Cannabis Change is Coming
In certain states, the legalization of cannabis may feel like an upward battle — but whatever you do, don’t stop pushing for positive change. It’s coming. It’s slowly but surely making its way across all 50 states, and it’s largely due to the strong cannabis advocacy voices of our generation.
It’s comforting to know that we’re not alone in this, as many politicians and pop culture icons are advocating for legal cannabis nationwide. Some of the advocates mentioned in this article may sound familiar (like Snoop Dogg, hello!) but others will be a real shock.
Here’s a fun fact before we get started: cannabis advocacy has been going on a lot longer than you may have realized. It’s not all Miley Cyrus and Rihanna smoking cannabis on stage (although they do speak to millennials better than anyone). It’s deeper than that. These are the cannabis advocates it’d be a shame not to know about.
Early Cannabis Advocates
Let’s start with the OG beard man himself — Abraham Lincoln. We’re all big fans of Abe for abolishing slavery in 1863, and here’s yet another reason to give a standing ovation. He loved cannabis and actually smoked it himself. Check out this post published by Rolling Stone magazine: “Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica.” We hear you, dude.
Next up is Bob Dylan, who pretty much proves the music industry is the biggest arena for cannabis advocacy. So many cannabis-smoking playlists from his time featured the song “Rainy Day Woman 12 & 35,” which includes countless references to getting stoned. The other big Bob in music is, of course, Bob Marley. It’s nearly impossible to find a poster, painting, or wall tapestry of his face without smoke coming out of his mouth or the cannabis leaf in the background. Also, he said this: “Herb is a plant. Herb is good for everything.” Damn straight.
More Marijuana Icons
We also have these fan-favorites in the music industry:
- Willie Nelson
- The Beatles
- Lil Wayne
- Jimi Hendrix
- Jerry Garcia
OK, we know what you’re thinking — none of these are that surprising, are they? Hold tight because we’re just getting started. You know the ice cream conglomerate Ben & Jerry? The guys behind it, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, not only sold cannabis as a side-hustle growing up in New York, they also included it in the Cherry Garcia flavor. They recently said they’d have no problem infusing cannabis into products where it’s legal.
This next cannabis advocate is less G-rated than the others. OK, we warned you. We’re talking about the late Hugh Hefner, the man responsible for Playboy and lots of boobs. Lots of boobs. Longtime playmate Holly Madison revealed in her tell-all autobiography, Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny, that Hugh would often smoke cannabis before and after certain, um, physical activities. This guy was literally living the high life with women and cannabis all around.
Mac and Mary Jane
Before we reveal the next cannabis advocate, do you remember a time when people said cannabis makes you dumb? It may meddle with your short-term memory a little bit, but as adult smokers with fully developed mental faculties, cannabis has nothing to do with your actual brain cells. If cannabis truly makes you incompetent, no one told Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple. Steve admitted to occasional cannabis use and eating pot brownies.
Gates and the Green
Here’s another brainiac to prove that rumor wrong. Bill Gates. Some know him as an author, philanthropist, and humanitarian. We know him as one of the richest guys in the world for founding the Microsoft Corporation. Bill is so insanely smart that he made his first-ever sale, for $4,200, at the age of 17, according to Mic. So, yeah, if this guy is smoking cannabis, we should all be. Bill publicly backed the 2012 referendum to legalize cannabis in Washington, and we have this quote to back it up: “As for drugs – well, Gates was certainly not unusual there. Marijuana was the pharmaceutical of choice.”
Athletes are Advocating for Cannabis, Too
Now that we’ve covered the techies, what about the healthies? The sport dudes? It’s an athlete’s job to stay in peak physical condition during the season. That means no alcohol, no hardcore drugs, and an extremely restricted diet. Proving that you can still win gold after using cannabis is Michael Phelps, who was caught taking a bong rip on-camera in 2009. It caused a huge scandal but who cares when you’re one of the top swimming Olympians?
Out of all the professional sports groups, the UFC is reportedly the most lenient when it comes to cannabis. You guessed it — we’re talking about Conor McGregor. You can catch him smoking up on his Instagram page and in cannabis cafes around Amsterdam. Cannabis is tested in-competition now, meaning fighters should only worry if they’ve smoked in the past day or two. In fact, the use of CBD is now legal in the UFC.
Continuing to Fight the Good Fight for Cannabis
That’s a pretty impressive list of cannabis advocates, and it’s growing every day. It’d be unthinkable to list every single celebrity or famous face who participates in cannabis advocacy, but we did leave off some big names worth mentioning as we wrap this up.
- Brad Pitt
- Cheech & Chong
- Hunter S. Thompson
- Bill Murray
- George Washington
Cannabis advocacy taps into every profession and every demographic. The next time you’re feeling down about the cannabis laws in your city, look around to see all the warriors who are fighting for change — and making progress! Baby steps, remember? We hope this list brought you some comfort about the movement to legalize cannabis nationwide, and perhaps, all over the world as well. In the words of Stewie Griffin, “Everything is better with a bag of weed.”
