EXCLUSIVE: Tommy Chong On Cheech And Chong's SXSW Premiere, Cannabis Legalization, The Perils Of Infused Popcorn

For some Americans, 2024 is an annus horribilis. For Tommy Chong, it's an annus cannabis. 

The "Cheech & Chong's Last Movie" documentary premieres Tuesday at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. The comedy duo's cannabis brand is launching in state after state and has expanded to include branded dispensorias. Their ads are all over X, formerly Twitter. And Cheech and Chong's High & Dry THC-infused seltzer, announced last August, is hemp-derived, meaning it can be sold in convenience stores. 

Chong will navigate these developments the same way he always does: stoned.

"It's like a lie detector," Chong says of the Cheech and Chong vape pen he carries in his pocket. "You can't shut up after you do your vape. It's so easy. If I were gonna go onstage to do a standup, that's all I need."

Chong spoke with Benzinga at its recent California Cannabis Market Spotlight about two upcoming films, cannabis legalization and why silence is a virtue when growing older. 

Coming Attractions: "Cheech & Chong's Last Movie," co-produced by Chong's daughter Robbi and directed by David Bushell, premieres Tuesday at the Paramount Theatre in Austin.

The project started off nine years ago as a simple documentary and morphed into a feature film, he says, and goes deep into his background and that of his comedy partner, Cheech Marin.

The two first met in Vancouver in 1968, found success in the 1970s with comedy albums, tours and the hit 1978 film "Up In Smoke" and split in the 1980s before reuniting in the new millennium.

"It's not all love and kisses," Chong says. "We have a nice brawl in the middle of it somewhere." 

Chong and Marin have another film project on the horizon in which they'll play two fictional characters similar to Cheech and Chong, he says.

Wake Up America: Chong aims to become the richest man in the world by leveraging his status as a cannabis icon, he tells Benzinga. 

"I'm in a position now to make a s—load of money." 

Referring to the High & Dry seltzer, made with D-9 THC derived from hemp, Chong says "We're actually charging money for water." 

As for the legal environment that makes products like Cheech and Chong's possible, "Pot not only should be legal, it should be mandatory," he says. 

"You don't run for president unless you've smoked a joint at least." 

Cannabis prohibition is "a financial setup for the police," says Chong. He was sentenced to nine months in a federal prison in 2003 after being prosecuted for shipping bongs and pipes sold online across state lines.

His cellmate was "Wolf of Wall Street" Jordan Belfort. 

The website for High & Dry seltzer states: "Tommy doesn't feel like going back behind bars again, so you can rest assured it's A-OK for you to both buy and drink." 

The War on Drugs "was to make it easier to take away people's rights as a citizen," Chong says, sometimes based on the scent of cannabis. 

"Just imagine the smell of a plant could trigger the law enforcement to take your property, to go in your car, to violate your rights."

Tortured Old Man: Chong, 85, says he's learning a lesson as he grows older: "That's to shut the f— up.

"When you know a lot of stuff, you become this walking spoiler alert," he says, adding that his friends would debate who would sit next to him. 

"Next thing I know, I'm sitting by myself."

As for his cannabis intake, Chong says his kryptonite is infused popcorn. 

"I missed my own birthday party. That's what happened. Everybody was mad at me except me. I could not get out of the couch." 

The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference is returning to Florida in a new venue in Hollywood on April 16 and 17, 2024. The two-day event at The Diplomat Beach Resort will be a chance for entrepreneurs, both large and small, to network, learn, and grow.

Renowned for its trendsetting abilities and influence on the future of cannabis, mark your calendars — this conference is the go-to event of the year for the cannabis world. Get your tickets now on bzcannabis.com – Prices will increase very soon!

Tommy Chong at Benzinga’s California Cannabis Market Spotlight conference, Feb. 22, 2024, in Culver City. Photo by Dustin Blitchok.