- THE ORIGIN OF 420
THE ORIGIN OF 420 - featuring Steve Capper & Dave Reddix of THE WALDOS (Episode 22). This month, stoners around the world will be celebrating our high holiday—April 20th, or 4/20. But how exactly did 420 become the official number of cannabis? Over the years, there have been several myths circulated about it: that it was some police code related to weed, or that it’s the number of chemical compounds in the plant … but believe it or not, the ultimate marijuana meme was actually started over 50 years ago by a group of teenagers in Marin County, California known as The Waldos. How it evolved from an inside joke amongst a handful of high schoolers into the worldwide phenomenon it is today is a truly remarkable story—one that you’re about to hear from some of the the founding fathers of 420 themselves.
In this episode of Cannthropology, host Bobby Black speaks with two of the five original Waldos—Steve Capper and Dave Reddix, aka Waldo Steve and Waldo Dave, who explain the origins behind their groups’ name, how 420 became their secret code for weed, and how two counterculture institutions—The Grateful Dead and High Times —helped spread the 420 phenomenon around the world.
The World of Cannabis Museum Project presents: Cannthropology—the potcast that explores the history of cannabis culture one artifact and interview at a time. Hosted by World of Cannabis executive director and marijuana media icon Bobby Black.
Read our Cannthropology blog at worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology and in our official media partner Leaf Magazine. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of this podcast, please contact us at cannthropology@gmail.com.
SHOW LINKS
Website: worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology, leafmagazines.com/features/learn/history
Facebook: Cannthropology, WOCMuseum, BobbyBlack420
Instagram: Cannthropology, worldofcannabis.museum, BobbyBlack420
Twitter: Cannthropology, WOCMuseum, @bobbyblack
YouTube: WorldofCannabis, TheInfamousBobbyBlack
Hashtags: #Cannthropology #worldofcannabismuseum #worldofcannabis #leafmagazines
GUEST LINKS
Website: 420waldos.com
Facebook: 420 Waldos
Instagram: @420waldos
Hashtags: #420 #420waldos #thewaldos
The World of Cannabis Museum will showcase the influence of cannabis in art, music, film, news, medicine, and politics throughout the past century. From the early days of prohibition and "reefer madness," to its modern-day mainstream momentum and everything in between: from the legendary growers and breeders who created and propagated all of the iconic strains, to the smugglers who distributed them across the globe; from the activists who have fought for legalization, to the celebrities who have embraced it; from America’s headshops to Amsterdam’s coffeeshops; from the counterculture of the 1960s, the excesses of the '70s, and the Drug War hysteria of the '80s, to the rise of medical marijuana in the '90s and the march toward legalization and mainstream acceptance in the new millennium—all of this and more we plan to explore in this unprecedented exhibition.
© World of Cannabis and Cannthropology are registered trademarks of Velleman Beheer B.V.
