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Pot icon Tommy Chong makes movie of his imprisonment
reuters.com ^ | 9 10 05 | Cameron French

Posted on 09/12/2005 4:36:47 PM PDT by freepatriot32

TORONTO (Reuters) - Comedian Tommy Chong has spent almost three decades wringing laughs from cigar-sized joints and smoke-filled vans but now a nine-month jail term has turned him serious and revitalized his flagging career.

Promoting his documentary "a/k/a Tommy Chong" at the Toronto International Film Festival, he hopes the film will expose what he says is the U.S. government's heavy-handed dealing with marijuana offenders in the post-September 11 era.

"The United States is under martial law, it's under dictatorship," the 67-year-old father of four said in an interview.

The film chronicles the Canadian-born comedian's 2003 arrest and imprisonment for selling drug paraphernalia online to an undercover U.S. drug enforcement agent.

The bust was part of a sting operation known as "Operation Pipe Dreams," which the film likens to a witch hunt by former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft following claims that drug trafficking financed terrorist activities.

The film's producers say the federal government spent $12 million pursuing Chong and compare that to the $25 million bounty for the capture of Osama bin Laden.

Chong has been an outspoken marijuana advocate since his days in the Cheech and Chong comedy team, which rode pot culture to fame in the 1970s with films like "Up in Smoke" and "Still Smokin."

The documentary suggests the government's motive was not to rid the Internet of a mail-order pipe-and-bong business but to send a message about Chong's three decades of movies and stand-up routines celebrating marijuana use.

"DEA AFRAID"

"The DEA was afraid that 'Up in Smoke' (the 1978 movie that made Cheech and Chong a household name) was going to be around forever and ever subverting young kids," Chong said. "Now, we've got this documentary that's going to be around forever."

Faced with the prospect of seeing his wife and son -- who was running the pipe business -- being prosecuted, Chong said he made a deal to serve nine months in a minimum-security prison

"It was easier for me to go to jail and do the time than it would be to fight," he said.

Since his release in 2004, Chong has worked the ordeal into his comedy routines and has been enjoying a larger stage than in his recent past.

"Jay Leno is a good example," he said. "He had me on the 'Tonight Show' before but just for little peripheral things, never on the couch, and when this happened, now I've been on the couch twice now."

"It's like the weed culture. You just wait, it'll change. Everything changes. Bush won't be in power forever, Ashcroft is already gone. There's going to be another cycle and it's going to go the other way."


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: baliffwhackhispeepee; baliffwhackhispp; chatwardbound; chittychittychatchat; davesnothere; dope; dopeheads; dopers; dopesmokingchat; druggielosers; dudedontharshmybuzz; dudeiwannagethigh; freaks; govwatch; his; hollywoodpinglist; iamsooooooooowasted; icon; imprisonment; iwannasmokepotmommy; johnsvan; liberaldopeheads; liberalitarians; makes; movedtochat; movie; of; passthebongman; pot; potheads; stoners; tommychong; turnonthelavalamp; wodlist
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To: Prime Choice
you use that very approach often enough.

Ooh, now a tu quoque! Still want to boast about your superior logic? Or might you finally take a stab at actually addressing my arguments? (Forgive me if I don't hold my breath waiting.)

121 posted on 09/12/2005 6:30:30 PM PDT by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: escapefromboston
Well thats stretching it, isn't it?

No, people drink themselves to death regularly (especially during fraternity rushes), whereas nobody has ever died from marijuana poisoning.

122 posted on 09/12/2005 6:32:38 PM PDT by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: Know your rights
You were boring three replies ago. Now you're just annoying. Maybe someday when you sober up, you'll appreciate why the rest of the world isn't on your dope-smoking bandwagon.
123 posted on 09/12/2005 6:33:51 PM PDT by Prime Choice (E=mc^3. Don't drink and derive.)
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To: Prime Choice
Small wonder this silliness wound up in General Chat.

Enjoy that ... it's as close to victory as your side will ever come on these threads.

124 posted on 09/12/2005 6:34:07 PM PDT by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: Know your rights
"Your question makes no sense."

#100 means post #100.

(Yours was #119.)

125 posted on 09/12/2005 6:34:24 PM PDT by Michael Goldsberry (an enemy of islam -- Joe Boucher; Leapfrog; Dr.Zoidberg; Lazamataz; ...)
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To: silent_jonny
Yeah, taxes and the cache of illegal assault rifles...

That is simply not true. This lie has been debunked many times on FR. This makes me wonder just who you are working for?

