7 Immensely Informative Cannabis Documentaries You Can Look For

by Crystal M. Wilson

Watching documentaries is a different kind of fun. Filmmakers intend something more than just entertainment when they make documentaries. That is the reason why documentaries are informative, eye-opening, and in many cases, thought-provoking. When you like watching stories of real people in their own words, you enjoy watching documentaries. They describe the stories of things in very real and raw form making them very appealing to the crowd.

Many times, documentaries talk about a subject that is side-lined by popular opinion. One of such things used to be Cannabis. Nowadays, people know that cannabis is not just a euphoria-inducing thing but an herb with numerous medicinal benefits. The enormous efforts of activists and studies by the scientific community are behind this change. However, documentaries also have their fair share in bringing out this change in this public.

Cannabis documentaries are informative. You will learn various things about cannabis by watching such documentaries. Some of them talk about its therapeutic benefits of cannabis on the body. Whereas many documentaries describe the cultural and financial impact cannabis has on our society. Here is the list of seven immensely informative cannabis documentaries you can look for.

1. Cannabis: A Lost History (2018)

The laws around the use of cannabis are changing in the USA. It is only now you can buy cannabis leaves as well as top cannabis seeds in the USA. However, you should know that cannabis is not some novel drug but an herb with a very rich history. People from different cultures have used cannabis for various purposes. Learning its history will educate about how deeper the cultural impact cannabis has in other parts of the world.

Cannabis: A Lost History is a very informative documentary about the relation of cannabis with the body’s endocannabinoid system. Along with cultural impact, this documentary will educate you about the therapeutic benefits of cannabis.

2. Grassroots: The Cannabis Revolution (2016)

Let’s learn about a documentary educating about the medicinal uses of Cannabis. Director Dale Beaumont Brown beautifully unfolds the story of cannabis in the UK. The film includes interviews of various patients talking about the effects of the drug’s prohibited status in the country. The documentary talks about how such restrictions affect their daily fighting with pain caused by underlying conditions.

3. Breaking Habits (2019)

This documentary is about Christine Meeusen, a woman who dreams of creating the best life for her family. Breaking Habits features a journey of a business executive who accepted cannabis as a way of living. This documentary beautifully features how Christine Meeusen built the Sisters of Valley, a nunnery where people use cannabis to solve health problems.

4. Weed The People (2018)

The laws prohibiting medicinal uses of marijuana were absurd. With time various activists started working for their change, which led to legalization. People celebrated this historic result for two days, calling the celebration Weed the People.

The name of this documentary came from a two-day-long celebration of the legalization of weed in Oregon. This documentary begins with discussions of the ludicrous nature of laws restricting medical marijuana. Then, its focus shifts to interviews of parents and oncologists supporting the use of cannabis to treat children with serious illnesses.

5. Rolling Papers (2015)

Rolling Papers is an entertaining documentary featuring the early days of marijuana legalization in Colorado. This state legalized cannabis in 2015. This historic decision triggered the formation of a whole new industry. A lot was happening in Colorado, and the media needed someone efficient to cover it. So, The Denver Post brought a stoner editor to look after the new coverage.

Rolling Papers documentary features numerous stories and experiences of people and journalists. You can watch how people from Colorado reacted to this new change. Watch this documentary if you want to explore the growing weed-culture in Colorado.

6. Grass is Greener (2019)

Cannabis shares an intimate relationship with the American music industry. The director of Grass is Green, Fab Five Freddy, explores these bonds and the history of illegal use of cannabis. This documentary starts with talking about the lives of legends like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong from the glamorous jazz era. It also features the interviews of iconic pop stars Snoop Dogg and Damian Marley.

Grass is Greener is not a documentary that wholly focuses on the weed and music industry's complicated relationship. It also features the racial drug war of the modern days. The director Fred Brathwaite tried to show the discrimination of the cannabis industry even after its transformation into a full-fledged industry.

7. The Culture High (2014)

When you start researching cannabis, at some point, you will encounter the term War on Drugs. It was a campaign started by the American government to eradicate illegal drugs. The Cultural High shares its view on this campaign, stretching back from President Nixon's time to President Obama. The Culture High Director Brett Harvey mocks the patterns of behavior displayed by governments towards marijuana.

The Culture High describes the struggles of people trying to get access to marijuana. It talks about how authorities attacked the personal freedom of people by making absurd laws. The Culture High is a desperate call for identification of people’s right to recreational uses of marijuana.

The Bottom Line

Indeed, cannabis had an intriguing history consisting of campaigns, researches, and even bloodsheds. Although the world’s viewpoints about cannabis are changing, accepting cannabis as a medicinal herb rather than an illegal substance still seems like a dream. People still possess various misconceptions around cannabis, which leads to discrimination. Watching cannabis documentaries is a ride filled with information and emotions. They are nothing but attempts to educate people about cannabis. They feature experiences, researches, and interviews of people sharing close relations with cannabis. Watching them will enlighten you about this miraculous herb called cannabis.