CANNABIS CULTURE – Medical marijuana comes to South Park in a new episode of the popular Comedy Central cartoon premiering Wednesday, March 31 at 10:00pm.

In “Medicinal Fried Chicken”, a store that sells medicinal marijuana moves into the quiet mountain town of South Park, Colorado, according to a press release issued by creators of the show. The boys are surprised to find the only Kentucky Fried Chicken location in South Park converted to a medical marijuana dispensary.

According to the release, “State Law in Colorado says it’s legal to smoke pot if you have a physician’s reference. Randy is the first-in-line to buy some, but he’s turned away because there’s absolutely nothing wrong with him. Randy is desperate to get a medical excuse to smoke some weed but, meanwhile, Cartman will do anything to get his beloved fried chicken restaurant back.”

Colorado has seen an explosion of medical marijuana dispensary openings in recent months, with records showing more med-pot locations than liquor stores, Starbucks or public schools. The converted KFC location in the show is a undoubtedly a reference to the real-life “Kind For Cures” dispensary in Southern California housed in an old KFC building.

For those not familiar with South Park, the controversial cartoon started in 1997 and is now in its 14th season, remaining the highest-rated series on Comedy Central. Co-creators and executive producers Trey Parker and Matt Stone have poked fun at the marijuana issue in several past episodes, including with a reoccurring pot-smoking bath-towel named Towelie, who is constantly reddening his huge eyes by puffing joints.

Marijuana culture has been featured on a number of other cartoons and comedy shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy in recent months, provoking cries of “sending the wrong message” from groups like the Parents Television Council, and leading to debates in the news media.

Watch full episodes of the show online at www.southparkstudios.com