Upcoming Television Programs about Drugs

[motorhead]

Hey guys, I looked and couldnt find a similar thread and i figured I'd put it here. On Jan 20/06, History Television in Canada is airing a program called "The Psychedelic Pioneers" about three scientists reseaching psychoactive drugs, primarily LSD, in of all places Saskatchewan, Canada, from 1950's onward.

I thought other members could post other upcoming programs as well, especially new programs not yet available for upload to the file archive.

Edit: The Psychedelic Pioneers (The History Channel) (http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/local_links.php?action=ratelink&linkid=67&catid=121&lpage=3)

[Alfa]

Moved the topic to the right forum. Please find out if history television has the possiblity to watch the program on their site. If so, please post the link to the movie in the file archive.

[radiometer]

I assume this is about Al Hubbard?

[motorhead]

It says the three scientists are Abram Hoffer, Duncan Blewett, and Humphry Osmond. I had never heard of them and i was surprised to hear that there was such studies going on in Canada at the time.
There is nothing on Historytelevision yet, but there is a 10 min clip on cannibis culture. Ill post the link in the movie archive.

[Alfa]

SASKATCHEWAN DOCTORS 'PSYCHEDELIC PIONEERS'
The press notes for History Television's documentary The Psychedelic Pioneers, about medically motivated drug experiments in the 1950s, point out that in a remote corner of the Prairies, "three gifted Canadian doctors were attempting to unlock the secrets of the human psyche in an unconventional way -- with the use of the drug LSD."
It's debatable whether that would qualify as a legal defence in this day and age, but the documentary profile of how the Saskatchewan doctors first used LSD as a way to understand schizophrenia and later as an aid in psychotherapy and treatment for alcoholism has special significance today, given the renewed debate over legalized drug use.
The Psychedelic Pioneers notes how, when news of LSD's seemingly magical effects first became public, artists, writers and intellectuals like Aldous Huxley were quick to experiment. Huxley would later write about his experiences in his 1956 book The Doors of Perception -- written under the influence, as it were.
Here's another curious trivia note for you: The Psychedelic Pioneers is narrated by Shirley Douglas, whose father, Tommy Douglas, was Premier of Saskatchewan while the docs were doing their mind control experiments. (Saturday on History Television)

[Micklemouse]

More triv for ya - Humphry Osmond is the man responsible for the term 'psychedelic', first used in a letter to Aldous Huxley c1956. So there you are.

[motorhead]

I should have just called this thread "Psychedelic Pioneers". Note that the word psychedelic means "mind-manifesting"

HEAVY HITTERS
In honor of LSD inventor Albert Hofmann, who turns 100 on Jan. 11, we’ve assembled this list of the Top 10 all-time psychedelic pioneers.

http://www.hightimes.com/420images//5_24_hoff_feb361_int.jpgBy Peter Gorman

1. ALBERT HOFMANN
Born on Jan. 11, 1906, in Baden, Switzerland, Albert Hofmann graduated from the University of Zürich with a degree in chemistry and then went to work for Sandoz Pharmaceutical in 1929. Hoping to develop a stimulant for blood circulation, he synthesized lysergic acid from ergot in 1938, which led him to discover lysergic acid diethylamide. It took five years for Hofmann to revisit his LSD-25.

On April 16, 1943, when a minute amount of the chemical entered Hofmann’s bloodstream through his skin, the world’s first acid trip was underway. Suddenly, he went into a “very strange, dreamlike state. Everything changed, everything had another meaning.” Thinking he was ill, he went home to lie down, but the altered state stayed with him. “I would think of something,” he told HIGH TIMES in 1995, “and as soon as I did I could see it. It was wonderful.”

Three days later, Hofmann made a solution with water and five milligrams of LSD, then drank a tiny bit of it, enough to dose himself with 250 micrograms of the drug. The experiment was so intense that he asked his lab assistant to take him home. They rode bicycles. “It was about six kilometers from my lab to my little village, and throughout it I had the feeling that time was standing still,” he recalled. “It was a very unusual feeling, one I’d never had before. There was a change in the experience of life, of time. I was already deep in the LSD trance, in LSD inebriation, and one of its characteristics, just on this bicycle trip, was of not coming from anyplace or going anyplace. There was absolutely no feeling of time.”

At home he had his assistant call a doctor, who sat with him during what he described as a “horribly difficult” experience that lasted several hours. But as it drew to a close, the difficulty turned to happiness. “I saw our world in a new light,” he said. “Our normal world that we don’t normally think of as wonderful, was a wonderful world. It was a rebirth.”

Hofmann and several others at Sandoz knew that for so small a dose to have such a profound effect on human consciousness—while having almost no effect on the human body—it must have been working at the very center of the psychic core of the human brain. To see if they were right, shortly thereafter Sandoz began supervised testing on humans in a psychiatric clinic in Zurich. Based on the results from those early tests (which were published in 1947), Sandoz began distributing one gram of crystalline LSD-25 to investigators around the world under the label Delysid. Each gram was capable of producing between 10,000 and 20,000 trips. The psychedelic revolution had begun.

For 20 years, until it was outlawed in 1966, LSD was used in psychiatry, psychotherapy, addiction therapy and as a creativity enhancer. Banning LSD, however, did nothing to slow down its influence: LSD’s mind-expanding properties would fuel the hippie revolution, influence rock’n’roll and help spawn home computers, the Internet and DNA research.

