If you’re a regular patron of your local Seattle Dispensary, you’re probably well aware that cannabis is more than just a plant.
For many people, cannabis represents a culture, a way of life, a certain mode of thinking.
It’s a signifier of counter-culture, a disregard for the straight-edge, square-thinking “man”, and even a declaration of rebelliousness and freethinking.
Okay - nowadays weed is a bit more mainstream - it has government approval, it’s cultivated by multinational corporations, and the tax revenue it generates is used to improve social infrastructure in numerous states.
But cannabis culture moves with the times, and it shows no sign of slowing down as the sticky green flower becomes more popular than ever.
For people outside of the world of ganja, cannabis holidays sound like yet another excuse to blaze up. But for people on the inside, these occasions are an opportunity to celebrate the activists and outriders who pushed through the acceptance and legalization of cannabis, as well as pay respect to the millions wrongfully imprisoned for possession of a simple plant.
Cannabis Holiday: From Back Alleys to Seattle Dispensaries
Nowadays, weed is legal in 18 states of our glorious nation. But it wasn’t too long ago that the entire billion dollar weed industry was in the hands of the black market.
If you were a dedicated weed smoker in those days, your re-ups were on street corners and in secluded car parks. If you were really deep in the game you had your own little grow setup, or knew a friend or family member with green fingers.
And because the entire community was forced underground, persecuted, and criminalized, it had a kind of galvanizing effect. You’d know all the dealers and growers in your area, and most of the smokers too.
If you walked past someone in the street with the aroma of weed, you’d exchange a subtle nod. “I see you.” There was an unspoken connection that linked together cannabis growers and smokers all over the country.
No matter what the law at the time said, cannabis culture has been alive and well for decades, bubbling under the surface, waiting for it's time to shine. And like any other culture, cannabis has its own heros, celebrities, and cultural landmarks.
Think of Jack Herer, Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, or the first cannabis clubs, the first state to legalize, or the first dispensaries.
And as well as these iconic people, events, and places, cannabis culture also has its own holiday.
Okay, maybe there’s a little work to do until 4:20 becomes a federally recognized national holiday. But for those who have been embedded in the culture for decades (as well as newcomers) government approval is far from a necessity.
4:20 celebrations continue to grow year after year, as people of all ages, races, genders, and professions come together to bask in the glory of all things dank and green.
But where did 4:20 start? And what other weed holidays are we missing out on?
4:20 - The OG canna holiday
Cannabis culture is in the spotlight more than ever nowadays, and you don't need to be Cheech and Chong to know 4:20 is a codeword passed between weed users that generally means “time to blaze up.”
4:20 has become so popularized that its original meaning has become somewhat irrelevant - it means something different to every stoner and is celebrated and honored in various ways.
The 4th of April has become a day that represents all things cannabis - but these representations manifest in different ways. Some use it as an opportunity to flaunt the use of weed, coming together in parks and public spaces to get high on masse. And very often the police are powerless to react in the face of this passive mass demonstration.
Other cities hold larger, more direct demonstrations, marching on legislative and police buildings to push the weed agenda even further. There are still plenty of states who have yet to legalize recreational marijuana and even some that are making it hard for medicinal cannabis users to acquire the plant.
But for most, it’s just an excuse to head down to their local Seattle dispensary, buy some extra special high grade and smoke up with their friends and family. It’s a day to remember how far the acceptance of weed has come.
And more than this, it’s a day to give thanks for the relaxing, anxiety-busting, and carefree effects of the cannabis plant. For many people weed is a gift from God, and 4:20 is the ideal time to sit back and appreciate the things that make life wonderful.
It’s become such a widespread event it can even be recorded in terms of its impact on the economy. The delivery platform goPuff revealed uptake in “munchies” being delivered every 4:20, with Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream and Sour Patch Kids candy being the top two requested stoner snacks last year. They also recorded an 80% rise in food orders like chips, cookies, candy, and beef jerky.
But where did it all start?
If you’ve spent any amount of time reading about cannabis history on the internet, you’ll know that 4:20 has more origin stories than Peter Parker.
Others are adamant that 4.20 is the police radio code for “cannabis consumption in progress”.
It’s one of those urban legends that seem to have appeared out of a haze of smoke, and we might not ever know for sure where this tale began.
However, there seems to be a consensus that the number was born at San Rafael High School, Marin County, California.
The story goes that in 1971 there were five eager weed-smoking students. Every day their school obligations would end at precisely 4:20 pm.
