AKA Tommy Chong

Was it on TV, or is it something that can be rented or downloaded?

Thanks,
Ed

I got it from Netflix.

ORIGINAL: Fog
I know of his films with Cheech , but here's to very recent stories from both sides of the pond, to be objective.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4933967/Florida-woman-calls-911-three-times-over-McDonalds-Chicken-McNugget-shortage.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4925913/Police-spent-200000-investigating-officers-for-stealing-Vimto.html

Wow!!!
That first one reads like an Onion article... so crazy it couldn't have happened, but crazy enough that really... it had to happen eventually.

The second one's pretty funny/sad too. Hippies have been complaining for years that cops just smoked all their confiscated weed. Maybe they were right?

- zevo

Tis a cracking documentry tbh. Always loved the Cheech n Chong movies and standup.
There is another good documentry online called The Union: The business behind getting high.
Great little docu if your a bit of a toker, and interested even if your not.

What makes it all even more messed up is that in 12000 years of known usage, both for medical, spiritual and recreational, there has only been 1 recorded death from smoking cannabis. And even that death was down to a reaction that the person had with THC. Much like you or i could eat strawberries, peanuts or bread, then one day we eat a bit more to find that our body floods us with histamines and kills us off.

in 12000 years of known usage, both for medical, spiritual and recreational, there has only been 1 recorded death from smoking cannabis

That's only if you don't count the ones who died in prison.

No-one else has died directly from use of cannabis, in prison or out of it mate. Those who have died in prison usually died either from the laws of prohibition or from getting involved with gangs or other drugs ;)

ORIGINAL: ParanoiA

I try not to get worked up about stories like this as an advocate for ending "victimless crime".

There are no "victimless crimes". Now...before you go all angry on me read on...

What a freaking waste of money chasing down a bong salesman. He ever kill anyone? Rape anyone? Molest any kids? Unless we've caught all the murderers, rapists and molesters, how in the hell do they justify diverting capital FROM catching violent criminals TO catch pot smokers?

I agree with you...spending 12M to prosecute *one guy* who, as you say, is a low risk to society, is foolish.

Imagine how safe our streets MIGHT be, if all of our resources and manpower spent on victimless crimes were shifted to catch people who hurt other people?

I agree...but keep in mind that there is significant overlap in substance abuse(including alcohol) and violent crime.

I'm absolutely disgusted at the behavior of our government to punish victimless crime, particularly marijuana, prostitution and gambling.

Again..there is no "victimless crime".

If you consider the damage to the entire family, how their lives are changed as mom becomes effectively "single mom" and all the great social benefits we've seen from that arrangment...it becomes clear that ruining someone's life for smoking something you believe ruins their life, isn't noble, it's tyrannical, cruel and shameful.

The same effects occur to families because of prostitution and gambling so your argument falls flat...however...

I am actually closer to agreement with you on legalization than the above implies simply because our current laws don't work and arn't enforced. I am fairly libertarian but I believe other things need to change in our legal system regarding *responsibility* before any currently illegal drugs are legalized. The first step for me would be this: Anyone who kills another(violence, car accident, work error) while proven to be under the influence of a self-administered chemical substance gets the death penalty. End of story. For lesser harm, life in prison. You can't blame "the drug" if you put it into your body yourself. That would put responsibility on the user for their choice. This would include alcohol BTW. Until we have a legal system that holds people responsible who misuse chemical substances and harm others, we don't have a right to use them. Another needed set of civil laws would be that employers and establishments would be allowed to enforce their own drug policies...ie: an employer can say that his/her employees may not use certain substances, the mall can say "no drugs" just like they can say "no smoking". The Constitution has a right to free association...that is also a right to non-association.

