Pubdate: Mon, 02 Nov 2015
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Mike Hager
Page: L4
Referenced: http://www.cbc.ca/firsthand/episodes/reefer-riches

DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES IMPACT OF LEGAL POT SALES IN U.S.

CBC's Reefer Riches looks at how last year's state-sanctioned
retailing of marijuana in Colorado and Washington is working out

TV documentary filmmaker Cynthia Banks pitched the CBC on a pot film
long before the Liberals began their late surge in the polls and
legalizing the drug in Canada became a real possibility. Banks decided
to see if any lessons could be learned a year into the
state-sanctioned recreational sale of weed in Colorado and Washington.

Reefer Riches, which aired late last week, looks at the highs and lows
facing users, retailers, growers, cops and governments after the
oft-stigmatized drug is brought into the mainstream from the black
market. The Globe and Mail spoke to Banks about potpreneurs, feeling
sick on the job and the road to legalization.

What surprised you the most while filming this documentary?

The refreshing point of view of law enforcement officers. In the
States and Canada we've done the same thing for a long, long time in
terms of law enforcement and [pot] being illegal and it hasn't worked.
When the sheriff of King County, [Wash.], the largest population [of
any county] in the States that has legalized marijuana, says "Hey,
it's time for things to change. We've been dealing with this the wrong
way for decades and it's time to try something new," that's just refreshi
ng.

What was the most difficult thing about interviewing dozens of
cannabis users?

You know what they love to do? Blow smoke into the camera; they all
blow smoke into the camera. I have so much respect for my director of
photography because they just kept doing that. I felt sick - that's
what I felt - very sick.

Even in the grow ops, well, a lot in the grow ops, because it just
permeates everything, all your orifices. It would be in my nose, in my
throat, I'd be coughing, our clothes would reek. We were setting up
for an interview with Lieutenant Henning in Colorado and he walked
into the press room, he had to be 30 feet away from us, and went, "I
know where you've been today."

I couldn't imagine working in a grow op. I thought I liked the smell
of pot; now I know I don't.

Did you do any gonzo journalism?

I haven't consumed marijuana in over 10 years, but I [used to]. I
don't like to feel anything but what I feel now, naturally.

Is Colorado's so-called Green Rush as big a boon as it is being
hyped?

When you look at this story, you go "Of course it makes sense to get
rid of the black market." The potpreneurs and the pro-advocacy groups
are saying there's going to be billions of dollars in tax revenue.
Well that first year they didn't have as much tax revenue as they
thought. The first year was $76-million (U.S.) in Colorado, now it's
up to $141 million.

The big drug czar down there, that was one of his main messages to me
and to other countries, provinces and states that are looking at doing
this: "If a country wants to do this specifically for tax revenue, I
wouldn't do it."

Was it strange seeing the marketing and shiny retail sales of a drug
that once [exemplified] the counterculture of the hippie era?

Not many people want to grow their six plants at home [allowed under
Colorado law]. It would be like me deciding, "Hey, I like to drink
wine. Maybe I'll brew my own." How many people have that expertise and
that time? So they'd rather go down to the local budtender. It's easy
and they can get quantities that they need. A country really has to
look at if they want to go full commercialization or if they want to
go something in between. The counterculture, the old pot guys, for
them legalization means nothing but everybody's allowed to grow it,
give it, use it and there is no corporatization. That's full-out
legalization for a lot of people.

What was your favourite scene to shoot?

Being out with trooper Jackson. She's such a stand-up cop who is just
not biased toward youth in any way but wants people to be safe and to
get help if they need to get help. She was an incredible character who
wanted to spread the word about consuming safely.

And I must say being in Euflora =C2=85 with iPad ordering was out of this

world. This is history, these people are making up an entire new
industry. Most generations never get that experience, so to watch
people ordering electronically and the amount of product that they had
was pretty far out.

Coming from Canada, where a culture of relative governmental secrecy
exists, was it strange getting so much access south of the border?

We asked Justin Trudeau, we asked Stephen Harper, we asked Health
Canada and we asked the RCMP - and everybody declined. All I can hope
for is when we trudge that road to legalization there's going to be an
open discussion.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Reefer Riches premiered Thursday, Oct. 29 on CBC's Firsthand series
and can be streamed online.
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MAP posted-by: Matt