The Best Drug Movies of All Time

Updated January 8, 2021 45.9k votes 9.2k voters 1.4m views204 items

List RulesVote up your favorite films where drugs are a central part of the story and portrayed well.

What are the top movies about drugs? When it comes to making a story "edgy," drugs are the weapon of choice in popular cinema. Be it pot movies, cocaine movies, heroin films or any other type of drug, Hollywood has made a movie about it. This is a list of the best drug movies of all time, including good films about drug dealers, drug traffickers, drug use, and drug abuse. It may not be all the drug films ever made, but these are the greatest. Vote for your favorite drug movie, or use this list to find movies like Blow.

For other interesting movie lists check out the cult movies, psychological thriller movies, college movies, and epic movie list. Aside from drug movies, there are plenty of other genres that are sure to get you intoxicated.

Photo:

...more

1
1,378
283
Trainspotting
Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle
Released: 1996
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Drugs Portrayed: Heroin, Opium, Ecstasy, Amphetamines, Valium, Hashish, Morphine, Diamorphine, Cyclozine, Codeine, Temazepam, Nitrazepam, Phenobarbitone, Sodium Amytal, Dextropropoxyphene, Methadone, Nalbuphine, Pethidine, Pentazocine, Buprenorphine, Dextromoramide, Chlormethiazole.
2
1,089
216
Dazed and Confused
Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich
Released: 1993
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Drugs Portrayed: Cannabis, LSD
3
1,255
276
The Wolf of Wall Street
Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey
Released: 2013
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
4
1,881
471
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Johnny Depp, Cameron Diaz
Released: 1998
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Drugs Portrayed: Marijuana, Mescaline, LSD, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Barbiturates, Ether, Amyl Nitrate, Opium, Hashish, Hash Oil, Adrenochrome .
5
1,476
357
Pulp Fiction
John Travolta, Bruce Willis
Released: 1994
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Drugs Portrayed: Cocaine, Heroin And Marijuana.
More Pulp Fiction
Genius Fan Theories About What's In The Briefcase In 'Pulp Fiction'#68 of 480 The Greatest Movies For Guys
6
1,499
345
Requiem for a Dream
Jennifer Connelly, Jared Leto
Released: 2000
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Drugs Portrayed: Heroin, Cannabis, MDMA, Uppers
More Requiem for a Dream
#46 of 63 Movies Set in Brooklyn#181 of 277 The Top Tearjerker Movies That Make Men Cry
7
1,876
513
Blow
Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz
Released: 2001
Directed by: Ted Demme
Drugs Portrayed: Cocaine And Cannabis.

8
853
228
Goodfellas
Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson
Released: 1990
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Drugs Portrayed: Cocaine And Pills.
More Goodfellas
15 Behind-The-Scenes Stories From The Making Of 'Goodfellas'#506 of 1,189 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever
9
814
188
Friday
Ice Cube, Meagan Good
Released: 1995
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Drugs Portrayed: Marijuana, Pcp.
10
912
240
Half Baked
Snoop Dogg, Jon Stewart
Released: 1998
Directed by: Tamra Davis
Drugs Portrayed: Marijuana, Cocaine, Crack And Heroin.
More Half Baked
#235 of 925 The All-Time Greatest Comedy Films#45 of 252 The Funniest '90s Movies
11
874
237
Up in Smoke
Ellen Barkin, Cheech Marin
Released: 1978
Directed by: Lou Adler, Tommy Chong
More Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke
#102 of 103 The Very Best Movie Franchises#81 of 1,137 The Absolute Funniest Movies Of All Time
12
984
259
Pineapple Express
Seth Rogen, James Franco
Released: 2008
Directed by: David Gordon Green
More Pineapple Express
Behind-The-Scenes Stories From The Set Of 'Pineapple Express'#1236 of 1,540 The Most Rewatchable Movies
13
549
200
American Gangster
Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe
Released: 2007
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Drugs Portrayed: Heroin And Cocaine.
More American Gangster
#10 of 123 The Best Mafia Films Of All Time#26 of 629 The Best Black Movies Ever Made, Ranked
14
586
185
The Basketball Diaries
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg
Released: 1995
Directed by: Scott Kalvert
Drugs Portrayed: Heroin, Cocaine, Cannabis.
More The Basketball Diaries
#178 of 204 The Best Sports Movies Ever Made#40 of 82 The Best Movies Based on Non-Fiction Books
15
544
197
A Clockwork Orange
Malcolm McDowell, Warren Clarke
Released: 1971
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Drugs Portrayed: Several Fictional Drugs In The Form Of A Milk cocktail Called Moloko Plus.
16
394
157
Drugstore Cowboy
Heather Graham, Matt Dillon
Released: 1989
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Drugs Portrayed: Hydromorphone, Oxymorphone, Morphine, Amphetamines, Diazepam, And Cocaine.
More Drugstore Cowboy
#401 of 522 The Greatest Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked#278 of 675 The Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
17
548
222
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
John Cho, Kal Penn
Released: 2004
Directed by: Danny Leiner
Drugs Portrayed: Marijuana, MDMA, Cocaine.
18
476
192
Super Troopers
Lynda Carter, Brian Cox
Released: 2002
Directed by: Jay Chandrasekhar
Drugs Portrayed: Marijuana, Psychedelic Mushrooms, LSD.
19
495
191
Spun
Mickey Rourke, Debbie Harry
Released: 2003
Directed by: Jonas Åkerlund
Drugs Portrayed: Methamphetamine.
More Spun
#5 of 45 20+ Great Drama Movies About Drugs and Addiction#38 of 38 The Best Movies Ever to Come Out in March
20
442
169
Training Day
Eva Mendes, Snoop Dogg
Released: 2001
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Drugs Portrayed: Marijuana, Crack Cocaine, And Pcp.
21
389
119
The Doors
Meg Ryan, Val Kilmer
Released: 1991
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Drugs Portrayed: LSD, Cocaine, Heroin, Cannabis And Peyote.
More The Doors
#255 of 372 'Old' Movies Every Young Person Needs To Watch In Their Lifetime#139 of 275 The Best Movies Based On True Stories
22
308
100
Pink Floyd – The Wall
Bob Hoskins, Bob Geldof
Released: 1982
Directed by: Alan Parker
More Pink Floyd – The Wall
Behind The Scenes Details From Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ Movie#510 of 3,110 The Greatest Albums of All-Time
23
534
280
The Hangover
Mike Tyson, Bradley Cooper
Released: 2009
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Drugs Portrayed: Ghb, Rohypnol.
24
378
140
Limitless
Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper
Released: 2011
Directed by: Neil Burger
More Limitless
#82 of 244 The Best Psychological Thrillers of All Time#176 of 369 The Best Movies Based On Books
25
350
153
Traffic
Salma Hayek, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Released: 2000
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Drugs Portrayed: Marijuana, Cocaine, Heroin, Crack Cocaine.
More Traffic
#163 of 261 The Best Ensemble Movies#110 of 117 The Best Movies Based on TV Shows