A documentary examining the health effects of high-potency cannabis products is making its Colorado debut next month, with organizers framing the state as a national case study for marijuana legalization.
The film, titled "THC INC | How Cannabis Legalization Changed Everything," is described by its makers as an examination of how legalization is affecting public health, with particular attention to young people. Investigative journalist and filmmaker Leighton Woodhouse, who appears in the film's trailer, characterizes today's commercial cannabis products by saying they have "about as much resemblance to a marijuana plant as strawberry Kool-Aid has to strawberries."
"THC Inc." makes its Colorado debut at a special screening at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Landmark Theater Greenwood Village in metro Denver, followed by a panel discussion with audience Q&A about the film and the issues it explores. The event is organized by the national group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, whose president and CEO, Kevin Sabet, produced the documentary, and is supported by Colorado's One Chance to Grow Up.
Colorado was the country's case study for legalization, and the film focuses on revealing what it characterizes as the dangers behind THC products and substances, and humanizes what it describes as victims of the commercial cannabis industry. The testimonies of young adults — described by the filmmakers as the industry's prime target consumers — are central to the documentary's argument.
Among the quotes attributed in the film to young people profiled are accounts of daily use from waking to sleeping, of a consuming desire for cannabis, and of struggling to keep drug use from overtaking their lives. The filmmakers combine those personal accounts with what they describe as lab-concocted, high-potency products that now constitute much of the commercial cannabis market.
While some online responses to the film's trailer have dismissed it as comparable to anti-cannabis propaganda of a century ago, supporters contend the documentary steers clear of hyperbole and instead treats its subjects and audience with what they describe as intellectual respect and genuine concern for well-being. Many viewer comments on the trailer reference personal accounts of loved ones who suffered psychological harm due to modern marijuana products.
The filmmakers frame the central concern as how the commercialization and normalization of high-potency, ultra-processed marijuana products has harmed the physical and mental health of young people in Colorado.
Admission to the screening is free, though seating is limited and reservations are required through an Eventbrite link provided by the organizers.
Whether the Denver-area screening will be followed by additional Colorado Springs-area showings or local policy discussions has not been announced.