The Union: The Business Behind Getting High

Despite being illegal in much of the United States, the marijuana business continues to flourish. The lucrative and rapidly growing trade in British Columbia is worth over $7bn CAD a year, with 85% of the supply exported to the US. Written and directed by Brett Harvey, The Union: The Business Behind Getting High examines the business behind this major drug trade.

Much of the film focuses on those who grow, traffic and sell marijuana to consumers. A wide panel of criminologists, doctors, politicians and growers weigh in on the sensitive subject. The filmmakers attempt to uncover the underlying political, economic and social reasons behind its prohibition.

The Union compares current marijuana laws to the years of alcohol prohibition in the United States. Gang members and drug suppliers are interviewed to demonstrate just how profitable marijuana prohibition has become. The film suggests that many of the negative aspects of marijuana use are caused by harsh laws and the criminals they empower, rather than by users themselves. It further implies that legalisation could reduce gang warfare and drug-related crime.

A sequel, The Culture High, was released in 2014.