Our Cannabis Writers on Their Best Highs of 2019

We got stoned on toothpicks in Japan, at the coast with our moms and in the woods with our most ride-or-die friends.

Cannabis lifestyle. (Emily Joan Greene)

"One of my favorite stoned moments of the year occurred during a weekly RuPaul's Drag Race viewing party. The episode concluded with a dramatic lip-synch battle between New York queen Shuga Cain and veteran Vanessa 'Miss Vanjie' Mateo. The song was 'No More Drama' by the queen of my adolescence, Mary J Blige.

A gilded Miss Vanjie dominated the stage in a leopard-print caftan that floated around her petite frame in ethereal waves. She wailed with tortured authenticity as she tore off her bangles one by one, flinging them from her dervishing body.

High on a fat Hush dab, a variety of Meraki pre-rolls and a solitary white wine spritzer, I felt so full of the Holy Gay Spirit that I jumped out of my seat and started giving testimony like it was a tent revival. I loudly and flamboyantly vowed to banish all drama from my life and start wearing more leopard print. This was the spiritual equivalent of Sunday service, but for weed and drag instead of God and Jesus."

— Brianna Wheeler

"It was originally an ironic purchase, but Buddies THC Toothpicks turned out to be a highlight of my recreational pursuits. Each toothpick is soaked in CO2 oil, so you hold it in your mouth like P. Diddy, chewing and eventually flipping the stick to suck on the other end. That part lasts no more than 10 to 15 minutes. When you're done, you simply dispose of the toothpick and enjoy the buzz.

Less packaging, no ashes or obnoxious vape clouds, and it truly lets you get high anywhere. I went on a trip to Japan—a land far less weed-friendly than here—and this served as a game-changing option for mellowing travel anxiety and boosting the sense of wonder while adventuring. Was it the highest I felt all year? Not at all. But being able to get stoned in plain sight in Tokyo was no doubt one of my favorite all-time highs ever."

Lauren Yoshiko 

"In a year full of great cannabis experiences, the best, hands down, was a camping trip I took with one of my ride-or-die girlfriends. It had all the ingredients of a potential disaster, from trying to squeeze an outdoor adventure into the workweek to going out in the midst of a stronger-than-average Portland drizzle.

Somehow, we managed to keep the blunts dry and puff-puff-passed to Lizzo tracks. Here we were, really feeling ourselves as smart, single, ambitious career women, smoking weed in the woods. It doesn't matter that the burgeoning summer quickly took a turn for the worse a week or so later. Reveling in a heady blend of female camaraderie and pride in our accomplishments, mossy mountain air and Golden Pineapple, it's a night I'll never forget." — Meghan O'Dea

The Original Pronto Pup owner Anthony McNamer takes the inaugural ride on the mechanical corndog during Saturday’s grand opening. (Kristine Hayes)

"My mom is one of my favorite smoking companions. She and I were inseparable when we were practically neighbors in Atlanta, but since she moved to Vancouver, B.C., and I to Vancouver, Wash., our time together has been reduced to a few yearly visits crammed full of weed and food to make up for lost time.

On her summer visit, we took a spontaneous trip to the coast. When Pronto Pup, home of the original corn dog, appeared on the horizon, Mom and I exchanged glances. We knew immediately what to do: break out the pre-rolls of Golden Pineapple stashed in my purse, hotbox the ride, then pig out. Giggling childishly in the car, we passed the joint before crossing the street and ordering one of everything. We toasted our cheese dogs, dipped our toes in the ocean, and took the scenic route south along Highway 101.

Despite the Pup stop, I have a rule that every trip to the coast demands seafood. After a search for nearby crab cakes, we selected the Schooner in Netarts Bay. A tiny scenic viewpoint on the way there necessitated an oceanside joint, stealthily shared while huddled under a tree. Minutes later, we were face-deep in amazing crab dip and cakes, marveling at the scenery and thinking how superior 2019 in Oregon was to any year we'd had in Georgia."

Alison Gootee

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