Confronting Drug Policy

Two stark drug stories are currently dominating headlines in Canada. The first is the proposed legalization of marijuana and the subsequent complications. The legalization of cannabis is accepted in the media as a fait accompli despite some reticence among Canadians, the medical community and provincial governments. It is a near certainty that as of next July Canada will have legal cannabis for sale in all the territories and provinces to most Canadians.

Some of the news around marijuana legalization has been those eager to get a toehold in the industry and skirt the existing laws. I saw this in person when I passed at least three dispensaries during my weekend visit to Toronto in clear violation of current laws. Attitudes seem to be basically celebratory towards this policy change.

The second, and more important drug headline is the ongoing fentanyl crisis. I will admit off the top that despite hearing about this topic for months I fear I remain hopelessly ignorant. Fentanyl is an opioid that has begun appearing in large numbers in North America. It is an incredibly powerful drug and apparently even a small intake can cause a drug overdose. A CBC story posted in December 2016 states that about 500 Canadians died that year alone. During a recent town hall-style gathering VICE held on drug liberalization Justin Trudeau was confronted by a frontline health worker who furiously challenged the Prime Minister for the government's failure and cited the daily death toll the drug was having in Toronto and Vancouver. 

Many of the deaths are exactly the type of people you assume. People with drug addiction problems, or other dependency problems. However, the fatalities are increasingly hitting casual drug users as fentanyl spreads.

I think it's important here to start talking about my own position here, and how I believe I am starting to recognize how wrong I am. I have a somewhat atypical relationship with drugs. I assume (or know) that many of my friends enjoy cannabis recreationally and when the prohibition ends their lives will improve. I don't smoke, so the appeal to legalization was often lost on me. At best I was apathetic and at worst I was uncomfortable with the concept of the state sanctioning the use of a drug. I say this as an utter hypocrite. I enjoy alcohol and find it an important part of my socializing behaviour, and I recognize the harm done to society from alcohol is far more pervasive than that done by cannabis.

The reality is that cannabis prohibition hurts and helps exactly the wrong people. Case study after cases study shows that legalization is effective and has an overwhelmingly positive impact on jurisdictions that try it.

So, what about opioids?

A number of years ago Portugal embarked on a radical policy. They legalized all drugs and fundamentally redressed their narcotic/addictions policy. From everything I have ever heard it was a wild success. Canada stands poised to legalize a substance that largely appeals to a certain segment of the Canadian populace, but has barely addressed the crisis unfolding among opioid users. The same logic that says legalizing cannabis is a net positive can be applied to other, harder drugs. Drugs that are currently creating much greater harm. The sad truth is that while I intellectually understand that my cultural biases against these drugs makes the concept of legalizing them not a little bit abhorrent, but frankly, I have to get over it. So should the rest of the country.

Film Review: Cartel Land

This is the first film review I have done on the blog. Though I have watched many documentaries with compelling narratives appropriate for this blog this is the first one that grabbed me so powerfully that I feel compelled to share it.

Cartel Land is a simple story showing how two different groups are responding to the growing power of the Mexican cartels. The first is a group of Minutemen patrolling a stretch of the Arizona border going by the name of Arizona Border Recon. The area they patrol is well used by coyotes to get migrants across the border. Tim "Nailer" Foley, the leader of Arizona Border Recon, shares his worldview throughout the film. I will admit that at first he comes across as a paranoid anti-government nut, but as the feel progresses and he is able to present evidence that the area is used by human smugglers then his narrative becomes more compelling. Nailer is a man who sees the world in black and white, and some of his compatriots are exactly the type of militia racists you expect. The documentarians capture his outrage often through Nailer's consumption of media. Oftentimes right-wing cable news talking heads are the lead in to whatever conversation he has with the film crew.  

Most of the story focuses on the struggle within Mexico itself in the state of Michoacan. In Michoacan local leaders come together to form the Autodefensas, a civilian self-defence force with the stated mission of driving out the cartels from the communities since the government will not act. The documentarians spent a great deal of time with members of the Autodefensas, but principally with its spokesperson, Dr. Jose Mireles.

In the case of the Mexican response to cartel violence I do not want to go into very much detail. I found the arc of their story the most fascinating part of the documentary. Every ten minutes presents a new reveal that casts the entire experiment into a different light and the fact that the documentarians caught it all on film is astounding. Sufficing to say, at the opening of the film the Autodefensas is remarkably successful. A collection of volunteers carrying horrifying amounts of weaponry successful drive out the cartels from a handful of communities. They story of the Autodefenses goes on from there. Speaking with a friend of mine more familiar with Latin American history and politics, he shared with me that what the documentary portrays is familiar to Mexican history and politics.

The scene that stuck out to me the most was early on in the film when the Autodefensas liberate a town from the cartels. Shortly afterward the military shows up and demands that the unauthorized civilian militia disarm themselves and leave. What happens next sent a chill up my neck. Called upon by the leaders of Autodefensas, civilians pour out of their homes and defend them, badgering, insulting and resisting the army. What makes the scene so compelling to me is that as a historian I felt like I was watching the seeds of a revolution. I imagine similar scenes played out across the Arab world during the Arab Spring or in Russia on the eve of its revolutions. There was something so tangible about the anger of the crowd that the potential for violence and active rebellion was just a misstep away.

How do we perceive vigilantes? It is very easy in the start of this film to support Mireles and his followers in their attempts to 'take their country back', but at the same time we view Americans who espouse the same rhetoric as a dangerous fringe. In both the United States and Mexico there comes into question the real power of the state. If the state's duty is to protect its citizens, uphold the rule of law and apply justice fairly it is hard to say that that is occurring on either side of the border.

The pervasive corruption of institutions is also a major theme in the documentary. Is it possible to have a fresh start, or does the corrosive environment doom any reform? This needn't be applied only to the vigilantes, but to political leaders as well. Ultimately this comes down to the distortions of the drug war. Cartel Land offers a different take from many documentaries I have seen on this topic. Drugs feature very little in the documentary in a sense, but in the background is the fact that American demand for narcotics is what is driving the chaos, violence and instability in Mexico.

The film is bookended by drugs, as if the director, Matthew Heineman, wanted to say that this is actually what this is all about. Everything that transpires in the intervening 90 minutes can be captures by these Mexican cooks.

 The United States has much to answer for for what is going on in Mexico, but I would add that Canadians have a responsibility to move past their blind ignorance as well. Mexico is more than sunny beaches and tequila. As fellow North Americans it should be incumbent upon us to try to support our friends in Mexico from this brutal cycle of violence. I highly recommend this documentary and as of this post it is available for free with your Netflix Canada subscription.