Drug Films, Justice, and Nationhood¹

[1] The publication of this paper was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. I would like to thank Jade Boyd for her excellent editing comments on an earlier draft.

Abstract

This paper examines how drug traffickers, enforcement, nationhood, and space are represented in illegal drug films. Drawing from a sample of films produced in the United States between 1916 and 2005, this paper examines several drug films in order to explore how past and contemporary films on illegal drugs reflect conventional ideologies about law and order, the nation, and imperialism. Censorship and illegal drug films that challenge and rupture conventional ideologies will also be discussed.

Keywords:

• Illegal Drugs
• Drugs in Film
• Drugs and Justice
• Censorship in Films
• Drug Usage

Notes

[1] The publication of this paper was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. I would like to thank Jade Boyd for her excellent editing comments on an earlier draft.

[2] Contemporary films have a much more diverse array of drugs to choose from, including over 9,000 legal drugs.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susan C. Boyd

Susan C. Boyd is at University of Victoria, B.C.