Television Review: CNBC's Marijuana, Inc.

Today MJO reviews CNBC's special report Marijuana, Inc.: Inside America's Pot Industry that first aired on January 22, 2009. We'll admit we came in with high expectations considering it was being offered by America's Business Channel. However, ultimately, we found it disappointing and believe it did not give the multi-billion dollar Marijuana Industry the proper treatment it deserves.

The beginning started solidly, covering the rise of the Marijuana trafficking industry in Mendocino County and featuring interviews with Eric Sligh the editor of the popular trade magazine Grow. They painted a picture of Mendocino as a county in which the marijuana industry was so prevalent that it was reliant upon marijuana growing and selling for its very economic survival. Scary figures were thrown about:

1. Sixty percent of the county's populace was involved in the trade.
2. The industry constituted two-thirds of the local economy.
3. And a half of all of the fires in the county were the result of growing mishaps.

When they showed the nice, Caucasian, salt of the earth family that was forced to move out of their home because of their fear of the marijuana growers, even we at MJO were alarmed. The rest of the documentary proceeded to heighten our fears: there were stories of crime sprees, a desperate woman's 911 call when her son's head was brutally bashed in during a marijuana robbery (not to fear, she shot the bastards), worries about the environmental effects of the industrial pollution produced by growers, and a desperate plea by a former chairman of Mendocino County's Board of Supervisors for federal and state help.

Next, was a story about Bruce Perlowin and his early-80s San Francisco based marijuana smuggling empire. Undoubtedly, an interesting tale that ends with Perlowin leaving his Playbook in a Denny's and being apprehended. However, MJO learned nothing from this segment aside from the dangers of greed and stupidity. And considering that Perlowin got out after nine years in a federal penitentiary with at least some of his millions seemingly intact, the dangers do not seem that great.

Finally, the report presents an immigration problem. The filmmakers exposed several remote outdoor gardens and highlighted the beans, tortillas, and salsa that were left by the criminals at the site. There was some discussion of the superb irrigation systems used by Hispanics along with talk of the growers incredible innate ability to survive on a relative pittance alone in the forest. And finally much of the blame for the entire situation was pinned on Mexican drug cartels.

All of these stories were presented with sound effects and general production values that you would expect from an episode of Extra. The reporter, Trish Regan, while expressing her astonishment with the prevalence of marijuana at every opportunity availed to her, also kept a quizzical, if not confused, look on her face throughout her "investigative journalism." When presented the opportunity to ask the head DEA agent of Northern California why they did not crackdown on the industry, Regan let the agent off the hook with "Well, you cant blame it on us." Armed with the knowledge that an American county's economy is thriving in the marijuana trade, there were no queries about the suitability of this on a national scale. In light of our present economic troubles, this seems to be a particularly egregious error on the part of America's Business Channel.

Ultimately, that is why we cannot call Marijuana, Inc. a documentary. There were simply too many personal stories and not enough facts. While the sensationalistic stories are entertaining, in the end we just didn't learn anything of substance because of their limited scope. Because of this, MJO sees Marijuana, Inc. as a failed opportunity by CNBC to present an informative, objective, and macroscopic glimpse into the underground Marijuana narco-economy.

Did you see Marijuana, Inc.? Let us know what you thought. Leave a comment!