VICE (2013) s02e06 Episode Script
Rocky Mountain High & North Korean Defectors
This week on VICE, the explosion of legal marijuana.
MAN: We've got Chill for when you want to relax.
We've got Energy for when you want to party all night with your friends.
Welcome to the future Amsterdam of the West.
SMITH: and then North Korean defectors struggle to adapt to a modern world.
Move that camera, eh? Ooh.
[Shouts.]
[Cheering.]
Oh! DAVID CHOE: I haven't purchased weed in my entire life, and you said no food stamps.
All right.
VIKRAM GANDHI: We're in Seoul on the set of a Korean reality show featuring North Korean defectors.
On January 1 of this year, Colorado became the first state in the Union to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, thereby starting a modern-day gold rush I got some legal weed.
Whoo! SMITH: because from day one, millions upon millions of dollars were being sold.
In fact, if legalized nationwide, it's estimated that the weed industry could be worth well over $10 billion in the next few years.
So while the whole nation watches how this legalization experiment is going, we sent David Chow to Colorado to get a closer look at what just might be the future of marijuana in America.
[Coughs.]
Boy So we're sitting outside in a cafe now, and you could smoke and there's not threat of, "Oh, the cops are here," and do you feel liberated? That's a great word.
I certainly think that my rights should be respected, and I feel like for the first time, I'm in a place where they are, and I'm gonna enjoy it.
All right.
Does it taste better when it's legal, or-- Ha ha ha! What this really is is free-market capitalism entering one of the few industries where it really hasn't been fully expressed.
Right.
It's been a big part of the economy in Colorado, but the profits have been going into the black market, and now we're seeing what happens when it comes above ground.
Whether you smoke pot or not, you want to live in a society where the money from this pot I bought in Colorado is going to schools and infrastructure instead of into the black market or possibly to the Mexican drug cartels.
Right.
More people voted for marijuana legalization in 2012 in Colorado than voted for the president.
So we've won.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: This part cafe, part clothing store, part outdoor smoking spot is only the beginning of the businesses exploding here in Denver since Colorado legalized marijuana.
This huge growth has been called everything from the Green Rush to the Wild Wild West of Weed, and nowhere can this be seen more clearly than at one of the single largest marijuana dispensaries in Colorado-- Medicine Man.
Hey, how's it going? Hi.
Hi.
How's it going? Hi.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: Inside, the retail area looks pretty much like any head shop or medical marijuana dispensary around the country CHOE: Jeez.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: but the real surprise is the massive warehouse that's attached to the small storefront.
So you guys have this grow house in the same place as the dispensary.
Yeah.
I can smell it.
So the Green Mile is where it all starts.
Whoa.
CHOE: How big is this place? WOMAN: We're 20,000 square feet right now.
That's just one half of this building, and we actually did so well as a dispensary, we were able to buy this entire building, and so now we're expanding into the additional right on the other side of this wall.
How quickly is your business growing since it got legalized? Day one, we saw over 650 people.
The first day, January 1? Yeah, January 1, and that was our best day previously.
CHOE: Hi.
How's it going? It's going good, my friend.
- Can we talk to you for a little bit? - Of course.
What is going on here? What we're taking off is the outer leaves from the inner flower, which, of course, is more desirable.
How long have you worked here for? Almost half a year, and it's been the best job I ever had.
You love it.
I love it.
I love cannabis.
Do you smoke every day? Every day for the last 38 years.
I'm so happy for Colorado.
Thank you, Colorado.
We love you! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Ha ha ha! This is OG Kush? Yep.
How much is this bucket right here? Can we take one of these as a parting gift? Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! CHOE, VOICE-OVER: Legalization has not only triggered a huge increase in production, but has also widened the variety of different strengths and methods of getting high.
CHOE: I haven't purchased weed in my entire life.
WOMAN: Ever.
OK.
So are you here for something that will help your headaches and pain? I'm in a lot of pain OK.
the heartbreak kind.
