[420 Girl]

The main point in director Brett Harvey's illuminating documentary, The Union: The Business Behind Getting High, is that marijuana's illegal status could be reversed if lawmakers showed some tolerance and an open mind to scientific facts.

In other words, that won't happen anytime soon, and don't expect sellers and growers to be demonstrating for change. Marijuana's illegal status allows them to charge more, while a whole lot of people, ranging from border jumpers (the people who sneak the drug from Canada to the U.S.) to clippers, will lose money if the rules change. It's like a far mellower version of Prohibition.

The unveiling of that business model is a small part of Harvey's film, set mostly in Canada, where British Columbia has a flourishing pot trade. The Union is more like a fiercely intelligent personal essay. And it works. Co-writer Adam Scorgie is our on-camera guide. With his youthful good looks and casual attire, he comes across as a curious guy. He interviews a wide swath of people -- doctors, politicians, growers -- to find out why a seemingly innocuous plant gets such a bad rap.

After two years of research and interviews, Scorgie admits that "none of it makes any sense."

He's got that right. The array of issues and questions the movie brings up is staggering. Why did the United States spend $12 million to arrest Tommy Chong, who had lent his name and image to a line of bongs, but had no role in making or distributing them? Since hemp, which comes from marijuana, has myriad uses (clothing, food, biofuel), why does the U.S. throw out the baby with the bathwater? Why is Marc Emery, who sells marijuana seeds in Canada, being prosecuted by the American government but not the Canadian government?

The answer appears to be one of keeping up appearances. The authorities need something to do, and marijuana is used by lots of people (50 million Americans or so). Privatized prisons are a big growth industry, and marijuana convictions keep them filled. And if marijuana is illegal, as the movie suggests, the pharmaceutical industry can make more money. After all, non-patentable marijuana isn't a good business model when it comes to helping glaucoma and AIDS patients.

What keeps the movie from veering into conspiracy theory nonsense is that Scorgie and Harvey don't stir the pot. They let research (only 1 in 104 marijuana use coc*aine, while less than one uses her*oin; a UCLA study shows cannabis doesn't cause cancer) and interviews do the talking. The latter are great, as every source seems to offer a mixture of facts and common sense. My favorite observation comes from Norm Stamper, Seattle's former chief of police, debunking the myth that marijuana is a gateway drug. "I drink alcohol, that's my drug of choice. It could be said I started on milk... If I use marijuana why does that automatically make me a candidate for black tar her*oin?" Sometimes all Scorgie has to do is show up. In one memorable scene, the crew heads to Vancouver's Cannabis Day, where hundreds toke up. The police, meanwhile, keep order by doing absolutely nothing.

The movie's only major fault is that Harvey and Scorgie fail to capture the other side, the politicians and law enforcement officials who have a Mr. Hand-like hatred of marijuana. And stickler as I am, I'd like to see more of the statistics cited. However, in employing a brand of citizen journalism, and ending up with more questions than answers, Harvey and Scorgie have shown exactly what the problem is, and its absurdity.


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