If anyone ever needed an easily digestible look at the history of marijuana in America, “The New Normal,” a short produced by MedMen, directed by Spike Jonze, and starring Jesse Williams, is a great watch.
It’s the first time in a while that a powerhouse cannabis company and brand has outwardly and explicitly acknowledged the realities of the cannabis industry—where prohibition came from, how it has affected certain communities, where it is now, and where legalization should be headed.
While the commercial provides an abundance of feel-good vibes about the future, it is important to understand that we still have a long way to go before the normalization of adult-use cannabis is achieved. The war on drugs is not over, and until the problems of prohibition are corrected, this industry cannot truthfully say that it is.
But the future looks bright, very bright.
