AMERICAN DRUGWAR 2 WEBSITE LAUNCH!
Visit the New Website for the Latest News

Important Message about L.E.A.P.

The producers of the film Kevin & Trae Booth and Brian Patterson have worked with LEAP since 2007 and have spent three years working on this film. We believe that the sobering message of "American Drug War 2" will be a LEAP recruiting tool for many years to come.

The producers need the help of all our LEAP members to ensure this film gets the attention it deserves Here is a link of the cities the film is currently booked to play on June 6th and each screening will be co-hosted by a LEAP speaker.

http://www.tugg.com/titles/american-drug-war-2

Here is the tricky part:

To ensure this evening happens each theater must pre-sell approximately 50 tickets in order cover the cost of the theater rental. If you’re interested in attending and can find a theater within your range, we are hoping you can pre-buy your tickets ASAP – before May 30th in order to ensure the success of the evening. If the threshold is not met your credit card will not be charged and the event will not happen. But we really want to see this national campaign succeed, so please help us spread the word and we look forward to seeing you in person on June 6th at your local theater.

The film starts a major Video on Demand run right after June 6th. The better the film does at these small screenings, the more resources will be put towards promoting it to millions of cable subscribers through Gravitas aided by Warner Brothers.

So in reality this June 6th premier is a type of force multiplier that can put the LEAP name and messaging into millions of homes around the globe.

Kevin Booth on the Alex Jones Show

Producer of "American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny" Kevin Booth will be a guest on the national syndicated Alex Jones Show this Thursday, May 16th, 2013 at 10:00am Pacific.

He will premier three clips from the film and talk about the premier that is also happening in several other cities across the U.S.

Listen to the interview that will be streaming at Infowars.com

Book a Screening of ADW2 in your City Today!
Sign Up for Free at TUGG.com

Farmville Virginia Lecture with Kevin Booth
April 17th, 2013 @8:00pm

American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny Coming Soon!

SSDP to host premiere of drug war documentary
Published in Tufts Daily: Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The Tufts chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) has invited award-winning documentarian Kevin Booth to campus on Dec. 4 for the world premiere of his new movie, American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny.

The feature documentary comes as a sequel to Booth's "American Drug War: The Last White Hope" (2007) and focuses on individuals whose lives have been affected by what Booth alleges to be a failed war on drugs.

Click Here to Read the Full Article

American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny
Join our team and get your name in the ending credits

See our Kick Starter Campaign and Join today!

AMERICAN DRUG WAR II Now In Production!

More News on the Production Coming Soon!....

Demand HWWW in your city now!

Cele Castillo is Headed to Prison & Needs Your Help!

Vietnam veteran and former DEA agent Celerino 'Cele' Castillo III is getting ready to serve a 22 month jail sentence.  Listen to Cele tell his side of the story in this exclusive telephone interview with Kevin Booth, recorded July 15, 2009.

MP3 Link:  http://www.sacredcow.com/cele_715.mp3

Cele needs all the media attention he can get, so please pass this on to whoever you can.  You can donate to Cele's legal fund at his website - http://powderburns.info

This is only the latest twist in the long story of Cele's life, known to many from "American Drug War" and his auto-biography "Powderburns".   For more info on the case, read Bill Conroy's report from The Narcoshpere on NarcoNews.com: http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/bill-conroy/2009/07/cele-castillo-ordered-report-federal-prison

If you're in Canada, watch ADW on Super Channel HD in July!

http://www.superchannel.ca/movies/view/15849168/American-Drug-War/

ADW Donation Drive

Fighting to end the war on drugs is a long, hard road. We have spent hundreds of thousands of our own dollars in an attempt to spread the word and it finally feels like people are waking up.  From the creation of more viral videos to mailing out DVD copies of the film to hundreds of law makers, we need your help to defeat this enemy!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

ADW Donation Drive

Fighting to end the war on drugs is a long, hard road. We have spent hundreds of thousands of our own dollars in an attempt to spread the word and it finally feels like people are waking up.  From the creation of more viral videos to mailing out DVD copies of the film to hundreds of law makers, we need your help to defeat this enemy!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Freeway Ricky Ross to be Released on Monday, May 4!

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.9062...sed-from-prison
http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/...0/21496412.aspx
http://bossip.com/106902/freeway-rick-ross...n-the-run-soon/
http://livesteez.com/news/read/Freeway-Ric...rison/1889.html

Toronto Freedom Festival

ADW Screening at Columbia University!

The Columbia University Libertarians screening of American Drug War is today (Friday)!  Make sure you don't miss a chance to watch this award-winning documentary for free and learn about the corruption and incompetence behind the War on Drugs.  We will be showing the movie at 4:30 today in Lerner E-477.

 
Thanks for all your help!

Masood Manoochehri

VP, Columbia University Libertarians

The National Forum on Marijuana

 Kevin Booth on the panel in Denver!

From the Denver Post:

"There never has been an intellectual public discourse on marijuana" in the event's 16 years at CU, said Alex Douglas, a junior sociology major and director of the school's chapter of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.

"Putting both sides of the issue on the table, the forum offers the opportunity for students and the community to be engaged and educated in all aspects of the marijuana issue."

Besides Douglas, the lineup of speakers includes:

Steve Bloom, founding editor of High Times magazine.
Kevin Booth, producer and director of the documentary "American Drug War."
Jessica Peck Corry, a conservative pundit and executive director of the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative.
Retired Lafayette judge Lenny Frieling.
Food and Drug Administration official Devin Koontz.
Allen St. Pierre, national executive director of NORML.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_12129219

http://cbs4denver.com/local/denver.420.marijuana.2.704526.html

Kevin Booth returns to The Alex Jones Show; click here to listen!

Black Pacino interviews Kevin Booth

http://spizzyblog.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/kevin-booth-of-american-drug-war-interview/#comment-52

Holder Vows To End Raids On Medical Marijuana Clubs

Attorney General Eric Holder said at a press conference Wednesday that the Justice Department will no longer raid medical marijuana clubs that are established legally under state law. His declaration is a fulfillment of a campaign promise by President Barack Obama, and marks a major shift from the previous administration. (continue)

Coming Soon: A Year With Freeway Ricky Ross

The new reality show from Sacred Cow Productions.  Watch the short teaser promo on YouTube and check back for the full-length trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMxlDMVKJ4w

Free American Drug War Mixtape Download @ MixSyndicate.com!

FuseBox Radio Interview

ADW Economics: Volume 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqd_C9ISPjA

New York Amsterdam News Interview

The ADW College Tour Continues...

Vote YES on Prop 5!

New video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BZxIFkeu_Q

ADW on Canada's Super Channel!

Vote YES on Prop 5!


New video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BZxIFkeu_Q

ADW in Skunk Magazine!

Latest ADW Screening in Oslo, Canada Posted!

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008, 4:00PM at Parkteatret Scene
Click Here to Order Tickets Online

Kevin Booth Brings ADW to SUNY Oswego!

