The screening and discussion are scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Kate Buchanan Room on the HSU campus. The event is part of HIIMR’s second annual speaker series, which continues through April. For a full list of speakers, click here (PDF).
Schuch has been a resident of Humboldt County since 1989 where she has worked as a custom woodworker, designer, and community activist. According to Schuch, the catalyst for producing this documentary was witnessing the changes brought by the explosion of marijuana grow houses in Arcata.
Tricky Bidness tells the story of how the politically progressive town of Arcata has grappled with the ongoing challenge of marijuana grow houses in its neighborhoods. Community members provide surprisingly candid and thoughtful analysis of the situation as Arcata finds itself a hub in the marijuana black market.
In 1996, Arcatans overwhelmingly supported California’s Prop. 215, the Compassionate Use Act, which “legalized” medical marijuana, but abuses of the law, combined with the ongoing 75-year old federal prohibition of cannabis, continue to leave Arcata and other communities like it in a legal gray zone.
City officials in the town try to balance the rights and needs of medical marijuana patients with the preservation of neighborhoods and community, and the documentary highlights the town’s unique approach to regulating grow houses, by using zoning, planning and building codes, and most recently, a high energy use tax. As cannabis moves towards the mainstream in other states, the question becomes not if it is legalized, but how to legalize it. With diverse points of view and surprising footage, this 70-minute documentary looks at lessons learned about the current marijuana situation and helps inform people about the challenges of this ‘tricky’ situation.
Tricky Bidness will also be featured in the upcoming Santa Cruz Film Festival, Nov. 7 to 10. http://santacruzfilmfestival.org/.
For more information, contact Josh Meisel, HIIMR co-director, at 707-826-4446 or meisel@humboldt.edu.
This event is sponsored by the Humboldt State University College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Natural Resources and Sciences and the College of Professional Studies.
Persons who wish to request disability related accommodations should contact the event organizer as soon as possible.
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