I attended a private screening of 420 - The Documentary and learned more about pot than I ever could have imagined. First, I'd like to make it clear that I am in my 70s and always believed the lies our government has been disseminating for decades, up until a few years ago, when I finally conceded that pot has legitimate medicinal properties. Even still, I thought the bad most probably outweighed any good and that most people were exaggerating the medicinal benefits in order to smoke it for recreational use. I also held on to the belief that smoking pot causes potential brain damage for those who smoke excessively. I could not remember exactly why I believed this or where I learned it, until I watched 420 and was transported back in time. Although I am still a big fan of President Reagan, I was disturbed over some of his remarks about marijuana being the most "dangerous drug" of all the recreational drugs, including cocaine and heroin. I honestly believe that many of us who are in my age group swallowed what we were told, hook, line and sinker - without questioning whether there was a hidden agenda attached to the propaganda that has been coming out of D.C. for many years. This film made a strong case that we are truly stuck in a pattern of being misled by our politicians, by sharing snippets of their commentary and how each president has kept pot in a Schedule 1 classification for the most dangerous of all drugs. I did not know this at all until i saw 420. I feel as if our government has done everyone a grave disservice by misleading the citizens of this great nation for over 70 years and I am shocked that pot is treated as if it is more harmful than the more obvious, addictive drugs, like heroine. I liked the story of Bernie Ellis - that sealed it for me. The idea that our gov't is spending my tax dollars to harass an elderly, nice man who has always done so much good for/in his community just made my blood boil!
Review of 420: The Documentary
