From Jokes to Joints: How Cheech & Chong Sparked a Cannabis Movement

Before cannabis was a billion-dollar industry—before dispensaries looked like Apple stores and you could order THC seltzers straight to your door—there were two guys in a beat-up van getting stoned and making America laugh. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong weren’t just countercultural comedians; they were pioneers, rolling joints and rolling tape at a time when the risks were real. The pair’s first feature-length film, Up in Smoke, lit up theaters in 1978, quickly becoming a cult classic. Suddenly, weed wasn’t just a vice—it was a punchline and a protest rolled into one.

“It was a political statement,” says Cheech & Chong Global CTO Steve Gunn. “These guys risked everything by putting their names on something outrageous.”

And he’s not wrong.

These guys weren’t just getting high—they were getting heard. With every skit and screen appearance, they helped shift the cannabis conversation from criminal to cultural. Now, over fifty years later, they’re still planting seeds—this time in the form of THC-infused drinks and low-dose gummies that continue the same mission: to normalize, to entertain, and to advocate.

“Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis was never a business plan; it was a belief, a movement,” Chong wrote in an email to Hop Culture. “And now, decades later, we’ve turned that into something people can actually hold in their hands and enjoy.”

Chong might be eighty-seven, but as he puts it, “I’ve lived it, man.” And thanks to Cheech & Chong’s evolving cannabis brand, generations new and old can too—responsibly, legally, and with a big ol’ laugh.

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Planting Seeds for the Planet

Photography courtesy of Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis

The cannabis landscape today looks very different than when Cheech & Chong first teamed up over fifty years ago.

In the 1970s, the Controlled Substances Act placed cannabis in Schedule I, the most restrictive category for drugs, meaning this natural plant was illegal in the strictest sense of the word.

And over the years (and not just the early days), both entertainers and entrepreneurs have felt the intense heat of their own smoke.

In 1974, the police pulled Cheech & Chong off stage at a show in Tampa, FL, arresting them just for telling jokes about marijuana in public.

Almost thirty years later, Chong spent nine months in a federal prison, charged with selling bongs online.

“It’s insane to think about because that wasn’t in the 1970s, he got arrested in 2003,” says Gunn. “You can literally go buy the same bongs he was selling on Amazon right now.”

Gunn says that when Chong told him that story, he thought he was on Punk’d and his friend, Ashton Kutcher, was punking him.

Nope, that was real life. That’s the real risk that Cheech & Chong faced every day.

Photography courtesy of Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis

Especially when they first started becoming cultural icons in the 1970s, there was no guarantee that marijuana would ever become legal or mainstream.

Despite these constant conflicts, Cheech & Chong advocate for cannabis as enthusiastically as the first time they stepped on stage.

When we ask Chong why, he doesn’t hesitate.

“Cannabis has been a gift in my life,” he wrote in a follow-up email to Hop Culture. “The benefits of cannabis are unbelievable.”

We should mention here that Chong just celebrated his eighty-seventh birthday, and, according to Cheech & Chong Global CMO Brooke Mangum, she has a hard time keeping up with him. “It keeps his body moving; he’s never stopped,” she says.

“I can’t claim he’s eighty-seven and still kicking ass because of the THC,” adds Gunn, “but it obviously isn’t hurting.”

Chong credits cannabis for why he feels as good as he does at his age and is still having fun.

“It’s helped me heal, stay creative, and stay connected,” he wrote. “I’ve seen how much good this plant can do—not just for me, but for so many people. You don’t turn your back on something that’s brought that much peace and clarity. They could lock me up, and they did, but they couldn’t change what I know in my heart: Cannabis helps people.”

Here is the heart and soul of Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis.

“Responsible access,” Mangum says, it’s that simple. “Access and normalization in real color.”

For Gunn, Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis now needs to carry the torch.

“They’ve been ride or die,” he says of the prolific pair. “We’re trying our best to build on and extend their legacy, to honor that they were out here doing it before there was any chance of it ever turning into anything other than a pastime.”

When Cheech & Chong first started, you could get arrested for smoking marijuana on the street. Now you can walk into your local grocery store and pick up a THC-infused beverage.

