Cannabis culture

Social custom

Consumption

Main article: Recreational drug use

Cannabis was once sold in clubs known as "Teapads" during Prohibition in the United States; jazz was usually played at these clubs. Cannabis use was often viewed to be of the lower class and was disliked by many. After the outlawing of cannabis, its consumption became covert. Decades later cannabis became once again tolerated by some regions' legislation. Customs have formed around the consumption of cannabis such as 420, named after the popular time of day to consume cannabis (4:20 p.m.) and celebrated on April 20 (4/20). If consumed in a social setting it is encouraged to share cannabis with others.

Use of euphemisms

Euphemisms have long been used by subcultures to identify parts of their culture, and this pertains especially to subcultures of things that are taboo, including cannabis. Cannabis as a product has among the highest number of direct euphemisms, with even more for related elements of cannabis culture. One of the most common cannabis euphemisms, 420, was coined in the 1970s, but other terms are centuries older. A slang scholar, Jonathon Green, noted in 2017 that even though various countries and US states were decriminalizing and legalizing cannabis, more slang terms were still being coined; he suggested that while the original need for euphemisms was because of the illegality, it had become part of the culture as those using the slang terms did not focus on the legal status of the drug, telling Time that coming up with new slang terms "is also simply fun". However, in 2021, it was suggested by researchers that new euphemisms were being coined to evade internet censors and automated moderation so that members of cannabis subcultures could discuss their use online even as common slang terms were added to banned word lists. They also suggested that, for this reason, many of the more recent euphemisms repurposed common words with innocuous meanings, as these words are less likely to be banned (it gave the example of "pot", though this is older).

The use of euphemisms and other related argot also identifies a person as belonging to a complex subculture of cannabis use both globally and regionally, with different terms in different regions. The argot also contributes to the identity of these subcultures by "provid[ing] socially constructed ways of talking, thinking, expressing, communicating and interacting among marijuana users and distributors. [...] These words convey the dynamic expressiveness involved in shared consumption and as a comprehensive communication system among subculture participants."

In the arts

As the psychoactive effects of cannabis include increased appreciation of the arts, including and especially music, as well as increased creativity, its influence and usefulness can be found in a variety of works. While coded names of cannabis appeared in music as early as the 1920s, such as Louis Armstrong's song, "Muggles", it was not until the 1960s and 1970s that artists began referencing it explicitly. Songs and albums famous for their cannabis-centric lyrics produced during this time include "Got to Get You into My Life" by the Beatles, "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" by Bob Dylan, Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf", and cannabis themed album "Kaya" by Bob Marley.

Today, countless artists, not constrained to any drug-culture-specific genre, have opened up about their substance consumption and how it has inspired their works. Snoop Dogg's love of marijuana is very well known, having created his own line of weed, vaporizer pen, and website focusing on cannabis culture. Willie Nelson, who owns a cannabis company called Willie's Reserve, has even said that smoking saved his life. Willie's Reserve Label is known for promoting social reform in hopes of ending marijuana and hemp prohibitions; it also partners with local Colorado growers, extractors and edibles makers for his wholesale brand. Whereas Jay-Z also represents TPCO, which is now one of the largest cannabis companies in the world, as a 'Visionary Officer'. Young artists like Greg Welch produce hundreds of pieces of art using cannabis flowers, extracts and accessories. Canadian actor and comedian Seth Rogen has a popular line of smoking accessories and home goods under the name Houseplant. Other contemporary artists who have been vocal about their cannabis use include Shawn Mendes Miley Cyrus, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Zayn Malik, Wiz Khalifa, Rihanna, and Dave Chappelle.

The Marley Family, to keep Bob Marley's legacy alive, started Marley Natural in 2016. Sound Tribe Sector 9, now part of Colorado's cannabis culture, partnered with Green Dot Labs to release exclusive hash pens.

In 2024, the Marley family collaborated with cannabis company Jeeter to launch a limited-edition line of cannabis products honoring Bob Marley's legacy.

