Dope

This week I decided to watch the Netflix Docu-series, Dope, as I generally really enjoy the short and informative episodes that these types of documentaries offer. I was planning on only watching the first episode but quickly found myself finishing the entire first season in one night. This sounds like I spent all night binge-watching this entire documentary, but there are only four episodes in the first season. For this blog, I am going to focus on the episode that I found to be the most shocking.

            The second episode is titled “Once You See It, You Can Never Unsee It” which I think perfectly describes how I feel about this episode. It showcased the current opiate crisis in Maryland. I really enjoyed it because it showed the perspectives of everyone involved. The point of view of the drug dealers, the addicts, and the police were all shown. This provided some really interesting insight that I had never seen or heard before. The majority of the drug dealers explained that they were just trying to make money to feed their families just like everybody else, and they didn’t necessarily enjoy what they did for a living, most of them talked about how they eventually wanted to get out of the “game” of dealing drugs. Obviously, there are plenty of more legal and moral ways to make a living, but many of the interviewee’s explained it, they didn’t really have a choice, it was what they grew up around and often times didn’t get the chance to get out of the cycle of drugs that they lived in. The episode then transitions to the local law enforcement and their current efforts on the war on drugs. It shows them doing tactical training and interviews many police officers. Finally, the drug addicts are interviewed. We are introduced to Courtney and Shaun, who are both homeless, but are currently staying in an abandoned house. Both of them have been addicted to heroin for 5+ years and revolve their entire day around getting and shooting up heroin. Shaun explains in his interview “We don’t even get high off of this stuff anymore, we just use it to survive.” He then goes into detail about the withdrawal symptoms experienced when not able to get his fix. The episode ends with a sudden cut to the sound of police sirens and an aerial overview of the city blocks featured in the documentary.

            Growing up I went to private Catholic school from kindergarten through high school. We always lived in a nice neighborhood and you could say that my parents sheltered my siblings and me. Watching Dope seriously opened my eyes to the drug world in America. Prior to this documentary I had absolutely zero knowledge of anything drug related and can honestly say that I was very naïve to it all. As a person that had no experience, I really appreciate this documentary because it gave me the perspective of all sides. I found it informative and essential that they interviewed, the drug dealers and then in contrast, the addicts and law enforcement. Instead of just focusing on one part, I was able to see the entire picture. Overall, it was extremely educational and I would recommend it to anyone interested.