Happy Holidaze

Drugs and alcohol have been illustrated and used in pop culture throughout history, and the classic “stoner” character has become more and more popular throughout the years. I decided to go back and look at some of the different shows I watched growing up, the shows I watch now, and the shows our parents used to watch and analyze the evolution of the stoner character in pop culture, specifically tv shows.

https://thepeoplesmovies.com/2020/05/top-10-stoner-characters-from-film-and-tv/

The first example that comes to mind is the movie Reefer Madness. The movie immediately begins with a script on the screen warning the audience about the dangers of marijuana. Although the movie was turned into an ironic comedy, the cautionary statement at the beginning shows the true fear and panic around marijuana use in that time period. When I mentioned the movie to my parents, my mom responded with "ooooooo that's the weed one." To me, this is a hilarious example of how pop culture was used as an outlet for awareness/prevention in society “back then.”

https://undark.org/2019/01/21/reefer-madness-marijuana-science/

I had to somewhat jog my memory, but after scrolling through my google search of "2010s popular tv shows for tweens" I quickly categorized Shaggy from Scooby Doo as a rather sneaky version of a “kid-friendly” stoner… if that even exists. I don't know how to explain this without sounding weird, but even though Shaggy's outfits were bummy at (most) times, I still thought they were pretty “groovy” or different in a cool way as a kid.

Also, I never picked up on this when I first watched the show in the 2010s, but that man is constantly shoving food down his throat; if that's doesn't scream munchies, then I don't know what does.

Shaggy’s character was used in a rather interesting way because of how sneaky of a "stoner" he was. Also, it’s questionable that this show was was targeted towards kids without them or their parents noticing the small implications of marijuana use.

https://imgflip.com/i/41a890

As we all know, the presence of marijuana is ever-so-present in today’s society, and it is deeply imbedded in a vast amount of the pop-culture we consume on a daily basis. Over time the use of marijuana in general, specifically in pop-culture, has become much more common than it was when Reefer Madness was filmed. Weed is also becoming legal in more and more states, so I am curious to see how the pop culture sphere will adapt. How will the classic stoner characters fit in and keep up with the stereotypical friend group dynamics? Will there be in increase of "stoner" characters or will it die out? Who knows, but I'm interested to find out.

Love Always,

Kate