Move over Museum of Ice Cream! Weedmaps today announced that the Weedmaps Museum of Weed will open to the public on August 3, 2019 in Hollywood, California.“Today in the United States, someone is arrested for non-violent possession of cannabis every 48 seconds,” said Chris Beals, CEO of Weedmaps. “That’s over 650,000 arrests annually, consuming hundreds of millions of dollars and resources from law enforcement efforts. There has been too little discussion of the role that the prohibition played in a number of historical and ongoing social injustices.”
The 30,000 square-foot Weedmaps Museum of Weed will be curated with interactive exhibits, art installations, historical artifacts and more, aiming to shed light on the tie between cannabis prohibition and racially disparate policies in hopes to drive advocacy and reform efforts.
“Our goal with the Weedmaps Museum of Weed is to demystify cannabis and its role in society, and to draw attention to the impact prohibition of cannabis has had on various social groups in the U.S. and beyond,” said Beals.
Located at 720 North Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, the museum will inhabit seven exhibits and a special Plant Lab section:
● Pre-Prohibition:
● Age Of Madness: Provides a visual look at the hysteria perpetuated by prohibition.
● Counterculture Revolution: Explores cannabis’ journey into the fabric of the 60s, from the hippie culture to activism.
● Behind Closed Doors: Takes visitors to the start of the war on drugs, when Richard Nixon introduced the DEA, and the people responded with foundations like NORML.
● Entrapment: Delves into the Reagan years and the government-driven propaganda that led to systematic mass incarceration of minorities.
● Dose of Compassion: Shows how the AIDS epidemic drove California’s ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana through a slice of life story.
● Legalization: A look at how both medicinal and recreational cannabis reform has evolved over the last decade and how pop culture has aided in normalizing cannabis.
● The Plant Lab: An interactive exhibit that explores everything from cannabinoids to terpenes and the latest technology and breakthrough medical research that can help shape the future of the plant and its role in society.
“Visitors to the Weedmaps Museum of Weed will experience an accurate, unfiltered exploration into the world of cannabis throughout history,” said Beals. “The Weedmaps Museum of Weed will combine all the immersive elements you’d expect to find in the world’s finest museums across multiple categories, including cultural, fine art and natural history. There will also be plenty of artistic installations for those who want to share meaningful moments socially.”
Developed in partnership with VIRTUE, the Los Angeles-based creative agency born from Vice Media in 2006, the Weedmaps Museum of Weed will be open for a limited time, and will feature a gift shop with a robust collection of custom apparel, commemorative pop culture keepsakes, and a variety of cannabis trinkets including our Founder’s company, House of Puff!
“Under close guidance of Weedmaps, we developed a completely legitimate museum experience that accurately displays the antique artifacts you’d expect from a natural history museum, the artwork you’d expect in a modern art museum, the interactive education you’d expect from a family museum, and, yes, even all the mind-melting Instagram opportunities you’d expect from a branded weed museum” says Jonathan Santoro, Executive Creative Director, Virtue LA. “By paying respect to the plant, its history, and all those who helped– and hurt– its cultural growth, we think audiences will be blown away by just how wild the truth is.”
Beals adds, “Despite increasing efforts to decriminalize cannabis, and overwhelming evidence about its benefits, stigma around weed continues to run deep,” added Beals. “Through the Weedmaps Museum of Weed, we hope to provide visitors with a robust understanding of the highs and lows of cannabis history, and to create a stronger understanding of the importance of this plant and its potential.”
The Weedmaps Museum of Weed will officially open with an exclusive reception on August 1st, followed by a grand opening on August 3rd. Open for a limited time only, the Weedmaps Museum of Weed will close on September 29, 2019. You can purchase tickets here.
top image // The Hollywood sign’s first iteration as “Hollyweed” was 41 years ago, on New Year’s Day 1976, when an art student scaled the peak for a class project. (Los Angeles Times)
