For those, such as myself, who came of age in the prohibition era, it was a tad surreal to see the giant electronic billboard overlooking Manhattan’s Times Square (focal point of the world-famous New Years Eve countdown) displaying a “countdown to 420” promoted by a leading brand of rolling papers. But that is what gathered revelers witnessed in the minutes leading up to 4:20 PM on the afternoon of Sunday, April 20.

The gathered masses—several hundred, at least—exploded into cheers at the appointed moment, many brandishing giant inflatable joints with the brand’s logo. These props were filled with air, not weed. But plenty of actual joints were also in circulation among the crowd—as is perfectly legal in New York pursuant to the public-use provision of the 2021 Marihuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA).

“Joining Cannabis Now in one of the worlds most recognized destinations—New York City’s Times Square—to celebrate cannabis culture on 4/20 with a wild countdown to 4:20pm on a giant billboard while puffing and sharing our B Noble and Jungle Gurl pre-rolls with the crowd was a very special, only-in-New-York treat!” says legendary hip hop pioneer Fab 5 Fredddy.  

This audacious cultural signifier was hosted by Cannabis Now and presented by Zig-Zag papers, perhaps still the most iconic amid the current profusion of brands.

In conjunction with the 4/20 bash, Zig-Zag also held a retrospective exhibit on the brand’s history. Dubbed “Zig-Zag Through the Years,” this was hosted on the second floor of the luxuriously appointed Charlie Fox retail outfit, on Seventh Ave. at 48th Street, just a few blocks up from Times Square—which bills itself as “New York’s Chicest Cannabis Dispensary.”

On display was a wide array of Zig-Zag-themed artifacts spanning generations—ashtrays, lighters, belt buckles, tchotchkes. “Some were produced under license, and some is fan art,” said Maggie Streng, director of brands with Turning Point Brands, Zig-Zag’s California-based stateside distributor. “If it shows an image of a cannabis leaf, that pretty much means it’s fan art.”

And some of the artifacts are obviously from long before Zig-Zags were associated with cannabis. One souvenir decorative cloth, clearly from World War II, is printed with a 48-star US flag above the kicker, “You are safe when you buy Zig-Zag.”

But Steng says the 4/20 affair was a kind of coming-out party for Zig-Zag. “This is the first time we’ve been officially associated with cannabis,” she says. This embrace is reflected in the product’s new packaging, which now reads “for herbal use.”

James Mallios, founding partner of Charlie Fox, also spoke to the success of the event: “Zig-Zag and Cannabis Now were fantastic 4/20 partners. The Zig Zag installation was a huge hit with our guests and a natural fit for Charlie Fox.  We look forward to working with them again.”  

Boris the Zouave

That packaging still retains its traditional orange hue and emblematic image of a bearded picaresque rogue holding a hand-rolled cigarette (or joint). Many around the world who use the papers have no idea who this fellow is, only a vague idea of 19th-century French origins. It turns out that he is Boris the Zouave. This requires a little explanation.

The Zouaves were a Berber tribe in the mountains of what is now Algeria who fought for the French in their conquest of North Africa in the 1830s, and then in many subsequent wars. Their exotic (for the French) garb became the inspiration for a military uniform that took on a cachet—many Frenchmen and non-Berber mercenaries joined Zouave regiments just for the cosplay aspect of it. But they fought bravely, from the Crimean War of the 1850s to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. There were even “Zouave” units on both sides in the American Civil War. 

The legend goes that Boris the Zouave was trying to have a smoke amid a pitched battle, when a bullet shattered his clay pipe. Undeterred, he ripped a strip off his gunpowder pouch and rolled up the tobacco in that—thusly inventing the idea of rolling papers.

The papers were launched under the brand name Le Zouave in 1879, and were renamed Zig-Zag in 1906—this in reference to the interweaving of the papers as they are pulled from the dispensary booklet, then a new idea.

Zig-Zag papers are still produced in France, and varieties now include Ultrathin, Unbleached and Organic Hemp, as well as the classic French Orange. Turning Point (with its headquarters in Louisville, Ky., but mostly operating out of Santa Monica) has been the brand’s US distributor since 1997.

‘French Elegance to Hip-Hop’

One artifact Steng proudly points to is a Zig-Zag booklet signed by rap star Dr. Dre. Another is a rare clear-vinyl printing of Dr. Dre’s 1992 album The Chronic—its sleeve famously a take-off on the Zig-Zag logo, with the good doctor’s face in place of Boris the Zouave’s. This printing includes a cannabis-leaf image emblazoned on the vinyl—while the sleeve is signed by both Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog, who also appeared on the album.

Steng calls the exhibit a “celebration of music and art from French elegance to hip-hop.” She points out that for two years Zig-Zag has had its own stage at the Rolling Loud hip-hop festival, in both Los Angeles and Miami.

She also boasts that Zig-Zags have been referenced in several hip-hop numbers—most notably Afroman’s “Crazy Rap” and Eminem’s “The Way I Am.”

Cultural Breakthrough

Scott Grossman is Turning Point’s vice president for corporate development. Of Wall Street background—former CEO at Vindico Capital—he’s eager to expand the New York presence of Zig-Zag, which has traditionally been more popular in California. “New York is becoming the epicenter for cannabis culture, where culture movers from the West Coast and Europe meet, being equidistant between the two,” he says.

Grossman says of his new position with Turning Point/Zig-Zag: “This is a passion project for me.” A member of NORML in his youth, Grossman now says he wants to take a stand on legalization, and play a role in the mainstreaming of cannabis.  

“Eighty years of prohibition has obviously done more harm than good,” he concludes. “I’m fully in support of state-led legalization initiatives, but cannabis being a Schedule I substance under federal law is clearly misguided. We need to stand up for a safe and legal market. This is a $1 billion market, and there are still people behind bars for this plant. This has to change, and we want to be part of the journey.”