Marijuana is a wondrous herb. It’s a pain killer and mood enhancer, making life possible for people suffering from various traumas. Of course, once the prohibition of alcohol was lifted, Harry Anslinger and the Federal Bureau of Narcotics needed a new drug to vilify and prohibit. They settled on marijuana and started a ninety-year era of terror against US citizens.
In the shadow of DEA enforcement then, it’s remarkable that Richard Lee sought to found a college to train people how to run small medical marijuana businesses. Oaksterdam is a one-of-a-kind institution, and I am so very grateful I get to review the marvelous historical retrospective of Oaksterdam and its political crusade to legalize recreational marijuana American Pot Story: Oaksterdam. This brave work, written by Dan Katzir and directed by Katzir and Ravit Markus, is a testament to the enduring spirit of Liberty that will repel the evil plots of the Federal Government every time.
As we learn, in 2007, Richard Lee relocated from Texas to Oakland, CA, and decided to help small business marijuana distributors. Founded at the corner of Amsterdam and Oakland in Oakland, CA, Oaksterdam University was a small business college geared to train entrepreneurs in marijuana how to develop dispensaries and grow medical marijuana for profit. By 2008, Dale Sky Jones had relocated to Oakland and needed something to do. So she enrolled in Oaksterdam and now serves as its chancellor many years later. Before that, she completed her training and became the executive in charge of the day-to-day running of the educational program.
“…a small business college geared to train entrepreneurs in marijuana how to develop dispensaries and grow medical marijuana for profit.”
As we will see, Lee and Jones are the central personalities at the heart of the first-ever effort to legalize recreational marijuana, 2010’s failed Prop 19. Although the legislation failed, it was a watershed moment. It led to the 2012 DEA-powered raid of Oaksterdam and eventually to the retirement of Richard Lee. The Baton, having been passed to Dale Sky Jones, she had to figure out a way forward for Oaksterdam.
Mrs. Jones is a really brilliant lady. She is a bright, vivacious interviewee, and following her on the footage as she canvassed the state of California in support of the eventually victorious Prop 64 was fascinating. Richard Lee is a quiet, more taciturn individual than Dale Sky Jones. He was bound to a wheelchair, thanks to an accident that happened in his youth. His half smile is his charm. He walks us through the mentality of running a school you know the Federal government could shut down at any time. The 2010 mural promoting marijuana legalization that used to sit on the outer wall of Oaksterdam was his brainchild and a wondrous monument. When it eventually got painted over, this fueled the fight to legalize weed and force the Federal government to respect States’ Rights.
A cleanly shot, beautifully edited film, American Pot Story: Oaksterdam relates the definitive story of marijuana legalization on the state level. Will the Federal government ever get out of the way? Only time will tell. For now, it’s a damn good thing that people like Richard Lee and Dale Sky Jones are wandering this Earth, determined to leave it a little better than they found it. Katzir and Markus deserve award consideration for this magnificent work.
This documentary is simply a must-watch for every American. Sure, our Empire is powerful and scary, but it can be opposed in a non-violent way and forced to do the right thing. American Pot Story: Oaksterdam brilliantly captures a moment where two people, along with hundreds, if not thousands, of people, inspired and educated-led the way to regaining some freedom in America.
