# Marijuana in California. Was that Friday by Heinlein? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2018, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-in-california-was-that-friday-by-heinlein/819424 "2018-08-11T14:03:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-in-california-was-that-friday-by-heinlein/819424/1 "2018-08-11T14:03:24Z")
In a science fiction book I read in the '80s, the protagonist goes to California. There, marijuana had been legalised. I think it was even sold in vending machines, like cigarettes used to be sold. In my mind, the governor looked like Dr. Teeth from _The Muppets_. (Something about a top hat, I think.) Was that in [_Friday_](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61kbQ1sYDuL.jpg), by Robert Heinlein? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-in-california-was-that-friday-by-heinlein/819424/2 "2018-08-11T14:46:52Z")
I haven’t read it in years but I don’t recall any of that from _Friday_. I remember lottery tickets and the fact that they vote nearly all the time, but I don’t recall specifically that they were voting for governor or that the governor was ever described. I don’t recall any pot vending machine either, although I do think I remember that Friday got coffee from a vending machine while she was recuperating in the Company hospital. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-in-california-was-that-friday-by-heinlein/819424/3 "2018-08-11T15:09:05Z")
Heinlein’s Number of the Beast had one of the main characters take on board marijuana from the fields of Mars. I can’t think of any other mentions unless it was a later yet book. I have to reread Friday, it has been too long. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-in-california-was-that-friday-by-heinlein/819424/4 "2018-08-11T17:48:54Z")
It was in Friday. There were ads for marijuana when Friday was in California. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-in-california-was-that-friday-by-heinlein/819424/5 "2018-08-12T01:23:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > \<…\>In my mind, the governor looked like Dr. Teeth from _The Muppets_. (Something about a top hat, I think.)\<…\> If you’re referring to Chief Confederate John “Warwhoop” Tumbril, my mental image was something akin to a wimpy Jeff Sessions. > [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > It was in Friday. There were ads for marijuana when Friday was in California. Ads, yes, but I don’t recall vending machines. (Disclaimer: my copy of the book went on “permanent loan” years ago, so my recollection is certainly subject to correction.) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-in-california-was-that-friday-by-heinlein/819424/6 "2018-08-12T02:50:04Z")
I can’t identify a specific novel or story but that sounds more like Philip K. Dick, who featured legalized and commercially packaged cannabis in a number of stories often set in California. Dick, along with Paddy Chayefsky and J.G Ballard, was of the most prescient of narrative futurists. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-in-california-was-that-friday-by-heinlein/819424/7 "2018-08-12T17:15:43Z")
_ **Friday** _ was the first book I didn’t finish. About halfway through, a great revelation came over me: If I didn’t like it, I could just set it down and walk away. A great moment for me. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-in-california-was-that-friday-by-heinlein/819424/8 "2018-08-15T21:36:05Z")
I can think of another Heinlein marijuana reference. In _The Puppet Masters_, they take some highly refined form of it to slow their subjective experience of time during their leave. Obviously not what the OP remembers, but vaguely on-topic.