By The dawn of the weed legalization movement in the United States is being explored in a new documentary film series that premiered this week at the Tribeca Film Festival. Cannabis Buyers ClubThe story of Denisperon, a pot dealer, cannabis reform leader, and bizarre rights activist, debuted at the world-famous film festival on Monday and will be screened repeatedly tonight.
“The Cannabis Buyers Club records the most important unknown LGBTQ + rights struggle of the 20th century,” reads a movie overview shared at the Tribeca Film Festival. “When a new illness devastates his community and the government doesn’t care, rebel pot dealer Dennis Peron leads a movement to help, heal, and fight back. Vietnam gay veteran. Peron builds a pot empire during the drug war and fights politicians and police to save friends. The definitive story of marijuana legalization in the United States. “
The four-part documentary series was directed by film producers Kip Andersen and Chris O’Connell. In the opening episode, the film is after Peron introduced cannabis as a disliked soldier in Vietnam. Avoiding alcohol as a “drug,” the pacifist turned to the pot instead when it was time for his troops to take R & R.
From Vietnam to Castro
Shortly before the end of the tour in Vietnam, Peron traveled to Thailand, where he bought some of the best cannabis in the world for £ 5-6. Later, after he returned to the unit, he was assigned to the base’s post office and began sending weeds hidden in cassette tape cases back to the United States. After returning to the United States and living in San Francisco, Peron’s entry into the underground pot industry continued in earnest.
With his involvement in community and political activity, Peron has been at the forefront of efforts to legalize weeds in San Francisco, counting Harvey Milk, a gay activist and later county overseer, among many allies. I did. Peron’s willingness to sell cannabis from Castro’s storefront and support cannabis policy reform was fueled by the AIDS epidemic that killed his partner and countless others and wasted his friends and neighbors. rice field. Cannabis stimulated the patient’s appetite, prevented them from losing weight, and extended their lifespan.
In the early 1990s, Peron established the Cannabis Buyers Club in San Francisco to provide a safe place for patients and their caregivers to get the medicines they need. In 1996, he co-authored Proposal 215, a groundbreaking voting bill that legalized the medical use of cannabis in California.
“To unravel the story of the Cannabis Buyers Club, we need to know the atmosphere of San Francisco at the time and what Dennis became this controversial man,” Andersen and O’Connell wrote to the director. statement. “These events can only happen in San Francisco, where we star in the movie with Dennis and other colorful characters, Brownie Mary, Tony Serra, Joe Bannon, and Greg Corales. The AIDS crisis plunges into a drug war. It was a perfect political storm that liberal cities fought and won against conservative nations. The precedents were placed in justice, the effects of which are still felt today, and new states legalize marijuana each year. increase.”
Peron suffered a stroke in 2010, making it difficult to speak.As his health declined, Peron shared his life story with the filmmakers behind him. Cannabis Buyers Club In the last interview before he died in 2018.
“A few months after making this film, the controversial protagonist and hero Naughty Dennis died,” O’Connell and Andersen wrote. “We were in the bedroom with him a few days ago. The camera was rolling listening to him. I remember that last interview. He was the mayor of San Francisco. He taught me how to set foot in Dianne Feinstein’s office. He was running the city at the time, so I was able to do so. “
Cannabis Buyers Club Screening at Tribeca Film Festival
In addition to the June 16 screening Cannabis Buyers ClubThe Tribeca Festival hosts virtual access to documentaries for home viewing, which began on June 15. The festival begins on June 8th and ends on Sunday, June 19th.
“This 2022 feature film program leaves pride and humility in the endless ingenuity and passion of our insatiable filmmaking community,” said Cara Cusumano, festival director and vice president of programming this year. I mentioned it in a press release when the selection was announced in April. “Whether it’s a comedy breath of fresh air or an arrogant exposure to the most urgent contemporary issues, this year’s official selection is the vitality of independent films in a world that needs it more than ever. Reminds me of the urgency again. “
