New ‘Because I Got High’ Remix Touts Marijuana Benefits, Calls For Legalization

You may remember when Afroman released “Because I Got High” in 2001. The song’s lyrics were clearly intended to be a funny depiction of the laziness of tokers. Now, though, Afroman has released a new version to urge reform of drug laws, and the lyrics show a completely different side of marijuana use.

Original lyrics, for instance, include lines like the following.

I was gonna go to work
But then I got high.

New lyrics boats the positive side of marijuana, such as its purported healing effects on certain disorders and anxiety attacks. The song now boasts that weed is a positive replacement for cigarettes, alcohol, and prescription anti-anxiety medicines. He also offers reasons for legalization that are clearly meant to be compelling to government entities, not just individuals.

The state made revenue,
Because I got high.
They built a school or two,
Because I got high.

Halfway through, the song switches to a different refrain — “Because it’s legalized.” Afroman then points out that where marijuana isn’t criminalized, he’s free to buy it from safe places, rather than gangs and dealers. See the new music video below.

Afroman released the new version of “Because I Got High” in conjunction with NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, whose site offers more information on why they, and the singer, support legalization.

They describe pot as less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco, citing statistics on the number of deaths from the latter two: 50,000 annually from alcohol poisoning, and 400,000 from damage to the body done by tobacco use. As for medical use, they describe pot as an appetite stimulant (important for patients in chemotherapy, for instance, who often suffer from nausea and loss of appetite that further contributes to weakening their bodies) and say it may slow the growth of some cancers.

NORML further states that the enforcement of these laws costs taxpayers more than $10 billion per year.

Marijuana opponents have warned that there will be terrible consequences if the drug is legalized, but according to the Washington Post, that isn’t how it’s gone for California, where marijuana will soon have been legal for three years.

In fact, it seems that violent crime, overdose, and criminal arrests all decreased after decriminalization went into effect in the state.

Afroman’s new ‘Because I Got High’ calls for the same legislation changes (and perhaps the same results) across the country.