Long before cannabis was on the path to legality, it had already played a prominent role in pop culture. Numerous movies embrace the use of cannabis, along with many more that make casual reference to it or even just imply its use.

Here are some of the movies where cannabis played a key role. Some of them were filmed after legalization was already making headway, but some predate the early success of the movement.

This is an older film that includes frequent use of marijuana. In it, a thief forces the shop owner to smoke cannabis to forget their troubles. The plot centers more on the thief and how they return the ring to one of the robbed victims in the jewelry store, leading to a back and forth between the two.

The presence of cannabis in this movie comes from a drug dealer with joints that increase the libido of the titular Fritz. This was the first X-rated animated feature film in the US, and it deserves that rating. It follows an anthropomorphic cat who explores sociopolitical consciousness and hedonisms. It comments on themes from the era, including free love, left-wing politics, and race relations.

This was the first classic from Cheech and Chong, following the tale of two heavy pot users. They go through a series of adventures, including with cops. Most of the later stoner classics and non-classics that came after this one tried to emulate it in some way. Most people agree that this was the film that paved the way for cannabis movies.

Cheech and Chong are a classic pairing when it comes to cannabis films, and this one does not disappoint. It stars Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, who are stereotypical stoners. The movie is filled with weed jokes, some songs, and plenty of non-sequiturs.

This movie stars Sean Penn and offers viewers a raunchy comedy about teens. It includes the full spectrum of characters, including Spicoli, a surfer dude who is always high. That inclusion cements its spot on this list.

Bill &amp; Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

This is a stoner classic and a science fiction comedy. Two slackers use time travel to gather historical figures as part of their history presentation in high school. It had a sequel in 1991, and a third one is in development (as of 2019).

This is a comedy that features a stoner in a prominent role, earning it a spot on this list. It follows two hippies that hide from the FBI in the Central American jungles. One of them is a stoner with a fried brain from a science experiment in which researchers gave him large quantities of LSD.

This is definitely a classic movie for stoners and involves marijuana use on a high level. It is a comedy and school movie that follows the last day of school in 1976. There is plenty of marijuana smoking in the movie, along with drinking, hot girls, and hazing.

Cannasseurs will appreciate Brad Pitt as a burnout stoner who sits on his couch with a bong for most of the day. This Quentin Tarantino and Tony Scott movie also stars Patricia Arquette and Christian Slater. The movie itself follows a former call girl and her husband who stole drugs and are now running from the mob.

Going back to 1994, this movie is about stoners at Port Chester University who love to party hard. They try to get the other people on campus to relax and have fun, with plenty of cannabis and fun activities involved.

This movie stars Adam Sandler playing a 27-year-old rich kid who is developmentally stunted. To maintain control of his father’s business, he needs to pass elementary school, along with junior high and high school. This movie does not have many allusions to cannabis, but it is a favorite among stoners, as being a little high makes the stupid humor even better.

This movie is a classic in the hood-to-suburbs genre starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. It does not necessarily have a strong plot, but its characters are strong and entertaining. For those interested in the plot, the two best friends who are unemployed have to pay a drug dealer on Friday. This movie led to multiple follow up films, as well, although the first is arguably the best.

Another film directed by Kevin Smith, “Mallrats” follows two geeky best friends who get dumped on the same day. They head to the mall to get over their broken hearts and enjoy encounters with the Easter Bunny, Stan Lee, a 3-D Magic Eye poster, Jay and Silent Bob, and more.

Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)

This movie features big names comedians, like Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Bernie Mac. The characters openly smoke cannabis in this film, and it serves as a parody of the various classic hood movies that were released in the decade before it came out. The movie is funny and downright ridiculous, as the main character’s father is younger than he is, and he also loves a woman who has seven children from seven fathers.

Starring Benicio del Toro and Johnny Depp, this movie is very open about its extensive drug use, including cannabis. This film is an adventure following drug-induced insanity. It is not only about characters who regularly use marijuana, along with other drugs, but it is also a favorite among stoners, who love watching it while high.

This is easily a stoner classic, starring Dave Chappelle. It did poorly in the box office and is now a cult classic. It follows four friends who are stoners and smoke some unusually potent cannabis, then one of them accidentally kills a diabetic horse. The other friends then try to raise money via selling stolen medical marijuana, and the story continues from there.

Starring Jeff Bridges and John Goodman, “The Big Lebowski” follows an aging hippie who drinks, bowls, and smokes plenty of weed every day and does not have a job. The plot is not the most logical, as the only thing that gets in the way of this character’s life is someone breaking into his place and going to the bathroom on the rug.

This American stoner comedy is an adaptation of a book with the same name from 1988. The main character spends most of his time smoking marijuana and just relaxing with his friends. After he gets into some trouble with the law, his dad sends him to a prep school. There is plenty of marijuana use in this movie, both by the main character and his friends.

This movie from 2000 starred Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Jennifer Garner, Kristy Swanson, and Marla Sokoloff. The two main characters get incredibly high one night and not only lose their car but also go on a crazy adventure. They also get tattoos that are easy to regret. This particular movie shows the kind of crazy things that can happen when you smoke too much cannabis.

This is one of the amazing movies from the Wayans that parodies scary films throughout the years. There is plenty of marijuana use, including an offer to enjoy some secondhand cannabis via a hole in a character’s lungs.

This movie stars Method Man and Redman, who play stoners who get into Harvard after a friend helps them with the entrance exam. While at Harvard, they continue to smoke weed, and there are plenty of jokes and scenes involving cannabis and overindulgence. This is one of the movies on the list that definitely centers on cannabis, and it will likely make you laugh, although not necessarily due to its high quality.

