Drug films are films that depict either illicit drug distribution or drug use, whether as a major theme, such as by centering the film around drug subculture or by depicting it in a few memorable scenes. Drug cinema ranges from gritty social realism depictions to the utterly surreal depictions in art film and experimental film.

Some filmmakers create unabashedly pro- or anti-drug works, while others are less judgmental, allowing the viewer to draw their own conclusions. Drugs commonly shown in such films include cocaine, heroin and other opioids, LSD, cannabis (see stoner film) and methamphetamine.

There is extensive overlap with crime films, which sometimes treat drugs as plot devices to keep the action moving.

The following is a partial list of drug films and the substances involved.

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  • Uncivilised (1937) – opium
  • The Union: The Business Behind Getting High (2007) – cannabis
  • The UnMiracle (2017) – cocaine, heroin, ritalin and vicodin
  • Up in Smoke (1978) – cannabis, LSD, pills, amphetamines
  • Unprescribed - Prescription for Addiction (2021) Opioids
  • The Usual Suspects (1995) – cocaine
  • Udta Punjab (2016) – cocaine, heroin, pheniramine, buprenorphine (chaanf in Punjab)

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See also

External links

Further reading

  • Blackman, Shane (2004). "Drugs as Cultural Commodities: An Analysis of Drugs in Film, Advertisements and Popular Music". . Open University Press. pp. –68. ISBN 978-0-335-20072-6.