You'll probably want to start with an indica.
This is for the serious-- Yeah, yeah.
It's for getting real up close and personal.
I think I see Jesus.
Ha ha ha! CHOE: Juice stuff.
The Dixie Elixir? Yeah.
These are tasty.
You get high from drinking that? Yes.
So everything.
Everything has ganja in it.
All right.
I'll get this.
Have a good day.
You have a good day, too.
Thank you.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: As we were leaving, we noticed they had an armed security guard.
We found out that with so much money involved, they need around-the-clock protection which, in turn, has created a new, fast-growing, high-end security industry right alongside the dispensaries.
We wanted to see what's involved with guarding a marijuana business.
So the owner of Blue Line Protection Group agreed to take us for a ride-along.
CHOE: So, Ted, take us through what's happening right now.
We are actually on the way to one of our locations to pick up some product.
CHOE: So this is a security business that's formed specifically for-- Specifically for the marijuana industry.
That's correct.
All my guys are former law enforcement, former military, and former Special Forces, Army Rangers, former SWAT team operators.
So not the mall security guy.
No.
[Tires screech.]
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: One of the reasons they need such a highly trained force is because current federal laws don't allow marijuana businesses to use banks.
So all transactions are done in cash, a lot of cash.
Although the Obama administration has issued guidelines on how banks might do business with the dispensaries, as of now, the banking industry hasn't been willing to take the risk of breaking any federal laws.
So companies like these have stepped into the security vacuum to transport both cash and product to safe houses they guard 24/7.
CHOE: So that was pretty intense.
We roll up.
There's an armed guard there with armor and machine gun.
What's going on now? DANIELS: We are actually heading to another one of the client's locations to pick up more from there, as well.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: Adding to the high security risk are strict zoning laws about where large manufacturing operations like these marijuana businesses can be located.
As a result, they tend to be in more isolated and dangerous sections of town, like here at Mahatma Extreme Concentrates.
You got cameras everywhere.
Yep.
There's probably in the space itself.
Do you feel an air of danger and of being robbed? For the most part as an industry as a whole, yeah.
When we're looking at doing cash transactions and going and dropping off a $20,000 order, it's gets a little nerve-racking.
It's where the old drug days come back into play, and you kind of start looking behind your back and seeing who's out there and watching who's being followed.
DANIELS: The issue is also the value of the product.
If somebody robs a jewelry store Right.
for $250,000, they might be able to fence that product on the street for $50,000, $60,000 at the most.
Marijuana at this point, if you hit a grow operation and you got $250,000 worth of product, depending where in the country you move that, you'd easily make on that product.
We like to keep moving as much as possible.
There's elements out there that could pick up on our routine or our schedules or our habits, which is why we continually change the way we do things.
CHOE: How much of this is a loss to the cartels now? Right now since medicinal marijuana came on line several years ago, it is estimated that the Mexican drug cartels have lost over $3 billion of revenue just in Colorado.
Just in Colorado.
Just in Colorado.
Now with the recreational coming on line, it is estimated that they will lose over $7 billion a year in profits that they used to have.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: Now, these figures are impossible to confirm because marijuana is still a black market industry in the rest of the country.
However, it's safe to say that the numbers and the stakes are very large.
DANIELS: So some of the equipment that we carry with us-- ballistic body armor, ballistic helmets, long rifles-- we are here to protect the industry.
CHOE: Right.
That's our job.
Oh, I feel safe.
Thank you.
Yeah.
We have one moving.
CHOE: You've been in law enforcement, and so you've been on the side that's prosecuting and going after these guys, and now that it's legal, you're on the side of transporting and protecting.
It's basically the life of a drug dealer, what it used to be.
It is.
Ha ha ha! CHOE, VOICE-OVER: So with potentially billions of dollars in cartel profit now being transferred into the real, legitimate economy, this new market is attracting entrepreneurs from unexpected walks of life, like Tripp Keber of Dixie Elixirs.
