Netflix has just unveiled the list of programs censored in certain countries following the demands of local governments. Of the few works deleted, the majority relate to cannabis use.
Singapore, Netflix’s biggest censor ahead of Saudi Arabia
Freedom of expression is a fundamental value in the West. Even more so under the guise of artistic creation. That’s why films like How High or Faut Trouver le Joint were produced and broadcast without encountering any major obstacles.
However, this approach is far from universally shared, and it’s Netflix that’s paying the price. Indeed, the famous streaming site has just published a report in which it reveals the content that has had to be removed from the platform under the injunction of certain countries.
The first surprise is that only nine programs have been removed since 2015. Where the report is interesting is that among the requests, five were issued by the Singapore authorities, and three specifically concerned programs dedicated to weed!
Cooking on High, The Legend of 420 and Disjointed represent a third of the content that Netflix has deleted in its entire history. The reason given is the staged consumption of ganja. These three shows, deleted since 2018, were joined this year by the Brazilian comedy The Last Hangover which also shows the protagonists taking drugs.
So we’re not talking about hyperviolent films or unbridled pornography, but simply shows where people smoke in a country where it’s perfectly legal. However, given Singapore’s laws, we’re only half-surprised by this revelation. Indeed, the city-state is renowned for having some of the toughest drug legislation in the world.
Simple possession of a few grams of weed can land you ten years behind bars. For dealing, the options are limited to the death penalty or life imprisonment.
It’s shocking to see Singapore continuing to lock itself into its ultra-repressive logic while its neighbors (and indeed the whole world) are evolving on the subject. Malaysia has shown encouraging signs of decriminalizing possession of small quantities, while Thailand has outright legalized medical cannabis and is preparing a legislative arsenal to encourage this nascent industry.
Despite this, Singapore is adamant. “Examples from other countries have clearly shown that a permissive attitude towards the use of cannabis has a high cost for society” defends the Bureau Central National des Stupéfiants. Cases which, in their view, legitimize “strict measures against the trafficking, possession, consumption and import/export of illicit drugs, including cannabis and its derivatives”.
The bureau claims that it is thanks to these laws that “the number of drug addicts arrested each year has fallen by two-thirds, from over 6,000 in the early 1990s to around 2,000”. in 2010. But you could turn the argument on its head and say that if you put the first weed smoker in jail for 10 years, you effectively reduce the number of arrests, since the users are already behind bars.
With regard to the alleged “damage to society put forward by the government, it should be noted that serious American studies on the legalization of medical cannabis show no increase in consumption.
Now that the whole world knows that Singapore censors Netflix more than Saudi Arabia, perhaps the authorities will realize that there are more effective solutions than deleting a plant and giving the first drug dealer a life sentence.
Vincent