Hofmann wasn’t finished. When investment banker turned mycologist Gordon Wasson and his wife traveled to Mexico in 1956 and became the first outsiders to take part in a magic-mushroom ceremony, it was Hofmann who was able to isolate the mushroom’s active principles, which he named psilocybin and psilocin, and then to synthesize them. Wasson also introduced Hofmann to another hallucinogenic plant in Mexico, ololuiqui, the seeds of a type of morning-glory flower. (Wasson had acquired the seeds from a Zapotec Indian.) “What we found as the active principle,” Hofmann told HT, “was lysergic acid amide. Very closely related to lysergic acid diethylamide.”

It was an extraordinary find, one that Hofmann said “showed that LSD was not just a laboratory product. It’s closely related, chemically, pharmacologically and psychologically, with an old Indian magic drug. Which means that LSD belongs to the sacred magic plants of Mexico.”

Hofmann, who also invented medicines that help cerebral function, blood circulation and blood-pressure stablization, remained with Sandoz as head of the company’s Pharmaceutical-Chemical Research Laboratories, Division of Natural Products, until he retired in 1971. And while the DEA and governments worldwide shudder at the very notion of the personal freedom and spiritual insight gained by people who utilize LSD, others have heaped acclaim on its inventor. Hofmann is a member of the Nobel Prize Committee, a fellow of the World Academy of Sciences and a member of the International Society of Plant Research. He’s spent the last 30 years writing books and lecturing.

If there are certain occasions in history in which momentous events occur—events that alter the course of life on this planet—certainly the synthesis of LSD is among them. We can all thank Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, who is about to hit the century mark. He must be doing something right.

2. RICHARD SCHULTES
Botanist Richard Schultes’ writings about the use of ayahuasca inspired a generation of seekers, including William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, to travel to the Amazon in search of the magical and visionary medicine. Schultes also turned Gordon Wasson on to the whereabouts of magic mushrooms in Mexico.

3. R. GORDON WASSON
The third member of the Holy Trinity of Psychedelics—along with Hofmann and Schultes—was investment banker R. Gordon Wasson. Following Schultes’ lead, Wasson did magic mushrooms with the Mexican curandera Maria Sabina in 1955. Life magazine published Wasson’s story in 1957. And the Western world has been looking in cow pies ever since.

4. HUMPHREY OSMOND
Psychiatrist Humphrey Osmond turned on author Aldous Huxley and later coined the word “psychedelic.” In 1953, Huxley volunteered for Osmond’s mescaline research, which led to his book The Doors of Perception. In 1956, Osmond wrote to Huxley: “To fathom hell or soar angelic, just take a pinch of psychedelic.” The word, meaning “mind-manifesting,” stuck.

5. ALDOUS HUXLEY
Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception, published in 1954, whet the appetite of the Beat Generation, which flocked to the Southwest to eat peyote, the source of mescaline. Huxley and his wife Laura, also an author, later became spiritual figureheads for a generation of hippies, and the little book became a seeker’s bible.


6. TIMOTHY LEARY
Whereas Hofmann, Schultes, Wasson and Osmond experimented with psychedelics for medical and spiritual reasons, Leary wanted everyone to “turn on, tune in, drop out.” Booted from Harvard for doling out magic mushrooms and LSD in unsanctioned experiments, Leary preached that proper “set and setting” were vital to having a peak experience.


7. RAM DASS
A psychologist who worked with Leary at Harvard, Ram Dass’ experience with psychedelics—first magic mushrooms and then LSD—began in 1961, when he was still known as Richard Alpert. While in India, Alpert rechristened himself Ram Dass. His book Be Here Now remains the perfect companion for tripping.


8. AUGUSTUS OWSLEY STANLEY III
After the Feds outlawed LSD in 1966, Augustus Owsley Stanley III became the first chemist to mass-produce high-quality acid. His Purple Haze, White Lightning and Orange Sunshine are legendary for being the closest in purity to Sandoz’s original LSD-25. Owsley supplied Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters’ Acid Tests, as well as the Grateful Dead.

9. KEN KESEY
Ken Kesey first took psilocybin, mescaline and LSD at a government research program in Menlo Park, CA, in the late ’50s. Following the success of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey and the Merry Pranksters began throwing outlandish parties fueled by Owsley acid, dubbed the Acid Tests and featuring music by the Grateful Dead.

10. TERENCE MCKENNA
While the ’60s had Leary, Kesey, Ram Dass and Allen Ginsberg as their psychedelic spokesmen, the ’80s and ’90s had Terence McKenna. Author, thinker and psychonaut, McKenna proselytized about mushrooms and ayahuasca, the visionary vine of South America—sparking interest in shamanism and psychedelic substances for a new generation.

[motorhead]

Ack!, I totally forgot to watch this on friday. Oh well, im sure they will show it again. Anyone watch this? Any interesting tid bits?

[Micklemouse]

Channel 4 in Briton are currently doing a show called 'Going Cold Turkey', which basically does what it says on the tin. Basically Big Brother does detox, it follows a group of people in detox as they kick h, airing at 9.30 am and 11 pm if I remember rightly. Haven't seen it yet (no telly!) but downloadable using bittorrent from UKNova - you need to register to use the site, and ratios are important, but it's well worth it; if you do register run a search for 'Sacred Weeds'. Also just noticed this on there -" 'Giving Up The Weed' : Actor and rapper J Rock of Big Brovas fame has been smoking marijuana for 14 years and is desperate to give up. This one-hour observational documentary called Giving Up The Weed charts J Rock's struggle to give up one of the constants in his life and witnesses how he copes. Can he shape up and rid his life of the drug in just one month? Will he be able to remain creative and focused and can he change the elements of his life that keep him in contact with weed?
Director: Paul Blake." Shown last night(20/02/06).

