The Union: The Business Behind Getting High (2007)

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

I really, honestly believe about 90% of the facts quoted in this movie, however, the reason it grated on my senses was due to the background music. It seemed that no matter what topic was being discussed the music that accompanied the topic was some form of synthesized keyboard repetitive "melody" (not really melodic, just annoying repetition of a few notes) that seemed to have been performed by a bored eight-grader using a home computer.I believe the visual production quality was at least as high as most modern documentaries so I cannot understand what happened with the music, only that it may have been an afterthought. My advice: if the music becomes an afterthought then make it nonexistent. I would have preferred to listen to my own chewing sounds, some street traffic or quiet computer hum, rather than an electronic da da da da, over and over while some narrator droned on about how bad everything but marijuana is, which is really true, I believe...just not with that "music".This brings me to the other point of this production: where did you dig up that mock fifties-style narrator? Why parody the thing you hate with the thing you hate? I was so bored listening to those high school documentaries that I nearly always fell asleep in class, and God forbid it would be a warm day - no escaping a classroom snooze. Perhaps some less sanctimony would be appropriate in this type of factual information documentary.

I'm not a pot smoker. In fact, I've never even tried it. People tend to always assume I'm a complete pothead; especially when first meeting me. My good friends and I now just all agree that I must have a pothead's personality or something, heh.Just maybe about a year ago, give or take, I was completely against the good stuff. I still believed what I had "learned" in D.A.R.E., telling me that you could overdose from your first puff (seriously, our police guy told us this, lol). I thought it was more likely to cause lung cancer, proved to kill braincells, would make me mentally disabled, become self-destructive, etc. I thought that weed was as bad as heroin, simply because I was constantly hearing about how bad it is and how it'll screw your life up. I mean, I honestly thought that people who wanted medicinal marijuana just wanted to get stoned - thankfully, I know better now.My opinion starting changing about about a year ago, when I read an article that suggested that weed could actually help treat a physical disability my mother suffers with. This made me curious, and I quickly began doing a ton of research. Eventually, I decided to watch "The Union" after seeing a few people comment about it being a great documentary to get information from.By the time I watched it, I was already turning towards pro-marijuana legalization, and this documentary helped me get over any doubt. They give a lot of information, and information that is worth knowing. Looking back to a year ago, before starting my research and before watching the documentary, I can't believe how ignorant I was. I can't believe the stereotypes and judgements I held while completely misinformed.Now, I know better. I'm not a pot smoker; I've never even touched it, but to me, that just shows that it doesn't take a complete pothead to realize that it should be made legal. Now, when I get the chance, I correct people's statements and misinformations about marijuana and I've provided several people with better information and I've recommended this very documentary to a few people.I think the main reason I held such hatred towards the plant before being properly informed was because when my older sister was a teen, she became very self-destructive and caused a lot of drama and pain within the family, and at that time she did get caught smoking weed, and I associated her behaviour with it.My mom, who also used to be completely dead-set against weed, is not as against it as before since I've given her information. Although she's not willing on trying it yet and still a little sceptical, she's much more open to the possibility of trying to get a doctor's recommendation for it than she would've been otherwise. She would qualify for it, and it's legal here if you've got a doctor's recommendation. I want to get her to watch this (and a couple other documentaries, but mostly this one) in hopes that she'll at least give it a go and hopefully be able of decreasing her medication intake (She needs to take a lot on a daily basis, some of which seem kinda sketchy.)So in conclusion, I recommend this to anyone and everyone; it's a real eye-opener and very informative.

There are a variety of excellent films available that expose the idiocy, lies, hysteria and underlying self-serving and enormously profitable financial motivations behind drug prohibition in America, specifically the current War on Drugs, of which marijuana is the prime target. This is one of the best as it is one of the most comprehensive as well as nicely edited and thoughtfully produced.This is not a stoner film, a statement of "I have a right to get to stoned and no one should infringe on this in and of itself", even though this is a perfectly valid argument if you believe at all in real freedom and the US Constitution. Rather, this is a documentary that exposes the horrific, astronomical price the US pays to continue the current marijuana prohibition.Sadly, this film will be, for the most part, preaching to the choir. Few who have opposing views will watch it and be swayed to examine the fallacies within their belief system. Not because of the presentation or production value of the statements within the film, but rather man and woman's ability to continue to believe the most ridiculous and destructive foolishness regardless of the amount of overwhelming logic and reality that contradicts their beliefs. The billions of those who feverishly practice religions of intolerance and other faith/magic based beliefs as well as many of the horrific conditions in America presently, such as the record setting Prisons for Profit system and other tragedies are ample proof as to the idiotic self and other destructive nature of so-called humanity.Watch this film anyhow, whether it outrages you or just is another piece of evidence as further proof of man's and woman's squandered opportunity to have a great society. It is quite well done and will provide you food for thought, that is if you dare to think.

First of all, be warned, i am a pot lover, stoner and marijuana legalization advocate. Also i'm a well educated fourth year law student, with deep knowledge in history, mathematics, politics, and law. That duality that some people cant understand, and believe impossible is exactly what this film shows, am from Chile so my English may not be perfect, please spare me. Everyone, pro-legalization anti-legalization and even those who don't care should watch this film, the sheer amount of backup information is astonishing, everything that is said in the movie is accompanied by a source, so the movie presents an undeniable truth.That would be OK for most documentaries but this one goes further, its is fast paced, has a great soundtrack (specially if you're watching it high, treats a great variety of subjects, history, medical dangers, medical benefits, legislation, etc.Be warned, it will change your point of view, if you are a pro-legalization it will strength it, if you are close-minded it will open it, so be ready to learn the truth, and open your mind in a heavily entertaining way.