Up in Smoke

Two stoners unknowingly smuggle a van – made entirely of marijuana – from Mexico to L.A., with incompetent Sgt. Stedenko on their trail

• Director: Lou Adler
• Genre:Comedy
• Runtime:86 minutes

Cast

Cheech Marin : Pedro De Pacas
Tommy Chong : Anthony ‘Man’ Stoner
Strother Martin : Arnold Stoner
Edie Adams : Mrs. Tempest Stoner
Harold Fong : Chauffeur

Tommy Chong plays Man, a jobless, marijuana smoking drummer who is kicked out of his house by his parents (played by Strother Martin and Edie Adams). Chong’s character’s name is Anthony Stoner, but this is only mentioned once.[1] Man is picked up while hitchhiking by the equally enthusiastic smoker Pedro de Pacas (played by Cheech Marin). They share a large joint, which Chong’s character says is made with “mostly Maui wowie” and Labrador dog feces (the result of his dog having eaten his stash.) Police find their car parked on a traffic median with them in it, discover that they are stoned and arrest them. At trial, the pair are released on a technicality after the judge is discovered to be drinking vodka.

In an attempt to procure some marijuana, they visit Pedro’s cousin Strawberry (played by Tom Skerritt), a Vietnam War veteran. They narrowly escape a police raid on Strawberry’s house because Strawberry has a flashback and thinks the police are the Viet Cong, but are soon deported to Tijuana, by the INS (la migra), along with Pedro’s relatives, who called the INS on themselves, so they could get a free ride to a wedding in Tijuana.

In order to get back to the United States they arrange to pick up a vehicle from Pedro’s uncle’s upholstery shop, but arrive at the wrong address, a disguised marijuana warehouse. They end up unknowingly involved in a plot to smuggle a van constructed completely out of “fiberweed” (hardened marijuana – a play on the word “fiberglass”) from Mexico to Los Angeles, with an inept police narcotics unit hot on their heels. Read more