From the outside, it looks like any other nondescript, brick-built church. But its stained glass panels, instead of biblical images, are adorned with a colorful array of planets–with wide, cartoonish grins–and stars. Welcome to Denver’s International Church of Cannabis, which had its grand opening last Thursday, on the unofficial weed holiday known as “4/20.” In a city where smoking marijuana in public is illegal, despite Colorado’s legalization of the drug in 2012, the church offers a holy refuge to those looking for a more spiritual kind of high.

Church members call themselves “Elevationists.” They refer to cannabis as “the sacred flower.” The church’s interior looks like a Salvador Dali painting come to life: technicolor, kaleidoscopic patterns blanket the ceiling; two surreal figures sit in pools of paint, a tiny, blue horse is visible in the background. There is hardly a speck of white in the entire sanctuary–courtesy of the colorful vision of artists Kenny Scharf and Okuda San Miguel.

Coming back at you from Denver’s International Church of Cannabis pic.twitter.com/pe7Xjqtlv5

— Full Disclosure (@FullDRadio) April 21, 2017

The church’s mission, according to its website, is:

To offer a home to adults everywhere who are looking to create the best version of themselves by way of the sacred plant. Our lifestance is that an individual’s spiritual journey, and search for meaning, is one of self-discovery that can be accelerated with ritual cannabis use. Elevationists claim no divine authority, nor authoritarian structure, therefore, those of all religious and cultural background are welcome to visit our chapel and take part in our celebrations.

Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012, setting off a string of state referendums–from Oregon to California–on legalization, and shifting the nationwide discourse on the long-pilloried plant. Eight states and D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana; 28 have legalized it for medical purposes. But while it is legal to possess limited amounts of cannabis across Colorado, which is also dotted with licensed dispensaries, local jurisdictions draft their own rules regarding public use.

In response, a number of so-called “cannabis clubs” (essentially bars or cafes where lighting up is legal) have cropped up. Also on 4/20, the country’s first cannabis drive-thru opened in Parachute, Colorado. And Denver’s cannabis church is not the country’s first establishment to mix the high with the holy. The First Church of Cannabis, in Indianapolis, opened in the summer of 2015.

Funded by Elevation Ministries, a religious nonprofit, the International Church of Cannabis was not unequivocally embraced. On Thursday, the church’s opening day, Dan Pabon, a Democratic state representative, proposed an amendment to ban cannabis consumption in churches. Pabon said the church “offends both religious beliefs everywhere, as well as the voters’ intent on allowing legalization of marijuana in Colorado.”

Welcome to the International Church of Cannabis. Yes, you read that correctly. https://t.co/mN6C9bVVug pic.twitter.com/v2Xbd8ilwK

— NYT National News (@NYTNational) April 24, 2017

The amendment was never officially introduced; many fellow legislators viewed it as an attempt to repress religious freedom. To Steve Berke, the church’s media relations director, the church was founded to “do something different, something unique.” In an interview with the New York Times, Berke said: “We’re building a community of volunteers, and the common thread is that they use cannabis to positively influence their lives, and they use cannabis for spiritual purposes.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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When Mark Smith realized that the residents of Parachute, Colorado craved a late-night marijuana fix, after his dispensary had closed for the day, he had an idea. Smith, 58, decided to re-brand the Valley Car Wash across the street from his dispensary as Tumbleweed Express, the nation’s first marijuana drive-thru business. The drive-thru’s grand opening coincides with the unofficial–yet widely celebrated, especially on college campuses–holiday of “4/20,” a spirited celebration of pot and paraphernalia.

Smith, a lifetime entrepreneur who once owned 23 pawn shops, explained to a local Fox affiliate his rationale for opening Tumbleweed Express: “I’ve been driving by the car wash building a lot. I talked to the realtor here in town and it was for sale. So, it seemed like the perfect fit,” he said.

