Speaking to Tommy Chong of comic duo Cheech and Chong fame, it becomes clear that art did not imitate life but, at least in part, represented it.
He will be in Ashland for the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference at Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites on Saturday, Nov. 19.
Im a pothead and I think like a pothead. This is how he begins to discuss the changing discourse around marijuana and the most recent election. Im not worried about President Donald Trump. He doesnt have a problem with potheads. A lot of potheads voted for him. He goes on to say he does not believe Trump, who is generally regarded more conservative, becoming president will affect legalization. Itll be like what he said with gay marriage – its settled law.
The election on Nov. 8 opened several more states to legal marijuana. Recreational marijuana use is now legal in California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada, thanks to voter support, in addition to already marijuana-friendly states Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Alaska and the District of Columbia. Arkansas, Florida and North Dakota made medical marijuana legal and, in Montana, certain restrictions were lifted as well.
Asked if he fears that, with so many states legalizing marijuana, the price of Oregon cannabis might drop, Chong says he doesnt think so. You can compare it to bread or milk – its a necessary staple. We got 20 million people in California. Theres going to be more grows and more people in the market.
Chong does not worry that the competition from nearby California will have a dampening effect in Oregon, where he has been using growers to produce under his brand for two years. The quality has to be the best you can buy. The quality has to be top notch. Youve got some of the best weed in the world up there.
As to supply and demand, Chong is also not worried. Were selling something that disappears soon after you get it, then you need more.
But he is clear that he does not think marijuana is addictive, yet still is essential for those who enjoy it. If youre smart, it makes you smarter. If youre sick, it makes you well.
Chong says business has been exceptional. We havent been in business long enough to track it precisely, but were making a s(xx)t-load of money.
When asked if there is a downside, he says no. Weve been through the downside. Weve been to jail, had to operate in secret, dealt with a racist law designed to incarcerate people of color – weve already been through it.
He was jailed for nine months on a felony charge of transporting paraphernalia across state lines in 2003.
There are worse things than having a felony record for selling glass bongs, he says glibly, but continues. I learned how to survive in prison. When youre incarcerated you have a lot of free time. You can study, go to school, write books, which I did. I started watching the sunset. It became a habit and then a goal. We did it three months everyday and never missed a sunset. It started with just me and then I had a crowd of people waiting for the sunset show.
Chong says his life could not be more perfect.
He credits cannabis for this. Everything I have: my home, my wife, my family, my career I credit to marijuana. Chong claims it sent him into the direction of music and eventually the entertainment industry, but more than that he says it changed his way of being. Marijuana gives you an appetite for food, for life, for people.
He looks forward to more substantive research into the various uses of the plant which may add to its revenue possibilities. We havent begun to talk about hemp, which has so many uses it boggles the mind.
Oregon has collected more than $25.5 million in marijuana taxes in the first six months of the year, according to the Oregon Department of Revenue. The state allows for the growing of industrial hemp on a registration basis.
There will be VIP gatherings on Friday, Nov. 18, before the OMBC conference beginning at 8:45 a.m. Saturday. Its focus will be primarily about regulations, policies and licensing, but will offer sessions around marketing and branding as well.
Tommy Chong will be interviewed for the conference at 4:20 p.m. on Saturday.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Chong’s Marijuana Is Locally Sourced
Author: Julie Akins
Contact: 541-776-4411
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Ashland Daily Tidings
