‘Green Buds and Hash’: Pot activist under fire for Dr. Seuss parody

CTV Vancouver: Outrage over pot parody book A Vancouver pot activist is under fire for publishing a Dr. Seuss-inspired children's book about smoking marijuana.

It’s billed as a playful parody of a Dr. Seuss classic, but not everyone’s laughing.

Pot activist Dana Larsen said he penned “Green Buds and Hash” primarily to educate and entertain adults, but he believes it’s appropriate for all ages.

“Some people tell me they read this book to their children,” Larsen told CTV News. “Those are mostly medical marijuana users themselves who want to explain what cannabis is.”

Like the original, “Green Eggs and Ham,” the book features a narrator who is reluctant to try something new – in this case, marijuana.

Another character, Mister Stash, tries to entice him with various methods of imbibing.

“Would you like them in a joint?” Stash asks.

“No, I would not, what’s the point?” the narrator replies.

The book has been out for about a month and Larsen said the feedback he’s received has been mostly positive. Naturally, some people aren’t amused.

Pot prohibitionist Pamela McColl of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Canada said she’s worried Larsen’s book normalizes pot use.

“To take a work that is so well-loved and to put it out as a smoking marijuana propaganda piece is just very irresponsible,” McColl said.

McColl is no stranger to publishing. She was the author who released a version of yuletide classic “T’was the Night Before Christmas” that erased Santa’s pipe.

She also said “Green Buds and Hash” could constitute copyright infringement.

“That will be up to [Seuss publisher] Random House to look at, and possibly Dr. Seuss’s widow,” McColl said.

Larsen said he’s confident his book is protected as a work of parody, and that he’s already planning to go ahead with plays on other classics, including “Jack and the Hempstalk” and “Little Green Riding Hood.”

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Peter Grainger