[Alfa]

Micklemouse, please post the bittorrent in the file archive: Movies about drugs (http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/local_links.php?catid=43)
If the psychedelic pioneers is available online please post that to. url?

[Micklemouse]

Micklemouse, please post the bittorrent in the file archive: Movies about drugs (http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/local_links.php?catid=43)


I would have done, but the site requires registration to access the torrent, so any link posted will just lead to a 'Not Logged In' message and a request to register if not already a member - it's a torrent, not a stream, so a decent client such as Azureus is also needed to download the actual programmes.

[Alfa]

I wasn't asking for the link. If you have downloaded the torrent, please upload it in the file archive.

[Micklemouse]

I wasn't asking for the link. If you have downloaded the torrent, please upload it in the file archive.



:o I'm a silly sausage - I'll pm ya! :o

[motorhead]

CBS News' 60 Minutes to air Prince of Pot Story This Sunday, March 5
by Marc Emery (29 Feb, 2006) CBS's most awarded journalist Bob Simon investigates the story of Marc Emery, The Prince of Pot.
&Number http://www.cannabisculture.com/library/images/uploads/4678-60minutes.jpgTick, tick, tick, tick...On Sunday, March 5th at 7.00 p.m. in all time zones across North America, CBS News flagship program 60 Minutes will air the story of Marc Emery, Canada's Prince of Pot.

The segment will examine Emery's lifelong battle against prohibition and his unique strategy to accomplish that aim – by selling marijuana seeds around the world. The episode will be seen by approximately twelve to fourteen million viewers across Canada and the United States.

Prestigious CBS journalist Bob Simon interviewed Marc Emery and others, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and Canadian police, to delve into Emery's current predicament of facing extradition to the USA for a prison term of possibly 30 years or more.

Edit for video link: 60 Minutes, Prince of Pot (http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/local_links.php?action=ratelink&linkid=152&catid=-1&lpage=1)

[napoleon in rags]

I watched the whole first season of Weeds. It was pretty fucking lame IMO even though Kevin Nealon is fucking halarious

[motorhead]

CN BC: Extradition Woes Of 'Prince Of Pot' Become Story For 60
(02 Mar 2006) Province British Columbia
B.C.'s "Prince of Pot," Marc Emery, may soon be a household name in the U.S. On Sunday, the CBS News investigative show 60 Minutes will air a segment on Emery, who is facing possible extradition to the U.S. over sales of marijuana seeds through the mail to the U.S.

"Here's a guy who operates openly in Canada," said 60 Minutes reporter Bob Simon. "He's been running his business, running his program to get marijuana legalized and has been completely left alone, which I take it is a reflection of the culture in Vancouver. He's being extradited to face 10 years to life in prison. The situation is so outlandish that it's a story."

Emery is hoping the segment, expected to reach more than 12 million people, will affect viewers, and voters, on both sides of the border. "If I end up in an American prison, both the citizens of America and Canada are responsible for shipping a good person off to jail for life," he said

"7:00 pm sunday night. Approx 17 minute segment. 60 Minutes is available on most satalites. Dont be to concerned about schedualing sunday or if you dont have a dish and not in north america. The Emerey camp has confirmed this will be available for link and torrent afterwards. Some grumblings about going up against the oscars, lack of build up to the show, and some concerns about what CBS will edit. But everyone is super excited here in Canada regardless! moto"

[motorhead]

Lead up story at CBS here:http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/local_links.php?action=ratelink&linkid=152&catid=-1&lpage=1

[~lostgurl~]

3142

Ideal

The down and dirty flipside of Weeds is this unconventional, new BBC3 comedy set in a Manchester drug-dealer's flat. It promises to be addictive viewing for those who hook into its humour.

Airing in NZ on Prime at 11.15pm, Sunday 23rd September 2007

- Has anyone seen this show? Is it any good? Here's an article about it, it was first screened in the UK in 2005

Ideal - new comedy starring Johnny Vegas

Starts on BBC THREE, Tuesday 11 January 2005 at 10.30pm
Introduction Written by Graham Duff with additional material by Tony Burgess

Johnny Vegas plays Moz, a small-time hash dealer who lives in a run-down flat with his long-term girlfriend Nicki.

Moz is a low achiever, and quite happy with it, but Nicki has aspirations for a better life…

The series takes place entirely in Moz’s flat and his chosen 'profession' serves as the backdrop for a very colourful array of customers and misfits who pass through his life on a daily basis.

Ideal mixes pathos with a very dark humour, depicting a world of sex and drugs and the dole.

About the show

Ideal stars St Helens born Johnny Vegas as Moz, a small-time dope dealer.

A co-venture between BBC Comedy and Baby Cow productions, Ideal premieres on BBC THREE in January.

Executive producer and the BBC's Editor of Comedy Kenton Allen said: "I can't think of a better way to kick start our production in the North West than with a show starring Johnny Vegas made in collaboration with Steve Coogan and Henry Normal.

"Ideal combines all of our ambitions for BBC Comedy - the best new talent working with some of the most original minds in British comedy on an innovative, provocative and funny series."

