Nothing new or groundbreaking is presented in the series. However, in a world where nearly all education on drugs is politicized in some way in favor of advocating the "war on drugs", the presentation of the material seeks and, in my opinion, successfully serves to re-baseline public knowledge of the black market of various drugs in a simple, digestible and entertaining way - suitable and obtainable for the massive Netflix audience to consume. This series knows what it is, knows what it is trying to convey, knows the audience, and executes its objectives well.
45 Reviews
Mixed feelings
malikvandenb14 July 2020
Let's start with the positive!
-Great visuals
-Impressive access
-Interesting experts
-Smooth editing
The negatives; -Miss CIA operative can't help but mention her CIA background every 5 minutes. -Objectivity is out the window. To me that's a faux pas in documentaries!
The negatives; -Miss CIA operative can't help but mention her CIA background every 5 minutes. -Objectivity is out the window. To me that's a faux pas in documentaries!
It's about the BUSINESS of drugs
sandyrock-0513821 July 2020
Excellent coverage of the business of drugs globally. A lot of the reviewers have complained that it didn't deal with social issues, health issues, and so forth. But that's not what the intent of this limited series is or was. Well done and nicely articulated by Amaryllis Fox. I, personally, enjoyed learning a few things about her along the way. Interesting woman. Reminds me of some of Lisa Ling's work. (Did anyone else notice her appearance change between when she was traveling and interviewing and then when she was sitting in the studio narrating?)
Not bad
dialogical_01015 July 2020
I am Loving This Documentary!
kristi237414 July 2020
It is about time that someone spoke the TRUTH about the war on drugs. It does not work! Ron Paul has been saying this since the 1980s. Columbia's people suffer, private US prisons bank, and petty drug users are criminalized for the rest of their lives. One felony conviction for drugs as a young adult will follow you for the rest of your life. You cannot get an apartment, a job, or even student loans to better yourself. These criminals get stuck in a hopeless cycle and often stay in and out of prison the rest of their lives. Why not focus on decriminalization and ACTUAL rehabilitation? Oh, but then then private prisons would not make any money. Our prisons are over crowded with drug users. It is a vicious cycle, and I am so happy this documentary series was made.
Right under my nose
kcrew9825 July 2020
After having watched hit shows like The Wire, Breaking Bad, Ozark, Narcos, and Weeds, it was refreshing to watch a documentary from a different lens, one connecting all of the dots from a seemingly credible source; a former CIA analyst who once created an algorhitm to identify terrorist safe havens.
Not all episodes are equally engaging, but the format faciliates simple explanations through business fundamentals. By tying those explanations to the human need for survival over less preferable or unrewarding alternatives, the series is able to weave together a phenomenon that stretches the globe from the unlikelist, yet unsurprising sources. A gripping combination of masked and unmasked field interviews from suppliers, couriers, peddlers, and 'business' owners humanizes the stories, leaving the viewer to weigh the pros or cons of the war on drugs vs. legalization.
If you're a diehard fan of the shows mentioned earlier or looking for an introduction, then this series should complement perfectly.
Not all episodes are equally engaging, but the format faciliates simple explanations through business fundamentals. By tying those explanations to the human need for survival over less preferable or unrewarding alternatives, the series is able to weave together a phenomenon that stretches the globe from the unlikelist, yet unsurprising sources. A gripping combination of masked and unmasked field interviews from suppliers, couriers, peddlers, and 'business' owners humanizes the stories, leaving the viewer to weigh the pros or cons of the war on drugs vs. legalization.
If you're a diehard fan of the shows mentioned earlier or looking for an introduction, then this series should complement perfectly.
Stay away from drugs.
REXNE5 October 2020
Drugs
m_winship19 July 2020
The big six highly addictive drugs in America are examined thoroughly and scientifically. The world is so intertwined and connected today you might even call the drug scourge an epidemic of sorts. FOX does a great job examining each one thoroughly and in depth, without prejudice or politicizing them. It's a very good and quick introduction to the big ones on the market today. Keep in mind though, how drugs help our every day lives, and facilitate help for chronic pain sufferers. Pax, Murf
Powerful & Informing
katanalilli16 July 2020
Greaty visuals, diverse topics and locations and what I especially appreciate is the number of perspectives the episodes show. So called criminals, doctors, users, law enforcement... while the host doesn't always hold her personal opinion back, people with different takes on the matter have a voice. I felt educated and informed.
