77 Best Cheech and Chong Quotes from Movies

Cheech and Chong, formed by Richard “Cheech” Marin and Tommy Chong in 1970, were a popular comedy duo known for their humorous reflection of the drug culture of the 1960s and 1970s.

Meeting in Vancouver in 1968, they initially performed in nightclubs, then recorded successful comedy albums and starred in cult classic films characterized by their “doper” humor.

Their acts featured Cheech as a jovial dopehead and Chong as a laid-back musician.

While Chong’s career dwindled after their 1985 split, Marin enjoyed success as a director and actor, gaining recognition for works like Born in East L.A. (1987).

Here are some of the mesmerizing quotes from Cheech and Chong.

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Best Cheech and Chong Quotes

Rich white guys. That’s the true minority. – Cheech Marin.

I grew up half in South Central and half in the San Fernando valley. – Cheech Marin.

Our first gig was a battle of the bands. We did 45 minutes of comedy and never played a note – and we won! – Cheech Marin.

You can smoke marijuana, you can eat it, you can wear it, it’s a perfect plant! – Tommy Chong.

Mexicans are quasi-legal. – Cheech Marin.

I’m as clean as a whistle. – Tommy Chong.

I was part of the draft resistance movement in LA where we did demonstrations at the draft centre and burned our cards and made a lot of trouble on campus. – Cheech Marin.

I wouldn’t want them [kids] to raid my liquor cabinet and glug down my bourbon either. – Cheech Marin.

So (legalizing marijuana) means a lot more to me than just being able to smoke a joint without being arrested. – Tommy Chong.

The good thing about poverty is it keeps you from getting in trouble because if you can’t afford drugs, people will stop giving them to you very quickly. So, being poor really helps – it’s the success that kills you. – Tommy Chong.

Our tour is winding down and I was just thinking about what I want to do. I like growing so I think I might start growing again. As a medical marijuana patient, under California law, I am licensed to grow 12 plants. – Tommy Chong.

But you can’t exercise and be high. It’s impossible. – Tommy Chong.

I do have a plan for the country [the USA]. It needs education. And there should be drug education – only people should be taught how to smoke pot, because even potheads don’t know how to smoke pot. I’ve evolved into not only an activist, but an educator. I want to show people how, when, and why they should smoke pot. – Tommy Chong.

One night all the James Brown band was playing on stage and I look in the back and I could see Mick Jagger and Keith Richards trying to get in the club and they couldn’t get in cause it was to crowded. – Tommy Chong.

Something good always happens at 4:20 for me. – Tommy Chong.

To do a comedy team, it requires so much extracurricular stuff, so much compromise, so much intuitiveness to know what the other guy is doing. That’s why it’s so hard to do it. – Cheech Marin. Yeah, I’m the go-to guy for Mexican priests. – Cheech Marin.

We have receptors in our brain as you well know and when you ingest marijuana, I believe that it essentially gives you a reboot. – Tommy Chong.

Famous Cheech and Chong Quotes

The reason we’re so dangerous is because we’re totally harmless. – Cheech Marin.

We see the corrupt prison system, we see the corrupt police system, we see the corruption in the government, from the top on down. You know, it’s built based on lies. However, the marijuana industry itself, because it was an underground industry, showed us the way we could exist on this planet. – Tommy Chong.

You can always tell when something is good, because the studio senses it has something good, and you can see them pour more and more resources into it. The promotion gets bigger and bigger. – Cheech Marin.

I really love what [Donald] Trump is doing. He is doing a great job of exposing the republicans for what they really are. – Tommy Chong.

Marijuana grows everywhere in the world. And it really is currency, if you think about it. – Tommy Chong.

I was an altar boy and a choir member. – Cheech Marin.

Convenience is the American way. – Cheech Marin.

We have a team in Nevada that is looking for licensed cultivators to grow Chong’s Choice. Hopefully recreational passes this year and we can go full force. – Tommy Chong.

I always wanted to work with Betty White, because she is one of my heroes of all time, and I just love her. – Cheech Marin.

I never did smoke that much pot; never was a big pothead. – Tommy Chong.

What I look for when I see a piece of art for the first time is some kind of emotional, intellectual experience, that’s a combination of both of those things and is informed by my knowledge and something new that I see the artist doing. – Cheech Marin.

Top Cheech and Chong Quotes

By making marijuana illegal, the agricultural people can’t grab hold of it like they did with corn and wheat. So those companies are scrambling around trying to get hold of it, but they can’t, because it’s a cottage industry, and it will always be a cottage industry. Because the minute the big companies try to make it their own, like they did with soybeans…like Monsanto, they put their own patent on seeds, and you can’t do that with marijuana. – Tommy Chong.

Awakening your spiritual side is really what artists do. When you hit a groove, it’s not you; it’s the spirit world. – Tommy Chong.

I do believe that [Bill] Clinton never inhaled… because when I met him, he had no idea who I was. – Tommy Chong.

Every time I get tested, I ask questions about it, and I watch how they do it. – Tommy Chong.

Because the pot takes the edge off the adrenaline, and it also clears your mind of it, and then you can see things a lot clearer. – Tommy Chong.

Comedy teams are a real hard thing to do. That’s why you don’t see any of them. – Cheech Marin.

I wish I could say farewell and retire but there is nothing for me to retire from. – Tommy Chong.

I converted a family-owned strip club into an improvisational acting theater. – Tommy Chong.

I look on everything with a very optimistic eye. Because I’m a body builder by trade, you know, that was my intent all my life. – Tommy Chong.

Popular Cheech and Chong Quotes

We won a contest at the teen fair in Vancouver and the first prize was a recording contract and we recorded at a radio station on the stairway, and we did a record and it got put out. – Tommy Chong.

I want my ashes either with some really good primo or as some fertilizer for plants. – Tommy Chong.

Musicians can travel all over the world and have an audience, because there’s no language barrier. – Tommy Chong.

You know that old joke about potheads having bad memories? Well, the bad memories are like pain, discomfort, and fear. So you lose all that, and the body reacts by healing faster and stronger. – Tommy Chong.

I guess one of the ways that karma works is that it finds out what you are most afraid of and then makes that happen eventually. – Cheech Marin.

I was about sixteen when I discovered that music could get you laid, so I got into music boy, didn’t matter what you looked like either, you could be a geeky-looking guy but if you played music, whoa, you’d get the girls. – Tommy Chong.

Religion is run by thought police. ‘Obey. Listen. This is what you do. Don’t ask questions. Go die for your country.’ The spirituality says, ‘Okay, you can die for your country, but know what you’re doing while you’re doing it.’ – Tommy Chong.

And I don’t really drink a lot of booze, alcohol will kill ya… but I smoke all the pot I can find, I don’t smoke it all at once, I just do a little bit at a time, and I uh, I used to take acid but I quit around 1971. – Tommy Chong.

If more people were stoned there would be less violence in the world. – Tommy Chong.

You can’t suppress Bodily Functions – Cheech Marin.

The smartest billionaires I know never finished high school. I got my degree and my doctorate on the street and an advanced degree in jail. – Tommy Chong.

To be in a situation where you have no rights whatsoever is something I wish everybody could experience. People’s attitudes would change. It would be a better place. – Tommy Chong.

Great Cheech and Chong Quotes

Being a Chicano in Hollywood, my experience is that you’re not given credit for any sophistication… You’re just kind of some guy that just crossed the border, you know, on the back of a truck and that’s it. – Cheech Marin.

More than anything, the weed really helped with my mental state, because marijuana works on the brain. And if anything, it soothes the brain. – Tommy Chong.

You know you’re in a bad movie when the Catholic clergy is being played by Jews. – Cheech Marin.

Unfortunately, the American justice system is just riddled with lies and inconsistencies. – Tommy Chong.

When you hit a groove, it’s not you; it’s the spirit world. The spirits whisper the ideas in your brain and prod you along. They’re the ones that are really happy. – Tommy Chong.

We are a multicultural country – always have been, and to our credit, always will be. It is something that we should be very proud of and embrace. – Cheech Marin.

I want my kids to grow up to be a useful citizen. – Cheech Marin.

I get much more respect, as befits my age. And I have nothing to complain about. – Cheech Marin.

There’s a hierarchy in prison, and I was right at the top. – Tommy Chong.

Comedy is the ultimate truth. Jazz is hitting the notes that that no one else would hit, and comedy is saying words that no one else would say. – Tommy Chong.

We did six records, then six movies. Now we need to do six of something else, so we get 666 – and then our master Satan can return! – Cheech Marin.

Well, sometimes you need the fields to lie fallow in order to gain nutrients. – Cheech Marin.

Boredom is a disease, too. – Tommy Chong.

Every medium has its own projection, and I find animation is much bigger than normal. – Cheech Marin. I think you can directly link chihuahuas to Dow Jones. – Cheech Marin.

I’ve always believed in the concept of retirement. I retired for the first time at age 18 … from school. To me, retirement means doing what you want to do without worrying about getting paid for it. – Tommy Chong.

When you smoke marijuana, you are in the moment and you are happy. You forget about any worries of the past or the future. – Tommy Chong.

Hello. Mexican Americans like to answer telephone calls and say hello to whoever’s on the other end. – Cheech Marin.

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So these were the 77 top Cheech and Chong quotes and sayings.

If you like these quotes and sayings, then you can also read my other posts on Optimus Prime quotes and Fred Rogers quotes.

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Short Description of Cheech and Chong

Cheech & Chong, the iconic comedy duo, started in the 1970s, blending humor with the era’s counterculture, particularly their fondness for cannabis.

They met in 1968 in Vancouver, with Cheech joining Chong’s improv group. Their comedic chemistry led to stand-up shows, hit albums, and popular films like “Up in Smoke.”

Years active	1971–1985; 2004–present
Medium	Film, stand-up, music, television
Genres	Black comedy, Character comedy, Musical comedy, Political satire, Sketch comedy, Stoner comedy
Subject(s)	Latin American culture, drug culture, everyday life, recreational drug use

Despite initial success, the duo split in the 1980s but reunited in the 2000s for tours and a potential film project that was eventually canceled.

Their reunion included a comedy tour and appearances on various shows, keeping their legacy alive in the comedy world.

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Short Biography of Cheech Marin

Cheech Marin, born in 1946 in Los Angeles to Mexican parents, rose to fame with the comedy duo Cheech & Chong in the ’70s and ’80s.

Known for his Chicano accent characters, Marin is not fluent in Spanish.

Full Name	Richard Anthony “Cheech” Marin
Born	July 13, 1946 (age 77) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Medium	Film, Stand-up, Television
Years active	1971–present
Genres	Character comedy, Musical comedy, Political satire, Sketch comedy, Stoner comedy
Subject(s)	Latin American culture, Drug culture, Everyday life, Recreational drug use
Spouse	Darlene Morley ​(m. 1975; div. 1984)​; Patti Heid​(m. 1986; div. 2009)​; Natasha Rubin ​(m. 2009)​
Children	3

His early life included a move to Granada Hills, attending Catholic school, and studying English at California State University, Northridge.

Marin’s “Cheech” nickname, meaning “chicharron,” was given by his uncle.

Despite auditioning for Frank Zappa, Marin moved to Vancouver to avoid the Vietnam draft, where he met Tommy Chong, his future comedy partner.

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Short Biography of Tommy Chong

Tommy Chong, born in 1938 in Edmonton, Canada, is a comedian, actor, and cannabis activist, famously partnering with Cheech Marin in the Cheech & Chong comedy duo.

He also played Leo on “That ’70s Show.” Chong, who has a mixed heritage with a Chinese father and a mother of Scottish and Irish descent, became a U.S. citizen in the late 1980s.

Full Name	Thomas B. Kin Chong
Born	May 24, 1938 (age 85) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Medium	Film, Stand-up, Television
Years active	1962–present
Genres	Character comedy, Political satire, Stoner comedy, Sketch comedy
Subject(s)	Canadian culture, Drug culture, Everyday life, Recreational drug use
Spouse	Maxine Sneed​(m. 1960; div. 1970)​; Shelby Chong ​(m. 1975)​
Children	6, including Rae, Robbi, and Marcus
Relative(s)	C. Thomas Howell (former-son-in-law)

Growing up in a conservative Calgary neighborhood, he left high school early to pursue music, leveraging his guitar skills for both income and social opportunities.

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Quick Facts about Cheech and Chong

• Cheech & Chong was formed in Vancouver, consisting of American Cheech Marin and Canadian Tommy Chong.
• They gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s with their comedy centered around the hippie, free love, and counterculture movements.
• The duo is famous for their love of cannabis in their acts.
• They met in 1968 in Vancouver, where Cheech moved to avoid the Vietnam War draft.
• Chong had an improv group called “City Works” performing in a strip club owned by his family.
• Their partnership began unexpectedly during a warm-up act that led to roaring audience laughter.
• They decided to form a comedy duo due to the success of their impromptu performance.
• Cheech & Chong moved to Los Angeles to pursue their comedy career further.
• They became known for stand-up shows, comedy albums, and low-budget films.
• “Earache My Eye” and “Dave’s Not Here” are among their most famous comedy bits.
• Their first movie, “Up in Smoke,” became a cult classic, grossing over $44 million.
• They starred in seven films together, with Chong directing four.
• Chong’s drug paraphernalia company raid in 2003 led to a temporary halt in their collaboration.
• After a split in the 1980s, they reunited in the 1990s for various projects.
• They voiced characters in “FernGully: The Last Rainforest” and “South Park.”
• Their reunion was official with the “Light Up America” comedy tour in 2008.
• Cheech & Chong appeared in a 2011 episode of “The Simpsons.”
• They were featured in the marijuana advocacy documentary “The Union” in 2007.
• Their “Get Out the Vote” video was released in 2008 to encourage voting.
• In 2014, they announced working on a new movie with writer/director Jay Chandrasekhar.
• Their contribution to music includes background voices on Joni Mitchell’s “Twisted.”
• They were honored with the Comedy Medal from Mira Costa College in 1979.
• Their performance in Sydney was delayed in 2009 due to a drug operation by police.
• They appeared on “Lopez Tonight” in 2010, promoting their “Get It Legal” tour.
• Chong revealed his battle with prostate cancer in 2012.
• They expressed displeasure in 2018 that marijuana had become mainstream.
• Red Hot Chili Peppers selected them to present the Global Icon Award at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.
• Cheech & Chong’s discography includes albums like “Los Cochinos” and “Big Bambu.”
• “Cheech & Chong’s Animated Movie!” was released in 2013, marking their latest film work.
• Plans for a film called “Riding High” and a Cheech & Chong version of “Stripes” were never realized.

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Top Questions about Cheech and Chong