FILM CLAIMS DRUG LAWS TOO HARSH

Parts Of 'Smoke Screen' Shot At Desert Horizons

The resort hideaway of Indian Wells might seem an unlikely place for
marijuana-legalization supporters to host an informational session.

It may seem even less likely that the city's manicured country club
lawns, lakes and tennis courts would appear in a movie that promotes
legalizing drugs.

Nonetheless, about 20 Indian Wells residents attended a Tuesday
evening screening of the new film "Smoke Screen," co-written and
produced by fellow resident Jean Blake Fleming, at Desert Horizons
Country Club.

"There is no question there's a drug problem in the U.S.," said
Fleming's husband, David, as he introduced the film. "The question is
how to solve it."

"Smoke Screen" argues the nation's drug laws are too harsh and do
more harm than good. Tuesday was the second time the film has been screened.

The protagonist, played by co-writer Todd Nelson, is a UCLA law
student who hails from an upscale family. But when several
marijuana-possession arrests land him in prison, the family is thrust
into crisis.

Scenes for the movie were shot at Desert Horizons - eliciting
chuckles from some audience members.

In October, a unanimous City Council vote made Indian Wells one of
several valley cities with an outright ban on medicinal marijuana dispensaries.

Fleming said the film particularly aims to reach out to affluent U.S. families.

"The upper-middle class is in the closet" about the nation's drug
problems, she said. "People have been fed the wrong info all these
years, and they just accept it."

Fleming said she's used medical marijuana in the last year to treat
polio-related pain. Her late father used medical marijuana to treat
pain related to glaucoma and later prostate cancer. It profoundly
influenced her views on patients' rights, she said.

Audience members said they found "Smoke Screen" enlightening.

It's "the first time I heard the penalty for possessing marijuana
could get you a prison sentence" and not just a jail sentence, said
Suzy Neimann, a longtime friend of the Flemings who has sat on the
Indian Wells and Los Angeles planning commissions.

Neimann broke both legs and hips when struck by a car two years ago.
She said she supported state laws upholding medicinal marijuana
rights but probably would not use the drug herself.

"Anything that helps anybody that hurts, I could be very
sympathetic," Neimann said.

Fleming plans to submit "Smoke Screen" to join the 2008 Los Angeles
and Cannes film festivals.