Directed by Kevin Smith and starring him and Jason Mewes, this is a favorite among cannabis users for the prevalence of marijuana in it. It is also popular because it is the type of movie that is even more fun to watch while high.

This film follows the highway patrolmen in a rural area of Vermont who get into weird adventures. They mess with the heads of stoners, fight with local cops, and chase drug dealers.

This film is popular among those who smoke cannabis and follows a group on their last day of camp in 1981. It was designed to parody the sex comedies that targeted teens at the time. The movie notably failed commercially but has since become a cult classic, especially among those who smoke cannabis. There was even a Netflix sequel series.

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

John Cho and Kal Pen play two friends who are out of college but not yet in careers. They want to get high then go to White Castle for some sliders, but they get sidetracked along the way. There is a raccoon attack, Neil Patrick Harris, and time spent in a jail in New Jersey.

Any movie featuring Snoop Dogg is almost guaranteed to feature at least a reference to cannabis if not more. In this movie, his character consumes plenty of marijuana, as well as shrooms, yet still works as a pilot. This comedy also stars Kevin Hart, Method Man, and Tom Arnold.

Grandma’s Boy follows the adventures of a 35-year-old game tester who has to live with his grandma, along with her two roommates that are her age. This is considered a classic American stoner comedy. There are plenty of explicit references to marijuana, as the main character tries to move in with his dealer before living with his grandma.

This movie stars Anna Faris, who plays a young woman who eats cupcakes that were laced with cannabis. From there, she goes on a series of crazy misadventures. Although the character regularly smokes cannabis, she did not intend to eat an entire plate of cupcake edibles, resulting in her overindulgence that leads to the craziness.

Although “Superbad” has minimal direct references to cannabis, those who smoke usually love it, especially given that it stars Michael Cera and Jonah Hill, both of whom are known for using it. This teen comedy and coming-of-age film was written by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogan. The film was a success from the start and is still considered among the best movies in its genre.

“Super High Me” stars Doug Benson, who is a comedian. In this film, he documents his journey where he is sober for 30 days then smokes pot all day for 30 days. It is a play on the famous “Super Size Me” and even includes Benson undergoing a range of tests before and after the 30 days of smoking. These range from psychic tests to the SAT.

With a popular cannabis strain of the same name, it is no surprise that “Pineapple Express” is about cannabis. The main actors are James Franco and Seth Rogan, who seem to perpetually play high characters, mimicking real life. They play a weed dealer and a client who witness a murder by the dealer’s supplier. They accidentally leave some Pineapple Express at the crime scene, which is of course incredibly rare. The movie features crazy adventures and even ninjas.

A Very Harold &amp; Kumar 3D Christmas (2011)

The classic trip to White Castle was followed up by this film in 2011, starring John Cho, Kal Penn, and Neil Patrick Harris. In this film, Santa Claus gives Harold and Kumar a very large blunt, which leads to a hilarious stoner comedy. To make it even more entertaining, this film was shot in 3-D, allowing it to include some innovative and hilarious uses of that tech.

This direct-to-DVD stoner film stars Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg, along with other famous names. This movie is not shy about its use of cannabis, including the fact that the high school’s name is N. Hale, a play on “inhale,” in addition to being Nate Dogg’s actual name. The movie follows two friends, one of whom is geeky and one who is a stoner, the latter of which introduces the geeky student to cannabis.

Ted, the teddy bear that is alive, is known for his stoner nature in this film, along with his ability to constantly get into trouble. Cannabis is not as central to the plot of this movie as some of the others on this list, but it is certainly incredibly prominent. Seth MacFarlane voices Ted, while Mark Wahlberg plays his best friend and Mila Kunis plays Wahlberg’s girlfriend, who does not appreciate Ted’s negative influence.

This movie makes it very clear that all of the main characters enjoy smoking cannabis and are regularly high throughout the film. This movie has a long list of big names, including James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, Michael Cera, Craig Robinson, and Emma Watson. Each actor more or less plays themselves as they deal with the end of the world while being incredibly high.

This film follows a 13-year-old that moves in with his brother after his father goes to jail. That brother is northern California’s largest producer of cannabis. This is a drama that shows how cannabis can positively change lives, even when they seem to be falling apart. It also earned the Los Angeles Film Festival’s Audience Award.

This is one of those movies that is mostly just associated with cannabis because of the presence of Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg on the creative team, including the fact that it is based on a story that those two wrote with Jonah Hill. It is the kind of movie that appeals most to those who are high due to the ludicrous nature of the entire premise, including its animated nature. After all, you almost have to be high to appreciate an anthropomorphic sausage and other anthropomorphic food items.

There are also some movies that did not make the above list since they do not directly relate to cannabis. Despite that, they are favorites among people who smoke cannabis because they feel that they get even more from the films when smoking marijuana. These include:

Many other movies feature prominent or not-so-prominent use of cannabis. The number keeps growing as marijuana spreads in legality and popularity. This trend will likely only grow, so expect to see more marijuana on your screen in the near future, including more appearances without the negative associations of many older movies.

Cannabis in Movies – The Ultimate Stoner Movie List

A round up of movies that cannabis has had a major prescence in. From Fast Times at Ridgemont High to Pineapple Express.

Cannabis culture in everything from food, travel, to entertainment.

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Cannabis in Movies – The Ultimate Stoner Movie List