Kevin Booth interview on BlackCoffeeChannel.com!

http://www.blackcoffeechannel.com/content/view/408/36/

Kevin Booth @ Florida Gulf Coast University!

Kevin Booth @ Washing State University!

ADW Nominated for Best Documentary!

On Saturday, September 27 High Times Magazine will hold their annual Stony Awards in Malibu at 4:20pm. The show features celebrity presenters and will feature live musical performances. High Times, long held to be the number one counterculture magazine in the world, is in its thirty-fourth year of publication.

The Stony Awards honors the year’s 'highest' movies and television shows. Categories include Best Comedy Film, Best Internet Video, Best Drama Film, Best TV Show and Stoner/Stonette of the Year. Nominees include American Drug War, Pineapple Express, Harold & Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay, The Wackness, Weeds, Californication, Attack of the Show: 420 Special, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and Paris Hilton.

Celebrity attendees include: James Franco, Gary Cole (Pineapple Express), Madeline Zima (Californication), Nichole Hiltz (In Plain Sight), Paul Ben-Victor (In Plain Sight), Joe Rogan (NewsRadio), Olivia Munn & Kevin Pereira (Attack of the Show), DB Sweeney (Miracle at St. Anna), Leon (Cliffhanger), Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls), Guillermo Diaz (Weeds),Greg Pitts (Office Space), Ross Patterson (Garden Party), Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg (Harold & Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay), Kevin Booth (American Drug War), Kevin Heffernan (Strange Wilderness), Michelle Page (Kush) and recording artists Los Marijuanos, Leon & The Peoples, Zachariah & the Lobos Riders and Purple Foam.

New on the ADW YouTube Channel:

The "Lipstick on a Pig" Ad: On Drugs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29WMvfIyLGg

Tragic Comedy of the Drug War - Volume 1: Big Pharma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cefoV_A878

American Drug War premieres on Planete Polish Television!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1d83KusmuM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

American Drug War Nominated for Best Documentary at 2008 High Times Stony Awards

High Times Magazine's "The Stony's" Movie and Television Awards has nominated "American Drug War: The Last White Hope" for Best Documentary. This year's awards will be held at the Malibu Inn on Saturday, September 27th, 2008.

Click Here for the High Times Stony Awards MySpace Page

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sleepwalker McCain
Patriot or Hypocrite?

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWS5ijLELRU

Obama not only admits to having tried marijuana, he freely admits to having inhaled saying, "that was the whole point." McCain has solemnly vowed to lock up even medicinal pot smokers but regularly uses powerful sleeping pills known to have hazardous side effects. Patriot or hypocrite? You decide.  Enjoy this 4 minute spoof from the makers of "American Drug War".

Dear friends,

As the November election grows nearer, the subject of the Drug War does not seem to be entering into news cycles or the public debate.  After playing "American Drug War"  on their main channel many times in March, Showtime took it out of rotation but is now slowly bringing it back:

Click here for the Showtime Schedule and Register Link to Email

If we could get only a quarter of all the Showtime subscribers to view it in the next few months, I believe the chances of getting the Drug War into the national debate would increase.

Right now it would really help if you could go to the Showtime site and request it so they schedule it more for September and October.  We also need night time play slots - for some reason they just keep putting it on in the middle of the day when all the pill poppers and junkies who need to see it are still asleep.

Maybe say, "I only get the main channel of Showtime - I don't have Tivo & I work like most people - can you play it on Saturday night or any night so I can see it."

Thank you so much for your help and support!

Here is a new clip
Modern Day Slavery: Racism and the Drug War
Please bookmark and share this with your friends...

Welcome to American Drug War.com!

Ain't It Cool News Interview

Elson Gunn has another chat with Kevin on the American Drug War since coming off the festival circuit.

Click Here to Read the full Interview at AintItCool.com

Emerging from the Drug War Dark Age: LSD and Other Psychedelic Medicines Make a Comeback

After a 40-year moratorium, credible research for treating illnesses and addictions with psychedelic compounds has made a miraculous comeback.

Click Here for the full article...

New American Drug War Reviews

Check out the two new reviews of American Drug War in the reviews section.

Cinefiles: Colorado Springs Independent
Rap Reviews DVD Reviews

Today on Toucher and Rich WBCN 104.1FM Boston 6pm Eastern - 3pm Pacific
Comedian Lamont Price, Boston's most fascinating people and Kevin Booth from American Drug War.

Click Here to Listen Online

Barney Frank Ignites Congress for Common Sense
Tom Gregory - The Huffington Post

John McCain's moth-eaten, opposition to marijuana for medical use, is another signal his presidency would be a roadblock to a new America. McCain states: "I still would not support medical marijuana because I don't think the preponderance of medical opinion in America agrees with the assertion that [marijuana] is the most effective way of treating pain."

In part 2 of my interview with Congressman Barney Frank, he talks bluntly and plainly about an issue that clouds the path towards a new America. His reasonable, live and let live position makes sense, moving us into the twenty-first century, at last.

Click Here for the Full Story

The Crime of Punishment

Judge James Gray who advocates sane drug policy throughout the American Drug War film will be speaking at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 10th at 7:00pm. Other guests included are Marc Mauer who is one of the country's leading experts on sentencing policy, race and the criminal justice system and Chief Norm Stamper, a retired Seattle Police Chief.

Click Here for Details

Celeb Stoner On-Line Magazine
American Drug War Documentary banned by Rehab Center

The American Drug War documentary rehab center banning is featured in CelebStoner.com, a new on-line magazine started by Steve Bloom (formerly of High Times).

Click Here to View the Article

MPP's Party at the Playboy Mansion

Hosted by Adrianne Curry and featuring Perry Ferrell
Los Angeles, CA on June 12, 2008 at 8:00pm

Click Here for Event Details

The Community is invited to a FREE screening of "American Drug War" at:

St. Matthias Episcopal Church
7056 Washington Avenue
Whittier, CA 90602
(Corner of Wardman and Washington Ave)

Thursday, June 5th, 2008 at 7:00pm

For more info: (562) 587-6270 or (562) 698-9154
Free refreshments will be provided

Weird Magazine Interview

Kevin Booth sits down with Weird Magazine for an interview on the American Drug War. Look forward to the full interview in the June issue of Weird Magazine.

Click here for Weird Magazine.com

American Drug War, the last white hope DVD is the #1 Best Seller in Amazon 'Movies and TV' category!
(Click Here for Amazon Bestsellers)

Tommy Chong and Kevin Booth interview on the Alex Jones show at 10:30am Pacific time.

Click Here to Stream the latest Radio Show

TEARDROPS FROM TULIA

Joe Moore, one of the defendants in the infamous Tulia cocaine bust of 1999, died April 27 after a long illness. Moore was the first person tried in the sting; he served nearly four years of a 90-year sentence before Gov. Rick Perry pardoned him in 2003, after the undercover officer in the case was exposed as a fraud.