Written by Graham Duff (Combat Sheep, Dr Terrible's House Of Horrible) with additional material by Tony Burgess (Paul And Pauline Calf's Cheese And Ham Sandwich), Ideal gives an insight into Moz's world as Duff explains: "Ideal is primarily about the lives and loves of a small-time cannabis dealer called Moz who lives in Manchester. Moz is very much small-fry in the drugs world really, he's just a little minnow in a big pond. He's a man of principles and won't deal anything other than cannabis and he only deals to a circle of about 20 friends and acquaintances."

Such a large supporting cast provides a rich assortment of characters for Duff to work with. "I really like the idea of a mosaic-approach to story-telling," explains Duff. "A character will call around to see Moz for about 15 minutes and you catch a brief insight into what's happening in their lives but then you might not see them for a couple of episodes."

As the series develops there's a much darker side to the storyline when a series of grisly murders take place in Moz's neighbourhood. The culprit chops off one of the hands from each of his victims earning him the nickname 'the handjob murderer'! "The drug dealing really is just a backdrop to the main story," explains Duff. "In some episodes you don't actually see much dealing going on.

"I think there's always been a history of comedy characters who work on the margins of society, people like Del Boy in Only Fools And Horses with his dodgy stolen gear, or Ronnie Barker in Porridge."

The series is set entirely in the confines of Moz's bedsit which he shares with his long-suffering girlfriend, Nicki. Nicki is constantly on at Moz about the state of their flat - Moz being untidy while the constant interruption of customers knocking at the door means he never leaves the flat.

About the characters

"I was delighted when Johnny Vegas accepted the role of Moz," said Duff.
"I was amazed at what a subtle actor he is. Some people might think that subtlety isn't a word they would associate with Johnny, but he can be incredibly subtle. In some of the more poignant scenes there's a quality of truth in what he does that really makes you believe that he is inhabiting that character."

"I had been developing the character of Moz for quite a while now. He is a guy who lives in a pokey little flat which has discarded takeaway cartons strewn all over the place and there's a rat running around. When you look at the life he leads, it's quite grubby and even a bit sad really."

When the Comedy Unit in Manchester was set up in October 2003 it had the ambition to develop and nurture the next generation of comedy talent in the North and so much of the supporting cast in Ideal are largely unknown and were cast largely from the north-west of England.

Tony Burgess features as Troy, Moz's brother, and also contributed some of the material to the script. "The character of Troy is a bit of a wired scally who seems to end up shouting quite a lot of the time so he was good fun to play!" laughs Oldham-born Burgess. "I wrote for that character and I have also been working with Graham [Duff] for quite a while sharing ideas and I contributed some of the gags in Ideal."

"I do enjoy acting but it's writing that I would like to concentrate on in the future and I won a bursary award through the Comedy Unit earlier this year which has enabled me to focus more on writing and less on doing stand-up comedy."

As well as contributing some material for Ideal, Burgess has also written a show called 10:96 which was also commissioned through the Comedy Unit and will be screened on BBC THREE next year. "10:96 will be my first solo project for television and I'm very excited about it," enthuses Burgess. "Set in Manchester, it stars Chris Bisson and Neil Fitzmaurice and tells the story of two men, one police car and a night on the estate from hell!"

Graham Duff also has a role in Ideal as Moz's camp friend, Brian. "Brian is a good contrast to the rest of the characters," says Duff. "They all live in this downbeat world whereas Brian always has a good tan, wears gold jewellery and a nice clean shirt. He's quite a bitchy gay character and having Brian in a scene provides a different sort of energy."

There are also strong performances from upcoming comedians such as Seymour Mace, who plays Moz's stalker Craig, and Jason Manford, who plays the depressed Jack. Both Seymour and Jason have won smaller bursary awards from the Comedy Unit and are also developing their own ideas.

And then there's a character called Cartoon Head, played by James Foster, who always wears a child's party mask and never says a word throughout the whole series!

"I've always been fascinated with characters who find different ways to communicate," says Duff. "Like the character Boomhauer in King Of The Hill who doesn't speak but everyone always understands what he means. I often find that the people who don't say very much can be the most interesting. But when you have a character who not only doesn't speak but also you can't see his facial expressions because of the mask, then that's really difficult."

"The character of Cartoon Head was based on someone that I used to know when I lived in Blackburn. In fact a few of the characters are conglomerates of different people that I came across when I lived there.
For that reason, I wanted Ideal to be set in the North West and, being a big city, Manchester seemed perfect. I spent a lot of my youth doing stand-up gigs in Manchester so I felt that I knew the city really well."

Synopsis - episodes one to four

Episode one

Moz's day gets off to a bad start when he is woken up by the phone.

It gets worse when his girlfriend Nicki complains about the state of their flat and when she discovers a rat in the flat, she punches Moz on the nose and decides to move out.

None of this is good for business! And it's a busy morning with a steady stream of customers: Colin - just out on probation; Jenny - the childminder from hell; and later Brian with his latest boyfriend Matthew.

Things start to look up when PC, Moz's supplier, gets hold of some really good gear.

And when Moz's next clients are attractive students, Asia and China, Moz can't believe his luck!

He takes a real shine to China and even breaks his number one rule - no cash, no hash!

But just when things look to be on the up, a new customer called Paul comes round with an unexpected surprise for Moz!

