The Union: The Business Behind Getting High (2007)

BC's illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into a business giant, dubbed by some involved as 'The Union', Commanding upwards of $7 billion Canadian annually. With up to 85% of 'BC ... See full summary »

Director:

Brett Harvey

Writers:

Brett Harvey, Adam Scorgie

Stars:

Adam Scorgie, Chris Bennett, Steve Bloom

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Adam Scorgie	...	Himself - Host
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chris Bennett	...	Himself - Author & Former 'Pot TV' Manager
Steve Bloom	...	Himself - Former Editor, High Times
Renee Bojee	...	Herself - Activist
Neil Boyd	...	Himself - Professor of Criminology, Simon Fraser University
George Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
George W. Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
Larry Campbell	...	Himself - Mayor of Vancouver, 2002-2005 (as Senator Larry Campbell)
Rielle Capler	...	Herself - Policy Analyst - BC Compassion Club Society
Tommy Chong	...	Himself - Comedian
Jack A. Cole	...	Himself - Director of LEAP and Former Undercover Narcotics Agent
John Conroy	...	Himself - Criminal Defense Lawyer
Greg Cooper	...	Himself - Multiple Sclerosis & Ataxia Sufferer
Stephen Easton	...	Himself - Professor of Economics, Simon Fraser University
Marc Emery	...	Himself - Seed Retailer & Activist

Storyline

BC's illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into a business giant, dubbed by some involved as 'The Union', Commanding upwards of $7 billion Canadian annually. With up to 85% of 'BC Bud' being exported to the United States, the trade has become an international issue. Follow filmmaker Adam Scorgie as he demystifies the underground market and brings to light how an industry can function while remaining illegal. Through growers, police officers, criminologists, economists, doctors, politicians and pop culture icons, Scorgie examines the cause and effect nature of the business - an industry that may be profiting more by being illegal.

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Plot Keywords:

cannabis | business | marijuana | weed | september 11 2001 | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 June 2007 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Союз

Filming Locations:

Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Score G Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Jack A. Cole - Director of LEAP and Former Undercover Narcotics Agent: If you've been caught - a young person, who's had so much as one marijuana cigarette - you can't get a loan or grant from the government to go to college. If you've been convicted of murdering somebody or raping someone, no problem; you go right down, they give you the loan. I guess the message is: It's okay to rape, and murder and pillage, just don't smoke a joint afterwards.

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Connections

Features Reefer Madness (1936)

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Soundtracks

Banjo Improvisiation
Performed by Josh Roberts
www.jrobertsmusic.com

User Reviews

A real eye-opener

I'm not a pot smoker. In fact, I've never even tried it. People tend to always assume I'm a complete pothead; especially when first meeting me. My good friends and I now just all agree that I must have a pothead's personality or something, heh.

Just maybe about a year ago, give or take, I was completely against the good stuff. I still believed what I had "learned" in D.A.R.E., telling me that you could overdose from your first puff (seriously, our police guy told us this, lol). I thought it was more likely to cause lung cancer, proved to kill braincells, would make me mentally disabled, become self-destructive, etc. I thought that weed was as bad as heroin, simply because I was constantly hearing about how bad it is and how it'll screw your life up. I mean, I honestly thought that people who wanted medicinal marijuana just wanted to get stoned - thankfully, I know better now.

My opinion starting changing about about a year ago, when I read an article that suggested that weed could actually help treat a physical disability my mother suffers with. This made me curious, and I quickly began doing a ton of research. Eventually, I decided to watch "The Union" after seeing a few people comment about it being a great documentary to get information from.

By the time I watched it, I was already turning towards pro-marijuana legalization, and this documentary helped me get over any doubt. They give a lot of information, and information that is worth knowing. Looking back to a year ago, before starting my research and before watching the documentary, I can't believe how ignorant I was. I can't believe the stereotypes and judgements I held while completely misinformed.

Now, I know better. I'm not a pot smoker; I've never even touched it, but to me, that just shows that it doesn't take a complete pothead to realize that it should be made legal. Now, when I get the chance, I correct people's statements and misinformations about marijuana and I've provided several people with better information and I've recommended this very documentary to a few people.

I think the main reason I held such hatred towards the plant before being properly informed was because when my older sister was a teen, she became very self-destructive and caused a lot of drama and pain within the family, and at that time she did get caught smoking weed, and I associated her behaviour with it.

My mom, who also used to be completely dead-set against weed, is not as against it as before since I've given her information. Although she's not willing on trying it yet and still a little sceptical, she's much more open to the possibility of trying to get a doctor's recommendation for it than she would've been otherwise. She would qualify for it, and it's legal here if you've got a doctor's recommendation. I want to get her to watch this (and a couple other documentaries, but mostly this one) in hopes that she'll at least give it a go and hopefully be able of decreasing her medication intake (She needs to take a lot on a daily basis, some of which seem kinda sketchy.)

So in conclusion, I recommend this to anyone and everyone; it's a real eye-opener and very informative.