CNBC’S Marijuana Blind Spots
Last night, CNBC aired its much-touted documentary, “Marijuana Inc.” It was a decidedly mixed bag.
It was a portrait of an industry that is huge and thriving, despite the energetic efforts of assorted law enforcement agencies to “eradicate” it. No sane person could watch the program and come away thinking that present government efforts to curb marijuana production or use are working. With California’s Mendocino County as the focus, the crashing failure of the war on marijuana was on vivid display.
What was missing was context. Marijuana consumers, for example, were conspicuously absent. It’s hard to imagine any business channel devoting an hour to, say, Apple Computer, without spending at least a few minutes on why so many consumers are fiercely loyal to their iMacs and iPods, and what needs they fill that other products don’t. Instead we got lingering, almost pornographic shots of marijuana edibles at an Oakland dispensary but no sense of who the patients are who purchase these products — much less of the vast volume of research showing marijuana’s medicinal benefits. Bear in mind that much of that research was conducted just 20 minutes from where they were filming.
Another missing piece of context: Mendocino is a world-renowned producer of not one but two psychoactive drugs. Literally right alongside the illicit marijuana industry is a licensed, legal, regulated wine industry. And it’s a large industry: The county tourism site lists 64 wineries in a county with just 88,000 people.
These wineries produce a drug that, compared to marijuana, is more addictive, massively more toxic, and orders of magnitude more likely to make users violent or aggressive. Yet this industry has virtually none of the problems — violence, environmental damage, etc. — that the show ascribed to the illegal marijuana trade. The producers literally had to drive by vineyards to reach some of the locations where they shot, so failure to acknowledge this essential piece of context seems to have required a conscious effort to look the other way.
Tagged with: alcohol and California and law enforcement and Prohibition by the author
29 comments
Think the show really focused on how much this country needs the income from canibas and the federal failure fighting it needs to end. War is a waste of time and energy. Think if anyone was to put a prop just to legalize it for everyone it would pass. The state nor the country can afford to fight this battle any longer.
Well said Bruce. The scenes at “Oaksterdam U” showed some “normal, everyday” Americans who were interested. It really lacked how we got to where we are, the problems, and potential solutions. It was pretty much just smut-light journalism. Not very well done. All too dramatic with the family moving out of Mendocino because there were 13 pot gardens within a mile of their house. How many bars? How many sex offenders? Did they bother to check those facts out? The fact Trish Reagan didn’t even know the scope of the law in the Netherlands pretty well shows how loosely researched their piece was. What about the rest of the Nation? Lots of pot across the country. This was completely California-centric. This is an international issue, and the cartels were barely touched upon. What about Canada? What about the U.S. pressuring the rest of the world to abide by our prohibitionist laws? I am glad that the issue of marijuana is reaching a more widespread audience, but fear that these “specials” do not adequately cover the topic in an hour’s time.
THE MEANING OF THIS PAIR OF SENTENCES IS UNCLEAR TO ME: “These wineries produce a drug that, compared to marijuana, is more addictive, massively more toxic, and orders of magnitude more likely to make users violent or aggressive. Yet this industry has virtually none of the problems — violence, environmental damage, etc. — that the show ascribed to the illegal marijuana trade. “
More of the same fear-mongering from the media. And what a stupid,
Condescending reporter to cover the issue. She had this stupid patronizing look ok her face the entire time.
This program was so biased. I am sorry that CNBC didn’t spend more time showing the whole issue. I feel they wasted so much real information. Wonder how many people were sitting there with a drink of alcohol and a cigarettes in hand. Let’s stop skipping over the truth and step into 2009 with a new way of doing business…..Try telling the truth for a change…I am so disappointed in CNBC.
Probably more instrumental in dissuading the public sphere of the mindless rhetoric they have been fed: every person featured in the program reflected a civilized, non-violent aspect with a focus on pursuing the ‘American Dream’, just in a different vision. The media touts the violence that surrounds the Drug War without underlining the obvious conundrum. The prohibition of alcohol is the most direct parallel that is brought forth, as an anchor supposed before the airing of the program.
It was bad journalism, period.
Here’s the Hulu link for those who missed Marijuana Inc:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/54312/cnbc-originals-marijuana-inc
Good comments Bruce. I also fail to understand the relevance of the smuggler segment. All of the negative aspects of the story: the residential issues, the pollution, the violence are mitigated by having a regulated market. I was shocked at the complete lack of analysis at the conclusion.
Similarly, Aaron’s appearance last night was also biased. The moderator let the opposition interrupt him with bogus statistics and kept pushing the gateway theory. I wished he would have said in response to the interruptions about the gateway theory that repeating something does not make it true, and that a regulated market reduces marijuana consumers exposure to other illegal drugs. Overall, his appearance was good, but he needs to be a little more forceful about being heard.
One thing is certain, keeping this debate alive in the the media is good for our side. Even Hutchinson said regulations would mitigate problems.
