Parents' Guide to

Drugs, Inc.

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Intense docuseries is brutal but a conversation starter.

TV National Geographic Channel Reality TV 2010
Drugs, Inc. Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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What's the Story?

DRUGS, INC. is a documentary series that shows how the billion-dollar illegal-drug industry operates around the world. From explaining how specific drugs are produced and trafficked to exploring the impact of the drug industry on specific cities around the world, it offers an in-depth look at different facets of the illegal-narcotics trade. Interviews with disguised drug producers, runners, and dealers highlight the day-to-day activities that keep the industry thriving. Users also share their stories. Meanwhile, law-enforcement officials reveal some of their efforts to stop it and highlight the many challenges they face on the job. It's a complicated business and one that has many devastating consequences.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (3):

Drugs, Inc. offers a disturbing but interesting look at the different facets of the illegal-drug trade, which has proven lucrative to some and devastating for others thanks to violence, incarceration, and addiction. It highlights how drugs, and the processes by which they're produced and trafficked, continue to evolve to meet social and economic demands and how various laws and law-enforcement tactics change, too

Watching people producing potent drugs and nonchalantly talking about their roles in the business or their addiction is troubling, despite the fact that these narratives are being offered in an informative context. But interesting points are raised about the role of the industry in local economies and the pros and cons of legalization. The series also underscores the fact that there's no limit to the industry's global reach and no restriction on who is affected by it.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the consequences of doing drugs. Is it appropriate to use drugs if they're illegal? How does drug use contribute to the overall drug trade? What is the impact of showing drugs and drug use in the media?

  • Does showing things such as the production or use of drugs on TV shows such as this one promote them, even if it's meant to be informative?

TV Details

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