America's Longest War

Synopsis

AMERICA'S LONGEST WAR is a documentary about the extraordinary costs of the US government's 40-year war on drugs. Drug prohibition has failed. Drug usage rates have not declined, and illegal drugs are more available-and cheaper-than ever before. At the same time, the costs of the drug war are staggering. More than $1 trillion taxpayer dollars have been spent. More than 50,000 SWAT raids occur each year. Hundreds of thousands of non-violent drug offenders are wasting their lives away in prison at our expense. And more than 60,000 people have been murdered in Mexico over the past six years. AMERICA'S LONGEST WAR tells the stories of some of the victims of the drug war and, more importantly, points to a viable alternative approach to drug policy.