The State of The ‘Union’ (It’s kinda f#$%ed up!)
I was going to just blindly post this and watch it later, I have to say I’m glad I changed my mind. Never before has a documentary on the topic of cannabis brought tears to my eyes. Very well put together, not your typical, ‘legalize it, lets get stoned, who cares?!’ approach. This documentary focuses upon the history of cannabis and its prohibition, and all the various players who have been profiting from this act, both legally and illegally.
More importantly is the issue of industrial hemp, often glanced over in most films. A product which Ralf Nader describes in the film as,”…not a drug, though it is of the same species as marijuana, it’s a completely different variety of plant. Similar to comparing a Chihuahua to a St. Bernard.” The long and short of it is it can’t get you high.
The many uses of industrial hemp?
- Clothing (a damn durable one)
- Food (a damn nutritious one)
- Biofuel (a damn clean one)
- Paper (a damn fine one)
And we are JUST scratching the surface. The documentary notes there are over 25,000 products that can be produced by industrial hemp, including medicines for over 200 medical conditions.
The film leaves nothing hidden in the shadows about this industry, and yes, there is an industry to this highly criminalized plant. The director/narrator gives a complete breakdown of how marijuana trafficking works, all the way from investors/grow-op, down to the guy in another country dealing the drug.