Best Marijuana Documentaries on Netflix

Netflix is no stranger to interesting and provocative documentaries based on the culture and industry of marijuana. It's a hot topic, especially now as the push for legalization grows and grows, and the more it's ingrained in the public eye, the more information people will want to understand in better ways and connotations. Simply put, marijuana is nothing but a plant with psychoactive traits, yet there's still many different avenues to cross when investigating its long history; a legacy that's seemingly become a cultural icon.

The more information there is in connection with the plant and industry, the more the public can be taught about how marijuana is much safer and has no debilitating side effects, like those found in both cigarettes and alcohol. Medical marijuana has accepted a newfound premise in society, steadily churning the so-called "war on drugs" into an unnecessary waste. Many of the following best marijuana documentaries on Netflix explain specific identities the culture has either taken up or evolved into over the years, since it was viewed and thought of as such a negative aspect long before even the hippies picked it up for their own cultural insight. Let's see just how these various individuals have crafted some of the best marijuana documentaries on Netflix, and don't forget to smoke some weed while you watch...

With an incredibly named title, over the top performances by the likes of Will Forte, Matt Walsh, Emmy Rossum and Joel McHale, plus a pure spectacle of a documentary in and of itself, A Futile and Stupid Gesture says what it means; allow the inevitability of disaster to take form, and not only do you have a painter's pallet of wondrous imagination, but probably the most outlandishly hilarious laugh riot in all of Netflix Original history.

Retelling the life and times of Doug Kennedy, who if you didn't know was among (if not the) sole creators of "The National Lampoon" magazine, A Futile and Stupid Gesture may be a tragic tale about a truly remarkable human being who was weighted down by the pressures of humanity and responsibility, but it's also found a home among the best marijuana documentaries on Netflix for a superb walk down memory lane and a holistic examination into the lengths one will go in the attempt to be better than he ever could be.

Started in 2010, the docu-series accurately titled Drugs, Inc. takes a deep look at the entire industry inherent within drug trafficking, drug pushing, and how these have affected America in general. The series intends to look at the ways in which the drug trade, as a whole, continues to pit the country deeper into issues of regulation, abuse, and violence.

Despite not being about marijuana in totality, due to the fact that it discusses the epidemics of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, and weed, I'd still consider among the best marijuana documentaries for its deep and comprehensive takeaways on the overall nature these drugs, in all, have taken on the mass public.

With an 8.0 rating on IMDb and an ever-long list of familiar cannabis-crazed faces, 420: The Documentary is not only among the best marijuana documentaries on Netflix, it's probably one of the very best weed docs you'll see today. There's not only a simplistic take on the historical nodes behind marijuana's industry, there's also an in-depth look at how weed itself is being used today, from the medical point of view, to the pothead's.

In addition to outlining just how "420" itself shaped the phenomena for weed appreciation, 420 also examines (or, more accurately, exposes) the ways in which governments from around the world have made the plant a schedule 1 drug and continue to diminish its view in the eyes of the public. It's a worthwhile watch, especially if you're a fan of cannabis.

Bearing the names of Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg and Joe Rogan, it's hard to see The Culture High as anything else but among the best marijuana documentaries on Netflix. It's got the jokes, it's got the smokes, and it's got the folks dedicated to bringing a more analyzed interpretation and deeper view of the drug itself. You want some good cannabis 101, The Culture High has got it, and more.

This is actually a sequel to the 2007 documentary The Union: The Business Behind Getting High, another great addition to truly addictive marijuana documentaries. Talk about being high, this one's got a 93 percent fresh rate on Rotten Tomatoes, which basically proves it's a movie you don't want to miss.

Drug Lords

This is another docu-series that breaks apart the various kingpins and nefarious cartels over the years that have been some of the most hunted and sought-after entities dealing in the sale and supply of narcotics. It may not be premised by the legalization of marijuana, and certainly none of them will be demanding you to smoke weed, but it's still among the best marijuana documentaries on Netflix for the portrayal of the industry.

Released as of 2018, Drug Lords is separated into four episodes, each with their own take on the drug trade and the kingpins involved. The first, and probably most iconic of the episodes, is about Pablo Escobar, and the third deals with the likes of Frank Lucas. As you can see, they're not so much weed documentaries, yet they still heavily involve the schedule 1 plant.

