The Green Standard (2016)

In late 2016, state lawmakers formally petitioned the DEA to loosen federal restrictions on cannabis for medical use. Without deliberating, the DEA rejected the petition, maintaining a decades-old prohibition alongside heroin and PCP. Enter THE GREEN STANDARD: a people's account of pot, prejudice, and the fight to end prohibition. Filmed for over a year throughout the US, the film looks at the men, women, and children on all sides of the issue and takes you inside their world of surprising highs and uncomfortable lows. From the refugee families of Colorado seeking treatment for their afflicted children to anti-legalization activists decrying the movement as greed-fueled hype, the film offers an unflinching view on our evolving perceptions of marijuana use, the untold costs of prohibition, and how legalization might (or might not) bring about relief. Moving, informative, and enlightening, THE GREEN STANDARD explores one of the most talked-about yet misunderstood issues in America today.

William RosenfeldDirector