«When the deal is legal», the Arte documentary on the legalization of cannabis

«What happens when states try to supplant illegal cannabis markets dominated by organized crime, by creating legal markets?» is the question the documentary «When the Deal is Legal» attempts to answer.

The team went to the places where cannabis has been legalized in one form or another to try and answer a key question: «Who really benefits from the legalization of cannabis?». To be seen next Tuesday, April 2 at 8:50 pm on Arte.

The controversial evolution of cannabis

Cannabis is legal in more and more countries, A reality that seemed inconceivable just a few decades ago. In California, Colorado, Michigan (today's 10th state for legal recreational cannabis), the team went to meet the American pioneers of legalization who were able to convince citizens of the merits of such a policy, as well as its opponents who tried to prevent the trivialization of cannabis and the formation of «Big Marijuana».

Because cannabis legalization takes many forms, the camera also delves into the Uruguayan, Swiss, Canadian and Mexican stories to tell how cannabis is changing hands and destinies. Governments regulating by liberalizing or monopolizing, illicit producers taking the hit and moving into new markets, consumers rejoicing and others expressing reservations, a pharmaceutical industry sharpening its knives, entrepreneurs investing in new markets - the many faces of cannabis are highlighted here.

From illegal to industrial production, the documentary aptly captures the transformation of cannabis from a synonym for the black market and marginalization to a windfall that captures the attention of the financial markets. The first cannabis multinationals are now multi-billion-dollar giants listed on the stock exchange. «In just a few years, [cannabis] has already made up for a century of backwardness: assembly-line work, agro-industry, marketing, brand logic, investment funds, corporate takeovers and concentration. Welcome to Big Marijuana! Versatile in form, taste, potency and administration, cannabis has become »the merchandising dream«.

The documentary sheds light on a number of troubling aspects of cannabis legalization: the «pantouflage» of politicians, dubious financing from tax havens and excessive financial speculation. The question «Who really benefits from legalization?» logically leads to another: Who should benefit from the legalization of cannabis? And on this point, "the cultural and political utopia promoted by activists in favor of social rights and racial equity could well be confiscated by a few cannabis multinationals. So goes the history of capitalism...".