Tommy Chong Supports E-Joints, If They Work
June 25, 2014— -- Tommy Chong, half of the famous pot-smoking duo Cheech and Chong, said he’d be cool with electronic joints, if they actually work.
A Dutch e-cigarette maker claims to have created the electronic blunt, a battery-powered inhaler filled with liquid cannabis extract. Take a hit, and the device transforms the liquid into inhalable vapor as a bright green cannabis leaf lights up at the plastic joint’s tip, according to the website for the company, E-Njoint BV.
The liquid comes in six fruity flavors, according to the website. But it contains no THC - the chemical that gives marijuana its mind-altering properties - which begs the question: what's the point?
Chong said pot without the buzz makes about as much sense as a three-wheeled car.
“One more wheel and you would have had something there,” he said. “Put me down as saying it’s a good idea, but they didn’t think it all the way through.”
Ilana Breslau, an addiction specialist therapist who practices in New York City, said she’s a little less cool with the e-joint concept if they actually contain THC.
“There can be very high concentrations of THC without users realizing how much they are taking in compared to when users smoke a joint or use a bong,” she said.
Food Safety a New Frontier for Legal Pot
Big Tobacco Looks to Keep Pace With E-Smokes
The Dutch device comes in disposable and rechargeable versions and costs about $12 a joint, according to the company’s website. It can be purchased from the website throughout Europe.
"Everyone should feel fine, because what we are doing is no crime," E-Njoint CEO Menno Contant said in a statement. "As long as you don't bother or disturb other people and stay within the legal boundaries, all is well."
Repeated calls to E-Njoint BV were not immediately returned.
It remains to be seen whether electronic dope will become legal anywhere in the U.S. since marijuana use is governed differently from state to state. But Chong said he would welcome a legal, working version of an e-joint.
“It’s probably the healthiest way to go because there’s no burn product,” he said. “But I would miss the taste.”
