Saturday is 4/20. It’s also record store day. That’s like the planets aligning and Cinco de Mayo falling on a Taco Tuesday! For pot smokers a Saturday 4/20 is equal to a drinker’s weekend St. Patrick’s Day. Over the las t15 or so years the way we look at marijuana has completely changed. It’s on the brink of being legalized all over the place throughout the country, and recreational use isn’t super frowned upon anymore.
There are some great movies that fit into a 4/20 Saturday of sitting and partaking. Here are a few go to movies.
Can we just start with the GOAT? Sean Penn’s Spicoli is most likely the first character you think of when it comes to pot smokers. Every scene with him is perfect. I mean come on, the burger joint scene, “you had shirts on when you came in here.” “Something happened to ’em man.” I still say to my kids, even though they don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, No Shoes… No Shirt…. No dice.
This is one on this list that has gotten the most love from people for the last 25 years. Just a classic. A phenomenal actor in Jeff Bridges bringing to life this ridiculous character in The Dude. The rest of the cast is amazing. I always love when serious actors are able to play a comedic character. A great example of that is Jeff Daniels. For Jeff Bridges and John Goodman’s acting ability alone this movie holds up. Clip NSFW. The below clip also has one of the best worst edited for TV versions. “This is what happens when you find a stranger in the alps!!”
If you’ve ever had to feed the craving for something your don’t have on hand in the house this movie is all of us. Ok they take some liberties with what actually happens, but who hasn’t picked up Neil Patrick Harris on their way to White Castle. One of the best cameos comes from an actor you’ve seen do great comedy before, but most well known as Detective Stabler on Law & Order: SVU. Christopher Meloni plays the tow truck driver named Freakshow. It’s such a great turn in the movie. Clip NSFW.
Whether celebrating 4/20 or simply unwinding after a long day of work, finding the best rock songs about weed will surely add to your high. Fortunately, we’ve taken the guesswork out of creating the perfect high playlist with this song ranking.
We wanted to create a list as diverse as all of the marijuana strains available, and we’re pretty confident we met our goal. From very strange cautionary tales to basically declaring your love for the herb, here are the ten best rock songs about weed.
But First, Some Facts About Legalized Marijuana
Despite marijuana being federally illegal, a number of states have voted to fully legalize it in recent years. In fact, the Pew Research Center reported that 54% of Americans now live in a state that has fully legalized the drug for recreational use. When factoring in states that have legalized medicinal marijuana, that figure jumps to 74%.
Pew Research also reports that there are nearly 15,000 cannabis dispensaries in the United States. To the shock of probably no one, the state with the most dispensaries is California, with 3,659. Interestingly enough, Oklahoma has the most marijuana dispensaries per capita, with 36 dispensaries for ever 100,000 residents.
Where is Marijuana Legal in the United States?
Marijuana legalization has been on an ever-changing pace for a number of years now. Frankly, it’s difficult to keep straight where it’s fully legal, where it’s not and where there’s a bit of a gray area. However, we have done the research and have broken down all of the various levels of legalized marijuana for you.
The following states have fully legalized marijuana as of April 2024: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.
States that have legalized medical marijuana include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia.
Some states have legalized medical marijuana and have decriminalized it. Those states include Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire and North Dakota.
Some states have only allowed for the sale of CBD oil with THC. Those states are Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. However, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed Senate Bil 47 into law on March 31, 2023, which legalized medical cannabis beginning on January 1, 2025.
Finally, states where marijuana is fully illegal are Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina and Wyoming.
Steve Vassalotti is co-host of “The Matt Cord Show with Steve Vassalotti” weekday mornings 6a-10a on 102.9 WMGK. He has been with the station since 2015. For WMGK he writes about inane nonsense that surrounds our daily lives, sports, food and other various topics. Steve writes about Philadelphia lifestyle content, the Philadelphia Eagles culture and trending topics.
