Celebrate 4/20 with a/k/a Tommy Chong

To celebrate the most important day of the year pick up a/k/a Tommy Chong.

a/k/a Tommy Chong chronicles the entrapment and incarceration of comedic legend Tommy Chong. Josh Gilbert's "a/k/a Tommy Chong" offers a sometimes frightening, often hilarious account of Operation Pipe Dreams, a nationwide drug paraphernalia sting operation spearheaded by former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

After a fully armed SWAT team raided the 65 year-old comedian's home in February of 2003, Tommy Chong was sentenced to 9 months in federal prison for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute drug paraphernalia through Chong Glass, a family business specializing in handmade glass water pipes, or "bongs." Of the 55 defendants prosecuted, Tommy Chong was the only one with no prior convicitons to receive jail time. Justifying the 9 month sentance, the prosecutor cited the classic 1978 movie Cheech & Chong film "Up In Smoke" as evidence that he had become wealthy "trivializing law enforcement efforts to combat marijuana trafficking and use."

a/k/a Tommy Chong depicts the government's wrongful persecution of Tommy Chong via Operation Pipedream. I don't care if you're a pothead, college professor, pro-drugs, anti-drugs, or never even heard of Tommy chong...you'll enjoy this film.

For Cheech and Chong fans, they've included tons of rare home movies, Tommy's stand-up act, old interviews and tv appearances. Director Lou Adler, Cheech and Chong's first agent, Chong's family and other people supply candid stories about Cheech and Chong.

For those interested in free speech and politics, the film discusses how Tommy was the only person from Operation Pipedream to receive a prison sentence. The film also talks about how 9/11 and Tommy Chong's bust helped launch US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan's career.

The frame job...Did you know that an undercover DEA agent repeatedly called and emailed employee's of Chong Glass trying to get them to ship to Pennsylvania? They repeatedly told him no. Josh Gilbert, this film's director, includes the audio of these phone calls.

The DEA agent called and emailed them approximately twenty times stating that he has a tobacco license and asking what the problem was. The employees kept telling him it's against the law. The agent said he spoke to his lawyer and his lawyer said it was legal.

The DEA agent then visited the Chong Glass factory and ordered anything that wasn't in stock. After creating the glass, the DEA agent said he couldn't make it back there to pick up the order. Unfortunately for Chong Glass, this order was taking up a lot of space in the warehouse and was preventing them from fullfilling other orders. Out of desperation, Chong Glass shipped the order to PA.

Forty-five armed agents raided factory which only had one employee there at the time.

It was a setup from the start. Tommy was completely railroaded.

We could write about this film for hours. There is so much content which is edited together brilliantly. The film is very touching. Check out a/k/a Tommy Chong when it comes to your neighborhood.

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