Hollywood Stars Join Film on 2001 Gay Pot Activist Siege in Michigan

Hollywood is now casting a new film about the infamous 2001 Waco-like stand-off that took place in Southwest Michigan.

In 2018 Michigan became the first Midwest state to legalize marijuana for medicinal, and then recreational purposes, for adults ages 21 and up. Today we have dispensaries on every corner, curbside pick-up, and even 24 hour drive-thrus!

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However, it wasn't long ago that marijuana was public enemy #1 in Michigan. Today the federal government still considers cannabis a Schedule I drug which is, "defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse" and is considered more addictive and dangerous than Schedule II methamphetamine.

Haven't Heard of Rainbow Farm?

You may not be the only one! It's hard to believe the infamous shoot-out between the FBI and gay pot activists Tom Crosslin and Rolland Rohm took place on a small farm in Cass County, Michigan-- but it did. However, the story barely reached major news outlets as the siege on September 3, 2001 was eclipsed by the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks.

So, What Happened?

In short, gay couple Tom and Rolland owned farmland near Vandalia, Michigan and welcomed like-minded individuals to gather on the farm to camp and enjoy live music. It just so happened the couple were pro-pot advocates who housed a grow operation on their property, where plenty of cannabis was already being consumed anyway.

Naturally, the couple drew attention from local authorities and after a legal back-and-forth the whole operation came to a head during the farm's annual Roach Roast around Labor Day weekend.

Hollywood Production

The Rainbow Farm story was set to receive the Hollywood treatment and a film was announced in 2017 however production seemed to have stalled. Actor Sebastian Stan, of Thunderbolts*, The Apprentice, and Pam and Tommy fame will star as Tom Crosslin and according to Variety the film has found its Rolland Rohm:

two of the hottest stars of the moment [will] lead the project...Sebastian Stan and Leo Woodall are set to star in Kurzel’s “Burning Rainbow Farm,” about a deadly Waco-like police siege that took place in 2001...the peaceful, pot-friendly utopia Rainbow Farm in Michigan... was once listed by High Times magazine as “fourteenth on the list of twenty-five Top Stoner Travel Spots in the world.”

The film is based on a 2006 book by author Dean Kuipers Burning Rainbow Farm: How a Stoner Utopia Went Up in Smoke. Now that a new director and co-star have been secured production will soon follow. Check back for updates and learn more about Rainbow Farm here.