Cannabis Culture and Celebrity Stoners
Across the ages, cannabis culture has become deeply ingrained as part of our societal roots.
Famous stoners range from the likes of reggae legend Bob Marley to famous comedian Seth Rogen. Throughout the past century, weed culture has gained tremendous momentum as not only a cultural phenomenon but as an integral part of everyday life for the stoner population.
Tracing back the roots of cannabis culture in the United States, 1943’s short film “Hemp for Victory” promoted farmers growing cannabis for a variety of uses as a way to benefit soldiers in World War II. This helped set a positive tone and outlook on cannabis as a plant that could be used for a wide range of beneficial purposes.
From being used for religious sacrament to being the oldest is the oldest material ever used by mankind to make cloth and clothing, cannabis can be described as a “wonder plant.”
The Rise of the Hippie Stoner
In the 1960s, cannabis advocates of the time included musical icons such as The Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, and The Rolling Stones.
Their music and public persona was largely defined by their relationship with the green goddess. Songs such as The Beatles’ “Gotta Get You Into My Life” and Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf” discussed cannabis in a low-key manner that more easily made way for the emergence of cannabis oriented popular media.
1969’s cultural phenomenon Woodstock featuring The Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix was largely characterized by its rampant cannabis use, further indoctrinating the classic caricature of the hippie stoner.
Starting off with the publication of the first High Times issue in 1974 and the advent of famous stoners Cheech & Chong’s movies of the 1970s, smoking marijuana gradually grew to become less taboo. More celebrity stoners stepped up to the plate unabashedly as they echoed their profound love for the cannabis plant far and wide.
Cannabis Culture Expands
The hippie stoners of the 1960s and 70s set the pace for the culture of cannabis here in the states. After California allowed cannabis to be prescribed to those suffering from severe illnesses in 1996, several other states followed suit. As the late 1990s gave way to the early 2000s, we began to see the emergence of cannabis brands and popular media that revolved around stoner culture.
Films such as Half Baked, How High and Kevin Smith’s Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back that came out of this era made way to a whole new genre of comedy known as stoner flicks. Iconic in its own right,
Half Baked helped put now world renowned comedian and celebrity stoner Dave Chappelle on the map. The 1998 film offered an inside glimpse on the cannabis subculture of the time while offering cameos from some old time advocates, most notably Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson.
Half Baked helped lead the way for 2001 stoner comedy How High featuring iconic rappers Method Man and Redman. The film glorified cannabis smoking as it featured the two main characters indulging in marijuana only to find themselves getting perfect scores on the SATs and breezing their way through Harvard University.
Since that time period, stoner comedies have become deeply ingrained with the culture of cannabis. Later films such as Pineapple Express featuring James Franco and Seth Rogan further popularized the comedy genre. In 2005, the iconic dark comedic show Weeds told the story about one mother’s quest to succeed as a ganja dealer whale providing inside knowledge around the culture of consuming and selling cannabis.
Celebrity Stoners Invade Weed Culture
It’s evident that certain musical genres have become more closely synonymous with stoner culture. One of the genres where weed culture has undeniably had the strongest impact is hip-hop. Musical artists such as Wu-Tang Clan and Redman and Method Man openly discussed cannabis in their lyrical content.
Some significant hip-hop releases in this category include Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Chronic 2001, Cypress Hill’s “Hits From The Bong” and “Dr. Greenthumb,Eminem’s “Must Be The Ganja,” and Lil’ Wayne’s “Kush.”
In 1998, Cypress Hill teamed up with powerhouse promoter at the time Guerilla Union for the first ever Smoke Out Festival. The festival was created to help raise awareness around cannabis counter-culture and ran until 2003 before then taking a hiatus until 2009.
Smokeout successfully helped define the place of cannabis in hip-hop culture and eventually gave way to the development of additional cannabis festivals, which have since grown in leaps and bounds popularity-wise. Some cannabis contests such as the Emerald Cup also presumably witnessed the rising trend of cannabis culture events and added festival components and curated musical lineups onto their programming.
In the mid 2010s, the United States experienced a number of states legalize the recreational use of cannabis. With a growing number of cannabis laws being passed, music artists such as Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg have used their tremendous success in music as a launchpad to start their own mega empires in the cannabis space. In addition, this also directly resulted in a proliferation of cannabis oriented media and content.
