Here we are again. It's almost April 20, the date universally known for celebrating the cannabis industry.
A lot of stories are out there about the origins of the "holiday." There's the idea that "420" is a code among police officers to say "marijuana smoking is in progress." False. There's another theory that cites Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" because if you multiple 12 by 25 it equals 420. Also, false.
The most credible story is one from Marin County, California where five students in 1971 would meet at 4:20 PM by the campus statue of chemist Louis Pasteur to smoke weed. Eventually, one of those students went on to work with Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh as a roadie, and the band helped popularize the term. On Dec. 28, 1990, a group of "Deadheads" handed out flyers saying they'll be smoking "420" on April 20 at 4:20 P.M. The rest is history, I guess?
However the holiday came about, it's sure to be a celebrate across the District with weed being legal under Initiative 71, which makes it legal to possess a limited amount of marijuana and it allows people to "gift" up to an ounce of marijuana, but technically you cannot sell in the District. (However, several startups have found a work around using the gifting clause.)
Here's the D.C. tech around to help you prepare and enjoy April 20—if that's your thing.
Need your weed (and juice) delivered?
HighSpeed launched its juice delivery service in April 2016, but the juice comes with a "surprise" — a side of cannabis. When you order from HighSpeed, you order purely juice and then decide you want to order "Love," "Lots of Love," or "Just Juice" as you check out. The DC Inno team tested out the service when it launched, and while orders receive a decent amount of weed, the juice was neither what they ordered, nor cold.
You win some, you lose some.
...Want delivery? But don't want juice?
In December 2015, Kush Gods had its three cars busted for marijuana distribution. The three vehicles, covered in bud decorum, had been parking around D.C. and accepting "donations" from walk-ups in return for pot brownies and gummy weed candies. Following the bust, Kush Gods launched a mobile app specifically for mobile orders of edibles, roll-ups and hats? The app also promises exclusive music from Kush Gods.
Need party favors still, but don't want delivery?
LeafedIn is a free, anonymous legal marijuana tech aimed at connecting all parties in the marijuana industry. When weed was legalized in the District, people still found themselves on the ever-shady Craigslist to find their now-legal supply. LeafedIn has revolutionized that process in D.C. The network aims to connect consumers with legal distributors in the District.
Need a friend to celebrate with? Check out D.C.'s weed dating app.
Want to celebrate but don't want to do it alone? I get that, and so do the founders of Denver-based "High There!," a dating app for those who love marijuana. The app launched in D.C. in 2015, and it matches users based on their marijuana consumption preferences (which is a fancy way of saying how often people smoke weed and how they do it). Want to find a buddy who would rather vape? You can find a match based on your smoking preference. What a treat!
Want to invest in the budding marijuana industry? New Frontier Financials is the place to go.
D.C. data analytics startup New Frontier Data is the only startup aimed at providing analytics on the legal marijuana industry to potential investors. New Frontier reports on how the industry is growing, what is impacting the industry's business and so on. You can think of it like the Bloomberg Terminal for weed. Back in December, the DC Inno editorial team sat down with CEO and founder Giadha Aguirre De Carcer about the growing industry and the future of her business.
