My 420 Playlist

his is not a list! This is not click bait! This is my personal playlist from 4/20 2017. These songs and notes came organically to me today on this blessed holiday.

4/20 has become a grand event. A time to celebrate cannabis. We are in a time of transition with cannabis culture. True legalization of hemp, marijuana, and medical marijuana is still miles away, but the normalization of the underground pot culture has given way to an ease of use and complacency. More and more it seems that cannabis culture has become a frat party, big rippin, monster dab, get-high party culture in the younger generation, versus the roots of independent thought and celebration of consciousness. Yes, you’ve got me figured out, this playlist is an old man’s ramblings on what 4/20 means to me, what it was, and what it is. At the very least I hope you find some music you didn’t know about that you enjoy in the future.

• T.G.I.F. by Kid Cudi
• Officer by Slightly Stoopid
• The Garden by Van Bran 3000
• Random by G-Eazy
• Gold by Macklemore
• Pool Shark by Sublime

We have an opioid epidemic in the United States. It’s on the TV, the radio, and in every community across the country. If we all know the problem, then why is it so hard to fix it or at least tackle measures to help? Tens of thousands die each year from legal prescription painkillers. America is being dosed by drug companies and their foot soldiers with PHD’s. Meanwhile natural herbs like kratom, which present more of a solution versus a problem are attacked by the DEA and government officials. Cannabis was recently reaffirmed by the DEA as a schedule 1 drug, despite the fact that opioid deaths and addiction have decreased in Colorado after recreational legalization of cannabis. The current Attorney General of the United States Jeff Sessions believes that “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.” Time and time again you hear politicians expound upon the opioid epidemic and the harm to society, but no action is taken. The same people that allowed this opioid epidemic to occur are the same people that continue to list and represent natural herbs like cannabis as dangerous drugs with no medical benefit. Drug War propaganda of the past continues to plague the minds of our political leaders despite so much modern evidence to the contrary. No solution will be found to the opioid epidemic until our political leaders start leading with facts instead of paranoia.

• 5. Someone That Loves You by HONNE & Izzy Bizu
• Computer Blue by Prince
• Tipsy by J-Kwon
• Who You Are by Pearl Jam
• Scarlet Begonias by Sublime
• The Seed (2.0) by The Roots
• The Daily Mail by Radiohead
• Bandelero by Slightly Stoopid
• Gorgeous by Kanye West
• Never Enough by Eminem
• Tony Roman by Van Bran 3000
• The Shiznit by Snoop Dogg

I consider Tha Shiznit to be the best rap song on this list. Nothing can take Doggystyle away from Snoop Dogg as one of the best rap albums ever. What concerns me is the idolization of an artist like Snoop Dogg in cannabis culture. As I see the cannabis culture transition from one of conscious political thought and action to a pop ‘get high’ influence, I see a figure like Snoop Dogg standing at the forefront of this negative change. Snoop has ridden the rise of popular pot culture to profit. His name is emblazoned on a cheap vape pen made in China. He can be bought to come to your local town and make an appearance at your local recreational pot shop. His name and image are that of a whore in present day society. Just follow the green money. This cannabis legend once denounced cannabis and proclaimed he was quitting the drug. Not soon after Snoop scored a role in a blockbuster hollywood movie. Conveniently soon after, Snoop was back to smokin till the day he D-I-E. The point of this is not to hate on Snoop, but to point out that leaders of the cannabis movement to legalize should be selected by each person on action and merit, and not on pop culture iconography. Cannabis activism is about truth, facts, and education. Take time to learn more about these people: Brian Vicente, Sanjay Gupta, Ethan Nadelmann, and Rand Paul. Celebrities that help educate the public and move the cannabis movement forward without making it about them and their cannabis-lives-for-profit are a powerful part of the movement: Jennifer Anniston, Miley Cyrus, Bill Maher.

• We Can’t Stop by Miley Cyrus
• Erase Me by Kid Cudi
• Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
• Young Wild & Free by Wiz Khalifa
• 20 Joints by Burner
• Melatonin by A Tribe Called Quest
• Dreams by The Cranberries
• Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People
• Got Your Money by Kelis
• Rivers of Babylon by Sublime
• Rebel by G-Eazy
• Insane in the Brain by Cypress Hill

In the spring of 1993 my college friends and I all loaded up in a car, and headed to Tower Records for the Black Sunday midnight CD release of Cypress Hill’s new album. On the heels of The Chronic by Dr. Dre, gangster rap was transitioning to include mellow moody beats about cannabis in their music. I like to think about how modern youth approaches an event like this. Instead of loading up in a car and heading to a store, the youth of today are more likely to give shout out in a group Snapchat or YouTube their review online. Older generations see this modern technological communication as a connection collapse between peers. The younger generation simply sees it as the way friends get together these days. When it comes to contribution and influence in society and politics, these two worlds of communication and connection are miles apart. It’s definitely easier today to get a political message out to thousands of people, but propaganda and fake news is also a natural byproduct of this modern style. The older generation is still trying to catch up to modern communications, as if online and social media communities are immediately dismissed due to the anonymous nature of the delivery. The bridges linking the two worlds together are common sense and facts. These things have always been debated to come to a common ground. In the past these debates were conducted in halls and streets. Now these debates happen through wires and message boards. The cannabis debate was dominated in the past by people who ignored reason and fact. We must encourage the youth of today to broadcast the undeniable truths about cannabis through their modern communications; not just to share their personal story with friends, but to organize and educate the populous.

• Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin
• Simple As by Kid Cudi
• New Song by Sublime
• Yell Fire by Michael Franti
• Live Your Life by T.I.
• St. Ides by Macklemore
• Steal My Body Home by Beck
• Louder Than a Bomb by Public Enemy
• Baby I’m a Star by Prince

4/20 is a great day to celebrate cannabis culture and come together as a community. It’s also an important day to mark a reminder that cannabis culture has activism in its roots. We have a long journey ahead of us before the United States can be free from Drug War propaganda of the past and move towards an enlightened future. Never forgot all the victims of the drug war that still populate our prisons and make the United States the largest jailer of its population in the world. Activism comes in many forms. It’s important to find your niche in pot progress. Our movement is broader than a street protest or message board comment. The most important thing you can do to progress the legalization movement is to be a solid member of your community and proud cannabis supporter, everything else will take care of itself.

Happy 4/20 !!! Have a Jay Day.