Bailey Deitch

Ms. Doran
ENC 2135
21 Sept. 2016

Deitch 1

Pop Goes the Reefer: Marijuana in Pop Culture

Pot, weed, blunt, skunk, reefer and grass are hot topics in the media industry today.
Incidentally, mass media is everywhere and has expanded to include all aspects of our everyday
lives. Turn on the radio, television, read the news or go online and immediately encounter
references to some form of marijuana use. From Congress to convicts everyone has an opinion.
Consequently, the mass media influence reaches into almost every aspect of American pop
culture and with it comes the use and acceptance of legal and illegal drugs (What Are).
Colton states that, Whether singing songs about it or making music because of it, the
music industry is one example of where smoking weed is widely visible and accepted. Recently,
the song Young and Wild and Free, a top hit single by Wiz Kalifa peaked at number seven on
the Billboard charts and won Best Rap Song at the 55th Grammies. In this music video, Kalifa
successfully tells his story in a narrative genre for the purpose of entertaining us with lyrics like
so what we get high and smoke weed that are accompanied by the rhythm of rap and visual
images of the artist smoking pot.
Filmed at high school, the artist stands in front of a school bus to identify his target
audience. This audio-visual mode is an ideal way to reach youth because they are the primary
viewers of this film medium. This genre commonly uses a performance, music, lyrics, props,
rap and dance to reach the audience (Students). He captures and sustains his audience with
obscene language, drugs, alcohol, swag, facial expressions, gestures and sex appeal. Color and
lighting add to the visual effects that make the video more appealing to watch (Students).
The author appeals to ethos by establishing his credibility as a well-established successful
rapper with swag, a snap back hat, gold jewelry and a reputation. He plays on the audiences
emotions with his carefree intoxicated lifestyle that resembles one big party. Incidentally, the

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authors tone is chill (or stoned) and his language is Ebonics in style. Detail is limited due to
abstract images obscured with a cloud of smoke. The tune is catchy and redundant. Overall, the
composition has the appearance of a typical Hip Hop music video.
The use of weed transcends all avenues of entertainment to include music, television and
movies. In fact, Mary Jane visited the movie set of Reefer Madness in the 1930s, but the 70s
and 80s were most notable with films like Up in Smoke (List Films). Incidentally, the vintage
splendor of today has created a desire to covet anything that carries a sense of nostalgia, causing
the old to infiltrate the new. As a result, On-Demand and Netflix has fascinated our youth
with a glimpse into the past stoner culture with movies like these. In the later, director Lou Alder,
portray the protagonists as two stoners in search of the best weed, rock music and high times.
This negatively received upon release 1978 film, was originally intended to entertain the
stoners but has now been rediscovered, and is widely popular in todays pop culture (Adler).
The fictional narrative comedy is funny and entertaining to todays youth. Curiosity, nostalgia
and humor are primary reasons for viewing this piece. The author uses humor and laughable
characters that are disengaged from the turn of events that occur by responding to their
misfortunes with wit in an effort to capture and sustain the audience (Lederman). Typical of
most comedies, the plot is less important than the witty dialogue and episodes (List Genres).
Cheech and Chong win over their audience of today with charisma and their apathetic
demeanor presented in various pot-smoking escapades. Ethos persuasive techniques are
identified in their appearance and clueless dialogue. Characteristics such as vulgar language,
humor and personal anecdotes support their credibility as seemingly expert pot smokers. Their
endless funny episodes create an outrageous emotional response filled with knee-slapping
laughter. An audio-visual mode of communication in the form of a motion picture film entertain

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a select audience through actors, directors, costumes, set and design allowing the author to
reach his purpose of entertaining (Britannica).
Up in Smoke is presented as a sequence of events that the characters encounter and
must find solutions for, ultimately allowing the author to amuse the audience (Adler). The
author uses drugs, alcohol, explicit language, hilarious images and a soundtrack to convey his
message. His tone is funny, playful, and at times suspenseful in the stoner culture dialect. The
film is lacking in great detail, but fulfills the obligation of making you laugh.
Overall the composition is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and ear and the design
includes time-appropriate props, an award-winning soundtrack, and dialogue with events
transcending chronologically (Adler). The piece does not include documentation, hyper-linking
or give credit to sources.
In the last several years, CNN has produced two documentaries entitled "Weed" that
address the regulation and legality of medical marijuana in the United States, for the purpose of
informing the general public. The narrator and primary investigator is Dr. Sanja Gupta. The
genre of this broadcast is informative, while trying to be persuasive. Guptas reputation, as a
famous, well-respected neurosurgeon, and the controversial topic contributed to the success of
the film. Dr. Gupta captures and sustains the listeners attention in an appeal to pathos by
introducing several patients, like a five-year-old little girl, named Charlotte with severe
seizures, who have benefited from the treatment of medical marijuana (Weed). The narrator
appeals to ethos by establishing himself as an expert medical doctor who has studied medical
marijuana for many years. He references clinical studies in an appeal to logos.
Dr. Gupta reports, the public has been mislead with respect to the use of marijuana and
claims that it reduces symptoms and improves conditions (Weed). His target audience appears