Moore, a hog farmer and sometime bootlegger, became a cause celebre after his case was profiled in a variety of media outlets. Unable to even raise bail after his arrest, he wound up being represented in his appeal by a top litigator at one of the nation's most prestigious law firms.

"One sweetheart of a person is gone," said Moore's longtime companion in Tulia, Thelma Johnson. She recalled that Moore, who was 57 and in poor health at the time of his arrest, worried he would die in prison. "I think he was glad when his time came that he was free," she said.

Moore, who received a cash settlement after his release, bought land in the country and spent several years raising hogs and growing vegetables before he became too ill to continue. He lived long enough to see the undercover officer in his case, Tom Coleman, convicted of perjury, and the local prosecutor, Terry McEachern, defeated at the ballot box.

Moore's case, along with similar scandals, also led to the eventual dismantling of much of the statewide system of drug task forces, which at one time employed over 700 narcotics officers, mostly in rural areas. His last remaining nemesis, Swisher County Sheriff Larry Stewart, who directed the undercover operation in Tulia, announced his retirement shortly before Moore's death. According to Johnson, Moore had already moved on. "He forgave everyone," she said. He was 65.

Austin American Drug War Screening

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 at 7:30pm
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
13729 Research Blvd.
Austin, Texas
General Info: 512-219-5408

Click Here for Details

New high-gloss, movie-size (24" x 36") American Drug War Posters on Sale!

Get yours today for only $9.95 by clicking here!

Listen to the latest NORML Daily Audio Stash which includes an interview with Kevin Booth on the American Drug War.

Click Here for the NORML Daily Stash
Click Here to Download the MP3

View the new mini-documentary produced by Kevin Booth entitled 'Operation Sudden Fall' concerning the San Diego State University drug bust.

Click Here to View the mini-Documentary

Friday May 9th 11:00AM Central (9am Pacific) Tommy Chong will be a guest on the nationally syndicated Alex Jones show along with filmmaker Kevin Booth "AMERICAN DRUG WAR" and filmmaker Josh Gilbert who directed the newly released "aka Tommy Chong".

Listen to the interview on Infowars Streaming Radio.

You can watch the news story about the Chong bust on Local 12 Streaming Video

KPFK Pacifica Radio 90.7 FM Los Angeles Presents a Screening of the American Drug War on May 9th, 2008 at 7:00pm at the First Lutheran Church of Glendale, 1300 East Colorado Street, Glendale, California.

Click Here for Details

Keith Murphy interview of Kevin Booth on The Urban Journal, Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 5:00pm Central on XM Satellite Radio Channel 169.

Click Here to Listen to the Latest Edition of The Urban Journal Online

Jack Blood interview with Kevin Booth of American Drug War on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 4:00pm Central.

Click Here for Info on the Event

Click Here to Listen on GCN Live

Australian FoXtel Magazine article 'High-speed trafficking' posted on Sacred Cow.

Click Here to Read

Kentroversy interview with Kevin Booth on the American Drug War in Podcast #43.

Click Here for Details

Memphis University American Drug War Screening
N.O.R.M.L. presents a free screening plus a Q&A with Kevin Booth at the University of Memphis on Tuesday April 15th, 2008 at 6:00pm in PAN 200.

Click Here for Details

American Drug War DVD Ships April 1st, 2008!
Orders for the American Drug War DVD will begin shipping on April 1st, 2008. The DVD contains over 3 hours of never-before seen mini-documentaries including Tommy Chong and Ricky Ross.

Click Here to Pickup your Copy Today!

Sunset Holding Co., Partners with Sacred Cow Productions to Help Deliver Tools for Education and Awareness on the War on Drugs.

Click here to read the article on Billboard's Publicity Wire website.

Texas NORML American Drug War Screening
Texas NORML will present a screening at the Spiderhouse Cafe in Austin on March 30th, 2008 from 3:00pm to 6:00pm.

Click Here for Details

American Drug War: Updated Television Premieres

Showtime Movie Channel: Starting March 5th, 2008 [ Showtime Schedule ]
Tivo Schedule: Starting March 5th, 2008 [ Tivo Schedule ]
Australian Crime and Investigation Network: Showing March 12th, 2008 [ CITV.com Schedule ]

American Drug War: Upcoming Official DVD Release

Pre-Orders for the Official American Drug War: The Last White Hope DVD Coming March 15th, 2008

Click Here to Pre-Order your copy of the Official American Drug War DVD!

KPFK Pacifica Radio for Southern California is having a Fund drive starting on February 12th and will be playing "American Drug War" clips with interviews with Kevin Booth.

Anyone donating $75 will receive an "American Drug War" DVD.

See KPFK.org for more...

Tune in to: 90.7 FM Los Angeles or 98.7 FM Santa Barbara

American Drug War screening is scheduled for Monday, March 17th, 2008 at the Nickelodeon Theatre in Columbia, South Carolina.

Nicklelodeon Theatre
937 Main Street
Columbia, SC 29201
803.254.8234

Click here for details and directions

Click here to view the four-part PrisonPlanet.tv Alex Jones ADW interview with Kevin Booth.

Alex Jones is joined by Kevin Booth whose new documentary film American Drug War has taken independent cinema by storm and won several awards.

Click here for the Prison Planet.tv article

American Drug War will be featured at the benefit multi-media event 'Rock 4 Ron Paul' this Wednesday January 16th at Safari Sam's in Hollywood at 8:00PM.

It is an all-ages club that has a full bar and menu. The night features 10 bands, Isaac Bright as MC, special guest appearances from 'Hotties 4 Ron Paul' and cool new clips from 'American Drug War' by Kevin Booth.

Tickets are just $10 and are available at the door and online at http://tickets.safari-sams.com

All proceeds go to 'Call 4 Paul' through the Americans United for Liberty PAC. For more information, visit http://www.RonPaulFreedomMessage.com ...

