Miley Cyrus: The New Face of Marijuana?
Miley Cyrus’ highly publicized joint stunt at the MTV European Music Awards may go down as the greatest thing to ever happen to the marijuana movement. When she pulled a joint out of her bag and lit it in front of an audience full of screaming fans, she unwittingly moved marijuana out of the counter-culture and into the mainstream consciousness. Thanks to public statements by Sanjay Gupta and former President Jimmy Carter, people no longer associate cannabis with stereotypically “stoner” personalities like Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg. Folks on the whole are less and less threatened and turned off by the plant. What used to be perceived as a radical, youth-corrupting substance has now become a socially acceptable relaxation aid (and sometimes, party product) thanks to the advocacy and public use by uber-celebs such as Rihanna and Justin Bieber.
Certainly a case could be made that Michael Phelps was the first “mainstream” personality to break the ice of stereotype associated with the long-demonized herb, but his mea culpa starkly contrasts Miley’s unapologetic tweet that appeared hours after the eyebrow-raising onstage incident:
sometimes in life you just gotta decide to not give AF
— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) November 11, 2013
Ms. Cyrus’ actions and fervent commitment to them simply put the icing on top of a cake that has been baking (pardon the pun) for a good thirty years now.
I know this assertion may sound ridiculous at first brush and many people will say that Miley is simply falling into the counter-culture herself; however you must remember that her name recognition as a children’s entertainment superstar affords the 20-year-old starlet an inherent level of credibility that mitigates the very controversy she is attempting to stir up.
Even though artists like Sinead O’Connor and Robin Thicke won’t perform with Cyrus anytime soon, there are sure to be many others lining up at her door to get a piece of the unending media saga that is the re-branded, tongue-wagging, pop megastar who cut her teeth entertaining prepubescent girls as the iconic Disney character Hannah Montana. She has already performed with Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Britney Spears, and Future, all of whom were eager to hitch their reputations to Miley’s chaotic and unpredictable bandwagon.
While much of middle America will bemoan the fact that yet another teen idol has evolved into a full-scale media maelstrom, we at the Review are encouraged and elated that Miley has brought cannabis front and center where we have no doubt that it will flourish as only the resilient weed can.
About the Author
- Related:
- Vaporizer Blog
Loading ...