happy 4/20!
Happy 4/20 Folks! For this year, we’re sharing a blog that covers cannabis at all angles.
Legislation in the United States
In the past 13 years, we’ve seen cannabis medicalization, legalization, and decriminalization sweep over half the states in the United States. In 40 of the 50 states, medical cannabis is legal. In 24 states, recreational cannabis is legal. But federally, cannabis is still a schedule one drug, meaning there are still hurdles that we must overcome to prevent criminalization, to encourage research, and to encourage banking.
The Business of Cannabis in the United States
Genetic improvement occurs naturally in biology and has long been applied in agriculture, resulting in familiar examples such as seedless bananas, sweeter grapes, and eucalyptus trees that grow faster and resist pests. This same principle extends to cannabis breeding, where hybrid strains are developed to modify effects. For example, strains with more THCV terpenes can reduce munchies. And crossbreeding can elevate THC potency to levels far beyond those found in the original plant environment.
However, higher THC does not necessarily produce a better experience, as the effects of cannabis depend heavily on context, including a person’s mood, environment, and social setting. As the industry expands, the involvement of agricultural corporations could lower costs but may also shift cannabis away from its cultural and spiritual roots, similar to what has happened with tobacco.
At the same time, there is a growing call for reparations, highlighted by authors like Michelle Alexander in The New Jim Crow - Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, who critiques how the War on Drugs led to the mass incarceration of Black men while predominantly white entrepreneurs now profit from the legal cannabis market.
Legal Cannabis Internationally
Cannabis plants originate from Eastern Asia, in the region of Mongolia and the Himalayan foothills. However, the plant is widely distributed worldwide and adapts to many climate regions. There are multiple approaches to legalization, different from those in the USA, such as distribution models in Uruguay, Canada, Thailand, Jamaica, and the Netherlands.
Uruguay: legal since 2013, where people can buy Cannabis at pharmacies, grow it at home, and exchange it in Cannabis clubs. Pharmacies do not sell Cannabis with more than 15% THC. Cannabis clubs can have more than 30% of THC. Cannabis with lower THC and more CBD is cheaper.
Canada: legal since 2018, with more availability of CBD in a variety of markets. Licensed dispensaries are not very popular, and there is not much advertising as in the USA.
Thailand: the whole product chain has been legal since 2022, including possession, cultivation, distribution, consumption, and sales. In the first year, over 1 million citizens registered to grow cannabis, and over 3,500 dispensaries opened.
Jamaica: decriminalized since 2015, for personal possession under 2 ounces. Medical and religious (Rastafari) cannabis is legal.
Netherlands: decriminalized and distributed through coffee shops since the 1970s. The coffee shops do not sell more than 5 grams per customer per time, and there are laws to avoid public disturbance under the influence.
Source: Cannabis World Map: Interactive Map of Cannabis Laws
History of Cannabis Propaganda in the USA
Cannabis has been historically farmed in the US since the 17th century. But the creation of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930 brought prohibition against marijuana. The federal government changed the spelling from marihuana to marijuana in legislation to associate Cannabis with Mexican immigrants who moved to the country after the Mexican Revolution. Propaganda movies like Reefer Madness portrayed marijuana as a dangerous drug that caused violence and promiscuity in communities. Cannabis was also associated with jazz players in the Harlem Renaissance, and the Bureau of Narcotics created propaganda to demonize jazz music and diminish cultural values in the Black communities. In 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act imposed regulations and taxes on its cultivation, distribution, and use, setting the stage for decades of marijuana prohibition and strict enforcement among Latinx and Black neighborhoods.
Culture, Heritage, and People of Color
More broadly, cannabis can be understood as part of a larger system of plant medicines that provide cultural ecosystem services, supporting spirituality and knowledge systems. These systems include learning from cannabis to reflect, reduce stress, and build social bonds; from mushrooms to shift perspective and think creatively; and from ayahuasca to heal trauma and deepen self-awareness. In many traditions, such substances are integrated into ceremonies that foster connection with the inner self, meditation, and spiritual growth. The prohibition of cannabis can thus be seen not only as a legal issue but also as a rejection of diverse cultural perspectives on nature and knowledge—often shaped by Western regulatory systems that have historically excluded the voices and values of Indigenous peoples, Black communities, and other people of color. Cannabis has deep roots in cultural heritage, particularly within traditions such as Rastafarianism, where it has long been used in rituals and spiritual practices.
Source: https://sites.uab.edu/humanrights/2024/04/26/how-stigma-hurts-the-ethnicity-in-marijuana/
Marijuana in pop culture
Marijuana has been a part of American pop culture for close to 100 years now. With films like Reefer Madness and Half Baked, we've seen marijuana referenced in pop culture in a variety of ways. From music to movies to political scandals, marijuana has played a big role in pop culture, and as legalization and decriminalization have proliferated across the country, we will continue to see marijuana referenced in pop culture.
Musicians like Bob Marley, Jhené Aiko, Snoop Dogg, Kim Gordon, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, and countless others have made songs dedicated to their love for the cannabis plant. In 1976, Jamaican reggae star Peter Tosh debuted his studio album Legalize It. In 1975, the title track, in which he talks about all the medical uses for cannabis and how People from all walks of life use it was banned in Jamaica
Fast forward to the 90s, where genres such as stoner comedies like Half Baked are becoming an emerging genre of film; stoner films often have cannabis as a central theme or cannabis culture prominently featured. We can’t talk about stoner films without talking about Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, a comedy duo that did stand-up films, and cannabis was a big part of their legacy. Films like Friday open with, “It’s Friday. You ain’t got no job, it's time to get high.” When we examine cannabis and pop culture, we go from the fear-mongering propaganda like Reefer Madness to stoner comedies like The Big Lebowski in the 90s, How High, Jay and Silent Bob, and Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle in the early 2000s. This progression shows a greater acceptance of cannabis use despite the reliance on stereotypes about cannabis users.
In music, cannabis is often referenced both explicitly and more subtly, personifying the plant. Politically, for all or most of the 20th century, cannabis was illegal, and despite that, a few US presidents have admitted to trying cannabis, namely President Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, which has brought up the question of racial and class disparities in drug arrests.
Why 420?
420 is now synonymous with cannabis consumption, and for many people, when the clock strikes 4:20 pm, that signifies a time to smoke. Back in the 1970s, there was a group of students known as the Waldos: Steve Capper, Dave Reddicks, Jeffrey Knoll, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravis at San Rafael High School who would meet at 4:20 pm to smoke, and they began using 420 as a code for cannabis. This group of guys eventually connected with the Grateful Dead, and they helped popularize the term. In 1990, a group of Deadheads handed out flyers inviting people to smoke on April 20 at 4:20 pm, and one of those flyers ended up in the hands of Steven Bloom, a High Times reporter. Bloom helped print the flyer in the magazine, which helped continue the reference. As the years went on, 4/20 became increasingly popular.
Is 4/20 a special date for you? Why? What are your 4/20 plans?