Panorama - Cocaine: Alex James in Colombia 3/3

With an estimated 800,000 users, Britain is a busy market for the cocaine trade. Which may be why Colombia's president Alvaro Uribe invited Alex James, the former Blur bassist (who has admitted to blowing ú1 million on cocaine and booze) to visit his country and witness the effects of the drugs trade there for himself. The resulting film hangs together loosely: James, now reformed, seems a sweet man, but he's not a born reporter. Nonetheless, it's a heartfelt piece of work with some vivid moments, including the "mule" James meets who admits the only thing that would stop him trafficking is "a healthy sentence or a bullet", and an eye-opening sequence at a jungle lab where the drug is processed. More than one person James meets during his trip has since been murdered, forcing him to reflect that "it's a long, long way from a cheeky line at a dinner party in Notting Hill".

Category:

Education

Tags:

• drugs
• cocaine
• blur
• columbia

[cdwordsworth26]

I'd like to present you with some of my cheese if I may. WTF

[danibeto10]

As a Colombian its quite hard to accept this is our reality, and I'm glad a former rock star addict came here... At least he didn't do the usual hollywood crap assuming my country is a northern mexico jungle town. But still doesnt show what Colombia is for real, but thats because of the documentary nature. I've always wondered... why we are the bad guys for produce it... but for the rest of the world is cool to consume?

[RuskoKain]

Goat Cheese. :-)

[RuskoKain]

& Alex says: It smells even worse than strong cheese, God-damn he`s funny !

[rocksinoo]

Tattoo in the face = gang. I can't get why those gangsters keep on writting on their face "IM A FUCKING GANGSTER" -.-

[Valdelm360]

if you enjoyed this watch The Cocaine Cowboys, its a very good documentary about the cocaine trade in Miami in the 80's

[EkamSat1]

@bcaulf Regular cocaine use actually can make you a lot more aggressive as a person, but that's just my opinion. I'm not an aggressive person normally.

[EkamSat1]

@amalt37 Do you think the producers will give up their illegal trade without a fight in order to pay taxes for production & all that?

[marorococa]

@addy1231 you dont want to know.... well there's your answer so.

[addy1231]

@marorococa how it changed ur life? I dont know and i dont want to know about drugs mate

[amalt37]

@danibeto10 I don't think you guys are bad for producing it. I think the government is wrong to keep it illegal when obviously people want it of their own free will. Adults should be able to choose for themselves whether they want to take it or not. If the governments allowed it to be legal the violence would end. President Uribe lives in a very nice house.