SAFARI SAM'S
5214 West Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
8:00 PM

BUY TICKETS HERE: http://tickets.safari-sams.com

Oslo, CANADA
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008, 4:00PM at Parkteatret Scene
Click Here to Order Tickets Online

Upcoming University Lecture Tour
Thurs. 7:00 PM Sept 18, 2008 - Univerisity of Alabama - Tuscaloosa AL
Tues. 6:00 PM Oct.7, 2008 - Washington State University - Pullman WA
Wed. 5:00 PM Oct 15, 2008 - Florida Gulf Coast University - Fort Myers FL
Thurs. TBA AM Oct 16, 2008 - NACA Convention - Tulsa OK
Tues. TBA PM Oct. 28, 2008 - SUNY- Oswego University - Oswego NY
Wed. 7:00 PM Nov. 18th and 19th - University of New Hampshire - Durham NH

WHITTIER, CA
Thursday June 5th, 2008, 7:00pm at St. Matthias Episcopal Church - 7056 Washington Avenue - Whittier, CA 90602 - For more info: (562) 587-6270 or (562) 698-9154

AUSTIN, TX
Wednesday May 21st, 2008, 7:30pm at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

GLENDALE, CA
Friday May 9th, 2008, 7:00pm at The First Lutheran Church of Glendale

MEMPHIS, TN
Tuesday April 15th, 2008, 6:00PM at the University of Memphis

COLUMBIA, SC
Monday March 17th, 2008, 7:00PM at Nicklelodeon Theatre, 937 Main Street, Columbia, SC

HOLLYWOOD, CA
Wednesday January 16th, 2008, 8:00PM at SAFARI SAM'S, 5214 West Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND
Tuesday December 11th, 7:00PM, Screening at Lockies' new venue, The Northern - 73-75 Oldham St, Manchester M4

AUSTIN, TX
Thursday December 20th, 6:00PM, ADW returns home to celebrate the Holidays at Antone's Night Club with MC Alex Jones.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, ENGLAND
Sunday December 9th, 7:00PM - The Picturedrome - 222 Kettering Road Northampton NN1 4BN Tel: 01604 230 777

LONDON, ENGLAND
Saturday December 8th, 9:00PM Artivist Film Festival at the Genesis Cinema.

NEW ORLEANS
Friday December 6th, 9:00PM ADW will be screened at the 2007 International Drug Policy Reform Conference.

NEW ORLEANS
Wednesday December 5th, 7:00PM ADW will be screened at Tulane University.

VERMONT - Kriya Studio
Fri Nov 16th 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Sat Nov 17th 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Tues Nov 20th, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Wed Nov 21st, 5:00pm - 7:30pm
Tues Nov 27th, 5:00pm - 7:30pm
Wed Nov 28th, 5:00pm - 7:30pm
Thurs Nov 29th, 5:00pm - 7:30pm

SEATTLE
Friday November 9th, 7:00PM & 9:30PM Wallingford Neighbors for Peace and Justice Friday Night at The Meaningful Movies - Keystone Church 5019 Keystone Place North Seattle (Free)

HOLLYWOOD
Friday November 9th, 9:00PM Egyptian Theater ARTIVIST 2007 film festival (awards ceremony on the 11th)

Colorado Rocky Mountain High Tour

Colorado Springs University of Colorado
Thursday September 27th, 5:00-9:00 p.m.
University Center Room 302
Admission: Free and open to public, Free Parking in Lots 3 and 4
Contact: Terrence Webster twebster@uccs.edu

Pueblo Colorado State University
Friday September 28th, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00p.m.
The Underground of the OUC Building
Contact: Shawn Jones 719.549.2151

Fort Collins Colorado State University
Friday, September 28th, 7:00 p.m.
Engineering Building 100
(auditorium in Engineering, directly east of the LSC)
Contact: ssdpcsu@gmail.com or amandabroz@gmail.com

Silver Lake Film Festival, Hollywood, CA

May 2nd - 12th 2007 - AMERICAN DRUG WAR was one of hundreds of entries from around the world. Competing against nine professionally produced feature documentaries, the final version of the film won best doc. Participants included - Roger Mayer, Hal Hartley, Parker Posey, the directors of "Little Miss Sunshine, Circle Jerks and John Doe of X. "Los Angeles' leading independent film, music & art festival" Film critic Emanuel Levy.



Druid Underground Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA

March 11th 2007 - Honorary screening, promoted by an independent group of film students in Echo Park in Los Angeles, CA.





DIY Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA

February 9th 2007 - Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Blvd. AMERICAN DRUG WAR director Kevin Booth wins best "Do It Your Self" filmmaker in Hollywood CA. Participants included writer/director Henry Jaglom and Richard Martini.




Brave New Books Exclusive Screening, Austin, TX

November 26th 2006 - Sold out screening in Kevin's hometown, produced and promoted by radio host Jack Blood (Fox News) and several local activists. The film received a standing ovation.





Evil city Film Festival, New York, NY

October 11th 2006 - AMERICAN DRUG WAR makes its World debut in New York's East Village. Chaired by Morgan Spurlock & Mary Harron, this early version of the film won against some stiff competition. Several writers from High Times magazine attended the screening and gave the film its first review.




Note from Kevin:

Because of the masses of footage and incredible complexity of this subject, creating a final edit has taken almost a year. Being able to screen the film in its various stages of completion has been a gift and crucial to bringing my personal story into this controversial realm. With four years of total production the festival wins have helped to keep morale high but it was the opportunity of showing the film to various live audiences that ended up being the most invaluable step in making AMERICAN DRUG WAR such a powerful political statement. So now that my phones are tapped and I owe monthly payments to a drug king pin, hope you enjoy...

Following Bill's death and the loss of several family members to alcohol, cigarettes and pharmaceuticals, Kevin decided to produce a feature length documentary exploring America's failed Drug War. The discovery that the government classifies Marijuana as being more dangerous than Crack or Crystal Meth was the start of a four year mission to sort the facts from the fiction and pick apart the paradoxes of America's longest running war. This lead to unexpected associations with characters like Bloods founder, T. Rodgers, and Freeway Ricky Ross, the man blamed for starting the Crack epidemic with cocaine supplied by the CIA. Kevin traveled across the country and around the world with his wife and co-producer Trae, documenting the fallout from the War on Drugs and seeking out possible solutions that have worked elsewhere. AMERICAN DRUG WAR is Kevin's debut as narrator and the start/first of a series of films that will build on his ability to untangle the myths and present serious subjects with a dry wit and eye for the absurd.

For the past two years, Kevin has toured the country, showing AMERICAN DRUG WAR at colleges and universities in the hope of sparking a debate where it is needed most.  In early 2009, Sacred Cow went into production on a new documentary-style reality show following Freeway Ricky Ross as he leaves prison and attempts to make amends to the community while rebuilding his former fortune through legal means.  Through this and other projects, Kevin Booth and Sacred Cow pledge to continue to make the audience think, while entertaining them at the same time.

2006 - 2007 "AMERICAN DRUG WAR" Producer/Director/Writer/Editor - DVD
2005 "Bill Hicks - Sane Man" Producer/Director/Editor - Ryko/Warner - Home Video
2005 "Bill Hicks - Agent of Evolution" Author - Harper Collins UK
2004 "Alex Jones - Martial Law" Producer - Infowars/Genesis Network - DVD
2001 "Doug Stanhope - Word of Mouth" Producer/Director/Editor - Indie dist. DVD
2000 "Joe Rogan - Belly of the Beast" Producer/Director/Editor - Indie dist. DVD
1999 "Alex Jones - Adventures of a Conspiracy" Producer/Director/Editor DVD
1997 "Velvet Rut" Producer/Performer - Black Eden Music - CD
1996 "Bill Hicks - Rant In E Minor & Arizona Bay" Producer/Performer Ryko/Palm Pictures
1994 "It's Just A Ride" Interviewee/Contributor - BBC - Comedy Central
1991 "Bill Hicks Relentless" Producer/Performer - Invasion Records
1990 "Ninja Bachelor Party" Producer/Director/Editor/Performer
1987 "Year Zero" Performer - Chrysalis Records/MTV
1984 University of Texas R.T.F/Electrical Engineering

Visit www.kevinbooth.com for current project details...

