'TRAFFIC' CAMEOS

'Traffic' Drives Drug Discussion In Washington

Movie Has Policy-Makers Questioning Priorities

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain saw the film "Traffic" with his 16-year-old
daughter and said it forced him to think about priorities in the war on
drugs. The president of Colombia arranged a screening of the film in
Washington attended by senators and diplomats.

"It was quite a scene. I think the movie has captured the mood of
Washington and the nation," said Bernard Aronson, a former assistant
secretary of state.

It's rare for a movie to have a real effect on public policy, but the
gritty film about drug trafficking and addiction is doing just that.

"Traffic," a gritty, R-rated movie by director Steven Soderbergh, is having
more impact on the debate over drug policy than any public official,
including President Bush.

One reason for that is the president says little about the issue, hasn't
made drug control a priority and hasn't named a drug czar.

The other reason is the movie's popularity. It's earned $97 million in 11
weeks, jolting the often-hackneyed discussion in the nation's capital over
what to do about illegal drugs. It is nominated for an Academy Award.

"Traffic" is a sprawling, ambitious look at how drugs cripple the lives of
many people: a courageous Mexican cop trying to survive rampant corruption;
U.S. drug agents struggling to stem a flood tide of smuggling; and a drug
czar, played by Michael Douglas, devastated by his daughter's drug
addiction and disillusioned by empty rhetoric.

"The film has moved the debate over drugs from the op-ed pages into the
popular culture," said Kevin Zeese, president of Common Sense for Drug
Policy, which opposes many current drug laws. "Steven Soderbergh has tapped
into the public's unease about what government is doing."

Groups that are pushing to decriminalize drug use say "Traffic" has boosted
their cause. Ethan Nadelman, who heads the Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy
Foundation, likened the movie to "Dead Man Walking," which got people
talking about the death penalty. Others compare it to "The China Syndrome,"
which in 1979 questioned the safety of nuclear power plants.

"Films, late-night talk shows -- that's how many people get information
these days," said Zeese. "This movie doesn't preach, but it gets your
attention and makes people think."

People in government are responding, or at least talking about it. Critics
of American drug policy say the movie exposes the futility of costly
efforts to stop smuggling. Some activists, including supporters of
interdiction, praise the film for its graphic depiction of a teenager in
the throes of addiction and prostitution.

In recent weeks, Washington has seen these effects:

President Andres Pastrana of Colombia arranged a screening.

"That was a smart thing for Pastrana to do and somewhat bold, and it had
everybody talking," said Aronson, a former assistant secretary of state for
inter-American affairs.

At a hearing on a bill to spend $900 million more for drug prevention and
treatment, including money for community programs and prisons, senators
cited the movie as a common reference point. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., used a
scene from the film to make the case for greater efforts to reduce the
demand for drugs.

"I was struck when the drug czar played by Michael Douglas questions the
lack of emphasis placed on drug treatment," said Leahy. "The comment that
stood out most for me was, how can we fight a `war on drugs' when the
enemies are drug users who are members of ordinary American families?"

One by one, officials are taking in the movie, often with younger family
members. "It had a very powerful effect; it's caused me to rethink our
policies and priorities," McCain told commentator Arianna Huffington.

On the television show "20/20," Barbara Walters asked Bush about the movie
and "its premise that the war on drugs is a failure, and many Americans
feel that way. Can a president do anything about that?"

Bush, who overcame a drinking problem, responded: "I think we need to
examine all policies in terms of treatment. I think we ought to focus on
treatment programs that work."

News anchor Ted Koppel said "Nightline" this week will be five nights about
drug trafficking, inspired by "Traffic."

Acclaimed by most reviewers, the film also has its critics. Sen. Joseph
Biden, D-Del., described it as "simplistic and wrong. It concludes that
we're losing this effort, that we should give up on law enforcement. That's
so wrong."

Biden and retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the former drug czar, said the
film poses a false choice between law enforcement and drug treatment.

"It wasn't very subtle," said McCaffrey, a former general now teaching part
time at West Point. "The message was the futility of it all, the madness of
those involved, that it's all failing. You wouldn't know that drug abuse is
substantially down from 15 years ago. When Douglas says, `Why aren't we
talking about treatment?' -- well, we are, and we're doing a lot."

Even its critics, however, acknowledge the film's power.

William Bennett, another former drug czar, said in a Fox News interview: "I
disagree with some of it, but it has raised the issue again, and that's a
good thing."

The film includes a scene that's an unusual mix of Hollywood and
Washington. Douglas attends a cocktail party where real senators who are
playing themselves, including Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.,
and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, chat with him and give him a few words of
advice about his new job.

Hatch afterward criticized the film for its profanity and violence, but
said it helped persuade him to back the Senate bill, which he has sponsored
with Leahy, to fund more drug treatment.

Jack Valenti, a former aide to President Lyndon Johnson and the longtime
chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, noted a certain
irony: Senators used to criticizing Hollywood are responding to a film that
includes some of them and poses hard questions to political leaders.

"I think it's one of the great anti-drug films ever made," said Valenti.
"It also shows that unless you do something about demand, you can hang all
the drug dealers till the skies grow dark, and it won't stop it."

The New York Times contributed to this report.