Carlos Santana shares that the first time he smoked weed was a mind-blowing experience.
He recalls in the video below how he was annoyed that the backing musicians being recruited for his band smoked weed. His biggest grievance was when they would play a song, they would often forget parts.
“I wish they wouldn’t smoke pot, man, so they could learn the damn song right and play it correctly,” said Santana.
Cut to Santana finally lighting up for the first time via a massive joint from his managers. Just watch until the end of the 1:19 video below for Santana’s reaction. It’s pretty priceless.
When the brand was first announced, Santana said in a statement, “In my experience, cannabis has special properties that enhance meditative reflection and creative expression. It can dispel negative doubt to reveal the everlasting gift of our uniqueness. With Mirayo, I hope to help people use cannabis as a door to a more benevolent behavior like kindness and compassion.”
Whether celebrating 4/20 or simply unwinding after a long day of work, finding the best rock songs about weed will surely add to your high. Fortunately, we’ve taken the guesswork out of creating the perfect high playlist with this song ranking.
We wanted to create a list as diverse as all of the marijuana strains available, and we’re pretty confident we met our goal. From very strange cautionary tales to basically declaring your love for the herb, here are the ten best rock songs about weed.
But First, Some Facts About Legalized Marijuana
Despite marijuana being federally illegal, a number of states have voted to fully legalize it in recent years. In fact, the Pew Research Center reported that 54% of Americans now live in a state that has fully legalized the drug for recreational use. When factoring in states that have legalized medicinal marijuana, that figure jumps to 74%.
Pew Research also reports that there are nearly 15,000 cannabis dispensaries in the United States. To the shock of probably no one, the state with the most dispensaries is California, with 3,659. Interestingly enough, Oklahoma has the most marijuana dispensaries per capita, with 36 dispensaries for ever 100,000 residents.
Where is Marijuana Legal in the United States?
Marijuana legalization has been on an ever-changing pace for a number of years now. Frankly, it’s difficult to keep straight where it’s fully legal, where it’s not and where there’s a bit of a gray area. However, we have done the research and have broken down all of the various levels of legalized marijuana for you.
The following states have fully legalized marijuana as of April 2024: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.
States that have legalized medical marijuana include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia.
Some states have legalized medical marijuana and have decriminalized it. Those states include Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire and North Dakota.
Some states have only allowed for the sale of CBD oil with THC. Those states are Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. However, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed Senate Bil 47 into law on March 31, 2023, which legalized medical cannabis beginning on January 1, 2025.
Finally, states where marijuana is fully illegal are Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina and Wyoming.
Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights