When asked why he chose Ricardo Baca as the world’s first pot columnist, Greg Moore, editor of The Denver Post, offered, “He had covered the music scene for many years, so we knew he was familiar with marijuana.” Thus begins Mitch Dickman’s lively documentary on the paper’s never-before-attempted stab at giving cannabis serious coverage, and the slightly off-kilter team of kush-cognoscenti who comprise the writing staff at The Cannibist. There’s the occasional buzzkill — the crew has short-term memory loss to blame after a “promise” by Whoppi Goldberg to be a semi-regular contributor never materializes — but the journalists not only do a commendable job of critiquing the various buds, they also perform a community service by weeding out some of the more potentially dangerous strains. Pot enthusiasts are clearly the target audience, while non-tokers will no doubt find the film’s depiction of a dying industry wishing to attract more readers by hitching its wagon to a snowballing phenomenon fascinating to watch. (2016) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.