Cannabis’ Influence on Pop Culture; Part 3

This blog is part three of our multi-part series on cannabis’ influence on pop culture. The first part was cannabis’ impact on American pop culture from pre-1900 through 1960. You can read more here if you are interested in this time period. Part two covered cannabis’ influence on pop culture from 1970-1990, which you can read here. Part three will cover cannabis and pop culture from 2000 to the modern day. If you like to read stories in order, we suggest you begin with part one. If your interest lies in modern pop culture, like reading stories out of order, or you completed the first two parts, read on.

Legalizing Medicinal Cannabis

As the new millennium began, cannabis’ pop culture stigma started a slow shift back to respectability. One of the main reasons for the shift was the rise of legal medicinal marijuana.

The first legalization actually happened before the new millennium. California legalized medical marijuana in 1996, which sparked a landslide of states to follow suit. By the end of the 2000s, almost 20 states legalized marijuana for medicinal use. Suddenly, the cannabis that anti-drug PSAs vilified in the 90s became an effective medical tool.

California made medicinal marijuana widely available for patients suffering from certain ailments. Doctors could prescribe marijuana to patients experiencing headaches, nausea, stress, and other sicknesses. Instead of viewing marijuana as an illicit drug, medicinal marijuana exposed many people to the medical values of marijuana. Instead of a drug that caused laziness, violence, and other unproven maladies, marijuana helped people in need.

Medicinal marijuana caused the populous to reexamine marijuana’s role in society. Is it the horrible drug the United States government led people to believe it was in the 70s, 80s, and 90s? Or is marijuana a drug that serves a purpose like ibuprofen? More and more people, and state governments, began to side with the latter. As governments began to relax their views on marijuana, pop culture responded with art centered around cannabis use.

Revival of The Stoner Comedy

Movies are one of the most accurate depictions of a cultural zeitgeist. Film shows what people wore, how they spoke, and their social attitudes during a particular era. A great example of cannabis’ influence on pop culture during the aughts were “Stoner Comedies.”cannabis' influence on pop culture: stoner comedies

Stoner comedy movies existed long before the 2000s. The OG stoner comedy is Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke. Made in 1978, the movie displays a relaxed view of illicit drug use. The titular Cheech and Chong get up to wacky hijinks revolving around how they will find their next high. As the decades wore on, these movies became dissonant with the negative stigma around marijuana. However, improving popular attitudes surrounding marijuana primed these movies for a comeback in the 2000s.

These irreverent stoner comedies provided a new groundwork for stoner stereotypes in the modern day. Movies like Dude Where’s My Car, Pineapple Express, and How High all star stoners chasing a good time and getting into zany situations. My personal favorite, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, revolves around a couple of dudes searching for pot and a cure for the munchies. Instead of hardcore criminals, Harold and Kumar are (relatively) innocent marijuana users searching for a good time. The portrayal of stoners not as criminals but as airheads altered how pop culture interpreted stoners. Instead of the villains, marijuana users became the heroes. As the next decade passed, marijuana users would also lose their title as criminals.

Cannabis Legalization

As pop culture evolved to view marijuana users in a less harmful light, governments changed their views on marijuana as well. In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana. For the first time since the early 1900s, cannabis was not criminal. Citizens of these states could legally enjoy cannabis within the bounds of the law. Many believed that the federal legalization of marijuana would follow shortly afterward. However, legalization did not solve the stigma surrounding cannabis.cannabis' influence on pop culture: legalization map

States with legal cannabis embrace all sorts of positives, but popular opinions are still divisive. States with legal cannabis see more tax dollars, fewer people in jail, elimination of the black market, and reduced numbers of underage users. Despite these positives, many people hold onto old stereotypes and lies. For people who grew up learning about how marijuana was incredibly dangerous, it is challenging to realize cannabis is none of those things. People aged 55 and older, who grew up with anti-cannabis propaganda, are less likely to support cannabis legalization than younger people. However, the gap is closing fast, and a majority of every age group favors legal cannabis. How did this change occur? You only need to look at cannabis’ influence on pop culture today.

Modern Cannabis

In 2000, cannabis support was fringe at best. In 2023, people embrace cannabis like never before. The rise of over-the-counter cannabis products and recreational legalization contributed to modern pop culture.

One of the most significant positives for cannabis is commercially available CBD products. These products are non-psychoactive, meaning they do not cause a high like marijuana. Furthermore, CBD products are legal in much of the country. Also, many believe these products possess healing abilities. CBD helps with aches and pains, arthritis, sleep, and much more. Many older people experience these issues on a daily basis, and many love the relief CBD gives them. Now, a grandma who never touched cannabis in her life might use CBD oil every day. Although many people disapprove of marijuana, there is much less disdain for cannabis products like CBD.

Additionally, legal cannabis vaulted stoner culture into the mainstream. Now, millions of online forums identify the most potent and mind-bending strains. On modern social media, like YouTube and Tik Tok, many content creators smoke and review marijuana. Instead of being a hush-hush activity, marijuana use is out in the open. Many celebrities not only encourage cannabis legalization but endorse cannabis products. Without a doubt, cannabis use is part of mainstream culture in the United States.

Legal cannabis products and online communities are mainstays of modern cannabis culture, but how will cannabis influence pop culture in the future? Make sure to read the final part of this series, a speculative blog on what the future holds for cannabis—coming out soon.