VERY INTERESTING!
gwenrocks7915 September 2020
I am a huge fan of Amaryllis Fox which is why I watched. I found every episode to be very informative, entertaining, sad, scary, and interesting. My only issue is that I wanted MORE of every episode!
**To those who keep bashing Amaryllis for looking so different during the show, she was PREGNANT! She was extremely swollen all over which is why she looks like she had face/lip injections. Plus what a stupid thing to comment about anyway!
Its good but not the best
youssefbahrawy1 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I liked the idea of making a documentary of the subject here, but there is so much actors and they just try to bring big numbers on the screen for you and why you bring actors wearing a mask on their face (I'm fully aware that there is no dealer in the world would sacrifice of being shown on camera , I've dealt with a lot of dealers and i know how paranoid are they ) u should have explain more on the drug than showing some a different movie scene of the drug use ) and showing a face of a farmer in meth episode, u don't know if one of the officials see that episode what would happen to her ( I'm pretty sure she accepted to show her face but she definitely don't know the consequences) we need a real documentry not partially fake one.
No one wants to see your own biography
glutz-0741019 July 2020
True of Drugs
hassonor-562524 September 2020
A documentary series about drug smuggling around the world.
Reviews all stages of drug distribution. The economic viability of the Enship to participate in the process, the fears, the dangers, the endless demands.
Attempts by countries to eradicate the phenomenon and the expansion of global use following globalization, among other things, have been unsuccessful.
A very intriguing and interesting program.
Made excellent. Highly recommend it.
Awesome production
enriquemongen17 July 2020
Timely & Necessary
pritchardmark28 July 2020
If this show can start a grown up conversation about the failure of the war on drugs & the potential impact of legalizing them instead, then Amaryllis Fox will have helped save millions of lives. And that's just from the drug trade directly. Think about the impact on police budgets & mass incarceration.
Pretty good show
negxrage29 January 2021
So far it's been a good show other than the marijuana episode. It is very inaccurate. Canada triples The United States of America in Cannibas sales and production. The number 1 marijuana producer in the world is in Leamington Ontario. Ontario alone produces and sells half the amount that all of the U.S. does. Aphria is the biggest marijuana producer and seller in the world
Wanted more
mihkelm122 July 2020
I expected more analysis and thoroughness from this show, but it recedes to well known talking points: poor farmers don't have a choice, large inequalities in source countries, all is driven by demand in US, efforts to curtail drug trafficking are pointless, criminalization doesn't consider therapeutic effects of drugs.
All of this is at partly true, but world is more complicated. Drugs impact is not only to bring joy to the customer and the traffickers are not all hapless people drawn to their trade by destiny and poor family circumstances. Drugs have a dark side the show misses. It only hints at them.
All of this is at partly true, but world is more complicated. Drugs impact is not only to bring joy to the customer and the traffickers are not all hapless people drawn to their trade by destiny and poor family circumstances. Drugs have a dark side the show misses. It only hints at them.
Very nice show
pratikmehta-736158 August 2020
Dr Yasmin...
etdj-1690016 July 2020
I love the explanation of what you think happens when people take these drugs. But if you ever taken any of what you talk about? I only say this because the way that you describe them in my opinion is completely false to many of us you've taken a lot of these.
It provides a fine overview but it's too shallow
haslov17 July 2020
I've so far only watched the first episode which is about coke. Despite me not knowing particularly much about drugs, the show didn't provide me much enlightenment on the issue.
Their main arguments for how it still was profitable was basically Supply and Demand combined with poverty in the places that grows the coco plant. Neither of these conclusions should come as a surprise if you know just a tiny bit about how various places and socioeconomic.
The only part I liked was that it explained the chain and how various actors worked on various parts of the chain, where it was the most profitable, but also where it was the most dangerous. That part was nice, the rest was too shallow.
Their main arguments for how it still was profitable was basically Supply and Demand combined with poverty in the places that grows the coco plant. Neither of these conclusions should come as a surprise if you know just a tiny bit about how various places and socioeconomic.