CHOE: Can you tell us a little bit about your beginnings and how it led to where you are right now? I worked initially for President Reagan.
You worked for the Reagan administration? I did.
What'd you do for Reagan? I worked for one of his grass roots lobbying organizations, primarily raising monies, which has really taught me to art of sale.
What kind of stuff you guys make? Dixie is an infused products manufacturer focusing today on approximately elixirs, THC-infused sodas, tinctures, We've very socially acceptable mints, topicals, salves and lotions, and, of course, connoisseur-grade smoking oils, extracts, et cetera.
I was reading about you in an article called "The Ganjapreneurs.
" What are some of the other nicknames you've been called? I've certainly been referred to as the Willy Wonka of Weed, the Gordon Gekko of Ganja, if you will, more recently, the "Boston Globe," the King of Cannabis, I think, but at the end of the day, I'm a businessman, David, and we take this responsibility very, very seriously.
That's it.
That's good.
CHOE: What do you think the estimated growth for sodas and edibles and all these things compared to smoking will be in the next 5 years? Well, this represents, I truly believe, the future of cannabis.
In 2010, infused products represented an industry that was probably just over $100 million.
It's forecast that the industry in 2014 will be in excess of $600 million, what I would call hockey stick growth of a fashion out of the smartphone industry in 2014.
The fact of the matter is that illegal marijuana is likely going to be a thing of the past.
Consumers now have a choice, and they're less likely to walk up on Federal Boulevard and buy illegal narcotics when they could walk into a safe, secure environment and have a very pleasant consumer experience just like you would in consumption of a Coors Light or a Bayer Aspirin.
It's the same predictable experience, and so when you invest in marijuana, you're investing in America.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: And to show us that he's just the beginning of this new, unlikely breed of ganjapreneurs, Tripp took us to ArcView, a conference of venture capitalists in the marijuana industry attending not only by businessmen, but also by U.
S.
lawmakers.
MAN: So many fellow senators and representatives have come up to me and said, "I'm absolutely with you.
"I mean, obviously, I can't vote with you, "and I will have to issue a press release condemning you, but--" [Laughter.]
But at the end of the day if we're successful, you'll see 50 of us here next year.
No one opposes this anymore.
We're in the process of opening over 60 dispensaries in Nevada, hopefully, during the next year.
Welcome to the future Amsterdam of the West.
MAN: 10 years ago, can you imagine having the cojone or the foresight, the guts to be able to start a business like this? In the next 24 months, prohibition, for the most part, is gonna be over.
[Applause.]
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: And with the end of prohibition, the startups start their engines.
I'm now gonna explain to you what we plan to do over the next two to 5 years, building what I'm calling the Berkshire Hathaway of the cannabis industry.
We're using cutting-edge chemistry to solve the confusion and consistency problem and brand what's really important for consumers.
We've got Chill for when you want to relax.
We've got Energy for when you want to party all night with your friends.
MAN: Our goal is to be the digital hub for the cannabis community.
Social networking, that's what we're looking to facilitate with MassRoots.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: Watching these presentations, I couldn't help thinking that today in America, almost every street corner has either a bar, liquor store, market, or restaurant that exists primarily to serve alcohol.
So as more states legalize the recreational use of cannabis, can you even imagine what the streets of America are gonna look like in just 5 years? MAN: Once we have a sizable market share, we will have built the foundation for what will be the first-ever medical marijuana delivery franchise in history.
Want to take a ride? [Applause.]
Last season on "Vice," we documented the perilous journey of North Korean defectors who risked their lives escaping one of the most isolated and brutal regimes on Earth, and we got such an impassioned response to that story that we wanted to follow up on what the defectors' lives were like once they actually arrive in South Korea.
What you would think would be a happy ending for these defectors turns out to be only the beginning of a surprisingly difficult struggle as they try to adapt and even survive in their new country.
