Pubdate: Fri, 19 Feb 2016
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2016 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Marty Mapes, Special to The Denver Post

FILM LIFTS THE LID ON JOURNALISM OF POT

Editor's note: Because The Denver Post and its Cannabist website are 
the subject of "Rolling Papers," we hired an independent film writer 
to review the documentary.

"Are you high right now?" That's a question some out-of-state 
colleagues were probably asking Gregory L. Moore, editor of The 
Denver Post, when he created the position of marijuana editor in late 2013.

It certainly sparked the interest of Colorado filmmaker Mitch Dickman 
( director of Hanna Ranch). His new documentary "Rolling Papers" 
captures the first year of Colorado's bold experiment in 
legalization, as seen through the work of Ricardo Baca, the editor 
assigned to the paper's pot post.

"Rolling Papers" follows Baca for a year. Early scenes show him on 
national TV talk shows, half-joking that he's looking to hire 
marijuana critics. Whoopi Goldberg signs up, penning an early 
contribution to the Post's marijuana website, The Cannabist.

Soon enough the honeymoon ends, and the day-to-day job of journalism 
takes over. The first deep story investigates complaints about the 
concentration of THC in a certain brand of edibles. In one instance a 
chocolate bar labeled as having 100 mg of THC turned out to have only 
0.3 mg. State regulators were apparently only concerned about doses 
stronger than claimed on the label. Nobody seemed to know whether it 
was a crime to include 200 times less THC than advertised.

The issue is bigger than disappointed and sober potheads. If 
newcomers were to adjust their intake after misleadingly low-dose 
edibles, they might overdo it the next time and require medical help. 
This was a bug in the system, and Baca and the Post were there to cover it.

Two marijuana critics come and go ( including one who, 
controversially, also writes a parenting column) before Ry Prichard 
seizes the screen. Prichard is an energetic "marijuana nerd" who 
makes a living as a photographer for the marijuana industry.

Other stories focus on public gatherings such as the Cannabis Cup 
and, of course, 4/20. ("Let's not forget about Easter," says one 
newsroom contributor, obviously not blown away by legalization.)

A summertime story featured parents moving to Colorado to get 
cannabis oil for children with leukemia or untreatable seizures. Some 
parents offer anecdotal evidence that it helps; others say it can't 
be any worse for children than the opioids they'd otherwise be 
getting. Once again, neither the film nor the reporter has a 
definitive conclusion. They report; history will decide.

The "Rolling Papers" editing team of Zack Armstrong, Tim Kaminski and 
Oscar-winner Davis Coombe deserve praise for tying these disparate 
pieces together with logical transitions and for condensing some of 
the potentially dry material into zippy montages.

For example, toward the end of the year, Uruguay decriminalizes 
marijuana. Its was a top-down government decree rather than a 
grassroots upswell, like ours. Baca travels there to write several 
stories and to try to get an interview with the president. ( I'll let 
you watch the movie yourself to find out what happened.) I might have 
been willing to dive deep into the politics, but the film makers 
wisely spared me the trouble by showing an entertaining highlight 
reel version instead.

When it's all said and done, "Rolling Papers" has shown a year's 
worth of experience in only 89 minutes. Obviously, not everything fit 
into the film. Notable absences are interviews with law enforcement 
personnel, the perspective of marijuana opponents, and the myriad 
complications from state laws directly contradicting federal laws.

For me, it was a little disappointing that the film didn't pick a 
side and offer a strong conclusion. But a lot of people from a lot of 
other places will be curious to see how our experiment is going. For 
them, it's probably best that "Rolling Papers" doesn't draw too many 
conclusions, but instead offers insight and experience, without 
judgment, like a good piece of reporting.

[sidebar]

"Rolling Papers" Q&A sessions

Director Mitch Dickman and subjects of the film will be on hand this 
weekend after screenings of the film in Denver and Boulder.

Friday 7 p.m. screenings:

Cannabist writers Ry Prichard and Brittany Driver will be at Sie FilmCenter.

Cannabist editor Ricardo Baca and writer Jake Browne will be at the 
Boulder Theater.

Saturday 7 p.m. screening:

Cannabist editor Ricardo Baca will be at Sie FilmCenter.

Venue info

Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. Tickets $11. 303-595-3456 or 
denverfilm.org.

Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St. Tickets $10. 303-786-7030 or bouldertheater.com.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom