NORML screens Benson's film
The film showed conflicts between the DEA and California marijuana laws.
April 22, 2008
Senior Evan Groll, treasurer of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, sells T-shirts to raise money for the MU chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws prior to a screening of 'Super High Me' on Sunday in Johnson Auditorium. SSDP and NORML advocate the decriminalization of marijuana at the local and state levels.
The opening scene of comedian Doug Benson's "Super High Me" features him in a cannabis dispensary with a worker showing him a large array of marijuana to purchase.
"I feel high just thinking about all of this," Benson said.
The movie, which was screened Sunday by MU's chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, features Benson observing the effects of marijuana by spending 30 days abstaining from using it.
After that time period, Benson spent another 30 days under its influence for about 18 hours a day.
The premise of "Super High Me" started as a joke in Benson's routine as a spoof of Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me," in which Spurlock ate McDonald's for 30 days.
Throughout these 60 days, a doctor of internal medicine, a psychiatrist and a psychic monitored Benson.
They periodically tested his IQ, lung capacity, sperm count and psychic abilities.
Benson visited many dispensaries like the one in the opening scene throughout the movie.
Along with marijuana in leaf and bud form, they offered products like pills, creams, sprays, drinks and even lip balm that contained THC.
The movie explained that California's Proposition 215 allows physicians to prescribe marijuana to patients for various ailments while allowing dispensaries to legally sell it.
Federal law does not recognize Proposition 215, and the documentary featured raids of dispensaries by Drug Enforcement Administration officials.
Scott Lauher, president of MU's chapter of NORML, said that although the focus of the film is comedy over documentary, he hoped those attending could gain a better understanding of the conflict between California state laws and the DEA.
Lauher said marijuana can work as a kind of preventative medicine.
Although Lauher said marijuana isn't a completely safe drug as it can lead to a chronic cough or phlegm if smoked, it can alleviate many symptoms and might even help avoid lung cancer better than current methods.
He said that one of the greatest misconceptions of marijuana use is that it leads to a state devoid of motivation.
Lauher said plenty of successful people who smoke marijuana exist.
"Some of the smartest people I know smoke marijuana," he said.
Senior Sarah Robertson attended the event and said she hopes people realize that marijuana isn't as dangerous as some people might think it is.
A few days prior to the end of Benson's heavy usage period, his internal medicine doctor said he experienced no physical harm.
The film does not come out on DVD until June and is in a grassroots stage now, Lauher said.
He went to the Web site to order a DVD to show the crowd Sunday, which Lauher said was the biggest turnout for a NORML event.
The only provision for screening the film is that it could not be shown until April 20.
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