In today’s world, access to products, services, and people is greater than it has ever been or ever imagined before.  From the power of ordering online with next day arrival to the ability to communicate with others around the world in seconds, if what you have to say or sell can’t be heard or sold, it’s very likely your own fault.

One group that has benefited the most from this age of high-speed technology is celebrities.  Whether they are worshiped and idolized or critiqued and attacked, with the Twittersphere, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat added to their usual channels of communication, their every move bleeps on our personal radars.  Scrolls across the screen.  It’s a narcissist’s dream.   No matter what these people do, we cannot get enough of it—including their opinions about cannabis.

From Morgan Freeman, to Stephen Colbert, and former Presidents of the United States, celebrities have had some interesting and, in some cases, very public experiences with the green power flower, and some of us could not be more captivated because, like politics and religion, so few things are as polarizing as the issue of cannabis.

Potheads are not the only people who believe cannabis is a medicine.  There are places where the sale and use of cannabis is as legal as buying and eating cornflakes and others where possession of the plant, known literally as “the devil’s lettuce,” can buy you a long trippy-trip to prison.  While much of the focus is on the medical aspects of cannabis, and even how it can help solve the opioid crisis, the role celebrities play in cannabis culture is larger than one may think.

Cannabis and Celebrities Lovin’ It!

Morgan Freeman, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Carl Sagan, and Bill Gates, to name a few, may not necessarily be users of cannabis, but are strong advocates for the legalization of marijuana. These high-minded individuals believe that the use and legalization of cannabis can help expand and benefit our communities in positive ways, especially medically, with a good harvest.  Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia agree with them and currently have laws broadly legalizing marijuana in some form.

Cannabis and Celebrities Hatin’ It!

Then there are, of course, those who feel the current cannabis laws are not strict enough, do not believe the medical benefits of cannabis outweigh the harm, or for some other reason resist supporting its widespread use and legalization.  Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, and Natalie Portman, all former pot smokers, now renounce the plant, and claim that their lives are much more productive without those happy smoke clouds making rings around their heads.  They say they’re happier without it.

So What?

So, cannabis ain’t for everyone.  Just because someone fires up The Devil’s Lettuce, or Skunk, or Stink weed, or The Chronic today does not mean it will be the “toke” of the town for them tomorrow.  Celebrities like the rest of us are fickle that way.  Still, for whatever reasons a celebrity will or won’t support decriminalizing Kush, what they claim to do can have a large and resonating effect on society and American pop culture.

Celebrities at the top of the social pyramid of movies, music, and media are many times the reason for these ever-changing shifts in pop culture, the cultural fluctuations, these so-called “fads.”  The books we read, the movies we watch, and even the food we eat, the “Eat, Pray, Love” of our lives is often swayed by these megawatt social influencers.  From giving treats to our pets, and finding safe and alternative ways to consume cannabis, celebrities tend to lead us like the Pied Piper to the next new trend, even when it comes to marijuana.

Tommy Chong and Snoop Dogg have been blowing smoke in our eyes for decades.  When it comes to cannabis, more than a dime bag of what we think about it comes from the media.  Our attitudes are impacted by the media, and those we’ve put on a pedestal.  If our favorite celebrities are potheads or just advocates, whether pro or con, chances are you might be too.

While the star effect can spotlight certain nuances of the laws surrounding cannabis as well, it’s important to get the facts you need about the psychedelic plant by doing your own research.  What the future holds for cannabis legislation, cannabis culture, and its overall place in our society as a problem or solution is anyone’s guess.  The savvy citizen or consumer will rely on the numbers.  Not miscellaneous opinions.

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What do you think?