Parents Turn to Marijuana to Cure Their Kids' Cancer in Ricki Lake's Weed the People Doc

As marijuana use continues to become decriminalized across the United States, doctors, researchers and patients are pushing to make it an accepted part of cancer treatments.

The new film Weed the People, executive-produced by Ricki Lake, follows families as they discover the benefits of marijuana for their child’s cancer and chemotherapy.

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“When your kid’s got cancer, the rulebook goes out the window,” the mom of an elementary school-aged kid says in the trailer, exclusive to PEOPLE. “I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t explore everything that there was.”

For Lake, 50, the journey of making the film was a personal one. The film was coproduced by her ex-husband Christian Evans before he killed himself at age 45 in 2017 following a long battle with bipolar disorder. Evans, a jewelry designer, had access to medical marijuana during his struggle, and wanted to use Weed the People to help advocate for its legalization.

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“There’s a stigma to medical marijuana,” Lake previously told PEOPLE. “There really shouldn’t be. [Christian] was searching for medication to help him with his issues.”

“This is the best legacy he could leave,” said Lake, whose 2007 documentary The Business of Being Born spotlighted childbirth and midwifery. “I’ll miss him every day for the rest of my life, but I’m so proud he left this film behind.”