Tommy Chong, the actor, comedian and marijuana activist, believes the legalization of recreational use of the drug in two states last month has rekindled the pro-pot movement.

"Washington and Colorado are just the toe into the water," Chong said in an interview on Al Gore's Current TV network on Wednesday. "The whole body's following."

Chong, best known for his role opposite Richard "Cheech" Marin in "Up in Smoke," predicted that the Nov. 6 votes will have a ripple effect on the rest of the country, including the dissolution of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

"It's going to empty the jails, and we're probably going to disband the DEA," Chong, 74, said, pumping his fist.

In 2003, Chong was sentenced to nine months in federal prison for selling bongs and marijuana pipes through his company, Nice Dreams Enterprises.

Eighteen states—including Massachusetts, which overwhelmingly approved the measure on Election Day—and the District of Columbia currently have laws allowing the medical use of marijuana.

Legalization became law in the state of Washington on Thursday, and hundreds of supporters gathered under Seattle's Space Needle before noon to spark up together. According to the Associated Press, there was "nary a police officer in sight."