Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Deterrence in the style of "let's make an example of a few of 'em" has a pretty poor track record. Look at the war on drugs - extremely harsh penalties for pot smokers - did not work - just filled up US prisions with people caught with a roach in their ashtray.

People started skipping commercials, then bitched about commercials, and then pirated to avoid commercials, then tivo'd pirated material to avoid commercials . . . What did you expect?

But seriously, this isn't new. It's so old it's frightening that people are only realizing they're being sold to through product placement.

Grocery stores . . . the company pays the grocery store to be placed at eye level.

Smokers . . . companies used to pay (and still do) pay hot chicks to go to bars and clubs and smoke their brand. Or vodka. My neighbor does liquor promotions. That's all he does. Hires hot 18 year old to go pass out vodka.

Why? It works. Simple.

Is she a smoker?

I wish my voice was that deep, and I'm a 32 year old man.

First I thought.. yeah this could be funny.. then I saw that he is NOT a pipe smoker. They (and I at times) take long and slow drags...

And secondly my mind started shouting HIPSTER!! ???! at me.
Right ? or wrong ?:)

I thought that I was a heavy smoker.

^Upvote^ for the pot smoker in the cubicle

I doubt the average smoker has the endurance to do this.

That one boat had a big bbq-pit-type smoker on the back, eh?...What can you do but pickle or deep-fry those little bait fish they're scaring-up??

I voted for this -- JURY NULLIFICATION. We don't want that federal law.

I'm not a smoker. I'm just sick of the money wasted and the lives ruined by stupid laws.

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Which makes Obama complicit in the Drug War that ruins peoples lives. I've seen it first hand young black children who have a little weed on them put in jail, taken out of school for years forgotten by society. You'd think Obama, who was a young black pot smoker would have some idea of what the drug war is doing to the black community.

He doesn't want to be the president that legalized pot, fine. But we know the consequences and their serious and long term. He's a bastard, just like all the rest.

Addressing Cenk's question of why Obama is so hard-right on the issue of pot legalization, I agree with Bill Maher's take: Obama does not wish to go down in history as the president that legalized pot. It would tend to advance the stereotype of black people as being big pot smokers. In Obama's mind, it's enough being the first black president as well as the first president to ever address health care in a meaningful way. Federal pot legalization is an issue he's happy to let a future president tackle.

And the degree to which he's opposed pot legalization (by raiding more head shops than Bush II) is simply meant to undercut that stereotype. Like a "see how black I'm not" kind of thing.

>> ^spoco2:

Does no one else find it a little sad that people find smoking weed so central to their lives that they feel compelled to cheer on people doing it in movies?
Surely once it gets to the point where one of the things you identify yourself as is a smoker of weed, you are letting it take up too much of your life?
Do people who drink really watching someone else on screen drink and go 'Fuck yeah man, he's drinking! I drink too! Fuck yeah, I LOVE him!'


I agree with the guy below you in that it has to do with the legality and the social perception of it. Look at any group that partakes in something that straddles the line of socially acceptable or legal and you'll find a group that feels a kinship toward each other. Particularly so if the person identifies themself as such outwardly.

I'd imagine people that say "yeah man smoke it up famous people" are people who willingly identify themselves as regular smokers or "pot heads" or "stoners." For such people this is popular culture and iconic scenes saying "yo man smoking is fine or fun or at least not some horribly illegal activity" to which they say "hell yeah I agree!"

Also for me I like the fact that it brings into question the perception that many people who are more radically against it hold. For many weed is just a lighter drug thats a step or two further than alcohol but for many it's a social cancer and the beginnings of harder crimes and drugs.

For me the common use of it in popular culture and on shows that tend to be on FX, Showtime, HBO, etc. just goes to show it for what it is...a fairly benign form of intoxication that is as close to large scale acceptability as anything besides alcohol has been. It shows it's not that different from people whom get intoxicated from alcohol on a semi-common basis. I would argue that many of my professional friends and colleagues have just as damaging results from their social drinking as I do from smoking and I'd be the first to say that my personal use is greater than theirs.

As a stoner, I'd be surprised to see these same attitudes and emotions surrounding it's use persist if it was legalized or decriminalized as that would take away the social aspect of "we chose to dismiss the law/society and partake in this activity we both enjoy" but it would take many years if not a generation or two for the old ideas to fall off.

>> ^spoco2:

Does no one else find it a little sad that people find smoking weed so central to their lives that they feel compelled to cheer on people doing it in movies?
Surely once it gets to the point where one of the things you identify yourself as is a smoker of weed, you are letting it take up too much of your life?
Do people who drink really watching someone else on screen drink and go 'Fuck yeah man, he's drinking! I drink too! Fuck yeah, I LOVE him!'


I'd imagine it has something to do with the legal status of weed in most countries. People feel a kinship with other people who are "oppressed by the man".

Weed would probably be less cool if it was legalised.

Does no one else find it a little sad that people find smoking weed so central to their lives that they feel compelled to cheer on people doing it in movies?

Surely once it gets to the point where one of the things you identify yourself as is a smoker of weed, you are letting it take up too much of your life?

Do people who drink really watching someone else on screen drink and go 'Fuck yeah man, he's drinking! I drink too! Fuck yeah, I LOVE him!'