It’s Weed Week
The Broccoli Report
Monday, April 18, 2022
Time to read: 4 minutes, 12 seconds. Contains 840 words.
Good morning!
The big 4-20 has arrived. I’m especially proud of Thrillist’s 4/20 guide—it’s packed with recommendations, recipes, and rituals for every kind of weed-loving celebration. It includes my guide to low-dose explorations and a conversation with Mennlay about how she recommends spending 4/20 in Mexico City. I’ve also got a Conde Nast Traveler piece going live this week, focusing on the travel scene in cannabis and what these destinations reveal about the industry’s flaws. It’s encouraging to see the rising number of mainstream outlets covering cannabis seriously—I just hope they keep making space for these stories after April.
This Friday, we’ll pivot to celebrating Earth Day with some eco-minded cannabis stories, so if you are a subscriber, stay tuned for that, and if you aren’t, consider becoming one and contributing to the sustainability of The Broccoli Report.
Happy 4/20 to all, and to all, a great week of weed!
One-Hitters: Cannabis News at a Glance
Part of Mennlay’s description of what this holiday means to her really struck me: “4/20 is a time to celebrate the outlaws, the ones left out of society.” Xula’s 420 Womb Weed Revolution campaign leaned into that punk, outsider energy with a bold photoshoot using beet juice to look like blood. 🤘🏼
Page Six revealed that the Green Street Festival, related to the Green Street Building in downtown LA and helmed by entrepreneurs Gary Vaynerchuck and Mike Glazer, was denied the necessary event permit. There’s no word on refunding tickets, and the organizers now plan to host the festival inside the Green Street location as scheduled on May 13th and 14th.
The Detroit sales standstill has reached its end. This Wednesday, April 20, applicants can start applying for processing, cannabis lounge, and cultivation sites or one of 100 dispensary licenses.
It’s a big deal to see KAYAK embrace cannabis tourism. The site rolled out a guide to a handful of cannabis destinations in North America with details about possession and consumption laws and weed-friendly lodging options. They also created a FAQ page covering queries like smoking in national parks and packing THC/CBD on planes.
WYLD and NuLeaf are hosting a virtual cannabis career fair this Wednesday, April 20th. The “High On A Cannabis Career” panel will explore how people of color can land meaningful cannabis careers. It’s followed by a “Meet & Greet” job fair with the panelists, who include city cannabis program officials, a VP from Weedmaps, and upper management from brands like Cookies and Wyld. It’ll be a great, free resource for those interested in breaking into the industry.
If any New York tokers feel cinematic this Wednesday, the Intersectional Environmentalist is screening an original film and hosting a panel discussion with Humble Bloom. The film, “Intersectional History of Cannabis,” looks at how language, laws, uses, and cultural practices have shaped the narrative of this plant and the industry’s high barrier to entry for BIPOC communities.
Cannabis lifestyle brand and e-comm platform Stoned Fox collaborated with Lucky Brand on Future Fantastic, a partial takeover of the Arrive Hotel in Palm Springs that will add extra vibes to Coachella Valley adventures this season.
New York’s YIVO Institute is welcoming guests back for their first on-site exhibition since the advent of COVID-19, and they’re doing it with weed. “Am Yisrael High: The Story of Jews and Cannabis” will explore contributions from the Jewish community to the field of cannabis by showcasing materials from medieval documents to menorah bongs. Opening night on May 5th will feature a panel including the exhibit’s creator, Eddy Portnoy, horticulturist and legalization activist Ed Rosenthal, and journalist and DoubleBlind magazine co-founder Madison Margolin.
Multiple announcements of new consumption spaces are rolling out coast-to-coast: The Artist Tree Studio Cannabis Lounge has opened in West Hollywood, California, with a smoking area, edible dining, nonsmoking areas, and non-infused food; Green Thumb Industries’ RISE dispensary in Mundelein, Illinois, will open their consumption lounge with a party Wednesday; and while Hot Box Social in Hazel Park, Michigan, is only hosting private events, they intend to open up to the public this summer.
Cheers to Dad Grass for a very special collaboration with the George Harrison estate—the first cannabis-related partnership for The Beatles—to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. The limited-edition collection will feature CBD/CBG joints in the brand’s signature decoy packaging—this time, made to look like a cassette tape—and includes rolling papers with Harrison’s lyrics printed inside, custom matches, and a commemorative poster.
Give yourself the compliments you deserve with Papers and Ink Studio’s latest rolling papers. Made in partnership with the surreal, nonsexual party-boy service, ManServants, these Compliments papers are printed with phrases like “You're smokin',” “Sealed with adoration,” and “Rolled by my ManServant.”
If you didn’t get adequate milligrams of nostalgia from last Friday’s newsletter, browse this Spotify playlist I compiled for Barbari inspired by 4/20 memories.
Time to concept my 4/20 mani,
Lauren Yoshiko