The Culture High (2014) User Reviews

A Must See Documentary

[serendigity · 9/10 · 29 October 2014]

I watched this documentary last night. Wow, it nails the reasons why marijuana is illegal in the USA. There are two very powerful lobby groups at work - the pharmaceutical industry who stand to lose billions if the natural plant gets a medicinal foothold - and, surprisingly, the US private prison system whose profits are in serious jeopardy if possession is decriminalized. Some states in the USA have legal contracts with minimum quotas of prisoners to supply to these commercial prisons...

Few politicians are brave enough to tackle the issue, and Obama has turned out to be the most manipulated President in history on this issue.

Not just the subject material, this is a really well made documentary that has meticulously sought out relevant archival material and conducted many interviews with experts and retired law enforcement personnel who can now speak their minds. A riveting two hours that really held my attention. Seek out this film and watch it.

Metascore 37, really?

[vargas-usach · 9/10 · 6 April 2015]

I enjoyed the documentary and liked how they managed to expand their topic from marijuana to a lot of the issues or society is facing nowadays, revealing shocking facts, some of which I ignored. I think it does a great job at informing people about the current state of the legalization debate and what social issues are in some way connected to it, how there has been a lot of manipulation, how it happened and how it continues to occur, after watching the documentary you realize that you didn't just watch a documentary about pot, that was just the starting point and it is just a example.

When I finished watching the documentary, I did what I usually do after watching a movie, opened IMDb, voted and checked out what other people had to say about it (my major is psychology and my minor is cinematography and took some documentary classes at the university). I was instantly amazed by the huge difference between user score and the metascore, so I continued to read some of the metacritic reviews and I was surprised by how unfounded and fallacy-based all the criticism was (reading some of the reviews I felt like they didn't even watch the full documentary or they were people with poor understanding of the subjects - cinematography, documentary and/or the topics discussed on the documentary).

Personally I rated the documentary with a 9, because I liked how they exposed their ideas in a fun and simple way, keeping it close to the public, sometimes laughing at a joke and other times feeling the pain and emotion from a heartbreaking story. Also I liked the footage they used, the only aspect I didn't like was it's length (I found it to be a little too long, extending too much on some topics) and that it was centered on the United States scenario (which I totally understand).

My personal conclusion was that those reviews are only more proof to what the documentary trying to point out.

Thank you for reading and please excuse my grammar since I am not a native English speaker.

Highly persuasive argument for the decriminilisation of Marijuana

[jackperry-27307 · 8/10 · 15 April 2015]

The film's opening sequence of a man's house being raided, his dog being shot, and his family being terrified, by a SWAT team sent it for a weed bust aptly set the tone of this film. This film does not hold back in its attack against the forces that oppose the legalisation of weed. Naturally it's enemy is the Federal Government of USA. However in a broader perspective it looks at the influence of the prescription drug corporations and also the media.

Most of the points made in this film have been publicised before in other documentaries, articles, podcasts and interviews. However the academics and scientists interviewed manage to reinforce these ideas in an extremely compelling way, such that one can not feel like decriminalisation is an absolute necessity for the social wellbeing of our nature. The insights from other stereotypical "weed celebrities" such as Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa offer little to this film.

Where the film lacks is in its limited discussion of the most recent policy changes in Colorado and Washington State. If we want to look at the need for policy changes nationally, surely a longer conservation on the reform in these two states would give weight to decriminalisation. In a similar vein, this film pays no attention to the legalization of weed in foreign countries.

Worth a watch if you're at all interested in the subject of legalisation.

The most powerful and mind-blowing documentary I've seen (and I've seen plenty)

[PandaBeastMode · 10/10 · 26 October 2014]

I've seen their first film The Union, many other pot and drug documentaries and read books by Gabor Matè and Tom Feiling etc. but still Culture High managed to blow my mind.

Like the director Brett Harvey said, Marijuana touches pretty much every issue that is wrong in the world. It's not that legalizing pot would solve all the problems in the world, but it's all the injustices in the world that are actually keeping pot illegal.

