50 years of cannabis moments that mattered

1970s

America has come a long way since the days of “Reefer Madness”. In 2022, medical cannabis is widely embraced with recreational usage not far behind. Politicians not only publicly push for policy; many have publicly discussed smoking. And it feels impossible to envision any kind of pop culture where the mere mention of cannabis is taboo. Of course, this wasn’t always the case. It took a lot—both milestones and missteps—to shift the culture around cannabis to where things stand today. So, from The Waldos to White Castle and PSAs in between, we’ve partnered with Select to trace the memorable moments that built modern cannabis culture over the last 50 years.

1970s

1970s

1978

Up in Smoke

This film basically invents the modern weed comedy and also launches one of the most prolific duos of all time (Cheech & Chong) into a new stratosphere of fame.

1980s

1980

The biggest musicians and actors in the world confirm they smoke, too

At the onset of a decade where a major drug backlash was coming, pop culture hit the headlines and reminded the world that anyone could be canna-curious. One of the biggest musicians in the world (heck, in rock music history) was arrested for possession in Japan. And stateside, perhaps Hollywood’s most iconic leading man at the time famously told People, “I still love to get high, I’d say, about four days a week. I think that’s about average for an American.”

1990s

1990

Scientists discover cannabinoid receptors

It took decades of searching, but in 1990 researchers finally identified the specific site on the surface of brain cells where cannabis binds. This meant the scientific community finally began to understand the mechanics of how the plant works in and with the brain. The scientific world already understood that cannabis could have a therapeutic impact on things like epilepsy or glaucoma, so this discovery was seen as a breakthrough because it could lead to the production of drugs that have the positive medical effects of cannabis without any of the intoxicated feelings.

2001

Nevada decriminalizes cannabis

It had been 24 years since any state had brought this matter up, but Nevada’s actions in 2001 both legalized medical cannabis and eliminated jail time and criminal records for minor infractions. Previously, Nevada had taken such a hard War on Drugs stance that it defined first-time possession of even one cannabis cigarette as a felony offense. This high profile change eventually sparked a wave of eight other states following suit in the next dozen years.

2000s

2010/20

2012

High Maintenance

The weed genre doesn’t have to center on exceedingly comic adventures or psychedelic visual stunners. High Maintenance is a character study This American Life would be proud of (in fact, Ira Glass makes a cameo), and it shows the world of cannabis has more to offer than its stereotypical pop culture iterations.

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s/2020s

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