Episode two

Moz tries to get the ratcatcher to come around and get rid of the rats so that Nicki will come back.

Cartoon Head, however, has his own ideas about how to get rid of them!
Moz has some new gear but it's not as good quality as the stuff that Paul reclaimed and his clients aren't happy.

Craig keeps stalking Moz to buy some gear but Moz isn't interested in customers apart from his regulars after the confrontation with Paul.

Moz arranges to meet China at a nightclub where his best mate Kuldip is DJing.

China, Asia and Daniel all come back to Moz's bedsit afterwards.

Asia leaves with Daniel, leaving China alone with Moz. Moz is overjoyed to have some time alone with China but will China feel the same?

Episode three

Colin is still on probation but that doesn't stop him calling around to score from Moz.

He tells Moz that there was a body found opposite his bedsit, a man who had had his hand cut off.

The strangest people come to score from Moz: Leo, the window cleaner (through the window); then Craig, who climbs up the window cleaner's ladder; and finally a delivery woman who complains about the quality of Moz's weed!

Nicki comes home and gives Moz a hard time about seeing China the night before but Moz convinces her that nothing happened.

One thing is about to lead to another when there is a series of phone calls and knocks on the door!

China is now going out with Cartoon Head but Nicki is still jealous of her and tries to slip some rat poison into her coffee. It doesn't quite have the desired effect!

Meanwhile Cartoon Head leaves something unusual in Moz's bin.

Episode four

Moz finds the severed hand in the pocket of his jacket and isn't sure what to do with it.

But it's another busy day so he doesn't have time to give it much thought.
First Sangita calls around and then Kuldip stops by with his record collection.

Colin, despite being on probation, tries to sell Moz some stolen goods.
Always on the look-out for something to steal, Colin then pockets Nicki's secret Polaroids.

PC interviews Moz about the murder but while Moz is out of the room, PC kisses Nicki and it becomes obvious that they are having an affair.

Meanwhile, Moz's stalker Craig chucks a can of dressed crab through Moz's window!

And China quickly bores of going out with Cartoon Head and comes to Moz for advice who offers her lots of tea and sympathy.

No sooner has she left when Nicki returns in tears and Moz has another upset female to deal with!


http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/12_december/13/ideal.shtml

[Perception Addict]

I have seen a couple episodes of this. I'm not a big fan of gross humor, and there's a fair amount of that, but the people lookin' to score are always pretty funny, and i'm continuing to watch it. One can find it online from a couple sources. Seems like a fairly accurate picture of the business, too, which is cool.

My favorite part is that one of the main character's suppliers is a cop who gets his stock from drug busts.

[~lostgurl~]

Retirement Living TV Presents Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N Roll

5 October 2007
Author : Retirement Living TV
News Category : PressRelease
earthtimes.org

COLUMBIA, Md. - Retirement Living TV (RLTV), the first network dedicated to people 55+ presents Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll, October 8-12, a week of exciting programming that includes sneak peeks of some of the newest shows airing on the network.

Sex: 73% of older adults are sexually active.

What's On: Dr. Ruth Westheimer on Daily Cafe, hosted by former CNN anchors Felicia Taylor and Mary Alice Williams. "America's favorite sex therapist" will conduct her weekly call-in segment to answer the intimate questions of our viewers. Later in the week, a "best of" Dr. Ruth reel will debut chock full of her steamiest advice to date.

Also, senior sex and AIDS, two separate episodes with a strong connection on Healthline hosted by Kevin Soden, M.D.

Drugs: 72% of senior Americans thought marijuana should be legal for medicinal purposes.

What's On: Medical marijuana, a Viewpoint special hosted by RLTV's Lea Thompson with field reporter "Lifestyle Gerontologist" Alexis Abramson, Ph.D., will give an investigative report of the world of medicinal narcotics.

Rock 'n Roll: Senior adults are responsible for twice the music sales of any other age group.

What's On: A Tony Bennett interview on Daily Cafe, and a "Punk Rock Granny" JoDina and her band One Foot in the Grave rock the house on The Art of Living.

Sneak Peaks:

Healthline presents: Whole Body Health, a companion series to the award- winning Healthline that explores complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM). This sneak peek episode will focus on Native American healing and a center in Arizona run by certified physicians and healers that use (CAM) to help patients find the path to wellness.

For more information and programming schedules of the mentioned shows and specials, log onto WWW.RL.TV/sneakpeekweek/. (http://www.rl.tv/sneakpeekweek/)

About Retirement Living TV

Retirement Living TV (RLTV) is the only network dedicated to informing, involving and inspiring people aged 55+. Launched in September 2006, the network has all original programming with established celebrities and journalists on topics including health, lifestyle, finance and politics. RLTV is the expert in the field of aging, guided by an internationally recognized team of gerontologists and researchers in addition to world class partners.

The award-winning network is seen in 29 million homes across North America on DirecTV, Comcast and other video providers or by logging on to http://www.rl.tv/

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,192868.shtml#

[.Infamous.]

For any of you who are in the UK......watch the repeat episodes of "Skins". Honestly that programme was great, deal's with a lot of problems in youth culture today.

Bit ironic coming from an 18 year old druggie...............heh.

[trptamene]

Right now on the history channel this:
Hillbilly The Real Story

is showing, it is 20 minutes into it and they are talking about how hillbillies distill illegal liquor and grow illegal marijuana. They are actually saying that their marijuana is actually of real high quality.

