The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: ganja

  • Ten other movies filmed in Humboldt County

    by Eli Farrington

    Humboldt County Residents were recently buzzing with excitement as Warner Bros. Pictures’ mysterious new production codenamed, “BC Project,” began filming in Eureka and Arcata. The film, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is set to star Leonard Dicaprio, Regina Hall, and Sean Penn. Other than that, little to no information is available on the secretive motion picture. Until more information on the “BC Project” is made available, here is a list of 10 other movies shot in Humboldt County to watch in the meantime. 

    1. “A Lass of the Lumberlads, Episode 1: The Lumber Pirates,” (1916).

    This silent film serial, or chapter film, was the first fictional movie series to be shot in Humboldt County, starring Helen Holmes and Thomas G. Lingham. The episode follows Lingham in his pursuit of purchasing land from a tribe of Klamath Native Americans so that he can use their lumber to fulfill a contract for 10-million-feet of timber. He ultimately succeeds, but ends up murdering the chief of the tribe in the process. His wife, who witnessed the murder, fears for her life and flees with their newborn daughter, but is swept away in a river clinging to a log. 

    1. “East of Eden” (1955). 

    Based on the acclaimed novel by John Steinbeck, this film adaptation follows Cal Trask played by James Dean as he attempts to win his father’s approval from his golden child brother, Aron, played by Richard Davalos. The storyline is loosely based on the biblical story of Cain and Abel, and follows Cal’s venture to gain his father’s love by pursuing a business opportunity that could save the family farming business. Along the way, Cal meets his estranged mother (Jo Van Fleet) and begins to develop feelings for Aron’s girlfriend (Julie Harris). 

    1. “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” (1983)

    Once they have rescued Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, Luke and Leah join back up with the rest of the growing rebel fleet and prepare for their final battle with the empire. At the same time, Palpatine and his troops have constructed a new death star above Endor, and the rebels must team up with the Ewoks, Endor’s furry inhabitants, in order to defeat the evil empire once and for all. 

    1. “Ganjasaurus Rex” (1987).

    This cult classic was originally conceived by the Reagan Administration as an attempt to infiltrate the stoner community and curb cannabis consumption, but after numerous budgeting problems, rewrites, and directorial changes, Reagan’s vision backfired and the film became the hilarious masterpiece that it is today. Andy Serkis stars as the mesozoic pothead in this surprisingly well-received horror comedy. 

    1. “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” (1997).

    After the destruction of the main park, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) and Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) venture to a secret secondary site where other dinosaurs are being kept in hiding. Chaos ensues as Malcolm attempts to monitor the beasts, who have been released into the wild to fend for themselves. 

    1. “Butterfly” (2000). 

    This TV Documentary follows the journey of Julia “Butterfly” Hill’s protest of the Pacific Lumber Company in Humboldt County. She set up camp over 100 feet in the air in the branches of a 1,500-year-old redwood tree to protest the clear cutting of ecologically important forests. Hill resided in the tree, which she nicknamed “Luna,” for a total of 738 days without letting her feet touch the ground until the lumber company agreed to her terms. 

    1. “Humboldt County” (2008).

    An aspiring doctor’s (Jeremy Strong) life is thrown off course when his father and medical school professor fails him. Unsure of his next move, he aimlessly wanders the streets of Los Angeles until a one-night-stand sweeps him into a journey up the coast to Humboldt County. Once there, he finds himself stranded in a community of weed farmers and immersed in a culture that he never imagined himself in. 

    1. “The Love Witch” (2016). 

    Elaine (Samantha Robinson), a gorgeous young witch, moves to Arcata to practice witchcraft and search for a man who will love her. She enchants and seduces multiple men to be with her, but her spells are too powerful and she ends up with a collection of men who are all obsessed with her. Eventually, she meets her dream man, but her compulsive need to be loved will come at a cost. This delightfully raunchy romance/horror film tackles gender roles of both men and women, and is a must-watch. 

    1. “Weed and Wine” (2020). 

    This documentary explores the similarities and differences between two farming families that are continents apart. One family – a French mother and her son, tend to their classy old-school vineyard and winery in Southern Rhônes. The other Family, a father and son from Humboldt County, manage and operate a legal organic cannabis farm. This documentary compares and contrasts the centuries-old winemaking traditions of France with the practices of California’s blossoming cannabis industry. 

    1. “Sasquatch Sunset” (2024). 

    Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough, this comedy follows the day-to-day lives of two sasquatches over the course of a year as they try to navigate the constantly changing world around them. Directed by David and Nathan Zellner, this highly anticipated hilarious adventure is scheduled to release later this year. 

  • Marijuana Legalization is a Race Issue

    Marijuana Legalization is a Race Issue

    Marijuana laws are enforced unequally and minority communities bear the brunt of the consequences

    Many states have voted on the legalization of marijuana, a schedule one drug, and 11 states have legalized recreational cannabis. Weed is now a large source of legal income in the U.S.

    Forbes shows that the top three states where recreational marijuana is legal profited over $4 billion in 2018 on cannabis sales. But according to a 2010 study by the American Civil Liberties Union, states waste over $3 billion a year in weed-related arrests.

    We believe states waste more time and taxpayer money by not legalizing and decriminalizing weed. Law enforcement often enforce weed laws unequally, with more arrests in underprivileged neighborhoods, which are often filled with people of color. According to the ACLU, black people are four times as likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession despite similar usage rates.

    We are fed up with blatant inequality and discrimination.

    In July 2016, a Minnesota police officer shot and killed black 32-year-old Philando Castile in his vehicle. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigated the case, and was told by the officer that he “feared for his life” due to the smell of marijuana and Castile’s lack of concern for the child in the vehicle. This ended in the officer’s acquittal.

    While most states don’t keep data for marijuana possession by Latinx individuals, New York City’s data shows that the Latinx community has the same rate of use as black and white individuals, but recent data shows that marijuana possession is the fourth most common cause of deportation.

    It’s obvious that many of those affected by these ludicrous laws are from black and brown communities. And it may be relevant to note that there is political gain to keep it this way, as many people who have been arrested for marijuana can no longer vote.

    This war on drugs, specifically the war on marijuana, is a war on communities of color. Children are left without parents and people are locked up for years on minor counts. And yet, even when white people commit similar crimes the punishments are all too different.

    Opioid addiction is at an all time highs in the states. It has largely affected white communities, but the amount of arrests is no where near that of other cultural communities when marijuana is involved.

    If treatment and repercussions are unequal, we need to understand that the system is flawed. When one group is given more freedom to make mistakes than another, it seems that there is a hidden agenda at work to keep white communities more prosperous.

    Drug laws are just one example of discriminatory regulations within the United States. Data shows that law enforcement agencies often treat people of color differently, our laws only add tension to the problem.

    As of now, 10 states plus Washington D.C. have legalized recreation marijuana and an additional 20 allow medicinal use. These states should quickly look into decriminalizing the drug fully. If we take steps to free individuals locked up for minor drug possession charges and use the money saved to focus on bigger issues, then we take one major step toward reforming the country’s unjust system.

    It may be a slow process, but it’s one that needs to happen now.