David Walter Banks

Cannabis Culture

An ongoing essay on the recreational use, medicinal application, religious views, and cultural influences of marijuana in American society.

A thick cloud of smoke rising from the crowd creates a post-apocalyptic looking scene on the campus of University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado on April 20, 2009. The annual mass gathering at CU is one of the largest '420' celebrations of it's kind in the country.
   
Marijuana plants are trimmed and hung to dry in an underground grow operation in Georgia.
  
A dog adorned in a marijuana-leaf shirt wades through the crowd in Denver's Civic Center Park during the annual '420' celebration and rally in Colorado's capitol.
     
  
The owner of Psychedelic Tours works the crowd on the campus of University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado on April 20, 2009. The annual mass gathering at CU is one of the largest '420' celebrations of it's kind in the country.
   
A mural painted on the side of a building in Denver, Colorado.
   
Damien Lagoy is a medical marijuana patient with AIDS. He is 4'8", weighs 105 lbs. and is 49-years-old. His AIDS medication consists of eleven pills a day, and nausea often causes him to regurgitate those pills. When this happens, he loses weight and his disease worsens. Medical marijuana is the only thing Lagoy has found that keeps this in check. "The fact is that if I don't have that I can't take my pills, if I don't take my pills, I die of AIDS," said Lagoy.
     
  
Andrew Cookston, owner of Cannabis Medical Technology LLC., stands behind his storefront counter at his medical marijuana dispensary in Denver, Colorado. Cookston believes strongly in the medicinal properties of cannabis as well as offering his patrons a full line of alternative treatment and care.
   
Jars full of medicinal marijuana line the glass display case at the Cannabis Therapeutics dispensary in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
   
Jarvis, a medicinal marijuana patient, uses a vaporizer to medicate at The Park, a patient recreation facility in association with the Cannabis Therapeutics dispensary in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
     
  
Andrew Cookston, owner of Cannabis Medical Technology LLC., holds a magnifying glass over his product behind the storefront counter at his medical marijuana dispensary in Denver, Colorado. Cookston believes strongly in the medicinal properties of cannabis as well as offering his patrons a full line of alternative treatment and care.
   
Stephen Marley, reggae musician and son of the famed Bob Marley, smokes a joint while working in his studio at the Tuff Gong Compound in Miami, Florida. Bob Marley was seen as a strong figure in the Rastafari movement which rose out of the Jamaican slums. Rastas know marijuana as ganja, the holy herb, Iley or callie, and believe it was given by God. Scriptural support is found especially in Psalm 104:14: "He causeth the grass for the cattle and herb for the service of man." Other texts interpreted to refer to cannibis include Genesis 3:18, Exodus 10:12, and Proverbs 15:17. In addition to ritual use, Rastas also use marijuana for medicinal purposes, applying it to a variety of ailments including colds. Marijuana is used primarily during the two main Rastafari rituals: reasonings and nyabingi. The reasoning is an informal gathering at which a small group of Rastas smoke ganja and engage in discussion. The ritual begins when one person lights the pipe, or "chalice," and recites a short prayer while all other participants bow their heads. The pipe is then passed around the circle until all of the people have smoked. The reasoning ends when the participants depart one by one.The nyabinghi, or binghi for short, is a dance held on Rasta holidays and special occasions. These dances can last for several days and bring together hundreds of Rastafarians from all over Jamaica. They camp in tents on land owned by the host Rastas. Formal dancing takes place at night in a tabernacle especially set up for the occasion. The Rastas sing and dance until the early hours of the morning. In the daytime, they "rest and reason."
   
An underground grower inspects his crop in a Georgia basement.
     
  
An alternative indie rap performer smokes a joint as part of his act on stage in a back room of the underground music venue, The Secret Squirrel, in Athens, Georgia.
   
Marijuana plants grow wild in front of an abandoned farmhouse in Red Cloud, Nebraska. The strain, commonly referred to as 'ditch weed', has low potency and is largely ignored by locals.