Cultures

Main article: Drug culture

Cannabis — the plant that produces hemp, hashish, and marijuana — has been one of the most used psychoactive drugs in the world since the late 20th century, following only tobacco and alcohol in popularity. According to Vera Rubin, the use of cannabis has been encompassed by two major cultural complexes over time: a continuous, traditional folk stream, and a more circumscribed, contemporary configuration. The former involves both sacred and secular use, and is usually based on small-scale cultivation: the use of the plant for cordage, clothing, medicine, food, and a "general use as an euphoriant and symbol of fellowship." The second stream of expansion of cannabis use encompasses "the use of hemp for commercial manufacturers utilizing large-scale cultivation primarily as a fiber for mercantile purposes"; but it is also linked to the search for psychedelic experiences (which can be traced back to the formation of the Parisian Club des Hashischins).

Cannabis has been used in the ancient past in places such as ancient India, Romania, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. It was often used as medicine or for hemp, its main route of consumption was smoking. In addition, the plant holds cultural significance in many Eurasian countries. Hemp is associated within cultural rituals like marriage, death, birth, healing, protection, and purification. In some Eastern European folklore, hemp links a spirit to the afterlife.

Over time the culture became more international and a general "cannabis culture" formed. The culture has been responsible for the genre of films known as stoner films, which has come to be accepted as a mainstream cinema movement. In the United States the culture has also spawned its own celebrities (such as Tommy Chong and Terence McKenna), and magazines (such as Cannabis Culture and High Times). In 2018 South Korea legalized medical marijuana. Cannabis is illegal in China but is used in some medical practices and to make hemp. In Europe recreational use of cannabis is illegal, however, a National survey reports that 8% of adults have used cannabis.

India

Main article: Cannabis in India

Cannabis is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. Cannabis is also known to have been used by the ancient Hindus of the Indian subcontinent thousands of years ago. The herb is called ganja (, IAST: ) or ganjika in Sanskrit and other modern Indo-Aryan languages. Some scholars suggest that the ancient drug soma, mentioned in the Vedas, was cannabis, although this theory is disputed.

Today cannabis is often formed into bhang, which has become an integral part of tradition and custom in the Indian subcontinent. In some sections of rural India, people attribute various medicinal properties to the cannabis plant. If taken in proper quantity, bhang is believed to cure fever, dysentery, sunstroke, to clear phlegm, aid in digestion, appetite, cure speech imperfections and lisping, and give alertness to the body.

Jamaica

Main article: Cannabis in Jamaica, Rastafari

By the 8th century, cannabis had been introduced by Arab traders to Central and Southern Africa, where it is known as "dagga"; many Rastas say it is a part of their African culture that they are reclaiming. It is sometimes also referred to as "the healing of the nation", a phrase adapted from Revelation 22:2.

Alternatively, the migration of many thousands of Hindus and Muslims from British India to the Caribbean in the 20th century may have brought this culture to Jamaica. Many academics point to Indo-Caribbean origins for the ganja sacrament resulting from the importation of Indian migrant workers in a post-abolition Jamaican landscape. "Large scale use of ganja in Jamaica ... dated from the importation of indentured Indians...."(Campbell 110). Dreadlocked mystics Jata, often ascetic known as sadhus or Sufi Qalandars and Derwishes, have smoked cannabis from both chillums and coconut shell hookahs in South Asia since the ancient times. Also, the reference of "chalice" may be a transliteration of "jam-e-qalandar" (a term used by Sufi ascetics meaning 'bowl or cup of qalandar'). In South Asia, in addition to smoking, cannabis is often consumed as a drink known as bhang and most qalandars carry a large wooden pestle for that reason.

United States

Marijuana's history in American culture began during the Colonial Era. During this time, hemp was a critical crop, so colonial governments in Virginia and Massachusetts required land-owning farmers to grow marijuana for hemp-based products. Two of the nation's founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, were notable cultivators of hemp. Another Colonial Era figure, John Adams, was a recreational user and wrote about hemp's mind-altering powers.

