Cannabis In Literature: The Most Iconic Characters Who Lit Up

Literature is full of characters who smoke weed.

Often because the authors smoke themselves.

But some stoner characters are definitely more memorable than others.

When it comes to cannabis in literature, the characters listed below stand out.

For whatever reason, they are pot smokers who stay with us long after we put down their respective novels.

So let’s dive in and take a look at the most iconic literary characters who smoke marijuana.

 

Stoners In Literature

All of the following literary characters are famous, memorable, and they smoke weed. Well, not all the characters do, but…you’ll see what I mean. And if you are looking for cartoon characters, I have a separate list of stoner cartoon characters.

 

Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is one of the most popular American novels with iconic stoner characters. Thompson himself loved marijuana so much that he called it a ‘basic staple alongside grapefruit and beer’. Most of Thompson’s novels talk about psychedelic paranoia that was relevant to the readers in the 1970s.

In Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the lead characters Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo use a lot of marijuana as they try to escape society’s rules. The satirical novel also explores the excesses of American Society in the 1960s and 70s.

This book was turned into a movie starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro and Duke and Gonzo. It is a great movie and unsurprisingly made my list of the top stoner movies of all time.

 

Ben and Chon in Savages by Don Winslow

Savages follows the story of two pot-growing and pot-using friends – Ben and Chon. They are opposite in personalities but share a beautiful girlfriend – Ophelia or ‘O’ for short.

The trio is living the good life growing high-quality cannabis in California, until a Mexican drug cartel finds out about their superior marijuana strain. The bad guys kidnap O to force Ben and Chon to give them this potent strain of marijuana.

The plot revolves around many thrilling elements including loyalty, romance, friendship, and violence. It also explores the blurred lines between good and evil in the drug trade. You will love this gripping stoner story.

 

Larry “Doc” Sportello in Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon

Larry ‘Doc’ Sportello of Inherent Vice is a stoner detective living in a beach community in California in the 1970s. He is called upon to investigate the disappearance of his ex-lover and her current boyfriend.

This darkly comedic crime novel is filled with eccentric characters and surreal encounters. Doc’s marijuana-fueled adventures lead him to absurd situations, as he uses his razor-sharp mind to untangle a web of conspiracy, corruption, and greed.

 

Invisible Man in Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

The “invisible man” in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man (not to be confused with The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells) is an unnamed African American living in Harlem. He joins a political organization named the Brotherhood to overcome racial prejudice.

However, he soon comes to understand the organization’s hypocrisy. The ‘invisible’ protagonist smokes pot to escape societal pressures and discover his identity in a hostile world.

 

Charlie Kelmeckis in The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Charlie Kelmeckis, the lead character of The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a lonely, sensitive, and deeply disturbed young man. As a child, he was molested by his aunt, who happens to be his favorite person in the world.

He also suffers from PTSD after his best friend tries to commit suicide. As he tries to fit in with friends at college, he uses pot and drinks alcohol to show them he is ‘cool’. This novel was also turned into a movie starring Emma Watson.

 

Sal Paradise in On the Road by Jack Kerouac

On the Road follows Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty as they set out on a journey across America, seeking freedom and meaning in a confusing time. Pot use is rampant as the duo smokes “bad green” (uncured marijuana).

The novel helped launch Jack Kerouac’s career and established him as a proponent of the Civil Rights Movement. On The Road also captures the spirit of the Beat Generation and explores themes like rebellion, friendship, and the search for identity.

 

Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz & David Hayward

Note: the characters in Heads You Lose do not smoke pot themselves, they only grow it. Real-life romantic partners, Lisa Lutz and David Hayward wrote the alternate chapters of this gripping and clever novel about two pot-growing siblings.

When a dead body turns up on their cannabis farm, brother-sister duo Paul and Lacey Hansen cannot call the police for obvious reasons and choose to dump it in another location instead. But as more bodies pile up, it is evident someone is trying to send them a message.

Lutz and Hayward also left footnotes for readers about their conversations as they collaborated on this novel. Their unique literary experiment was very well received.

 

Felix Nasmyth in Budding Prospects by T.C Boyle

T.C. Boyle’s wacky comedy Budding Prospects is about a bunch of lovable losers who try to become rich by growing pot in California. Boyle has a way with words and is a master of similes and metaphors. No wonder this is one of the most recommended ‘high reading’ books for stoners!

 

Lucas Baker in Summer of ‘69 by Todd Strasser

Summer of ‘69 is a coming-of-age historical fictional story set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Lucas Baker, our young protagonist, plans on smoking weed and hanging out with his friends, while his girlfriend Robin is away for the summer.

But his plans change, as his parents head for a divorce, he has a run-in with an angry motorcycle gang, and his friend is on the front lines in the war facing the danger of not making it back safely.

 

Bob Arctor in Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick

Scanner Darkly is a near-dystopian novel about a narcotics agent Robert (Bob) Arctor. He goes undercover to help America’s war against drugs but becomes addicted himself.

The drug Arctor gets addicted to is not cannabis but something known as Drug D or Slow Death made from a small blue flower, but it is still a good example of cannabis in sci-fi, despite not actually being cannabis. There is a movie based on the novel starring Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey, Woody Harrelson, Jr., and Winona Ryder.

 

Ahmed Taroudant in Arab Jazz by Karim Miské (Translated by Sam Gordon)

Ahmed Taroudant, the protagonist of Arab Jazz by Karim Miské, dreams big and smokes a lot of marijuana. He is a laid-back French Arab who becomes the prime suspect in his neighbor’s murder, because she is found with a joint of pork near her body. To clear his name, Ahmed joins detectives Rachel Kupferstein and Jean Hamelot.

 

Hairy Pothead & the Marijuana Stone by Dana Larsen

This may not be an iconic stoner book but it is a hilarious, lesser-known one. Magical world collides with cannabis in this delightful parody with characters like ‘Hairy Pothead, McGanjagal, Gon Weedly, and Herbonme Stranger.

They have drug-fueled adventures at the Hempwards School of Herbcraft and Weedery. There are many other delightful analogies that stoner fans of Harry Potter will definitely want to check out.

 

Famous Literary Characters Who Smoke Marijuana: Final Thoughts

What did you think of this list of literary characters who smoke weed? Have you read all of the books or are some of them new to you?

Of course, I know there are many more characters I could have included. It was hard to narrow it down. I think I got the most iconic ones, but if there are others you feel deserve a spot on the list, please let me know in a comment below.