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Cannabis Culture Goes Mainstream for 4/20, as Corporations Co-Opt Pot

With the massive influx of cash into the cannabis industry, and legalization gaining momentum, there is plenty to celebrate for advocates on 4/20.

As the nation continues to move toward the end of pot prohibition, our corporate overlords are looking at new ways to cash in on cannabis culture…and what better time to roll up a new marketing plan than Saturday, 4/20.

For those “jive turkeys” out there, “420” has a very special place in the culture behind the cannabis plant, but no one is exactly sure why.  There are rumors about surfers in the old days using the slang to keep their forbidden fruit from being confiscated by their unhip parents and the fuzz, but that’s about as close as anyone has really gotten to the answer.

We are curious beings, though, and the enigmatic nature of this cultural token of tokers has only served to strengthen 420’s grip on the the culture.

Now, with the day itself approaching, (an unofficial holiday in stoner circles), the corporate world is sitting up and taking notice in unique ways.

On Saturday, Lyft is offering a $4.20 credit on a single ride in Colorado and in select cities in the U.S. and Canada. Carl’s Jr. is using a Denver restaurant to market a hamburger infused with CBD, a non-intoxicating molecule found in cannabis that many believe is beneficial to their health.

One popular munchies-maker went even further last year with a pun-laden proposal.

On 420 last year, Totino’s, a maker of frozen pizza snacks, tweeted an image of a microwave and an oven with the message: “To be blunt, pizza rolls are better when baked.”

Much of the new cannabis craze comes to us via a bipartisan bill that legalized hemp and CBD, both cannabis derivatives that contain negligible amounts of THC; the ingredient in marijuana that affects humans in the traditional “high” sense.

Cannabis’ reputation is going through an overhaul, that’s for certain, and these massive corporate influxes of cash indicate that the nation is ready for a distinct shot at national legalization of the plant – a possibility that would likely spawn a “green gold rush” of sort in America.

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