- Freeway Ricky Ross - former L.A. Drug Kingpin

"There is no doubt in my mind that those that are conscious, those that are hit, those that are struck by this film, that this film puts a call to action in them.  We are definitely going to see some things... the truths in this film cannot be denied."

- T Rodgers, original co-founder of the Bloods street gang

CBS Radio (PDF)

AMERICAN DRUG WAR

FOUR STARS (Highest Rating). A mind-altering experience. This is an exceedingly important documentary. It makes a clear case for why the so-called 'war on drugs' has been -- and will continue to be -- such a colossal failure. We have spent billions upon billions of dollars trying to prevent the influx of substances so many Americans demand to have, and the availability of illicit drugs is at an all-time high.

This 'war on drugs' is one of the worst examples of our government's embarrassing close-mindedness and immaturity, not to mention lack of sophistication, bravery, and foresight.

The film depicts the hypocrisy of this failed policy: marijuana and cocaine are illegal, yet alcohol and tobacco are perfectly legal, these latter two substances having caused more damage and ruination than any other substances to which our government has given its stamp of approval.

And speaking of hypocrisy, the film also chronicles the Iran Contra scandal, our government's sickening, morally debauched effort to actually facilitate the introduction of illegal drugs into society, utilizing the profits to finance a wholly illegal military operation.

While Booth quite understandably argues that this 'war' is a ludicrous waste, he is open-minded and intellectually honest enough to show the devastation that drugs (mostly of the legal variety) have wreaked upon close friends and members of his family. So, in the end, he presents a wide-ranging, multi-faceted look at the problem: Yes, drugs destroy lives, but this 'war' has proven to be a meaningless and ill-conceived solution. There's so much to consider here, and Kevin Booth has done an outstanding job of providing the appropriate fodder for contemplation and, hopefully, political action.

-- Todd David Schwartz
Contributing Arts & Entertainment Critic, The Paul Mitchell Show, CBS Radio

The Texas Observer (Blog Article)
By Brad Tyer

This Is Your War On Drugs

Got pot? If so, take comfort that you're one of an estimated 80 million Americans who've at least tried the supposedly dangerous Schedule 1 drug, But do you know where your drug money actually goes? Is it funding terrorists, as the post-9/11 advertising campaign would have you believe?

Well, no, according to American Drug War: The Last White Hope, a compellingly researched new documentary by Austin filmmaker Kevin Booth that does an admirable job of following the money.

In the case of the United States' war on drugs, the modern incarnation of which was launched by Richard Nixon in 1971, Booth makes the case that the ostensible battle is more accurately an economic incentive program for the private prison industry, funded out of self-interest by the Partnership for a Drug Free America (essentially a front group for legal drug industries, i.e. pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and tobacco) and waged by a series of increasingly ineffective administration-appointed Drug Czars, including current title-holder John Walters. You've never heard of him, Booth argues, because the current drug economy is working the way it should: drugs are flowing, prisons are full, and Wall Street is happy.

In painting this ugly picture, Booth traces the connections between the Iran/Contra debacle, infamous Los Angeles street dealer Ricky Ross, controversial CIA-cocaine connection journalist Gary Webb, Oliver North, Panamanian henchman Manuel Noriega, Phoenix's tough-love anti-drug sheriff Joe Arpaio, pro-pot comedian/martyr Tommy Chong, the PATRIOT ACT, and the equally inscrutable war of terror.

Along the way, Booth questions why Afghanistan's heroin production actually increased after the American invasion, gives Clinton-era Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey enough on-camera rope to make him look like a self-satisfied and not entirely bright tool, recontextualizes Osama bin Laden as a drug kingpin propped up by prohibition, and makes a convincing case that the drug war is not so much winnable as fund-able. The Office of National Drug Control Policy is budgeted at $18.5 billion for 2008.

Meanwhile, the burgeoning private prison industry finds itself a beneficiary of the million-plus nonviolent drug offenders currently behind bars in the U.S.

Observer fans will be curious to see reference to staff reporter Forrest Wilder's Daily Texan reporting on the for-profit prison industry, and yet another examination of the drug war gone awry in Tulia, told through interviews with lawyer Jeff Blackburn and recently deceased fall-guy Joe Moore.

Booth's narrative is hardly subtle (though he does manage to make it personal by including the legal and illegal drug-related deaths of his brother and friend), and the slightly ham-handed approach (Booth would have you believe that the solution to all these problems is to be found in Amsterdam-style decriminalization of "organic" drugs like marijuana and mushrooms) does a good job of hammering home the essential point: America's war on drugs is incredibly costly, appallingly ineffective, and irretrievably entrenched.

American Drug War is strong medicine, impeccably sourced, and the DVD - which recently took top honors in four consecutive film festivals - is due to hit stores May 27. If you already agree with its premise, you'll find further ammunition for your next argument. And if the film's hypothesis sounds to you like just another round of paranoid conspiracy-theorizing, you just might learn something from it.

Austin Chronicle (PDF)

What's It Good For?
Kevin Booth examines our country's disastrous 'War on Drugs'
BY JOSH ROSENBLATT

Six years and countless billions of dollars into the global war on terror, it's clear we're in this thing for the long haul. Fortunately for our current policy-makers, the United States has a little experience waging perpetual war against nebulous foes. Take our War on Drugs, now 36 going on 37, which is the perfect example of a war without end, one waged by an ideologically entrenched government against multiple invincible enemies. Each year the budget for this war grows larger, and each year it becomes more profitable for those who support it. Turns out there's money to be made in selling supplies to people bringing drugs into this country and in incarcerating those unlucky enough to get caught holding them.

This is the tangled world director/writer/former Austinite Kevin Booth dives into with his new documentary, American Drug War: The Last White Hope, which is having its Austin premiere this Thursday, Dec. 20, at Antone's before screening on Showtime in March. The film is a two-hour trip through the looking glass of American drug policy, taking viewers from the crack-strewn streets of Los Angeles to the meth-fueled prisons of Arizona, from the halls of Congress to Booth's own family kitchen, in an effort to make sense of a national drug policy that manages to cost $60 billion a year and imprison 1 million nonviolent offenders yet has no discernible effect on the sale or use of drugs. Along the way, Booth introduces us to soldiers from all sides of the war (any movie that features interviews with comedian Tommy Chong, a former drug czar, and the founder of the Bloods street gang is doing something right) and takes us inside the vast, corporate prison-industrial complex/CIA-funded machine profiting off its proliferation.

