2021 in Review: The Year in Cannabis
January
4 – Steve DeAngleo splits from Harborside Health Center.
6 – On the day insurrectionists assaulted Congress, cannabis activists lit up in the Capitol.
11 – Pot prisoner Andrew Cox released in California.
12 – Dr. Carl Hart’s Drug Use for Grown-Ups book released.
20 – On his last day in office, Pres. Trump commutes the sentences of 12 pot prisoners.
WEIRD NEWS: The Cocaine Hippos of Colombia
28 – Pot prisoner Michael Thompson released in Michigan.
February
5 – What’s the deal with Delta-8 THC?
8 – TV travel host Rick Steves takes over as board chair at NORML.
8 – South Dakota judge overturns Amendment A adult-use initiative passed the previous November.
22 – Marijuana legalization in New Jersey, passed in 2020, becomes official.
March
6 – Seth Rogen’s Houseplant launches in California.
WEIRD NEWS: Elizabeth Banks to Helm “Cocaine Bear” Movie
13 – Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts says cannabis kills kids.
24 –White House staffers firedfor previous pot use.
25 – Live cannabis events start taking place again.
31 – New York State legalizes it!
April
7 – Rapper Xhibit’s Napalm cannabis brand charged with being anti-Asian.
9 – Rep. Matt Gaetz and associates in the Florida cannabis industryimplicated in a wide-ranging scandal.
12 – New Mexico legalizes it!
DEATH: Steve Fox
22 – Virginia legalizes it!
29 – Willie Nelson turns 88.
May
1 – Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks at the NYC Cannabis Parade & Rally.
DEATH: Fate Winslow
14 – Mississippi judge overturns MMJ Initiative 65 passed the previous November.
17 – Alabama legalizes medical marijuana!
19 – Florida court blocks Make It Legal adult-use campaign for 2022.
20 – Whoopi Goldberg returns with Emma & Clyde.
24 – Tommy Chong turns 83.
June
WEIRD NEWS:Getting High on Cicadas
17 – The War on Drugs turns 50.
22 – Connecticut legalizes it!
July
1 – Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson banned from participating in Summer Games after positive THC test.
8 – Rapper Lil Baby busted for weed as James Harden looks onat Paris fashion show.
13 – Sacha Baron Cohen sues cannabis company.
DEATH: Frenchy Cannoli
August
DEATH: Wayward Bill Chengelis
10 – Tegridy Farms cannabis brand announced.
DEATH: Eddy Lepp
19 – Brooklyn Net Kevin Durant partners with Weedmaps.
September
1 – Dr. Ethan Russo releases results of his Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome research.
October
1 – The Stone Age exhibit opens in New York.
4 – Justin Bieber’s Peaches strain hits the market in L.A.
13 – Dopesick starts streaming on Hulu.
20 – Snoop Dogg turns 50.
November
10 – Ricky Williams rebrands as Highsman.
17 – Mayor-elect Eric Adams gifts Stephen Colbert two packs of rolling papers and a faux bag of weed.
WEIRD NEWS: Where to Watch a 4:20 Sunset
December
15 – Joi Hutchinson hired as CEO at Marijuana Policy Project.
WEIRD NEWS: 850-Pound Brownie Sets New Record
19 – Dr. Sanjay Gupta hosts “Weed 6” about cannabis and autism on CNN.
24 – Jennifer Lawrence smokes a pot pot pipe in “Don’t Look Up.”
2022 Predictions
There will be no significant federal movement to end cannabis prohibtion in 2022. States will continue to lead the way. Arkansas, Ohio, Oklahoma and Rhode Island might join the 18 other adult-use states. More celebrity brands will hit the market. (Look for Woody Harrelson and Bill Maher to open a dispensary in the L.A. area.) Delta-8 THC will be replaced by the latest hot cannabinoid – THC-009, anyone? Cannabis organizations will continue to diversify while MSOs dominate the market. The runaway train of legal weed is predicted to hit $30 billion in sales. That’s a lot of ganja. Jast hope that Covid gradually fades and business can get back to usual. Oh, and Willie Nelson will turn 89.