52m - Apr 20, 2023 - The Pot Prince Of Bel-Air —Todd McCormick (Episode 19)THE POT PRINCE OF BEL-AIR - featuring legendary cannabis activist and author TODD MCCORMICK (Episode 19). In the latest edition of Cannthropology, host Bobby Black speaks with legendary cannabis activist, author, cultivator, collector—and fellow cannthropologist—Todd McCormick. McCormick reflects back on his lifelong legal battle for medical marijuana, his time in prison, his many books and film projects, his new seed company Authentic Genetics, and his friendships with OG cannabis activists and cultivation icons (such as Jack Herer, Dr. Tod Mikuriya, Brownie Mary, and Dennis Peron), as well as pro-pot celebrities like Bill Maher, Woody Harrelson, Larry Flynt, Hugh Hefner, Timothy Leary, and Tommy Chong.1h 16m - Sep 6, 2022
- STILL SMOKIN’ - featuring CHEECH MARIN (Episode 18)STILL SMOKIN’ - featuring counterculture entertainment icon CHEECH MARIN (Episode 18). In our latest episode of Cannthropology, host Bobby Black Zooms in with cannabis comedy legend Cheech Marin of Cheech & Chong fame to discuss his amazing career, his relationship with Tommy, his signature cannabis brands, and his feelings about dabbing, as well as the grand opening of his new Chicano art museum in California.43m - Jun 9, 2022
- Legalizing The Last Frontier With Bailey Stuart (Episode 17)LEGALIZING THE LAST FRONTIER - featuring COO of Wasilla’s Green Jar Dispensary Bailey Stuart (Episode 17). In this special installment of Cannthropology recorded live in November 2021 at the Alaska Leaf Bowl event in Anchorage, host Bobby Black delves into the history of cannabis in Alaska with the COO of Wasilla’s Green Jar dispensary Bailey Stuart. The topics discussed include: how Alaska became the second state to decriminalize cannabis, how the grandfather of Alaskan legalization Irwin Ravin got the state’s Supreme Court to establish a constitutional right to privacy regarding marijuana, the evolution of the state’s cannabis laws, the origins of the state’s legendary Matanuska Thunderfuck strain, and the infamous on-air resignation of Alaskan TV news anchor turned cannabis activist/entrepreneur Charlo Greene.54m - Dec 2, 2021
- SINSEMILLA STORY - featuring Tom Alexander (Episode 16)SINSEMILLA STORY - featuring founder/publisher of Sinsemilla Tips magazine Tom Alexander (Episode 16). In our latest episode of Cannthropology, we welcome to the show Tom Alexander—founder and publisher of the legendary cannabis cultivation publication Sinsemilla Tips whose magazine and grow shop in Oregon were among the primary targets of a massive DEA sting operation in 1989 intended to shut down cannabis cultivation in the US known as Operation Green Merchant. Alexander opens up to host Bobby Black about how Sinsemilla Tips got started and rose to prominence, how the government raided and shut down his businesses, and what happened in the fallout of those raids.1h 1m - Oct 26, 2021
- ROLL WITH IT - featuring rolling paper mogul/historian Josh Kesselman (Episode 15).ROLL WITH IT - featuring rolling paper mogul/historian Josh Kesselman (Episode 15). In the latest installment of Cannthropology, we explore the history of rolling papers—from their origins in Alcoy, Spain in the 1600s, to their expansion into France in 1800, and the market shift toward cannabis and the counterculture during the 1960s and 70s, we’ll touch on the various pioneers, innovations, and brands (including Bambu, Pay-Pay, OCB, Rizla+, Zig-Zag, E-Z Wider and more) that have driven the industry forward throughout the centuries. Joining host Bobby Black in this discussion is RAW Rolling Papers founder/CEO (and rolling paper collector/historian) Josh Kesselman, who explains how seeing a magic trick by his dad at age five developed into a lifelong obsession with rolling papers, and how he’s transformed that passion into a multi-million dollar paraphernalia empire that continues to honor the long, proud tradition from which it evolved.1h 5m - Sep 28, 2021
