Tommy Chong: Legalizing Marijuana Could Save United States

Tommy Chong has a pretty simple solution for getting the United States back on track: Legalize marijuana.

The Grammy Award-winning comedian said that the United States could quickly find its way out of debt if it legalized marijuana. Chong pointed to states like Colorado and Washington saying that recreational marijuana could create a big surge of cash for the federal government.

Chong said: “Look at the situation we’re in now. Sequesters. Cuts. Everything cut across the board. Now, the government is tapped into the biggest cash crop in the world… There’s little manufacturing cost. You don’t have to do anything except watch it grow and get a couple of hippies to cut it and then put it in a bag.”

Chong, who is best known for being half of the pot smoking comedy duo Cheech & Chong, is confident that marijuana will save the world.

Chong said: “Hemp itself is going to save the world.”

The comedian isn’t the only one who believes that legalizing marijuana could help the United States with its ongoing debt problems. His comedy partner, Richard “Cheech” Marin, said that he was confident that the United States would completely legalize marijuana in the next few years.

Marin said: “The tipping point is 24 states to legalize medical marijuana, so it’s coming soon.”

Philly.com notes that nearly 20 states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes and another dozen states have legislation pending. Colorado and Washington have both legalized the drug for recreational purposes.

Do you think Marijuana will be legalized in the next few years? Will it “save” the United States?

[Image Via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]