And it's not just the topic and the content that makes this film so good. It's technically and storytelling-wise pure gold. These guys aren't really pot activist, they are film makers and at least in the field of documentaries, they are one of the best at the moment. I guess the only reason they aren't more known is because you can't really get critical acclaim in this world by making a movie about pot - yet ;)

This documentary really has potential to inspire change in the world. So thanks guys for incredible work!

Not Just Another Documentary About Legalizing Marijuana

[flinched · 10/10 · 28 October 2014]

I'll spare you the details about why pot should be legal. If you've found this movie then you probably already know. And that's where this documentary has been such a delight to view. It briefly goes into those details and focuses more on the big picture. It posits the question, why did our culture make it illegal in the first place and more importantly why does it continue to keep it illegal by waging a "drug war" that is a clear failure.

From politics, to the media, to the prison industry/asset forfeitures, to drug cartels, to pharmaceuticals, to big corporations, it all boils down to making money. Each has a stake in keeping the status quo and in keeping marijuana illegal. And that's where this documentary is so much more different than so many other legalize pot docs. It looks at our society as a whole and asks those big questions in an objective manner in spite of its advocacy to legalize pot. Instead of preaching about why pot is so groovy, it focuses on how money corrupts our culture's institutions and how people are controlled to think a certain way.

Irregardless of the hopelessness and powerlessness one feels when watching how money corrupts almost every aspect of our society, this documentary at the end left me with some feeling of hope that things just might change. Not just in regards to legalizing pot nationally, but that the internet and the flow of information might some day open more doors than those in power keep trying to close. That our society and the world can become a better place.

Rather then get more preachy I'll just say this, in my humble opinion I would rank this as one of, if not the best documentary on legalizing pot. It's an all encompassing informative documentary on the topic well worth two hours of your time.

Mis-leading score

[lee_wright-581-181745 · 10/10 · 26 October 2014]

I really cannot put into words how amazing, powerful and moving this documentary was. My girlfriend and I watched it not expecting a lot, but we were very pleasantly surprised. In fact, those words do not even do it justice.

I don't really have much further to add to the other 2 reviews, except that the score can only have been influenced by anti-drugs campaigners, so if you are generally swayed by that type of thing, please make aan exception in this case.

It's another eye-opener into how our higher powers have manipulated and continue to manipulate and steer us. It shows us how those days might be coming to an end as we enter the next phase of the information age, and leave the dawn behind.

If you have a brain and an even half-open mind you WILL find this extremely interesting.

The Culture High grabs a baseball bat and reminds us to really swing!

[meltinzone · 10/10 · 19 October 2014]

Like a big brother with more knowledge and wisdom up their sleeve, we all watched his little brother, The Union, take a swing as it taught us about the absurdity of cannabis illegality. Now The Culture High feels much like a big brother stepping in and helping to show the little brother how to really swing for the fences!

There are some amazing gems, some truly golden moments, quotes that will go viral from the amazing slew of people interviewed in The Culture High. I found myself saying things like this several times, "Oh wow, so powerful!" "Incredibly well phrased". There was also a few times I was quite surprised by some facts put forth... and I know a lot about cannabis. Once I even made that noise, you know where you lean forward, your mouth drops open and you make a shocked little "oh!" sound.

I wanted to acknowledge some of the people that blew me away so I started typing celebrity names here, but deleted them because there are so many who are just amazing. When I say celebrities I'm also referring to the doctors, scientists, et al, that just really deliver the goods in this profound documentary. The way interviews were done, filmed and edited together actually had me at one point really holding back tears, though there were several areas different people may find themselves doing the same, because all our stories are different and we all relate to that which hits hardest, home.

Don't make the mistake of watching The Culture High and expecting it to be "legalise weed" "legalise weed" "rah rah rah" or even just smashing you in the face with a million facts about the awesome cannabis plant. Not that those elements are missing from The Culture High, more just the fact that this time around they're of greater significant substance and work together to deliver a more important message.

