We’re less than a month away from 4/20 and the anticipation is climbing by the day. To get you in the spirits for our favorite holiday, we have some fun cannabis facts to share! Weed has been a staple of the human experience since the very beginnings of recorded history. So, there are plenty of tales to tell about our favorite sticky green plant.
1. There are more dispensaries in Colorado than Starbucks and McDonalds combined
You read that right. Even the two most popular chains in America are no match against dispensaries in Colorado. It’s no surprise when you think about it. Back in 2012, Colorado was the first state to establish a recreational cannabis market that has been thriving ever since. So, just how many more dispensaries are there than Starbucks and McDonalds. Well, let’s take a look.
Number of medical dispensaries: 195
Number of recreational dispensaries: 169
Total number of dispensaries: 364
Number of Starbucks: 80
Number of McDonald’s: 31
Total number of Starbucks and McDonald’s: 111
The numbers don’t lie. There is over 3x the number of dispensaries compared to Starbucks and McDonalds. When there are more dispensaries than the food chains you see on nearly every corner, you know you’re in the right place. Rock on, Colorado.
2. The word “canvas” was derived from the word “cannabis”
This is the case because historically, canvases were made from hemp rather than cotton or linen like modern canvases. “Canvas” became a part of English vernacular when it was borrowed from the 13th-century Anglo-French word “canevaz” and the Old French word “canevas”. Both of these words are thought to be derivatives of the Vulgar Latin term “cannapaceus” meaning “made of hemp”, which originated from the Greek word for cannabis “κάνναβις”.
3. Ancient Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung discovered using cannabis medicinally around 2700 B.C
Known as the Father of Chinese Medicine, Shen-Nung reigned as emperor around 2700 B.C. The emperor was a good farmer who was concerned about his suffering subjects. So, he looked to various herbs and plants for remedies. In fact, legend states that Shen-Nung tried various poisons along with their antidotes on himself and compiled his findings in a medical encyclopedia called Pen Ts’ao. The Pen Ts’ao lists hundreds of drugs derived from various organic sources like animals, minerals, and vegetables. Among these drugs is a plant we all know and love, cannabis, or “ma” as it’s called in Chinese.
4. The largest cannabis seizure was over 6 million pounds
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest drug seizure was 2,903 tonnes, or 6,400,019.5 pounds, of Colombian cannabis in a 14-month-long project codenamed “Operation Tiburon”. The arrest of 495 people and the seizure of 95 vessels were announced on February 5th, 1982. To put it into perspective, this seizure ended up being one-fifth of the total amount of cannabis being illegally imported into the United States per year at the time. That’s a lot of green!
5. Bill Murray got busted with 10 pounds of cannabis in 1970
Let’s take a trip back to September 21st, 1970, the 20th birthday of beloved comedian and actor Bill Murray. He was preparing to fly to Denver back to Regis University where he was enrolled in a pre-med course. While going through customs, Murray thought it would be funny to joke that he was smuggling two bombs in his suitcase. Obviously, a ticketing agent was not amused by his joke and immediately called over U.S marshals to apprehend Murray. Once he realized his mistake, Murray began frantically trying to stash his pot-filled suitcase in a storage locker. Unfortunately, it was all too late.
Murray was busted with five two-pound bricks of cannabis with an estimated value of $20,000 that he planned to sell once he returned to Denver. So as to not get anyone else busted because of his careless actions, Murray actually swallowed the check of one of his clients before he was arrested by Chicago vice officers. We already knew we loved Bill Murray, but this story made us love him that much more.
6. Weed was the first product ever bought and sold online
While it wasn’t your typical eBay or Amazon purchase, weed was sold during the very early days of the internet in 1971. This first eCommerce transaction was completed by a group of Stanford students when it was alleged that they bought weed from MIT students selling it online. Some wires get crossed when it comes to who bought weed from who, but the transaction did occur between the two sets of students.
7. Today’s flower is 57-67% more potent than herb from the ’70s
If you’ve ever smoked with your parents before, you’re sure to have heard the line “this stuff is way stronger than it was back in my day!” and they’re right! Back in the 1970s, weed that was imported to the U.S was a combination of leaves, stems, flowers, basically any and all parts of the plant rather than just the bud. This weed came into the U.S packed into bricks and was mass-produced. The funniest part, not much of this product was even the feminized THC-rich flower that we find in dispensaries. Basically, all of our parents were smoking the weed leftovers back in the day.
