Great Moments in Weed History delves deep into humanity's 10,000+ year relationship with cannabis (a.k.a. marijuana) to explore the humor, heart, and historical importance of the planet's most revered and maligned plant. Hosted by David Bienenstock.
Bob Dylan Gets The Beatles High For The First Time
In 1964, Bob Dylan met The Beatles for the first time, and after a bit of awkward small talk, offered to share some of his marijuana. Based on a misheard lyric, Dylan assumed the Fab Four already blazed, but it turned out this would be their first...
40 min
131
Dennis Peron—the Gay, Hippie, Combat Vet Who Le...
Dennis Peron (1945-2018) first discovered the healing power of cannabis while serving in Vietnam. After smuggling two pounds of high-grade herb home from the front, he became a charismatic and defiant leader of San Francisco's medical cannabis and gay...
56 min
132
How Amsterdam Became an International Weed Haven
Amsterdam has long been a safe haven for cannabis freedom, but few today remember the subversive, anarchistic, defiantly pro weed Dutch Provo movement (short for provocateurs), which used a mix of radical street theater and outrageous political pranks...
59 min
133
Brownie Mary Baked THC-Infused Treats for AIDS ...
Mary Jane Rathbun was already selling weed brownies in San Francisco when the AIDS crisis hit. So the self described "little old lady" started volunteering at hospitals and crisis centers, where she made her "magically delicious" treats available for...
62 min
134
Hashish Arrives in Europe Via Napoleon's Egypti...
In 1798, Napoleon invaded Egypt in a failed attempt to install colonial rule. French soldiers did succeed in enthusiastically adopting the local custom of consuming hashish, a practice with a long, storied history in the Islamic world. When the...
50 min
135
A Weed Smuggler's Inspiring Tale of Life After ...
After 29 years in lock-up on a first-time cannabis smuggling charge, Robert "Black Tuna" Platshorn published his memoirs of bringing in planeloads of Santa Marta Gold from Colombia and getting snared in one of the DEA's earliest operations. Then...
46 min
136
4/20 Started w/ a Treasure Map to a Weed Garden
Every year on April 20th (4/20), cannabis lovers celebrate their favorite plant with festivals, protests, marches, and smoke-outs great and small. But what are the grassroots origins of this high holiday? And how did it spread around the world?
55 min
137
Carl Sagan and His Best Bud Get Blazed and Save...
In 1967, Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Lester Grinspoon set out to research marijuana sufficiently enough to convince his best friend—famed astronomer Carl Sagan—to stop smoking weed all the time. But after making a fateful trip to the...
56 min
138
Fela Kuti Takes an Expensive Sh*t
A legendary figure in the music world, Fela Kuti is best known for inventing Afro Beat, battling the Nigerian government, declaring his own sovereign nation, and loudly proclaiming his love of cannabis. Join Abdullah and Bean for the story of his...
61 min
139
Did Jesus Use Cannabis to Perform Healing Mirac...
Jesus didn’t smoke weed. But is it possible cannabis was the key ingredient in the Holy Anointing Oil used by Christ and his disciples to perform healing miracles? Join Abdullah and Bean for a deep dive into an herbal mystical mystery of Biblical...
63 min
140
Maya Angelou Smokes Some "Grifa"
Famed poet, memoirist and civil rights icon Maya Angelou had a profoundly life altering experience the first time she smoked some “grifa”—in 1946, with two lesbian prostitutes she met while working as a waitress. “I learned new postures and...
56 min
141
Willie Nelson Gets High on the Roof of the Whit...
From his first toke in West Texas in 1954, to the joint he's most definitely puffing on right now, Willie Nelson has been America's ultimate weed icon for over sixty years. So in our premiere episode, Bean tells Abdullah about the time the Red Headed...