April 20th has long been accepted as the de facto cannabis holiday. The symbolism behind 4/20 has been a powerful ally and war cry for activists and supporters of cannabis reform. During times of prohibition, it has given the community cause to come together make some noise.

The syncopated beats of go-go music cut through air Saturday at the first National Cannabis Festival, mixing with chatter about medical marijuana, legalization efforts and hydroponics along with which strain of marijuana strain will give you the best high.

Held at the grounds outside RFK Stadium in D.C., the festival attracted thousands of marijuana activists, criminal justice reform advocates and stoners alike. And though a laid-back, party atmosphere permeated the event, much of the conversation went a lot deeper.

“There’s a lot of knowledge about cannabis here,” said Bobby Porter, who traveled from northern Delaware, where marijuana possession has been decriminalized. “People here have so much insight in some many different areas.”

Stoner subculture will likely take a hit with the incoming legalization of marijuana in Canada because as the cause vanishes, so will celebration of the drug, say experts.

The declaration comes as the federal government announced a spring 2017 deadline for introducing new marijuana laws and while thousands of people gathered across Canada for the annual April 20 'Weed Day' protest, also known as 4-20.

Protesting against cannabis prohibition has become a social movement with its own ideology and symbols, but that will likely change with the repeal of criminalization, said Benedikt Fischer, a senior scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Every April 20, you can expect to find your regular gamut of “potheads,” cannabis aficionados, casual smokers, canna-bros and industry experts gather at Hippie Hill in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park to celebrate all things weed for the biggest stoner holiday of the year, 420.

Legend has it, 420 started in the early ’70s with just a few San Rafael high school kids meeting up at the same spot every afternoon to smoke some ganja. The term “420” grew to be a type of password helping fellow stoners identify one another in the underground cannabis scene.

Thousands sent up a cheer and a collective plume of marijuana smoke at the stroke of 4:20 p.m. Wednesday in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

They gathered at the park’s “Hippie Hill” to toke up, eat and drink the afternoon away into the night. A plane dragging a banner encouraging attendees to “smoke weed” circled overhead, while unlicensed vendors set up tables and makeshift tents to sell all types and strains of bud, not to mention T-shirts, pipes and food.

This year’s celebrations of all things marijuana throughout the U.S. come amid loosening restrictions and increasing tolerance for the plant’s use from Alaska to Massachusetts.

In a rather well-timed speech given at a Special Session of the UN General Assembly, Canada’s Health Minister Jane Philpott announced a federal legislation that will officially legalize cannabis will be put forward by next spring.

Yes, you heard that right, in a year’s time marijuana legalization will be one step closer to reality in Canada.

But don’t get the information twisted, because the Liberal government’s plan to create a new bill on legal marijuana for spring 2017 does not mean that cannabis will actually be legalized by that time.

A lot more work, preparation, and information needs to be gathered and prepared before the legislation is even written, not to mention the governmental processes that will follow once the bill is actually done.

California’s Humboldt Distillery is the latest spirits producer to launch a cannabis-infused vodka, called Humboldt’s Finest.

Newly launched Humboldt’s Finest is infused with cannabis stavia

The vodka is infused with cannabis stavia and made with local and legally grown hemp, which is distinguished from marijuana by having a THC content less than 0.3%.

Humboldt’s Finest is distributed by Young’s Market Co. and the newly Breakthru Beverage Group and is available throughout California and Colorado.

Said to have a “unique botanical aroma”, “herbal character” and “smooth finish”, the vodka joins Humboldt’s range organic vodka and spiced rum.

You can smoke weed out of a copy of Infinite Jest, dab with your grandma, orbeer bong weed-infused beer. Truly, the cannabis industry and culture has moved on from the days of having to meet some dealer in a 7-Eleven parking lot just to get a half. Why should kids be left out of the fun?

Cannabis is creeping further and further into mainstream culture. Just check out any of the other stories posted on Flavorwire today for evidence — it’s no longer solely the realm of the weird and the wasted.

One particularly esoteric element of cannabis culture is the ancestry of different breeds, or strains, of the cannabis sativa and cannabis indica plants. When cannabis is used as medicine, the different qualities — from the psychoactive to the neurological — of each strain is considered. Each strain has its own unique flavors and qualities, making the strain of cannabis you’re enjoying more important than just a marketing ploy.

Canada’s provinces should each get leeway on the way they sell, tax and control marijuana once the drug is legalized by the federal government, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute.

The framework suggested by economist Anindya Sen would create a patchwork of rules across Canada, with different laws governing everything from the stores that can carry the drug to the penalties for selling to underage users.

In this “joint venture,” the federal government would monitor the safe production of marijuana for recreational use, while the provinces would oversee distribution, with an eye to meeting public-health goals.