For the Culture By The Culture
Christmas arrives with assumptions that don’t fit everyone. Cannabis culture has always lived outside permission, outside institutions, and outside seasonal narratives. This piece explores why the holidays often expose the gap between performance and survival, and how cannabis culture continues to persist quietly, honestly, and without apology when the noise fades.
A Blacklight investigation into how celebrity cannabis branding has warped the meaning of icon and overshadowed the activists, caregivers, and families who carried the plant through criminalization. This feature exposes the cultural amnesia that elevates market-friendly faces while burying the movement’s real architects and the sacrifices that made modern legalization possible.
Legal cannabis has generated nearly $25 billion in tax revenue, with $4.4 billion collected in 2024 alone. States benefit significantly, funding various community programs. However, equity issues remain, as many who contributed to legalization are still marginalized. The promise of justice is overshadowed by bureaucracy and economic barriers for legacy growers.
In 2024, the cannabis movement experienced progress and setbacks, highlighted by President Biden's pardons and review of cannabis classification, yet federal illegality persists. Local advocates remain essential for reform as corporate interests rise. Looking to 2025, unity and advocacy are vital for achieving true legalization and equity in the cannabis industry.
Virginia's cannabis future is on the line as Governor Youngkin considers a bill to legalize retail sales. The cannabis community isn't backing down, and there are ways to fight for progress even if the governor hesitates. Here's how you can get involved and make a difference
Explore how cannabis could play a crucial role in promoting peace and easing tensions both within societies and on the global stage. Discover the potential of this remarkable plant to heal divisions and foster harmony
