Unprescribed

Documentary | 71' minutes | 2020 | HD | USA

Synopsis

Amid the opioid crisis and loss of nearly 22 veterans a day to suicide, increasing numbers of warfighters are turning to cannabis as a safer alternative to pharmaceuticals. Unprescribed reveals a history of prohibition steeped in racism and political motivation. Despite government pushback, experts like Dr. Sue Sisley persist in seeking to answer the question if marijuana is safe.

Military veteran Steve Ellmore chronicles the lives of fellow veterans, spouses, and family members coping with war-related trauma and the loss of loved ones to suicide brought on by the over-prescription of pharmaceuticals.

Total run time is 1:11:11. World War One formally ended at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect (Armistice Day). At the urging of major veteran organizations, the holiday was renamed in 1954 to Veterans Day, which is celebrated each year on November 11th (WWI + Nov 11 = 1:11:11).


Cast & Credits

Cast:
Boone Cutler, Janine Lutz, Joshua Frey, Joey Gilbert, Suzanne Sisley, MD.

Crew:
Produced, Shot & Directed by Steve Ellmore


Grand Jury Prize Winner: Best Documentary, Los Angeles Motion Picture Festival

Winner: Best Feature Documentary, CannaBus Culture Film Fest

Winner: Be The Change, Colorado Int’l Activism Film Festival

Official Selection: San Francisco Veterans Film Festival

Official Selection: Honor Film Festival

Official Selection: The London Cannabis Film Festival


“Riveting and often heart-wrenching.” -- The Times Herald

“A documentary that intends to ruffle feathers and blow open conversations.” -- Flowertown.com

“The fact that the federal government has been lying to the people of the United States for decades about the dangers of cannabis is especially jarring to shellshocked veterans of war.” -- Miami New Times

“There’s no denying Unprescribed’s ability to demonstrate how, yet again, the resistance in many quarters to the legalization of marijuana, particularly for medicinal purposes, is infantile, outdated, and even dangerous.” –- TheFilmFrenzy

“Several hot-button issues converge in the compelling documentary.” –- St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Unprescribed makes an eloquent case and does its job of educating viewers about the plight of war-scarred veterans who seek relief from damaging pharmaceutical cocktails. They want something better — and they want it to be readily and legally accessible.” –- Loren King, Film Critic

“Tough, strong filmmaking while explaining what vets go through.” –-FilmLegacy

“…succeeds as an in-depth look into subject matter alien for most viewers.” -- ReelFilm