Kickstarter

LOCAL VOICES

If you help fund this project, we will create a feature length documentary on Washington State Initiative 502 and its effort to end the prohibition of marijuana use by individuals 21 and over. This provocative 2012 ballot measure is polling well above 50% (57% yes, 34% no, 9% not sure-Survey USA, 9/11/12). It creates regulations for cannabis use, production, point of sale and taxation. This law could benefit state government with new funding sources and the ability to redirect criminal justice resources. Although, the base of marijuana reform advocates has been split due to a provision that defines a criminal penalty for driving under the influence.

See additional Hempfest coverage and more about our project proposal:

I-502 has garnered popular support among voters because of its emphasis on the strict regulation of marijuana production, distribution, and taxation. The “per se” DUI sets a limit for active blood THC levels at no greater than 5 nanograms per milliliter. Advocates for I-502 state that this is the best opportunity to change current law based on studying past attempts to legalize cannabis, most notably, California’s failed 2010 Proposition 19.

Local pot reform minded opponents, insist I-502’s DUI limit is based on faulty science that doesn’t take into account the latency of measurable THC levels that may, even days after being ingested, reside in an individual’s blood stream. This could be a significant challenge for medical marijuana patients and/or regular recreational users. It can put otherwise unimpaired drivers at risk of receiving a DUI. They say it is bad law and it would be better to try another way on another day. A split base of reform advocates could cost the election.

See the entire 94 minute, Hempfest 2012, I-502 debate at: 

Current economic decline and political policy shifts represent a perfect storm to reexamine the drug war’s prohibition of marijuana. Many states have successful medical marijuana and decriminalization laws that have skirted the United States Department of Justice’s all-out opposition. The federal government could try to block state efforts to regulate the recreational sale of marijuana because the national Controlled Substances Act lists it as an illegal schedule one drug. The Obama administration had initially softened the prosecution of legal medical marijuana operations (as opposed to Bush admin.), but continues the rhetoric of winning the War On Drugs. And, since the failure of California’s Proposition 19, the DOJ has increasingly stepped up its enforcement efforts closing some MMJ growing and distribution centers. 

The drug war against marijuana continues to be a multi-billion dollar financial drain on our local and national governments. The effect of this prohibition clogs our criminal justice system and gives multi-billion dollar profits to organized crime. Yet, we will not hear a word from either presidential candidate addressing the abject failure of pot prohibition.

This documentary will give a local view of a problem that effects all regions of our nation and many parts of the world. It will invite viewers in other communities to ask the question: Should we regulate the recreational sale and use of marijuana to enhance local, state, and federal budgets through projected financial offsets? 

We will present a brief history of the criminalization of cannabis and hemp in the US (1937). As well as investigate the political manipulation and influence of the American Medical Association, William Randolph Hearst, and the textile, timber and pharmaceutical industries. We will show examples of “yellow journalism” and racial propaganda attempting to promote cannabis, as an evil Mexican “marijuana” problem. We will examine how current laws disproportionately impact people of color with higher incarceration rates.

We will interview lead advocates and opponents for I-502, including politicians, law enforcement officials, medical professionals, both medicinal and recreational sellers and users, and non-users, too. We will present informed researchers to review physiological impairment studies concerning marijuana usage. They will help us closely examine the 2005 study by German researcher, Dr. Franjo Grotenherman, that led to the DUI limit of 5 nanograms per milliliter. We will show actual testing for active THC levels and document our own anonymous study of 6 to 12 known users, to gauge their levels of active THC, as related to their normal ingestion rates and their last consumption. We plan to show brief bulleted demographic descriptions of each  of our identity-protected users.

We will closely follow the I-502 campaign, through, and after election night. If I-502 passes, our focus and interviews will outline the reactions of and implications for both our state and federal governments. The legal ramifications will be historic. If I-502 fails, we will document the impact on the marijuana reform movement to assess what went wrong and what will happen next. We are setting an April, 2013 release date for this documentary.

Our budgeted goal is $45,000.00 and is outlined below. We are currently donating our planning, field and postproduction time to present this proposal and plan to continue to do so as we work toward our KickStarter goal. We will keep you updated on our Local Voices Tumblr.

Please choose a level of support and help premiere this film in April, 2013.

Sincerely, Josef Wilke

Confluent VideoMedia

CVM Portfolio: http://vimeopro.com/confluentvm/confluent-videomedia

Budget: $45,000.00 

Field Production

Pre-election: 

$7000.00 7-10 field interviews, b-roll, payments for interviewees

$3000.00 Debate and rally coverage

Post election:

$7000 7-10 field interviews, b-roll, payments for interviewees

Variable timeline:

$7000.00 Researcher explanation of Grotenherman study used to reach 5 nanogram threshold, showing actual test procedures and to pay anonymous but documented marijuana users for field study

Post-Production 

$14,000.00 Editing, color and audio correction, voiceover and publishing 

Promotional Materials and Services 

$2,500 Logo design, crew shirts, prize awards, video and blog updates, archival document fees, professional services, musician fees, DVD authoring

KickStarter Fees

$4,000.00 to $5000.00 If a project is completely funded; KickStarter will charge 5% and Amazon, for processing fees, charges 3 to 5%.

*If the budget goal isn’t met, you will be released from your pledge, but this important story won't be told. So let’s make that goal.