cannabisnews.com: Harrelson Makes Voice Heard on History of Hemp





Harrelson Makes Voice Heard on History of Hemp
Posted by FoM on May 30, 2000 at 09:25:06 PT
Actor narrated Grass, a film about marijuana laws
Source: San Francisco Chronicle 
Woody Harrelson has a reputation for getting behind causes. A few years ago, he climbed the Golden Gate Bridge, protesting the destruction of ancient redwood groves. He lent his support to the Proposition 215 campaign, the medical marijuana initiative, and has been outspoken on the virtues of hemp. He also has a reputation as one of the nicest and most unaffected guys in the movie business. 
On Friday, ``Grass,'' a colorful documentary about the history of marijuana in the United States, opens at the Castro Theatre. Harrelson is the narrator. ``I think it's fantastic,'' Harrelson says by phone from Hawaii. ``It's very informative, but in a way that's very entertaining. It shows how marijuana came to became a big prejudice.'' The film, by Ron Mann, maintains a tone of lighthearted bemusement, even as it piles on evidence that the war on drugs has been a waste. The movie traces the evolution of anti-marijuana laws and shows how, despite huge expenditures, more and more people used marijuana as the 20th century progressed. ``I do smoke,'' Harrelson says, ``but I don't go through all this trouble just because I want to make my drug of choice legal. It's about personal freedom. We should have the right in this country to do what we want, if we don't hurt anybody. Seventy-two million people in this country have smoked pot. Eighteen to 20 million in the last year. These people should not be treated as criminals. ``Last year there were 700,000 arrests for pot -- 90 percent for simple possession. These are otherwise perfectly fine, law-abiding people. I think there needs to be some fairness. Pharmaceuticals kill 100,000 a year. Cigarettes kill 500,000. How many people are killed by alcohol, and yet the best commercials on television are about how great and wonderful it is to drink Budweiser and Miller. How many people are dying from smoking pot? I don't even suggest that anybody smoke it. But they shouldn't go to jail for it.'' Despite his commitment to causes, Harrelson doesn't belong to any political organization. ``I stay as far away from politics as possible. It's corrupt from within. The system is a fraud, though I do like Gore. He's talking about the most important thing: One-fifth of all mammals face extinction now. We're plucking all these strands out of the web -- not we -- but electrochemical companies, mining, timber. I'm worried it might get a lot worse before it gets better.'' Harrelson thinks that big money is behind the war on drugs. ``It continues because it's lucrative. By the government's own account, 101 billion dollars have been spent. Think of what you can do with a billion dollars. Like when Ted Turner gave a billion to . . . what's the name? Oh, come on. . . .'' Then he laughs. ``See, there are drawbacks.'' Harrelson, whose most recent movie was ``Play It to the Bone,'' with Antonio Banderas, has no new movie in the pipeline. ``I'm looking at some things, but nothing yet,'' he says. ``I'm not making a movie here (in Hawaii); it's just a vacation. My parents are here. The whole family. I'm hanging out with my kids, who are 7 and 3. That's probably the most restorative thing to my mind. I realized I was spending their formative years working, so I've cut back.'' What Harrelson is really looking forward to these days is acting in ``The Late Henry Moss,'' which will open the fall season at San Francisco's Magic Theatre. Also in the cast will be Sean Penn and Nick Nolte, with Sam Shepard, who wrote the play, directing. ``I was hanging out with Sean, and one night he mentioned he was doing it. Billy Bob Thornton was talking about doing it, but he couldn't. I called Sean and told him my schedule could work it out. I'm not doing this for the money. I'm a huge fan of Sam Shepard. I'm psyched.'' ``By the way, the United Nations,'' Harrelson says, as the conversation winds to a close. ``That's who Ted Turner gave the billion dollars to.'' E-mail Mick LaSalle at: lasalle sfgate.com Mick LaSalle, Chronicle Staff CriticTuesday, May 30, 2000 ©2000 San Francisco Chronicle Related Article & Web Site:Grass The Movie - A Ron Mann Filmhttp://www.grassthemovie.com/ Grass: The Soundtrack & Grass The Movie Web Sitehttp://www.overgrow.com/news/news210.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by dddd on May 30, 2000 at 11:35:02 PT
bummer
 I liked Woody better,before I heard him say;"I do like Gore."
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