As the cannabis culture has taken a turn for the best and 4/20 isn’t just a day to celebrate getting high anymore, April is now officially Cannabis Awareness Month. Mind blown! What does this even mean? It means that all tokes of life can shed light on the many positive aspects of our dear friend, Mary Jane. Why should we love weed? Why shouldn’t we! Let’s take a HIGH-level look through heavy bloodshot eyes as to why dope is the dopest.

Fun Reefer Facts

• The earliest written reference to cannabis dates back to 2727 B.C. China. Wait, so weed is older than Jesus? Speaking of old, the term ‘ganja’ is Sanskrit for Hemp. “Sanskrit. You’re majoring in a 5,000-year-old dead language?” (Yup, a PCU quote.)

• Eight states and the nation’s capital have legalized marijuana. On top of that, 20 other states have medical marijuana enacted. 
• Cannabis is used to effectively treat medical conditions from cancer, anxiety, seizures, migraines, chronic (tee hehe) pain, ADHD, Crohn’s disease, depression, Parkinson’s, brain damage, eating disorders, addictions, and about another 420 ailments no one should have to suffer.

• There are now near a dozen popularized ways to consume cannabis, many with subcategories on ways to smoke, drink, swallow, eat, suck, rub etc. 

• The North American marijuana market posted $6.7 billion in revenue in 2016, up 30% from the year before. Sales will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 25% through 2021 when the North American market is expected to top $20.2 billion. The only other industries to reach $5 billion in annual spending and then post anything like 25% compound annual growth in the next five years were cable television in the ‘90s and the broadband internet the 2000s. (Yes, weed has topped porn.)
• Cannabis usually causes no tolerance or withdrawal symptoms except in heavy users. We’re talking, “I smoke two joints in the morning, I smoke two joints at night, I smoke two joints in the afternoon, It makes me feel alright”, type of smoking. AKA 91% of us will be just fine, the other 9% will feel similar symptoms to being hangry, take that opiates! 

• On average there is a 10% DECREASE in crime, thousands of jobs added, BILLIONS to be made in tax revenue, and millions in cost law enforcement savings post-legalization.

Gone are the days of reefer madness and pot addicts. Finding a bad bag of seeds and stems is history. Marijuana laced with anything but deliciousness is a thing of the past. ‘Tis the year of the Cannabis, so embrace it, enjoy it, and shout it from the rooftops, “Welcome twenty sevenWeed!”. From stoners to growers, let’s raise a glass bowl to Mary Jane, she’s our main thang.

To get you prepared for 4/20 and to just enjoy Cannabis Awareness month that much more, stayed tuned for upcoming articles delving into the different types of cannabis products, the growing demographics within cannabis culture, and a fun list of movies for you to enjoy whether you’re high or not (preferably high).