[INTERVIEW] Tommy Chong launches his CBD products in France with Alpinols: «We sell something that keeps you alive»

Film star, late pro-cannabis activist, businessman and cancer survivor thanks in no small part to cannabis... Tommy Chong has combined several lives into one. Today, he's bringing his CBD products to Europe in collaboration with Swiss brand Alpinols. We interviewed Tommy Chong some time ago, and are publishing his interview on the occasion of the 420.

Hello Tommy Chong. First, let's hear from you. You had cancer in the 2010s. How are you today? How did cannabis help you during this difficult period?

I'm going to be 83 in a few months, and I really do have the mind of a 17-year-old, the body of a 35-year-old, I'm in great shape. My main asset is my wife. She eats edibles, she doesn't smoke, and she's very beautiful and very talented. And she speaks French! It's all thanks to cannabis. My connection with cannabis has brought me things internationally, and hopefully it will continue to do so.

Have you been to France before?

I'd like to come as much as possible because I love Europe, I love France. I was there for 4 years from «81 to »84. I didn't learn any French, except "Je ne parle pas français" (laughs).

Cheech&Chong, Up in Smoke, That 70’s Show... You've fully embodied stoner clichés over the course of your career, and that's mainly how people know you, alongside Richard Marin, better known as Cheech Marin. Did your story together start with a joint or a laugh?

Well, Cheech, you know we're still together. In fact, we did a film in France, Les Frères Corses, in Paris. It was Cheech's favorite place. He didn't want us to shoot it there, he gave me a hard time, he was stubborn, but in the end it was the best time of our lives when we were there.

We lived like movie stars in Paris and it was great. I met Coluche, we couldn't understand each other but we shared a spliff, It was our bond. We'd pass it back and forth and forget about the language. And it connected us, you know. So I'm very happy to be able to sell our products in France and come over there and enjoy the country again, I can't wait.

It's legal in your country, isn't it?

CBD and CBD products are legal, CBD flowers are grey market, THC is black market.

This is just the beginning then. I've just spoken to someone who's had a heart transplant. If he's still alive today, it's thanks to cannabis. Because cannabis fights all the bad things that happen when you have a heart transplant, your body tries to reject it, expel it, and cannabis killed all those bad things. He's become an expert at it, and that's the message we want to get across.

Yes, you can have fun, listen to music, dance, trip, have a good time when you're high, but in America, when we first legalized it, the lineup looked like people looking to be healed by Jesus, you know, there were people squatting, people in wheelchairs, sick people, people with mental problems, people with all kinds of diseases and the only substance that worked was cannabis. So we're not just selling a product that makes you happy and you want to be friends with everybody, we're selling something that keeps you alive.

And it's a substitute for dangerous drugs like alcohol, heroin, cocaine or methamphetamines. Cannabis is the only thing that helps all these people when they try to get rid of their bad habit, they do it with cannabis.

What is your relationship with cannabis?

I started smoking when I was 17, in 1956-7, that's when I started, and I quit school immediately. Because I wanted to play the blues. And I did. That's when we made the film Up in smoke, the first film. We could have made any film we wanted, but we had a choice. I chose marijuana because it was illegal and a bit scary to do. But what I wanted to show in our films was that it was harmless. And how it makes you laugh. Because that's one of the good things about marijuana. Cannabis puts you in a good mood. When you laugh, you laugh hard, it's good. And that was our message.

I also think it's a very spiritual drug. That's how it was introduced and still is in India. They had a religious cult, all they really do is smoke the ganja and go into a trance. I've done that. It was a good trip. A very uplifting trip.

Another thing is that cannabis is at the origin of all the great religions. If you go back to the Hindus, to the Bhagavad Gita, 2600 years ago. It's the oldest religion, I think. And it started with cannabis.

You've run your own business since you were a child. When did you start selling weed and parapharnalia? And howow is it that you can go to prison for selling bongs on the Internet in the early 2000s? Has this changed anything for you in terms of cannabis advocacy?