ORIGINAL: AndyW

I am actually closer to agreement with you on legalization than the above implies simply because our current laws don't work and arn't enforced. I am fairly libertarian but I believe other things need to change in our legal system regarding *responsibility* before any currently illegal drugs are legalized. The first step for me would be this: Anyone who kills another(violence, car accident, work error) while proven to be under the influence of a self-administered chemical substance gets the death penalty. End of story. For lesser harm, life in prison. You can't blame "the drug" if you put it into your body yourself. That would put responsibility on the user for their choice. This would include alcohol BTW. Until we have a legal system that holds people responsible who misuse chemical substances and harm others, we don't have a right to use them. Another needed set of civil laws would be that employers and establishments would be allowed to enforce their own drug policies...ie: an employer can say that his/her employees may not use certain substances, the mall can say "no drugs" just like they can say "no smoking". The Constitution has a right to free association...that is also a right to non-association.

I find it hard to agree with the eye for an eye theory when those who do cause death could be put to good use breaking bricks in a quarry and working off thier debt to society. I dont feel the prisons of today in the uk do anything to turn offenders away from returning as most prisons allow you tv's in your cell, you have access to more things than most in the outside world, hell most the people i know who been to prison actually said they would have no worries about going back there.
If your look at eye for an eye style judgements then i'd say work them to the bone for 25years then give them the option of injecting themselves to die. I dont believe it should be the responsibility of an individual to do this for them.
Much like samuri allows thier own to kill themselves as a mark of shame/respect.
Lesser harm? depends on how you judge that tbh. But the term in prison and conditions should be relative to the crime for sure.

As for drug use, a user cannot blame the drug as it was the user who took the drug, the only problem here is that many are not educated on the full effects which means they often react without realising. But as i said, it is ultimately down to the user.
As for Alcohol, if it were created today it would have been prohibited under section 1 or class A in the uk (and we all know that wouldn't didn't work in the past lol). It is a drug that has NO medical value and also destroys the lives of hundreds of thousands every year around the globe.

I dont believe that its right that employers say that someone may not use a certain substance, as far as im concerned, if you can get the work done to the same or better standard when high, then why should they have any reason to complain.
I do however believe more education is needed, not only for the users but for those who suffered at the hands of yellow journalism and as such have become totally anti drugs. The medias hysteria has really got people worried to the point that parents are now thinking that just because thier son doesn't want to go out like all the rests of the kids, he's smoking cannabis. Or if he comes home and has the giggles then is a bit moody later on, has been smoking cannabis. They have just plastered the tv, papers with propagander that has made people fear the worst instead of talking and listening.

Original: AndyW

I am actually closer to agreement with you on legalization than the above implies simply because our current laws don't work and arn't enforced. I am fairly libertarian but I believe other things need to change in our legal system regarding *responsibility* before any currently illegal drugs are legalized.

Hey I can appreciate your point here. It's a good one and compliments the arguments I use to justify decriminalizing what I consider to be "victimless crime" to begin with, and that's the notion that it's about personal responsibility and accountability as part of the bargain for individual empowerment, which is a founding principle of our republic. I'm of the Jeffersonian stripe, so I tend to be a little militant about my expectations and what constitutes a "victim". I don't disagree with you here, though.

ORIGINAL: ParanoiA

the notion that it's about personal responsibility and accountability as part of the bargain for individual empowerment, which is a founding principle of our republic.

Yep...we in agreement...I recommend we shoot all the lawyers and start over with a new set who have actually *read* the Constitution...

ORIGINAL: bitflipper

Just watched this documentary last night ("A/K/A Tommy Chong"), which chronicles Tommy Chong's prosecution/persecution by the Ashcroft Gestapo. It'll make you angry and paranoid, but it's also very funny.

The government spent 12 million dollars and devoted hundreds of public employees to the pursuit of Chong, swooping in on his home during a pre-dawn raid with guns, dogs and helicopters. All for selling glass bongs on the internet.

Chong ultimately plea "bargained" for a 9-month prison sentence in exchange for the feds promising not to go after his wife and son. It's a sad tale. But recommended viewing nevertheless.

Ashcroft,... don't get me started!

We here in Missouri voted a dead man into office to get his butt out. I drove from a job in Colorado Springs solely to make sure I did my part.

The ultimate irony was another of GW's brilliant decisions, but we all know where THAT went.