Cannabis, Society & Those Movie Munchies
Updated: Jan 21, 2021

Society’s attitude towards cannabis has certainly grown (so to speak) over time. Used for millennia around the world as medicine, spiritual aid, and raw material for everyday products, it was raised by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson before becoming commonly prescribed by American doctors and sold in U.S. pharmacies as early as the 1850s. By the 1880s, every major city on the East Coast had a hash bar.
But in 1906, it was put on a list of narcotic “poisons” and formally prohibited in the 1920s, primarily in response to the influx of Mexican workers who got high on their off hours. In 1970, it was outlawed to control the burgeoning hippy and newly-empowered black populations.
Nothing struck fear in the hearts of American parents better than the 1936 film ‘Tell Your Children”, later renamed ‘Reefer Madness’ - ironically released three years after the end of alcohol Prohibition. It was released in partnership with the newly formed Federal Bureau of Narcotics as part of a nation-wide anti-drug campaign.
By the early 80s, several states had changed their views on medical marijuana. In 1988, DEA judges changed its legal classification. California was the first to decriminalize and then legalize. Washington and Colorado eventually followed suit. Today, marijuana is legal medically in 35 states and recreationally in 15.
In 2017, pot became legal nationwide in Canada, as it is medically and/or recreationally now in over 40 countries around the globe.
With that in mind, here is a list of some of the most excellent stoner films of all time:
Cats
The Midnight Gospel (TV)
Adventure Time (TV)
Russian Doll (TV)
The Big Lebowski
Enter the Void
Smiley Face
Fantasia
Friday
Half-Baked
How High
The Wash
Thor Ragnarok
Alice in Wonderland
Alice Through The Looking Glass
Super Troopers
Pineapple Express
Cheech and Chong Up In Smoke
Cheech and Chong‘s Nice Dreams
Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny
Trailer Park Boys: The Movie
Your Highness
Year One
Dazed and Confused
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Brazil
This Is The End
Hot Fuzz
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Pink Floyd The Wall
Zombieland
Mallrats
The Night Before
Wet Hot American Summer
Fritz The Cat
Dude Where’s My Car
Wanderlust
Fast Times at Ridgemont high
The Grand Budapest hotel
Reefer Madness (just for fun)
Enjoy!