I wasn't an activist at all, I was just an actor, and they put me in jail. It wasn't even my company, it was my son's company. But it was political. Because I wasn't a criminal, far from it. I didn't even sell weed, even when I was growing it. I gave it to my friends. I earned my money with films. But the politicians were afraid of me.

It's the same everywhere. Because cannabis frees your mind, you know. Like some religions, they capture the mind. Political stuff, they capture the mind. They put lies in your head until you believe what they say. But with cannabis, you can't remember things, you know (laughs).

So you have to be honest because you have no other choice. When you see something wrong, you see it, it's wrong. It doesn't matter who you are, what you are, money. Most religions, like politicians, rely on the money they get to do what they do. But when you're a cannabis user, you can't remember the lies, you can only remember the truth.

When I was in prison, it was like going on a religious retreat, like a monk in a monastery. Because all I had to do was study, read. And when you go to prison, when you're famous, you're treated well. Everyone treats you well, even the guards, everyone.

Some prisoners still tried to trick me into smoking in exchange for time off. Snitches. And I had these snitches around me all the time. I had a friend, who took care of me, my dawg I'd call him. He wouldn't let anyone near me with weed. But they made me take drug tests. They were trying to smear me, to make me a criminal so they could justify putting me in prison.

When I got out, everybody wanted to talk to me, because «you've been wrongfully imprisoned, you've been imprisoned for your son,» and I was on the news. So I became a spokesperson and an advocate for marijuana. On the news, it was funny. Reporters would call me, put me on their show, and they were very serious.

I was once on CNN and the reporter wanted to know when cannabis would be legal. I said, «I don't know about cannabis, but hemp should be legal». And she said, «Hemp? What's the difference?» They didn't know the difference, she was so stupid. But there's no difference, it's the same plant. One has THC and one doesn't, you know. Or everybody's got it, but one's stronger and you smoke it. The female is always the best. Males are only good for making rope...

I know it's important for you to feel comfortable putting your name to a product. You have your bongs, your cannabis brand, your dispensaries and also a line of CBD products, which you're launching in collaboration with Alpinols, a Swiss-based brand. What are the core values of your professional development in the cannabis industry?

Well, our CBD is made in Switzerland, because you know the Swiss are so meticulous. If you say made in Switzerland, everyone says ouch, Swiss chocolate, Swiss cheese. Now, Swiss CBD is the best. You see, in Europe, it's the best. I don't know of any French brands, but you'll get even better. When they see how good it is for you. For now, it's a question of politics.

But you know what, this pandemic has killed more people than all the wars put together. So the pandemic is on our side, because in America, they're closing all the bars, the restaurants. Do you know of anything that's still open? Marijuana dispensaries.

But most of all, we want to spread the love and joy of cannabis around the world. And especially in Europe and France. Because France has always been the leader in democracy, revolution, assimilation, culture... So it's an honor and a pleasure for me to be able to be part of the cannabis movement, from the beginning, especially in Europe but also in France.

What can we learn from the current pandemic?

You have to go back to the Orientals. They never shake hands. They bow. At a distance. They were the first to wear masks, even before the pandemic. They wore masks, because they knew it was healthier to have the mask on. So the solution is really what we learned during the pandemic. Distance yourself socially. Don't kiss anyone unless you know them. And eat healthily. Small quantities. That's what the pandemic taught us. You have to take care of your personal health. And you have to be careful not to spread germs to other people and stay out of bars and have a healthy life, that's all.

What's your next adventure? You won a Grammy in 1974 for the album «Los Cochinos». Are you expecting an Oscar in the near future?

I'm not sure (laughs) Everything changed with the pandemic. I think now I'll settle for being an ambassador. You know, people always ask me «what's your favorite variety», «what do you prefer to smoke». I tell them the truth, that I haven't found it yet. So I'm going to embark on a global search, everywhere, France, Serbia, every country in the world, and I want to connect with local cannabis cultures. I want to be like Anthony Bourdain with marijuana, you know. That's my next adventure.

