Sir Richard Branson Visits MOPA

On Thursday, June 20, 2013 MOPA held a special screening of the documentary Breaking the Taboo. This screening was one stop on Richard Branson’s multi-city tour to showcase the film his son Sam produced and sit on a panel discussion about the war on drugs.

The film, which played to a sold-out auditorium, takes the stance that the war on drugs has been a complete failure, only imprisoning people who need medical help, and killing many others while spending billions of dollars. Branson wants to see drugs legalized and then medical assistance given to anyone who needs it.

The panel discussion after the film featured Branson, Mayor Bob Filner, Margaret Dooley Summli, of the ACLU, Mark Faucette, of the Amity Foundation, and Daniel Romero, a recovering addict and former inmate. It was moderated by Scott Lewis from Voice of San Diego and definitely sparked some lively debate on the topic.

Clearly, this issue is not as cut-and-dry as the film makes it out to be. But that is the beauty of photography and film; it forces everyone to pay attention to a topic and creates dialogue. Thanks to everyone who joined us and helped make the event successful.