Growing the Pot

Like many industry-based towns around Australia (and the world) Collie is a community of multi-generational families who have worked in the industry are fearing their future when that industry disappears.

We want to help the towns like Collie thrive again but without new industries, unemployment will decimate the community.

Additionally, past media has created a reputation about Cannabis that is incredibly hard to shift, but the cannabis plant could offer amazing opportunities for the health of people, the environment and businesses in the regeneration of this small industrial town.

We need to shift an ingrained mindset to enable realisation of what is possible through from cannabis and how industrial regional towns can reinvent themselves through community activation and sustainable business practice to achieve a reenergised, attractive community.

"Growing The Pot " will advocate to the world that embracing change is powerful and transformative.

Using documentary GROWING THE POT as an advocacy tool, innovative business & community leaders from declining industrial communities around the world like Collie, will have a template to consider how they can thrive again, by sustainably adapting to changing landscapes in employment, environmental health and community wellbeing.

SHORT
During the making of GTP there will be a positive attitudinal shift in Collie, around the sentiment of their town.

After viewing audiences will have a greater understanding of the stress caused by industries closing in small towns.

That the conversation around Medicinal cannabis is bought into the mainstream.

MEDIUM
The film will encourage business to investigate improving their sustainability.

The film will encourage more doctors to be open to prescribing medicinal cannabis through their patients enquiring about it.

LONG
That the laws around Australia change to move CBD to schedule 3 and Medicinal Cannabis to Schedule 4.
And that communities will show a willingness to embrace change.

Short Term is engagement with the town through ‘how to film’ workshops and social media classes. Integration into the community is very important to us. During the making of the film we will work with partners who already have information about how to make your business more sustainable. In the longer term we will partner with advocacy organisations that are trying to make changes in law to cannabis growth and schedule status, using screenings of the film as an event platform to spread the message.

We’ve already started engaging with key partners for this Impact Campaign. These include Chambers of Commerce who actively support the businesses community to succeed, Local Governements and other organisations who want to see their community, economy & environment thrive, as well as medical partners who want to see the rhetoric around Cannabis change.

As we consult with these partners and continue to engage and consult further they will help tailor our impact strategy.

After watching the documentary we want audiences to have the inspiration to join or create “coals to action”, as well as the knowledge of where they can go and what they can do to engage with the network of partners to work together to create activities and devise local solutions that will enable change.

We will have specific calls to action around Climate, Community and Cannabis that are informed by the audience that is watching.

We will know that we have achieved our goal through measuring the targets we have set on: the number of screenings with Q&A’s; the number & format of locally driven activation activities; as well as anecdotal evidence of a shift in willingness to embrace & empower change; & any legislative changes to improve access to cannabis.