It’s Saturday night and St. Paul’s West Hackney church is crammed. An eclectic mix of residents shake off the rain from outside and take their pick of fold-out chairs. This is the setting for the screening of a new female-led cannabis film: Mary Janes: The Women of Weed.
The documentary is being premiered in conjunction with International Women’s Day by the environmental group Sustainable Hackney. The film was followed by a lengthy Q&A. The film itself thoughtfully examines the cannabis industry through the lens of gender and race. While the editing and effects are amateur, the content is compelling and successfully convinces that this is an industry that will increasingly be led and managed by women.
Smoking her first joint
Windy Borman, the director of Mary Janes, was first attracted to the project after finding out that 36% of cannabis businesses in America are run by women. This is the factual basis of the film; from there Borman visits cannabis farmers, scientists exploring the medicinal value of cannabis and bakers selling marijuana edibles. An unexpected journey which concludes with Borman smoking her first joint.
The evening is insightful, if slightly informal. While the event’s lack of structure makes for an easy-going atmosphere, it means discussing the nuanced topic of drug use and drug decriminalisation in the Q&A is difficult. The cheap bar, serving cans of £2 beer, doesn’t help to focus the conversation around these complex topics.
Colour of Injustice
The Q&A quickly pivots away from the film and becomes a more general discussion of the issues associated with drug consumption and legalisation. Katrina Ffrench offers her expertise as chief executive of StopWatch UK, a group that campaigns for fair policing and is involved in drug policy reform. She speaks of the relationship between cannabis, race and ethnicity: “I am very concerned with certain demographics being over-policed for cannabis use.” According to the 2018 ‘Colour of Injustice’ study, black males in the UK are nine times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than their white counterparts.
The panel consists of experts, such as Ffrench, and politicians such as Zoë Garbett from the Green Party and Kate Pothalingam from the Liberal Democrats. While there are thought-provoking moments in the 45 minute Q&A, the mix of panellists leads to unexpected tonal shifts. The political figures frequently try to wrestle power away from experts to campaign for their respective parties and their stances on cannabis. “I hear you and I agree, that’s why the Liberal Democrats/the Green Party believe this should be done…” is a frequent refrain that feels particularly insincere compared to the more personal and impassioned questions posed by audience members.
Educate the public
Overall, the event was a creative way to celebrate International Women’s Day. Walking away I felt that I had learned something about cannabis production and had even been convinced that this schedule two drug should be decriminalised. As Zoë Garbett stated at the end of the event: “Education is what is needed to start any policy change. We need to educate the public on this issue.”
