A little over a month ago, Texas Cannabis Collective profiled an upcoming documentary discussing the many legal and societal issues that Texan veterans who decide to medicate with cannabis face entitled “Illegally Alive or Legally Dead”. Produced by filmmakers The Hustle Hustle Collective and Film4Eyes and Blue Cord Farms founder Robert Head, the film will showcase the daily struggles that veterans face in Texas and how medicating with cannabis in a state so notorious for stubborn prohibition could result in further jeopardy for both themselves and their families.
The documentary was, and still is, in the process of filming. However, major progress has occurred since our last conversation with Head. Today, Texas Cannabis Collective once again had the honor of speaking with the proud veteran advocate and father for an update on the film that has potential be monumental for cannabis reform within Texas.
Since our last check in, Hustle Hustle, Film4Eyes and Head have been hard at work traversing the state, collecting interviews high-profile and influential with individuals of different professional fields yet all relate to cannabis reform, such as Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg and psychiatrist Dr. Sue Sisley.
District Attorney Ogg implemented a pre-charge diversion program in the county that contains most of Greater Houston that lowered the rate of low level cannabis possession convictions by 80 percent and Dr. Sisley is former University of Arizona professor and cannabis researcher who’s DEA-approved study into the treatments of medical cannabis’ usage in the treatment of PTSD was “the first time a clinical trial intended to develop smoked botanical marijuana into a legal prescription drug has received full approval from U.S. regulatory agencies,” according to Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.
They also diligently document the fight for legalized cannabis from a very boots-on-the-ground perspective, attending events such as Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy’s Conference and capturing the true force of the bi-partisan and personally diverse support behind ending the horribly costly and terrorizing prohibition and creating a regulated market instead.
Throughout the documentary, Head makes sure to have extensive interviews with his fellow veteran cannabis advocates, including Texas Veterans for Medical Marijuana founder David Bass and Joshua Raines.
“We sit down and discuss the work that we do here in Texas and how we are able to improve upon or continue the mission” Head described, “and hopefully, maybe we can get Willie Nelson or someone like that.”
But most importantly, Head and the filmmakers dive deep and bare witness to the daily struggles of veterans suffering, the higher likelihood that veterans turn to addiction to cope with trauma, the toll it takes on their families and communities and so many more of the true horrors they face when returning from war.
“When we start doing interviews with the veterans and hear about the things they’re having to go through and what they went through in the military, the prescriptions they had to take. And you hear about these people who are your uncle, your next door neighbor, your friends that go to church with you or what have you, and that’s what we’re getting across. These are the everyday people in the United States.
These are your veterans. They’re not drug dealers, they’re not druggies. They’re not the stoners you think they are. They’re people that need help. I think what we got is a great explanation that we’re showing the world what this problem is that we’ve been yelling and screaming about for many years and I think a documentary like this will shed light on it.”
As of today, the trailer for the riveting documentary was released. The trailer can be viewed below:
