BBC Documentary looking to speak to the cannabis community

[jolee]

The guys a tit, he's been all over other forums, I think UK420 showed him the door and rightly so, BBC only ever make propaganda for the government

Couldnt have put it better myself my friend. Anyone that gets involved with the BBC especially when it comes to cannabis will not be shown in a true light. They want controversy not some mild mannered middle aged old toker saying what a wonderful drug it is. That wouldnt make good tele now, would it. My advice to anyone is to steer clear of all these so called documakers who promise to "paint a true picture

MY ARSE

 

[rocket high]

why help the bbc when these people bully you into paying for a bloody tv licence then ask you to help make programmes for them .... its mental .

channel 4 would do a better job ..imo

 

[smokeymacpot]

Hi Smokey,

I gather from you saying you can give a written account means you don't want any filming done with you, identity obscured or not? Unfortunately in our doc we are going to use just moving pictures.

Thanks for the offer of writing the show but we are not trying to work to a script and just tell the stories of people we can film with. I know you were half joking by the way!

yup, this is illegal, i dont want to be identified in anyway and what good is it if no face or voice is shown ? what would you want to do/see/talk about exactly?

what always annoys me about these cannabis documentries is that they bring in some muppet that goes on and on about it causing schizophrenia, when its never been proven to cause it and only a possibility of canabis bringing it out in someone that has it or the makings of it already.
film that adviser the goverment sacked! hes good.

i hope that you show its not a bad thing to have a small plant for some personal smoke(to avoid scummy dealers) and to relax in your own home without causing trouble for anyone. it might help in the fight for legalisation, but only if you can show the governments stance on this is utterly wrong and show them up in a factual way as why our current situation is not working.

 

[GMT]

I'm reminded of Pascal's quote, "the sum of all evil would be greatly diminished if men could only learn to sit quietly in their rooms".
When we sit in our room and smoke a plant that we have grown, that is all that we are doing rather than getting drunk and assaulting each other in the streets creating a public hazzard.

 

[El Toker]

The OP starts of by saying he wants to speak to the "cannabis community" in the UK. There is no "cannabis community", it's a ridiculous idea. Most people smoke cannabis at some point in their lives and it is smoked across all social classes, all ethnic groups, all religions and all parts of the political spectrum. It's like talking about the "peanut eating community".

Using the term "cannabis community" demonstrates that the OP has already decided to reinforce negative stereotypes about cannabis users. We aren't all benefit dependant left wing vegan hippie druid eco-warriors. We are not all defined by our use of cannabis. My use of cannabis is only one small part of my life and my identity, the "community" with which I mix on a daily basis, and am a member of does not consist entirely of cannabis smokers.

There are some high profile cannabis users who see themselves as spokespersons for this mythical community. However they never have any kind of democratic mandate to do so and very often have some bizarre and flaky ideas that the majority of cannabis smokers would want to distance themselves from.

 

[Black Smurf]

The OP starts of by saying he wants to speak to the "cannabis community" in the UK. There is no "cannabis community", it's a ridiculous idea. Most people smoke cannabis at some point in their lives and it is smoked across all social classes, all ethnic groups, all religions and all parts of the political spectrum. It's like talking about the "peanut eating community".

Using the term "cannabis community" demonstrates that the OP has already decided to reinforce negative stereotypes about cannabis users. We aren't all benefit dependant left wing vegan hippie druid eco-warriors. We are not all defined by our use of cannabis. My use of cannabis is only one small part of my life and my identity, the "community" with which I mix on a daily basis, and am a member of does not consist entirely of cannabis smokers.

There are some high profile cannabis users who see themselves as spokespersons for this mythical community. However they never have any kind of democratic mandate to do so and very often have some bizarre and flaky ideas that the majority of cannabis smokers would want to distance themselves from.

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

Yeah most long-term successful growers I know tend to avoid any 'community' unless it's done in an anonymous way such as through a forum site such as this .....

....That's why we have seen such a growth in canna forum sites, mainly because growers do want to socialize somehow and show what they grow because they are proud of what they achieve .....

People grow cannabis for many reasons......mainly on this site you will find home growers who grow for their own use and maybe for a friend or two.....so that they don't have to go buying cannabis on the street and through unreliable/un-safe sources who might try and offer them harder drugs and exposure to a violent and un-trustworthy 'community' of people.....

There are commercial growers too who have turned to growing for economic reasons......maybe they loose their job and can't pay the mortgage so they take the risks and fire up a grow in the spare bedroom/attic/basement e.t.c.......and are able to get their bills paid from selling it?.....many have chosen this path due to the recent economic depression.......

In the UK....any serious commercial grower would be totally retarded to let you BBC guys come film in his grow-room or even to let you know of his/her identity.......all the coppers need to do is get a court order for disclosure from you......

I can see a positive side if this documentary is made to portray cannabis growers as just ordinary people that just happen to be growing a plant in purgatory....... after all it's just a plant, and a very useful one that means a lot to millions of people many of which have been victimized by the powers that be and have become a victim of a victimless crime such as myself in the past......

....and that's why I do what I do......and own this site to help growers to grow......my way at getting back at these draconian laws...

It's kind of like if you BBC guys wanted to do a documentary in France during 1943 on the French Resistance....then broadcast it to the Germans.....lol...

 

[The Hummus Monk]

The major flaw in this documentary concept is that it is aiming at 'young people'. BBC 3 is the wrong place for a balanced view on cannabis use in the UK. A balanced view would mean utilising experience from the BROAD EST possible age demographic.

It is no coincidence that the best posts on this site (in my view) come from the minds of the older pot growers/users. To limit the views to people under 34 (which is essentially what he is gunning for) will result in yet another naive, irrelevant and ultimately useless take on cannabis in the UK.

You should interview my neighbour...she's 75...severe back pain...has resorted to obtaining black market Valium as the GP won't help...she told her GP that she wants to try cannabis and he said that in his view that would be far better than valium!

...consequently I now help to medicate her!



Unfortunately though I WILL NOT be willing to contribute to this blatently half arsed balanced attempt at a programme.

How about doing a programme about how cocaine use is utterly rife within the BBC? I sure do have a few contacts there that I could put you in contact with!

 

[paulo73]

Question?

Question?

Hi there Bart.
You must understand why all our fears come rushing out on the prospect of another cannabis doc from the BBC. After all you want to know more about the UK "cannabis comunity" and i ask myself dont you know your own "laws"?!
If you want one unbiased doc go to any of the UK courts and pick a couple of home growers that had their life fucked because of a couple of plants.
Those poor guys dont have much to loose anymore and maybe something good could come out of itjust a thought.
That way you could start your doc by showing the kind of abuse we growers in the uk have to deal on daily basis
All the best

 

[oldpink]

I see lots of people criticise past documentary's
maybe thats down to them not being able to find your average joe smoker / grower to talk to them
so they end up with chav's looking for there 15 minutes of fame
perhaps if more of us "Normal" people spoke up about what we do and why we do it
we could disperse the myths surrounding cannabis
and the people that use it and grow it

last time I got involved with something like this it was a government study into grower statistic's
that report was part of the evidence that got cannabis downgraded to Class C
then as now researchers wanted to talk to growers to find out the real picture about what was going on
in the real world not the tabloid hype

after all 99% of tokers are every day people you meet on the street or pass on your way to work
we are not the minority that normally end up being seen on almost every other documentary on Cannabis
I'm not saying tell people you grow or risk your security but the more voices that speak out the louder the message becomes

 

[smokinweedgi]

I see lots of people criticise past documentary's
maybe thats down to them not being able to find your average joe smoker / grower to talk to them
so they end up with chav's looking for there 15 minutes of fame
perhaps if more of us "Normal" people spoke up about what we do and why we do it
we could disperse the myths surrounding cannabis
and the people that use it and grow it


great post old pink u hit the nail on the head

 

[rocky5]

just told doc-u-maker to watch this,

living with the enemy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCCLFQqBdzE&feature=related

bbc by the way!

 

[Panoramical]

Wow! Really torn on this one; I feel like I fit the description of the persons you're in search for (22 yrs of age), but I don't think you're searching for the right people to get the story of "both sides".

There aren't just two sides. The clue's in my name, you need a panoramic perspective, which won't be easy for you to achieve, for a multitude of reasons.

Being that it's BBC3, you're probably on a tiny budget and a tight time-scale, which will limit how accurately the documentary reflects the "cannabis community".

And let's be frank, with you working for the BBC, your job is to create documentaries that get viewers, which is what judging your success will be based upon, and not by how well the documentary portrayed the truth, which ultimately is how we will all judge your documentary.

I believe there is a need for what you're trying to do, but I don't think you can do it; working for the BBC or with a small time-scale.

For the above reasons, I feel as though I can't participate in this visually, however I would like to share a thought that fell out of my head when reading this thread you started - so thank you for igniting that thought and feel free to explore it in your documentary (although it must have been explored before).

Cannabis is highly regarded as a "gateway" drug, to harder drugs. I agree.

Why is this, though?

Because the government put all drugs under one umbrella; illegal. For anything illegal, there is a black market. This forces the user to use the black market to get there cannabis.

As on any market stall, black or white, there isn't just one product for sale. The same place/person you go to, to get your weed, is also likely to stock other drugs that have far worse impacts to an individual’s health and lifestyle, than those of cannabis.

These other products are cleverly marketed by the sellers and, especially if the user is young, could be easily influenced into trying one of these other "illegal drugs". Because after all, they'd been taught throughout their education that all drugs are bad, including cannabis. And if cannabis isn't that bad, then maybe they were wrong about the others?

I'm currently straddling the fence of black market and self-sufficient, with my first grow (guerrilla) going at the moment. But I still rely on purchasing the plant off of risky sources and a few years ago could have been, and was influenced by harder drugs when I was just trying to score some weed man!

Dealing with these risky sources is why some cannabis users may go on to harder drugs. Not because they NEED something harder, but because all humans can be influenced, some more easily than others.

If cannabis wasn't illegal, users wouldn't have to go to black market dealers to get their cannabis, which would in-turn keep them away from the harder drug. Then it wouldn't be known as the "gateway drug". It is the legislation enforced upon cannabis that has created this "gateway drug".

Coffee could be a gateway drug if it was made illegal. Would that then make coffee harmful? No, of course not.

If there were dispensaries, I think the number of people using harder drugs would fall, as there are a huge number of people that start with smoking cannabis and end up on harder things. The effect won’t be seen straight-away, but maybe over a period of a decade or more.

Cannabis needs to be distinguished from all other drugs, otherwise it will lead onto harder things, for some people. And it doesn’t help when those “some people” blame cannabis for their addiction to harder drugs, when in fact they are just a victim of the Government’s ignorance to the substance (cannabis).

 

[John Bourne]

i think gypsy summed it up best, and judging by how the exodus show turned out, i don't see anything good coming from this. just my 2cents.

 

[DocLeaf]

There are several UK activists that help to educate the BBC about cannabis, like Sarah Martin

Good Point its paid for by every UK member of IC Mag

I do NOT pay for a TV License because the viewing is poor and I do NOT support the Babylon System which the BBC prompts and represents in these times.

This is to say nothing about the BBCs media "control", and its religious, political, economic and educational manipulation of the masses.

The guys a tit, he's been all over other forums

Yeah ,, my ppl told the beeb to ****-off a few years ago! But that doesnt mean i n i hold any malice for this reporter / Bart man... this sort of thing really doesnt effect many of us these days because we dont watch TV,, or subscribe or aspire towards that lifestyle

Peace n flowers

 

[DocLeaf]

It's kind of like if you BBC guys wanted to do a documentary in France during 1943 on the French Resistance....then broadcast it to the Germans.....lol...

Haha.. That hit the nail on the head

after all 99% of tokers are every day people you meet on the street or pass on your way to work
we are not the minority that normally end up being seen on almost every other documentary on Cannabis

I do agree with this OldPink If this reporter can help normalise cannabis use, in the minds of those that don't use cannabis, then perhaps he/she has a cultural value.

However we must remember that in the past educational documentaries about cannabis (such as Channel 4s Pot Night) were banned by the DTI... they havent been shown since,, and that was almost 20 years ago. The BBC can only work within the confines of the BBC under the DTIs guidelines... otherwise they might have to broadcast the truth sometime.

Likewise I DO NOT think that such an interview should isolate young people,, since they have a rough time of it as it is ever since the BBC introduced the word "Hoodie" and its associated fear into society... besides in reality our youths only make up a small fraction of the wider cannabis community.

i n i understand a negative can always be turned into a positive. and would be happy to point the documentary maker towards a wider demographic of the international cannabis community now growing in the UK. For example Polish growers in the UK were breeding their own varieties of cannabis together yesterday ; the first underground cannabis cup already took place in the UK on the 1st Dec 2008. The free UK Exodus Collective cutting/clone of Skunk #1 (called Cheese) won that cup... most interesting considering the Exodus Movement started over 20 years ago

It is also important to be aware that in the UK, the cannabis "scene" operates on two separate levels, one is subterranean and the other is underground. Finding where one starts and the other ends will perhaps be your biggest triumph as a journalist in this field. We therefor admire the fact that you are trying where other BBC reporters have failed. Much of what you'll be filming will however be old news and out-dated by the time it gets aired... simply because cannabis culture is currently evolving at a unquantifiable pace. The term that is given to this phenomena is called "overgrowing".

ANY documentary concerning cannabis culture in the UK today should include an interview with Big Buddha (aka Milo Yung) since he is doing it, done it, on an international stage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqlj5CzgWLg

Likewise the videos of Gypsy Nirvana (film maker and owner of this site) should be studied, since they perhaps offer the most real and lasting educational approach towards the subject of cannabis culture on film to date... and he's also from the UK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGLK4G9CirY

All the best

 

[Doc-U-Maker]

Thanks for that post Doc Leaf. Very helpful. Where could I speak to the polish community? Sounds like a good way of representing that international trend you were talking about.

Also massive long shot but do you reckon we could speak to the organisers of the underground cannabis cup?

Like I say long shots but if you don't ask....?

 

[rocket high]

"Where do i speak to the Polish /Eastern European community" ...PPPfffff where do you live?
They are everywhere in the uk Bart .

Good luck with the long shots

 

[Doc-U-Maker]

The polish community ...PPPfffff where do you live?

They are everywhere in the uk bart .

I was thinking of that Doc Leaf might know the people he was talking about. I live in Bristol and yes there is a polish community but I would have to ask a large number of them and they might not be the sort of people he was talking about.

Not that I'm lazy and can't be bothered!!!!

 

[GMT]

Lol, I didn't even get an invite to the UK cup, good luck tracking those guys down.