Monday, 18 April 2011

Two films

I was able to see a few films at the MTV International Harm Reduction Film Festival while I was in Beirut. Some of them are available online so I thought I'd share them with you.

This snappy and humorous film takes a look at snus as a tobacco harm reduction strategy:






And the video below is from the splendidly named documentary Howard Marks On Drugs. The full film is not available online but this is the unedited footage of Marks' interview with our old friend David Nutt. I don't dislike Professor Nutt, really I don't. I just find it frustrating that someone can talk so much sense about drugs while talking so much rubbish about drink.

In this interview, note how many times the Nuttmeister drags the conversation back to alcohol (and, hence, onto the cutting room floor). Marvel as he claims that liver disease will be Britain's number one killer within 12 years (very unlikely indeed). Be amazed as he insists that alcohol is "wiping out the NHS" (no it's not). Splutter as he claims that alcohol is a third of the price as it was when he were a lad (utter nonsense).

Having said that, when he sticks to talking about drugs, he's on the money. Nobody's perfect.



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5 comments:

  1. James Higham19 April 2011 at 12:00

    It's not the alcohol of course but the usage of it and that comes down to people, in the end. Leave us all alone to get on with life, don't tax us to death or Elfansafetee us and everything will be fine.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Becky Johnson19 April 2011 at 16:26

    In the United States, cannabis is a schedule 1 substance, meaning the govt. has claimed it has no beneficial qualities (tell THAT to people wasting away on AIDS!). Yet there has never been a death from an overdose of cannabis. The criminalization forces are so well paid--cops,lawyers,judges, bailiffs, guards, jailers, etc--that they are the most obstructive element to changing the laws.

    Even in LIBERAL Santa Cruz, my home town!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Karl Fasbracke29 April 2011 at 15:47

    I can't help but express my happiness about two things:

    First I am very happy about having found Christopher Snowdon. I also wanted to read a book about the history of the anti-smoking movement and now I found that I don't have to write one myself.

    Second I just came back from Sweden with three rolls of snus from the airport tax-free shop.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tim Haigh3 May 2011 at 03:30

    The clear message about snus is harm reduction. Snus is the only thing that has kept me of cigarettes for a few years now. I am in the UK and it is all gone wrong now that no snus can be delivered to the UK anymore. I am now flying to Sweden every 2 months to stock up on snus. Ryan Air will be pleased. The Snus Ban is actually killing people.

    ReplyDelete
  5. harold21 October 2011 at 10:50

    Full Movie, (Howard Marks On Drugs) can be viewed here:

    http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi1162844697/

    ReplyDelete

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