Multi-state operator MariMed knows a thing or two about creating eye-catching stunts (see “world’s largest pot brownie” from 2021). The streak continued this past summer as company executives dressed up in 18th century-style finery, boarded a 67-foot schooner and tossed weed into Massachusetts Bay. Note: No real ganja was used or wasted. The event—cleverly dubbed a Boston THC party—reenacted one of the most famous tax protests in American history and took aim at Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Service code. The campaign highlighted the lopsided rule and the whopping $2 billion more in taxes the cannabis industry will pay this year than any other business category as a result. It also plucked the issue out of cannabis-only circles and brought it into the mainstream national media.
6) Green Thumb Industries | ‘Thanks, Dick‘
The weed world is activist by nature, and there were many solid examples this past year of brands becoming increasingly vocal on issues like social justice and legal reform. The 2023 twist, though, was to recruit the public to put pressure on elected officials for change. Green Thumb Industries did just that with “Thanks, Dick,” a purposely ironic campaign that “celebrated” one of former POTUS Richard Nixon’s most egregious legacies: the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. The print ad that ran in The New York Times and Washington Post, written in guest column style, traced the origins of the law that spawned the destructive war on drugs and its ongoing effect. An accompanying website, video and petition aimed to educate and mobilize Americans to call on the Biden administration to reschedule cannabis.
5) Magnolia Bakery x Green Thumb Industries
Weed companies launched more cross-promotions with CPG brands than ever before in 2023, and in a match made in stoner heaven, Magnolia Bakery and Green Thumb debuted THC-infused chocolate bars based on the famous pastry shop’s signature banana pudding and red velvet cake. Insert any and all “get baked” jokes here. The overlap in audiences and the natural synergy between the partners was immediately obvious and mutually beneficial. The deal marked Magnolia’s first-ever foray into the weed world and gave Green Thumb and its Incredibles edibles a high-profile platform to target cannafans and the cannacurious.
