The Female Cannabis-Consuming Comedy Rise

“Stoner comedy” has always been fascinating and compelling style of comedy, albeit somewhat underground until recently—from the stylings of Cheech & Chong to the antics of Pineapple Express, cannabis and comedy go hand-in-hand. But there’s one key point to a lot of these movies–the guys are the stars. The male stars in this genre are often portrayed as dumb and goofy, often always intoxicated, and the women are standing on the sidelines, disapproving. Not only is that sexist, it’s not really true. According to Pew Research, nearly half of Americans have tried cannabis. So clearly, a lot of women are consuming cannabis. In addition, the cannabis industry is heavily dominated by female executives. That’s why it makes sense to portray real women using cannabis in the media, and that’s exactly what is starting to happen. Here are a few case studies where women are getting their dues in the growing cannasseur comedy spotlight.

“. . . the old tropes where the women don’t smoke and never get into any trouble are boring and outdated.”

Broad City

This show breathes fresh air into female-centered comedy, as it shows a real friendship between two girls who are loyal and hilarious, never catty. In a sense, this is very traditional “stoner comedy”—the two gals are constantly making silly mistakes and ending up as the butt of a joke. Most important of all, this show portrays women smoking, not just with their boyfriends or as part of a crowd, but on their own, getting their own weed and making their own decisions about how to imbibe. It also portrays cannabis use in a healthy way—both ladies are still active and functioning even though they are constantly puffing the ganja—while still making a few jokes at the expense of stoners. (The episode where Ilana has cannabis hidden all over her apartment is priceless.) As The Huffington Post puts it, “this is stoner comedy by women, for women.”

Grace and Frankie

This funny, heartwarming comedy is incredibly groundbreaking in a lot of ways, and brings up many issues many would rather sweep under the rug. From menopause and older women feeling unattractive to the perils of masturbation and the stress faced by those who lived their whole lives in the closet and came out as senior citizens, Grace and Frankie is all about pushing the limits. One of the many issues it breaches is cannabis use in older women. Eccentric hippie Frankie (Lily Tomlin)—the foil to starchy, conservative Grace (Jane Fonda)—is an avid cannabis user. At one point she is having trouble passing her driving test—until she realizes she gets stoned while she studies, so she has to take the test high, too. She is always lighting up a joint or hitting a water pipe. While this is part of her charm and meant to be a bit funny, it also highlights that older women can use cannabis for pain and medication, and still be awesome mothers, grandmothers and professional women. Plus, the stoner comedy dynamic between Fonda and Tomlin is good enough to make the entire show.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

An awesome example on the silver screen, this goofy comedy breaks female stereotypes with the characters of Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza). The ladies are seen throughout the film smoking and drinking, and rather than being the traditional good and pure women fooled by deceitful men, there’s a twist. They aren’t really the schoolteacher and accountant they claim to be and are instead running a con on the gullible guys. This film shows that the old tropes where the women don’t smoke and never get into any trouble are boring and outdated.