Now, since South Korean churches help in the assimilation of these refugees, we sent Vikram Gandhi to the Durihana Church in Seoul, South Korea, to see firsthand just what happens to these defectors when they arrive in their new home.
[Car horn honks.]
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: The Durihana Church is a haven for North Korean refugees.
Almost 90% of the congregation is North Korean, which makes sense because the church is actively helping them escape to freedom, but while they fill the pews, they are not necessarily the most observant members of the flock.
Pastor Chun Ki Won has helped over 300 defectors escape North Korea and has his own theory on why they embrace the church.
GANDHI: How have North Korean defectors received Christianity in your experience? GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: This difficulty defectors have assimilating in the South starts immediately upon arrival as they step out of the most isolated place on Earth into one of the most modern and technologically advanced cultures in the world.
To get a better understanding of just how shocking the entire transition can be, we spoke with professor Andrei Lankov, a distinguished scholar and author on the lives of North Koreans.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: Knowing that employment opportunities can be extremely limited for defectors, the South Korean government also provides them with a lump sum of money and permanent housing, like here in Hwaseong City.
There we met, with one resident, Lee Sun Sil, who's been living in this housing complex since she originally defected from North Korea in 1997.
Can you tell me who lives in this place and how you ended up living here? Is it nice to be around other people who have had the same experience as you? GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: Adding to these feelings of isolation from living with only other defectors, Sun Sil went on to tell us how she faced vicious discrimination when she first defected.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: As we talked to other defectors, we found that they also had experiences of discrimination.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: As we talked to other defectors, The average North Korean can be recognized by South Korean as a foreigner for what reasons? GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: The struggle against prejudice can be so tough for defectors that some find it easier to just lie about where they're from, like Kim Eun Chol.
After multiple attempts to escape and 3 years in North Korea's worst prison camp Yodok, Eun Chol finally made it to South Korea.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: Finding work for defectors can be so difficult that many end up turning to illegal and often extremely dangerous employment.
This is exactly what happened to Eun Chol's sister.
GANDHI: South Korea is a really conservative society on the surface-- even pornography is illegal-- but there's a $6.
8 billion sex industry, and it's one of the biggest in the world.
This street is lined with hostess bars, hook-up spots for men to meet prostitutes.
It's these kind of places that female North Korean defectors come to find work when they can't find employment anywhere else.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: We were able to speak with two North Korean prostitutes who work in karaoke rooms if we agreed to conceal their identities.
GANDHI: Can you tell me about the discrimination that you felt when you came to South Korea? GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: Although these attitudes towards defectors may seem insurmountable, there has recently been a cultural response to change the negative perception of North Koreans, and one of the ways it's happening is through television.
[Cheering and applause.]
We're on the set of "Now On My Way To Meet You," which is a reality show- slash-talent show featuring North Korean defectors who sing songs and do some dances and also talk about torture in North Korea.
This show is one of a kind because it's actually trying to humanize North Koreans for a South Korean audience, and, apparently, their ratings are huge right now.
are women.
So a majority of the people on the show are women.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: It's a different side of North Korean women that most have never seen.
Playing off a panel of Korean celebrity hosts, the women show off their talents, perform hilarious skits, and even compete in feats of strength.
They also tell stories about their lives, ranging from dating mishaps to the struggles they endured during their escape from the North.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: The show reveals a fuller picture of the lives of these North Korean women, but most importantly, it makes them relatable, likeable, and, to South Koreans, normal, and, as we found out from the show's producer, these are the qualities the show is trying to highlight.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: And for the women on the show-- like Soon Sil and Sun Hwa, whom we met earlier--it's working GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: And some on the show think it will have an effect on the North, where the show is smuggled in, even though watching it is illegal.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: We realize that one TV show is not going to solve all the problems for North Korean defectors.
However, it is a vital first step in their cultural assimilation, which is important because if we ever want the Hermit Kingdom to join the modern world, it will take a lot more cultural movements like this show before the two Koreas could ever reunify.
