UPDATE:
In a break from standard procedure, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi moved to allow screening of “Weed The People” to proceed as originally planned.
According to KCSA’s Lewis Goldberg, “Speaker Pelosi understands the importance of the message behind the film. She moved to allow Ricki Lake and Abbie Epstein to show the film to the attendees of KCSA’s first annual Congressional Cannabis Day.
“Anyone who watches “Weed The People” comes away educated, empowered and energized to take an active role in the legalization and medical study movement,” he added.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ricki Lake’s “Weed The People” is no longer scheduled to be screened in its entirety at the Congressional Cannabis Day Forum.
The event has been organized by the Congressional Cannabis Caucus and KCSA Strategic Communications and will provide industry leaders and lawmakers the opportunity to discuss the current and future state of cannabis.
“We are honored to create and sponsor this very special day before these influential and visionary members of our nation’s legislature,” Todd Fromer, managing partner at KCSA Strategic Communications said in a statement. “From banking and finance to opioid addiction and veterans’ issues, cannabis, in its many forms and applications, has emerged as a disruptive force and change agent for many industries and American consumers. We are proud to support cannabis companies and industry initiatives by advancing the national discussion with this first-of-its-kind event on Capitol Hill.”
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an outspoken critic of federal cannabis policy, is also set to attend the forum.
“Federal cannabis laws are drastically out of touch with the American people. Congress must start listening to the public and end the senseless prohibition of cannabis,” said Blumenauer. “The Congressional Cannabis Caucus is committed to continuing to hold events like this that add to the public discussion and aid in our cause. We must keep up momentum until we reach our goal.”
The event was expected to culminate in a screening of “Weed The People,” a documentary by former talk show host and recent contestant on Fox’s “The Masked Singer” and successful filmmaker Abby Epstein. However, the screening was abruptly canceled.
“We were informed on Friday that Capitol rules do not allow for the full screening of films on site,” Lewis Goldberg, managing partner at KCSA told mg. “As such, we are working with Ricki and Abbie to show a series of clips from the film. After each clip, Abbie and Ricki will give a few remarks about what was shown, and how the film was made.”
Despite the setback, Goldberg is still optimistic about the forum.
“We believe this is a solid and powerful way to put the film into context, real-time to the audience in attendance,” Goldberg said. “While we would have liked to screen the entire film, mixing in remarks from the filmmakers, and potentially from some of the families will have a significant impact on those in attendance.”
Besides Lake and Epstein and other members of the cannabis industry, the Congressional Cannabis Day Forum will include lawmakers and members of the media including CNBC’s Tim Seymour and former Fox News contributor Carl Cameron.
