Wright College Hosts Cannabis Documentary

By: Kyle Chmielowski

On Wednesday, April 16, content creator Cole Preston hosted a screening of his documentary Rethinking Illinois Legalization Policy in room S-100. Interested parties can watch the documentary for free at colememo.com/minidoc

Preston identified the documentary as enlightening for those who have no interest in the cannabis industry. “They are surprised. They come away with a thought that ‘oh it’s legal, but you’re limited, what do you mean?’” 

The film emphasizes that despite the 2020 law legalizing recreational cannabis, enduring limitations of cannabis law in Illinois persist, such as licensing restrictions for prospective business owners and limits on how much cannabis consumers can purchase.

Preston said that he hopes the documentary helped people see that “there is more work to be done” regarding cannabis law in Illinois.   

Ken Thomas drove 2 1/2 hours from Peoria to attend this event. “What it did for me was it allowed me to understand that the laws in the state of Illinois are what’s kind of holding back the industry itself. I feel like there needs to be a little more leniency to people who could get the license and I just feel like we should be an open market state,” Thomas said. 

Cole Preston and Ken Thomas discuss after the documentary. Photo Credit: Kyle Chmielowski