If you're beginning to suspect American Drug War is some kind of conspiracy movie (a suspicion that won't be allayed by the fact that Thursday's premiere is being hosted by Alex Jones), Booth assures me the facts are much more harrowing than any theory could ever be. While shooting the film over 41/2 years (during which time he saw several friends and family members die as a result of their own legal addictions to alcohol, tobacco, and over-the-counter medications), he says, "I learned that you don't need to use conspiracy theories to expose what's going on with our government or our world these days."
"Most generations have their own war," he continues. "My parents fought in World War II, but what's going on with this new era of corporatism really is our generation's war. When private corporations become responsible for imprisoning us, sickening us, looting us, I think it's a war." In other words, the Drug War now exists on three fronts: the war against the distributors, the war against the users, and now the war by concerned Americans against government institutions and corporate entities profiting off the casualties of fronts one and two. Who needs bin Laden when we've got ourselves to fight?

Wallingford Neighbors for Peace and Justice

What an incredible film you've produced. We had a nearly SRO crowd of about 160 folks. This was on the evening of the last public testimony at the FCC hearings (scheduled by our commissioners with only a few days notice), and I thought the crowd would be unusually light. Thousands did go to the hearings and we still had a crowd. Clearly there is a hunger for information on this subject.

This is a much longer film than we usually show, but all were still glued to the screen to the end. I haven't seen a film that covered the breadth of a topic like this one in a very long time.

Our panelists all had great points to make and complemented the film well, bringing the issue home to Seattle and Washington State; but the LEAP representative, Matt McCally, was incredible with his very clear explanation of the absurdity of our current drug laws. Council Member Larry gusset discussed the hard statistical facts as they impact us here, as well.

I think that many were not aware of the depth and impact of this drug war. Even some of our savvy political folks where taken aback by some of the information on the Iran Contra affair, particularly the history of Ricky Ross. Our facilitator, Sunil Aggarwal, a researcher in medical geography, esp cannabinoids, thought that the portions on psychedelics, medical applications, and the death and dying aspects were particularly good.

Many had great comments on the bitter-sweet humor in the Sherriff Joe Arpaio story. The testimony of Judge Gray could have been a film all by itself - incredible. The street scenes and interviews were profound. It's amazing that you got the coverage you did (in all portions of the film). Glad you're still with us!

Thanks again for such an incredible film. And for allowing us to be part of it.

All the very best!

Rick Turner
Wallingford Neighbors for Peace and Justice

Cinephelia.com

Title: American Drug War
Director: Kevin Booth
Country: United States
Rating: 8
Reviewer: C Dempsey

America. Home of the free, home of the brave and home of excess. We like to eat, we like to fuck and more importantly we like to get fucked up. Drugs have become a part of our very foundation. Apple pie has given way to China white. A great pudding recipe handed down from your grandmother will get you nowhere, but a solid crystal meth recipe handed down from your uncle Carl will get you everywhere. Is it sad? I'm not sure, but it is a long way from happy. Just in my lifetime drug use has come out from behind closed doors, stereotypes of users have been abolished, it is in the media, it is a part of the people we are... and all of this happened while an invisible war has been in action.

American Drug War is a documentary that will show you just how well the war on drugs is going. And let me tell you it really seems to be going great. Drug use is up, education is down and all while you the taxpayer keep pouring the money in. Seriously, I knew a lot of this stuff from reading my left wing propaganda for years, but man the whole thought of our government running both sides of this war is enough to make anyone's blood pressure rise. As with anything there are going to be non-believers as the film's credits roll. Those same people though have the internet at their fingertips and still don't know that it is for more than downloading music and porn. Eventually Darwin will take over and those people will phase themselves out. For the rest of us, those with a wider grasp for the bigger picture there are films like American Drug War that remind us that we aren't along as we struggle to find truth in the bullshit.

Kevin Booth has constructed a film that is worth more than a watch. American Drug War is worth some serious frontal lobe absorption. The film moves in and out of every aspect of the growth and use of drugs in the American culture. For example, do you remember Oliver North before Fox News fame? All I could remember was his involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal... which he came out a hero. What if I told you that he could be one of the main drivers of the crack epidemic that destroyed the parts of California. I won't tell you though, I'll let Kevin. What if I told you that the spread of crack can be attributed to one central marketing mastermind. I won't tell you about Freeway Ricky Ross though, I'll let Kevin. If you can think it and it has to do with the spread of drugs Booth has it covered. The only agenda that Booth has is promoting a new kind of awareness through the facts that aren't always presented through the media. The facts presented shed some light on the black market. You will realize that you have seen commercials for crack, that you marijuana isn't even close to heroin and that Joe Arpaio is a delusional lunatic.

American Drug War is a serious film and yet another film that questions the intentions of the government who watches over us. The film is full of interview after interview that creates a central idea for the viewer to walk away from and break down. I loved the footage with Tommy Chong, truly a great camera capture. Booth got close to Joe Arpaio and showed me how far to the right a person can possibly go. The gem in the film to me however was the interview footage with Freeway Ricky Ross. Booth did not get into the prison to sit with Ross, the conversations take place over the phone. I believe this works out better than an actual in person would have. For some reason when you hear Ross' voice you don't hear a drug dealer, you hear a man. With no image for you to look at, no prison blues, Ross comes across like the common man. He comes across like a man you can believe. Maybe this fooled me, but I like to think not. I guess though that very idea on Ross sums up the movie pretty well. The film isn't over your head, it isn't too smart for it's own good, it isn't tailored for a side. The film is a question, a question in tolerance. The tolerance of American citizens putting up with the bullshit of their government versus the tolerance of the US government on it's drug using citizens.

THCene - Martin Muncheberg "Berlin"

AMERICAN DRUG WAR

Es war fast zwei Uhr morgens, als ich Kevin Booth in Los Angeles anrief. Fur ihn war der spate Nachmittag die bevorzugte Tageszeit fur ein ausfuhrliches Gesprach uber Drogen, Politik, Versagen und seinen Film:

Obwohl ich zunachst nur eine Rohschnitt-Fassung des Films sehen konnte, erschien mir das politische Potential dieser spannenden Dokumentation gewaltig zu sein und ich war uberaus beeindruckt. Diesem Film ist ein groBes Publikum zu wunschen, da er sehr kritisch, aber auch auf unterhaltsame Weise den amerikanischen "War on Drugs" analysiert. Die Ruckschlusse aus dieser Analyse scheinen unglaublich und sind doch logisch. Und beangstigend dazu.

Text: Martin Muncheberg

English Translation

AMERICAN DRUG WAR it was nearly two o'clock in the morning, when I called Kevin Booth in Los Angeles. For it the late afternoon was the preferential time of day for a detailed discussion over drugs, politics, failure and its film: Although I could see first only one raw cut version of the film, the political potential of this exciting documentation appeared to me to be enormous and I was extremely impressed. A large public is to be wished to this film, since it was very critically, in addition, in unterhaltsame way the American "on Drugs" analyzed. The conclusions from this analysis seem unbelievable and are nevertheless logical. And frightening to it.