In the two hour runtime The Culture High aims to be much bigger than The Union and to deliver a much more profound message to us all; humanity. The "Culture" High does just that. The pace fast, the strides long, but just slow enough to wait for those uninformed, so we can all get there together.

If you see one documentary this year, make it The Culture High! After all, humanity seems to finally be coming together on this issue, be unfair to let yourself miss out.... ;)

Chills..

[KissMyAss31193 · 6/10 · 4 April 2016]

..I got them within the first sixty seconds of watching. I got them a second time when I visited IMDb and found that this film has a 37 out of 100 rating by critics. Chills. Not only is this in extreme contrast to the audiences response it is also staggering to watch this film turn into prophecy. The Culture High received negative to mediocre reviews by critics of the New York Times, Village Voice, Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, which evidently shared a very common theme of calling the film biased, amateurish, generalizing and underqualified. I personally never valued their critical responses on films, considering that I do value the reviews of quite a few others. So while I am stunned, I am certainly not surprised that specifically these papers published BS criticism. Now this might not be much of a review itself, but my lack of criticisms on The Culture High can be explained by the fact that I do not have any. This is an essential film. Just ask the people.

Emancipation yourself from mental slavery

[mnash05 · 10/10 · 29 October 2014]

First of all, I never usually write reviews, movie or product wise but having just finished watching this, I felt compelled to. I had no hesitation giving this movie ten out of ten! In order for me to feel like I haven't wasted 1-2 hours of my life watching a movie, I have one rule and at the end I ask myself a question. Did the movie I just watched make me feel anything. So many films that make the mainstream seem to be trying to stop us from feeling anything. The Cutlure High had the exact opposite effect on me. Despite what many might think, this movie is not just about pot legalisation. It is about personal freedom. Yours. Mine. Future generations to come. For when something such as a plant becomes illegal to consume, someone who doesn't even know you, who isn't even there, is taking away your right to decide what you may or may not put into your bodies. As explained in this movie, human beings only really learn from our mistakes. It's how we and Mother Nature have evolved. Trial and error. When the government takes away the trial, there can be no error and therefore no lesson. I am a live-in care worker. I look after a 92 year old man. When the doctors told him 2 years ago he had arthritis, they also subsequently told him there was nothing they could do but prescribe painkillers. I took to the Internet and started him on a regime of hemp oil shots twice a day every day. Since that very day, all swelling had disappeared. In the US it is illegal for just anyone to grow a plant like hemp just because it is too similar to its cousin. That is plain wrong. Watch this movie, I emplore you and once you have, care to share. It's movies like this that change the world! God knows we could do with some change. It's coming....

it's not all good

[mailroy-82431 · 7/10 · 28 March 2015]

Just saw this documentary and if you're not from the Netherlands, you're gonna like it a lot. I thinks it's a nice documentary in some ways, but certainly not all. It's seen through the eyes of the Americans to seek a solid argument to legalize marijuana. The thing I didn't like about the documentary is the point(I hope this doesn't spoil it for you) that the makers of the docu let you believe that the new movement of legalizing marijuana in the USA is the first in the world, that they're ahead of the rest, they're certainly not! Luckily they're talking a lot of the medical benefits of marijuana and about the utterly ridiculous amount of money the DEA is spending on catching the little user but sadly not about the flaws of using marijuana, because there are. I think if you're really want to make a good documentary you also have to talk about the negative, otherwise you're selling something. I really enjoyed watching this but at the end it didn't deliver, but worth watching

One of the best docs out there BY FAR.

[politakoc · 10/10 · 2 November 2014]

Well i will start by saying like others did that i had watched "The Union The Business Behind Getting High". I thought that this was the best documentary about legalizing marijuana. Well i was terribly wrong. The Culture High is beyond Godlike. It explains about the "Drug War" about the big drug companies that don't want marijuana to be legalized. The people that are being interviewed really blew my mind! I recommend everyone to watch this documentary even if you are not smoking it or something. Really it's a masterpiece and i hope that this doc was not the last one because world needs to know the truth about a lot of things. Keep it up guys!