8. Americans have more than 200 slang words for cannabis
Weed, pot, kush, we’ve heard cannabis referred to as all kinds of different names. But, did you know just how many there really are? That’s right, there are over 200! Terms like “alligator cigarette”, “jazz cabbage”, and “bambalacha” are among the hundreds of ways people refer to various forms of cannabis. There are also dozens of other terms in reference to smoking and being high like “shpongled”, “skunked”, and “zooted” which you may have heard before.
9. Bob Marley was buried with weed
Per his request, beloved Jamaican singer Bob Marley was buried with some bud along with other prized possessions. Among these other things buried with Marley were his red guitar, a soccer ball, a Bible, and the ring he wore given to him by the Prince Asfa Wossen of Ethiopia. There is debate surrounding his burial situation, like whether or not his guitar was a Les Paul or a Fender Telecaster or if the Bible he had was turned to Psalm 23, but it is never contested whether or not there was bud buried alongside him.
10. The British colonies were required to grow hemp
In 1619 back when America was still just 13 colonies, they were actually legally compelled to grow hemp. This was the case because hemp is an extremely versatile plant that allows people to make things like rope, clothing, and sails. In fact, former U.S presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both owned hemp farms. Jefferson even wrote a draft of the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper. Even the iconic 13-star flag that was sewn by Betsy Ross was made of hemp!
11. In India, weed was deemed harmless all the way back in 1894
In 1894, the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission Report was released as an Indo-British study of cannabis usage in India. This study was conducted because cannabis was a common substance in India. Many people used it in things like religious ceremonies and generally just used it to chill out. I mean, that’s why we love it so much now! This was a foreign concept to the British as cannabis consumption was not at all commonplace in the U.K back then. In their report, the commission stated, “It has been clearly established that the occasional use of hemp in moderate doses may be beneficial; but this use may be regarded as medicinal in character.” This was major news as beforehand, the British had the preconceived notion that ganja could cause insanity because of how happy it made people after they smoked it.
12. The word “Marijuana” is rooted in racism
While it tends to no longer be the case these days, referring to cannabis as “marijuana” was done as a means of making it sound more foreign than it really was because it was a “Spanish-sounding” term. This made many people start to buy into the idea that weed was an evil, foreign-sounding substance that Americans should not take part in consuming.
One of the biggest players in this vilification of weed and minorities was a man named Harry Anslinger. In one horrific statement from Anslinger, he said “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men…the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on degenerate races.” Yeah…even typing that out was rough. This man was a diabolical racist who was dead-set on getting cannabis out of the hands of Americans and making it seem like minorities were bringing it into the country to hurt people. Luckily nowadays, nobody really says “marijuana” with ill intent, but knowing the etymology of our favorite plant is still important!
13. It is nearly impossible to overdose on cannabis
Don’t get us wrong, you can smoke too much weed, but a lethal dose of THC that would lead to poisoning is extremely rare. You may have heard somewhere that you would need to smoke “nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within 15 minutes” to overdose, which is kind of true. It is basically impossible to smoke enough average flower in one sitting to overdose. But, much higher concentrations of THC are found in products like dabs and distillates so it is theoretically possible to smoke enough to harm yourself. That’s not to say it would be easy by any means though. You would still need to be 20-40 thousand times the THC content of one joint, so it would still be extremely difficult. So basically, you aren’t going to overdose on weed unless you specifically smoke an astronomically huge amount in a short period of time.
14. Cinder carries nearly 1,000 different cannabis products in each store
Not to toot our own horn, but you don’t get the Inlander title of Best Cannabis Retailer 4 years in a row without a hearty selection of weed. That’s why here at Cinder we offer everything you need from flower to dabs, pre-rolls, accessories, and more. We carry products from all of your favorite brands like Sky High Gardens, Buddy Boy Farm, Driftboat, Dawg Star…the list goes on! Come visit us today to see what we have in stock, or visit us online. You can order from the convenience of your own smartphone and pick it up when it’s ready!
Want to read some more articles we’ve written just for you to get ready for 4/20? Click here to read up on the highest THC strains you should pick up for your 4/20 celebration. We even included links for each strain so you can pick it up in store today!
Products listed are available at Cinder locations: Cinder North, 6010 N Division St, Spokane, Wa 99208; Cinder Downtown, 927 W 2nd Ave, Spokane, WA 99201; and Cinder Valley, 1421 N Mullen Rd B, Spokane Valley, Wa 99206
This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit-forming. Which is to say, cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Therefore, do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. Furthermore, there may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. To sum up, keep out of the reach of children.