Codeword: Cannabis! Iconography as the Response to Prohibition

From the marijuana leaf to "green porn"

The marijuana leaf, an iconic symbol and universal signal understood by pot consumers during the last decades of the 20th century, gave way to "green porn,–a term that stands for striking snapshots of pretty plants and lush buds.

Representations of the plant have evolved from drawings of leaves to the most varied "posed" shots.

From those treasured chunks, to pressed hash, to Moroccan bashed hash 

One of the greatest cult objects amongst grass lovers–their own little chunk of hash−has undergone countless transformations. At the dawn of cannabis culture in the West during the 60s and 70s, hash chunks were something that friends would bring us from Amsterdam or London. Already in the 80s and 90s the typical bars of hash from Morocco, a bit or very, adulterated, flooded the market. Depending on their degree of "smokability," they could relate or not to the real pollen of Moroccan origin known as “bashed hash”. Only now, as the era of legalization begins, the tendency towards industrial hash has is decaying, giving way to sophisticated cannabis delicacies made by consumers themselves, via Ice or Lator, for example.

Low-quality pollen, typical of the 80s and 90s, and a sample of homemade hash.

From Peter Tosh, Fela Kuti and Pink Floyd to Cypress Hill, Snoop Dogg and psychedelic electronic music

Music is an excellent accompaniment when smoking a spliff. Since the origins of the cannabis culture in the West, it has been one of the arts that have been most closely associated with marijuana. At the same time, music has also been a reflection of society, where references and demands regarding the plant were introduced. One of the first marijuana-music advocates was Peter Tosh who became an icon of legalization. With his happy melodies, just like a nice morning Sativa, and his lyrics in favour of legalization, he became an icon for millions of tokers from around the world, followed by many others, from dreamlike Pink Floyd and vibrant Fela Kuti, to contemporary ones, like the wild and inspiring Cypress Hill and Snoop Dogg, and the psychonautic trips of psychedelic electronic tunes.

Both Peter Tosh and Snoop Dogg have become–each one for their own generation- leading cannabis paladins in the music industry and the media world.

From the small and subtle pipe to the all-rounder bong

Another element in the rich world of cannabis images and elements is the pipe. A basic tool in the drawer of any marijuana lover, and an ancient symbol of its consumption. Widely used during the 60s and 70s due to its small size, it was perfect to take some quick, sneaky, puffs without being detected. Its use was eclipsed by the arrival of the bong, a design American soldiers had copied from the traditional bamboo pipe, the baung. If the small and graceful pipe was a perfect tool to take a few fast and covert hits, the bong was just the opposite: heavy, big and showy, every bit of it was a declaration of rebellion by consumers, who didn't want to smoke "on the sly" with small pipes any longer.

From quick and furtive pipe puffs to deep, unhurried bong hits.

From the stoner movies of the 70s... to those of today

The clichéd Hollywood productions, revolving around a couple of buddies that get high and enjoy a series of surreal and rambling adventures, have maintained a similar structure for nearly the past 40 years, constituting what is almost a genre in themselves, and a reference to cannabis in the world of cinema. From the adventures of Cheech and Chong in the 70s' Up in Smoke, to today's hilarious adventures of the main characters of Pineapple Express, the scenes have not evolved much, and the movie industry continues to portray stoners as limited and lazy (albeit very funny) people.

In Hollywood the archetypal stoner friends have hardly changed over the past 40 years.

From prohibitionist signs to propaganda stickers

Advertisements have been a two-edged sword for cannabis lovers: from a weapon used by opponents of the plant to spread horrific messages about it (“If you smoke you'll become a killer!”) to–in recent years–an efficient resource for all types of pro-legalization campaigns. These are run using multiple formats, from murals, posters and t-shirts, to digital images and content on the social networks, functioning as an effective tool to publicize the bounties of grass and advocate for citizens' free access to it.

Advertising has been a powerful weapon generating icons and meanings, both in favour of and against marijuana.

From hippie to ordinary Joe

In past decades, cannabis users were depicted as guys with long hair, 10-year beards and sluggish speech, never without a joint in one hand: the exaggerated stereotype of a hippie. With the passage of the years, that image has changed and the icon of the Biblical, Moses-style pot smoker has been replaced by that of a sane and normal person who, among many other things, consumes cannabis.

Weed smokers are no longer perceived as a bunch of placid hippies, but rather as normal, everyday people.

From the solitary icon to support from numerous celebrities

During the 20th century, celebrity advocates of weed were few and marked characters like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. They earned a niche of respect in the homes of marijuana smokers for their courage, in a world that did not speak out, and the honesty of their words, when the rest of the world was silent. Now things have changed, as media figures defending legalization have become a legion that promises to only grow in number.

Macy Gray features history’s cannabis icons in the video for her song “Stoned.”