Ani: The meaning of that statement is that when a product is legal and regulated then there isn’t nearly as much of a threat of violence breaking out because of it then when said substance is illegal.
And yes, I thought that they wasted a lot of time, it was nearly all biased, they should’ve just used that hour to continue the debate going on prior to the show starting; it would’ve been a much more efficient use of an hour. Then again, what do we expect from a major news network? You’d think they were supposed to report objectively or something.. as soon as John Walters came on I just turned it off. I see enough propaganda in the newspaper.
You can gouge gas in a time of despair and that’s ok but don’t get caught with or smoking marijuana because that’s so much more heinous. Wait which one has a victim? Hmm.
I really apreciate what you guys do but I watched the debate on CNBC with the DEA and Aron Houston MPP PR guy and I have to say I’m very dissapointed at the lack of debate he put up about prohibition. I mean a huge missed opportunity! The DEA were throwing out numbers and fear mogering and comparing weed too crack and coke. Aron Houston didnt even say the only reason people are previewed to those drugs is because they have to go to the black market to buy there weed where its comepletely unregulated. Arron Houston didnt elaborate about why prohibition was way more harmful to our fellow americans ! What the heck guys? The debate ended with a DEA debate victory. So as the program marijauna inc played after the debate the uninformed public that watched the debate prior watched it thinking that all those people were criminals ready to sell that weed to there kids. Im sorry but you guys dropped the ball and missed a great oppertunity to inform the public about cannabis.
Aaron, you have my phone number if you need anything. I have not seen the debate yet, but I am not sure I want too
I work cheap
What was very interesting was how NBC’s “Dateline” special on Rachel Hoffman was a scathing commentary of the Tallahassee police and the use of informants as a means to take down larger, dangerous criminals. Two very different perspectives from the same news organization.
I just watched a documentary, “Waiting to Inhale”,@ medical marijuana and the ruthless actions taken by DEA enforcers against people in states where it is LEGAL !! It’s so sad and utterly frustrating that we ( I have multiple sclerosis) have to endure daily physical pain needlessly because of ignorance. But I can take any number of painkillers which are addictive and have fairly serious side-effects. CNBC SHOULD AIR THAT ABOVE-MENTIONED VIDEO. The dvd was sent to me by the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation- borrowed from their library. It’s important to note that the NATIONAL MS SOCIETY does not yet favor or support med. marijuana, I suspect because they receive so much funding from the drug cos. with their billion dollar markets from the MS drugs alone. IT’S ALWAYS ALL ABOUT MONEY!!! We are being held hostage by BIG PHARMA.
[...] If you missed the Marijuana, Inc. documentary on CNBC, it’s basically a look at the ineffectiveness of the federal government’s efforts at marijuana eradication, as well as a look at Mendocino County, probably the largest concentration of state-legal marijuana in the United States. Here’s some commentary on the documentary from the Marijuana Policy Project. [...]
I was upset with the 911 call segment. The fact is that criminals are oppourtunists that will break into your home for ANYTHING of value. Not just pot. Can you imagine if the government outlawed jewelry, cash, or electronics? We have laws against breaking and entering AND violent crimes. I understand that no one wants to be a statistic, but you can’t freeze a multi-billion dollar industry due to the actions of a few sociopaths. The (local) economy would collapse. You can, however, devalue pot by regulating the supply through legalization. Just my opinion.
The show was a joke. It appeared to be put together by scum like John Walters. The plants at the beginning of the film were very nice. Why am I living in south Texas?
One thing i think was obvious in the show was this. If marijuana was legalized for personal use,if one could grow their own marijuana, it would put drug dealers outta buisness as far as marijuana is concerned.There wouldnt be people breaking into homes to steal it,people wouldnt be killed in bad raids,ect..ect..ect. Kill the market! Make it legal!
First off, Aaron, the guy who was representing all us “stoners” needs a fucking spine. He did not challenge them by asking what health risks pose and how they came upon those “facts”. Nor did he stand up for himself when he was repeated interrupted. As a representative he sucks. Just another politician with a hand up their ass controlling them.
The facts are simple people, we as American citizens have the right and power to force the legalization of marijuana through petitions. If we can accumulate the signatures of approximately 51% of adult citizens for the sole purpose of the legalization of marijuana congress has no choice but to comply. Further more he did not mention the fact that the government spends approx. 18 billion dollars a year on the war on pot. Nor did he question the statistics, like how many arrest were solely based on marijuana and not other drugs. Nor did he mention that more effort is put into the eradication of marijuana then any other drug. Yes there was an effort put forth to show that there is money to be made, but did not point out that with the full legalization of marijuana would suppress the negative impacts of just decriminalization. If regulated like tobacco and alcohol the number of marijuana crimes would drastically decrease, because the majority of the pot related crimes is possession or distribution.
Aaron did nothing for us, other then do the same song and dance. If the MPP was serious about what they are doing then they would get off there asses and take the fight to the people, rallying them so they can go together and put forth there demand for legal pot. For years now the wrong methods have been used, isn’t it time for a change.