Ribbon cutting at Tumbleweed Express at 1pm today. pic.twitter.com/Y41yUJAFjL

— Parachute Colorado (@VisitParachute) April 20, 2017

Parachute once seemed like an unlikely place for the nation’s–and the world’s, according to Smith–first pot drive-thru. Though the town of 1,100 is in the first state in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana, it had a freeze on marijuana sales until June 2015. But as the town’s economic engine, its natural gas reserves, sputtered, town officials decided to lift the marijuana ban, which proved a boon to Parachute’s economy. In 2016, according to the Post Independent, 30 percent of the town’s tax receipts were from marijuana sales.

Smith has taken full advantage of Parachute’s marijuana renaissance. He opened a dispensary in Parachute last February, expanded to a few more towns, and on Thursday will become America’s first steward of a marijuana drive-thru. It was when he realized that customers craved a late-night cannabis fixing, with no local dispensary open late enough to scratch that itch, that Smith decided to pursue his latest venture.

“I didn’t set out thinking this would be national news,” Smith told the Post Independent. “I didn’t have some big epiphany. I just saw a need for our customers.” According to Robert Goulding, a spokesman for Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division, “the same laws apply to the drive-thru as do the main dispensary.” The rules include: customers must be 21 years old or up, there must be security and surveillance at the point of sale, and no pot can be visible outside the drive-thru premises.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Snapchat rolled out a new Bob Marley-inspired filter Wednesday in honor of 4/20 (aka National Weed Day) that gives snapchatters both dreadlocks and a noticeably darker skin tone, and people are pissed.

The filter allows users to warp their faces into a cartoonish interpretation of the late singer that many argue is tantamount to digital blackface.

Snapchat’s half-baked 420 nod is a Bob Marley blackface filter?! Dude was Jamaican! Did waaaay more than smoke weed. pic.twitter.com/t6tazxnMxT

— Brian Ries (@moneyries) April 20, 2016

Things nobody looks good in: peplum, propeller hats, Bob Marley’s face

— Erin Gloria Ryan (@morninggloria) April 20, 2016

Well, there’s a Bob Marley @Snapchat filter for today. (Just in case you didn’t want the effort of buying paint to do blackface.)

— Tré Pina (@TreLingual) April 20, 2016

However, some people took more offense to the timing of the filter’s release than to the actual filter itself. Snapchat is in the habit of creating holiday themed filters and banners for its users. Since April 20’s date is synonymous with “weed culture,” rolling out Marley’s image effectively claimed him as the poster boy for marijuana.

I take more issue with the Bob Marley filter being used for 4/20 than I do with it being “blackface”…

— Pastor Courvoisier (@PLAIDvillain) April 20, 2016

This bob Marley filter for 420??

Bob Marley the symbol of weed orrrr a symbol of love & good music?

I’m confused.

— Mrs. King (@_zolarmoon) April 20, 2016

The anger didn’t stop there. Snapchatters also took offense with Kylie Jenner’s use of the filter. Jenner drew criticism after playing around with the filter in a pair of videos seen below in which she says, “420. Yaaas, bitch,” Jenner exclaims. “Yaaas.”

In retrospect, Jenner’s choice seems more haphazard than intentional, but still ill-conceived nonetheless. In an ironic twist, Jenner’s reality show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” famously covered the topic of blackface in an episode that chronicled her older sister Kim’s reaction to being approached by a fan offensively pretending to be Kanye.

Snapchat later revealed in a statement Wednesday that the filter was in fact created with the Bob Marley estate’s blessing. The statement read,

The lens we launched today was created in partnership with the Bob Marley Estate, and gives people a new way to share their appreciation for Bob Marley and his music. Millions of Snapchatters have enjoyed Bob Marley’s music, and we respect his life and achievements.

Even if Marley’s filter was sanctioned by his estate, that doesn’t give the public any less of a right to critique the image and hold Snapchat accountable for its cultural appropriation.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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