The House I Live In review

Eugene Jarecki documents the USA's 40-year-long war on drugs

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The disastrous social/economic consequences of America’s 40-year-long ‘war on drugs’ are explored in Eugene Jarecki’s informative and saddening documentary.

Criss-crossing the States, and drawing on interviews with those personally connected to the criminal justice system, The House I Live In persuasively argues that punitive laws against users have historically involved disproportionately targeting poor, non-white communities.

One of the most incisive talking heads is The Wire creator David Simon: “What drugs haven’t destroyed,” he says, “the war against drugs has.”