Nancy Grace and her aggressive, controversy-causing show on HLN decided to have a discussion on the legalization of marijuana and invited onto the show for a back-and-forth on the issue to discuss the pros and cons with experts and ... 2 Chainz, who could be considered an expert in his own right. Nancy Grace dubs him one as she says, "I have seen a video of you smoking a big fat doobie."
The whole segment is rather surreal as Grace and 2 Chainz — real name Tauheed Epps — argue over whether or not weed should be legalized in America. Grace continues to drive home her point that weed is dangerous and shows the same video of a parent who gives her 2-year-old weed to smoke, a terrible act for any parent to do. When she seems to be falling behind to Epps, the host falls back on the time-tested method by TV hosts outside hip-hop of bringing up choice lyrics to try and discredit him. Where is Cam'ron when you need him?
But 2 Chainz counters by trying to drive home the economics of the situation, saying, "I just feel like if you legalize this particular drug, it could cut out certain things in the criminal justice system as far as the overcrowding of prisons ..."
He goes so far as to give an example of a time when he had to go to court over shavings left in a grinder that was found in his bus, emphasizing the strain marijuana has on the legal system.
The irony of the whole thing is that during the debate, Grace has social media posts flying across the screen, almost blocking her face and the majority are in favor of legalization. She appears to be fighting a losing battle with HLN and CNN and viewers who are younger and more socially liberal.
While this whole spectacle may be amusing, it is a poignant example that many people still are uneducated as the to dangers — or lack thereof — of marijuana, and there is still a lot to learn about marijuana in America. While it is worth a good laugh to have these two have their time on TV, we should leave it to the scientists and policy experts to shape the future of marijuana in America. The vine via Complex is a perfect example of that.
