The stoner sensibility, revealed!

This was too good to pass up writing a note about it.

A while ago, I was researching via Google to see just how widespread pot use is today. I found an article on Jezebel.com called "35 Celebrities Who Smoke Pot." One passage in particular caught my attention:

"In the summer of 2005, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) hosted a smoke-in to promote the legalization of marijuana. Celebrities that participated: Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson (obvs), Bette Midler, Santana, Chicago, David Crosby and Graham Nash, Rod Stewart, The New Jefferson Starship, Tony Orlando, Ringo Starr, Tommy Chong, Snoop Dogg, and Robert Downey Jr."

This passage includes a link to the source for the supposed news, a site called Friends of Cannabis. Following this link, I found that they obviously took this story very seriously:

"WASHINGTON - The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) will sponsor a smoke-in to promote the group's campaign to legalize marijuana. The weekend event, called the Great American Pot Luck Festival, will be held at Daytona International Speedway in Florida, July 8-10. Sponsors include Grecian Formula, Cialis, Fixodent, Beano, Depends, and Correctol with Stool Softener. AARP's chief executive officer, William Novelli, held a press conference in the group's Washington, D.C., office yesterday to publicize the event. Wearing a T-shirt that read "We Smoke and We Vote," Novelli told reporters, "People who think the AARP is a haven for old windbags that sit around comparing HMOs or discussing their bowel movements are in for a surprise."

Now, look at this carefully. The sponsors alone should give away the ruse. But oh no, good old Friends of Cannabis obviously saw this article online and jumped at the possibility that the world was finally coming around to their beloved druggy haze.

And where did they most likely see this article?

The Spoof, an Onion-type website specializing in parody news articles. You can read the original article here.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not writing this note as a slam against anyone; I'm merely writing it to point out a funny situation. But damn, it definitely says something, dunnit? :-P