Brad Pitt Doesn’t Think The War On Drugs Is Working
Brad Pitt doesn’t think that the United States’ war on drugs has been very successful, according to Reuters. The reasons for his dissatisfaction can be found in the documentary The House I Live In, which just opened in theaters on Friday (October 12). Like Pitt, the film views the battle to curb illegal drugs to be a resounding failure.
“I know people are suffering because of it. I know I’ve lived a very privileged life in comparison and I can’t stand for it,” Pitt explained before a recent screening of the aforementioned film. “It’s such bad strategy. It makes no sense. It perpetuates itself. You make a bust, you drive up profit, which makes more people want to get into it. To me, there’s no question; we have to rethink this policy and we have to rethink it now.”
The film, written and directed by Eugene Jarecki, explores how the war on drugs has affected basic human rights in the United States. The film tackles the subject from a number of different angles in an effort to give audiences the complete picture. After spending so much time investigating the matter, the director has seemingly walked away with a very poor view of US drug policy.
“The ‘tough on crime’ strategy failed. We created a war on drugs, which is a trillion dollars spent over 40 years, 45 million arrests, leading to nothing. Drugs are cheaper, purer, more available than ever before, and used by younger and younger people. Who can stand by that?” Jarecki explained to The Wrap.
The Tree of Life actor feels so strongly about the movie and its message that he’s reportedly signed on as executive producer in order to give the film some added exposure. During his appearance at a recent screening of the picture, Pitt explained that he would have no trouble locating illegal narcotics in any state in the country.
“Hi, everybody. I’m Brad Pitt. And I’m a drug addict,” the actor joked. “Actually, my drug days have long passed, but it’s certainly true that I could land in any city and any state and get you anything you wanted. Just give me 24 hours, and I’ll know where to find it. And yet we still talk about the drug war as if it’s a success.”
Do you agree with Brad Pitt that the US’s war on drugs has been a failure?
