There’s a scene in the movie Half-Baked that we love — well, that’s an understatement! But anyway, it’s the one where they’re describing the different types of stoners including Jon Stewart who plays what they call “an enhancement smoker.” You know, a person who thinks marijuana makes every activity better. (Don’t we all?!) So…have you ever watched a great documentary? OK, but have you ever watched a great documentary…on weed? And I don’t just mean have you watched a documentary high (which is awesome BTW), but have you ever watched a great cannabis documentary? Or, here’s an idea that might just blow your mind — have you ever watched a great documentary about weed on weed?! BOOM!
We present to you some of the best weed documentaries out there. Smoke up, sit back and check out our favorite marijuana documentaries worth watching, in no particular order…
The Top 10 Best Weed Documentaries Worth Watching
- The Culture High
This 2014 weed documentary has won all sorts of awards and is chock full of celebrity interviews with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Joe Rogan, Richard Branson, Wiz Khalifa, Ed Burns and so many more. It dissects the prohibitionist stance when it comes to the wonder plant and shows the history of cannabis, the legislation against it, and how and why they got it all wrong. Check out the The Culture High trailer here and watch it on Amazon.
- Weed the People
Produced by Ricki Lake, this is one of the marijuana documentaries that looks beyond pot-activist propaganda and challenges everything you thought you knew about medical marijuana. While much has changed since the 2018 theatrical release of this sensitively approached film that showcases American families struggling with childhood cancer, it is a definite reminder that the U.S. legalization of marijuana is not a gift from the government, but a victory of the people and the result of millions fighting for dignity and healthcare for their loved ones. Here is the Weed the People trailer and the documentary on Netflix.
- Rolling Papers
This fun newsroom documentary follows the Denver Post and its editor in their mission to launch a website dedicated to covering weed by highlighting reviews, recipes and more, once Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational cannabis. This 2015 cannabis documentary follows the journey of how news outlets had to readapt as the cannabis industry expanded virtually overnight, and celebrates the potential of how cannabis can transform the domestic economy. View the Rolling Papers trailer and watch on Vudu.
- Grass is Greener
This 2019 weed documentary was actually released on 4/20 and was directed by former “Yo! MTV Raps” host Fred Brathwaite, better known as Fab 5 Freddy. This tops the list of marijuana documentaries worth watching for the music alone, which takes you through the journey of how marijuana came to America and then became such an intrinsic part of jazz and eventually hip hop. Get down to the Grass is Greener trailer and then pop on some headphones and watch on Netflix.
- Lynching Charlie Lynch
As one of the hundreds of Californians whose dispensaries were raided under the presidency of George W. Bush, Charlie Lynch and his struggle against tyranny made him one of the true pioneers in the cannabis industry. Released in 2011, this story about one man’s fight against impossible odds for what he believed in is both powerful and profound. Peep the Lynching Charlie Lynch trailer and then watch it for free on YouTube.
- Super High Me
Inspired by the hit film “Super Size Me” in which Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but fast food from McDonald’s for an entire month, comedian Doug Benson puts his own twist on things by getting rip-roaringly high for 30 days and then tracking the effects with a series of tests that measure his medical, intellectual and psychic abilities. This 2008 film is part cannabis documentary and part comedy show as you also get to see him perform his stand-up as he travels with friends all across the country. Another YouTube freebie; view the Super High Me trailer.
- Breaking Habits
While not super informative or educational, this one is for laughing. This fun 2019 marijuana documentary follows Sister Kate, a Merced California single mom who had difficulty getting her medical marijuana business off the ground until she came up with the idea of wearing a nun’s habit, along with all the women who worked with her. If you’re a Joe Exotic fan and couldn’t resist watching his Tiger King exploits, this one’s for you. The characters you encounter in this are just as wild, and spoiler alert: There’s one helluva gunfight. Look at the Breaking Habits trailer, and get it on Amazon.
- American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny
It could be argued that the real victims of America’s War On Drugs are the children. While the November 2012 elections saw pot being legalized in two states, thousands of arrests continued in Florida and Texas. After the parents of a two-year-old cancer patient were repeatedly denied the right to use cannabis oil to help their son, and he lay in a coma for more than 40 days following brain surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, they decided to take matters into their own hands. This 2013 pot documentary asks why a naturally growing plant is illegal but pharmaceutical medication is commonly given, and perhaps even overprescribed, to so many of our tiny humans. View the American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny trailer and download it from Google Play.
- The Union: The Business Behind Getting High
What makes this 2007 release one of the best weed documentaries out there is its focus on the business side of things. Made a full 12 years before pot became legal all across Canada, this doc looks at the highly profitable business connection between the United States and British Columbia as BC weed began trickling into America, and it tracks the growth of the cannabis industry despite its illegal status. Features in-depth interviews with police officers, politicians, criminologists, economists, doctors, growers and pop culture icons to explore if the marijuana trade industry is actually more profitable because it is (or was) illegal. Here’s The Union: The Business Behind Getting High trailer, and it’s free to watch on YouTube.
- The God Plant
While some cannabis documentaries like to take you back in history to the turn of the 20th Century, or maybe even further to early America, this one goes way way wayyyy back — all the way to the formation of the endocannabinoid system within the sea squirt. This 2018 pot doc seeks to be the ultimate odyssey of exploration into cannabis and its modern legalization movements across the globe. The God Plant trailer gives you a feel for it, and Amazon is one of the many places you can watch it for free.
What’s your favorite cannabis documentary?
There ya have it — the best weed documentaries worth watching! Watch one, watch all. Some will make you laugh. Some will make you learn. And when your brain is so full that you simply can’t think any more, check out the premium cannabis storage systems that are “no thinking required” — from the ingenious minds at Boveda.
Keeping your buds inside a CVault is not only the smartest way out there to preserve and protect your precious product, it is a great way to exercise your rights to own and enjoy the cannabis that so many in these marijuana documentaries fought for you to have. Don’t just do it for you, do it for them. Boveda and you — it really is part of the American dream.
