Best Cannabis Cameos In Cinema

Everyone is familiar with the “Stoner Movie” genre of film. It’s a classic piece of cinema that usually centers around pot, or the people who smoke it. This countdown however is different. The following are the top cannabis cameos in film. Meaning marijuana makes a brief appearance as a supporting role rather than part of the plot line. The following films span four decades and two have won “Best Picture” at the Academy Awards. Yes, this list is quite serious!

 American Beauty (1999)

American Beauty is an analysis of suburbia that focuses on romantic explorations, paternal love, sexuality, beauty, materialism, self-liberation and redemption. In the following scene Lester Burnham, the movie’s protagonist, shares a joint with the teenager next door as an act of rebellion against his nagging wife.

 Set It Off (1996)

Set It Off is action- drama that follows four women who decide to plan and execute a bank robbery to improve circumstances for themselves and their families. In the following scene, all four ladies gather on the roof of a house in L.A to kick blunts and plan a bank heist.

The Breakfast Club (1985)

The Breakfast Club is a coming of age drama where five teenagers, each a member of a different high school clique, spend a Saturday in detention together and discover that they have more in common than they originally thought. In the following scene, Bender, the bad-ass grabs weed from his locker. The group has a smoke session and really open up to each other.

Jackie Brown (1997)

Jackie Brown is a classic Quentin Tarantino movie with an equally classic soundtrack. The movie follows a flight attendent who  smuggles money from Mexico into the United States for a black-market gun runner. In this scene one of the drug runners comes home to find his surfer roommate hasn’t done much of anything with her time.

 TED (2012)

Ted is a comedy about a man whose childhood wish brings his teddy bear friend Ted to life. However, Ted prevents him from moving on with his life and making “grown up” decisions. The two spend most of their time on the couch smoking as the following scene establishes.

Platoon (1986)

Platoon is a film about the Vietnam war directed by Oliver Stone. In this scene the protagonist Chris Taylor, is a worn out soldier who is persuaded by fellow infantrymen to partake in a few “shotguns”.

 Halloween (1978)

Halloween is an late 70’s indie horror flick written and directed by John Carpenter. In the following scene Jamie Lee Curtis’ character Laurie takes a ride with her friend Annie in an attempt to let her know she’s being stalked by a man in a mask. Annie believes she has just the thing to put Laurie at ease.

Lord Of The Rings ( 2001)

Lord Of The Rings follows a hobbit as he embarks on a quest to destroy a cursed ring and thus ensure the destruction of its maker, the Dark Lord Sauron. In this scene Gandalf and Bilbo avoid the demands of a birthday party crowd by sneaking out back smoking Old Toby. He refers to it as “the finest weed in the Shire” . I’m sure we can all relate.

 It’s Complicated

Oh, how I love romantic comedies where older people are front and center! Second-Time-Around stories always warm my heart and ‘It’s Complicated’ is such a great movie. Meryl Streep plays Jane, a divorcee with 3 adult children. There’s still some spice between her and her re-married ex Jake, played by the brilliant Alec Baldwin, but it gets really funny when she meets a really sweet new guy named Adam, played by Steve Martin.

In this scene, Jane tries to get an uptight Adam to loosen up by offering him ‘pot’.

Easy Rider

Easy Rider is an American counter-culture classic. Released in 1969, the movie tracks two hippies, Wyatt and Billy (played by Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda) as they ride through the southwest on choppers searching for truth and inner peace. Although the movie begins with a drug deal, the movie is predominantly based around the people and politics that the duo encounter on their journey.

In this scene, Wyatt and Billy try to convince George (played by a baby faced Jack Nicholson) a southern, WASPy, college boy to try smoking grass.

Training Day

Denzel Washington’s Academy Award winning turn as a crooked cop was chilling for many different reasons. The biggest being that it touched a nerve in me that already doesn’t fuck with law enforcement. One of the most memorable scenes is where Denzel’s character gets his rookie ride along partner to smoke weed out of a pipe with him. But withholds some pretty important info.

 Poltergiest

I’ve never been able to make it through the entire movie without freaking out like a lil’ bitch. Horror movie dealing with the paranormal are terrifying to me because unlike Jason and Freddy Kruger, I feel like it could really happen. But fearing ghosts in the tv isn’t the only relatable part of Poltergeist. When Steve (Craig T. Nelson) and Diane (JoBeth Williams) put 5-year-old Carol Ann to bed, they settle down for a joint and some nice adult conversation.

 True Romance

True Romance is a gritty fairy-tale between a call girl and a comic book store employee, filled with bloodshed and f-words. It’s written by Quentin Tarantino so expect violence on top of more violence. The movie’s two protagonist accidentally run off with a suitcase full of cocaine and a chase ensues when the Sicilian mob hunt them down.

In this scene, the mob finds out where they are staying and their stoner housemate (played by Brad Pitt) rats them out!

The 9 Lives of Fritz The Cat

This movie about a cartoon cat named Fritz, if full of drug references, sex, and racial sterotypes. Although dated and not very good, it hold its place in American cinema as the first animated feature film to receive an X-rating.

In this scene Fritz The Cat takes a friend on a psychedelic journey by pushing a joint in her mouth. Not the route I’d take to smoke someone out, but she seems to enjoy the ride.

Due Date

Due Date is a buddy comedy starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifinakis as two road trip partners trying to get Downey’s character home in time to see the birth of his child. Like any buddy comedy there is always one funny man, and one uptight straight man. Galafinakis’ character Ethan tries to get Downey’s character, Peter, to relax a bit by taking a hit.

 50/50

Cancer, or movies about cancer are rarely comedic. However, the movie 50/50 tells the story of Adam (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) a reasonably healthy young adult who learns that he has malignant tumors along his spine. Doctors give Adam a 50/50 chance of living and the movie follows him as he tries to find the brightness in the bleak days ahead.

The scene where Adam smokes up with other chemotherapy patients is as funny as it is heartwarming.

 Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

This movie is a hodge-podge of every biopic you’ve ever seen. Corny, or award-winning, all the standard biopic tropes are all there in the hilarious re-telling of the life and times of the fictional Dewey Cox.

Of course like in most biopics, there’s a scene where the protagonist tries drugs for the first time and eventually becomes an addict. Unlike Ray and Johnny Cash, Dewey tries a drug with more pros than cons.

The Wood

The Wood is a classic 90’s Black film about teens growing up in 1980’s Inglewood, California. The movie’s main plot revolves around three male friends, one of which is preparing for his wedding. As all three get ready for the big day, they reminisce on how they all became friends.

In this scene, the boys get a ride to the school dance from two neighborhood bangers. While Mike, Roland, and Slim decline to partake in smoking. They’re forced to listen to their chauffeurs argue about whether rapping about weed is a sustainable career path. Clearly this takes place before Snoop and Dre.

And there you have it! The top cannabis cameos in film

Don’t see your favorite scene listed? Be sure to add it in the comments below.