The 1980s and 1990s produced some of the most popular figures in modern cannabis culture, including Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams. When Snoop Dogg recalls the time he lit a blunt at the White House or Mike Tyson expanded his cannabis business leading up to his fight with Jake Paul, it’s easy to forget that cannabis culture wasn’t nearly as accepted in traditional media and commercial business when their careers first started. When Tyson won the heavyweight title and Snoop Dogg released his first single, cannabis wasn’t legal in any state, and then-Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Robert C. Bonner called it a “corruptive influence.” However, as time went on, academics, public health professionals, and others began to push back against the idea that cannabis was a gateway drug doing irreparable damage to society.
“If there’s any evidence that the culture is prepared to be less hysterical about the occasional use of marijuana, it can only be applauded,” sociologist Todd Gitlin told the Los Angeles Times in 1993.
“The hard-and-fast view has been ineffectual. Most kids think it’s ridiculous.”
The kids of 1993 have grown up, discarding the thinking of generations past and accepting cannabis as a part of everyday society. During the 1990s, researchers determined approximately5 percent of the American population used cannabis. By 2023, 15 percent of Americans reportedly used cannabis. Similarly, less than one-third of Americans supported cannabis legalization in the mid-1990s. Nearly a quarter century later, that figure has more than doubled to 70 percent in 2024.
As cannabis use becomes increasingly common and support for legalization grows, there has been a concerted effort to infuse THC into everyday social settings and marketplaces. Green Thumb Industries, a national cannabis company and owner of incredibles and RYTHM Premium Cannabis, has been at the forefront of this movement. In New York, incredibles has worked closely with the world-famous Magnolia Bakery to develop THC chocolate bars. Meanwhile, RYTHM Premium Cannabis has established a content creation partnership with Barstool Sports and launched an annual music festival, The Miracle in Mundelein. Not to mention, RYTHM has also collaborated with musicians like Tinashe, Mitchell Tenpenny, Marcus King and State Champs to curate special strains for its Artist Series.
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Digging deeper into the data, cannabis consumerism is growing not only within broader American society but specifically with key demographics that were often overlooked in the early days of the legal industry. The Silent Generation and Baby Boomers grew up in an age of stringent cannabis criminalization and prohibition, but that doesn’t mean they can’t change their minds. More than50 percent of adults between 60 and 64 reportedly use cannabis, and cannabis use among adults 65 and older tripled from 11 percent to 32 percent from 2009 to 2019. In addition, data also shows a rise in cannabis consumption among women. In 2023, women aged 19 to 30 surpassed men of the same age in cannabis consumption for the first time in 2023. More broadly, women now make up 55 percent of the user base on Jointly, a popular cannabis product discovery app, and one in three women over 21 consume cannabis, according to a report published by Flowhub in 2024.
“Creating new products or rebranding may seem like sunk cost, but with women making over 80 percent of purchasing decisions in the U.S., it’s not just smart, it’s necessary,” Lauren Carpenter, CEO of cannabis dispensary chain Embarc,told Reuters earlier this year.
Scott Campbell, founder of the legendary Saved Tattoo studio, understands the need for innovative products tailored to the modern consumer, so he launched the luxury cannabis brand Beboe, now part of the Green Thumb portfolio. Committed to destigmatizing medical and adult-use cannabis, Beboe creates an array of cannabis products that are intended to be “akin to a bottle of upscale wine” and geared to the growing demographic of women consuming cannabis. Taking this unique approach to the cannabis industry, Beboe has slid into the mainstream media scene, garnering coverage from CNBC, Forbes and Harper’s BAZAAR. “[Beboe is] the Hermès of Marijuana,” Alex Williams wrote in The New York Times.
What’s more mainstream than comparing a prominent cannabis imprint to a longstanding luxury brand? What was once described as a “gateway” drug is now a gateway into a new segment of pop culture. From seeing icons like Tyson running their own cannabis brands to the likes of Green Thumb running their own consumption-friendly music festivals, the plant is more a part of everyday life in the U.S. than it’s ever been before.
As a result, many of the negative stigmas are beginning to fade. More than 40 percent of Americans view cannabis as a positive force in society. When asked whether cannabis was a “very” harmful substance, 26 percent answered in the affirmative while a much greater percentage of Americans view legal substances such as cigarettes (79 percent), cigars (45 percent) and alcohol (33 percent) as “very” harmful. Moving forward, the concerted effort to expand the industry and blend cannabis culture with pop culture will go a long way toward normalizing the plant and helping adult-use consumers and medical patients freely improve their health and wellness without negative public perception.
