International action star Jackie Chan and Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman have come out on opposite sides of the marijuana debate in the last few weeks, begging the question: who would win if the two were to fight?
Chan, known for films like “Rumble in the Bronx” and the “Drunken Master” series, who also serves as an official Narcotics Control Ambassador for the Chinese government, spoke out in defense of China’s tough anti-drug laws at a recent anti-drug press conference in Singapore, stating that he supports the death sentence for some offenders.
This despite the fact that Chan’s 32 year-old-son, Jaycee, was recently released after serving six months imprisonment for possession of 100g of marijuana and “sheltering others to take drugs.”
To be fair, Chan was most likely referencing drug traffickers when he advocated for death, saying, “On some issues, I do support the death penalty … . When you’re hurting thousands and thousands of young children, I think these kind of people are useless. You should get the right punishment.”
Meanwhile, in the United States, Morgan Freeman has come out as a marijuana enthusiast very much in favor of legalization. Freeman, well known for playing sad-eyed mentors with hard-earned wisdom, told a reporter from The Daily Beast that when it comes to marijuana, he’ll take it “However it comes! I’ll eat it, drink it, smoke it, snort it!”
Morgan went on to say that marijuana has played a role in managing the continuing pain he’s felt following an incident seven years ago when he flipped his 1997 Nissan Maxima while driving through Mississippi, seriously injuring his left arm, shoulder and elbow.
The star of’ “Seven” and “The Shawshank Redemption” made no statement, however, as to why he was driving, of all things, a 1997 Nissan Maxima.
Pitched against one another in a fair fight, Chan would seem the obvious winner given his martial arts prowess. Imagine, though, if Freeman were to bring his legendary commanding voice into play, perhaps using it to distract Chan while Seth Gilliam, star of “The Walking Dead” and “The Wire,” who was recently arrested for driving more than 100 mph while intoxicated and in possession of marijuana, maneuvered into position to take Chan down from behind.
While attitudes toward cannabis for either medicinal or recreational usage in the United States are progressing, it is important to keep in mind that many countries around the world maintain strict anti-drug laws. Some countries, like Hungary, see no legal distinction between cannabis and heroin, so here’s hoping Morgan Freeman can keep his cannabis consumption stateside.