Text: Martin Muencheberg

Further information: www.sacredcow.com

Ain't it Cool News

Elston Gunn Interviews Director Kevin Booth Of AMERICAN DRUG WAR

I'm Elston Gunn...

Kevin Booth's film AMERICAN DRUG WAR, an eye-opening and compelling examination of the war on drugs, won the Best Documentary awards at both the DIY and Evil City film festivals, the latter of which featured filmmakers Morgan Spurlock and Mary Harron as judges.

Additionally, High Times magazine gave the film four full buds, it's highest rating (no pun intended). Booth, who authored the book BILL HICKS: AGENT OF EVOLUTION about his best friend and notable cult comedian, was inspired by the loss of those close to him to legal substances to try and make sense of what is dubbed "the longest, most costly and destructive war in American history." And oh, the things he discovers. Three minutes into the doc we are told the main source of funding for Partnership of a Drug Free America comes from the tobacco and alcohol industries. Booth captures the perspectives from a former LAPD narcotics officer, gang members, prisoners, cops, a sheriff, a former New Mexico governor, civil rights attorneys, Tommy Chong and Ricky Ross from jail and a host of others.

AMERICAN DRUG WAR along with the Bill Hicks karate comedy epic NINJA BACHELOR PARTY will be screening at the Druid Underground Film Festival at the Il Corral in Los Angeles this Sunday, March 11, at 7 pm.

Booth took some time to answer questions for AICN.

[Elston Gunn]: You were prompted by the alcohol, cigarette and prescription drug related deaths of family members and friends to personally find out exactly why these drugs are legal and others are not. At what point did you realize you should make a documentary about this? Where did you start?

[Kevin Booth]: When my mom was dying from liver failure, she was in an ICU unit with several others facing the same fate, all from a life of hard drinking. I was hit with this horrible smell that sickened me so deeply that I instantly lost my appetite for alcohol. After attending my third funeral in a row, I realized that the corporate culprits, Smirnoff, Dewar's, RJ Reynolds, DuPont and others, would never be punished. Perhaps the last straw that angered me was the brilliant Nick & Norm ad campaign launched by the post-9/11 Bush administration in which the government was claiming that pot smokers support terrorism. So, in a way, this three and a half year journey has been fueled by hatred for a government that has long sold out to corporations.

[EG]: At any point did you think the topic was too broad? From prisons to medical marijuana,to gangs to the CIA and Afghan poppy farmers to Joe Rogan smoking weed on camera, you could've made a miniseries.

[KB]: It's a good thing you didn't see the first cut. I suppose my aim with this film was to show the many fronts that this war is being waged against the American people. I guess the trick is getting all these subjects together in one film and not having it feel like the ramblings of a schizophrenic. Hopefully, the final edit currently under way will achieve this, but perhaps someday it could be a miniseries.

[EG]: Why do you think the drug war seems to be such a huge failure? Is it simply money?

[KB]: For those waging the war it has been an incredible success, it's a perfect business model, the government profits from distributing drugs into the ghettos of America and then profits from locking people up for using those drugs. The drug war is only a failure for the rest of us who must suffer from the greed of these corporate shills.

[EG]: The privatization of prisons and the part that plays in the drug war was particularly fascinating. When did you first learn about that?

[KB]: It's the coincidences that kill me, such as during the Reagan administration, oddly enough, we had mandatory minimum sentencing for drug possession. Reagan's Drug Act that made the penalties for crack a hundred times worse than powdered cocaine and, lo and behold, private corporations being allowed to build and run prisons. What's the point of building all those new Wal-Mart's if you can't fill them with customers?

[EG]: The comparison of the Prohibition era to the drug war was interesting and you raised the question "Is meth a modern day moonshine?" Plus, you had people who were unfamiliar with meth in Amsterdam.

[KB]: The problem is that most young people today don't know anything about Prohibition. It's interesting to note that Prohibition didn't end because they decided booze was good for glaucoma or even some moral issue. The number one killer drug, alcohol, was legalized because they realized it was so profitable. People should also note that when alcohol was made legal the moonshine business became non profitable. When the police ask users if they prefer crystal meth to cocaine they never add "what if cocaine was cheap?" Because when I ask meth head tweakers that question they always say they would rather have cocaine.

Why would people do crystal meth if they could have a real drug that comes from the Earth? I wish everyone who considers themselves to be a Christian would examine the organic basis of the drug laws in Amsterdam. Do you trust guys in white lab coats who only answer to a board of directors, or do you trust a plant that has been growing on this Earth long before mankind existed? Believing that both evolution and all of the religions that preach brotherhood are true, I'm am going to have to go with God and not the lab guys, even if he or she is only the lesser of two evils.

[EG]: In your own words what was it about Ricky Ross' story that you felt was important to the film as opposed to other individuals you could have talked to?

[KB]: To me the story of Freeway Ricky Ross is as American as apple pie a la crack. Not only is it the "Scarface" rags-to-riches tale, it's also the story of Oliver North and the Iran Contra scandal that most Americans seemed to have forgotten. It's outrageous enough that Rick is the only one of those guys serving time, but the co-conspirators of North/Reagan are back to their old tricks working in the new Bush White House. For those of you rolling your eyes, Google "Crack & CIA."

[EG]: Interesting that you have a former smuggler, a former DEA agent and a former Republican governor of New Mexico essentially saying the same similar things.

[KB]: I guess its nice to know that folks on both sides of the law are still willing to tell the truth even though it may not always be the most profitable choice. I believe that this tidal wave of indignation focused toward the Bush administration is long overdue. It's like a domino effect; once people wake to the scam of Waco, Okalahoma City or 9/11 all these phony drug laws become more and more politically obvious. I thank God that the average American seems to have gotten over the "the government cares about me" hurdle that everyone seemed to be stuck on after 9/11.

[EG]: I'm sure investigative journalist Gary Webb was someone you would've really wanted to interview, whose story prompts me to ask... any concern for your safety? Mike Ruppert said some pretty ballsy things, too.

[KB]: I know it may sound trite, but Gary Webb was one of the next people I was going to interview when I got the news about his "death" - "suicide" - "assassination?" But for me I'm not really worried, because it's not like I'm pointing fingers at individual people like Ruppert or Webb. I mean, nobody ever got harmed exposing an evil government or corporation, did they? I mean, the government and the large corporations care about me, why would they want to harm me?

If the DEA says smoking POT will kill you and Bush's Texas body-double Rick Perry has mandated every young woman to take a cancer vaccination or they will face penalties, you got to believe it's true! Of course, the fact that Merck Pharmaceutical gave Rick Perry a quarter million dollars is pure coincidence. The drug war is proof positive that they care about us like a rancher cares about his herd. It's PROFIT & CONTROL.

[EG]: How important do you think it is to focus on the decriminalization of drugs versus legalization? Sometimes people use the terms synonymously, but there is a difference.

