LOS ANGELES, CA – Roslyn (Roz) Dauber is a longtime documentary filmmaker, and cancer survivor. During her recovery, she witnessed and got to know patients with afflictions who benefited from the use of medical marijuana, and saw others who might have benefited but were afraid to try, often from an inability to ascertain necessary information.
“The web can be an endless source of data,” says Dauber. “But there is also misinformation, and advertising and lobbying efforts cloaked as information. I think we all recognize that the subject of ‘marijuana’ connects to prejudicial belief systems, lingering stigma and a maze of legal issues. Many doctors are not experts yet either. But film is a most powerful medium. It’s easy and comfortable. Few people go online to read a scientific journal. They would sooner sit at home, download a file or pop in a DVD, and listen to that same science from the actual scientist, in simpler terms. They get to see them, and hear their voice and inflection. I believe this film will be a comfort, for many. ”
Dauber set out to produce a film for the experienced user, new user, potential user, as well as the timid, the curious, the ailing, the incapacitated, and all those seeking greater wellness. “The evidence says that millions might benefit,” she says, “because cannabinoids – the active compounds in marijuana – seem to alleviate so many symptoms. Many people suffer with chronic pain, nausea, lack of appetite, anxiety and sleeplessness, to name but a few, and what they are prescribed does not always work for them. And then there are so many more have suffering family members.” After years of financing the film with her limited personal funds, she received small grants, took on a modest private investor, and recently launched a crowd funding campaign on Kickstarter to raise the balance needed: https://kck.st/2FSoGU7
Dauber cautioned people not to treat marijuana as a miracle drug: “I want to present accurate unbiased information that helps people decide for themselves. Like with all medicine, there is risk, best-use practice, issues of quality control, dosage, frequency, access, and with cannabis – different delivery systems – smoking, edibles, and other. People process things differently.”
Dauber entitled the film CANNABINOIDS: Understanding Marijuana as Medicine in deference to the compounds present in cannabis – known as “cannabinoids”, which include THC and CBD – that are most responsible for the efficacious results. THC produces the effect known as “being stoned” and CBD does not. In her research, Dauber spent weeks in Israel and met with Dr, Raphael Mechoulam, who many years ago discovered THC, and still conducts cutting edge research today. Others interviewed by Dauber are on the forefront of learning about the “endocannabinoid system” which increasingly explains linkages between the body’s regulatory systems and cannabinoids.
The film does more than interview doctors, scientists, and clinicians, however. Dauber and her team speak with authors, educators, industry leaders and experts, farms and dispensaries, nurses and caregivers, and – perhaps most significant – patients, users, and the infirm, some who are accompanied by filmmakers for extended periods, so viewers can learn about their processes and experiences. “People will identify with the patients. I want this film to be humanizing, to provide an easy reference for patients that demystifies the process through insight from real people as only a film can do”, says Dauber. “ Medical users need help to navigate the ‘green landscape’”.
Filmmaker Dauber lives in Los Angeles, and is available for interviews. The Kickstarter is live at https://kck.st/2FSoGU7.
