Cheech and Chong: Pot Will Save the Economy
Posted Monday 10 August 01:58 PM By: PopEater Staff
It's been 31 years since America got its first whiff of 'Up in Smoke' and the herbally-enhanced comedic stylings of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. Now, in 2009, after decades of very high highs and some behind-bars lows, the toking duo is being heralded for their impact on culture in VH1's 'Lords of the Revolution' (airing Aug. 10-14 on VH1) along with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Andy Warhol and other legends.
PopEater was able to chat with Cheech and Chong about the honors, Cheech's marriage just this past weekend and also how legalized marijuana could kill the recession.
'Lords of the Revolution' Trailer'
Did you ever think you'd be honored or credited for doing what you guys have done during your career?
Cheech: Well, you know you never know what's going to happen. It's so honorific to be singled out.
Chong: I learned early in my life, expect nothing and you'll never be disappointed.
What's it like to essentially have made a career based around an illegal activity?
Cheech: The ironic thing is only about 15 percent of our whole act was about pot. But yea, it's fine. I really appreciate being in the forefront of that change, and in a comic way. We took the pith out of everything, so we weren't taken seriously but our effect was serious.
Chong: We were harmlessly dangerous.
Cheech: I'm reading a review of 'Lords of the Revolution' that's perfectly typical. It says "surprisingly" we were included with the other people. That's always going to precede everything. We're going to be "surprisingly" dead one day.
The New York Times review of the show says you two "get much more credit for mainstreaming pot smoking than anyone ought to allow." Is that something you take with pride?
Both: Oh yeah!
Chong: Especially when it comes out that it helps people with MS and Parkinson's. Like I said in the show... What if we're right? It looks like it's coming true, we were right.
Do people tend to forget the medicinal argument of pot?
Chong: Before the '30s and they had the Jim Crow bigoted approach to life, pot was considered a medicine. It wasn't until it became an ethnic thing -- Mexicans smoking it -- it was called hemp right until they criminalized it. Then they called it marijuana. And they call it marijuana, but the only plant that gets you high is the female plant... so it's not only a racist law, it's a sexist law.
So you think legalization is possible?
Cheech: I think it'll be legalized sooner rather than later. It's a key towards our economic recovery.
Chong: There are some things, Republicans will always tell you they don't want government involved, well this is a good place where it should not be involved. Because how can you tax something that grows like a weed? It's like taxing dandelions. So what happens, pot puts the population into a nice, mellow mood. And no one shops harder than someone on pot. I've bought stuff that I've still never took out of the package. So potheads are not only mellow, they spend money. That's what the economy needs. You don't need bankers hiding money in Switzerland and offshore. You need consumers, and that's what pot does. Pot makes everyone a consumer. The food industry alone owes a lot to pot.
Cheech: And the large majority of prisoners in the U.S. are in there for drugs. Just imagine the economic implications if they weren't.
Aside from you guys, obviously, who played the best stoner in a movie?
Cheech: I like Jeff Bridges as 'The Dude' in 'The Big Lebowski.'
Chong: I like David Chappelle ('Half Baked') and definitely Seth Rogen ('Knocked Up' / 'Pineapple Express'). That bouncer scene in 'Knocked up where he takes that woman aside and talks to her, that is the most classic scene.
Bridges and Chappelle Stoner Scenes (Warning: Explicit)
Cheech, you just got married this weekend. Firstly, congrats, and secondly, how come you're on the phone with me and not on a honeymoon?
Cheech: "I needed a break! You are my savior. No, I'm going in a few hours on my honeymoon. We're going to be whisked away to a secret location."
Comments
(67)Add a comment
Monday 10 August
By karen lyons kalmenson
cheech got married
congrats indeed
how much did he have
to smoke
to do the wedding deed?
i know pronounce you
man and bong
i hope you both
can will get along
Reply
Monday 10 August
By mlmusic49@aol.com
Prohibition did not stop the sale or making of liquor, so they made the smart move tax it and control it. It only makes since and how many Law Enforcement hours are spent on trying to stop the sale of POT Millions, Law Enforcement could spend their time on more important things. DWI is DWI so the laws will not change in this respect.
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Monday 10 August
By watdafuk
Cheech for president!
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Monday 10 August
By Sue
That would be great!!!!!!!!!!
Monday 10 August
By Chet
I would have to put Chong For Pres.
Cheech abandoned his roots and is now coming back. Tommy has always "been true to his school".
Monday 10 August
By wooly bully
Watch auto accidents go up ! Who's going to save those victims !
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Monday 10 August
By mamabo1988
You just pointed out why alcohol should be illegal. Tell me the difference?
Monday 10 August
By tennsmooth1
who cares,accidents at 30mph only help the economy by supporting your local bodyshop,no injuries there,not like a drunk at 100mph
Monday 10 August
By Janet
Weed is not like alcohol in respect to controlling motor functions. A true Pothead can do ANYTHING stoned and It wont come out all f'd up. Actually quite the opposite. U pay closer attn to what ur doing. So there wouldn't be any "victims". Don't let the commercials fool u. Its the point of view of someone who doesn't know from experience and assumes what its like. Even so, i refuse to get behind a wheel stoned even though i know i can handle it. Its something you do when ur in a chill environment. Like staying in w/ friends munching out and watching movies. Anything else kills the high and defeats the purpose of smoking t begin w/.
Monday 10 August
By Sue
There is hard proof that there are more accidents caused from drinking than from ever smoking pot! Get your statisics right before you go blowing off your opinion.
Monday 10 August
By G
Wow...wolly bully..are u on plant earth?? Driving while under the influence of pot is much more manageable then driving drunk. I will bet you anything that if there were accidents due to marijuana that more then half would survive. Why...because they are relaxed and not tense. If you read about drunk driving accidents it is always the one who was drunk that survives. Pot needs to be legalized. It will not only help our current crap shoot of an economy but it will put an ease on the Mexican black market that is boiling out of control. Legalize it, regulate it, tax it smoke it!
Monday 10 August
By Chet
You obviously have no idea of the differences in being high or being drunk!
Spoken like a true inexperienced individual!
Monday 10 August
By Richard
There are already many traffic accidents due to legalized booze consumption. Pot has nothing on that.
Who saves the victims of booze drinking and driving?
Why not legalize pot? Smokers are generally much, much more peaceful than drunks or heavy drug addicts. And since the 'proof' that pot leads to other, harder drugs has been shown to be total BS--as is most of the propaganda against pot--why not?
Tax the living crap out of it, like tobacco [another legal and extremely deadly drug]. Sin tax to god only knows what other kind of tax. Have the government be in charge of purity standards, so people don't use drano or something else to mess with it.
With a single stroke of the pen, you'd get rid of the majority of the people behind bars, saving billions of dollars.
The people who wanted to slowly kill themselves would be allowed to do that, without intervention, and we would be able to get rid of a high number of deviants and other 'social undesirables' as the police community used to call them. And since they are so peacable while/after smoking pot, it would be much less dangerous than the situation now.
Monday 10 August
By tom
it helps people with strokes too
Reply
Monday 10 August
By jeff martin
How? does it keep your hand from slipping off? ( Looks over shoulder..good, no one here saw that...)
Monday 10 August
By kw
By Tom
it helps people with strokes too **************************** Yeppers I cut 5 strokes off my golf game by tokeing up last weekend.
Monday 10 August
By Charles Queen
Legalizing marijuana is the most sensable thing our government ciould do right now.The multi billions in tx revenues it would bring in would help tremendously.As for accidents i doubt if they would go up much at all.Most people I know including myself have no problems with driving at all with a little pot in the system,actually it makes you more aware of you'r surroundings.Not to mention the medical benefits that come with using pot.It works better than the tranqs,sedatives,morphine.loratabs blood preassure medicine and some other that I have to take without any drug hangover in the morning plus it,s not addictive as in oreder for a drug to be addictive it must cause physical dependancy which marijunana does not only mental so therefore it is not an addictive drug
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Monday 10 August
By TonyD
I love these guys. really i do and have for ever. but i have to say they are being too short sighted advocating legalization. this is one of the few ways to create a flow of money into the hands of the populous that can be kept in the hands of the small business entrepreneur. if you legalize it (i support decriminalization) then R.J.Reynolds and Phillip Morris will buy the soul rights to production, Monsanto will automatically acquire the rights to the seed, and after the added taxes, preservatives and pretty packaging you'll get a less desirable product and the same amount you now pay $30. to $100 bucks for will cost you 4 times a s much. And every industry that has been taken over by big business has either failed, is failing or abuses it's employees and the environment. There are an estimated 120 million people providing for their financial needs threw marijuana...that's growing and the chain of sales from that production. how many people do you think will be making a living if big industry gets control of it? well, let's see. R.J.Reynolds and Phillip Morris currently have 132,784 employees. how many new employees do you think will be added to their production line to produce "Old Gold 100's" or "Lucky 13's"? No where NEAR 120 million, you can bet your ass on that one. after all, it only takes one farmer to farm 5000 acres, and ten trucks to ship it to the manufacturer, 14 people on the production line, and there would be no more shipping requirements to send out the finished product. so, the answer to the nations economic whoas is to take the money from 120 million and consolidate it into the hands of 20 capitalists? i hope not. save the government and to hell with the citizens? isn't that the problem we just saw with the bailouts? screw that. keep Uncle Sams fingers out of my bag.
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Thursday 13 August
By Becky
Right on !
Monday 10 August
By doc
Legalize it, tax it -- end of story
Reply