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to be the general public, however, he often appears to be speaking directly to government

officials and scientists in a structured professional monologue.
The mode of this genre is audio-visual for a film medium. Gupta uses charts, graphs,
personal interviews and recent data to sway public opinion, confirming his purpose. Weed
follows the typical features of a documentary in that it raises questions, uses a talk over effect,
includes an interview, an uses a person of power to present the information with dramatization
(What Makes). Dr. Gupta goes into great detail escorting the viewer into patients homes,
medical marijuana mercenaries and dispensaries. The composition appears well researched and
professional. Changing the format would decrease the success of the film. For example, a
newspaper article would omit the personal interviews that add much validity to the film.
As recent as Sept. 18, 2016, Michael Kaplan writes that an online news article reports
Eben Britton played three NFL games stoned on pot and subsequently claims they were the best
three games he ever played. In this New York Post article, intended to inform, Kaplan addresses
the sports community although a much larger audience is likely because of the marijuana
use/abuse controversy and because of 18 players being sidelined due to substance abuse
violations recently. The author carefully selects physicians and celebrities statements to
present the pain and suffering of NFL players in an effort to sustain the readers interest and
appeal to pathos. For example, Kaplan reports that Dr. Sue Sisley, the lead researcher for the
FDA approved cannabis trial study states that, cannabis relieves pain and puts the players back
in the game when referring to a player with an injury. The authors appeal to ethos is evident in
that he is a competent New York Post writer capable of securing interviews from famous
athletes, confirming his credibility.

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Kaplan delivers a brief unbiased detailed message by way of an online newspaper in

digital, visual and written modes by way of a print and film medium that allows the reader to
form his/her own opinion. The short video segment permits Britton to make the claim that
marijuana relieves his pain from injuries, enhances his performance and prevents him from
having to take the highly addictive opioids (Kaplan). However, the author reminds us that
health officials maintain that marijuana use comes with potential drawbacks and according to
the 30 percent of users have some degree of marijuana use disorder according to the National
Institute for Drug Abuse, and a blurred line exists between smoking for fun and smoking for
therapy (Kaplan). Other elements to this genre can be identified with the bold-faced, larger
print catchy title, personal statements and facts for and against the topic of question (Elements).
Overall, this professionally formatted piece provides vivid details regarding the
unauthorized and illegal use of weed for medicinal therapy in the NFL. It is clear, concise and
interesting, but at times appears to be a strategy to stop the NFL from doing drug testing and
punishing the players. Limited statistical evidence is mentioned and the article does not include
hyperlinking other than the video segment.
In conclusion, the topic of marijuana use and abuse is visibly saturated in todays pop
culture with respect to mass media communication. A viewer of any of these mediums is hard
pressed to avoid an interaction on most given days. With that said, there are few outlets where
the topic of discussion is not presented. This paper reviews current weed discussions on
television, the radio, the Internet and film. Interestingly, there is limited information regarding
marijuana use/abuse in advertising. Additional information is needed and would be helpful in
educating the next generation of adults about the dangers of smoking weed. Currently 8-10% of
8th and 10th graders admit to smoking pot in the last month and 21 percent of high school seniors.

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More education is needed regarding the dangers and negative side effects of marijuana use. Thus,
advertising and marketing would be very beneficial. Although, a Broadway play about the stoner
culture might be rather amusing.

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Works Cited
Alder, Lou (Cheech), director. Up in Smoke. Performance by Richard (Cheech) Marin and
Tommy Chong, Paramount Pictures, 1978.
"Elements of a Film." Britannica, www.britannica.com/art/motion-picture. Accessed 21 Sept.
2016.
"The Elements of a News Article." Peel Schools,
schools.peelschools.org/sec/fletchersmeadow/studentlife/OSSLTprep/Documents/Elemen
ts%20of%20an%20news%20report.pdf. Accessed 21 Sept. 2016. Typescript.
Evans, Colton. "Hip Hop and the Drug Culture: Marijuana." Coltrane's Music Blog, 12 June
2013, coltone89.blogspot.com/2013/06/hip-hop-drug-culture-marijuana.html.
Kaplan, Michael. "'I Played Stoned: Some NFL Players Love Getting High Before Kickoff."
New York Post, 18 Sept. 2016, nypost.com/2016/09/18/i-played-stoned-some-nfl-playerslove-getting-high-before-kickoff/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2016.
Lederman, Hannah. "Elements of a Comedy." 21 May 2014, prezi.com/ucn2hpncv6us/elementsof-comedy/. Accessed 21 Sept. 2016.
"List of Films Containing Frequent Marijuana Use." Wikipedia. Wikipedia,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_containing_frequent_marijuana_use. Accessed 21
Sept. 2016.
"List of Genres." Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_genres. Accessed 21 Sept. 2016.
"A Student's Guide to the Elements of Filmaking." Elements of Cinema.com,
www.elementsofcinema.com/cinematography/CINEMATOGRAPHY.html. Accessed 18
Sept. 2016.
"Up in Smoke." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_in_Smoke. Accessed 21 Sept.
2016.
Weed. Narrated by Sanja Gupta, CNN, 11 Sept. 2013.
"What Are the Various Media Used for Communication." Career Ride, careerride.com/Masscommunication-media-used.aspx. Accessed 21 Sept. 2016.
"What Makes a Good Documentary:Finding the Story, Assembling the Team, Filming and
Editing." Documentary Tube, www.documentarytube.com/articles/what-makes-a-gooddocumentary-film. Accessed 21 Sept. 2016.
Young and Wild and Free. Composed by Wiz Khalifa, 2012. You Tube. Accessed 18 Sept. 2016

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