That’s right. It’s 4/20, AKA April 20, AKA Weed Day, AKA The Very First Weed Day Since California Legalized Recreational Pot, AKA, um, what were we talking about?
Seriously, since 4/20 has long been the day marijuana aficionados officially celebrate their beloved cannabis, today is packed fat as a fatty with events large and small to pay homage to blunts, buds and bogarting.
And what makes this 4/20 extra special is 11/8, the day in 2016 that California voters took a big election-day hit and passed Proposition 64, also known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act. By a vote of 57% to 43%, Californians legalized the sale and distribution of cannabis, joining seven other states where smoking pot for fun is legal, even though the feds would argue otherwise.
But let’s not get all bummed out about that – today is a day to celebrate. And here’s some ways people in California and beyond will be toking up today and all week long:
- In San Francisco at Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park, celebrants will gather once again on 4/20, but this time the ”festival” is permitted by the city. That move came after previous years when the event was marred by violence and the trash left behind was epic (11 tons in 2016). The event runs from 9 a.m. to dusk and peaks at, you got it, 4:20 p.m. Get more information about this free event at www.420hippiehill.com
- In Washington, D.C., activists plan to dole out 1,000 marijuana cigarettes to Capitol Hill workers and members of Congress.
- In Oakland, marijuana-infused candy manufacturer Kiva made 60,000 special-edition samples of the company’s low-dose Petra mints and plans to hold 55 sampling events around the state this week.
- In Tulare County, a pot dispensary called Canna Can Help has 1,000 tacos for their planned customer appreciation day this weekend.
- The Bay Area food-truck community gets into it at SPARK Social SF, an urban gathering space in Mission Bay. The celebration features $4.20 munchies, craft beers and glasses of homemade sangria from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Oh, yeah: they’ll also be serving POTstickers at Go JoJo’s Mojo for $4.20.
- In downtown Oakland’s Marriott City Center, you’ll find Psychedelic Science 2017, the international scientific community confab to explore new research into the benefits and risks of not just pot but of LSD, psilocybin and more.
- And how can we forget the 420 Freedom Festival, a three-day bash at the Cow Palace that runs Friday to Sunday? This event celebrates the pot culture in all its wondrous forms and this year features Hempcon Cup, honoring the Bay Area’s best and brightest when it comes to cannabis edibles and other products. See more at www.hempcon.com
- Finally, the de Young’s ongoing Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion, and Rock & Roll provides a great venue for getting high and remembering, or trying to remember, the good ol’ days of “the adventurous and colorful counterculture that blossomed in the years surrounding the legendary San Francisco summer of 1967.” (Boy, that sounded dry and boring, didn’t it? Downer!)