Nancy Grace, Pot Expert, Takes on 2 Chainz Over Marijuana Legalization

“It is unfortunate that Nancy Grace is content to continue her groundless fear-mongering campaign against the responsible regulation of marijuana,” Erik Altieri, communications director for marijuana-legalization nonprofit NORML, told The Daily Beast in a statement. “With her outrageous claims that marijuana legalization in Colorado would set off a statewide crime wave proven false by the fact crime was down across the board in the state in 2014, it seems she is willing to keep tilting at windmills for the sake of ratings rather than simply admit she was wrong. One has to wonder, when it comes to Nancy Grace and her outlandish remarks, is reefer madness to blame?”

That was a spokesman for NORML weighing in on Tuesday’s Nancy Grace discussion on pot legalization with… 2 Chainz.Yes. Nancy Grace, the HLN host (who was widely blasted for her terrible coverage of the Duke lacrosse case, and caricatured in the Ben Affleck Oscar bait Gone Girl) booked rapper and 2 Broke Girls guest star 2 Chainz to talk about drug policy in America.

The famous hip-hop artist, who has been arrested for marijuana possession, for whatever reason thought it would be a fine idea to debate the notoriously anti-pot cable-TV personality.

It’s a surreal and patently bizarre segment to behold, with all of the good sense and drug-policy rationality landing on the side of 2 Chainz. “Umm, I’m not sure if you know but everybody has the ability to get their hands on pot right now, whether it's legal or not,” 2 Chainz (whose real name is Tauheed Epps) tried to explain to Grace. “I just feel like if you legalize this particular drug it could cut out certain things in the criminal justice system as far as the overcrowding of prisons….”

He has a point.

2 Chainz went on to discuss budget deficits and the war on drugs, thus further confusing an intractable Nancy Grace. He also talked about how he used to sell pot, which doesn’t make the HLN host any happier.

Watch the spectacle below, which includes scenes of 2 Chainz taking on another anti-pot advocate:

Grace, the undisputed “queen of hashtags,” promoted this interview on Twitter with the hashtag #pot2blame.

There are any number of studies that plainly show that pot is not in fact to blame.

Now here’s a link to 2 Chainz’s website. And here’s another link reminding you how godawful Nancy Grace can be.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Asawin SuebsaengSenior Political Reporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.