‘Lady Buds’ Documentary Screening Helps Cali Lawmakers Learn Impact of Cannabis Legalization

Origins Council screens documentary ‘Lady Buds’ for industry association membership, state officials, public, and regulators on April 25 in Sacramento

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2022 — Origins Council, a California nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of legacy cannabis cultivators from historic cannabis-producing regions, today announced a screening and discussion of the documentary film ‘Lady Buds’ directed by Chris J. Russo at Sacramento’s historic Crest Theater on Monday, April 25. Featuring the stories of six courageous female cannabis crusaders, ‘Lady Buds’ follows the women as they attempt to transition their businesses and ambitions from the relatively simple world of the Proposition 215 medical cannabis era to the highly regimented commercial cannabis industry fomented by the passage of Proposition 64. California Senator John Laird and Assemblymembers Mia Bonta and Wood co-host this important event. The public is welcome to attend the panel discussion, film screening, and post-film Q&A.

California lawmakers and regulators, Origins Council members, and ‘Lady Buds’ subjects FELICIA CARBAJAL and CHIAH RODRIGUES will join Origins Council executive director GENINE COLEMAN and Lady Buds producer MICHAEL KATZ for a screening of this award-winning 2021 film as well as a lively discussion of the issues it raises around California’s bumpy road towards a compliant cannabis industry. The event also provides an opportunity to highlight some of the necessary and meaningful industry reforms the legislature will be considering this year, including proposals to eliminate the cultivation tax, provide limited opportunity direct to consumer special event sales, establish a framework for interstate commerce, and move the conversation forward on licensing reforms that are desperately needed.

“’Lady Buds’ is both a joyous and difficult film to watch because you are rooting so strongly for the six women to succeed. For various reasons related to the vagaries and restrictions of the compliant cannabis industry here in California, each woman has a vastly different experience,” says Origins Council executive director Genine Coleman. “In that way, Lady Buds transcends the traditional documentary film model by providing a very clear explanation of the challenges on the path to success for all who wish to participate legally in our industry, whether by farming or selling or both.”

Legislative members and office staffers, members of the Governor’s administration, commercial cannabis regulators, and Origins Council members anticipate a frank discussion of the issues raised and examined by the film and the possibilities presented by various legislative proposals to be discussed in the days and weeks following the movie screening. No fewer than a dozen pieces of legislation will be heard in the coming weeks, including AB 2691 (Wood) and SB 1074 (McGuire), whose districts serve the heart of the cannabis industry’s famed Emerald Triangle, where the majority of Origins Council’s members live and work. Among others, these bills in particular would allow for limited event direct-to-consumer sales and would eliminate the cultivation tax, respectively, and propose real and meaningful reforms to strengthen California’s small and independent cannabis producers and companies, as highlighted by the film.

“This event is a unique opportunity to educate and inform state policymakers on the realities facing small, legacy cannabis cultivators and independent non-cultivation cannabis businesses that are finding it more and more challenging to remain in the regulated industry,” Coleman says. “Prop. 64 promised to provide a pathway for existing operators to move into a new system of compliance, and Lady Buds provides unique insight into the results of those promises.”

Sponsors of the event include Sun+Earth Certified; Sonoma Hills Farm; Frenchy Cannoli, Dragonfly Wellness Center, Flowra, Boveda, Sol De Mendocino, Riverview Farms, Mango Tech Store, JRG Attorneys at Law and Sacramento delivery service MendocinoCannabis.shop. Any businesses or individuals wishing to sponsor this important event should contact Karla Avila at kavila@trinityagriculture.org.

‘Lady Buds’ documentary screening and panel discussion to benefit Origins Council is slated for Monday, April 25, 5:30pm at the historic Crest Theater. 1013 K St., Sacramento. $25.

Purchase advance tickets here

About Origins Council
Origins Council was founded in 2019 as a California 501c4 nonprofit education, research, and policy advocacy organization, dedicated to sustainable rural economic development within cannabis-producing regions. Origins Council currently represents nearly 900 members through its partnership with Trinity County Agriculture Alliance, Humboldt County Growers Alliance, Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, Sonoma County Growers Alliance, Nevada County Cannabis Alliance, and Big Sur Farmers Association. Learn more at originscouncil.org.

Media Contact
Gretchen Giles • 707.570.7887 • gretchen@hellogretchen.com