Gun Show Talking Points

David Koresh’s Branch Davidian organization often rented a table at gun shows, where they sold novelty items, such as empty grenade hulls and ready-to-eat meals (army-type survival foods).

One of Koresh’s devotees, Paul Fatta, was a licensed firearms dealer who sold firearms at gun shows in full compliance with federal laws. The major source of the Branch Davidian arsenal came from purchases through another licensed firearms dealer: Hewitt Handguns.

Purchased in full compliance with federal laws, these guns were registered by the dealer on the 4473 forms, which were made available to BATF agents when they began the investigation of Koresh.

126 posted on 09/12/2005 6:34:31 PM PDT by ActionNewsBill ("In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act")
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To: A CA Guy
What were you referring to in my #100?

I don't think he knows anymore...if he ever did.   ;o)

127 posted on 09/12/2005 6:34:59 PM PDT by Prime Choice (E=mc^3. Don't drink and derive.)
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To: Know your rights

I am going to have to stick with my "Well thats stretching it isn't it?" comment.


128 posted on 09/12/2005 6:35:50 PM PDT by escapefromboston (manny ortez: mvp)
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To: Prime Choice
You were boring three replies ago. Now you're just annoying.

That's WODspeak for "I haven't even a shred of a rebuttal to offer" ... so thanks for your concession.

129 posted on 09/12/2005 6:35:55 PM PDT by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: escapefromboston
I am going to have to stick with my "Well thats stretching it isn't it?" comment.

You could find out the context of my statement ... but I guess clicking a few "To" links is too much work.

130 posted on 09/12/2005 6:37:53 PM PDT by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: Prime Choice

Do you suppose "Know your rights" will ever understand what a fool he made of himself tonight?

I doubt it.


131 posted on 09/12/2005 6:38:47 PM PDT by Michael Goldsberry (an enemy of islam -- Joe Boucher; Leapfrog; Dr.Zoidberg; Lazamataz; ...)
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To: Leapfrog
If they want to play that game, equate the joint to a fifth of Jack Daniels.

A joint would be comparable to maybe a shot of Jack...not a fifth.

But you would know that if you had a brain.

132 posted on 09/12/2005 6:39:49 PM PDT by ActionNewsBill ("In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act")
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To: Leapfrog
Anatomy of a discussion with a stoner Liberalitarian:

No, really! I can handle muh... *thunk* I work best when ah'm so frickin'... *thunk* An' it'sss so wrong fuh— *thunk* You're not free until you...uhhhhhh... *thunk* I think I'll just lie here for awhile...*thunk*

133 posted on 09/12/2005 6:40:15 PM PDT by Prime Choice (E=mc^3. Don't drink and derive.)
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To: Leapfrog
Do you suppose "Know your rights" will ever understand what a fool he made of himself tonight? I doubt it.

I agree. It's like watching the town drunk who thinks everybody's laughing with him... It's sad.

134 posted on 09/12/2005 6:41:10 PM PDT by Prime Choice (E=mc^3. Don't drink and derive.)
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To: Leapfrog
I completely understand what a fool I made of the Drug Warriors tonight.
135 posted on 09/12/2005 6:41:48 PM PDT by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: ActionNewsBill
"But you would know that if you had a brain."

Straight to the insults.

Really, it's so predictable.

136 posted on 09/12/2005 6:42:24 PM PDT by Michael Goldsberry (an enemy of islam -- Joe Boucher; Leapfrog; Dr.Zoidberg; Lazamataz; ...)
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To: Know your rights
That's WODspeak for "I haven't even a shred of a rebuttal to offer"

And that's dopesmoker-speak for "I finally annoyed the rational guy enough to make him leave the thread!"

*pinching your cheek* I'll bet your mummy is soooo proud of her widdle soldier!

137 posted on 09/12/2005 6:42:58 PM PDT by Prime Choice (E=mc^3. Don't drink and derive.)
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To: Prime Choice
"I finally annoyed the rational guy enough to make him leave the thread!"

I'm sure I didn't annoy anyone rational ... and you haven't left, so you can't mean yourself.

138 posted on 09/12/2005 6:44:41 PM PDT by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: Know your rights
That's no boundary at all, it's what the Founders called tyranny of the majority.

I think the regular people call it the law. Without law you have anarchy, which IMO is the goal of the libertarian party.

139 posted on 09/12/2005 6:47:22 PM PDT by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: Leapfrog
Straight to the insults.

How is that an insult? you have shown on pretty much every post that you have no logical responses, only empty emotional appeals for feel-good nanny-state socialism.

WTF are you doing on a conservative forum?

140 posted on 09/12/2005 6:48:26 PM PDT by ActionNewsBill ("In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act")
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