MAN: We've got Chill for when you want to relax.
We've got Energy for when you want to party all night with your friends.
Welcome to the future Amsterdam of the West.
SMITH: and then North Korean defectors struggle to adapt to a modern world.
Move that camera, eh? Ooh.
[Shouts.]
[Cheering.]
Oh! DAVID CHOE: I haven't purchased weed in my entire life, and you said no food stamps.
All right.
VIKRAM GANDHI: We're in Seoul on the set of a Korean reality show featuring North Korean defectors.
On January 1 of this year, Colorado became the first state in the Union to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, thereby starting a modern-day gold rush I got some legal weed.
Whoo! SMITH: because from day one, millions upon millions of dollars were being sold.
In fact, if legalized nationwide, it's estimated that the weed industry could be worth well over $10 billion in the next few years.
So while the whole nation watches how this legalization experiment is going, we sent David Chow to Colorado to get a closer look at what just might be the future of marijuana in America.
[Coughs.]
Boy So we're sitting outside in a cafe now, and you could smoke and there's not threat of, "Oh, the cops are here," and do you feel liberated? That's a great word.
I certainly think that my rights should be respected, and I feel like for the first time, I'm in a place where they are, and I'm gonna enjoy it.
All right.
Does it taste better when it's legal, or-- Ha ha ha! What this really is is free-market capitalism entering one of the few industries where it really hasn't been fully expressed.
Right.
It's been a big part of the economy in Colorado, but the profits have been going into the black market, and now we're seeing what happens when it comes above ground.
Whether you smoke pot or not, you want to live in a society where the money from this pot I bought in Colorado is going to schools and infrastructure instead of into the black market or possibly to the Mexican drug cartels.
Right.
More people voted for marijuana legalization in 2012 in Colorado than voted for the president.
So we've won.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: This part cafe, part clothing store, part outdoor smoking spot is only the beginning of the businesses exploding here in Denver since Colorado legalized marijuana.
This huge growth has been called everything from the Green Rush to the Wild Wild West of Weed, and nowhere can this be seen more clearly than at one of the single largest marijuana dispensaries in Colorado-- Medicine Man.
Hey, how's it going? Hi.
Hi.
How's it going? Hi.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: Inside, the retail area looks pretty much like any head shop or medical marijuana dispensary around the country CHOE: Jeez.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: but the real surprise is the massive warehouse that's attached to the small storefront.
So you guys have this grow house in the same place as the dispensary.
Yeah.
I can smell it.
So the Green Mile is where it all starts.
Whoa.
CHOE: How big is this place? WOMAN: We're 20,000 square feet right now.
That's just one half of this building, and we actually did so well as a dispensary, we were able to buy this entire building, and so now we're expanding into the additional right on the other side of this wall.
How quickly is your business growing since it got legalized? Day one, we saw over 650 people.
The first day, January 1? Yeah, January 1, and that was our best day previously.
CHOE: Hi.
How's it going? It's going good, my friend.
- Can we talk to you for a little bit? - Of course.
What is going on here? What we're taking off is the outer leaves from the inner flower, which, of course, is more desirable.
How long have you worked here for? Almost half a year, and it's been the best job I ever had.
You love it.
I love it.
I love cannabis.
Do you smoke every day? Every day for the last 38 years.
I'm so happy for Colorado.
Thank you, Colorado.
We love you! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Ha ha ha! This is OG Kush? Yep.
How much is this bucket right here? Can we take one of these as a parting gift? Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! CHOE, VOICE-OVER: Legalization has not only triggered a huge increase in production, but has also widened the variety of different strengths and methods of getting high.
CHOE: I haven't purchased weed in my entire life.
WOMAN: Ever.
OK.
So are you here for something that will help your headaches and pain? I'm in a lot of pain OK.
the heartbreak kind.
You'll probably want to start with an indica.
This is for the serious-- Yeah, yeah.
