I sold weed, but I never smoked it because I was always just trying to hustle on all cylinders at all times,” Ice-T wrote. Despite the occasionally light tone, “Public Enemy Number One” is not a pro-cannabis film, Chiari said. “Ice-T was brought in at the end of this project. Rising NBA star Len Bias’s death of a cocaine overdose in 1986 helped drag the Democratic Party into the fray, so overfunding the police is an issue on both the left and right sides of the political spectrum. Sound familiar? “I said, ‘Look, I don’t think making a movie about the founder of NORML is your film,’ when (Chiari) introduced that to me. “Ultimately it sort of comes out on the legalization side, but we do issue a lot of words of caution about its addictiveness, its effects on developing brains, the paranoia that results from prolonged, intense use, and other issues. “I set out to make a documentary, and then let the historical facts lead to the conclusions,” he said. “I have no interest in the marijuana space and actually don’t like weed,” said Boulder native Rippberger, 31. Former Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bushes Sr. and Jr., and Bill Clinton, all promoted the concept that anyone connected with drugs should be considered a bad person and treated as such, including incarceration of citizens for nothing more than simple possession. The Westword may earn a portion of sales from products & services purchased through links on our site from our affiliate partners. As owner of the Patterson Inn in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, he runs one of the city’s most recognizable historic buildings (also known as the Croke-Patterson Mansion) and recently welcomed Travel Channel crews from the “Portals to Hell” series to document its haunted mythology. Rapper and actor Ice-T, who has an executive-producer credit on the film, also sits for an interview. Join the Westword community and help support independent local journalism in Denver. Almost immediately, the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and other groups sprang up to oppose it. “I have no interest in the marijuana space and actually don’t like weed,” said Boulder native Rippberger, 31. His LinkedIn page lists still-active gigs at American Millennium Investment Corp. (where he’s president) and King of Quality Productions (founder), but also work for the Democratic Party (he’s run for elected office in Colorado and Florida) and nonprofit positions. My favorite moment is when he says, ‘Weed always made me feel like I gotta go to the gym.’ And then he leans in in that very Ice-T way  and pauses, then says, ‘In an hour.’ “. Chiari agrees, despite still supporting and investing in cannabis businesses. As your pets age, they need CBD too... heal their pain and make them young again! Your handy guide to Denver movie theaters: What’s open and what’s showing? PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE looks at the war on drugs from 1968 until today and looks at trigger points in history that took cannabis from being a somewhat benign criminal activity into a self-perpetuating constantly expanding policy disaster. Film on the Rocks back in August with first-ever drive-in movie series at Red Rocks, Denver Black artists contemplate their role during nationwide George Floyd protests, Run against animated Olympic runners, race down a virtual slalom at this new Colorado museum. Make a financial contribution or sign up for a newsletter, and help us keep telling Denver's stories with no paywalls. But having Ice-T on board has brought immediate star power to the documentary, which won the Story Tellers award for Ice-T and Best Producer award for director Robert Rippberger and Chiari at the L.A. Doc Fest. Marijuana has been legalized or at least decriminalized across much of America now, but for decades, thousands of people have received insanely long prison sentences for selling and sometimes just possessing the drug. Reagan’s rise coincided with that of the evangelical movement, and what public support there had been for legalization literally evaporated. This (screwed) over a lot of people’s lives, and let’s connect that to what’s happening today. Sign Up ›. The documentary, produced by Denverite Chris Chiari, directed by Boulder native Robert Rippberger and featuring executive producer Ice-T, looks at the last 50 years through the eyes of a fascinating array of historians, scholars, three former drug czars, politicians, police, lawyers and judges. Politicians also lumped marijuana in with much more harmful drugs like heroin as a way to marginalize Nixon’s perceived enemies — namely black folks and people on the left — politically. What to do, where to be and what to see, from. Careers, But let’s also remember to protect mental health, and kids.”. decriminalization of psychedelic mushrooms, Last hit: Quirky Alaska tourist town struggles for survival amid virus. Once more, the film’s director is far from solid on cannabis himself. By John Wenzel, The Denver Post Jul 6, 2020, 6:00 am. “This documentary shines a light on an issue that over decades has resulted in devastating effects on our society and our country.”. But they’re mixed with clips from three former drug czars and several voices from the anti-cannabis parents’ movement. Documentary Film Festival, in October 2019. Directed by David Bradbury. “We were really fortunate to have all these leaders who were right there, directly influencing policy,” Rippberger said. © 2020, The News Station. Rippberger, who directed the “7 Days in Syria” documentary (championed by Angelina Jolie) and last year’s Harlem-set drama “Strive” (starring Danny Glover), said the battles he fought with Chiari made for a better movie in the end, and one beholden to neither pro- nor anti-cannabis activists. The documentary was named after the Thirteenth Amendment, which ended slavery and involuntary servitude except for punishment for a crime. With Dan Baum, Wayward Bill, Peter Bourne, Dick Cole. However, perfect as he may be for it, Chiari is not a character in his newest film, “Public Enemy Number One.” He reserves those roles for historical figures and commentators such as rapper/actor Ice-T — who also happens to be an executive producer on the project. Public Enemy "Prophets of Rage" (full documentary) - YouTube “I had a first-row seat for all 44 hours of interviews we did,” Chiari said of “Public Enemy Number One,” which looks at the modern war on drugs that began in 1968. Engaging with our readers is essential to Westword's mission. All rights reserved. As owner of the Patterson Inn in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, he runs one of the city’s most recognizable historic buildings (also known as the Croke-Patterson Mansion) and recently welcomed Travel Channel crews from the “Portals to Hell” series to document its haunted mythology. Alcohol was a demon. He is author and editor of Dimensional Cannabis, the first pop-up book of marijuana. Rippberger, who directed the “7 Days in Syria” documentary (championed by Angelina Jolie) and last year’s Harlem-set drama “Strive” (starring Danny Glover), said the battles he fought with Chiari made for a better movie in the end, and one beholden to neither pro- nor anti-cannabis activists. Go back to Salem. Before becoming a hotelier, the 46-year-old cancer survivor (diagnosed with melanoma at age 27) was also a cannabis advocate, CONORML board member and dispensary owner who took an active role in Colorado’s embrace of marijuana culture. I never smoked weed. Public Enemy Number One is available to rent or buy online. Chiari is a long time marijuana user — he owns a piece of a Denver dispensary and is unabashedly pro-cannabis — and says he strived to present a balanced view of the War on Drugs and its consequences on American society fifty years out. Once more, the film’s director is far from solid on cannabis himself. “We're looking at it now through a lens [from] fifty years later, and looking at what's happening with crime — at least our definition of crime,” he says. Criminal lunatic, gunman, arch-thief and armed robber, Jockey Smith terrorised Australia at gunpoint for three decades. But most importantly, how did it evolve into a self-perpetuating, constantly expanding policy disaster? Communism was a demon, and all kinds of things were justified in the name of fighting communism. I never smoked weed. Here’s what cannabis advocates hope will happen when public life resumes. 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