Ben is not the only skeptic. Pot Luck interviews members of law enforcement, while passively supportive of the new freedom, claim that Coloradans were not aware of the unintended consequences of the new laws, such as innumerable billboards, internet, and newspaper ad plastered in the face of its citizens also, nor how new crimes and dangers, like hash oil explosions, would impact public safety.
Of course, the documentary moves to the area of the medicinal use of cannabis, which quite frankly has been covered adequately by dozens of other films, like Weed the People and Waldo on Weed. We may not question the legitimate use of weed as an alternative or supplement to treating diseases like cancer. But no one knew the economically devastating effects that recreational cannabis would have on the equally crucial medicinal cannabis.
“…the economically devasting effects that recreational cannabis would have on the equally important medicinal cannabis.”
Pot Luck also goes into the social/racial effects. We’re invited into a ranting session of parents talking about the negative aspects of weed on their children. I’m not talking about religious WASP’s discussing the sinful elements of drugs. We’re talking about minority parents frustrated with how easy it is for their children to buy weed. Also, when the law was initially enacted, cities would only zone cannabis shops in ethnic communities. Then when the pot became a multi-million dollar industry, these ethnic communities began a process of gentrification as wealthy white shop owners and customers began moving in.
Let’s also add the science of cannabis. When the law was enacted, you had your illegal brand of generic pot. Today, thanks to genetically modified strains of weed (aka GMO’s), the potency of cannabis has increased tenfold and hundreds of new strains that never existed before with no science to ensure the public’s safety.
Some of these detail sounds negative…and it is, but Pot Luck is not an indictment on Colorado’s cannabis industry. It’s an honest look at what’s happened over the last seven years. The conclusion it makes is that Colorado’s choice to legalize marijuana was not a good or bad one. Instead, it’s an incredibly complicated one. Right or wrong, everyone’s right (wow, that reads weird).
In the end, I love a documentary that simply presents the facts without trying to oversell a particular position. With facts, we can make educated/apolitical decisions, and Pot Luck is as good as it gets for illuminating and expanding the cannabis debate in America.
I can’t believe I didn’t mention this until now, but Pot Luck is beautifully narrated by Robin Quivers. Now go see it!
"…beautifully narrated by Robin Quivers."
