John Fetterman Sparks Avalanche of Jokes, Support and Anger With 4/20 Post

Democratic Senator John Fetterman has been met with praise, jokes and condemnation after he posted a tweet referencing 4/20—a day celebrated by many marijuana smokers.

The senator, who represents Pennsylvania, shared a photo of himself with a flag showing a cannabis leaf and the slogan "It's 420 somewhere," and he later argued for legalization of the drug commonly known as weed.

Twitter users had a mixed response to Fetterman's tweet, with some criticizing and mocking the Democrat but others supporting him and some making light of the fact that he had referenced 4/20.

"It's 4:20 on 4/20. That's the tweet," the senator wrote on Thursday.

Donald Trump Jr., eldest son of former President Donald Trump, shared Fetterman's tweet and wrote: "Literally a 'this is your brain on drugs' moment."

Trump Jr. has been critical of Fetterman in the past and previously referred to the senator as a "vegetable," in reference to the Democrat's health problems.

Fetterman has recently returned to the Senate following a hospital stay where he received treatment for depression.

Direct responses to the senator's tweet were mixed, with user @RebelwoApplause writing: "Best thing I've heard all day," while Noah William Alter responded: "I love you @SenFettermanPA . #LegalizeIt."

However, there was also criticism of Fetterman's post among those who chose to reply directly to his tweet.

"You know that you're a senator, correct? Like you're not in a college frat. Stop dressing like you are stop acting like you are," tweeted Carmine Sabia, whose account describes him as a Christian and conservative.

"I was gonna go to Senate, but then I got ..." joked user Nico Guy. That was a reference to the 2001 song "Because I Got High" by American rapper Afroman.

Twitter user and author Ron Bassilian shared the well-known "How do you do, fellow kids?" meme showing actor Steve Buscemi disguised as a teenager during an episode of hit TV show 30 Rock.

Fetterman has long supported legalizing weed nationwide and during his Senate campaign in 2022, he was even selling T-shirts showing cannabis leaves.

"This 4/20 I want everyone to think about the 20,000 Pennsylvanians who get arrested each year bc weed STILL isn't legal," Fetterman said in another series of tweets on Thursday.

"I always have and always will fight for legal weed & ending the racist War on Drugs. LEGAL WEED FOR PA + USA," the senator said.

The Democrat added that in Pennsylvania, "getting arrested for weed leads to imprisonment, lower earnings" and "diminished opportunities."

"No more Refer Madness," Fetterman added—a reference to the 1936 anti-drugs propaganda film Reefer Madness, which has become the subject of mockery in the decades since its release.

Fetterman called for weed to be removed from the list of Schedule 1 substances under the Controlled Substances Act, as well as expunging weed convictions and "Common sense Homegrow."

Newsweek has reached out to John Fetterman's office via email for comment.