Has marijuana gone mainstream? Marijuana has always seemed to be part of culture, but it was forbidden, sometimes kind of goofy, which made it more attractive to some people and less attractive to others.
But, with several U.S. states and a number of countries legalizing marijuana for medical purposes and some states and countries legalizing it for recreational ones, more people may have legal access to it. While people have always used it, it is more sanctioned and definitely more discussed.
It is also more commodified. In this holiday season, some people may even be giving the gift of marijuana, or at least marijuana-related products. People can order Cannabox for themselves or others. Cannabox is a subscription service that sends people items related to marijuana every month. The service doesn’t send marijuana, but it says it sends “rolling papers, t-shirts, books, and accessories.”
In a sign of marijuana’s increasing marijuana status, Cannabox isn’t just a goofy, outsider, and amateurish Internet page catering to a small niche audience. Its website is slick and professional. It offers a loyalty program for frequent customers and incentives that reward people for referring the service to others.
Even though you might not be able to buy marijuana though Cannabox, you can buy it at brick and mortar stores. Or, more specifically, if you have permission from medical professionals and U.S. states, such as such as a medical marijuana card, you can buy medical marijuana and marijuana products from buildings called dispensaries.
This means that instead of buying marijuana on a street corner or college dorm, people can buy it from buildings that resemble the banks and fast food restaurants they once were, or in attractive historic buildings that are serving new purposes. (One marijuana dispensary housed in a former bank building has used the imaginative name Dank of America.) Or, they may buy marijuana from dispensaries that resemble health clinics, a design that highlights the health care aspect of medical marijuana.
While some people praise and others vilify it, marijuana is definitely a mainstream drug. How people obtain it is also mainstream, which could further influence how people view the drug, how it’s used, and the people who use it.