High Functioning

If there were a Mount Rushmore of stoners, it’s likely that Kevin Smith’s face would be chiseled upon it. Starting with the 1994 film Clerks, which he wrote, directed, and acted in, Smith has charmed stoner comedy fans everywhere with his depiction of Silent Bob. Since then, Smith has built his very own film universe, the View Askewniverse, worked on a variety of TV shows, written comic books, and started his very own podcast. To what does Smith credit his expansive portfolio? Cannabis. But it isn’t just his portfolio. Smith may very well owe his life to cannabis after a doctor claimed that it was a joint that saved him when he had a heart attack. In this exclusive interview, Smith breaks down the modern stoner, his upcoming show Hollyweed, how he’s breaking into the cannabusiness, and how one joint saved his life.

Cannabis & Tech Today : Since you worked on Clerks back in the 90s, how have you seen the stoner comedy genre evolve?

Kevin Smith: We were – I’m not going to say the first – but maybe one of the first generations removed from Cheech and Chong. So, we got to see what they did, and they kind of laid the stoner template down for like, “Hey, man, I’m stoned.” So, when Jay and Silent Bob stepped up to the plate; Jay doesn’t play it like a typical stoner, but he is definitely a little spacier than most, and then the other guy doesn’t talk at all.

But for me, they’re not