It's for getting real up close and personal.
I think I see Jesus.
Ha ha ha! CHOE: Juice stuff.
The Dixie Elixir? Yeah.
These are tasty.
You get high from drinking that? Yes.
So everything.
Everything has ganja in it.
All right.
I'll get this.
Have a good day.
You have a good day, too.
Thank you.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: As we were leaving, we noticed they had an armed security guard.
We found out that with so much money involved, they need around-the-clock protection which, in turn, has created a new, fast-growing, high-end security industry right alongside the dispensaries.
We wanted to see what's involved with guarding a marijuana business.
So the owner of Blue Line Protection Group agreed to take us for a ride-along.
CHOE: So, Ted, take us through what's happening right now.
We are actually on the way to one of our locations to pick up some product.
CHOE: So this is a security business that's formed specifically for-- Specifically for the marijuana industry.
That's correct.
All my guys are former law enforcement, former military, and former Special Forces, Army Rangers, former SWAT team operators.
So not the mall security guy.
No.
[Tires screech.]
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: One of the reasons they need such a highly trained force is because current federal laws don't allow marijuana businesses to use banks.
So all transactions are done in cash, a lot of cash.
Although the Obama administration has issued guidelines on how banks might do business with the dispensaries, as of now, the banking industry hasn't been willing to take the risk of breaking any federal laws.
So companies like these have stepped into the security vacuum to transport both cash and product to safe houses they guard 24/7.
CHOE: So that was pretty intense.
We roll up.
There's an armed guard there with armor and machine gun.
What's going on now? DANIELS: We are actually heading to another one of the client's locations to pick up more from there, as well.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: Adding to the high security risk are strict zoning laws about where large manufacturing operations like these marijuana businesses can be located.
As a result, they tend to be in more isolated and dangerous sections of town, like here at Mahatma Extreme Concentrates.
You got cameras everywhere.
Yep.
There's probably in the space itself.
Do you feel an air of danger and of being robbed? For the most part as an industry as a whole, yeah.
When we're looking at doing cash transactions and going and dropping off a $20,000 order, it's gets a little nerve-racking.
It's where the old drug days come back into play, and you kind of start looking behind your back and seeing who's out there and watching who's being followed.
DANIELS: The issue is also the value of the product.
If somebody robs a jewelry store Right.
for $250,000, they might be able to fence that product on the street for $50,000, $60,000 at the most.
Marijuana at this point, if you hit a grow operation and you got $250,000 worth of product, depending where in the country you move that, you'd easily make on that product.
We like to keep moving as much as possible.
There's elements out there that could pick up on our routine or our schedules or our habits, which is why we continually change the way we do things.
CHOE: How much of this is a loss to the cartels now? Right now since medicinal marijuana came on line several years ago, it is estimated that the Mexican drug cartels have lost over $3 billion of revenue just in Colorado.
Just in Colorado.
Just in Colorado.
Now with the recreational coming on line, it is estimated that they will lose over $7 billion a year in profits that they used to have.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: Now, these figures are impossible to confirm because marijuana is still a black market industry in the rest of the country.
However, it's safe to say that the numbers and the stakes are very large.
DANIELS: So some of the equipment that we carry with us-- ballistic body armor, ballistic helmets, long rifles-- we are here to protect the industry.
CHOE: Right.
That's our job.
Oh, I feel safe.
Thank you.
Yeah.
We have one moving.
CHOE: You've been in law enforcement, and so you've been on the side that's prosecuting and going after these guys, and now that it's legal, you're on the side of transporting and protecting.
It's basically the life of a drug dealer, what it used to be.
It is.
Ha ha ha! CHOE, VOICE-OVER: So with potentially billions of dollars in cartel profit now being transferred into the real, legitimate economy, this new market is attracting entrepreneurs from unexpected walks of life, like Tripp Keber of Dixie Elixirs.
CHOE: Can you tell us a little bit about your beginnings and how it led to where you are right now? I worked initially for President Reagan.