I did not get to see it but it starts to sound a bit like a more insidious and subtler form of “Reefer Madness”! (why does this not surprise me?)
Thanks, John, for clearing up my semantic confusion.
I think that the only reason they did anything at all was because they were forced to due to growing public awareness.
When addicts are in denial (like those who control Big Media) they resort to lame excuses. When forced to fulfill some of their own responsibilities, they peter-principle it to death in hopes that they can fool everyone into thinking they did their job.
To be fair, we do not know what Aaron did or did not say for sure. They edit all gathered information to fit their agenda and fit the time slot. It is obvious what their agenda was/is but we cannot assume that they did not edit out his protests or statistics. Instead of whining we should all email CNBC as I intend to do right now. I encourage everyone to do the same asking them to cover the other side and if that gets no response then email competing networks asking them to fill the void. The key is ACT not just react. We can win this war guys the enemy is at its weakest since the great depression and the President is looking for the answer that is MARIJUANA and industrial hemp law repeals.
Considering the state of the global economy, wide-spread use, and the amount of tax payer dollars dedicated to the prosecution of offenders, legalization is an optimal solution.
In terms of our economy, the Government desperately needs to introduce new sources of tax revenue. The store owner featured on the show admitted paying 500 – 600k in taxes to the govenrnment. Legalization would create jobs from growing, licensing, QC, marketing, and disbursement. All generating jobs and tax revenue. Not to mention the creation of federal regulation jobs on the state and local levels.
The economic crisis in afganistan that is the underpin of the war is opium growth and trade. By replacing that crop with cannabis and exporting it to the US and other legal countries would solve the economic hardships of the people of afganistan, promote stabilization, and eventually change the war on terror as we know it.
I agree on the lack of solid reporting in the special. It was overly dramatic and focused only on small parts of the issue as these previous posts clearly state.
The real issue is spreading the word and changing the mindset of everyday Americans. The war on “marijuana” has inflicted some serious damage to Cannabis’ image. America needs to be educated about the true facts of Cannabis. The full history, the benefits, the money wasted over the drug war years, lives ruined, broken systems – it needs to stop. Obama offers a glimmer of hope but if he doesn’t see that the people really want to end prohibition, he will continue to dodge the issue.
July 4th, Washington D.C. The Million Marijuana March. Do what you can to spread the word, make fliers, tell everyone you know, get there any way you can! It is a sit down to end the lies and legalize Cannabis!!!
Go to http://www.trm3-801.org (the offical site of the March) and check it out. It’s gonna take a “grassroots” effort but imagine what the politicians will do when they see a million Americans throwing the best 4th of July ever in D.C. and telling the TRUTH about Cannabis!
Representative Barney Frank is on our side!!! More will join him, then the President.
Hemp-Hemp-Hooooraaah!
Legalize it and tax it just like cigs or booze!GOODBYE RECESSION!!
Adam is right on!!
Beware indicting others for their indulgences, such as tobacco and alcohol, these are the same tactics your adversaries employ.
Rise above this and be the voice of reason for the long too silent or oppressed majority. Remind your readers of the words of old sam clemens, ” What once were vices are now habits ” , and to that end let us be tolerent of the habits of others.
CNBC is the reason I got out of television as a photo journalist. What is the reasoning and motivation for the blatant bias and juxta positioning of visual images, along with post production editing and music that sets a sinister tone, out of context of the subject. What theatrics!! What tripe! Yellow journalism in its finest form. I kept asking myself, what if we take out the criminal element. Would crime rise? Nobody robbed a bank for an bag of bud alone. How much are we spending on possession felonies? How many live ruined by prison? And for what? They say, but its the law? Those hippies! (I love that part)
The hysteria was wiped up at a time when the US used cannabis law to force immigrants out of the South and made blacks a easy mark for harassment. Politicians were in the back pocket of fiber and textile industry giants who saw the versatility of the cannabis (hemp) plant as a threat. Perhaps you want to ruin the marijuana business in Medocino and in other areas this country, legalize and watch the price drop. That would pull the rug off the industry.
On the issue of Trish Reagan’s credibility. Please don’t tell me she wrote that all by herself? Tell me she was forced at DEA gun point to write just what she was told to. No decent journalist outside the entertainment industry would so obviously flavor, and slant a supposedly journalist product with such picture/text, musically manipulated, and post production nuanced pandering. Her sound bites from cultivation opponents, law enforcement and uninformed neighbors, lacked persuasive reasoning and argument against the practice. The melding of Medocinos business and the criminality of the activities in San Francisco Bay was unfortunate and petty. The breadth of the coverage would have been somewhat credible had she not interjected her own bias and lack of factual information about the subject matter. Me thinks she doth protest to much.
Take the suffering and social and economic damage of incarceration for felony or misdemeanor possession, against the innovative and seemingly responsibly civic and business minded community industry and the recreational usage of its products. What model causes the greater social ills.
Leave a Comment