MovieChat Forums > Poltergeist (1982) Discussion > was that weed?

was that weed?

posted 9 years ago by codyhoskins
14 replies | jump to latest

When Diane and Steven are smoking in their bedroom, we see Steven throwing a box behind him and Diane rolling up and licking a paper around what looks like weed. I'm not too clear on the history of weed but it's weird to see it being used by a married couple with children in the 80s when the question of weed's legality is much more active today. Was it supposed to be legal in California back then or is that just one of those secret illegal activities that a suburban couple were just getting away with?

[–] Talamasca2 9 years ago

Was it supposed to be legal in California back then

No, it wasn't legal.

is that just one of those secret illegal activities that a suburban couple were just getting away with?

Bingo! It was likely a leftover from their more open-minded younger days.

[–] Dogtotem 9 years ago

That scene always seemed weird to me. Even if the two younger children were naïve enough to not know what it was, surely the teenage daughter just next door to her parents bedroom would have been able to smell it.

[–] king_of_bob 8 years ago

So what if they did? Do you think they're going to turn their parents into the police or something?

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[–] Lets_talk_about_that 9 years ago

It was illegal.
There is a funny contrast in the film of the parents' freewheeling, counter-culture hippy days vs. their current status as suburbanite home-owners. Pot-smoking is one of the holdovers from their youth, and they enjoy it still - while Steven lays there reading a book on Reagan. lol

www.huffingtonpost.com/nathan-j-winograd/PETA-KILLS-PUPPIES-KITTENS_b_2979220.html

[–] AmyJolamb 9 years ago

Yes and it was illegal. I actually didn't catch on that it was weed until I was about 30. Lol I first saw this at about the age of 9 and as a teen started watching it once a year.

[–] jefgg 8 years ago

Some people roll their own tobacco cigarettes, but I just knew they were smoking marijuana. I am unsure what the point was. I guess it was that a respectable married couple do some things in the privacy of their bedroom when the kids are asleep.

[–] infoed 8 years ago

I think it showed them as real people who had a past and not the usual uptight, square moms and dads you often saw in TV and film.

It was this scene, by the way, more than anything else in the film that drew the ire of conservative groups who felt the film should have had a stronger rating. By the time "Gremlins" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" came around two years later, it was considered a bridge too far and PG-13 was born.

[–] WhiteManFromTown1986 8 years ago

1. Steve busted his ass selling cookie cutter homes all day. Not to mention a ass for a boss.

2. It was the 80's. Nuff said.

3. Diane was a great mother and supportive to her kids.

4. They had their dream home and family in sunny California.

5. Some parents need their chill time as well. It made them laugh and communicate.

It was always one of my favorite things about the film tbh.

"Well hot damn." -L. W.

[–] king_of_bob 8 years ago

Yes, it's weed for the purposes of the film.

I'm not too clear on the history of weed but it's weird to see it being used by a married couple with children in the 80s when the question of weed's legality is much more active today.

I'm sorry, are you kidding? Weed being illegal has NEVER stopped anyone from smoking it. The problem is, people like you seem to think "normal" people didn't smoke weed. This was a common misconception.

The blatantly obvious stoners are not representative of all pot smokers. Based on this statement, I'm betting it would shock you to learn just how diverse pot smokers are as a group.

Was it supposed to be legal in California back then or is that just one of those secret illegal activities that a suburban couple were just getting away with?

It was illegal but MOST people got away with it.

The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/

[–] surgecess 8 years ago

Very true King Bob! I myself don't smoke weed, but I totally agree with your post. Spot on.

__________
"Angels to some, demons to others..... Now you must come with us!"

[–] king_of_bob 8 years ago

Thanks. I notice this kind of thing a lot. People like Bill Gates and Richard Branson have a known history of smoking weed. But people would never guess because they don't walk around doing Tommy Chong impressions and are actually very successful. In fact, I would say those who are blatant about the fact that they smoke are in the minority of pot smokers.

The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/

[–] jacc1515 8 years ago

I'm sorry, are you kidding? Weed being illegal has NEVER stopped anyone from smoking it. The problem is, people like you seem to think "normal" people didn't smoke weed. This was a common misconception.

The blatantly obvious stoners are not representative of all pot smokers. Based on this statement, I'm betting it would shock you to learn just how diverse pot smokers are as a group.

It's not just weed either. Go to a NA meeting sometime just for the hell of it. I've seen HEROIN addicts that range from the stereotypical junkies to housewives to wealthy attorneys.

All walks of life.

And while I don't like pot myself (the way it makes me feel) it should absolutely, 100% be LEGALIZED.

Mother is the name for God on the lips & hearts of all children -Eric D. Raven