You worked for the Reagan administration? I did.
What'd you do for Reagan? I worked for one of his grass roots lobbying organizations, primarily raising monies, which has really taught me to art of sale.
What kind of stuff you guys make? Dixie is an infused products manufacturer focusing today on approximately elixirs, THC-infused sodas, tinctures, We've very socially acceptable mints, topicals, salves and lotions, and, of course, connoisseur-grade smoking oils, extracts, et cetera.
I was reading about you in an article called "The Ganjapreneurs.
" What are some of the other nicknames you've been called? I've certainly been referred to as the Willy Wonka of Weed, the Gordon Gekko of Ganja, if you will, more recently, the "Boston Globe," the King of Cannabis, I think, but at the end of the day, I'm a businessman, David, and we take this responsibility very, very seriously.
That's it.
That's good.
CHOE: What do you think the estimated growth for sodas and edibles and all these things compared to smoking will be in the next 5 years? Well, this represents, I truly believe, the future of cannabis.
In 2010, infused products represented an industry that was probably just over $100 million.
It's forecast that the industry in 2014 will be in excess of $600 million, what I would call hockey stick growth of a fashion out of the smartphone industry in 2014.
The fact of the matter is that illegal marijuana is likely going to be a thing of the past.
Consumers now have a choice, and they're less likely to walk up on Federal Boulevard and buy illegal narcotics when they could walk into a safe, secure environment and have a very pleasant consumer experience just like you would in consumption of a Coors Light or a Bayer Aspirin.
It's the same predictable experience, and so when you invest in marijuana, you're investing in America.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: And to show us that he's just the beginning of this new, unlikely breed of ganjapreneurs, Tripp took us to ArcView, a conference of venture capitalists in the marijuana industry attending not only by businessmen, but also by U.
S.
lawmakers.
MAN: So many fellow senators and representatives have come up to me and said, "I'm absolutely with you.
"I mean, obviously, I can't vote with you, "and I will have to issue a press release condemning you, but--" [Laughter.]
But at the end of the day if we're successful, you'll see 50 of us here next year.
No one opposes this anymore.
We're in the process of opening over 60 dispensaries in Nevada, hopefully, during the next year.
Welcome to the future Amsterdam of the West.
MAN: 10 years ago, can you imagine having the cojone or the foresight, the guts to be able to start a business like this? In the next 24 months, prohibition, for the most part, is gonna be over.
[Applause.]
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: And with the end of prohibition, the startups start their engines.
I'm now gonna explain to you what we plan to do over the next two to 5 years, building what I'm calling the Berkshire Hathaway of the cannabis industry.
We're using cutting-edge chemistry to solve the confusion and consistency problem and brand what's really important for consumers.
We've got Chill for when you want to relax.
We've got Energy for when you want to party all night with your friends.
MAN: Our goal is to be the digital hub for the cannabis community.
Social networking, that's what we're looking to facilitate with MassRoots.
CHOE, VOICE-OVER: Watching these presentations, I couldn't help thinking that today in America, almost every street corner has either a bar, liquor store, market, or restaurant that exists primarily to serve alcohol.
So as more states legalize the recreational use of cannabis, can you even imagine what the streets of America are gonna look like in just 5 years? MAN: Once we have a sizable market share, we will have built the foundation for what will be the first-ever medical marijuana delivery franchise in history.
Want to take a ride? [Applause.]
Last season on "Vice," we documented the perilous journey of North Korean defectors who risked their lives escaping one of the most isolated and brutal regimes on Earth, and we got such an impassioned response to that story that we wanted to follow up on what the defectors' lives were like once they actually arrive in South Korea.
What you would think would be a happy ending for these defectors turns out to be only the beginning of a surprisingly difficult struggle as they try to adapt and even survive in their new country.