The only part I liked was that it explained the chain and how various actors worked on various parts of the chain, where it was the most profitable, but also where it was the most dangerous. That part was nice, the rest was too shallow.
Soft Political Propaganda Sandwiched by Some Good Info
There-I-Said-it17 July 2020
The Business of Drugs has some good info if you are new to the subject matter and and an engaging host to guide us through it. If you have watched things like this before however it doesn't really break any new ground other than the subtle political drops.
The first "hold on a sec" moment was, calling FARC "far right", when in reality FARC was a Marxist-Leninist rebel group.
From the Wiki, Ideology: Marxism-Leninism, Guevarism, Bolivarianism, Revolutionary socialism, Left-wing nationalism, Foco theory
Political position: Far-left
There is also the insinuation that legalizing cocaine might curb the black market. Obviously that would not be true (production costs, transportation, taxation, etc.) and the black market would still thrive. Also, Legalization would only introduce the product to more consumers as we are seeing with cannabis.
Strangely the legalization theory is undermined later in the documentary when bringing up the thriving black market with legal marijuana. Stranger still is the assertion of how marijuana is being used to keep black men in legal troubles so they can't vote and thus ensuring there will not be another Obama in the White House (sic). I'm not making this up, they said this, in a documentary that is supposed to be giving us facts. There is also mention that the high start up cost of legal marijuana is racist and sexist. Yeah, they said that too.
Add in another slight on conservatives and another remark blaming capitalism for the fentanyl crisis that in their opinion can be solved with more government and more regulations. A quick skim through the credits and I see the name Bloomberg, yep, that one.
It's a shame Netflix has these types of documentaries that seem to be soft political messages hiding inside of compelling subjects and some decent information. I think I just might stick to movies if this is going to be the case
The first "hold on a sec" moment was, calling FARC "far right", when in reality FARC was a Marxist-Leninist rebel group.
From the Wiki, Ideology: Marxism-Leninism, Guevarism, Bolivarianism, Revolutionary socialism, Left-wing nationalism, Foco theory
Political position: Far-left
There is also the insinuation that legalizing cocaine might curb the black market. Obviously that would not be true (production costs, transportation, taxation, etc.) and the black market would still thrive. Also, Legalization would only introduce the product to more consumers as we are seeing with cannabis.
Strangely the legalization theory is undermined later in the documentary when bringing up the thriving black market with legal marijuana. Stranger still is the assertion of how marijuana is being used to keep black men in legal troubles so they can't vote and thus ensuring there will not be another Obama in the White House (sic). I'm not making this up, they said this, in a documentary that is supposed to be giving us facts. There is also mention that the high start up cost of legal marijuana is racist and sexist. Yeah, they said that too.
Add in another slight on conservatives and another remark blaming capitalism for the fentanyl crisis that in their opinion can be solved with more government and more regulations. A quick skim through the credits and I see the name Bloomberg, yep, that one.
It's a shame Netflix has these types of documentaries that seem to be soft political messages hiding inside of compelling subjects and some decent information. I think I just might stick to movies if this is going to be the case
Stopped watching
nailsn23 July 2020
Completely biased garbage
ivanmckinnon18 July 2020
Complete drivel. Garbage that ignores the realities and destruction hard drugs cause, ignores/horribly marginalizes the realities of chronic pain sufferers and ignores how politicians of both the left and the right have contributed to the sky-rocketing hard drug problem in every corner of North America. Episode 4 glorifies a user who sells to friends and attempts to absolve her of all responsibility through silly, irrational arguments. Both hosts/narrators have massive delusions of grandeur and extreme left wing bias. The quote about capitalism was particularly unintelligent amongst a ton of unintelligent comments.
Biased propaganda
stefboot-229-2729120 July 2020
Blows my mind how Netflix can broadcast such biased view of drugs, also including political propaganda. Sad. The episodes are made with quality regarding most other parameters, which make people look, but increases the sense of shallowness looking at this. It is sad because there is a great need for nuance in this context. I guess nuance doesnt sell as much. Grasping this context comes with way greater sense of responsibility and journalistic quality than I see here. In fact it seems more based on social media morality.
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