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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