Dealing With the Demon

As late as 1953, heroin was still the Australian medical community's drug of choice for women in labor, and judging from this decidedly liberal take on the world's heroin problem, they're still a little miffed at having this particular tool removed from their collective medical handbag. Chris Hilton and David Roberts' alternately thought-provoking and tabloid level examination opens with some rather chilling stats that are difficult to ignore: primary among them, the fact that the drug trade is the second largest business in the global village (right behind that perennial favorite, weaponry). The opening episode, The Seeds of War, traces the blame for the huge opiate trade straight to the former imperialist power Great Britain, recounting the role opium played in 19th century British-Chinese diplomacy, which led to the infamous Opium Wars. By the late 1800s, the United States was involved in a big way, adding opiates to everything from cough syrup to refreshment drinks. 1914 saw an abrupt turnabout as the moral reformers-led by Harry Anslinger-initiated the early war on drugs, resulting in such propaganda classics as 1936's Reefer Madness. Interwoven with this history is the story of budding NYC actress Kate McClure's (this film will no doubt be added to her résumé) chic addiction. Sadly, one of McClure's friends died six weeks after a McClure drug party (naturally, the camera went back for the reaction and the obligatory I-now-see-the-errors-of-my-ways speech). The other two episodes in the series examine the Eastern drug trade (also chronicled in The Heroin Wars [VL-5/97]) and suggest alternatives to the-admittedly-woefully ineffective traditional punishment-based approach. Combining a good historical overview with challenging notions for contemporary solutions, Dealing With the Demons is--excepting its detours into Geraldo-land--a provocative look at the heroin epidemic. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)