Colorado’s historic Amendment 64 vote yesterday legalizing the recreational use and sale of marijuana has already garnered a few high-profile nods from celebrities, including and actor/writer Seth Rogen.
“I’m moving to Colorado,” , which should come as no surprise to anyone who’s seen his stoner characters in “Pineapple Express” and others films. (What we’ll be surprised about is if he actually does move to Colorado). The tweet garnered a dozen comments and more than 3,500 retweets.
Lady Gaga, this year, also hailed the passage in a tweet to her 31 million-plus followers that referenced “Ru Paul’s Drag Race,” the drag queen competition on the Logo network:
And DENVER on your cannabis legislation. shante YOU STAY.
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga)
Unsurprisingly, we’ve also seen tweets from rappers such as Snoop Dogg, Big Boi and Cypress Hill’s B-Real, as well as messages ranging from humorous to supportive to dumbfounded from a number of other celebrities, actors and stand-ups. The message: we’re all coming to visit Colorado a lot more often now. And potentially moving here.
Dear Denver: I’ll be seeing you lots more often this year… COLORADO MAKES HISTORY AS 1ST STATE TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA!
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith)
But the question remains: Will Colorado, which already has , swiftly become the weed capital of the English-speaking world? Are we just institutionalizing a culture that’s been around for a long time, or are we lurching toward a stoner culture that reinforces every slacker stereotype people have of us?
Some critics also point to rising rates at local drug treatment centers for you adults, and how marijuana could become the big tobacco of the 21st century (i.e. bad for you, expensive and terribly addictive). But supporters say the available science wouldn’t seem to back that up.
Wherever you stand on the issue, it’s clear Amendment 64 and a similar measure passed in Washington state yesterday will change the stigma surrounding the drug, which many argue is as harmless as smoking a couple glasses of wine. Er, drinking a joint.
You know what we mean.
Also check out this new track from hip-hop duo entitled “Toke Up,” which the band said in an e-mail today was “in step with Colorado and others legalizing pot.”
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John Wenzel is an A&E reporter and critic for . Follow him and .