It is showing again at tonight 1:00AM eastern(GMT -3) on the same channel, if you have the history channel you should watch it at least until they stop talking about drugs.

[Joe Duffy]

Worth a watch, scientists analyse the effects of 20 drugs,

Tomorrow Tuesday 5th February 2008, 9pm, BBC Two, Horizon.

"http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/broadband/tx/drugs/"

[Expat98]

The History Channel will premiere a new documentary called PEYOTE TO LSD: A PSYCHEDELIC ODYSSEY on April 20, 2008.

Here is a link to the trailer on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=NJ9miB4QY9w

See below for more info!

**********************************

PR Newswire
Comtex

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 2, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- From Amazon jungles to the American Plains, British mental wards, Swiss labs, New York mansions and Grateful Dead shows, the history of hallucinogenic drugs is as fantastic as the visions the drugs produce. Wade Davis, is a modern-day anthropologist, author ("The Serpent and the Rainbow") and protege of one of psychedelia's most intrepid forefathers -- Richard Evans Schultes. Davis traces Schultes' life's work as one of the greatest botanist-explorers of the 20th century and reveals an illustrated history of the world's most mind-altering plants and substances in: PEYOTE TO LSD: A PSYCHEDELIC ODYSSEY, premiering Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on The History Channel.

Winner of the prestigious 2008 CINE Golden Eagle Award, the documentary follows the career of Schultes, who journeyed into far-flung areas in search of ritualistic healing medicines known to produce powerful visions: Peyote, mushrooms, Ayahuasca. Davis, a former student of Schultes at Harvard and author of Schultes' biography ("One River"), travels to the exotic locations Schultes once voyaged to, seeking the same experiences.

Along the way, set to the music of the Grateful Dead and featuring input from experts such as Dead co-founder Bob Weir, plus Dr. Andrew Weil, and LSD inventor Dr. Albert Hofmann, the documentary reveals how hallucinogens got from jungle shamans to the hippie generation. Questions arise about the attitude toward psychedelics: their great potential benefits versus perceived harmful side effects. Why is it that so many ancient cultures consider hallucinogenic plants -- a medicine given from God, while in today's culture they are outlawed, and even reviled. PEYOTE TO LSD: A PSYCHEDELIC ODYSSEY is a long, strange trip that began decades ago, but is probably nowhere near its end. Even now, new uses for hallucinogens are being sought and tested by leading universities and medical institutions.

PEYOTE TO LSD: A PSYCHEDELIC ODYSSEY is produced and directed by Peter von Puttkamer of Gryphon Productions Inc. along with producer Sheera von Puttkamer and co-producer Wade Davis. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Michael Stiller. An exhibit of Richard Evans Schultes' photographs will run at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, April 16 - November, 2008. See the trailer at http://www.gryphonproductions.com or on YOU TUBE.

SOURCE Gryphon Productions Inc.

http://www.gryphonproductions.com/

[Metomni]

And they're going to aire it on 4/20?:laugh:

Sounds cool. I will most likely watch it.

[Expat98]

Anyone seen this documentary on Showtime? I saw Panthers007 post about it in another thread. It does sound like a good one.

Showtime Premiered Documentary That Has Been Shaking Up the War on Drugs to Be Released on Dvd

May 9, 2008 (FPRC) -- "American Drug War: The Last White Hope", which was picked up by Showtime Networks, with a contract to be broadcast for the next two years, is now releasing on DVD, May 27th, 2008.

With four first-place festival wins and rave reviews, the buzz is getting around fast.

Controversy recently erupted over the comments made by Senator Obama’s minister, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Alleging, among other things, the U.S. government’s involvement in the drug trade, Wright’s coverage by the media brought this discussion into living rooms across the country.

Appearing on HBO’s "Real Time with Bill Maher", actor Esai Morales ("NYPD Blue", "Jericho") caught everyone off guard when he suggested that everyone watch "American Drug War". That comment later became the focus of a segment on Bill O’Reilly’s Fox News television show.

35 years after Nixon started the war on drugs, we have over one million non-violent drug offenders living behind bars. The War on Drugs has become the longest and most costly war in American history. Inspired by the death of four family members from "legal drugs," Texas filmmaker Kevin Booth sets out to discover why the Drug War has become such a colossal failure.

Three and a half years in the making, "American Drug War: The Last White Hope" follows gang members, former DEA agents, CIA officers, narcotics officers, judges, doctors, politicians, prisoners, celebrities, and more. "American Drug War" shows how money, power and greed have corrupted not just drug pushers and dope fiends, but an entire government. More importantly, it shows what can be done about it.

It is rare that a film comes along with the potential to literally change the world. "American Drug War" is that film and is on its way to reaching its potential. From nationally syndicated television and radio interviews to colleges and university screenings and talks, Kevin Booth is working hard to get his message out and catalyze some real change.

[Nature Boy]

^^^

Yup. The entire thing is on Google Video for anyone who's interested.

[Panthers007]

Google video? After all the shit that went down over Google refusing to turn over all IP records of their users - now they will be in the frying-pan again. "Turn over your records of the people who saw this! Now!"

Buy a copy, folks. Excellent educational tool. Before the buggers ban it outright. It's that powerful.

