awaited the rest of you lucky folks.

SET LIST

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Concert Review: The War on Drugs at Revolution Live - Boca Raton

It is undeniable that the war on drugs has failed. In his speech at the United Nations, Colombian President Gustavo Petro fell short of offering what the world is still waiting for: a solution to the problem. In 2016, at a special UN assembly, former president Juan Manuel Santos also spoke about the lost war on drugs and emphasized the need to rethink the approach. The interventions of Petro and Santos are the first steps toward a possible solution.

The war on drugs began 50 years ago when US president Richard Nixon declared an all-out offensive against what he considered to be enemy number one: illegal drugs. This war was immediately extended to Colombia. In the 1970s, the South American country exported immense quantities of marijuana through the Caribbean, and criminal organizations later made the transition to cocaine. The war on drugs has sought to reduce the drug supply at all costs, based on the premise that if there were no drugs, there would be no consumers. Yet the production, sale and consumption of drugs have grown disproportionately. The effectiveness of the war on drugs can only be measured through the drug market, which is not slowing down anywhere in the world. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report, around 284 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 consumed drugs in 2020, an increase of 26% from 2010.

Colombia is the largest producer of cocaine, which accounts for only 5% of global consumption of all drugs. None of the strategies to end coca production including aerial spraying of glyphosate (a chemical that has been banned since 2015 because of its harmful effects, though Ivn Duques government defended its use), forced eradication of the plant and replacement with licit crops has managed to stop the increased trafficking of cocaine. Indeed, it reached its peak in 2020 amidst the Covid-19 pandemic according to the UNODC report, cocaine trafficking rose by 11% as compared to 2019, moving 1,982 tons of the drug.

Global cocaine seizures have also increased. In 2020, a record 1,424 tons of the drug were impounded. Because of border closures between March 2020 and March 2021 and increased roadblocks, almost 90% of the cocaine confiscated around the world was trafficked in cargo containers or by sea. In fact, Colombia has recorded the most drug seizures, accounting for 41% of the drugs seized worldwide, followed by the United States at 11% and Ecuador at 6.5%.

In Colombia, the war on drugs has basically focused on the cocaine trade. Former justice minister Yesid Reyes explains that there is no global solution to the drug problem. Each country has specific problems and must attack them differently; coca plantations are our main problem, says Reyes, who is currently the chairperson of Externado Universitys department of criminal law.

Reyes believes that Colombias strategy should focus on the illicit crop substitution program, not on the forced eradication of coca leaf. He notes that the crops end up being replanted in half of the cases. Reyes says that the replanting rate is 0.6%.

Killing powerful drug traffickers, such as Pablo Escobar, and the demise of large cartels such as the Norte del Valle cartel, have not ended or even affected cocaine trafficking; in fact, the market has grown both in terms of routes and in the number of criminal groups that manage the business. These strikes which have caused significant casualties are just a way for governments to show they are taking action, they have not dismantled criminal structures. When one drug lord falls, one or more automatically emerge to take over the business.

In 2015, at a conference at the University of Uruguay, narcotics expert Felipe Tascn said that the war on drugs was set up to fail from the beginning: They dont tackle the causes, they are only interested in presenting the extradited [drug traffickers] to the North American public as the wars accomplishments.

Strikingly, according to the same UNODC report, coca leaf crops (the raw material for cocaine hydrochloride) have decreased in Colombia, but, paradoxically, drug production has increased by 8%. Colombia has about 143,000 hectares of land that cultivate coca leaf.

According to Catalina Gil Pinzn, the Drug Policy Program Officer at the Open Society Foundations, the war on drugs has been an operational failure, but it has been very successful at the narrative level. All that propaganda that has told us that the war is confronting the worlds most serious threat, or that all the violence in Colombia is because of drug trafficking, has been quite successful and is very popular among citizens, says Gil. She believes that the way forward is through the regulated legalization of drugs, not prohibition. Regulation allows for reducing the risks and harms associated with consumption, she says. Gil notes that under this formula, each substance would have a different regulatory framework.

The wars cost is incalculable, although the figures reach billions of dollars. Drug policy has focused on prohibition and criminalization in drug-producing countries, but it doesnt address the problem in the countries where the drugs are consumed.

Juan Carlos Garzn, a researcher at the Ideas for Peace Foundation, argues that the prohibitionist approach to drugs has not worked. The expectation that there wont be a demand for illegal drugs is unrealistic, Garzn observes. He emphasizes that other drugs have far more impact than cocaine. Garzn believes that Petros policy is disruptive because it casts Colombia as a victim and fails to acknowledge the co-responsibility of Colombian elites in supporting the war. In Colombia, the war on drugs has not occurred in a vacuum. It intersects with other wars; the war on drugs has served other purposes. So far, weve had a policy that treats the vulnerable very harshly but goes very lightly on those who have the most ability to be corrupt and violent, he says.

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The war on drugs: 50 years of death and failure - EL PAS USA