Bored at home through the COVID-19 lockdown? Not with this cannabis-friendly line-up

This year was supposed to be the ultimate year for holidays before the coronavirus outbreak ruined best-laid plans.

Halloween is going to be on a Saturday; Christmas on a Friday. And for the cannabis lovers, 4/20 is being celebrated for the entire month of April.

April 20, best known as 4/20, is an international celebration for the cannabis community to gather in large numbers, mostly outdoors, for “smoke-outs” — to smoke weed, celebrate and advocate for better drug policies. In Canada, now that governments are implementing strict measures on large gatherings, people have found creative ways to celebrate 4/20.

From outdoor activities to virtual get-togethers, here’s how this year’s weed celebration has already kicked off during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Month-long giveaways

“April is 4/20 all month! So starting April 1 I will be doing daily twitter contests and give-aways of books, comics, cannabis, hash, edibles and other goodies,” tweeted Vancouver-based cannabis activist Dana Larsen.

Long-time activist and Vancouverite Larsen kickstarted the celebrations by giving away seven grams of cannabis.

“In Canada we are legally allowed to share and give away cannabis in amounts under 30 g, so this is a legal give-away,” he clarified in a Tweet.

The contest is open to people in North America, but prizes will be swapped with non-cannabis related items like books, comics and stickers for non-Canadian winners.

Pot TV and Cannabis Life Network team up

Starting at 11:50 a.m. PT on Monday, log on to Pot TV to catch this year’s livestream replacement event for the usual Sunset Beach celebrations in Vancouver.

“4/20 is not just about Sunset Beach,” said organizer Dana Larsen. “It’s about a spirit and gathering together to celebrate cannabis. We can do that online as best we can.”

Celebrate the ‘20 days of Dankmas’

Cannabis community on Reddit, r/trees, announced its plan for ‘20 days of dankmas’ by encouraging its 1.5 million subscribers to share their 4/20 plans and photos.

“Each day will have a submission theme. Be sure to tag your post with the appropriate day’s flair! We will keep the schedule as a sticky, as well as putting a calendar of the next 5 days in the sidebar, giving some time to collect your best stories, take some pictures, make some art or even show off a skill,” the instructions read.

The best entry of the day will get a one month of Reddit Premium access “as well as bragging rights.”

Live cannabis trivia

In the mood for weed trivia?

The following actor made his film debut in the weed classic ‘Fast Times at Ridgemount High’?

Choose the correct answer, Nicholas Cage, and inch closer to winning the USD $420 prize.

Daily Bonfire is a free app launched by California-based HelloMD, where players make their way through a series of 12 questions to win the grand prize.

The games are hosted by Ngaio Bealum, one of the three hosts who was formerly on Netflix’s Cooking on High. It takes place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Restrictions may apply for non-U.S. players.

“In addition to playing for a cash prize, players also have an opportunity to do social good by donating a portion of the jackpot to non-profit organizations,” the company blog points out. The charitable organizations currently being supported are ACLU, MAPS, and NORML.

4/20 Daily discussions

Viola, a cannabis company owned by former NBA star Al Harrington, launched a 20-day interactive discussion series as a way to offer fun and inspiration “while we all face the current global pandemic together.”

“It’s an unusual time for everybody,” said Viola founder, Al Harrington, SOHH reports, “There’s so much uncertainty and even more to talk about with how we all are being affected, what businesses are doing to pivot, while still enjoying 4/20 and the company of each other during this transitional period. I’m excited to share thought-provoking conversations and entertainment through a medium that’s accessible to anybody from the comfort of their own homes.”

Starting April 1, the one-on-on discussion between Harrington and an industry leader will take at 4:20 pm PST and can be watched on Instagram.

The voice behind hit “Milkshake” and Cordon Bleu-trained chef Kelis hits the world’s favourite streaming service on April 20 with her new competitive cannabis cooking show, Cooked With Cannabis.

Don’t miss the trailer:

Install Netflix Party on your browser to watch with friends.

Higher Together Sessions

Weedmaps is hosting the world’s biggest virtual 4/20 celebration featuring Wiz Khalifa, Billy Ray Cyrus, Cam’ron and more. This virtual sesh is also a fundraiser: Pay what you can to donate to The Last Prisoner Project. Find out more here.

4/20: The movie

Pre-order your ticket to Highstream 420 Festival on NugsTV. Log on for musical performances, interactive workshops and panel discussions.

Dr. Dre’s classic The Chronic hits Spotify

One of the most cannabis-friendly albums of all time, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic is hitting Spotify on 4/20, according to Billboard. With features by Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and more, this west coast debut album still stands up.

4/20 Elevated Online

Winnipeg’s 4/20 celebrations were cancelled, but organizer Steven Stairs told the Winnipeg Sun that the party is now going digital.

“We have assembled an excellent, well-rounded group of cannabis industry leaders and advocates to participate in a 1-on-1 discussion covering elements of the cannabis culture specific to their own experiences,” Stairs said.

Stay tuned for more details.

Ontario Cannabis Store AMA on Reddit

The OCS’s chief commercial officer Cheri Mara is logging on to Reddit at 2 p.m. ET for a special 4/20 AMA (which stands for ask me anything). Don’t miss your chance to ask questions about how things are going for the provincial online weed shop, which has seen a huge increase in orders as people stockpile for COVID-19. Find out more on Reddit.

Subscribe to the Cannabis Post newsletter.