“If you want access to this plant that can provide relaxation and relief, we’re going to try and meet you where you are,” says Mangum.

That is the backbone of Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis, whether you’re popping a gummy before a concert, cracking the tab on a High & Dry THC-infused seltzer on the beach, or chewing a 10mg Space Chew to relax and unwind.

Cheech & Chong got you. And they always have.

Calm Your Mind With Cruise Chews

Photography courtesy of Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis

One of Cheech & Chong’s first releases, Cruise Chews are a low-dose hemp-derived THC and CBD-infused gummy.

Now a flagship product, Cheech & Chong’s Cruise Chews come with only three milligrams of THC and thirty-three milligrams of CBD for what Gunn calls something to “take the edge off” and “very much a therapeutic product.”

Cruise Chews have found the Goldilocks sweet spot of THC and CBD, which will quiet your mind and provide some physical pain relief without the super head high of higher-dose products (although Cheech & Chong’s Space Chews have you covered there, too).

“It’s great for someone who is canna-curious,” says Mangum, who believes the Cruise Chews are perfect for a first-timer. “I would even offer them to my mother!”

If you’re looking for something stronger, Cheech & Chong’s 10mg Space Chews are currently their most popular THC product.

This isn’t your college frat party joint; it’s your grown-up relax in the bubble bath with a good book gummy.

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THC-Infused Drinks

Photography courtesy of Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis

At the beginning of the year, we predicted that the “fifth category,” which includes drinks with cannabis, THC, hemp, Delta 8, or Delta 9, would see the highest (pardon the pun) growth in 2025.

According to NielsenIQ Associate Director of Beverage Alcohol Thought Leadership Kaleigh Theriault, in a presentation Hop Culture attended at Brewbound Live, seventy-eight million Americans reported consuming cannabis, and thirty percent of the U.S. adult population self-identifies as a cannabis consumer. This number has doubled in the last few years.

“Eighty-eight percent view cannabis as a healthier choice,” Theriault presented. “And seventy-four percent said they’ve cut back on alcohol.”

Some of the top reasons for choosing cannabis include relaxing and avoiding a hangover.

“We know cannabis is on the rise in the United States,” said Theriault, who mentioned they’re currently tracking over $70 million in sales of this “fifth category.”

“The writing is on the wall,” says Mangum when it comes to the growth of THC-infused drinks.

Cheech & Chong believe these are the future of the industry, especially as the “ultimate alcohol alternative,” as Mangum calls it.

The brand feels that, in ten years, THC-infused drinks will even supplant the place of traditional light lagers in American culture. “These will be the quick after-work or have a couple at a barbecue [drinks],” says Gunn. “They will be the choice for responsible adults who are looking to get that social buzz and responsible head change.”

Cheech & Chong has several drink offerings, including a 10mg THC line of High Teas and a 5mg THC line of lightly flavored seltzers.

“Similar to La Croix, but with THC in them,” explains Gunn.

All of Cheech & Chong’s bevvies are made with one hundred percent American-grown hemp, federally legal, and third-party tested, so you feel safe about what’s going in the can.

Safe to say these drinks have made a big splash.

Currently, Cheech & Chong’s High & Dry line of THC-infused seltzers is either number one or two in the category in each of their retail markets.

With flavors ranging from mango to watermelon, Cheech & Chong’s Raspberry Highball currently ranks as the brand’s best seller.

On the higher side, a 10mg THC-infused tea cheekily called Tommy Palmer is a bit of a “dark horse,” according to Mangum.

Half iced tea, half lemonade, and all fun, Tommy Palmer “is quickly becoming a fan favorite,” says Mangum, who loves Cheech & Chong’s line of THC-infused drinks because she feels the delivery system is non-intimidating.

“If you take a higher dose of gummy, there’s no undoing it,” she explains. “With the beverages, you’re able to sip and ease into the way you want to feel.”

Especially for those who are more nervous about trying cannabis, High & Dry at that lower 5mg THC point is a universal way to try something new.

All low-calorie, Cheech & Chong’s THC-infused beverages are “just something that you can enjoy, especially in the summer. They’re refreshing, they’re crisp, they’re not super heavy in flavor,” says Mangum.