We want to put Cheech and Chong dispensaries all over the world. And I don't want it to be just a place to sell weed. Oh BTW you know, when I shot the film in France, we were living in Paris, but I was going to Amsterdam all the time, you can guess why, to pick up my stash. When I was there, I was in a bar with the first cannabis activists, and at the time, they were blowing up balloons, attaching cannabis seeds to them and sending them to East Germany by air flow. The balloon would eventually fall to the ground.

In fact, I learned something very important there. I think everyone should know it. You know when they say «drugstore»? Europeans call it a pharmacy, but in America, we call it a drugstore. The word «drugstore» comes from the Dutch word «droog» which means «dry». And so they used to get their weed from the «droogstore», then it became drugstore and here we are.

Cannabis, weed, was legal, in the U.S., over the counter, and now we're back to it. We're not changing policy. We're going back in time. And I'm sure it's the same in France. Because there was a time when everything was legal, you know.

The fact is that in France, everything is legal except cannabis.

But you know why. It's very important. During Nixon's war on drugs, the U.S. paid millions of dollars to every country in the world to make cannabis illegal. And some countries are still getting that money. To make it illegal. That's why it's still illegal. It's money.

What has been your happiest moment with cannabis?

(bursts out laughing). I guess it was when I made love to my girlfriend, now my wife. And yes (bursts out laughing again), that was my best moment. People used to ask «What was your favorite variety» and I'd say «Anything given by a naked woman».

In terms of business, is there a brand or company you admire in the US cannabis industry?

I've worked with some very good companies but I don't have the names in front of me, you know the problem with cannabis is memory (laughs). Because, when I started making films, I couldn't memorize the script, I never could. All the films we've made, we've made them up as we went along. With improvisation.

But Paradise Seeds, we're connected with them, they have the best seeds in the whole world. And another, the people who make me beautiful glass pipes, they're too far away for me to show you and the grinders in Germany [editor's note: Bowantri]. Do I have them? (looks everywhere). They're made of old reclaimed wood and they're the best grinders around.

(takes out a water pipe). This is a bong, but it has a fan inside that exerts a suction effect. When you turn it on, all you have to do is hold the lighter over it and it lights itself, then blows smoke. I used it yesterday, the room was full of smoke, my dog came in... and then he asked for food all day, he had fangs (laughs).

Will you ever make another film with Cheech?

Oh, yes. In fact, you've got the scoop, because nobody knows. My son is my producer/manager. He told me about an animation project. And it's going to be an animated film by Cheech and Chong, with new, cutting-edge technology. And as for a movie, yes. We'll never give up on this project.

Cheech wanted to make a horror film. We've never done a Cheech and Chong horror movie. And actually... it was my suggestion, he stole it (laughs). Because I told him the only thing we hadn't done was a horror movie and then a few months later we were talking about making a movie and Cheech came to me with the idea «Hey, we should make a horror movie».

So yes, there will be a Cheech and Chong movie, as long as we're around. And maybe we'll do it in France. You have the best film crews. The best in the world. When I did Les Frères Corses, I had my own crew and all the other people were French. I love the French. And the restoration of French films. We had bottles of fresh wine for lunch every day (laughs). Next to a 600-year-old château on the waterfront. And then the French working hours. We've never worked overtime. There's always another day. There's no rush. I love the French way of life.

I see a lot of guitars behind you. Do you still play music?

Oh yeah. You know, music, we had to get out of the Trump era. President Trump was so heavy, very depressing. Now we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, we can be happy again. And so, I write all the time. I'm a lyricist, I write words. And then I give them to good musicians.

If your songs are good, you never stop. There's no downtime. Because you hear a word, you hear a phrase, you write it down. Then you work on the melody. I'm not sure about the style, because there are a lot of styles I like. I started doing yoga and I like the way the Om softens. So I think I'll go in that direction. Like the Beatles when they went to India. So, yes. Nothing's going to stop as long as I'm breathing.

Tommy Chong CBD products are available on Alpinols (-20% with promo code NEWSWEED20) and on Cebedia (-20% sitewide today April 20, 2021 with promo code 420SPECIAL).