While cannabis may have affected some genres of music more than others, its impact is visible across almost every sector of the music and entertainment industry. Renowned music artists such as Willie Nelson have used their previous fame as a launchpad to become industry titans. Filmmaker Kevin Smith recently kicked off his own smoking gear line “Famous Brandz” that sells a wide range of smoking paraphernalia which includes bongs, pipes, grinders, and stash jars. Fueled by her passion for cannabis, famous television star Roseanne Barr of Roseanne recently started her own dispensary in Orange County, CA.
The Culture of Cannabis Invades the Mainstream
In addition, cannabis has significantly impacted both pop and festival culture. Huge pop icons such as Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Miley Cyrus have come forth praising the green goddess. Proclaiming their love for cannabis far and wide has directly resulted in a more wide acceptance of weed culture at large.
In 2019, dawning a superstar lineup which included Childish Gambino, Paul Simon, and Twenty One Pilots, Outside Lands became the first US festival that was granted a permit to legally sell cannabis. The cannabis was only to be consumed in a specific sectioned off smoking area. Prior to COVID-19, this trend was expected to significantly grow in popularity throughout the 2020 festival season and beyond.
As consuming cannabis has become more widely accepted in the United States, we’ve seen its continual impact on popular culture and society at large. While cannabis’ impact on popular culture can be traced back to the 1930s, the movement has only exponentially grown in the years since. As an increasing number of cannabis laws continue to be passed in the United States, we can expect to see a growing cannabis culture and an increasing number of famous stoners that endorse it.
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What Is Visionary Art?
Visionary art is art that purports to transcend the physical world and portray a wider vision of awareness including spiritual or mystical themes, or is based in such experiences – Wikipedia
Over the last two decades, the Visionary Art movement has exploded in exponential growth…
As humanity comes into awareness of a higher consciousness as a whole, we see the masses are more and more drawn towards art and music that carries the essence of elevated consciousness and deeper meaning.
Music Festivals and Visionary Art
One major catalyst for the widespread appreciation for Visionary Art Is the blossoming of music festivals and festival culture worldwide.
Music lovers from all walks of life are participating in multiple day campout festivals by the hundreds thousands. Maybe even millions. People come out to these festivals to free themselves from mundane life in the matrix and their daily grind.
These transformational gatherings are a place for people to come together in a sense of free spirited appreciation for life. Festival heads are looking for a refreshing approach to music, art, and creativity.
Sunset Aerialist Performance in Visionary Village Gallery at Lightning In A Bottle Festival
These festivals often steer away from the mainstream path of commercialized music but towards a limitless world of new sonic territory.
The people that enjoy these new sounds are also often enamored with visual art that push the boundaries of familiar pop art.
Hence, the new generation of Visionary Artists
These artists may have pushed the limits of their own consciousness through the use of mind expanding plant medicines and various psychedelics. From this fertile soil of creativity, groundbreaking styles of art begin to emerge, and leading the charge is none other than Alex Grey.
Alex Grey working on his painting “Higher Vision”
Click here for “Higher Vision Merch”
A living Master, Alex Grey has traveled the inter-dimensional portals through time and space and returned with works of art that boggle the mind and create the highest sense of awe. He morphs his command of human anatomy and subtle energy fields to create a visual that pushes the limits of imagination.
Toward the end of his college years in the late 70’s, Alex embarked on his journey of creating psychedelic Visionary Art after taking LSD with his wife, Allyson.
Over the next four decades, Alex has created his legendary catalogue of paintings and books that have established him as the top artist in the visionary art world.
As he credits painters from many centuries past, Alex himself creates timeless pieces of art that tell the story of humanity from his elevated perspective. His imagery speaks to our deeper longings of soul searching and bridges the gap into the spirit and metaphysical world.
The depth of the profound message through his paintings has landed his art with major music artists like Tool, The Beastie Boys, and Nirvana for their live shows and album covers .
Having been at it for so long, Alex has spawned a new cultural movement and inspired hundreds, if not thousands of emerging artists to create art using their Higher Vision.
If you have attended a music festival (especially a West Coast Festival) in the last ten years or so you have surely stopped into the art galleries which are a staple at these transformative events.
In these art tents you can learn so much about the subsequent generations of artists following Alex such as Luke Brown, Carey Thompson, Amanda Sage, Chris Dyer, Android Jones, and so many more.
These artists are exploring the deep territory of our consciousness and higher perceptions and sharing it with the world. There are worlds within worlds to be explored and these visionaries artists continue to create and inspire.
