The Pot Republic

More than half of the marijuana consumed in the United States is believed to be home grown in California, where an enormous black market has emerged under the cover of the state's medical marijuana law. FRONTLINE and The Center for Investigative Reporting team up to investigate the country's oldest, largest, and most wide-open marijuana market.

An inside look at a California sheriff's innovative -- and controversial -- program to license medical marijuana growers. From "The Pot Republic," airing July 26, 2011.

Using medical billing data in Camden, N.J., Dr. Jeffrey Brenner mapped out "hot spots" of the impoverished city's most costly patients. By targeting unique care -- including home visits and social workers -- at high-cost patients, he developed a program that he argues has both lowered health care costs and provided better care in Camden. But can his model work for the rest of the nation?

A few weeks after the tsunami, the ChimPom art collective traveled to a fishing village in Fukushima. Hand in hand with some young locals from the community, they created a video piece that became an expression of solidarity.

ChimPom rogue-installed "Level7," an addition to the mural "Myth of Tomorrow," a famous '60's-era painting by artist Taro Okamoto that's located in Tokyo's Shibuya subway station.

On April 11, 2011, the one-month anniversary of the earthquake, ChimPom artists traveled to the Fukushima Daiichi plant wearing Hazmat suits to create a new version of the Japanese flag.

Sgt. Randy Johnson used to bust pot growers. Now he works with them. With more than a third of all states now trying some form of legalization and decriminalization, and several California counties attempting to openly regulate pot production, FRONTLINE and the Center for Investigative Reporting investigate the country's oldest, largest and most wide-open marijuana market in "The Pot Republic."

The bulk of the marijuana consumed in the U.S. used to come across the border. Now, more than half is believed to be home grown in California, where an enormous black market has emerged under the cover of the state's medical marijuana law.

How Chim Pom, a provocative group of young artists, is challenging the status quo in Japan after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Its work, ranging from video pieces to rogue installations in public places, comes at a generation-defining moment as many question Japan's dependence on nuclear power.