Tommy Chong rose to fame as half of Cheech and Chong, the comedy duo whose albums and films in the 1970s and 1980s, including Up in Smoke, made stoner humour mainstream. His laid back persona and distinctive voice became instantly recognisable, and short lines from that character have circulated online as reaction sounds and meme clips. The I'm high delivery sums up that persona in a few seconds, which is why creators keep reusing it as shorthand for a dazed, happy go lucky attitude rather than explaining the joke.