Cannabis Movies and Documentaries to Get You Through a Possible Winter Shelter in Place

Here are some awesome cannabis documentaries and movies to help you get through winter and a possible second-wave of shelter in place - hand-picked with love from HashDash.

There are positive signs that the COVID-19 outbreak will hopefully be coming to an end by the end of 2020. However, there are some other concerning signs that a second wave of the spread of the virus could also come.

Even if we are in the clear, with winter coming here in the northern hemisphere, many of us will be spending more time inside anyway. This list is in no particular order of ranking, except chronologically. With this in mind, keep reading for our picks for our favorite cannabis documentaries, movies, and shows.

Documentaries

Picking our favorites cannabis-related documentaries was probably the hardest part of compiling this list. We aren’t writing a novel here, so here are our top picks for both education and entertainment.

Grass (1999)

Narrated by Woody Harrelson, this documentary chronicles the history of cannabis prohibition in the United States and the federal government’s war on plant medicine. Although a lot of the information is outdated seeing as this documentary is over 20 years old, everything seems to be historically accurate and it’s an excellent teaching tool.

Clearing the Smoke: The Science of Cannabis (2011)

Produced by PBS Montana, this documentary was dedicated to educating lawmakers and opponents about how the plant medicine can help treat ailments like nausea, chronic pain, and epilepsy. It features in-depth interviews with doctors, researchers, and patients. Nine years later, there have been a lot of things we’ve learned, but it’s still a solid watch and can be watched for free.

The Culture High (2014)

With an all-star lineup of interviewees that features Joe Rogan, Snoop Dogg, and Wiz Khalifa, this is a good entry to introducing people to the facts behind cannabis prohibition. It tells the stories of people who both support and oppose the end of modern-day cannabis prohibition.

Rolling Papers (2015)

With the newspaper industry on the decline. This engaging documentary follows the Denver Post as they added an entire section devoted entirely to reporting on cannabis. This was a pioneering effort in cannabis journalism, as editors gave assignments to their reporters with the genuine intent of reporting the news of the emerging recreational industry in Colorado. The result has now become a household name to cannabis enthusiasts and activists, the Cannabist.

Weed the People (2018)

This touching and endearing Netflix documentary tells the stories of how cannabis has the potential to help kids with cancer.

Image credit: imdb.com

Classic Cannabis-Related Comedy Movies

Even though the classic stoner trope is being portrayed in most of these classic flicks, it still never hurts to laugh at them - especially when they are featuring some great comedic performances of now-famous actors. It would be great to see cannabis consumers portrayed in movies that didn’t involve trotting out the antiquated stereotype, but we think there are more important issues than getting on that soapbox for too long.

Sure, much of this is goofy, which is quite unlike most of the content you’ll find here on the HashDash blog - but everyone needs to have fun. We apologize in advance if you don’t understand the references, we just couldn’t help ourselves. The best part about this list is that the first one on here is the funniest of all because unintentional humor can sometimes be the best kind.

Reefer Madness (1936)

Cheech and Chong might have made the original cannabis-related comedy, but Reefer Madness is a sad piece of propaganda that had the iconic duo’s debut beat by over 40 years. The worst part is that far too many people believed this was how cannabis consumers act. It’s great for a laugh now, but after watching it, it’s no surprise that cannabis prohibition passed with ease just a year later. Reefer Madness got the ball rolling on these old movies, with many more like it to follow.

Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke (1978)

Cheech and Chong were a stand duo for a decade ten years before the release of their first movie. In Up in Smoke, Cheech’s character meets a hitchhiker, as they get deported to Mexico, win a Battle of the Bands, and a record deal. Cheech was an OG cannabis advocate, sporting a NORML shirt before many of us were even born.

Image credit: imdb.com

Dazed and Confused (1993)

This classic flick launched the careers of two of the biggest movie stars of our time - Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck. Dazed and Confused is set in the 1970s and chronicles the antics of high schoolers from Texas. Hilarity ensues.

Image credit: imdb.com

Friday (1995)

Before the release of Friday, most of the movies released about urban life were menacing and violent. Ice Cube, who plays Craig in this classic flick, got the idea to help change that by highlighting the lighthearted and funny parts of their lives. Craig gets fired from his job, prompting his buddy Smokey (Chris Tucker) to get him high. Debo, the neighborhood bully, comes around and tells the two that they have until Friday to pay him - or else.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

This critically acclaimed movie doesn’t exactly qualify as a pure cannabis comedy, as there are no references to it anywhere - and parts of it get pretty dark. However, many other parts are hilarious, spawning an actual spiritual philosophy (not kidding) and developing an enduring cult following for the Dude, who just wants to bowl. Because, that’s just like, your opinion, man. It features a star-studded cast of Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, and the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman. The cast really ties the room together, maybe even better than the Dude’s rug.

Half Baked (1998)

This movie was the jump-off point from one of the most successful comedians of all time - Dave Chappelle. While Chapelle might be better known, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams, and Guillermo Díaz are also great comedians and actors in their own right. Bob Saget makes a hilarious cameo. Harland Williams’ character Kenny feeds a police horse too much food and kills it, prompting all of his roommates to sell cannabis to set him free from jail.

Image credit: imdb.com

How High (2001)

How high is a hilarious classic that follows the antics of characters played by Method Man and Red Man. The two meet up in a parking lot, smoke a blunt with sprinkles of their dead friend, who then comes to them as an apparition and tells them all the answers to their SATs. This gets the duo into Harvard, and you guessed it, hilarity ensues.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

After being the comedic relief in director Kevin Smith’s movies Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma Jay and Silent Bob finally got their own movie. The plot is that “Hollywood” is making a movie on the comic book that they are the basis for, Bluntman and Chronic - without paying them a dime. The iconic duo goes on a mission to get from their convenience store in New Jersey all the way out to Hollywood to stop the movie from getting made.

HashDash - Connecting and (Hopefully) Entertaining the Cannabis Community

We hope you enjoyed reading our list of some of our favorite cannabis movies and documentaries. What are your favorites? What did we miss? There’s no doubt that there have been some great cannabis documentaries and comedies produced that didn’t happen to appear on our list - these are just some of our favorites. And anything made after 2000-2001 can’t really be considered a classic - if we are going by when a car is considered a classic, that is.

If you got some enjoyment out of reading this list, we’d love to hear that as well! Maybe we’ll do a part two or make this a fun and enjoyable series of articles. We have many great recommendations for cannabis-related shows if there is any interest in that.

Of course, our main focus is education and building community. At HashDash, we are compiling an entire information database that helps answer your questions on all things cannabis as well as where to find the best dispensaries in your area. Be sure to sign up for HashDash if you haven’t already to discover your cannabis matches. As always, thanks for reading, and happy consuming!