A lack of focus helps to blunt a lot of good arguments.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 25 March 2015]

This is only a fair documentary about the idea of legalizing marijuana. I have certainly seen better--mostly because the other documentaries had a much tighter focus as well as a more logical set of arguments.

The film seems to not only call for the legalization of marijuana but also seems to be very pro-marijuana. To show this, the film often blends various experts with folks who just love to get high (such as Snoop Dog and some other rappers). What follows are MANY different sort of arguments concerning the positive reasons to legalize pot but as I mentioned above, it seems to often make some great points and then go off in another direction entirely-- overwhelming the viewer a bit. The same can be said for the very rapid inter-cutting of scenes---it is a bit overwhelming. Also, the film did occasionally make factual errors--claiming that hysteria and prosecution of pot began in the 1970s! This flies in the face of a lot of anti-pot films from the 1930s (such as "Reefer Madness") and the passage of the original laws banning pot. Overall, the film is convincing at times and makes a lot of good points but it also seems more like ill-focused propaganda.

By the way, if you are wondering, I am pro-legalization and wanted to like this film far more than I did.

One sided biased propaganda

[iamjefflang · 1/10 · 1 October 2015]

I watched this documentary hoping to view a balanced argument from those for and against the legalisation of cannabis but it was anything but. I have never watched such a one sided and biased documentary. I sat through over one hour of this brain dead propaganda presented by comedians and rappers. The arguments for legalisation were extremely weak and naive and the documentary did not feature a single person arguing against it. It is obvious that those behind this film are pot heads themselves. Ignore all the ridiculously high scores on this site as they have obviously been set by the smokers themselves. If you would like to see an intelligent balanced argument for and against cannabis I'm afraid that you won't find it here.

A documentary worth watching for anyone

[swagcher9 · 10/10 · 6 November 2014]

I always love a good documentary and this one has made it to the top of my list. Although I don't personally smoke I still found this film very accessible and frankly I think everyone should see it. They provided a wide perspective on the prohibition of marijuana dating back to its conception. They took into account the perspective of the public, media perception, statistics, and some recent scientific based evidence. Many current issues were wrapped up and coherently tied together. I've never considered the vast web of influence marijuana has on public policy. I hope legalization causes a ripple effect that forces people to recognize the old system doesn't work. It is sobering to consider all of the indirect influence legalization may have on incarceration rates as well as prescription drug abuse. It made me somewhat hopeful for the future of politics which I wasn't expecting.

I also really liked how it addressed the internet as a open source of information and a place of discussion as well as a rallying point for change. At one point in the movie I was expecting it to jump into issues regarding online censorship and attempts made to restrict and control the internet. Perhaps that would have been too much of a tangent or maybe it was a simple matter of timing. Either way, I would certainly love to see another documentary of this caliber addressing current issues effecting the freedom once associated with the internet.

The Truth Is Out

[mandrax360-727-640595 · 10/10 · 24 December 2014]

It does not get any better than this ,when people as well know as Richard Branson ,David Nut and Howard Bloom as well as many others are will to take on the topic around prohibition of a plant .The public have been lied to for to long about this issue in order for the pharmaceutical companies to take hold and make huge profits .

War on drugs is a war on people , the next war should be the war on thieves ( Bankers , politicians , pharmaceutical CEO and corrupt law enforcement agency's )

I hope after watching this documentary more people will become open minded ,not just on this topic but around all where the government is involved . I hope that by the end of this decade the world will be on it's way to use not just cannabis but hemp products as a alternative . I dream of the day I can run my car on hemp oil instead of paying oil campaniles huge government taxes at the same time .

Everything you need in one movie

[brianwi · 10/10 · 23 March 2015]

This movie is not just about legalizing marijuana, but instead all the supporting information that make us question the people that head our government. This documentary brings arguments to the table that would make our politicians stutter and make us wonder why the hell we're letting some shi*t fly. Wonderfully crafted with brilliantly featured guests with well thought out arguments. When did conspiracy theories become a bad thing???? I'd recommend this to not only the lonely fellow stoner but to the voting American. Even the news, or what we believe to be news, is just out for the money. Even at the end of the day our president, is a politician. At the end of the day, there a too many people in jails ripped away from their families for minor offenses when at the same time in the world a rich person would get off for the same crime with just a fine.