- RADICAL LOVE - featuring Eleanora Kennedy, widow of legendary counterculture lawyer Michael Kennedy (Episode 14).RADICAL LOVE - featuring Eleanora Kennedy, widow of legendary counterculture lawyer Michael Kennedy (Episode 14). In the newest edition of Cannthropology, host Bobby Black speaks with Eleanora Kennedy, the widow of legendary civil rights lawyer Michael Kennedy. Over the course of his long, controversial career, Kennedy represented and assisted many counterculture icons, including labor leaders Cesar Chaves and Dolores Huerta, Black Panthers founder Huey Newton, Weather Underground leaders Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, the Chicago 8’s Rennie Davis, Brotherhood of Eternal Love founder Michael Randall, LSD guru Timothy Leary, and High Times founder Tom Forcade, from whom he essentially inherited the magazine after Forcade’s suicide in 1978. As part owners of High Times, the Kennedys were responsible for protecting the magazine legally and overseeing its success for three decades, until Kennedy’s death in 2016. Now, their life, love, and legacy are the subject of a new short documentary film from The New Yorker entitled Radical Love by Orange Sunshine director William Kirkley.1h 20m - Aug 28, 2021
- HASHistory - featuring master hashish maker & historian Frenchy Cannoli (Episode 13)HASHistory - featuring master hashish maker & historian Frenchy Cannoli (Episode 13). In the latest episode of Cannthropology, we delve deep into the musky, gooey, spicy, savory history of hashish...or “HASHistory,” if you will. What exactly is hashish, how do we define it? When and where was it first invented or discovered? How was it popularized and spread across the world? How has it evolved over the centuries, and what role has it played in cannabis culture? To help us sort through the myths and mysteries, and separate the fact from fiction, host Bobby Black speaks one of the world’s foremost authorities on the topic, master hashishin Frenchy Cannoli.1h 30m - May 27, 2021
- Amsterdam’s Cannabis Revolution - featuring “The Potfather” - Dutch cannabis pioneer Wernard Bruining (Episode 12)Amsterdam’s Cannabis Revolution - featuring “The Potfather” - Dutch cannabis pioneer Wernard Bruining (Episode 12). In our new episode of Cannthropology, we explore the origins of how Amsterdam became the cannabis capital of Europe, from the perspective of one of the Netherlands’ most pivotal cannabis pioneers–Wernard Bruining. He’s known as “The Potfather,” and with good reason: in 1973, he opened Amsterdam’s very first coffee shop, the Mellow Yellow; in 1980, he started the world’s first commercial cannabis seed company (Lowland Seed Company), and five years later he opened Europe’s first cannabis grow shop, Positronics; a decade later in 1995, he founded Europe’s first medical marijuana foundation—Stichting Mediwiet. Host Bobby Black speaks with Wernard about how the Provo movement helped instigate the Netherlands’ policy of cannabis tolerance, how the coffeeshop industry first began, how his “Green Team” of legendary growers/breeders helped turn the world on to sinsemilla, and how learning about Rick Simpson inspired him to switch his focus to the medical side of marijuana.1h 33m - Apr 20, 2021
- Yippie High-Yay! with Million Marijuana & Dana Beal (Episode 11)Yippie High-Yay! - featuring Million Marijuana March founder & Yippie leader Dana Beal (Episode 11). In the latest installment of Cannthropology, we look back at the Youth International Party, aka the Yippies—the anarchistic activist group from the 1960s founded by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. Once referred to as “Groucho Marxists,” the Yippies employed absurdist pranks and satirical street theater as a means to embarrass the establishment and call attention to their liberal causes, such as ending the Vietnam War and legalizing marijuana. Among the many prominent activists associated with the Yippie movement was a man personally recruited by Hoffman and Rubin early on named Dana Beal. Beal was one of the group’s driving forces—organizing most of their “smoke-in” protests throughout the 1970s and 80s and eventually becoming the Yippies’ de facto leader and historian. In this interview, Beal discusses his lifelong crusade for cannabis, his friendship with High Times founder Tom Forcade, how the first smoke-in in Washington D.C. may have instigated Watergate, and how Mayor Giuliani’s attempted crackdown on NYC’s “May Day” pot parade helped transform it into the worldwide Million Marijuana March.
