WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT 

"The social costs of the marijuana laws are vast… Even worse, the result is racist, falling disproportionately on young black men, ruining their lives and creating new generations of career criminals." – The New York Times Editorial Board, 'Repeal Prohibition, Again', 7/27/14 

On January 1, 2014, against a surge in warnings about the purported perils of legalization, Colorado and Washington famously became the first two states in the U.S. to decriminalize the sale of recreational marijuana. Both have since experienced better-than-expected sales, an increase in related tax revenues, and a decrease in criminal activity. 

With the main drawbacks consisting of so-called "pot tourists" unwittingly ingesting ill-advised amounts of powerful edibles, these twin experiments in legalization appear to have proven themselves remarkable successes. It comes as little surprise that many are already celebrating what may very well be the beginning of the end of the longest prohibition in American history. 

For others, however, the light at the end of the tunnel remains very much out of reach. 

Consider:

• A THC-free medicine derived from cannabis has been found to be uniquely effective in treating children who suffer from, among other diseases, epileptic seizures and many of the symptoms associated with autism. With the FDA refusing to conduct research or approve its use, parents continue to be arrested for administering this medicine to their kids. 
• Veteran soldiers report that marijuana alleviates many of the symptoms related to PTSD, including anxiety, aggression, and depression. Many who are prescribed legal medicinal marijuana are hesitant to use it out of fear of what friends and family may think. 
• NFL players and retirees find marijuana to be extremely helpful in alleviating many of their concussive symptoms. Possession is of course illegal in most states; where marijuana is legal, the NFL nevertheless bans its use. 
• And since 1970, the federal government has classified cannabis as a Schedule 1 Substance, defined as more dangerous and less medically useful than either cocaine or PCP.

Many thousands of Americans run the risk of being arrested for even the most vital medicinal use of cannabis. Lengthy incarcerations have transformed many thousands more from low-level marijuana sellers and users into lifelong hardened criminals. And  in spite of highly similar rates of use, African Americans are arrested and/or incarcerated nearly four times as often as Caucasian Americans for marijuana related offenses.

The disparity between the handful who are suddenly free to enjoy and even profit from a nascent commodity and those whose lives continue to be destroyed by an arbitrary, misguided, and outdated federal ban is as stark as it is unacceptable. 

THE MOVIE

In THE GREEN STANDARD, we will explore the bigger picture and seek to provide a definitive account of this bourgeoning world, from its surprising highs to its uncomfortable lows. 

We will compare the policies of various states and find out what, if anything, has changed in the overarching perceptions of both medicinal and recreational marijuana use. 

What have been the untold social and monetary costs of prohibition?  And how might legalization bring about change and relief?

Not only will we take viewers inside the world of legal marijuana farming and sale, but we will also take an unflinching look at how years of criminalization continue to shape our society – from the patient and provider to the policeman and prisoner. 

In short, we hope The Green Standard  might become a universal reference point for one of the most talked-about social issues in America. 

THE PRODUCTION 

We are a veteran professional film crew based in Los Angeles, and we are passionate about making work with the potential to effect positive change. We have so far conducted interviews with people such as experts in drug & public policy, heads of marijuana companies, attorneys, journalists, policemen, patients and others.

We intend to expand this effort with additional interviews: politicians, celebrities, athletes, medical directors, veterans, prisoners, pot dealers, and others. We will speak with medicinal users, ex-cons, and their families, and find out how criminalization has shaped their lives.

THE FILMMAKERS 

WILLIAM ROSENFELD – CO-DIRECTOR, PRODUCER

Independent filmmaker William Rosenfeld began his career at London's Donmar Warehouse as an assistant director for Sean Mathias (Bent). He then partnered up with director Jean-Baptiste Andrea as co-writer on the films Dead End and Big Nothing. He has helped build online content for brands ranging from USPS to Playboy and was a founding producer at independent production house Armory Films, where his credits include the ongoing festival favorite Zombeavers. He is currently overseeing the film adaptation of bestselling novel Once We Were Brothers. Other film credits include work with HBO, Lionsgate, Canal Plus, and Pathé. He has an MFA from Columbia University and a BA from Tufts University. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife and his daughter. 

JACOB STRUNK – CO-DIRECTOR, CO-PRODUCER 

Award-winning writer and filmmaker Jacob Strunk has positioned himself as an industry leader in the arena of high-profile web content and social documentaries. As producer, director, and editor for Nerdist Industries, Jacob has overseen production on numerous fan-favorite web series. His films have screened in competition and by invitation across the country and in Europe. He was short-listed for both the Student Academy Award and the Pushcart Prize in fiction and has received filmmaking grants from Kodak and Fotokem. He has lectured on filmmaking at festivals and universities across the country and holds a BA in film production and an MFA in creative writing. Notable clients include the Mona Lisa Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution's Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

SUSAN LITTENBERG - CONSULTING EDITOR, ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

Susan Littenberg began her career as an assistant editor working with filmmakers such as Jim Jarmusch, Hal Hartley and Ang Lee. She began her feature editing career as the lead editor of Steven Soderbergh's Gray's Anatomy. She was the editor of films such as Tadpole, 13 going on 30, A Lot Like Love, Charlotte's Web, Bride Wards, and Easy A, for which she was nominated for Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy or Musical) at the 2010 American Cinema Editors Awards. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and her daughter and has taught at The Edit Center in New York, the Main International Film Workshops and the City College of New York. 