Beatnik

Main article: Beatnik

Marijuana use was associated with the subculture, and during the 1950s, Aldous Huxley's 1954 book The Doors of Perception further influenced views on drugs. When it came to cannabis the Beats were the first generation where it was central. Marijuana was integrated into many facets of cultural exchange and self-expression. Their assimilation of cannabis would later influence the hippie movement.

Hippie

Main article: Hippie

Following in the footsteps of the Beatniks, many hippies used cannabis, considering it pleasurable and benign. Growing the plant was common practice among hippies. During the 1960s and 1970s, hippies defied many cultural and mainstream norms and having the shared substance choice of marijuana served as a sign of unity. Initially, cannabis leaves, which contain comparatively less THC than buds, were smoked by hippies.

However, there were some within the community who turned against drugs completely as a distinct way of achieving freedom .

Hip hop

The denigration of hard drug use by inner city youth played a prominent role in the entrenchment of marijuana in the Hip-Hop culture. Blunts are a favored method of consumption. Following Cypress Hill's debut and Dr. Dre's The Chronic, the early 1990s launched cannabis from taboo to commonplace among the scene. Songs featuring lyrics about plant, pot leaf imagery and nods to smoking accessories like Zig-Zag rolling papers, shifted the perspective of pot. “I think marijuana/weed was always part of the culture, it was just underground,” Sen Dog told Cuepoint.

Australia

Australia's harm-reduction policy allows for the legality of certain drug use as a form of medication and healing provided by public healthcare. This has led to a higher dependency on cannabis for cannabis users following what the National Library of Medicine refers to as DSM-IV.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, coffee shops sell cannabis under certain strict provisions, due to marijuana's classification as a 'soft drug.' The Dutch policy of tolerance is generally considered successful but some concerns arise over drug tourism and cultivation, as it is still illegal to grow marijuana.

Events

Notable cannabis-related events have included the Cannabis Cup, Global Marijuana March, Hanfparade, High Times Medical Cannabis Cup, MardiGrass, Spannabis, and Tokers Bowl.

Annual events in the United States include the Boise Hempfest, Emerald Empire Hempfest, Freedom Rally, Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival, Hash Bash, Missoula Hempfest, Moscow Hemp Fest, National Cannabis Festival, National Cannabis Summit, Olympia Hempfest, Portland Hempstalk Festival, Salem Hempfest, and Seattle Hempfest. One of the most recent highlights in the cannabis industry has been the growing popularity of 420 festivals in the United States. These festivals bring together cannabis enthusiasts, businesses, and advocates to celebrate cannabis culture and innovation.

Media

Media coverage of marijuana has progressed in recent history. Attention and coverage of the drug began in the 1930s when fabricated horror stories of its effects were used to scare the public and influence public opinion. To push the negative connotations of marijuana even more, films such as Marihuana (1936) and Reefer Madness (1937) were created.

Cannabis-related media include Cannabis Planet, High Times, Stoner TV and Weedtuber. Websites include Leafly, MassRoots, Merry Jane, Price of Weed and Wikileaf. Podcasts, another format adopted into cannabis media, include Seed to CEO, Weed + Grub and Cannabis Law Podcast.

Video games

The social game Pot Farm created "the largest cannabis community on earth", with 20 million unique players across its platforms and a 2011 figure of over 1 million users on Facebook. Wiz Khalifa's WeedFarm app (launched in 2017) was a casual mobile game where users tended to a cannabis farm and brand with the rapper's help. A number of similar tycoon style-games have been released.

Social media

"Social media posts, such as on the popular site Twitter, also reflect attitudes toward marijuana policy, with more marijuana-related communications with positive sentiment generated in states with legal recreational marijuana policies." Retailers may utilize social media platforms to advertise product, sometime through celebrity/influencer endorsement.

Notes

References

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