Now, since South Korean churches help in the assimilation of these refugees, we sent Vikram Gandhi to the Durihana Church in Seoul, South Korea, to see firsthand just what happens to these defectors when they arrive in their new home.
[Car horn honks.]
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: The Durihana Church is a haven for North Korean refugees.
Almost 90% of the congregation is North Korean, which makes sense because the church is actively helping them escape to freedom, but while they fill the pews, they are not necessarily the most observant members of the flock.
Pastor Chun Ki Won has helped over 300 defectors escape North Korea and has his own theory on why they embrace the church.
GANDHI: How have North Korean defectors received Christianity in your experience? GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: This difficulty defectors have assimilating in the South starts immediately upon arrival as they step out of the most isolated place on Earth into one of the most modern and technologically advanced cultures in the world.
To get a better understanding of just how shocking the entire transition can be, we spoke with professor Andrei Lankov, a distinguished scholar and author on the lives of North Koreans.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: Knowing that employment opportunities can be extremely limited for defectors, the South Korean government also provides them with a lump sum of money and permanent housing, like here in Hwaseong City.
There we met, with one resident, Lee Sun Sil, who's been living in this housing complex since she originally defected from North Korea in 1997.
Can you tell me who lives in this place and how you ended up living here? Is it nice to be around other people who have had the same experience as you? GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: Adding to these feelings of isolation from living with only other defectors, Sun Sil went on to tell us how she faced vicious discrimination when she first defected.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: As we talked to other defectors, we found that they also had experiences of discrimination.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: As we talked to other defectors, The average North Korean can be recognized by South Korean as a foreigner for what reasons? GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: The struggle against prejudice can be so tough for defectors that some find it easier to just lie about where they're from, like Kim Eun Chol.
After multiple attempts to escape and 3 years in North Korea's worst prison camp Yodok, Eun Chol finally made it to South Korea.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: Finding work for defectors can be so difficult that many end up turning to illegal and often extremely dangerous employment.
This is exactly what happened to Eun Chol's sister.
GANDHI: South Korea is a really conservative society on the surface-- even pornography is illegal-- but there's a $6.
8 billion sex industry, and it's one of the biggest in the world.
This street is lined with hostess bars, hook-up spots for men to meet prostitutes.
It's these kind of places that female North Korean defectors come to find work when they can't find employment anywhere else.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: We were able to speak with two North Korean prostitutes who work in karaoke rooms if we agreed to conceal their identities.
GANDHI: Can you tell me about the discrimination that you felt when you came to South Korea? GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: Although these attitudes towards defectors may seem insurmountable, there has recently been a cultural response to change the negative perception of North Koreans, and one of the ways it's happening is through television.
[Cheering and applause.]
We're on the set of "Now On My Way To Meet You," which is a reality show- slash-talent show featuring North Korean defectors who sing songs and do some dances and also talk about torture in North Korea.
This show is one of a kind because it's actually trying to humanize North Koreans for a South Korean audience, and, apparently, their ratings are huge right now.
are women.
So a majority of the people on the show are women.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: It's a different side of North Korean women that most have never seen.
Playing off a panel of Korean celebrity hosts, the women show off their talents, perform hilarious skits, and even compete in feats of strength.
They also tell stories about their lives, ranging from dating mishaps to the struggles they endured during their escape from the North.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: The show reveals a fuller picture of the lives of these North Korean women, but most importantly, it makes them relatable, likeable, and, to South Koreans, normal, and, as we found out from the show's producer, these are the qualities the show is trying to highlight.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: And for the women on the show-- like Soon Sil and Sun Hwa, whom we met earlier--it's working GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: And some on the show think it will have an effect on the North, where the show is smuggled in, even though watching it is illegal.
GANDHI, VOICE-OVER: We realize that one TV show is not going to solve all the problems for North Korean defectors.
However, it is a vital first step in their cultural assimilation, which is important because if we ever want the Hermit Kingdom to join the modern world, it will take a lot more cultural movements like this show before the two Koreas could ever reunify.