Today the United States has taken a different turn on Marijuana laws and social judgment towards cannabis since it was made illegal in 1937. A long way we have come, pushing forward in decriminalizing and legalizing this mind-altering substance and its medical benefits as half of the states in the country have voted in favor of medical and recreational use.
It wasn’t a surprise to see society embracing the change, from innovative smoking devices to culinary programs teaching us how to cook with weed. It wasn’t long until Netflix released a sitcom series about stoners.
Produced by David Javerbaum and Chuck Lorre under Chuck Lorre production, the creator behind popular series like Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. The first episode of Disjointed was aired on Netflix on 25 August 2017, and are now in their second season running on approximately 30 minutes per episode.
I was skeptical at first, how would a series of potheads smoking weed and being high make it on screen? Do I have to be high for this to be funny?
The story takes place in Southern California, Los Angeles, in a dispensary called ‘Ruth’s Alternative Caring’ a family owned business run by Ruth Whitefeather Feldmann (Kathy Bates) an activist who has been fighting ‘the man’ all her life and her mixed-race son a recent graduate with an MBA degree.
The cool part of the series is how they cast a group of stereotypes in the mixed, from a Black security guard that has severe PTSD, a Chinese medical student turned budtender, a stay at home mom with high anxiety, a hippie-looking grower who talks to his plants, and a stoner-couple with a Youtube channel.
Even though it might not be one of those series that gets you hooked right from the start but it does grow on you and the second season feels more fulfilling as the character’s identity are more at ease with their role.
It reminds me of those old-school sitcoms like That ’70s Show or 3rd Rock from the Sun, or a bit of The Office. It wouldn’t be long until you find your favorite character.
It’s a workplace comedy with stereotype potheads customers and budtenders together making it the perfect gang. It will keep you laughing with stoner jokes, and witty dialogues and simple storyline.
Even Peter, a Shaggy-Scoobydoo looking (San Bernardino) Cannabis Cup winner who grows a love for his plants and bonds with them as imaginary friends is somewhat funny and relatable.
And a stereotype of an Asian daughter living with high expectations from her family to finish medical school and become a doctor but she instead decides to work as a budtender while bottling down the pressure of lying to her parents.
While the storyline is based on cannabis it is not only for watching people getting high and do stupid stuff. It’s actually educational as it shows the business aspect, like the branding Olivia’s Shitballs, chocolate cakes from Olivia’s grandmother recipe which turned out looking like poop until Travis suggested to make them into edibles.
Also, the stoner-couple, Dank and Dabby, who has over 100,000 Youtube subscribers, are Youtubers that toke and talk in their apartment while reeling in cash from views and merchandise sales. It is putting a sense of marketing to the mix right there.
It also talks about serious issues like PTSD, anxiety, and insomnia too. Carter, the security guard, an Iraq war veteran was able to open up to his condition and give cannabis a try as an alternative to living in daily flashbacks and panic attacks.
The best part of it all is how it brings real social and health problems that cannabis could be used as an alternative and mix it up as a silly and lighthearted comedy. It’s relatable when you are sober or stoned.
There’s romance, family struggles, business and legal matters, sex, and pot, all together in Disjointed. It might not get you laughing frantically but it is funny and cheerful while putting the future of cannabis industry in perspective.
Watching it will make your week at work seem okay, just like smoking a joint after a long day, you know everything is gonna be alright. So sit back, smoke a joint or a bong and enjoy.
Don’t take it so seriously after all its just weed.
Humble Haze 
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