Being illegal did little to stop cannabis from being a part of mainstream culture, though with criminalization came stigmatization, with consumption long associated as the exclusive domain of “hopheads” and hippies. Worse still, it has been used as a tool to disparage and look down on people of color.
My, how the times have changed.
Now, of course, millions of American adults of legal age have access to recreational cannabis, medical marijuana is available to varying degrees, and nationally, hemp-derived products that still get you high are legal and, unsurprisingly, popular.