The World of Cannabis Museum Project Presents Cannthropology—the potcast that explores the history of cannabis culture one artifact and interview at a time. Hosted by World of Cannabis executive director and marijuana media icon Bobby Black. In each episode, Bobby chooses a different item(s) from the museum's collection of around 500 rare antiques, artifacts, and artworks, and welcomes a different guest to help him explore the item’s significance and place in cannabis history.1h 8m - Mar 26, 2021 - American Pipe Dreams - featuring Jerome Baker Designs (Episode 10)American Pipe Dreams - featuring Jerome Baker Designs founder Jason Harris (Episode 10). In our first episode of 2021, host Bobby Black speaks with one of the glass industry’s first and foremost bong makers, Jerome Baker Designs founder Jason Harris. Harris talks about his apprenticeship with legendary glassblower Bob Snodgrass in the 1990s, losing everything during the government’s Operation Pipe Dreams raids in 2003 and how his brand was able to rebound, as well as his latest projects—including his new glassblower competition show Operation Pipe Dreamers featuring Tommy Chong.1h 11m - Mar 24, 2021
- Reverence for the Reverend (Episode 9)Reverence for the Reverend - Featuring Medical Marijuana Pioneer & POW OG Eddy Lepp (Episode 9). In the latest edition of Cannthropology, host Bobby Black speaks with one of our nation’s most beloved and beleaguered medical marijuana growers and activists, OG Eddy Lepp. In the late 1990s-early 2000s, he ran the largest medical cannabis grow in history, Eddy’s Medicinal Garden. Lepp opens up about his Rastafari religious ministry, the raid of his farm (the largest individual bust in DEA history), his friendships with fellow legalization icons like Jack Herer and Dennis Peron, and his current battle with cancer.
Charles “Eddy” Lepp is one of the most famous and revered pot POWs in America. As an activist, he traveled the world with his best friend Jack Herer and worked closely with Dennis Peron to help get Proposition 215 passed. He was the first person to be arrested and charged for operating a medical cannabis collective under Prop 215 and spent over eight years in prison. In 2004, he was named High Times’ Freedom Fighter of the Year, and in 2017 was awarded their Lester Grinspoon Award for Lifetime Achievement.
To make a donation to Eddy’s medical fund, please visit www.gofundme.com/eddyleppneedsyou54m - Dec 21, 2020 - Hashish, Hawaii & The Hippie Mafia (Episode 8)Hashish, Hawaii & The Hippie Mafia - Featuring Founding Member Of The Brotherhood Of Eternal Love Travis Ashbrook (Episode 8). In this epic, double-sized episode of Cannthropology, host Bobby Black speaks with quite possibly the most notorious hash smuggler in US history, one of the founding members of the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, Travis Ashbrook. Ashbrook opens up about the Brotherhood’s origins and history, his lifetime of smuggling weed and hash, his friendship with famed acid guru Timothy Leary and how the Brotherhood helped break him out of prison, getting high with Jimi Hendrix in Hawaii, creating the mythical Maui Wowie strain, and his decades of living on the run and in prison.
Notoriously nicknamed “The Hippie Mafia,” The Brotherhood of Eternal Love was the world’s largest producer and distributors of LSD, as well as the biggest smugglers of hashish & marijuana during the 1960s and early 1970s. Founded in Laguna Beach, California in 1966, the Brotherhood’s mission was to “turn on” the world to psychedelics, and to finance that dream they smuggled tons and tons of hashish into the US from Afghanistan before eventually being brought down by the Feds in 1973. Their incredible misadventures are chronicled in a 2010 book and 2016 documentary film, both entitled Orange Sunshine after the type of acid that made them famous. The surviving members of the original Brotherhood have inducted into the High Times Counterculture Hall of Fame at the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam in 2011.2h 6m - Dec 10, 2020 - Cannabis Prohibition’s Racist Roots (Episode 7)Cannabis Prohibition’s Racist Roots - featuring The Equity Organization’s Founder & Executive Director Natalie Papillion (Episode 7). In this extended episode, we tackle an important topic: racism and its relationship to cannabis prohibition. Host Bobby Black welcomes the founder and executive director of The Equity Organization Natalie Papillion to talk about the history of racism and cannabis. From the fear of black jazz musicians and Mexican immigrants in the 1920s and 30s to Nixon’s targeting of black and Jewish activists in the early 1970s; from the mandatory minimum sentences of the 1980s to stop and frisk in the 1990s; from mass incarceration and asset forfeiture to voter disenfranchisement and the inequities of the burgeoning cannabis industry—we lay out all of the racist rhetoric and sobering statistics, and discuss what might be done to remedy the systemic issues we face. Natalie Papillion is a writer, researcher, and Yale graduate who contributed to the 2014 American Book Award-winning Jim Crow Freedom: Memory and Identity in Black America Since 1940 and author of the upcoming book Reefer Madness: The Roots of Marijuana Prohibition in America. She’s also the Founder and Executive Director of The Equity Organization, a nonprofit organization working to advance fair, effective, and equitable criminal justice and drug policy reforms.
