Connect with us

News

Cannabis Consumers Reject Stoner Image on TV

Published

on

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]W[/dropcap]e’ve come a long way from Cheech and Chong’s first interpretations of cannabis life in Up in Smoke40 years, to be exact. But the lazy stoner image in film and television persists in society today. New York-based Miner & Co. Studio released findings on May 23 that point the blame on Hollywood for perpetuating the slothful stoner stigma.

Researchers surveyed 800 cannabis consumers in legal states. Seventy-seven percent said they make more than $75,000 a year and 86 percent are employed full-time. Most notably—three quarters of respondents said they dislike the portrayal of cannabis consumers as lazy, unmotivated and unproductive on television.

Working cannabis professionals are tired of the baseless correlations that have been made between consumers and laziness.

“Incorporation [of cannabis] is no different than making sure you have the right painting on the wall in the background, the right sofa for the lifestyle that the characters have, no different than having a character drink a craft beer instead of a Budweiser—what’s the message that you’re sending?” Robert Miner, president of Miner & Co. Studio, told The Hollywood Reporter. “Have cannabis there because it’s part of the lifestyle. I think any time the story is all about cannabis, you’re reinforcing the stigma versus alleviating it.”

While more and more celebrities are speaking out in favor of cannabis, the stereotypes remain. More cannabis professionals are asking filmmakers to project a different image—one that represents hard working individuals that happen to smoke cannabis.

Cannabis can help off the screen, as well. Eighty-eight percent of respondents also said that watching television is funnier when paired with cannabis, but you probably already knew that.

Television is a tool that can function as a driver for social change. That’s why it’s so important that we represent cannabis consumers in a positive light. This latest survey confirms what many individuals have already been saying for years.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *