The film American Pot Story: Oaksterdram, created by Dan Katzir and Ravit Markus, follows the story of the original group of activists who risked everything to legalize cannabis with Prop 19, set in Oakland, California. For starters, I grew up around 40 minutes from the Bay Area and this was the first time I had ever heard of Oaksterdam Univeristy, a trade school for cannabis education. This weed school truly was the start of a national revolution to legalize pot. The film brings awareness to a still controversial issue, and opens up an important conversation of how marijuana was legalized. It certainly wasn’t an easy process, and throughout the past fifteen years or so, activists have dedicated their lives to making this legalization possible.

The filmmakers interviewed a variety of people ranging from everyday cannabis users to politicians to journalists to even law enforcement officers. Through different perspectives, from both pro-weed and anti-weed folks, the film was thought-provoking, and powerful, in terms of understanding the implications of legalizing marijuana and what went into it. Everyone who was interviewed presented an important position and shared their own experiences that led to Prop 19, and how it brought people together. The film depicted powerful, passionate, and seemingly normal people sharing their stories with the filmmakers and the nation.

What’s unique about American Pot Story: Oaksterdam, is that no other film dives deep into the normal, everyday people who risked everything to fight for what they believed in. Sure, we all know that California is a fairly pro-weed state with the current legalization of recreational marijuana use. While my college university wasn’t anything like Oaksterdam, we did have a marijuana dispensary only a block away from campus! In fact, California is considered the entire world’s biggest, most lucrative cannabis market. Cannabis is clearly a booming industry, and who do we credit for that? Dale Sky Jones, Richard Lee, and the thousands of activists who fought long and hard for weed to be legal.

The documentary had plenty of scenes that were emotional and touched upon the personal stories of cannabis users and pro-weed activists. Particularly, I found Richard’s mom’s story very touching and raw. Richard, one of the cannabis activists who created and founded Oaksterdam, was in a horrific accident, completely altering his life and leaving him wheelchair-bound. Marijuana positively impacted Richard’s life and was utilized as medicine, which motivated him to push for its legalization. With powerful music and compelling storytelling, the filmmakers were perfectly able to capture the raw emotion of everyone involved in this fight. 

Additionally, the film offers a lot of historical context and provides factual evidence about the outrageous amount of American citizens who were arrested for marijuana use or possession. The filmmakers include significant information about the criminalization of drugs, specifically marijuana, and how that affected family life, particularly with children not having a parent present. 

Overall, Dan Katzir’s and Ravit Markus’s American Pot Story: Oaksterdram was an inspiring, powerful film that makes you want to keep fighting for what you believe in, because you can in fact change the world.