Salt of the Earth: Movieland's war on drugs could have real-world influence

Social justice news
April 2001

Catholic Relief Services web site brings in donations, award
Catholics call for an end to embryonic stem cell research
JustFaith joins the Catholic Charities family
Movieland's war on drugs could have real-world influence
Mr. Bush goes to Washington: a presidential track record
Rediscovering women's work in church history
We're not just skin and bones anymore

Movieland's war on drugs could have real-world influence
The drug policy reformers at The Lindesmith Center are hoping a little Internet ingenuity might lead to life imitating art. They're lobbying for a new drug czar with the Michael Douglas-esque ability to "think outside the box," and they've created a new web site to get their message across.

The activists at The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation, a national organization opposed to the war on drugs, are taking advantage of the poltical buzz created by the movie Traffic to advance their agenda over the web. In the Oscar-winning film Douglas plays a hard-nosed judge who becomes the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and learns first-hand how ineffective the country's drug policies are.

President Bush has yet to name a national drug czar, and The Lindesmith Center is asking him to choose someone who's willing to consider new policy initiatives, as Douglas did in Traffic. "What we need today is a drug czar who will talk honestly and openly about the totality of drug use in America, and who will address the negative consequences of our current policies," says Ethan Nadelmann, Lindesmith executive director.

February 13 the group launched StopTheWar.com. The site urges visitors to fax the president a letter requesting an open-minded drug policy director and offers those who do a chance to win a copy of Traffic. More than 3,700 people have already sent the fax, says Lindesmith Spokesperson Shayna Samuels. Visitors can also try to "win" a simulated war on drugs using U.S. strategies such as "Just say no" campaigns for students, tough-on-crime laws, and efforts to eliminate drug production overseas.

According to Samuels, more than 72,000 people have visited the site since its launch. Oscar publicity for the film pushed visits to an average of 3,000 to 5,000 a day, she adds.

Samuels says Lindesmith does not advocate a specific candidate for the drug czar position. "We're just hoping President Bush will choose someone with a public health approach," she says.

According to Nadelmann, the future director's background is also unimportant. "It doesn't make a difference if the new drug czar is a doctor or a police chief or a former politician—so long as he or she has the intelligence and courage to ask the tough questions and challenge the fears, ignorance, and prejudices that drive our current approaches," he says.

The president has been quiet about his plans for a new director so far, and Samuels says Lindesmith does not know when a decision will come.—Anne Graber

More info:
Stopthewar.com
The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
Traffic: USA Films Official Site

Back to page top