Plot Synopsis

POT BARONS OF COLORADO is a documentary series that follows the stories of Colorado-based pot barons who are working to secure a foothold in the rapidly expanding world of recreational marijuana use. This six-part series goes deep inside this budding industry filled with financial opportunity, but also fraught with danger. At the federal level, marijuana remains an illegal substance, so banks are shunning the business, creating a cash-only world and a climate of armed guards, locked vaults, and constant concerns about security. At the same time, the industry continues to grow, especially in the edibles sector. Products such as marijuana cookies, brownies, or even sodas, have provided hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue, but they have also been connected to two deaths and a number of children's visits to emergency rooms. As state regulators consider possible changes in the laws, some of the pot barons must choose whether to support a costly compromise or stand their ground and face potential ruin. POT BARONS explores how each of the state's leading barons broke into the industry, the risks they are taking, the dreams they're pursuing, and the setbacks they must overcome. Featured pot barons include: Jamie Perino, owner of Euflora, a high tech pot parlor; Andy and Pete Williams, owners of the family business, Medicine Man, who run one of the largest single-store marijuana dispensaries in the world; Tripp Keber, who hopes to build an empire out of his Dixie Elixirs, a marijuana soda that comes in fancy brushed-aluminum bottles; and many more. MSNBC aired a sneak-peek episode of this series at 11:59pm ET/PT on Friday, November 28, 2014, two days before the official series premiere on Sunday, November 30, 2014 at 10pm ET/PT.