A/K/A Tommy Chong

Because George W. Bush sees a relationship between terror and drugs, nowadays all old hippies with a predilection for mind-expanding substances are under fire. Tommy Chong, for example, once half of the comic duo Cheech & Chong, gets a visit from a full-strength narcotics squad that goes by code name Operation Pipe Dreams. The official charge is that Chong and his Internet company, which by the way is completely legal and pays taxes, has sold glass bongs in Pennsylvania, one of the few states where the selling of drug paraphernalia is illegal. "It seemed to be the only weapons of mass destruction they found this year," Chong reacts flippantly. But although he is clearly a victim of provocation, he is sentenced to nine months in jail. The authorities even argue that Chong glorified the use of cannabis in his popular film comedies of the 1970s and 1980s and ridiculed the police. Asked about his experiences after his release, Chong says, "You'll find out." Because for anyone deviating from the norms set by the neoconservative establishment, there will be hell to pay. In the crusade against terrorism, the counterculture from the 1960s also gets persecuted. According to an expert, "It's not a war on pot, but on the people who use it." Despite the unpleasant image of the current cultural clash in the United States, a bit of comic relief is not lacking here.