An intelligent, thoughtful and insightful look at our brave new world!

[paradiseshack · 10/10 · 6 March 2015]

Two hours well spent for an insightful yet accessible documentary which, with the addition of similar shared views on oil, could neatly fit into 'A short history of modern everything'.

Carefully researched, well balanced and brave. Indeed a thoroughly nourishing look at our brave new world. Only 8.5! never-mind because in years to come this will prove to be one of those classics that are enjoyable but yet remind us of our infallibility as a society, where policies are harmful but the courage and effort required to change things are squashed by a general consensus of fear and ignorance. I particularly liked the balance of information in this documentary.

My only query is whether there is any legitimate (emphasis on legitimate rather than autocratically driven consensual hearsay) documentation that confirms the presence of detrimental side effects, because of course everything can have side effects - even eating too many carrots can have side effects!

Thank you to all those brave professionals who spoke perhaps knowing that their credibility in their world would probably be tainted, or they might even be sacked, as was Professor David Nutt. A special thank you to Howard Bloom who came over as a true philanthropist. Well done Brett Harvey and team for two hours of thought provoking cinematographic entertainment,

Pure Propaganda But An Interesting Watch All The Same

[samgeaney · 6/10 · 24 March 2015]

"This incisive documentary examines the arguments and agendas of both those who support and those who oppose the legalization of marijuana."

This is the tagline that was included on Netflix but one that is quite far from the truth. There is no shortage of documentaries supporting the legalisation of marijuana and many become quite tiresome with their bias. The idea of one that examines both arguments in support and opposition seemed like it could be worth a watch, working around the one-sidedness in both sides' arguments. Unfortunately this documentary was far from its tagline. It in no way attempted to provide a two-sided arguments with those opposing legalisation only appearing in order to display their ridiculousness. There are reasons both to legalise and to continue prohibition and until a documentary examines both sides of the arguments it will always fall short. A documentary cannot possibly claim to be unbiased when the only people interviewed are pro-legalisation people of varying power along with known marijuana advocate celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa and, Mr. Legalise Everything, Joe Rogen. We are treated to brief clips from the likes of Ronald Reagan, Barbara Bush and Richard Nixon but only to display their apparent idiocy. Where are the moderates who still oppose legalisation? These people, despite what the documentary would have you believe, do actually exist. Where is the truth about the dangers of inhaling smoke, whether from tobacco or marijuana? Where is the trouble that young people get into through marijuana and the lethargy it induces? This last point is not one that is purely down to the illegality of marijuana but is one that is far too often ignored and the increase in young people accessing marijuana would rise hugely if it was legalised, just look at the number of young people who abuse alcohol and cigarettes for a comparison. It does get a brief mention but not enough emphasis is put on this and the way in which these issues would be better addressed after legalisation, it is just assumed that they would be.

In saying all this, the documentary does outline some strong points for legalisation and outlines the thinking behind some of the policy makers decisions to keep it illegal.

The annoying voice-over echoes that of Zeitgeist, another highly propaganda filled documentary, and the Kony 2012 promotional campaign video. It is perhaps the all-knowing superior tone but it does little but put a person off with its condescending tone. Contrary to the narrators' beliefs everyone else out there is not less intelligent.

Style-wise this was a strong documentary with its use of stock footage, interviews and original shots echoing such directors as Errol Morris.

Overall an entertaining watch but far from anything but pro- legalisation propaganda with a narrow spectrum of talking heads.

