"If a stranger walked up to you and poured pebble like seeds into your hand and then said, 'plant them and your harvest can be made into rope, cloth or paper. It could help the sick or intoxicate.' What would you say? Would you keep the seeds or chuck them away?"
This is the question Lisa Ling asks us in tonight's "Explorer: Marijuana Nation" on The National Geographic channel as she investigates both sides of the debate.
I had the opportunity to preview this documentary before it aired and no matter which side of the issue you're on, it's absolutely worth watching. Both informative and fascinating, the documentary takes us deep inside the world of illegal and legal marijuana growing, selling and using.
We get to watch Ling travel by helicopter with law enforcement as they discover a secret pot farm in the Sequoia National Forest and hear the dangers of a discovery like this. She also visits with Mark Emery, the "Prince of Pot", who takes her to one of the largest grow houses, located in British Columbia, and has never been seen by the public before.
We also get to see a family farm in northern CA that's been there for years and how one man may have single-handedly helped the city of Oakland by implementing multiple medicinal marijuana shops and boosting the economy.
Don't miss this fantastic documentary tonight on The National Geographic Channel at 10pm eastern. It's definitely worth a watch.
; ".")
I noticed that this was coming up in the schedule. I'm glad you got a chance to preview so I know to watch tonight. Medicinal use is an issue that I'm very interested in, and I've never understood why the government isn't drooling over the tax opportunity legalization would provide.
Thanks for the post, it will at least make the TiVo list tonight.
If the Media was a Watchdog and not a Lapdog, Cannabis would be legal already!
I find it interesting that Ling still has to show both sides of the debate, to make it more of a "documentary", and no doubt because of national geo. politics...etc...nothing personal about either the reporter or nat geo; just an observation about the press regarding this issue; rarely do you see pro-cannabis news or documentaries on cable/networks.
Other nat. geo. drug/ drug war specials do not necessarily portray people who use the drugs in the best light. I think in this case, cannabis users and even producers/providers (!) may come out in a better light.
Thanks for doing this special.
Every time the truth is told we get closer to ending prohibition! Our already failed once policy. It is failing again and all we have is more police, more jails, more taxes and more, much more marijuana!
fight rape and violence - not marijuana
...i missed the december 2,2008 marijuana nation special on the national geographic channel...do you happen to know if it's going to air again on tv?...sincerely, john o'hara...
Hi John. Unfortunately I see no listings in the near future for Marijuana Nation to air again but I'll be happy to check with my NatGeo contact to see if she has any solid answers. I'll get back to you!
So, did you find out if/when the Marijuana Nation doc. will be shown again?
Barb
Hi! So sorry, for some reason I thought I had already replied again. Anyhow, my contact says no repeats in the next month. She says that there is possibility of it repeating sometime in the spring though.
when will this be on agin, id like to record it for some growers who dont watch tv
MARIJUANA SHOULD HAVE NEVER MADE ILLEGAL. THE AMA WAS AGAINST THIS
HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE AND SAID
SO.
PEOPLE SHOULD RECOGNIZE THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS WRONG ABOUT IT IN
THE FIRST PLACE.
MR. OBAMA SHOULD LEGALIZE IT AND BE DONE WITH IT. TOBACCO SHOULD BE ILLEGAL, IT HAS KILLED MILLIONS OF AMERICANS, BUT OUR GOVERNMENT IS ADDICTED TO MONEY IT RAISES. WRONG!!!
TIME TO REVERSE COURSE.
I'm sure National Geographic won't be happy...but you can see the entire show "Marijuana Nation" as it aired on the National Geographic Channel in 5 parts on YouTube. It was an amazingly powerful and educational show - here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn68QPUagmk