The World of Cannabis Museum Project Presents Cannthropology—the potcast that explores the history of cannabis culture one artifact and interview at a time. Hosted by World of Cannabis executive director and marijuana media icon Bobby Black. In each episode, Bobby chooses a different item(s) from the museum's collection of around 500 rare antiques, artifacts, and artworks, and welcomes a different guest to help him explore the item’s significance and place in cannabis history.1h 43m - Sep 30, 2020 - From Ann Arbor to Amsterdam (Episode 6)From Ann Arbor to Amsterdam - featuring Hash Bash Organizer/Emcee Adam Brook (Episode 6). In this special archive edition of Cannthropology: Amsterdam Sessions recorded live in Amsterdam in early December of last year, host Bobby Black sits down with OG Michigan cannabis activist Adam Brook. During a hazy hashish smoking session, the two discuss a number of topics, including the history of Michigan’s cannabis laws; Ann Arbor’s famous Hash Bash event and how it was inspired by legendary activist John Sinclair; how laws and attitudes regarding cannabis have changed over the decades; the early days of the High Times Cannabis Cup; their mutual affinity for the city of Amsterdam; and some of the rare items he’s donated to the museum collection. Adam Brook is the longtime organizer & emcee of the annual Hash Bash rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He’s also the organizer of the Hash Bash Cup and personal manager of cannabis culture legend John Sinclair. Brook was named High Times Freedom Fighter of the year in 1994, which provided him the opportunity to attend the first Cannabis Cup event in Amsterdam that was open to the public that year. Photo credit: Malcolm Mackinnon. The World of Cannabis Museum Project Presents: Cannthropology—the potcast that explores the history of cannabis culture one artifact and interview at a time. Hosted by World of Cannabis executive director and marijuana media icon Bobby Black. In each episode, Bobby chooses a different item(s) from the museum's collection of around 500 rare antiques, artifacts, and artworks, and welcomes a different guest to help him explore the item’s significance and place in cannabis history.1h 10m - Sep 3, 2020
- Tribute to Lester Grinspoon (Episode 5)Tribute to Lester Grinspoon - with special guests David Grinspoon, Keith Stroup, Allen St. Pierre, Valerie Leveroni Corral, and Rick Cusick (Ep. 5). In this special extended episode of Cannthropology, we honor the passing of the “Godfather of Medical Marijuana” Dr. Lester Grinspoon. To memorialize his life and legacy, host Bobby Black welcomes on some of those who were closest to the good doctor: his son, astrobiologist and author David Grinspoon; NORML founder Keith Stroup, former NORML executive director Allen St. Pierre, WAMM cofounder Valerie Leveroni Corral, and former High Times associate publisher Rick Cusick, who all share some of their favorite memories, anecdotes, and insights into one of the consequential advocates in the cannabis community.1h 48m - Aug 3, 2020
- Cannabis Americanna With Pat Ryan (Episode 4)Cannabis Americanna - featuring renowned counterculture comic, cartoon & poster artist Pat Ryan (Ep. 4). In this episode of Cannthropology, host Bobby Black converses with the “High Priest of Cannabis Americana,” underground art icon (and World of Cannabis Museum advisory board member) Pat Ryan, who discusses his life as a counterculture artist in California throughout the 1960s and 70s, his relationships with other legendary artists like Dave Sheridan, Rick Griffin, and Stanley Mouse, and his own 40-year body of work, including hundreds of paintings, comics, and event posters.1h 10m - Jun 30, 2020
- BACK TO NORML (Episode 3)Back to NORML - featuring National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws founder Keith Stroup (Episode 3). In this episode of Cannthropology, host Bobby Black speaks with the founder of cannabis advocacy group NORML Keith Stroup about the organization’s 50-year history, his rediscovery and revival of pot propaganda film Reefer Madness, and his personal relationships with other counterculture icons like Hunter S. Thompson, Hugh Hefner, Willie Nelson, and High Times founder Tom Forcade. Keith Stroup is the founder, former executive director & current legal counsel for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, better known as NORML, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. He’s the author of the autobiography It's NORML to Smoke Pot: The 40-Year Fight for Marijuana Smokers' Rights (High Times Books). He’s also the recipient of the 1992 Richard J. Dennis Drugpeace Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Drug Policy Reform from the Drug Policy Alliance, and the 2012 Lester Grinspoon Lifetime Achievement Award from High Times, and on April 20th, 2020 was named a 420 Icon (one of top 100 cannabis influencers of all time) by the Cannabis Business Awards (in collaboration with World of Cannabis). The World of Cannabis Museum Project Presents Cannthropology—the potcast that explores the history of cannabis culture one artifact and interview at a time. Hosted by World of Cannabis executive director and marijuana media icon Bobby Black. In each episode, Bobby chooses a different item(s) from the museum's collection of around 500 rare antiques, artifacts, and artworks, and welcomes a different guest to help him explore the item’s significance and place in cannabis history.1h 17m - May 22, 2020
- Assassins of Truth With Rick Cusick (Episode 2)Assassins of Truth - featuring World of Cannabis Museum Advisory Board member Rick Cusick (Episode 2). In this episode of Cannthropology, host Bobby Black welcomes on World of Cannabis Museum Advisory Board member Rick Cusick to discuss a publication with a prominent piece of prohibitionist propaganda: The American Magazine’s “Marijuana—Assassin of Youth” co-authored by infamous anti-cannabis crusader Harry J. Anslinger.
Rick Cusick is the former editor, ad director, and associate publisher of High Times Magazine. He is also a founding partner of Whoopi Goldberg’s medical marijuana company Whoopi and Maya, a member of the Board of Directors at the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and Cannabis Business Awards Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. He is currently nearing completion on several books and writes a regular column on the website the drugtestnews.com.
The World of Cannabis Museum Project Presents: Cannthropology—the podcast that explores the history of cannabis culture one artifact and interview at a time. Hosted by World of Cannabis executive director and marijuana media icon Bobby Black. In each episode, Bobby chooses a different item (or items) from the museum's collection of around 500 rare antiques, artifacts, and artworks, and welcomes on a different guest to help him explore that item’s unique significance and place in cannabis history.
Check out our syndicated Cannthropology blog at worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology and via our media partners: Leaf Magazine, Skunk Magazine, Cannasseur Magazine, NUGL Magazine & Cannapolitan Magazine. If you would like to carry our content in your cannabis publication or website, or are interested in becoming a sponsor of this podcast, please contact us at cannthropology@gmail.com.58m - Apr 24, 2020 - History In The Making with Jair Velleman (Episode 1)History in the Making - featuring World of Cannabis Museum founder and curator Jair Velleman (Episode 1). In this inaugural episode of Cannthropology, host Bobby Black sits down with World of Cannabis Museum founder and curator Jair Velleman at his home in Amsterdam to discuss how he got the idea for the museum, how he decided to bring Bobby in on the project, and what they hope to accomplish with it.
Jair Velleman is an award-winning cannabis entrepreneur, activist, and philanthropist. He is the former co-owner of the Gavita lighting company and current co-owner of DabStars and Lbs. Distribution, as well as an avid collector of rare cannabis-related artwork, antiques, and artifacts. The museum is Jair’s dream—a way for him to give back to the cannabis community that has given him so much.
The World of Cannabis Museum Project Presents: Cannthropology—the podcast that explores the history of cannabis culture one artifact and interview at a time. Hosted by World of Cannabis executive director and marijuana media icon Bobby Black. In each episode, Bobby chooses a different item (or items) from the museum's collection of around 500 rare antiques, artifacts, and artworks, and welcomes on a different guest to help him explore that item’s unique significance and place in cannabis history.58m - Apr 1, 2020
Cannthropology
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