Important to watch

[e-earnest · 10/10 · 27 February 2016]

I think it is sad to have to say this to validate my opinion, but I will say right up front that I do not smoke marijuana. Despite that, I believe it is CRITICAL for every thinking American to watch this film. It is an excellent expose of our current drug policies, criminal system, medical system, pharmaceutical system, legal system and last but certainly not least it lays open our political system. Please watch it, please share it. Knowledge is power. Overlook the characters and strong language and listen to what is being said. It is important information that needs to be disseminated throughout our country and it's people. This documentary is successful in in showing the hypocrisy and illogicality of our nations drug policies and specifically the prohibition of cannabis (marijuana). Take off your blinders and expand beyond your current mindset and allow yourself to listen, this film may just enlighten you to think a little differently. Don't be afraid to open yourself to information that may be contrary to what you've been led to believe, because you have been led. Think for yourself and make up your own mind.

Emotional train ride that opens eyes and questions our ignorance.

[a_canadian86 · 10/10 · 21 January 2015]

This film made me question, brought tears to my eyes and completely changed my mind on marijuana. So much information is taught in this film and so much disbelief and fears are put to rest. It proves how governments operate, why it's illegal, who benefits and why nothing has changed until recently.

I never really understood how ignorant the world is when it comes to marijuana. My parents always used to say it was, quote "The Devil" or "If you ever think of touching that drug you are out of the house".

My brain was developing and i was learning that marijuana is bad. I assume most of my generation (20 years old or more), have felt the same way. I truly believe if I watched this film in high school and it was part of every single schools curriculum world wide... We would be so much more loving and caring towards each other it would be a far better world than the one we live in today.

Every kid, no every adult, every single person on this planet needs to watch this film.

Missed Opportunity to Make the Case for Marijuana Law Reform

[stevenbaghdad · 4/10 · 18 May 2015]

If you are of the opinion that corporations run the world and see a powerful conspiracy supporting every policy with which you don't agree, this is the film to confirm your worldview.

If you would like to be educated on the failure of marijuana prohibition, the first 45 minutes of this movie does a decent job. But then it spins out into a disjointed, paranoid analysis of everything from media to campaign finance to drug development and beyond.

It is really disappointing to invest 45 minutes, be tantalized by the beginnings of a good argument for marijuana law reform, then watch it get more and more ridiculous.

Anybody that subscribes to the conspiracy theories played out in the last hour or so of the movie are people who already think marijuana laws need reform. The second half of the movie kills the credibility of the first half. Most people who are undecided on the issue are going to be lost an hour into the movie.

Missed opportunity to convey a powerful message.

Uhhmazing

[terrca · 10/10 · 31 March 2015]

The best 2 hours I have spent in a long time. You always believe you know a lot on a given topic but there is always so much more empirical knowledge rather than "they say that...." or "i heard somewhere that..." and this documentary gives all of that to you straight forward and with so much evidence to back up every claim as well well known names in media to support it. Please watch, no matter your stance on anything, you'll learn something you didn't know beforehand I promise. It's not just about "pot" it's about something bigger...have an open mind. We're at the brink of big change and the last thing we need are more fascists.

Wonderful education tool

[michellelitch38 · 10/10 · 15 September 2016]

This movie explains, in easy to understand terms, just how wrong our society has been the last 42 years. I implore you to watch this movie, and then make your own opinion. Another good movie, with similar but greatly enhanced information, is on HBO called VICE Special Report:Fixing the System. America is in great need of educating our fellow brethren in exactly what has caused us to be in the place we find ourselves today. These two movies need to be shown during every state legislature session, in schools, in parks, where ever people congregate!!! Take the time to learn for yourself what is going on and what has caused it instead of letting a politician fill your mind with lies and deceit.

Good in parts, but undisciplined

[paul2001sw-1 · 8/10 · 6 December 2015]

