The culture of cannabis was forged by the strength of its advocates, and vice versa. Millions of stoners, potheads, hippies and naturopaths have often been sneered at by modern society, but through it all the supporters of marijuana have been emboldened by the benefits that this plant bestows upon them. Even in the face of impending persecution and jail-time, stoners around the world have continued to uphold that this “herb” is a positive influence and should not be demonized as the “narcotic” it has been labelled by many governments. So, another defining feature of cannabis culture that is shared internationally is the idea that cannabis is worth defending, because it is a major part of our human right to health, happiness and longevity.
You might call this sentiment the element of “underground culture”, but at its heart the cannabis movement was always about health and well-being. There is a certain allure to the “outlaw” nature of supporting cannabis, especially if you live in a country where there doesn’t appear to be any irons in the fire for marijuana legalization.
Cannabis can have a profound effect on someone’s quality of life – whether you need cannabis in a medical sense, or you’re just enjoying how it makes you feel. This is likely one of the major reasons for cannabis advocates being so solid in their defense of this plant and its many uses. People have relied on cannabis to soothe their aches & pains, to stop seizures in their tracks, to sleep better and to stimulate their appetite. Not only do frequent cannabis consumers look to cannabis for many medical reasons, but their friends, family and coworkers might also. In this sense, medical marijuana is something to share with the people you care about, because you want to be healthy but you also want your loved ones to be hale as well. In this way, the culture of cannabis is all about being a shared experience, especially if your goals are to live long and prosper. We keep reiterating this sense of “community” or “belonging”, and that is essentially what marijuana is all about: sharing stories, knowledge, experiences and working together for mutual goals like quality of life.
Now that we’ve delved through what makes the culture of cannabis tick, let’s look closely at certain countries and cities and see how they show off their cannabis culture.