Grower Stories #43: Tommy Chong

Chatting with Chong: An In-Depth Chat with Cannabis Culture Icon Tommy Chong

Cannabis culture icon Tommy Chong sits down with AskGrowers to open up about his legendary film and comedy career, his personal favorite cannabis-infused products, and all of the celebrities he’s smoked with over the years!

Igor Dunaevsky (AskGrowers) : What have you been working on? What keeps you busy these days?

Tommy Chong : I've been trying to make pipes, you know? Little one-hitters to test all the weed I get sent. I can't smoke it all, you know, like in a big joint from the movies. So I have these little bamboo pipes that I stick in and bring out just enough for one or two hits. I've been working on that but the trouble is you get stoned and forget what I have to do the next moment!

Igor : Do you actually smoke weed like you do in the movies? You have this reputation after all. Does smoking weed as your job take the joy out of it for you?

Tommy : I learned that little bits at a time are best for me. It's like when I first started. The guy only gave me one joint and I didn't know when I was going to get another one, so I made that last. I’d light it, take a toke, then put it out. One a day. And it lasted for months. So I got used to getting only a little bit high and that’s helped me. It turns out if you get really stoned, you can’t get a lot done. A little bit was always enough for me, especially if I wanted to create.

Igor : What time of day do you prefer to smoke? Are you more of a morning or evening guy?

Tommy : I don't usually smoke too early in the morning. Usually, around 4:20 it comes time to light up! I'm the real deal man, I love my weed. I even have my own line of THC-infused breath strips and CBD Gummies. Those are great because they’re easy and super discreet.

Igor : As a seasoned cannabis expert, do you think all of these different strains are really that different? Or is it more marketing hype than anything?

Tommy : I think it's all marketing man. I've been smoking all my life and I couldn't tell you the difference between one strain or another. I can tell the difference between Indica and Sativa, the upper or the lower, the speedy weed or the laid back weed. But other than that, I think it's a pure marketing thing. Just to have something to memorize and feel superior. I have three favorite strains: marijuana, cannabis and weed. Those are my favorite strains.

Igor : Do you prefer Indica or Sativa? Which do you like better?

Tommy : I really don't care, man. I'm the type of guy who if I smoke something that gets me up, I'll get up. If I get tired, then I find somewhere to sleep. It's that simple for me man.

Igor : What’s your go-to snack when it comes to the munchies?

Tommy : I've always been really conscious about what I put into my body. My go-to is raw carrots and celery sticks in the fridge instead of the typical cookies and snacks. Those work great! Next thing you know you've eaten the whole box of carrots but that's way better than a whole box of donuts, right?

Igor : How do you and your team decide who and what brands you want to work with? How do you pick which ones are worthy?

Tommy : In our industry, it's all about reputation, especially when things were still underground. It's word of mouth. Word gets along to us, from the smokers, growers, etc. People know and depend on our product. If you cut corners just to make some money, your customers are going to notice and squeal like hogs man. It's not hard to stay successful with good product. Growers have to keep that standard of excellence high to stay competitive. We’re not doing this to make money. I already have a bunch of money. This is about helping people because this is medicine.

Igor : Do you think cannabis is more than just the enjoyment of smoking, of getting high and community? Or is there something spiritually fulfilling or medically healing about cannabis?

Tommy : Cannabis works on the brain. The brain is like a computer that operates everything in us. Cannabis is made to work within that computer and gives us messages. There are synapses in our brain specially made for cannabis that no other species have, you know?

If we allow it, cannabis can be very similar to LSD. It activates us, puts us in the moment. Relaxes us, releases that stress and gets rid of that worry. I don’t think cannabis is recreational. It’s all medicinal to me man.

Igor : Why do you think some people are so against cannabis? Is it paranoia? The social stigma against it?

Tommy : Because that's just the way we are. It's human nature. It's fear, it's the way they’ve been brought up.

Just think of what paranoia is. It's the fear of the unknown. We’re all creatives and writers in our own heads. Just think about seeing a scary movie. All of a sudden an empty house can get real scary all of a sudden. The weed just amplifies the paranoia that's already there, it doesn't cause it.

Igor : Who’s the most famous person/people you’ve ever smoked with?

Tommy : Maybe Jimi Hendrix. I don't think Jimi actually did any smoking though. We all were having a party, smoking in our hotel suite but Jimi went in the bathroom and just never came out. He had his own drug of choice in there, heroin.

My favorite guy to get high with was George Harrison of The Beatles. Me and George became good friends because he has two things in common: our spiritual thing and the weed, which really was part of the spiritual thing.

We wouldn't do much more than smoke, laugh and talk about nothing too important, you know?

I’ve smoked with every Beatle except for Paul. Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, Arnold Schwarzenegger and his bodybuilder buddies, you name it. I was even in jail with Jordan Belfort, the “Wolf of Wall Street”, he was my cellmate.

Igor : Did you ever imagine a day would come when cannabis was as mainstream as it is today?

Tommy : Not really. I never really had those thoughts. I was too busy just doing what I was doing at the time to really even think about.

Igor : If you could smoke with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?

Tommy : Lately, I’d say I'd love to smoke up with Donald Trump. I feel like he needs some guidance man. Maybe even Jesus, man.

Igor : What's next for you? What are you working on next? Can you give us a sneak peek?

Tommy : We’re planning to open Cheech and Chong dispensaries and go public! We’re starting with dispensaries in Massachusetts, LA and San Francisco. Once those are up to speed and the U.S. legalizes cannabis federally, which they’re going to do, we’ll have Cheech and Chong dispensaries everywhere.

Not to mention Cheech and Chong dispensaries are going to be a lot more humane than the ones we have now. The ones we have now, because of all the restrictions, laws and rules, just aren't like Cheech and Chong dispensaries. The cannabis experience is supposed to be one of fun and laughter, you know? It's a community thing. Marijuana gets people together.

Thank you so much for the interview, Tommy, and for sharing your exclusive experience in the industry!

For more info about Tommy’s brand, you can visit the brand page website.