With their school day over, they were free to get high and put it all behind them…
But how did this secret code between students become a worldwide phenomenon?
Well, as it turns out, one of these students, Dave Reddix to be precise, became the roadie to the bassist from The Grateful Dead. He obviously took the codeword with him, because in 1990 the band produced a flier for a gig in Oakland that encouraged people to smoke “420” on April 20 at 4:20 p.m.
A year later, and the flyer was reproduced on the cover of the popular Cannabis magazine, The High Times, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The term spread from city to city, town to town, friend to friend. Nowadays people in London, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Johannesburg, and Bogota know that once that clock hits twenty past four, it’s time to light up.
So now the big daddy is out of the way, here are some lesser-known cannabis holidays you might not know about. The dispensary near me was the first to bring my attention to these dates, but they’re all gaining traction in the battle to rival April 4th.
August 8th: CBD Day
CBD has had a meteoric rise to fame over the last few years. From an unknown cannabinoid that lived in the shadow of its big sister THC, CBD has played a major role in shifting the perception of cannabis.
It’s the driver of the ever-growing medical marijuana industry, and as cannabis research continues, more light is shed on the anti-inflammatory, pain-killing properties of the compound.
There are now hundreds of thousands of people in America who use CBD as a way to soothe their bodily pains and calm anxious minds. A lot of these CBD users are people who never thought of cannabis as anything other than a “drug” and these therapeutic properties are helping soften public opinion.
It’s only right CBD has its own day. It’s a recognition of the role CBD is playing in bringing relief to many people’s lives and a representation of the benign and far-reaching uses of cannabis.
June 18th: Jack Herer’s Birthday
If you listen to the politicians of the day (another reason you probably need to smoke weed to wash away your stresses) then you’ll be forgiven for thinking that congress and the senate should take all the credit for the legalization of weed.
They want to be praised for taking the power and profit away from criminals, for reducing the number of minors in contact with the plant, and for the bumper tax revenues it's creating.
But the reality is that the bulk of the work was done by regular everyday people like me, you, and Jack Herer.
Affectionately known as “The Emperor of Hemp” Mr. Herer was a prominent cannabis rights activist. His lifetime of work galvanized the legalization movement and pushed forward the plentiful industrial uses of hemp.
There is even a strain named after him. The legendary cannabis geneticists Sensi Seeds rank Jack Herer as their most costly seed, and one of the finest smokes the world has to offer. This one’s for you, Jack.
July 10th: Oils and Concentrates Day
Okay so this one might be a bit of a stretch, but apparently, it’s a thing.
Dabbing has become a modern buzzword, but whilst most people know it as a dance meme, it’s also emerging as one of the most popular ways to consume cannabis.
Cannabis has come a long way in the past few years. And one amazing product of legislation is that cannabis retailers are spending their R&D budget finding new ways to get high.
Oils and concentrates such as wax and shatter are made from the juicy goodness extracted from cannabis with high pressure or chemical processes. For many, they’re the only way to get high, and there’s a whole generation of users that know no different.
If you flip 7:10 upside down, it looks like the word OIL.
So at 7:10 pm on July 10th, get your dab rigs fired up homie.
October 5th: Commemorating the Victims of Prohibition
For the majority of the 20th century, cannabis was completely outlawed in all states of America.
For over 70 years, for no scientific or logical reason, possessing even the smallest amounts of cannabis was enough to send people to prison for ridiculous terms. These laws were used to target, harass, and disrupt minority communities, even to this day.
Hundreds of thousands of people have served time for possessing a plant. Seems stupid right? These are years, even entire lives that have been taken and will never be recovered.
And to add salt to the wound, businessmen, shareholders, and stock investors are now making millions of dollars from cannabis while many of the victims of prohibition remain locked away.
Oct 5th is a day not just of commemoration, but rage. Rage at the system that took away lives, broke families and tore apart communities.
November 6th: Legalization Day
And finally, if you’re still struggling for an excuse to head down to your local dispensaries and cop an 8th of Seattle’s finest weed, look no further than Cannabis Legalisation Day.
On this day in 2012 (a day that will live in greenery), our fine state of Washington became the first in the United State to allow people to buy and smoke weed for nothing more than their own pleasure.
It was a landmark day that showed state and federal governments alike that cannabis activism wasn’t going away.
The wave of legalization and acceptance of cannabis started long before this date, and there’s still a way to go. But this landmark event proves that the people cannot be silenced and that legislation should be based on scientific fact and public consensus, not the whims of the rich and powerful .
