Cash Crop on AllMovie

At a time when the California lumber industry is going belly-up, director Adam Ross turns our focus to the state's lucrative marijuana crop while exploring the possible ways that legalization could help shock our economy back to life. Despite its status as an illegal narcotic, marijuana is the number one cash crop in 12 states. In 30 others, it's in the top three. But still the question remains: why, despite the fact that millions of Americans admit to having tried marijuana -- and many others claim to smoke it on a regular basis -- is this one controversial plant still illegal, despite the fact that it's never been attributed to a single death from overdose, and the risks associated with alcohol abuse far outweigh the risks of regular marijuana consumption? Pay a visit to a place known as the Emerald Triangle in California, where medicinal marijuana crops flourish. If it weren't for this profitable cash crop, odds are the local economy would be flat on its back, and tax payers would be going hungry. A candid conversation with a Mendocino County sheriff reveals how the Drug War has ultimately evolved into a war against personal freedom as various farmers and growers weigh the benefits of their illegal lifestyles against the devastating drawbacks of obeying Uncle Sam.