NatGeo Revisits Marijuana On Sunday Night At 8PM

You may remember Drugs, Inc. from last year, in which the intricate global chain of supply and demand of drugs such as marijuana and cocaine were chronicled. As a follow-up to those four-episodes, National Geographic Channel will be airing Drugged, a three-part series over two nights that investigates the effects of drugs on the human brain and body:

DRUGGED: High on Marijuana

In the last year, 28 million Americans have rolled a joint, smoked a pipe, sparked up a bong or eaten a pot brownie. Now, follow an entire marijuana high in an adult from start to finish, beginning with the inhalation of cannabis smoke. Using vivid CGI, see how the chemicals slip through a stoned subject’s membranes lining the lungs and into the bloodstream, then on to the heart, up the spine and into the brain. Find out why users get red eyes and the so-called munchies, and explore the difference in the body when cannabis is eaten rather than smoked. We’ll see what role genetics might play in a person’s response to cannabis, take a look at the mysteries of why a high sometimes turns to a low and learn more from the forefront of current marijuana research.

“How Marijuana Works” – What exactly happens to your body when you smoke marijuana?

Most medicines that doctors prescribe, there’s a lot of side effects, there’s a lot of risk and you have to balance out the risk benefit ratio, but with Cannabis it’s very much non-toxic. — Dr. Julie Holland, Author, ‘The Pot Book‘

I’m Thankful For Lisa Ling And National Geographic!

“Wow!” That was my first thought after watching the trailer for an upcoming National Geographic Explorer entitled Marijuana Nation.

I’m keen to reply to the oft ask question ‘why is cannabis is illegal?’ that if we have a watchdog press regarding cannabis prohibition rather than a lapdog press, there is little doubt in my mind that substantive reforms occur quickly–not over decades, which is what the general pace of reform has been when otherwise intelligent, critically-thinking journalists parrot the government’s propaganda, thereby mis-educating (in some cases, regarding some media outlets, outright misleading) the citizenry who rely so heavily on what is supposed to be verified and credible information.

While having not seen the entire product, if the trailer of NatlGeo journalist Lisa Ling’s commentary is an indicator, I’m greatly looking forward to viewing Marijuana Nation on National Geographic at 10PM (eastern/pacific), Tuesday, December 2.

Ms. Ling has covered the war on some drugs as a total-hands-on-journalist (a rarity these days!) from virtually all angles, from Colombia to Compton, and her personal commentary regarding what she has seen (i.e., aghast at the high level of military-style domestic law enforcement for cannabis) and believes regarding America’s cannabis prohibition laws is Murrow-esque.