Cheech Marin unveils new film at HempCon

Cheech Marin appears with Beverly Hills NORML's Cheryl Shuman at HempCon LA

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Comedian Cheech Marin, one-half of the most famous pot-smoking duo of the 1970s, lent his celebrity to a medical marijuana convention that opens on Friday in Los Angeles, and used the occasion to plug a new movie.

The documentary of Marin’s reunion last year with his longtime partner, Tommy Chong, for their first tour in over 25 years, is set for release by the Weinstein Co. in theaters, on DVD and video-on-demand on April 20, a studio spokesman said.

The release date, 4/20, corresponds not so coincidentally to the numerical code widely recognized within the cannabis subculture as a symbol for all things marijuana.

Posters for the “Light Up America” movie bear the tagline: “Their first joint venture in 25 years.”

New movie about Cheech & Chong's reunion due out 4/20

Marin, 63, appeared at the L.A. Convention Center on Thursday for a news conference promoting HempCon 2010, a three-day conference touted by organizers as the first such gathering devoted to the medical marijuana industry.

Organizers said at least 40,000 tickets to the event have been sold, about double the advance sales for the 30th anniversary “Star Wars” convention in Los Angeles in 2007.

Marin said he supports “across-the-board” legalization of pot with restrictions similar to those for alcohol.

“It’s a movement whose time has come. It’s inevitable,” he said. “Society since the Bible has needed a socially acceptable intoxicant, and here it is. This has been our drug of choice. It’s … much healthier, has more benefits than alcohol.”