South Park has joined the conversation around the pending marijuana rescheduling proposal that President Donald Trump says he’ll be deciding on within weeks—poking fun at the president by suggesting that he might accept a deal to change federal cannabis laws if flattered with gifts and the promise of “mutually beneficial” rewards.
The Comedy Central show has been pushing the envelope in its criticism of the Trump administration recently, joking about hot button policy issues ranging from immigration enforcement to the federalization of police in Washington, D.C. In its latest episode on Wednesday, it addressed cannabis rescheduling.
Just a couple weeks after Trump said he’d soon make a decision on moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the show alluded to a fictional scenario where the character Randy Marsh lost workers at the farm of his marijuana company Tegridy amid the administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
While that Tegridy-specific situation was fictionalized, the episode also comes amid controversy over recent real-life raids at a California-based marijuana farm, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested several workers last month.
In the South Park episode, Towelie—an anthropomorphic towel whose personal use of cannabis is a main character theme—was then recruited to visit the White House and present Trump with a gift: A hologram of Marsh, Tegridy’s CEO, making a plea for rescheduling.
“Well, you’ve done such a great job with our country. You’re so smart,” Towelie says, before being interrupted by Trump who said, “I don’t have all day” and asked if he brought a gift. That seemed to be a subtle dig at Apple CEO Tim Cook, who recently presented the president with a gold plaque—one of several offerings Trump has accepted from people seemingly working to earn his favor.
When Towelie opens a briefcase, a hologram of Marsh says: “Greetings, Mr. President. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Randy Marsh from Tegridy Solutions.”
“In order for our company to make $6 billion, we need you to reclassify marijuana on the national level,” he says. “With your wisdom, I’m sure that we can work out an arrangement that will be mutually beneficial in return for your understanding. I wish to offer you a gift: This incredible towel. It is a luxurious towel made from the finest fabrics available.”
Trump’s depiction on the episode is shown laughing and eventually saying, “Alright, put the towel in with the other gifts.”
Again, the exchange seemed to speak to another real-life news development in the cannabis and Trump space.
While it’s not clear whether the South Park writers intended to make the connection, the president’s own PAC—as well as his inauguration committee—have taken in millions from large marijuana businesses.
And following a meeting with the CEO of the major multi-state cannabis operator Trulieve on the campaign trail, Trump endorsed rescheduling, industry banking access and a Florida legalization ballot initiative that Trulieve was financially backing.
The Trulieve CEO also recently reportedly attended a $1 million-a-plate fundraising dinner with Trump, where cannabis issues were discussed.
South Park has consistently integrated cannabis culture and business content into its show, with Tegridy being a main feature of the cartoon’s marijuana commentary.
In fact, its cultural prominence led Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) in 2021 to bestow the creators of South Park with souvenir license plates that pay homage to the made-up marijuana company Tegridy Farms.
South Park’s Tegridy episodes might take place in a fictional world, but they’ve satirized real-world issues in the marijuana industry over the years.
In 2019, for example, the show took a not-so-subtle jab at a video produced by the cannabis company MedMen, and it’s generally been critical of the corporatization of the market.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
Meanwhile, although Towelie and Marsh made a direct appeal to Trump on the rescheduling issue that remains pending at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the president gave little indication how he’d ultimately come down on the issue when he discussed it earlier this month.
Trump said at that time that we’re “only looking at that” and it’s too “early” to say how the issue will be decided, adding that “it’s a very complicated subject.”
“Some people like it. Some people hate it—people hate the whole concept of marijuana, because it does bad for the children [and] it does bad for people that are older than children,” the president said. “But we’re looking at reclassification, and we’ll make a determination over the next few weeks—and that determination, hopefully, will be the right one.”
Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.
