April 20th. No matter what day of the week it falls upon, this otherwise ordinary day of the year has slowly morphed into the Christmas of Cannabis. Since the 1970’s, 4:20pm has been the socially acceptable hour of the day to consume cannabis, and since the legalization of marijuana in Colorado in 2013, our "Mile High" state has become stoner celebration central during late April.
An eager crowd enjoying the 3rd Annual Merry Jane Wellness Retreat (Photo Credit: Stephanie Mathena)
The popular new "holiday" brought thousands of people from all walks of life together on the steps and lawn of Fiddler's Green to party with none other than the Doggfather himself. Imagine a sold out show of misfits; no one fitting into any specific category. Maybe a more diverse version of the Breakfast Club? The atmosphere felt contagious (for obvious reasons) as a very giggly crowd welcomed Future to the stage with "I Thought It Was a Drought". The entire front row was filled with ladies with heart emoji's in their eyes.
Fucking up commas with Future (Photo Credit: Stephanie Mathena)
After Future, the "high"ly anticipated appearance of Snoop began as the lights dimed and giant projector screens lit up with a marijuana leaf. What happened next was something straight out of an Aziz Ansari stand up bit. A very "1984" political PSA video begins to play about the current state of legalization in the U.S. Facts about incarceration rates and the hinderance on family adoption processes due to the stigma against marijuana play on the screen with an ominous voice narrating the animation. Although the overall message was a proactive call-to-action to a very stoned crowd, they seemed to embrace the message while beginning to chant “Snoop!” No such luck to get him out on stage just yet, as second, 10-minute long video appeared on screen, promoting "MerryJane.com" - Snoop Dogg's cannabis lifestyle media website/app. Various famous cannabis endorsers like Miley Cyrus, Seth Rogen, and DJ Khaled appear in the video to show their support for Snoop’s edibles and technology related Cannabis products. The video continued on to describe the production processes of his specific cannabis and the various products on MerryJane.com, and the crowd's vibe slowly changed from lively and rowdy to restless; wondering why this short promo video had turned into a short documentary film.
The Doggfather (Photo Credit: Stephanie Mathena)
When the film finally ended, the crowd lit up (literally) as "Uncle Snoop" strolled on the stage with his rendition of, 2pac's "California Love". Snoop also broke out 50 Cent's classic “P.I.M.P" ( which was his actual job for many years), as he waved his cane toward the crowd. As the audience raised their hands in time to the music, it felt more like they were saluting a veteran. This man, the Doggfather, is such a staple to the Hip-Hop, Reggae, and Rap industries that experiencing his performance was certainly an unreal, nostalgic, majestic experience.
We hope you enjoyed your 4/20 celebration as much as we enjoyed ours. Check out more photos in our slideshow.
Words and Photos Stephanie Mathena