[~lostgurl~]

Underbelly

I'm not sure if any of you have heard of this show yet but it is a 13 part mini-series based on the real events of the 1995 - 2004 gangland war in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The key players were Carl Williams who is serving 35 years for 4 murders and is thought to have been the key supplier of methamphetamine in Victoria, Australia for many years. On the other side is the Morans who were previously the biggest crime family in Victoria till Carl Williams singlehandedly took over.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the few episodes that I have seen.

Here is a youtube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOFdaGn71sc
Wikipedia info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underbelly_(TV_series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underbelly_%28TV_series))

It has already aired in Australia, is currently airing in NZ and will soon be released in Scandanavia, Canada and France.

A recent article:

Cult of Carl: Killer's ascent to celebrity
May 31, 2008
NZ Herald
4922
Carl Williams has attracted a huge following helped by the television series Underbelly where his character is played by Gynton Grantley. Photos / Reuters

Convicted gangland killer Carl Williams has become a marketable product, a brand, a cult - The Cult of Carl.

First, there were books about Williams' underworld exploits. Then came the Underbelly TV series and the Facebook site on which fans and/or aspiring gangsters could become friends with Williams.

Now, they can buy the T-shirt. On eBay, T-shirts idolising Williams are up for sale for A$29.95 ($37). Going up to size triple XL, the black shirts feature the words: "I roll with Carl' above a big semi-automatic handgun. Below the eBay listing the seller has written: "You've seen the show, now get the shirt. Show your allegiance to one of Australia's modern-day gangsters.'

On social networking website Facebook - despite Williams' page initially being removed after publicity - his profile has now reappeared and is at its friend limit of 5000. It's believed his page is being run by ex-wife Roberta Williams, who reportedly passes on messages to him in prison.

Some of Williams' virtual Facebook "friends' compare him to fictional United States television character Tony Soprano. Others say he "did the right thing'.

This is a man sentenced to 35 years in jail for four murders and who manufactured much of Melbourne's drug supply in the early years of this century.

But more than anything, Williams' popularity has been driven by the popularity of Underbelly, the Nine Network's dramatisation of Melbourne's gangland war. Underbelly is still banned in Victoria because of legal issues. But DVDs of the series are doing a roaring trade on the state's black market and it has been a ratings winner around the country.

So is it the bumbling, somewhat laughable character of Carl Williams as played by Gyton Grantley in Underbelly that fans are deifying, or is it Williams himself? His celebrity is now at the point where some experts even refer to Britney Spears and Carl Williams in the same breath.

Dr Stephen Downes, marketing lecturer at Melbourne's RMIT University, says the phenomenon is typical of today's popular culture. "It seems some people are seeking to associate themselves with Carl Williams by wearing T-shirts or somehow jumping on board and having a little bit of the Carl Williams brand, or mystique, rub off on them,' Dr Downes says. "I just think it illustrates perfectly how we do think about, and turn people into, brands. For the most part, politicians, celebrities, rock stars, actors all rely on that. "The brand persona around Britney Spears, or Justin Timberlake, or Kevin Rudd, or anybody else, is well understood by those who advise them,' Dr Downes says.

Both Dr Downes and Dr Merv Jackson, head of psychology at RMIT, agree the phenomenon has come about in big part due to the popularity of Underbelly. "Chopper Read has had the same thing happen to him," Dr Jackson says.

It's also agreed people are reacting to the 'character' of Carl Williams, rather than Williams himself. "I think it's interesting that he's been depicted as a bit of a buffoon in Underbelly and popular press, and yet here he is a serious criminal,' Dr Downes said. "The majority of people wouldn't want anything to do with him in real life.'

He says Underbelly depicted Williams as a "little bit of a hero in a show where everybody is bad.' His baby-faced teddy bear look also helps. "I think that's part of it, people think 'oh he's not that scary'."

It's not unusual for people to find characters like Williams intriguing, Dr Downes insists. "I think it goes back to Ronnie Biggs, he became a bit of an anti-hero,' he said, referring to the criminal who escaped prison after being jailed for Britain's Great Train Robbery in 1963.

Dr Jackson notes there are theories on why so many people are jumping on the Carl Williams bandwagon. "There's a 'group think' notion that once somebody starts doing something, then they start off a whole lot of other people. "It's the curiosity factor, mob mentality. Maybe we can support him, maybe we can get on to Facebook and be part of it and so on.'
Dr Jackson theorises the branding of Carl Williams is similar to the reality television phenomenon. "The reason they got so popular is that people would sit there and be able to see what's going on in the house without actually living there. It's quite artificial.'

Dr Downes says the "brand' of Williams can't go on forever - so some sectors of the media and people like Roberta Williams need to milk it for what it's worth while they can. "She's not a great strategist, but recognises the opportunity when she sees one.' Roberta Williams herself has become marketable, with one radio station promoting gangland tours of Melbourne "hot spots' with her as the tour guide. Radio and television host Kyle Sandilands has even taken Roberta on as his pet project, managing her career.

Roberta Williams hung up the phone when asked for her opinions on the cult around her ex-husband.

CULT OF PERSONALITY

BRITNEY SPEARS
* Who: 26-year-old former Mickey Mouse Club star turned pop star; lately more famous for personal life than her singing.
*Biggest hit: Baby One More Time is ranked at No 25 on Rolling Stone and MTV's 100 Greatest Pop Songs of all time.

CARL WILLIAMS
*Who: 37-year-old Melbourne gangland figure and hitman who manufactured much of Melbourne's drug supply for years.
*Biggest hit: Jailed for a minimum 35 years for the murder of three underworld rivals and conspiring to kill another.

