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An
excellently produced 1995 Australian film outlining
the differences between the useful hemp plant and
its varietal cousin marijuana, The Hemp Revolution
covers the history, politics, economics and social
position of the plant Cannabis Sativa.
Backed
with music by Jackson Browne, Yothu Yindi, Sirocco
and Stephen Housden, the film is a mixture of old
footage, interviews, modern agriculture and attitudes.
Whereas
presentation of extreme views is unavoidable in this
sort of debate, there are enough facts and documentation
for the viewer to make up his or her own mind.
One
aspect of the rise of American drug laws I had not
come across before was the timing of Harry Anslinger's
agitation to criminalise marijuana in 1937, coinciding
with the end of alcohol prohibition - law enforcement
employees needed to keep their jobs.
Contrasting
Anslinger's attitude with that of Eddy Engelsman from
the Ministry of Welfare, Health and Culture of the
Netherlands provides a balance. Mr Engelsman believes
cannabis smoking is hazardous and the Dutch Government
pursues an anti-smoking policy but, he says, the laws
should not cause more harm than the substance.
I
do believe films of this nature and calibre should
be widely viewed as an educational tool and to dispel
the misinformation and hysteria surrounding a plant,
one variety of which is beneficial and environmentally
enhancing, and to distinguish between facts and fictions,
keeping the psychotropic plant and issue as a distinctly
separate debate.
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