World’s Scariest Drug: The Devil’s Breath

Bibliography:
 World's Scariest Drug. Dir. Ryan Duffy. Perf. Ryan Duffy and Demencia Black. Vice, 2012. Documentary.


     This documentary was very different from other documentaries in the way that Ryan Duffy approaches a variety of people to understand more about Scopolamine, otherwise known as the Devil's Breath. He interviews many people who are not commonly caught on camera, such as a drug dealer and a prostitute, though he does interview many victims and users as well. This drug is found in Columbia, and the reason it is so scary is because anyone under the influence will do everything they are told without any restraint. Many in the documentary who are victims helped the people that drugged them do the things they want, such as bring out all valuables in the house, your checkbook, your savings, etc. People lose the ability to make choices, and lose their freedom under the influence. This documentary is real with scientific evidence as well as personal experiences taken from people that live in Columbia.
      He brings in people who have dealt with Scopolamine, such as a doctor, a drug dealer, as well as many victims and users. Using such direct sources gives credibility to his sources and argumentsr (Appealing to logos through expert testimony). He also utilizes past experiences such as how one of the victims got back at a pimp and two girls the same way they had done him in, through Scopolamine, and in the end they were all killed (Appealing to pathos through personal anecdote). This sends a very emotional and scary message, improving his argument of how dangerous this drug is. The worst part is how common it is to find; Ryan was able to look for and find the trees that give Scopolamine in the city, and the drug dealer demonstrated where and how Scopolamine is found. The worst part was when he was able to procure some of this deadly drug to examine it first hand. They did flush it down the toilet after however.The way that Ryan is able to establish the ethos of his documentary is through others who have experienced it firsthand.  The fact that they were able to procure it so easily goes to really demonstrate not only how scary the drug is, but also how scary it is to live in Columbia.