The Emerald
MY JOURNEY AROUND THE U.S. CANNABIS MECCA Vee Castillo
“In Humboldt County, California, the big business of legal marijuana brings in visitors from around the world. Some are never seen again.”
CHRONIC | OCTOBER 2021
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This is the description used by Netflix in the Season 1 description of Murder Mountain; listed under crime TV shows instead of docu-series (SMH). The series covered a specific story- a specific situation- and portrayed an entire county as murderous. They covered one story, on one mountain, and created fear. For many, this is the first they heard and learned about the area; and this introduction was horrible.
They shined a dim light on the issues that small craft farmers are dealing with, like regulations in the recreational/adult-use market. However, their focus shifted fast and violence became the focus of the whole series. I vowed if, given the opportunity, I would visit the emerald triangle and show that Murder Mountain doesn’t reflect the entire community. Sure, bad things happen, but they happen everywhere. USA News, reports: “According to police data compiled by VOA, homicides during 2020 were up by an average of about 40% over the previous year across the nine cities: Kansas City, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; and Indianapolis, Indiana.”
The U.S cannabis mecca, known as the Emerald Triangle is the United States and cannabis industry treasure. It is sacred, with magical soil, growing some of the world's best cannabis.