'The Culture High' is an engaging, important but undisciplined documentary. It details many important facts, namely, the relative harmlessness of marijuana, relative other other legal and illegal drugs; the use of prohibition to fill up a prison system almost as if this was its purpose, and moreover to do so in racially discriminatory way; the role of special interests in directing politics; and the banality of mainstream news coverage. So what's not to like? Fristly, I can quite believe the the cannabis plant has the potential to be used as the source of a number of potentially valuable medical products; but watch this film, and you'd believe it to be truly a wonder-substance, the most valuable ever plant for the benefits of human health. Secondly, the film spreads its scope too wide. So we get a familiar, shallow list of complaints about contemporary society: that democracy is imperfect, money corrupts politics, in capitalism everything happens for a profit-driven reason. Indeed, one thing that's interesting about current initiatives to legalise marijuana (but not covered here) is exactly the financial incentives driving the system to long overdue change. Which in this case, I feel to be for the best; but to believe that a new generation of Internet informed citizens are going to transform society over old vested interests, with the legalisation of the "wonder drug" marijuana as just the first step, is woefully naive. The film is much stronger when it stays on topic and looks at America's police state. The good news is that slowly, the tide seems to be turning; as participants in 'The Culture High' themselves tell us, eventually, the film itself will appear like an anachronism, the product of a less rational time.

Culture High is a very informative film with strong evidence to support its claims and many interesting ideas to think about after it is over.

[andrewyniguez · 8/10 · 9 May 2016]

"The Culture High" is a documentary that was released on October 17, 2014. It is directed by Brett Harvy and stars several different people and professionals in the subject of cannabis. This documentary find itself trying to tackle the big issue of cannabis in the present day world, being heavily focused on whether or not it should be legal and how dangerous it is compared to other substances such as alcohol and prescription drugs. The film immediately starts off with a SWAT team breaking into a house that they believe is involved in the distribution on marijuana due to them finding traces of it in the household's garbage. This scene is a very strong statement for the movie to start off with. From here the movie starts taking on all the big questions about marijuana and all the misconceptions that the public is lead to believe. The film is strongly focused on distributing the real facts about cannabis and what it can really do for the public.

This film is most interesting when it points out all of the flaws in prescription drugs and how they can be plenty more harmful than marijuana can be. People believe that since prescription drugs are legal they couldn't possibly be harmful but in a large amount of cases they can be severely harmful. The film states that some of these prescription drugs can easily be replaced by cannabis which would have severely less side effects. There is also a strong argument about how marijuana use should not result in being put in jail or anything along those lines. The film starts talking about how several recent presidents have openly confessed that they used marijuana when they were younger and do not wish others to fall into the path that they did. At this point it is argued that if they were caught with marijuana when they were younger than they would have never won the presidency due to the fact that they had that criminal record, so it is brought up to think about whether this should be punishable to the extent that it is.

When "The Culture High" isn't talking about the usefulness of cannabis and how much it can help people in need, it finds itself attacking all of the other substances that are used by the general public due to it being legal. Much time is spent bad mouthing alcohol and prescription drugs for all of the things that they can lead to. The film says that doctors become influenced by the distributors of different prescription drugs which can take away from their honest opinion about what their patient should use to help with their illness. There is also the argument on how many deaths alcohol has led to from intoxication and alcohol poisoning. These arguments are valid but they can take away from the overall picture that this film is trying to make about cannabis.

According to critic Geoff Berkshire of Variety, "the film leaps from topic to topic like a particularly ADD member of the debate club." Although I do agree with Berkshire in that the film does seem to not be as focused, but it does bring up many valid points in the debate for legalizing marijuana. Berkshire also talks about how the credibility of the speakers in the film can vary. For example Berkshire states that "the scores of talking heads range from insightful (former Baltimore police detective and "The Wire" co-creator Ed Burns) to kooky (author Howard Bloom) to totally far out (charming former international pot smuggler Howard Marks)." I agree with him in the respect that some of the speakers in the film can seem unnecessary at times. Although these points can be distracting at times, I still feel that "The Culture High" has a strong case for the many uses of marijuana if it were to be legalized. Overall, I would recommend this film to any people that are on the fence about the legalization of marijuana. I would not trust the views of all of the people in this documentary due to the fact that some are not as credible as others are in this particular field. I would recommend that you have some general knowledge about cannabis before watching this movie. Anyone who is interested in marijuana and its possibilities to help people should watch "The Culture High". It is a very informative film with strong evidence to support its claims and many interesting ideas to think about after it is over.