[KB]: I would be lying if I told you that we should legalize crystal meth, or many other strong drugs that will cause people to do crazy things. That said, does someone belong in prison for possessing these substances? And how do you draw a line between the type of person who would sell to a child or someone who is responsible and simply wishes to use behind closed doors, perhaps harming themselves, but not harming others. Seems like the basis of all laws in a free country should be based on Ye Old Ten Commandments deal.

Though shalt not Steal, Kill, Rape, you know all the real crimes. But as Republican Governor Gary Johnson says "we give people in some cases longer sentences for possession of marijuana than we do for murder or rape." I would like to hear Mr. DEA or Mr. Undercover Narc explain that one when someday he or she must pass through the pearly gates. "You see, God, we decided this plant you left growing everywhere poses too much of a threat to our entire industrial, war, pharmaceutical, prison machine... AHHH OK, you caught me, I just wanted to keep my job and I didn't care whose lives I destroyed."

[EG]: What was the most surprising aspect of the drug war to you?

[KB]: That none of these gung ho drug warriors have the guts to be on camera. In a way I really respect Sheriff Joe because he has the balls to allow everyone to see who he is, which is more then I can say for the bulk of them. If you're willing to ruin people's lives because of your personal beliefs, then have the balls to stand up and say why. But they don't because its all a bunch of gray-haired fearful little men who fight to protect Nixon's fraudulent war that in turn protects their profit margins.

Most every black person living in the ghetto will tell you that they hate the police. I don't hate the police; I hate the fact that these drug warriors are using my tax money to pay police for basically protecting the interests of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Pharmaceutical corporations. Don't take my word for it, look up the yearly death stats of all illegal drugs vs. Alcohol, Tobacco and Pharmaceutical.

Then look up the yearly death stats of marijuana and ask yourself, "Why would they lock people up for this?" Superior Court judge Jim Gray puts it best, "Eighty five percent of all illegal drug users only use marijuana, so if you took marijuana out of the equation, the entire drug war machine would crumble." It breaks my heart to think of all those prison guards losing their jobs, and they couldn't start selling drugs because if you end the drug war, dealing would cease to be profitable. Maybe all these drug warriors would be forced to get educations and real jobs. I'm a dreamer!

[EG]: What have been some of the biggest challenges in making the film and getting it seen?

[KB]: Prisons are as hard to get in as they are to get out, especially these private prisons. I think I could have had an easier time finding Bin Laden than what I went through trying to interview Tommy Chong while in federal prison. I also wanted to portray gangs in a different light, because I'm so sick of the same tired headline about the murderous gangs of Los Angeles, I always knew that these are people who are just playing the cards they have been dealt.

I highly recommend BASTARDS OF THE PARTY out on HBO to learn the true history of gangs in Los Angeles. I'm no journalist, who am I kidding, I'm so involved in everyone's lives now its ridiculous. I helped Bloods co-founder get a Paypal account and web site, trodgers.com, and I plan on starting a business with Ricky Ross when he gets released, not because he is some famous kingpin with his own BET special, AMERICAN GANGSTER, but because he is one smart motherfucker who I happen to like and respect as a person. (I could start the Adopt-a-Crack-Kingpin Foundation for guilty white people.)

[EG]: Any advice for aspiring documentarians?

[KB]: God, you better LOOOOVE your subject, and make sure the people your surrounded with are prepared to watch you transform into an obsessed single minded broken record. My poor wife, Trae, has been listening to me ramble every single day for the last 1350 days about the drug war, but I could have never done it without her. I'm coming on four years now, and even though I have won best documentary at the Evil City fest in NYC and the DIY fest in Hollywood, I am still working on the gersh-dang thing. Four years ago, I thought I would film for a few months and edit for a few months then watch the big bucks come rolling in. Classically, I chose a subject that is just so huge and complicated, but, truth-be-told, I love working on it and I will miss it when its all over.

[EG]: What projects are you working on next?

[KB]: After three years of doom and gloom I could use a change of pace. I'm currently in talks with director Curt Johnson about several different projects from a HALF BAKED pot comedy to another serious doc about the Patriot movement in Texas. The other night I actually attended a private Bloods rally to investigate the idea of setting a different type of story in a certain South Central neighborhood. At the rally I was exposed to this brown cylindrical shaped object with smoke trickling out of one end that caused me to become disoriented, the gang members call them "Blunt" or "da-Blunt?" I'll be able to tell you more about this curious artifact when the test results come back from the lab.

[EG]: I know you were close friends with Bill Hicks, any upcoming Hicks-related plans?

[KB]: Many American Hicks fans don't know that I have a book out on Harper Collins U.K,. BILL HICKS: AGENT OF EVOLUTION, available at sacredcow.com. Yes, there is a new Hicks doc in the works and it looks like it will be the best one yet, but my pale-skinned pals across the pond want to keep a lid on it for now.

For more info and updates on AMERICAN DRUG WAR, Hicks, Alex Jones, and other works of Kevin Booth check out SacredCow.com

Elston Gunn, elstongunn@hotmail.com, http://www.myspace.com/elstongunnaicn

High Times Magazine
Magazine Article by Mary Ought Six

Inspired by the tragic loss of his best friend, savvy and lovably raunchy comedian Bill Hicks, plus three members of his immediate family to "legal drugs"--inlcuding alcohol, tobacco and prescribed pharmeceuticals--director Kevin booth set out to make sure that he was "not the next victim of the Drug War." His documentary, The Last White Hope: America's War on Drugs, takes and ambitious and comprehensive look at the history of America's longest losing battle.

Starting off with Bush Sr. and the media's "encouragement" of crack cocaine use by their wide-spread plugs of "America's most profitable and addictive substance," the movie befriends infamous kingpin dealer Freeway Ricky Ross, the man some say is solely responsible for the rise of crack out of LA's South Central, and other say was led with a golden carrot by the CIA and Oliver North. It is Ricky who labels the Drug War "the last white hope," noting that the judge, jury, police officers, attorneys and DEA agents who convicted him were all white.

Racism is a running theme as a tool to keep government profits rolling in, and in some cases points to ethnic cleansing, as in the 1999 Tulia, TX, drug sting that put 10 percent of that city's black population behind bars in one fell swoop.

Then there's Sheriff Joe Arpaio with his painted tanks proudly advertising Maricopa County's personal War on Drugs. The sheriff is shown inflicting his own brand of psychological torture throughout "Tent City," requiring prisoners to take--with a smile--signed postcards of himself and the rescue dogs enjoying indoor air-conditioning while inmates bake in the Phoenix heat.

If you hate the Drug War--and I know you do--you're going to love this documentary from Booth and production company Sacred Cow. Brace yourself for Afghani opium, interviews with a former drug czar and Amsterdam's lone crack connoisseur, and the basic bad-guy bedlam in this informative documentary.

-- Mary Ought Six