“American Drug War” returns to Showtime August 1

July 31, 2009 - PRLog -- There have been many changes on the front lines of the war on drugs - some good, some bad - since the Showtime premiere of American Drug War in March of ‘08.  After close to a year of repeated airings, many of those in positions to make a change have had the opportunity to see the documentary.  The election of President Obama has brought us a new Drug Czar who claims he wants to end the Drug War as we know it; but at the same time, the prisons continue to be filled at record rates. More changes are happening at the same time that American Drug War is returning to Showtime (http://www.sho.com/site/schedules/product.do?episodeid=131464&seriesid=0&seasonid=0).

The American Drug War DVD (http://americandrugwar.com)  is available in stores and online with over three hours of bonus features. You can watch the film online for free at Netflix (http://www.netflix.com), or buy discounted from Amazon and from the filmmaker directly at Sacred Cow Productions (http://sacredcow.com)

In a sad and ironic twist, on the same day ADW starts back on Showtime, former DEA agent, Vietnam veteran, and co-star of the film, Celerino ‘Cele’ Castillo III, reports to a federal prison in El Paso, Texas, on charges of selling guns at a gun show with no license - a widespread practice that seems to go unpunished for those who don’t expose the government; a government they served for 17 years (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELqJSiu3cuw).  Coincidently, Cele was arrested the day after ADW originally premiered on Showtime.  Cele reported to ADW director Kevin Booth in a recent interview available online (http://sacredcow.com/cele_715.mp3) that while he was face down on the ground in handcuffs, he was told by the arresting officer, “I watched you on TV last night.” While one ADW star is headed to prison, another – former drug kingpin Freeway Ricky Ross – is on his way out and is currently at a halfway house in Los Angeles.  Booth is currently working on a new reality show that will follow Ross as he adjusts and attempts to make amends to the community for his past.

With regular talk that our country is teetering on financial ruination, politicians once opposed to the legalization of Marijuana are now seeing the economic potential of taxing the growing medical Cannabis industry and new federal and state legislation is currently being proposed.  However, Booth says, “we are still very early in the game - it’s foolish to think we’re anywhere near ending this national nightmare. Please don’t wait until you or someone you care about ends up in prison, get involved now.”  

“To get involved, you first need to get informed. We realize times are tough and buying DVD’s is not exactly a priority for most, so we urge anyone who has been previously touched by the message of American Drug War to please pass it on to a friend anyway you can. Watching films on You-Tube sucks and people rarely sit through something that is in 12 parts, so we ask if you have a Netflix account, please get the film and share it with as many people as possible. If you get Showtime – record it & burn DVD’s – I just want people to see my film the way it was intended to be seen, I feel that’s the only way to really get the message across.”

Another installment in the American Drug War series is coming to DVD in September and will star conspiracy-guru Alex Jones.  Watch for it soon.