The time has come for the war on drugs to be examined, to be probed, to be pulled apart and ripped open. We are arresting over a million people a year on drug charges, 800,000 of which is with marijuana alone. Why?

The sick and the infirm are dying without the medication they need, forced to live with intractable pain. Why?

IV drug users aren't given proper treatment or allowed to have clean needles because it would "send the wrong message." Better to let them die from AIDS and take the rest of us with them. Why?

This is a rallying cry, a time for action, and a way forward.

This is the battle that determines the war.

HIGH: The True Tale of American Marijuana explores the history and controversy of a plant which has polarized the nation in its purpose. For many, marijuana is a medicinal plant which has provided unprecedented aid in pain relief for chronic disease. For many still, marijuana is perceived as an addictive, harmful drug. The laws of our nation have outlawed the plant, yet recently, many states have loosened these restrictions in order to service the health industry. Nevertheless, federal laws have interceded new laws which challenge the very rights of states. Director John Holowach takes us through his process of learning and realization into where the controversy began, and finds not only a plant with a 12,000 year old history, but also exposes the federal government’s aggressive stance on marijuana from the 1920s to the modern creation of anti-drug campaign.

Watch the trailer: