Watch The Daily Show laugh at Fox News' pot paranoia
The critiques of Colorado's new legal marijuana regime veer from bizarre to hypocritical, says Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart started out Tuesday night's Daily Show with an easy applause line: Marijuana is now legal in Colorado. He walked his audience through the restrictions — or lack thereof — in the Centennial State's new pot law, declaring that an ounce of hydroponic weed is more than enough for any one toker to have at any given time.
Formalities out of the way, Stewart tucked into the part of the show everyone was waiting for: Making fun of the people making scary pronouncements about legalizing pot. This provided such a rich vein to mine, Stewart, discarding tradition, talked about nothing else for the rest of the non-interview part of the show. His first target: Fox News host Bill O'Reilly and his "Old-Timey Restoration Hour."
In Stewart's turn of phrase, "crank up the grumpalodian":
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Stewart got his best line of the night off of O'Reilly's assertion that allowing legal pot is "literally Russian roulette," since some adults can't handle the drug. Oh right, Stewart quipped, "the only difference between a bong hit and pointing a loaded gun at your own skull is that the gun can kill you instantly — and must never be criminalized or restricted in any way, ever. Ever!" The rest of the O'Reilly segment dealt with the Fox News star's bizarre comparison of weed and teenage texting. Yeah, I don't get it either.
O'Reilly dispatched, Stewart briefly mocked New York Times columnist David Brooks for his column arguing that although he smoked pot as a youth, states should ban it now on moral and health grounds:
Stewart ended his tour of reefer madness with warnings from MSNBC's Joe Scarborough and a bevy of Fox News personalities about how pot makes you dumb, sucks away all motivation, is addictive, and is a menace to public safety. Stewart's big message here is that these same talking heads — and TV ads — all-out celebrate alcohol, which is at least as dangerous as pot. He topped off this lecture with a pretty funny stoner take on how pot ads would be so much better than beer commercials — especially if you are high on weed.
As your bonus video, here's Stephen Colbert's much more abbreviated take on the reaction against Colorado's pot law, from Monday night's Colbert Report. In this case, brevity is the soul of wit:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The key financial dates to prepare for in 2025
The Explainer Discover the main money milestones that may affect you in the new year
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Sudoku medium: December 19, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Codeword: December 19, 2024
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published