Connie Chung Comments on Marijuana Strain Named for Her in New Memoir

In Connie: A Memoir, Connie Chung, who broke through stereotypes and stigmas as an Asian woman newscaster starting in the 1960s, reflects on and meets with the "Connie Generation" of Asian women named in her honor. 

She then rather surprisingly ends the book: 

"As gratifying as the Connie Generation is, I have one more distinction of superior recognition. 

"There is a strain of weed named after me. Yes, a strain of marijuana named Connie Chung. I have not a clue how it came about. I tried smoking marijuana in college, and unlike Bill Clinton, I did inhale. However, still being a straight [pun intended?] arrow, I am not a weed smoker, not that there's anything wrong with it."

Perhaps Chung enjoyed her dance with Mary Jane in her formative years. The youngest of 10 children born to recent Chinese immigrants, she had a long road to climb to get to the top of her profession. Thankfully, it seems she chose a better relaxant than others to take the edge off. Her namestrain has been described as, "known for its hazy head high which can lead you down the road of unwinding and relaxing." 

Chung surprised Today Show hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hota Kolb during a book-tour interview in September by bringing up her namestrain and its/her qualities at the end of the segment, joking that her husband Maury Pauvich would disagree about her being "low maintenance."  

Chung reporting from the House of Representatives

The book reads,

"Nonetheless, if you look up my pot namesake online, you will find my characteristics. I am immensely proud to boast that I am easy to grow. I am deeply relaxing and happy; I am helpful under deadline; and I cause dry mouth but very, very little of the scaries. My flavor profile is described as berry, earthy, piney, sweet, and blueberry, with a blast of berry on the exhale....And this is the trait that I find the most admirable: I am low maintenance."

Flabbergasted, Guthrie could only blurt out, "We didn't expect this interview to go in this direction." (In other words, I have no words.) "Did you bring any?" Guthrie more calmly and pertinently inquired. "No, you can get it online," Chung replied. 

On The Daily Show extended interview, Chung asked host Ronnie Chieng if he had ever tried her namestrain. Chieng replied, "I don't smoke weed" in a kind of mock whisper and Chung answered, "Neither do I" in the same voice. She went on to say that a two-pack of Connie Chung pre-rolls was available online for $22. 

Excerpt from Connie

Connie ends with this inspiring passage: 

I am happy to share my pot namesake with my sisterhood of Connies, along with a message to inhale: remember to have a sense of humor, take your work seriously, don't forget to have a life and—most importantly—stretch your hand to others who are trying to climb on board.

It isn't just Asian women who have been inspired by Chung. In the movie Moscow on the Hudson, Maria Conchita Alonso explains to her Russian emigrant boyfriend (played by Robin Williams) that she wants to be a newscaster. When she says, "Like Connie Chung," he gets it. 

Among other inspiring women with cannabis strainsakes are Frida Kahlo, Phyllis Diller, and Wonder Woman, reported to be a "sweet but earthy strain that makes for a great daytime smoke" (because, Wonder Woman has to stay on her toes during working hours). 

Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, had a cannabis strain christened for her just after she was born. Strains Nina Limone, Margaret Cho-G and Markle's Sparkle cleverly honor their namesakes. Renowned Dutch cannabis breeders Sensi Seed named a strain for French activist and Author Michka (as they did for Jack Herer, now known more as a strain than as a person).