'Mile High' filmmakers give away free marijuana to promote new documentary

Already blessed with the perfect name for a director of a documentary about legalising marijuana, Anthony Hashem is further enhancing his stoner credentials by handing out free weed to those who attend his new film.

Along with his producer Adam Hartle, he is giving out samples at Colorado screenings of Mile High: The Comeback of Cannabis, which explores the legalisation of the drug in the state. "I'll be standing outside the Mayan and Boulder theaters before each screening this week, handing out a small amount of legal marijuana to anyone over 21 with a valid ID to take home to enjoy responsibly," Hartle said. "No purchase necessary, but we highly encourage you to stay and watch the film," he added, emphasising the 'highly'.

Their film follows the campaign to make marijuana legal in Colorado, interspersed with Hartle's standup comedy routines about the drug. It takes in interviews with weed-embracing doctors, politicians, lawyers and the National Cannabis Industry Association, and celebrates the eventual passing of the law in November 2012 with Hartle telling the camera: "The world's changing: get ready for it America."

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The relaxed drug laws mean that anyone over 21 can grow and own a small amount of marijuana, and licensed stores can sell it – though smoking it in public is still illegal. It's led to a boom in dispensaries, and spinoff companies like marijuana tourism operators – leading Denver's tourism office to assert "We're not Amsterdam" to NBC earlier this year.

Colorado has been joined by Washington state who have also legalised the drug, and whose first dispensaries open this week.

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