Picture a person who enjoys smoking weed — a "stoner" or "pothead." For many people, Cheech & Chong jumps immediately to mind. The '70s bong-toking duo redefined drug use in comedy, cementing in the public consciousness tropes about cannabis users being dim-witted, incoherent and lazy (and also quite hilarious).
These stereotypes persist today. A 2019 analysis in the journal Visual Communication examined more than 450 depictions of marijuana users across 10 different media outlets before and after Colorado legalized adult-use cannabis.
