Letter From the Editor

This is shaping up to be a crazy year. And by “crazy” I mean “good.”

All across this great country the cannabis cause is publicly, loudly making its presence known like never before.

In Alabama—which is considered a very marijuana-unfriendly state—lawmakers are considering removing criminal penalties for possession by patients. Connecticut is considering a state MMJ program. Kentucky is also proposing a medical cannabis program. So is Kansas.

Here in the Golden State, we have three (count ’em!) cannabis legalization efforts underway—which mean the politicians will have to listen to us.

What a great time to celebrate 420!

Funny thing about 420—most folks consider it the universal marijuana holiday. But when you’re the editor of CULTURE, that’s pretty much saying that it’s 420 every day that I show up to work. Now before you start thinking that means I have a bubbler permanently attached to my desktop computer (I don’t, but that’s an idea . . .), what I mean to say is that for me every day is a celebration of the cannabis cause. And that’s how it should be.

Every day I get to engage in work and efforts and dialogue that move the medical marijuana cause forward. Every day I learn of a new piece of pro-MMJ legislation that’s making its way through one state government or another. Every day I learn about a new study on how cannabis provides positive, medical effects for the sick and terminally ill. Every day I am reminded about how medical cannabis is a lifestyle, and how it pretty much plays a role in every facet of human society: politics, art, entertainment, the economy—you name it. Trust me. I know.

Let’s take this very special 420 issue for example. From our cover story on legendary duo Cheech & Chong to our exclusive look of the world of high-end glass, from our coverage of the ballot measures shaping our lives to our breakdown of how our state’s MMJ industry benefits us all—not just patients, it’s clear that medical marijuana undeniably touches all of our lives in one way or another.

It’s sort of like six degrees of separation—except you don’t have to look very far.

Yup, this is gonna be one crazy year . . . and I’m loving every minute of it.

Happy 420, everyone!