University:
University of Wyoming
Course:
POLS4445 | Drug War Geopolitics in the Americas
Academic year:

2023
Views:

253

Pages:

1
Author:

Allison B.

Throughout this week’s readings and the film, Reefer Madness (1936), common trends of “drug scares” and substances as an urgent threat to society are clear with the emergence of coca/cocaine and other substances as global commodities. In the film, it is clear that substances are vilified. Near the start of the film, a man is shown with crates full of suspicious looking packages and showing viewers how drugs can be smuggled in, through womens’ shoes and pocket watches. The film had many xenophobic moments and racist tendencies. Drugs are spoken of as being a new threat from abroad that are endangering young populations, with no comment as to why substances are increasing in prevalence (demand). Crick’s reading relates to the film, discussing how the purpose of drug prohibition and later the “War on Drugs” was to “protect” from the inherent dangers of drugs, never acknowledging their role in indigenous culture or useful benefits in society, only as a continued threat to human and national security. Gootenberg related to our pre-recorded lecture in discussion the history behind coca/cocaine production and use. Similar to the film’s themes with marihuana “ ”, Gootenberg writes that anticocainism was “spurred on” by racism, “... a campaign born with the New Orleans and Atlanta race riots that equated cocaine use with southern blacks ... race-mongering became blatantly political in later efforts for federal drug legislation.” (Gootenberg 193) These racial/xenophobic themes, in my opinion, have not enirely been combatted. In our course, we understand that these racist ties between violence/drugs are incorrect, but many Americans still tie cocaine use/violence mainly to Latin American populations and marijuana to African Americans. Reinarman also builds on discussion of “drug scares” and how not only attitudes, but also enforcement and policing disproportionately impacts members of lower socio-economic classes and minority racial groups. An interesting note he makes is that although other countries have experienced drug scares (usually around alcohol earlier in the 20th century), the US is prone to them. Reinarman suggests in part this is due to the power ruling classes can hold over lower ones when claiming that “... a drug is damaging society.” (Reinarman 162)