Credit Image: © Brian Cahn/ZUMA Wire
This week marked the beginning of the every and anyone over 21’s right to walk into a recreational cannabis store and buy a bag of weed in Washington State. It was a monumental moment for many, more so due to its historical and kitsch “why not?” factor than anything else, and people lined up for hours across the state to secure the good green stuff.
Here are five of our favorite moments:
Deb takes us down to Cannabis City
I popped down here late in the day (damn, those pesky day jobs) to see what was going on. Located in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle, this little shop on 4th Ave. might be easy to miss if you were just driving by on any other day. But on Tuesday, July 8, the throngs of cannabis enthusiasts and media crews made it hard to ignore.
The line of a couple hundred people waiting was a solid mix of demographics: young and old, men and women. While most people said that they just popped by for the novelty of it, a couple of 20-something girls really nailed why legal recreational shops are a welcome alternative: “It’ll be nice to not have it stigmatized, it feels safer,” they said. “You don’t have to go the ATM and take out $20 and text around to find someone who deals and have that awkward encounter with a drug dealer. And it’s always extremely awkward unless it’s your friend.”
So who was first to snag that bag? Adorable Deb. Here’s a video, courtesy of the New York Times. (P.S. I love how she fumbles to get her I.D., instead first passing her transit card to the bouncer.):
Mike loses his job, doesn’t give a shit
I don’t know what I love more about this, the fact that this guy is standing in 93-degree sunshine, declaring his love for weed via a child-sized plastic megaphone, or the fact that Gawker compared him to Kenny Powers lite. Poor Mike got narced out and lost his job. However, as his CV on Craigslist declares, he has no regrets. For the love of God, someone hire this man! (Update: Mike got his job back!)
Yep, the cops still don’t care
This guy didn’t get arrested in Vancouver, Wash., for handing out samples and asking for donations. Just a warning. Makes those assholes in Alabama who will throw you over the hood of your car and handcuff you for a half an ounce look pretty douchey, doesn’t it?
This guy’s cape
In life, there are not many opportunities to don a cape. So, cheerio, good sir. Well played.
I also really enjoyed the happy smiling faces of the workers, truck drivers, bearded, flannel-shirted mountain men, and other hearty Pacific Northwest stereotypes who are being celebrated here in Bellingham, Wash. America, fuck yeah.
Fox News still hates this idea with every ounce of their being
Go ahead, take a toke for each smirk during this news segment.
Now, that we’ve all slapped each other on the back for actually getting some doors open, let’s look at the huge mess we still need to clean up. The Stranger did a great job outlining all the shit Washington got wrong: not enough green, too few pot stores (I mean, 21 in Seattle, come on!), ridiculously high prices ($25 a gram and up) and the wishy-washy stance on the MMJ clinics that have proudly been doing business for years.
Welcome, legal recreational weed. We’re glad you’re here, but it’s going to be a rocky ride. We can’t wait.
What was your favorite 420 moment this week? Let us know below.
