Bud Empire to Premiere on The History Channel

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap]s Canada rolls towards the legalization of recreational cannabis this summer, Bob Kay, owner of a medical cannabis dispensary for the past 10 years, will star in  a new documentary series on History Channel. The British Columbia, Canada resident continually runs the risk of a police raid as the county prepares to legalize the recreational use of cannabis.

Bud Empire is set to premiere June 5 at 10 p.m., and focuses on the owner of Be Kind, a dispensary, as he fights for his business’ right to exist through Canada’s cannabis transition.

“I want to show the world that we are a culture that is responsible and that when people look at cannabis, that it’s not evil—it’s not the fearmongering reefer madness that we were grown up to believe it was,” Kay told News 1130.

Kay first embraced the medical cannabis industry 10 years ago and decided it was time to show the world what it’s like to be a pot pioneer. He hopes the show will answer questions and also remove the criminal shade cast on cannabis.

Narrated by Canadian comic Will Sasso, the 30-minute episodes will follow the daily world of the dispensary. You will see how the product is grown, procured and promoted and you’ll also see how politics play out.

Bud Empire explores a multi-billion dollar industry, covering everything from hidden cultivation operations and security issues to compliance. Kay aspires to earning the moniker  the “King of Weed,” but earning a title like that requires patience and dedication. Although Kay works in a gray area of the law, he believes that what himself and others are doing is helping people who suffer from chronic pain and other ailments.

“People won’t be arrested and detained for possession of marijuana and their lives turned upside down, destroyed; they can’t travel, some can’t get professional jobs and they feel demonized or maybe embarrassed but they’re really good people, they have been good people,” Kay stated.

This seven-part docu-series premiere airs just days before the Canadian Senate will vote on the Cannabis Act, also called C-45.