It seems there’s a holiday for everything now — from International Coffee Day to National Blueberry Popsicle Day.
If you enjoy cannabis, you may be pleased to learn that 4/20 isn’t the only day to celebrate. As cannabis reform spreads across the U.S., there are plenty of other weed holidays to celebrate by meeting up with friends to light up your favorite pain-relieving strain.
Here’s a rundown of the most popular modern cannabis holidays and what they mean.
April 20th — 4/20
The number “420” represents different things to different people. It’s a secret code, a time of day to light up, and by far the most widely celebrated cannabis holiday of the year. 420 is one of the phenomena that reinforces cannabis enthusiasts as a community.
The term can be traced back to the Waldos, five teens from California. They met at 4:20 pm every day after school to smoke and search for a mysterious rumored abandoned cannabis crop. The art of discreetly saying “420” instead of blurting out “cannabis” spread through their high school. Later, with the help of a flyer at a Grateful Dead concert, 420 started to reach international status.
Since it started in 1971, 420 has gained symbolic status. Now, April 20th (4/20) is a day to come together and push for legal reform, attend a canna-themed concert, hit up a local event, or simply enjoy a comedy marathon and chill with friends.
June 18th — Jack Herer’s Birthday
You may have stumbled across strains like Jack Diesel, Super Jack, or Critical Jack. They’re all variants of the potent Sativa strain Jack Herer, although not many consumers know the reason behind the name.
Herer, nicknamed “The Hemperor,” devoted his life to advocating for all parts of the cannabis plant as one of the most valuable resources in society. By the 1970s, he was a prominent figure in the fight to legalize cannabis in the U.S. In 1985, He wrote the bible of cannabis knowledge, The Emperor Wears No Clothes, and his research-backed activism played a huge part in eventual legalization.
Some choose to celebrate Jack Herer’s birthday on June 18th by lighting up a Sativa-dominant strain like the invigorating Miami Splice. The date has become an opportunity to reflect on and appreciate the tireless efforts of cannabis activists through the decades.
July 10th — Oils and Concentrates Day
Are you more of a fan of kief, hash, or shatter than flower itself? If so, you may be pleased to know there’s a holiday where the wonderful world of cannabis concentrates takes center stage.
Concentrates come in many different forms and consistencies, such as shatter, wax, hash rosin, and kief. They range from 50 to 90% cannabinoid content and vary from THC to CBD-dominant strains. Although many view concentrates as the domain of recreational users, medical patients use them for their strong and reliable effects.
710 is a relatively new holiday with uncertain origins, but the reason for choosing the date is clear. When you flip “OIL” upside down, it becomes the number 710. Although dabbing traditionally involves loading concentrate onto a dab rig and heating it with a blowtorch, more and more consumers now prefer to vape concentrates or use an electronic dab pen instead.
August 8th — CBD Day
By 2019, the popularity of the cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) was rising. CBD is legal in all 50 U.S. states and has taken off in the health and wellness industry.
Unlike its fellow cannabinoid THC, CBD will never make you high. This has also made it the poster child in the efforts to legitimize cannabis as medicine. An FDA-approved medicine, Epidiolex, lists CBD as its primary ingredient and is used to treat severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy. It only makes sense that we celebrate and promote the health benefits of CBD with its own holiday on August 8th.
Even some cannabis strains containing THC are CBD-dominant with CBD:THC ratios from 2:1 to 25:1. This means, whatever your consumption preferences, you can explore the effects of CBD your way.
Celebrate CBD Day with clear-headed symptom relief from the CBD-rich, Indica strain Avidekel. Relax in the sunshine and focus on personal wellness with activities like yoga or taking a bath.
October 5th — Victims of Prohibition Commemoration
On October 2nd, 1937, the U.S. government enacted the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act, outlawing the growing or use of cannabis. Just three days later on October 5th, the FBI and Denver police arrested Samuel R. Caldwell and Moses Baca in a raid on the Lexington Hotel.
Caldwell and Bacca were the first citizens sent to jail for possessing and selling cannabis. After serving the entirety of their sentences, Caldwell died shortly after his release from the effects of four years of hard labor. Many feel they paid a huge price for exercising their personal freedom to grow and consume cannabis.
On October 5th, let’s roll one up to commemorate victims and their families all over the world who suffered and still suffer the effects of prohibition.
November 6th — Legalization Day
Legalization Day comes toward the end of the year. Many enthusiasts celebrate November 6th, 2012, the date when Washington and Colorado both became the first states to pass recreational cannabis laws. This groundbreaking legislation legalized the recreational use and sale of cannabis.
Of course, you can honor any other legalization dates that matter to you. Florida passed an amendment to legalize medical cannabis on November 8th, 2016. Without this important legal change, our VidaCann dispensaries wouldn’t be helping patients all across the sunshine state today.
Celebrate any Legalization Day by visiting your local dispensary and exercising your legal right to use cannabis, whether recreationally or medically.
Cannabis Holidays
Whatever your habits and reasons for consuming cannabis, we hope you’ve been able to find one or more weed holidays on this list that appeals to you. And remember, any day that cannabis increases your quality of life can be seen as a win.
We’ve mentioned just a couple of the hand-selected cannabis strains we stock here at VidaCann. You can find the full list in the Guide to Our Cannabis Strains.