- AAP

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1501119/story.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10513523&pnum=0

[~lostgurl~]

Here's an item on a news show about underbelly:

http://www.3news.co.nz/Video/UnderbellyauthortalkstoCampbellLive/tabid/312/articleID/50781/Default.aspx?articleID=50781#video

[tryptamaster]

have any swimmers watched this show? in the states its on a and e and if ur in europe u can watch them on yourtube. most episodes deal with drug addicts and swim was jsut wondering what swiys thought of the show. Swim thinks the duster girl is jsut ridiculous. So, anyone watch it?

[G_nome]

Just thought i'd let folk on here know that this is on tonight, may be quite interesting to some of you. I heard the mum from the documentary on Five Live this morning, she was saying she's been supporting her 21 year old daughter for the past three years by actually driving her to the daughter's dealers and even buying her the heroin. She was saying she would much rather do this than see her daughter turning to crime and prostitution to feed her habit.
Anyway, might be worth a watch.

Here's some more info on the programme from the Guardian:

Mum, Heroin and Me leaves no room for optimism
Channel 4's documentary paints an unremittingly bleak picture of heroin use in the UK. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?


What do you do when your daughter's life veers so far out of control that your concern is not just her late-night clubbing (The Family (http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/sep/17/realitytv.channel4)), or over-enthusiastic use of super powers (Heroes), but about whether she lives or dies?Jane Treays (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/jane-treays-up-close-and-highly-personal-433126.html)' quietly horrifying documentary Mum, Heroin and Me, showing tonight on Channel 4, plays on every mother's fears with its fly-on-the-wall, year-long filming of heroin-addicted 20-year-old Hannah, and her interior designer mother, Kate Mackenzie (http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2008/oct/23/drug-treatment-heroin-addiction).
One senses that there has been much blood under the bridge, with Kate having suffered a breakdown shortly before filming began. Despite her privileged background, Hannah has had an unhappy childhood, beset by illness and bullying at school as well as a disturbing house move at 11. She binge-drank, she used cannabis and ultimately she found heroin.
Dad advocates "tough love" but her mother has stuck by her, keeping Hannah at home until her lifestyle became "too chaotic". The fact that her heroin-addicted boyfriend Ricky robbed the parental home probably did not help.
Now Kate still sees both of them and the most depressing occasion is Hannah's 21st birthday when Kate vows not to give her anything that can be sold for heroin and arranges a hairdresser's appointment for her. Heroin gets in the way however and Kate ends up driving Hannah to a dealer. Needless to say, Kate pays for the hit, admitting wearily that she has been "buying convenience actually".
"Maybe the best thing is to be cruel to be kind and to cut me out of your lives until I'm better" writes Hannah to her mother and I think she is right - the hostel staff argue that Hannah needs to be shocked out of her apathy by a really big loss. But aren't we always told that a mother's love is unconditional?
After seeing how Hannah lurches from homelessness to hostels and from begging to shoplifting, every mum will wonder whether they could have done better than Kate. Would we recognise the point at which tolerating your child's "alternative lifestyle" becomes aiding and abetting her choice to waste and shorten her life?
With its graphic shots of Hannah struggling to find veins to inject, this is not comfortable viewing. Should we force ourselves to confront this issue more often on television? And is this personality-driven approach the best? Mum, Heroin and Me, is unremittingly bleak. Couldn't they have broadened the programme's scope to consider successful approaches used by rehab clinics?
Even a film as limited as this prompts wider questions about society's treatment of drug addicts. We see Hannah and Ricky being given methadone at their hostel in the morning then wandering off in search of heroin in the afternoon. I can't imagine this is helping anyone. What is to be done?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/oct/23/mum-heroin-me-stephanie-billen

[KomodoMK]

I semi-watched the documentary whilst going about my duties posting on this forum. I noticed they put another nail in the coffin for the gateway drug theory.

The girl said she wouldn't have touched other drugs if she hadn't started smoking Cannabis.

Apparently the Cannabis led to Amphetamines, then Cocaine, then smoking Heroin before finally IVing. Swearing that she wouldn't go further between each one.

I posted a news article entitled 'drug policies just make addiction worse' relating to this documentary here: http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70108

[G_nome]

So, did anyone else catch this?
I thought it was a very good documentary and SWIM could relate to quite a bit of it...seaside town, needle fixation, moving at 11 and not fitting in at all (SWIM had an English accent when he moved to Scotland, ye know how cruel kids can be). Started doing drugs at 13. Saying to himself, eww SWIM would never go near a needle. Hostels, squatting, shoplifting blah blah blah, and so on.
I'm sure alot of other swimmers could also relate to this documentary a bit.
After watching that, SWIM is SO glad he's no longer on heroin.
Also, that poor bloody mum. Strong woman SWIM thought.

So if anyone else did watch this, what are your thoughts?

G_nome added 72 Minutes and 9 Seconds later...

For anyone who missed it and fancies seeing it, you can watch it on 4 On Demand here:

http://www.channel4.com/catchup-player/player.htm?brandId=cutting-edge&contractId=43893&episodeId=2 (http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/C/cutting_edge/mum_heroin_me/)


It's worth a watch i reckon.

[~lostgurl~]

Just thought I would mention the video is only available online for 30 days.

[G_nome]

Did SWIlostgurl watch the documentary?

[~lostgurl~]

Nope, I'd like to but my internet connection is too slow at the moment.