A Cannabis-Infused Thanksgiving
by DAVID JOLLEY, J.D.
Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, dressing, cranberry sauce, and cannabis. Aside from cannabis, all the other items listed are typically associated with a traditional Thanksgiving meal. However, since cannabis has become legalized either medicinally or recreationally in most states, cannabis has become a regular part of the event for many families. In fact, a new survey recently reported in Forbes magazine found that 90% of cannabis consumers plan to buy at least as much (if not more) cannabis this year as they did the previous year (2021) and seven out of ten said they would be stocking up on enough to share with friends and family during the holidays.
This article will briefly cover how cannabis can make the holidays less stressful and more enjoyable, explain a couple Thanksgiving cannabis terms, comments from local readers on how they incorporate cannabis into their Thanksgiving, and a few essential recipes to try.
Benefits
There are many benefits that can come with incorporating cannabis into your Thanksgiving celebration. Here are just a few.
Stimulates appetite
It’s no secret cannabis helps stimulate a person’s appetite (i.e., “the munchies”) so it makes sense why using cannabis before the big meal would be beneficial. In addition to increasing your appetite, cannabis affects your sense of smell. A 2014 study found that the increased appetite you experience after using cannabis also affects your sense of smell, which only adds to the enjoyment of the meal.
Digestive aid
After having such a big and heavy meal on Thanksgiving, there’s a good chance you may experience some stomach ache and digestive trouble. Fortunately, cannabis has been shown to help with digestive disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, it can also "protect the lining of the stomach and intestine from injury and accelerate healing from inflammation," according to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology.
Enhances social experience
Using cannabis during Thanksgiving can also help enhance and improve the social experience of the holiday. A recent study from the University of California Irvine found that cannabis "may enhance the pleasure of social interactions by stimulating production of [cannabis]-like neurotransmitters in the brain."
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Reduces anxiety
Thanksgiving can be a very stressful time for everyone involved, whether it be preparing and cooking all the food, or social anxiety over dealing with family. Whatever the reason, research has shown how cannabis can help alleviate anxiety and help reduce all the stress that come with the holiday.
Green Wednesday
Most of us are familiar with “Black Friday” (the Friday following Thanksgiving that marks the start of Christmas shopping) but what about Green Wednesday? Green Wednesday is the Wednesday right before Thanksgiving, in which dispensaries across the nation see a dramatic increase in sales. One reason for this is because people tend to stock up on their cannabis prior to the long holiday weekend. While not as popular as April 20th, Green Wednesday is a close second in terms of cannabis sales.
Danksgiving
So Green Wednesday is the Wednesday before, and Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving, so what is Danksgiving? Danksgiving is the Sunday following Thanksgiving. Specifically, Danksgiving is “a holiday traditionally held on the Sunday after Thanksgiving (when turkeys can be bought for like $2 each),” according to Urban Dictionary. In addition, “Danksgiving is a celebration and time to give thanks for man's ability to fuck himself up.”
With this in mind, a traditional Danksgiving meal usually consists of Thanksgiving foods, but with cannabis and/or alcohol being incorporated into the ingredients, such as potatoes with cannabutter, cranberry Jell-O shots, and pot brownies.
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Reader Comments
In an informal survey conducted on Facebook, local users reported on how they have incorporated cannabis into their Thanksgiving celebration. Many of their answers mirrored the benefits discussed earlier.
Angelique Collins uses cannabis during Thanksgiving to avoid negative feelings or topics from family.
For Kyle Anderson, cannabis made it possible for him to attend Thanksgiving with family for the first time in four years.
Sabrina Giesler said cannabis provides stress relief and a “pick me up” during the holidays.
Richard Miller likes to make cannabis-infused turkey gravy for the meal.
Trevor Tidwell says he uses edibles to keep calm and remain sociable throughout the affair.
Angelique Collins said she uses cannabis during Thanksgiving to avoid negative feelings or topics from family.
Emily Tucker has been using cannabis to help with her appetite, which she hopes will help for Thanksgiving.
Grace Smith likes to make cannabis-infused brownies.
Amber Taitt Edwards uses it for stress, but also for pain relief, so she can cook and interact more.
Mario Tucker said he has to eat three meals that day, so edibles help keep up his appetite.
And finally, Jessse Torres and Abi Setzer both said they usually partake in a “cousin walk” during Thanksgiving to get away from the event for awhile and smoke cannabis to help de-stress away from family members.
Incorporating cannabis into your Thanksgiving holiday has many advantages, whether it be used medicinally to ease the stress and anxiety of the event, or recreationally to enhance the social experience and make the food taste even better. With that in mind, have a safe and enjoyable cannabis-infused Thanksgiving!
Recipes
Find out how to make some traditional cannabis-infused Thanksgiving recipes here.
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