This week, KPCC is examining how the legalization of marijuana may change the economics and culture of California in a series of segments called Home Grown.
As part of that series, The Frame looks at how the growing pot industry being portrayed in pop culture.
One entrepreneur who thinks that Hollywood has a way to go when it comes to portrayals of the legal cannabis industry is Andy Williams, CEO of Colorado-based retail cannabis chain Medicine Man.
Williams recently wrote an op-ed in The Hollywood Reporter lamenting what he considers outdated and sensationalized depictions of the cannabis industry in shows like HBO’s "Ballers," and the Netflix show “Disjointed."
"'Disjointed' represents every stereotype about legal pot users," says Williams. "That's so far from reality." And a "Ballers" storyline depicting cannabis marketing to minors, Williams says, is something the legal cannabis industry would not tolerate.
"When they don't show the rigor that this industry is under in terms of inventory, or the fact that we don't market to minors," Williams says, "that's just another way of saying this industry is loosey-goosey."
Click on the blue media player above to hear the full interview with Andy Williams.
