Ending Reefer Madness

No matter where you stand on the issue of cannabis reform, West Ashley resident Ashley Condon wants you to come out and see a special one-night screening of the new documentary “The Culture High” and then make a decision for yourself what you think the future of pot in America and more importantly, in South Carolina, should be.
Condon is planning to bring to “The Culture High,” which was a selection to the Sundance and the Warsaw film festivals earlier this year, to The Terrace Theatre on Monday, Nov. 3. But like the film itself, which was made made strictly through crowd-funding, Condon’s screening of “The Culture High” is only possible if he reaches the target of 84 tickets sold. As of Monday, he had sold 28 seats through the web-based movie promotion site www.tugg.com. Condon hopes to sell the additional 56 before the deadline of Monday, Oct. 27. A similar screening just sold out in Asheville, N.C. where it was screened earlier this week.
“The Culture High” is a follow up to the critically-acclaimed film “The Union: The Business Behind Getting High.” Both films look at the efforts behind keeping Cannabis illegal in most states. The film offers unprecedented access to footage previously unobtainable, moving testimonials from both sides of the spectrum. Top celebrities, former undercover agents, university professors, and a slew of colorful characters from all points of view come together for an amusing yet insightful portrait of cannabis prohibition in America.
Condon, who lived in Seattle before relocating to Charleston, has seen firsthand what bad marijuana legislation or the lack of legislation can do. “I feel that a change is coming to us, whether we agree or disagree with it. The ‘Cultural Cannabis’ movement is a 500-ton freight train heading here from the west coast with no intention of braking,” he says. “I believe that the goal in making these films would be to invoke cultural change through education. By hosting this movie screening, I am attempting to do the same thing here in Charleston. Only through educating ourselves about cannabis may we truly discover it’s benefits towards our own health and the detrimental effects created by the War on Drugs on our own society.”
Condon is a member of Americans for Safe Access, a non-profit focusing on medical marijuana legislation. It is something that he became passionate about a couple years ago when he went to the west coast and met up with a friend who runs a Medical Marijuana Dispensary called Green Ambrosia. “The majority of his patients were women between the ages of 40-70 years old,” says Condon. “There were no stereotypical skate punks or potheads. These were legitimate patients with legitimate medical issues. I became a witness to the actual medical side of the industry.”
Then he found out a longtime friend who lives in North Carolina had been diagnosed with cancer. Condon visited his friend and he told him about his medical regime of ingesting high grade THC and CBD oil.
“As of this day, he still medicates and has informed me that his cancer is now in remission,” says Condon. “I’ve witnessed how cannabis can change people’s lives for the better. Unfortunately, we have all seen the negative effects that this plant has on people’s lives. Incarceration, criminal records, lives destroyed, all over a plant. It’s important to me that my own son live in a world where Reefer Madness is just that, madness.”
If you would like to see the documentary “The Cultural High,” which is schedule to screen Monday, Nov. 3, 6:30 p.m. then you must purchase a ticket before Monday, Oct. 27 at www.tugg.com/events/11523.