Without taking a full fledged look at marijuana entirely, Dopeis more of an insight into the realities behind drug culture and the drug industry. It's a documentary series that follows three various individuals in different settings, yet more or less examines the dealer, the user, and enforcement officials all in one steady motion that's superbly and flawlessly adapted.

I'd put Dope up there with the best marijuana documentaries for its opening of the entire field, rather than just looking at it through one perspective. You get all three of the various avenues one can experience marijuana, as well as the differentiated reasons behind its continued use and legalization.

A comical remake, in a sense, of the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, this addition to the best marijuana documentaries on Netflix is a true icon in its own right. It may not be as awesome as The Culture High or DOPE, but it proves just how vulnerable and how transparent the drug can be in connection with the war on marijuana.

The documentary showcases comedian Doug Benson on his quest to follow the Super Size Me model, by quitting smoking for 30 days and then picking it back up for another 30 days. It's not so much insightful as it is hilarious, and I believe that's the entire point behind the satirical documentary. Less of an intellectual movie that overlooks weed and its usage, Super High Me is more so about the hilariousness behind the drug in question.

These amazing documentaries detail the ways in which cocaine and the trafficking of cocaine itself have wrought a multitude of crime and corruption to the limits of Miami, FL. This is not a cannabis documentary, yet it still discusses marijuana use and sales in many instances, but it more or less discusses cocaine and how it has affected Miami, still even to this very day thanks largely to the war on drugs.

Cocaine Cowboys 2 is a firsthand perspective without necessarily having the firsthand individual. The producers interview everyone involved in the business, from drug traffickers and ex-gang members, to law enforcement officials and journalists in the attempt to render this world of cocaine-addled dependance onto the screen. It's a provocative film and made more influential when watching while stoned.

This is not only one of the best documentaries on Netflix, it's among the most eye opening experiences you'll find among the likes of a drug documentary. It's uplifting, immortalizing, and superbly paced, telling the actual story of DMT, otherwise known as Dimethyltryptamine. Again, it's not so much a documentary about marijuana, but is more so about the culture of drug use and the medical possibilities behind certain drugs themselves.

DMT: The Spirit Molecule is an extremely satisfying story, because that's what it is, in essence. It may talk about the qualities and effects provided by DMT, but it also seems to enlighten us on the abilities that humans, themselves, have when put to the test. Many of the people questioned in the film are the top experts in the field, and have many insights into the ways in which drug culture has adapted and will continue to adapt in the future.

While, again, it's not so much a documentary, but a real-life and accurate representation of the lives and events that took place surrounding Nate Norman, Kid Cannabis is a story about youth and drug culture told like never before. It's a surreal ride through the lives and actual events that took place amide Norman's high school drop out years of initializing his own marijuana empire and watching as that empire no sooner crumbles.

It's a rather hot topic of discussion, one that bears to look at both positive and negatives inherent within the culture and industry of marijuana consumption. For Norman, life becomes more and more difficult as he plunges into his own addled messes and self-strung issues, all of which stem from this empire he's created and the power it has given him. It's a life-changing film for marijuana aficionados and an instant classic among the best marijuana documentaries on Netflix.

Among the best marijuana documentaries on Netflix, Man vs Snake oddly finds its home, not for any examination into medical marijuana or the like, in fact it doesn't even bring up drugs at all. What this documentary seamlessly provides is an avenue through which to see humanity, as in the case of an avid video game aficionado as he retakes his previously stolen title of highest score in a game called "Nibbler," now more readily known as "Snake."

I consider it as a perfect addition to these weed documentaries simply because it's an awesome event to watch. What makes watching a bunch of dudes play video games for an hour and a half is not so much the quest in reaching the high score; it's more about the realities this quest presents in human kind. We all are searching for the highest score in something, as is the case for the legalization of marijuana. What the movie intends to say is that we can't always hold the highest score, but we can only add a certain bit of the self to it, which is very similar to how the culture of marijuana works in totality.

And with that, I will leave you my vape pen recommendation for a vape pen to use while perusing these flicks. Happy toking!