This one has its heart in the right place. Dana Larson is putting himself on the line in a battle to help those with drug addiction problems, and not in the abstinence market, but in harm reduction. He runs a hotly contested store in Canada, where their rules are slightly different, but as we learn through Searching For Drug Peace, Karen’s are not simply an American problem. The feeling deep inside for someone to get involved in things, indignantly, believing that they have an innate right to maintain morality as they see fit, has bled into Canada, and Dana has to face off against all the people who just flat out don’t approve, and never will.

in not being able to see the big picture, they miss out on Dana actually having a non-profit that is set up, and has the ability to test illegal substances so people know what they are ingesting.In one scene, someone has some cocaine tested, only to find out it isn’t cocaine at all. Say what you want about the use of cocaine, but it is even harder to avoid addiction and overdose if you aren’t even taking the thing you think you are. We put a lot of trust in our pharmacists. Basically, one pharmacist off their rocker could likely kill a hundred people easy before people realized the doses were wrong, or the drugs weren’t even what they were labeled to be. Not only would you have allergic reactions, or a risk of overdose, but some people truly need medications to stay alive. Swap it with something else, and not only are they taking a foreign substance, they are also not taking the thing they need to stay alive.

So take that theory, and apply it to illegal substances. The only reason you’d oppose testing is because you have a shallow understanding of addiction. Harm reduction helps to take the drugs out of the shadows, and bring people into real world scenarios, where not only can they have drugs tested, or get clean needles, but they might also have information about rehab, and be less afraid to ask for help in a system that doesn’t criminalize addiction. Basically, in some places, it is a struggle you can’t get out of, and to admit you need help, risks having a conviction on your record. It’s why people fought for laws here in America that would prevent someone from being charged with drug use/possession if they are high when they call 911 to save a friend from overdosing, because before, people already high were making bad choices, afraid of jail.

So, I applaud Dana’s journey into harm reduction. Some countries have embraced more of this than others, and Dana even sees the healing effects of some drugs, that it has just become impossible to get around the Karens and legislate. The documentary really gets into his life, his shop, his employees, his mission, his fight, and hopes it preaches beyond the choir, so people become a bit more understanding of why what he’s talking about is important.

Sure, the documentary isn’t balanced, but it also doesn’t try to be. The film is explicitly about this one man and his journey, not the totality of harm reduction, and bringing in experts from all over to hash out the merits.

No audio description, and I didn’t miss it too much, but there are these clear beats in the film, like transitions, that scream to me “text is on the screen”. Otherwise, I did follow what this film was doing, and got Larson’s message. Director Alisher Balfinbayve is on his first feature here,and it is a nice start. He lets the film speak for itself. He doesn’t show a strong style, but very few documentarians have a style that connects all their films to begin with. Nearly all are focused on letting their subject sing, and he does that.

Searching For Drug Peace will likely preach to the choir, but hope remains that an adventurous audience is willing to ask what if? Perhaps by having the film in Canada, it lets others see what it would be like if their own country had more open minds and hearts, and inspirations like Dana.

Fresh: 8.5/10