Even if you’re still nervous about what’s in the can, Mangum says there’s a QR code that you can scan to see third-party lab results.

She feels this really sets them apart.

“It’s a great product from a familiar face,” she expands. “You can trust Cheech & Chong. Every step of the way it comes [back] to cannabis and advocacy, and they have never wavered; they’ve never faltered; they’ve never changed their story.”

For Chong, who enthusiastically notes he’s tried all of the products (“Quality control, you know!?”), he keeps coming back to the drinks. “No lighter, no prep, just crack it open and you’re good,” he says. “Perfect for when you want to feel good without making a big deal out of it.”

More Than Cannabis, a Consciousness

Photography courtesy of Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis

When facing the future, “I prefer to think of us as a consciousness company,” says Gunn. “We’re looking for anything that we consider, based on the research, to be safe, legal, and appropriate that will help people shift their consciousness in a way beneficial to them, whether it’s something for relaxation or therapeutically.”

Gunn says that while Cheech & Chong’s core will always be cannabis—THC, hemp-derived beverages, gummies, vaporizers, and more, they’re not limiting themselves.

For instance, a product that has everyone excited is a line of zero-psilocybin mushroom gummies called Psilycaps.

“We actually extract the psilocybin and destroy it, so these are one hundred percent psilocybin-free,” Gunn explains. “I would call them a fun nootropic.”

He adds that if you take this 100mg concentrated mushroom extract in a microdose, one or two gummies are a fantastic focus aid that really helps “just take the edge off and bloom creativity or focus.” And if you take more, you can have a more recreational time with them—a sort of choose-your-own-consciousness moment.

As far as Gunn knows, he believes Cheech & Chong have the only all-natural, legal mushroom product on the market.

“We are out and proud,” says Gunn. “We’re showing people this is something that we’re not afraid of.”

A theme that runs throughout Cheech & Chong and truly embodies the beliefs of its namesakes.

“It’s not just a ‘brand,’ it’s our legacy,” writes Cheech, noting his and Chong’s kids are both now part of the team. “We’re making cannabis more approachable, more accessible, and more fun for adults everywhere.”

There’s a quote Chong likes to say a lot: “The thing that made Cheech & Chong dangerous is that they could see we were harmless.”

Harmless and now no longer helpless.

Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis thinks that we’re entering a renaissance of understanding, an era of enlightenment about putting what’s natural in our bodies to regulate things like mood, comfort, and stress.

“Whether you want to unwind at the end of a long day, want something that helps boost your creativity, or that just deepens your emotional connection with your partner,” says Mangum. “All these things are possible and available.”

For the iconic comedians, Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis is almost like the last laugh.

“We’re making cannabis more accessible, more fun, and more normal for adults everywhere,” wrote Cheech. “The brand’s bigger than just me and Tommy now … and that’s exactly how it should be.”

As for the future, the company is incredibly optimistic: “The sky’s the limit.”

We might modify that slightly: The high’s the limit.

Wait, This Is Legal, Right?

Yes, one hundred percent.

“Even now, consumers who use our products think there must be some trick or loophole,” shares Mangum. However, this isn’t a technicality. It’s entirely legal thanks to the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (also known as the Federal Farm Bill), which federally removed hemp from the government’s list of controlled substances.

Since Cheech & Chong use hemp-derived ingredients, everything they sell is legit, shipping to nearly everywhere in the U.S., except Idaho.*

That’s great news, so then…

*Editor’s Note: Some products (flower, prerolls, and kratom) have additional state restrictions. Please read the details on each product page for specifics.

Ready to Go Up in Smoke?

Photography courtesy of Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis

New to Cheech & Chong? No problem! For first-timers, Cheech has one piece of advice: “HAVE FUN, MAN!”

All kidding aside, though, Cheech says their products are a lot like the intrepid pair, “classic, reliable, and guaranteed to make you smile.”

Whether you’re in the mood to relax on the couch with a Cruise Chew or get a little buzz on the beach with a Raspberry Highball THC-infused seltzer, Cheech & Chong have everything for everyone from the canna-curious to the canna-serious.

Explore all their products at Cheechandchong.com/shop.

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This piece is written in partnership with our friends at Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis.