Do you think the relevance of 4/20 has been lost on the modern cannabis community?
John Shute | CEO | PufCreativ
I do not think 4/20 has lost relevance, but the meaning behind it has shifted. More people recognize and celebrate it, which is great. But the original spirit, driven by passion for the plant and positive change, has faded. As cannabis gets more corporate, it is critical to remind consumers to support local, family-owned, minority- and women-owned businesses that care about quality, people and the planet. That is where the true heart of this industry still lives.
Paul Weaver | Head of Cannabis | Boston Beer Company
Most certainly. In the days of prohibition, 4/20 was about connecting likeminded advocates, celebrating the plant and being conspicuous with your consumption. Since legalization, the revolutionary spirit behind 4/20 has faded. Many in the industry now treat 4/20 like St. Patrick’s Day for weed, but in practice, it’s more like Black Friday — focused on deals, not progress. Post-legalization advocacy — improving laws, fixing regulations and addressing injustices — is in many ways harder than legalization itself. To move forward, we need to rekindle the collective 4/20 energy that got us here.
Rick Bashkoff | CEO | Lit Alerts
I think the modern cannabis community is changing the relevance of 4/20. It used to be a day for cannabis users to come out of the shadows and celebrate. But we’re out of the shadows now so the relevance has changed from a single-day celebration to a multi-day promotional period similar to a Black Friday. Don’t underestimate the fact that we’re in the beginning of a rough patch of days of the week with 4/20 this year falling on Easter Sunday, 2026 on a Monday and 2027 on a Tuesday.
Brendan McKee | COO | Silver Therapeutics
To some extent, yes. In states that allow adult-use cannabis, the relevance has somewhat diminished. That said, the push for federal legalization continues with 4/20 serving as both a celebration and advocacy opportunity for liberalization and reform. What was a counterculture holiday is now a bit more washed down and mainstream but definitely remains relevant.
Greg Tannor | CEO | FlowerHouse
I don’t think that 4/20 has been forgotten, it has just evolved and expanded, especially in New York and across the nation. In my opinion, 4/20 has become a national holiday in the cannabis space (who knows, maybe it will someday be an official holiday). I heard a funny quote this year about 4/20: “4/20 didn’t fall on Easter, Easter fell on 4/20 this year.” It was quite amusing to hear something like that, and it just goes to show how relevant 4/20 is in the modern cannabis community.
Ben Burstein | Corporate Development | LeafLink
No. 4/20 remains a cultural phenomenon with over 5 million Americans visiting dispensaries, buying a normal two and a half weeks worth of product in one week, and getting high with friends and family. It’s the Black Friday, Super Bowl and Christmas of cannabis all rolled together. While April 20 sales were down year-over-year in 2025, largely due to falling on Easter and the preceding day being a Saturday, total retail sales in the week leading up to 4/20 hit a new record at about $1.2 billion, up about $50 million from last year.
Everett Smith | CEO | Presidential
With the growing legalization of cannabis, its use is becoming increasingly normalized, and more people are consuming it than ever before, making 4/20 especially relevant to today’s cannabis consumer. What originally was a day of rebellion and solidarity is now a day of celebration and awareness of the plant’s history. Major brands and dispensaries are running promotional discounts and putting on events celebrating, helping to normalize cannabis use and creating a sense of community. While 4/20 is still a major holiday, we are now seeing that consumers don’t need a special day to consume their favorite products.
Jesce Horton | CEO | Grand National
Not at all. It’s just evolved. 420 started as a rebellious code when the plant was illegal — a low-key, personal connection to the culture. Now it’s a public celebration — loud, proud and mainstream. The meaning isn’t lost; it’s just grown with the times.
Amna Shamin | Director of Content Marketing | CannabisEvents.Global
The relevance of 4/20 has absolutely been lost on the modern cannabis community, not just the industry but the community at large. Unfortunately, this is typical as something grows in awareness and popularity. It’s like a cultural game of whisper-down-the-alley where the meaning changes with each whisper until it no longer remotely resembles the original statement.
Cameron Clarke | CEO | Sunderstorm
Yes, in many ways it has. 4/20 has become highly commercialized — more about flash sales, gimmicks and marketing stunts rather than the deeper meaning behind the plant. There’s a missed opportunity to educate people about the true power of cannabis — its healing potential, its ability to foster wellness and its role in bringing people together.
Instead of treating it like a day to drive revenue, we’d love to see 4/20 evolve into something more purposeful: a day of giving back, education and collective healing. There’s still time to reclaim its spirit, but it will take intention.
Kris Karl | Co-founder | 3isFor
In some ways, yes. Legalization has transformed the landscape, and many forget that 4/20 wasn’t originally a marketing event — it was a quiet act of rebellion, a code, a way to connect and gather. While we’re grateful for the legal market, we must remember those who paved the way and the people still incarcerated for this plant. Sometimes the celebration lacks context, and we shouldn’t lose sight of that history.
Jeffrey Miller | CEO | HoneyProjects
I don’t think so. Our 4/20 events have seen strong community engagement, and they definitely function as a celebration of cannabis culture. Many definitely see the day as a chance to grab discounts, but deals can be part of the vibe, too. As long as those deep in the cannabis culture make a sincere effort to include and accept those who may be newer to it, 4/20 can be a real celebration of the plant. 4/20 is like any American holiday: it has as much meaning and significance as the people who celebrate give to it.
Jeff Scrabeck | Co-founder | DIZPOT
While the relevance of 4/20 may have diminished in more mature and established markets, new markets bring a fresh energy to our industry’s holiday. 4/20 presents an excellent reason for our industry to promote their unique offerings while providing opportunities to gain national media attention. This exposure helps raise the awareness of the many benefits of cannabis to a broad audience, many who are unfamiliar with the modern cannabis community.
While 4/20 is a day to celebrate, we encourage our customers to understand their target audience and create packaging that resonates beyond mainstream cannabis days to traditional holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Halloween and Veterans Day. We even created a holiday planning calendar for our clients to know when to start planning and ordering for upcoming holidays. Brands that succeed are the ones that know their audience, plan and tailor their messaging and products to align with their customers’ interests.
The unique aspect of 4/20 is its ability to educate the canna-curious while bringing the community together for a day of celebration. While the relevance of 4/20 may diminish as cannabis becomes more mainstream, it will always have a place in American culture.
Stacy Litke | VP Banking & Financial Services | Green Check
If you’re talking about the significance of the number itself — 420 — I don’t think so. I see folks across generations and segments of the community still pause and giggle when the number pops up. Internally we have a random slack channel and folks across the company are always sharing screen shots of the number when it arrives in just the right place, and I’ve seen a number of LinkedIn messages with a similar vibe as well. As far as the date, and the sales activity, it’s possible that it’s not that big of a deal any longer, although it feels like our dispensary clients still gear up for a big sales day and we do see the corresponding uptick in deposit data. I think that’s driven by the offers that are presented tied to the celebration, but with higher acceptance of cannabis it feels like sales are spreading out more evenly, with a few spikes around 4/20, Thanksgiving and Valentines Day. I think, though, as time goes on and the hard fought battles for legalization are forgotten, it may go up in smoke, or at the very least no one will remember the story.
Mitch Colbert | CEO | Full Spectrum Strategy
Absolutely, though I am also guilty of it. When I was in college in Santa Cruz, I was regularly going to their 4/20 smokeout; now that I am busy with my career, I don’t have the time I used to for 4/20 smokeouts. I did still take the time to share the history of the Waldos who created 420, and the Deadheads who spread it around the globe, and hopefully next year more people know the real history of the world’s first cannabis holiday (and its newer cousin, 710).