Tommy Chong - Libertarian Find out YOUR T At the risk of disillusioning millions of fans, let's start with the first surprise: Chong, who is to marijuana what Dean Martin was to booze, rarely partakes of the stuff. As he told the L.A. Weekly (Feb. 25-Mar. 3, 2005): "I never did smoke that much pot... I was more of a weightlifter. You can't exercise and be high. It's impossible. You can't do a lot of things when you're high. You can't be an actor in a movie. I know, because I tried all sorts of ways of being in character, and the best way is to be totally straight. The best way in life is to be totally straight." But that "totally straight" approach didn't save Chong from becoming a victim of the War on Drugs. In February 2003, armed federal agents stormed Chong's house. Under a 1980's federal law, it is a crime to transport across state lines "any device for the use of illicit drugs," such as rolling papers, bongs, and pipes. Chong allowed his likeness to appear on smoking devices for Tommy Chong Glass, a business run by his son, Paris. After a DEA agent threatened to indict his son and wife, Chong pled guilty to federal drug paraphernalia charges. Chong said the government targeted him because of his Cheech & Chong persona. "They came after me because of the movies | |
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