'Weed Country' on Discovery review: Drug drama

In Northern California's "emerald triangle," it's serious business. And a medical mission. And, yes, an ego thing, when it comes to the guys who grow it, the guys who sell it and the guys who want to stop them both. They're all in the mix of this six-part series, which warns its "subject matter may be disturbing to some viewers."

Exactly what's "disturbing" is open for debate. Is it Mike, the farmer who has father and brother cops, yet hoists "the flag of civil disobedience" -- perhaps because just one delivery run nets him $9,000? Or is it Nate, the "biology geek," who's convinced that "medical cannabis is capable of sending cancerous tumors into remission"? Maybe Matt, whose Vallejo medical marijuana dispensary has been shut down, leaving him looking at eight years in jail -- and vowing to "repair my name and my reputation"?

Or is it the lawmen with whom we alternately spend time? The sergeant who thinks medical marijuana is a scam. Or the sheriff proclaiming, "Drugs are gonna be the downfall of this country, and I'm gonna stop it."

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It's better at that than melodrama. Despite the effectiveness of Jack Conley's tense narration and a solid underscore, the first show plays a little loose with its editing, teasing confrontations that never come. There's plenty of richness in what's already here -- a 10-year-old epileptic whose mom wants him on weed, a former narcotics cop now with medical need. But this ain't PBS, so pump it up they do.