All this being said, We are deeply honored to feature Alex’s art on our new line of apparel. So honored, that we named our company “Higher Vision” after his piece featuring the Cannabis Leaf.
It is our mission to do our part in spreading healing, positivity, and creativity through Cannabis and Art. We look forward to supporting more artists and creating more forward thinking clothing and merchandise. Thank you for coming along with us on the journey and co-creating a new future world of Visionary Art.
Thank You for dropping in and reading!
Alex Grey: Cannabis and Creativity
Cannabis has been the unsung hero of America’s cultural revolutions for too long. This plant blossomed in the heart of improvisational jazz, inspired the birth of rock and roll, and now is cited as a staple inspiration for today’s luminaries. Presidents, popstars, and painters all partake in the sacred herb.
Praise of Cannabis By Legendary Artists
This is nothing new, but with cannabis becoming more widely accepted, it is finally getting the attention it deserves for its role in the creative process.Among these artists is long-time cannabis advocate, artist, and philosopher, Alex Grey. Perhaps best known as the father of today’s Visionary Art movement, his presence as a live painter and speaker inspires thousands of people at global festivals and events in the psychedelic underground. He speaks openly about his well-researched perspective & first-hand experience with the plant; and the role that it plays in inspiring his creativity.
Alex disproves the theory that to regularly smoke weed is to become a “lazy stoner” – demonstrating that cannabis can fuel great artistic achievements. Even though his name is most recognized in the counterculture, Alex’s artistic impact began in the mainstream. His art covers Tool’s grammy-winning & multi-platinum albums, as well as iconic 90s giants Nirvana (In Utero) & Beastie Boys (Ill Communications).
Time, Juxtapoz, Newsweek, and High Times magazine have all featured tributes to his work. Before joining the art world full time, Alex was a professor of anatomy at NYU. His mastery over the human form is conveyed through symbolic artworks that tell the story of our journey from birth to death – body, mind and soul. Alex sees cannabis as a sacramental connector between these aspects of self, and includes depictions of the plant regularly in his art. This sub-series of paintings includes “Higher Vision” an icon of this belief.
“The Higher Vision painting points to the uplifting power of the imagination that is stimulated when we take in cannabis.” – Alex Grey
“The Higher Vision painting points to the uplifting power of the imagination that is stimulated when we take in cannabis.” – Alex Grey
For his creative process, Alex will often take a puff in order to hit a flow state. Through altering consciousness, he cites that it becomes possible to open to a fresh perspective on a work that may otherwise be difficult to consider objectively. It can also bring relief from the inner critic that can be paralyzing to an artist if it is left unchecked.
The thought-provoking depth that one reaches through the ingestion of cannabis is reflected in Grey’s highly intentional work.
“Higher Vision through cannabis suspends negative judges that keeps us from doing our best. Analyzing choices, cannabis can open us to a new perspective.” – Alex Grey
High Times recognized Alex’s dedication to meaningful art and began collaborating with him in 1995.
The painting “Cannabia”, a green goddess portrayal of the spirit of cannabis became the poster for that year’s event. Describing this work, Grey states, “Her hair is lush female sensimilla buds, and her body is covered with the plant stalks, stems and green leaves.
Her two mundane eyes are closed, the third ‘divine’ eye on her forehead is open, revealing a world of fantastic and spiritual vision. To kiss her is to become intoxicated with her and turned on to one’s own fertile imagination.” Today, Grey’s intricate trophies are awarded to the winners of cannabis cup events.
Additionally, Alex lives by the Buddhist belief in dedicating the merit of his work towards the benefit and liberation of all beings. This spirit of freedom extends to his view that cannabis should be decriminalized, and that all those charged with crimes surrounding its possession should be freed.
He advocates for the cognitive liberty movement, the belief that consenting adults have the right to do whatever they deem fit in the exploration of their consciousness.
A free mind is more capable of inspired ideas, deeper philosophies, and a more altruistic approach towards life. When he’s not painting, he’s writing, speaking and teaching on his world view that empowers humanity to expand their consciousness and reconnect to the creator within.
“Sol-Invictus” – by Alex Grey
The best-selling books Sacred Mirrors, Transfigurations, and Net of Being featuring his art and philosophy can be found at major book retailers. Joe Rogan, Duncan Trussell and others have featured Alex on their podcast. In collaboration with his wife, Allyson Grey, they regularly teach art as a spiritual practice at their retreat center, CoSM, in the Hudson Valley of New York