

Just recently, Attorney General Barr made a statement about federal legalization, so weâre clearly in the right timing to look into this topic. I sensed that these fundamental issues surrounding legalization were not really on the mainstream agenda, and they are big issues. That added another layer to the whole conversation for me.
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Plus if youâve been in locked up for cannabis in the past, youâre barred from going legal now. Itâs not like any other industry, new or old. The more I researched it became clear that the lack of racial parity in the business was substantial, a significant fact in an industry where minorities have been (and still are) incarcerated at higher rates for cannabis possession. When California legalized recreational use at the start of 2018 I was looking for a really compelling story about cannabis that wasnât about just âgetting highâ. Why did you feel the time was right for the doc? Our next stop is Baltimore, Maryland, where thereâs been a big debate and even a law suit about the lack of racial equity in who is getting industry licenses there. Itâs really a dynamic story.Īnd is it a project that takes you all over the country?Īs a national issue, and increasingly global, this film is taking us to many states in the USA. In addition, we are filming with people who still suffer in illegal states under established laws for using the same plant that others are making millions of dollars from. But this is also a current story, so we are tracking new events almost daily in each state around legalization. Then came criminalization and later with Nixon the start of the War on Drugs. It was originally a prescription you got from your doctor at the start of the 20th Century. Itâs an interesting process with the research on this film as thereâs more than 100 years of history with cannabis in the USA. What kind of research has gone into the film? We are still filming and already interviewing some big names in sports, music and other senior political figures who are really engaged in whatâs going on. The District Attorney of San Francisco, George Gascon, is a pioneer and has just expunged an unprecedented 9300 misdemeanor records for cannabis, also Senator Bradford of California talked to us about his historic Cannabis Equity Act in the state. Weâve had a number of high profile people contribute to the film already. The dial is shifting in terms of attitudes, but race issues that have been part and parcel of the War on Drugs for decades is not yet being fully taken into account as legalization gains more traction.Īnd can you tease us with some of the names youâve spoken to about it? Itâs an issue thatâs slowly coming to light, now that cannabis legalization is becoming a mainstream conversation in the USA, and even globally. The film is a documentary feature about the racial inequity in the US cannabis industry and the continued War on Weed in illegal states. We caught up with Parisa to discuss the highly-anticipated film. The heartbeat of the film will expose the real stories of people of color struggling in radically different ways under opposing cannabis laws in the USA. The film will feature exclusive interviews with high-level politicians, major sports personalities, renown music artists, District Attorneys, State Governors, activists and law enforcement from California, Texas, New York and more.

The documentary takes an in-depth look at the racial inequity within the billion $ cannabis industry and the continued War on Weed and disproportionate incarceration of people of color in illegal States in the USA today. The Anglo-Iranian filmmaker, who co-produced the award-winning human rights feature Desert Dancer, starring Freida Pinto, has teamed with Caron Butler, known for his legacy with The Miami Heat and L.A.

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Principal photography has commenced on The Green Dream, with acclaimed producer Parisa Dunn producing alongside NBA All-Star, author and TV personality, Caron Butler.
