Sagan, Schwarzenegger, and King on Weed
by Kia Zaman
Sagan, Schwarzenegger, and King are not what you would call “potheads,” however they did partake of the plant and were early supporters of the use and legalization of marijuana. In fact, the original host of Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, Carl Sagan wrote in an essay for the 1971 book, “Marihuana Reconsidered,” “The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.” Well said, Carl, well said…
Carl Sagan, The Renegade
Astronomer, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator, Carl Sagan helped assemble the first physical messages sent into space called “Pioneer Plaque” and “Voyager Golden Record,” making him a crucial figure in the research of extraterrestrial life. Suffice it to say, Sagan was a brilliant and influential scientist.
Some get stoned to relieve boredom while others utilize cannabis to experience higher realities. On the topic of how marijuana helped him gain different perspectives, Sagan wrote, “The cannabis experience has greatly improved my appreciation for art, a subject which I had never much appreciated before. The understanding of the intent of the artist which I can achieve when high sometimes carries over to when I’m down. This is one of many human frontiers which cannabis has helped me traverse.”
As for listening to music while high, he wrote, “A very similar improvement in my appreciation of music has occurred with cannabis. For the first time I have been able to hear the separate parts of a three-part harmony and the richness of the counterpoint. I have since discovered that professional musicians can quite easily keep many separate parts going simultaneously in their heads, but this was the first time for me.”
Sagan wrote similarly about his enjoyment of food and sex being amplified by the use of marijuana. All this is to say, that Sagan believed marijuana is a means to enhance the various experiences of life.
1970s Arnold Schwarzenegger Preferred Smoking Joints
Seven-time Mr. Olympia, former Governor of California, and The Terminator, the Shwarzenegger admits to smoking weed during his bodybuilding days. In 2002, he told CBS, “The bottom line is that’s what it was in the ’70s, that’s what I did. I have never touched it since.” Arnold famously smoked a victory joint on camera during a celebration after claiming the title of Mr. Olympia in 1975. According to Leafly, “Arnold’s long, luxurious inhale and dramatic exhale — caught in the documentary Pumping Iron — became one of the signature stoner moments of the seventies.”
During an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Tommy Chong revealed, “I would work out with Arnold Schwarzenegger when he first came over to America. When he was the golden boy of bodybuilding, and he was probably one of the healthiest guys on the planet. If someone offered him soda, he’d spit it out rather than drink it, but he would smoke a joint because he knew it was healthy.”
Nowadays, you will see Arnold sporting a big cigar instead of a tiny joint. Even though he no longer smokes weed, as the governor of California, he made sure all Californians could. On September 30, 2010, he signed CA State Senate Bill 1449 into law. The law became effective January 1, 2011. By 2016 California voted for Proposition 64 legalizing the sale and distribution of cannabis for recreational use. In 2018, licenses for cultivation and business establishment were issued. Pot smokers everywhere, not just in California, rejoiced.
We can build monuments to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s achievements. No one can deny his unwavering motivation to build a body like Adonis. And become an 80s sci-fi icon, and be elected as a republican Governor of a state as liberal as California. He is a prime example of how it is possible to use cannabis and be just as determined and successful in life. At age 72, everyone’s favorite T-800, or code name, “Uncle Bob,” is coming back and we couldn’t be more excited. Also, how badass does Linda Hamilton look? We truly are living in the greatest era of 80s revivals.
Stephen, King of Horror
According to Wikipedia, Stephen King has written at least 84 books. Of those, at least 81 have movie adaptations, with at least one of those adaptations having a second adaptation. We are, of course, talking about “It” which already has fans raving. Every kid growing up in the 80s can quote King’s movies. From “Stand By Me,” to “The Goonies,” and several other amazing literary works, this man is a true king of imagination.
King has been advocating legalization since the early 80s. During an interview with High Times in 1981, King stated, “I think that marijuana should not only be legal, I think it should be a cottage industry. It would be wonderful for the state of Maine. There’s some pretty good homegrown dope. I’m sure it would be even better if you could grow it with fertilizers and have greenhouses.” Now, that is a world we’d like to live in as well. Did weed have any affect on Stephen King’s writings? We’d like to think so.
Breaking the Mold
Evidently, highly educated, motivated and intelligent minds have been advocating marijuana legalization for decades. Sagan in the 60s, Schwarzenegger in the 70s and King in the 80s. And all smoked copious amounts of weed and lived to tell the tale. No overdoses, no addiction to marijuana, and no negativity towards the plant whatsoever. Potheads can scream the benefits of weed at the top of their lungs all day, but of course we would. Support from people who don’t fit the mold of a pothead has made a huge difference in bringing weed into the mainstream and breaking the stereotypes that Shaggy and Scooby had so tirelessly built. Sure, we love them too but not all potheads are the same. Some are high people in very high places.
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