THE STORY OF CHEECH & CHONG
“You can smoke marijuana, you can eat it, you can wear it, it’s a perfect plant!”.
ABOUT CHEECH (THE MUSTACHE ONE)
Stoner, actor, director, author, and avid art collector. From “Up in Smoke”, to “Born in East LA” to “Lion King”, there’s nothing he touches that isn’t iconic.
ABOUT CHONG (THE BANDANA ONE)
The ultimate irreverent activist. Almost as famous for his lifetime of cannabis advocacy as he is for the string of genre defining comedy records and hit movies.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF POT
We swear… This is the short version!
8000 BC
First Evidence of Cannabis Cultivation
Originally found in ancient China… (Tommy always said “Pot was in his blood”.)
Historians say this early pot was too low in THC to get you high… We think historians underestimate how much free time people used to have… Anything’ll get you high if you smoke enough of it.
500 BC
Pot is definitely used as a drug now..
Burial sites (in China again), from 2500 years ago show the remains of pot that WAS strong enough to get you high…
Historians think people used to burn it to get stoned at funerals… (That’s our kind of funeral)
1936
Reefer Madness
Probably the second most famous movie about pot…
They said pot was dangerous. That if you smoked just one joint, you’d end up going crazy and becoming a sex maniac (I mean… that part’s kinda true…) and you’d kill yourself. (Definitely NOT true.)
Today, Reefer Madness is remembered as a case study in Bullshit propaganda.
1937
US Outlaws Pot (Marihuana Tax Act)
Here comes the bullshit.
After thousands of years of happy, peaceful, safe use all over the world… All it took was one very determined billionaire to lie to the whole damn world and demonize pot.
Millions of people suffered so that this dickhead could corner the paper market. True Story.
Dark days…
1955
Tommy Smokes a Joint
“He gave me a Lenny Bruce record and a joint… and I got high for the first time. It was the first time I ever smoked. It changed my life. The next day I quit school.”
1965
Cheech Gets High
“My dad was a policeman, LAPD, 30 years, and I got that line growing up: ‘Marijuana, don’t you ever try marijuana or I’ll end your short little life right now!’
After I smoked my first joint, I kind of thought, ‘Wow, what else have they been lyin’ about?’”
1968
Cheech & Chong Meet
What else is there to say?
1971
The First Record
That first record, “Cheech and Chong”, showed the world the fun side of pot.
The next record, “Big Bambu”, became the highest selling comedy record of all time.
The one after that, “Los Cochinos”, won a Grammy. (Not bad for a couple guys on the devil’s lettuce)
1978
Highest Grossing Comedy of The Year
Tommy and Cheech wrote, directed and produced the movie that redefined stoner comedies for an entire generation…
And kicked off a decade long string of hits like “Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie”, “Still Smokin’”, & “Nice Dreams”.
1996
California Legalizes Medical Marijuana
Federally, pot is still a Schedule 1 Drug.. Meaning it “has no medicinal value”.
But in California, it’s medicine for cancer patients.
Go Figure.
2003
Tommy Goes To Jail
The DEA stormed Tommy’s house for selling bongs.
If you’re keeping score at home, (medical) pot is legal in California…
But the pipes to smoke it are illegal in Pennsylvania. Nice!
2005
Cheech & Chong Reunite
Reunited and it feels so good.
2018
2018 Farm Bill
Hemp-derived CBD and THC are finally available to (almost) everyone who needs them.
(Looking at YOU Idaho!)
2020
Cheech & Chong's Cannabis Company
You’re here now. Welcome.
