Steve Berke is in the middle of an ardent conversation about the decriminalization of marijuana and the plant's medicinal benefits when he interrupts himself to ask, "Do you know anybody who doesn't' know someone who smokes weed?"
We don't.
See also:
-Steve Berke: Comedian for Miami Beach mayor
-Steve Berke Releases His Mayoral Platform Via a Bruno Mars Parody Video
-Steve Berke, Ex-Miami Beach Mayoral Candidate, Drops "Pot Shop" Marijuana Rap
In fact, everyone that we know knows at least one person who recreationally smokes pot. Moreover, they probably smoke pot too.
And that's precisely what Berke is trying to remind folks with his latest music video, "Pot Shop," a pro-pot parody of Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" highlighting the medicinal value of Mary Jane.
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," Berke says. "I discovered 'Thrift Shop' when it had a million views [on YouTube]. I listened to the song, loved it. Watched it again, loved it."
It took a few months of "Thrift Shop" looping in Berke's brain before he started re-working the lyrics.
"The chorus was easy," he says. "I'm gonna smoke some weed, only got $20 in my pocket..."
He then studied the lyrical structure of the song and wrote the "somewhat goofy" first verse before slapping the public with weed facts.
"What you know about the science of marijuana?
What you know about people suffering from glaucoma?
They need it, they need it, it helps them with their condition
If don't believe me, then just ask some eye physicians"
We took his advice.
"Marijuana lowers eye pressure," says Dr. Linda Kaplan, Berke's Ophthalmologist and "Pot Shop" co-star. "Now, that's one aspect of it. The second aspect of it is what form of marijuana, and in what way it can be used so that it's safe."
Smoking weed, for example, is "not a good way to lower eye pressure," she says. "The marijuana can be processed and made into an eyedrop, and that's far more effective."
However, medical marijuana research is uncommon, and the eyedrop isn't available to treat the estimated 2.2 million Americans suffering from glaucoma.
"Not too many people want to do the work on illegal drugs," says Dr. Kaplan, though she personally favors "testing any molecule that has been found to be effective for lowering eye pressure" for patients with glaucoma.
"[Dr. Kaplan] is awesome," Berke says, admitting it took a few days before the ophthalmologist agreed to make a cameo in the video.
"[Steve] told me that [the video] was about marijuana. He asked me what I thought about marijuana for glaucoma, and I said, 'In fact, it does work. That is medically proven.'"
As luck would have it, it's also been medically proven that pot's not as bad as the federal government says it is.
"If you want to smoke marijuana recreationally, complete an eye exam by your ophthalmologist and make sure that your optic nerve is not comprised," says Dr. Kaplan. "As long as your optic nerve is not comprised, go ahead."
Puff. Puff. Pass.
Follow Crossfade on Facebook and Twitter @Crossfade_SFL.
