This documentary is so new on Hoopla that there isn’t even a catalogue record for it … yet.

By the title of this documentary, and the accompanying image, you can probably guess the topic.  And if you can’t guess, I’ll tell you: it’s marijuana.  This is a very important film because we are about to (finally), have a serious political debate in this country about the legalization of marijuana.  This will be a campaign issue, maybe a big one, in the upcoming federal election.

The Culture High naturally focuses on the issue as it relates to the United States, and to a lesser extent, the UK.  But the issues presented are those that are already being discussed in this country: the failed drug war, overcrowded prisons and the privatization of the penal system, the political hypocrisy and corruption of politicians, the undue influence of pharmaceutical companies, the complicity of mainstream media, the militarization of the police.  On and on.

All this sounds very bleak, but the film does what all documentaries hope to do: end on a positive note.  In this case it’s not a note, but an entire orchestra.  The audience is reminded of the cultural shift that is already taking place.  Take the legalization for recreational use in the states of Washington and Colorado, the almost daily discoveries of the benefits of medical marijuana (name a medical condition, and you’ll find a strain of MJ that’s effective against it), combine it with the power of social media, and you can see the house of cards that is prohibition finally collapsing.