Do you get Showtime? Good.
Tonight, at 8:30 p.m. EST, Showtime is premiering one of the best documentaries I've seen in a long time. In Pot We Trust presents a moving narrative about the ongoing fight to protect medical marijuana patients from arrest in the United States. Among many advocates and patients, it stars Aaron Houston (Marijuana Policy Project lobbyist and long time friend of SSDP), and Rhonda O'Donnell (the proud mother of SSDP's very own lobbyist, Tom Angell).
(Look for Tom's brief cameo - he's carrying an umbrella for his mom.)
Bloomberg has a great review:
Reefer madness can still be hazardous to your health.If you catch the show tonight, please come back to the blog and share your comments with us.
That's the message of "In Pot We Trust," a Showtime documentary airing tonight at 8:30 p.m. New York time. The show makes a persuasive case that marijuana provides some patients a degree of relief they can't get from standard medications and should be legally available.
Yet many patients continue to face prosecution and even jail for smoking the palliative weed.
[snip]
The documentary -- written, produced and directed by Star Price -- doesn't overlook the negative effects of toking. One memorable segment, featuring pro-legalization marchers chanting "We smoke pot and we like it a lot," includes an enthusiast who loses his train of thought in mid-sentence.
Such lapses, to be sure, aren't confined to stoners. We see snippets of congressional debate over medical marijuana legislation that makes you wonder what they're smoking on Capitol Hill. One sputtering pol rails that clerks at his grocery store have turned into dimwits from smoking marijuana, though as Houston points out such arguments have nothing to do with medical marijuana.
The show is sympathetic to the view expressed by writer Christopher Hitchens, who calls current drug policies "insane." He brands the war on drugs as "the last dying smell from the Nixon administration."
The war certainly isn't over. Reed brags that his raid "hurt somebody today." Houston, however, has the last word: "We're going to win eventually."
UPDATE: In Pot We Trust will be playing during the following times as well:
Showtime Too - Wed July 11th - 8:30 PM
Showtime - Sunday July 15th - 3:45 PM
Showtime Showcase - Tuesday July 17th - 2:30 PM
Showtime Showcase - Tuesday July 17th - 12:00 AM
Showtime - Wednesday July 18 - 12:00 AM
4 comments:
I find it funny that so many people are against the legalization of marijuana for medical use, such as pain management, yet they say nothing about the other medications that are already out there for prescription and are FAR MORE dangerous then marijuana ever will be. How about Oxycontin, better known perhaps as hillbilly heroin, and morphine. Since they are already legal though you really do not hear anyone mentioning how dangerous they are. The arguments about how marijuana affects memory are barking up the wrong tree, so do all those other medications that are already on the market. The biggest laugh of all though is that the vast majority, perhaps all of the people against the use of medical marijuana are people who are not suffering from chronic pain due to adhesive arachnoiditis, or going through chemo for the various cancers out there. People need to pull their heads out of their asses, they need to allow those of us suffering from debilitating diseases and in my case an incurable disease that causes immense pain as my nerves die off 1 by 1, the right to seek alternative forms of pain management because what is available now is either not working or so expensive we cannot afford it (Oxycontin is $1000 a month without coverage). Or how about allowing us to seek alternate methods of pain management because we do not like taking a cousin to heroin or we do not like falling asleep every 4-6 hours when we have to take our meds because they kick our butts. While long term use of marijuana may affect memory I am willing to give up a bit of memory for pain relief now, especially since the disease I have already causes memory loss amongst many other issues. How about allowing us to retain some quality of life because without medical marijuana many of us who suffer from neuro injuries are barley living as it is. All we want to do is be able to have a few joints as needed rather then 120mg of Oxycontin, why should anyone else care?
I've got a review on my blog.
http://iwasthestate.blogspot.com/2007/07/review-in-pot-we-trust.html
Showtime had a great presentation on Medical Marijuana, In Pot We Trust. I know how liberals feel when they see Sicko. I got the same reaction watching this film.
In Sum; here are the arguments presented-
1. Legalization/MM crowd wants pot legalized. If not then at least do not arrest people who smoke weed and have horrible diseases.
2. The Government believes in the status quo. They bring out the usual suspects, DEA, FDA, ONDCP to say that marijuana is not medically useful. We get to see a cop who really really believes that he is doing the right thing for society. The DEA talking heads tell us society is doomed without Prohibition.
3. The patients do not care why pot works, they just want relief, and to not be arrested.
All sides are presented well. The issue shows the suffering of the patients, the arrogance of the government, and the persistence of the movement.
I have blogged on Medical Marijuana before. Marijuana should be legal regardless of it's medicinal value. It should be legal because we are free and it is harmless. If it can not be legal for the populace then not arresting cancer, glaucoma, and MS patients is something we should all support.
The government arrogance would be shocking if not so typical. The feds never question the cause. There is more moral certainty in the DEA than in most religions.
The czars and bureaucrats are myopic in their quest to imprison Americans. Liberty is never seen as a useful alternative to prohibition. They truly believe they are protecting society. As Ronald Reagan once said- The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
A highlight of the film is meeting some of the last patients in the Federal Medical Marijuana program. These patients smoke marijuana because a court decided it was a medical necessity. These patients receive pot from the federal government. The weed is grown at the University of Mississippi.
One scene that is sure to enrage the MADD crowd is watching a federal MM patients smoke pot while he drives down the street. These patients smoke medicine not to get high, but to function.
I challenge all pro drug war Americans to watch this film. These patients have life altering conditions. They can not function without pot. Why arrest them? What is the public policy behind incarceration of the infirm? Is the FDA's authority and the DEA's aims so perfect as to provide no exception?
I am changing my views on Medical Marijuana. I started off almost resenting the MM argument because I wanted the love of freedom to lead the way. Intellectual snobbery is a problem for Libertarians and I am no different. The sincerity and need of these patients has really changed my mind. This is an important issue on it's own merits. Beyond my free market ideas this is a human rights issue.
Incarcerating these sick Americans is criminal. Our laws are morally bankrupt. Our rights come from our Creator, not the DEA, FDA, ONDCP. It is time to end this horrible drug war.
I give this film a giant thumbs up. An important entertaining film
I have seen In Pot We Trust...I think it makes a great argument...I have recently joined the armed forces...The Army Reserve...I dont believe that we should have marijuana illegal...for medicinal or recreational use...our jails are backed up because of marijuana charges...if marijuana was legal many people would be cured of pains from their diseases...If it was legalized for recreational use crime would go down...less people would be hurt because of strret drug deals and the deficit would be taken care of in taxes alone...It has been proven to not cause cancer...it can help with memory loss...and that your reaction time is faster when your high then when your sober and talking on a cell phone! I think that many people should see this documentary, especially people in the government...
Hi, good post. I have been pondering this topic,so thanks for sharing. I’ll likely be coming back to your posts. Keep up the good work
23jj
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