MEENA SINGH - DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Born in the suburbs of Chicago to an Indian father and an American mother, Meena Singh's background of global influences and a cultural tugging of identities have helped her bring a unique perspective to her work. This, coupled with her desire to bring affecting stories with social impact to the screen in a visually compelling way, have made her a highly valuable asset and a long term collaborator with award-winning directors. Recent credits include CREATING4CHANGE (currently filming in India, Brazil, and Africa) which premiered on PBS NewsHour, My Dear Americans (PBS Online Film Festival), and Hollidaysburg (Starz). Singh holds an MFA in cinematography for American Film Institute and is a member of the International Cinematographer's Guild.

WIN up to a year of cannabis (CBD) treatments for FREE!

Courtesy  of The Green Standard and Premium Produce LLC

We at The Green Standard want the world to know that our Indiegogo campaign is about more than just crowd-funding a documentary. 

By discussing the flaws, inconsistencies, and prejudices in the federal prohibition of cannabis, we are working to underscore the urgency and amplify the call for legalization, education, and scientific research. 

Marijuana-related arrests persist along demonstrably racist lines. Patients in serious need of medical marijuana find themselves unable to obtain it legally or are otherwise afraid of what friends and families might think. And due to the FDA’s refusal to recognize low-THC cannabis oil (CBD) or cannabidiol as legitimate medicine - despite its efficacy in treating such afflictions as childhood epilepsy and certain cancers - health insurance companies will not cover treatments that can cost up to $20,000 per year.

We have heard heartbreaking firsthand accounts from those forced to negotiate this unforgiving landscape, stymied and frustrated by a system that continues to classify them, their patients and/or their loved ones as second-class citizens and criminals. We have very much come to share their frustrations. Moreover, we firmly believe that given the chance to make a real difference, however big or small, we have an obligation to act.

That is why, starting today, anyone who contributes to The Green Standard’s campaign is eligible to nominate themselves or a friend or family member in-need to receive up to a year of CBD treatments for FREE.  We are very excited to  be launching this first-of-its-kind giveaway, and we will selecting a winner whether or not we reach our documentary’s funding goal by the October 10th deadline.

Here is how it works:

1. After selecting a funding perk - from our $5 “Gratitude” level perk on up - you are invited to nominate someone who: 1) is in legitimate need of treatment, 2) resides a state where medical marijuana is currently legal, and 3) has already been receiving CBD treatments for at least the past 60 days.
2. Please make your nomination in the form of a brief email (approximately 25 to 50 words) about the nominee, and please send to greenstandardfilm@gmail.com with TGS: CBD as its subject heading. Feel free to include a picture as well, but do not include any confidential information or details you or your nominee does not wish to have shared (you do not even have to include a name at this time).
3. Following the end of our campaign, we will select a nominee at random, and we will contact both contributor and nominee as necessary to verify eligibility. Once verified, we will contact the healthcare provider to arrange for coverage*.  
4. Those who have already contributed to our campaign are also invited to submit nominations.

The treatment costs will be covered through the overwhelming generosity of Premium Produce LLC, a new Nevada-based company that is both dedicated to the cause and committed to helping those in need. Dr. Bonni Goldstein, medical director for Ghost Group and Canna-Centers, has generously agreed to advise us through the selection and verification process.

We hope that you might lend your support and help spread the word about our giveaway. Along with bringing awareness to our project, our campaign, and our cause, we truly hope that this will help make life a bit brighter for someone in need of care.

Ready to roll,

The Green Standard

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-green-standard

http://www.facebook.com/thegreenstandard

http://twitter.com/Grn_Standard

* -- Please note: To enter, please first contribute to The Green Standard's Indiegogo campaign via a $5 perk or greater. We will cover the costs for one person to receive CBD-based treatments, so long as deemed medically necessary and at the discretion of Dr. Bonni Goldstein, MD, for up to one calendar year. We will be solely covering the costs of the CBD treatments themselves as based on previously existing records and as approved by Dr. Goldstein. Along with our partners, we will not be held responsible or liable for additional related or unrelated costs or for the outcome or the administration of the treatments or for any other treatments, procedures, or actions, medical or otherwise, however related or unrelated. All existing state and federal laws and guidelines apply. All rights are reserved.

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