Consumption Lounge: The 2024 Guide to 4/20 in NYC and Beyond
24 things to smoke and toke on Green Saturday, plus more steals, deals, and events
Welcome to the Consumption Lounge: a regular feature where I showcase all my favorite consumables from the food, beverage, cannabis, lifestyle, literary worlds, and beyond. Occasionally, affiliate links are included, but all recommendations are of my own.
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Hey everyone,
Congrats on making it through another tax year! (Unless you filed an extension, like I did, because you had a record year for clusterfuckity taxes—thanks Brass Taxes!). Good news: it’s also 4/20 this week! The greenest holiday of the year might have its own well-documented history, but its proximity to Tax Day stuck out this year as a glaring reminder that cannabis is still not federally legal! How lame!
Ohio, the latest to join the recreational bandwagon in November 2023, brings the total to 24 states that have opted in, with medical use legal in 40 states and the District of Columbia, and expected to generate nearly $42 billion this year alone. Yet, here we are: actively living in uncertain times, but at least “we’re all in this together.”
What better way to start off the next fiscal year than by using that sweet, sweet refund to stick it to the government by loading up on semi-legal ganja and decorative bongs?
Here in New York, the legal cannabis scene is finally taking off after a rocky start, with 110 adult-use legal dispensaries now open in New York state. Consumption lounges remain in limbo, but that hasn’t stopped the never-ending plume of smoke winding through the side streets of nearly every corner, snaking into and blanketing all over Washington Square in Greenwich Village, down St. Marks to Tompkins Square Park in the East Village, Maria Hernandez Park in Bushwick, and the non-parent heavy corridors of Prospect Park.
Private clubs like Work ‘n' Roll in Chelsea, La Fleur Cafe in the East Village, and Alte Cannabis in Williamsburg offer accessible community-driven spaces, while other clubs usually have like one woman for every 10 men and require jumping through hoops to gain access to maintain the exclusivity element that frankly seems like a hassle because surely they don’t have better snacks than I do at home. HotBox NYC has a regular cannabis themed comedy talk show, MARY Magazine has its own 4/20 festival in Brooklyn, and there’s at least one daily cannabis event on EventBrite.
Dispensary newcomers are upping the ante, like Dazed Cannabis, Union Square’s premier (and only) legal dispensary situated in Warhol’s former Factory building, which is hosting a Cannabis 420 Block Party on April 20 from 12-4:20 p.m. with DJ Sarcastic on hand to spin with fun photo ops with cannabis characters (oh, really?), special giveaways, and 420 countdown and toast. Gotham NYC will also be having a 4/20 party with special menus, infused soft side ice cream, partnering with Pharrell Williams' streetwear brand Billionaire Boys Club to support the launch of their ICECREAM 420 capsule collection, collaborating on an Edie Parker event at The Standard Hotel East Village, and a capping off with Gotham x Upside Pizza Block Party at 51 Spring Street (with surprise music guest!).
And cannatourism is taking off! (Told you so). Read my latest in Wine Enthusiast about the Emerald Green road in Northern California, which I will undoubtedly write a very similar guide about Hudson Valley and the Catskills in the next five years (you’ll just have to DIY your own adventure using my book in the meantime). We’ve dipped into what’s happening in ancillary markets like Missouri thanks to The Wandering Bud’s Riley Brain who joined the podcast to talk about her hand-crafted ceramics studio in Kansas City, but the scene is also taking off St. Louis where luxury dispensary, SWADE Cannabis, is teaming up with an all-star line-up of the city’s top chefs for a “Best Buds” infused dinner series kicking off on on 4/20 that uses High Five’s STiRiBLES, an unflavored water-soluble THC precision dosing powder from Missouri-based cannabis manufacturer, Teal Labs. Chicago, you’re letting your crown fall, please pick it up.
Personally, I’m mostly hanging at home, going on long walks or at the Psychedelic Assembly events because I just tend to have more interesting conversations with people on drugs there and prefer cannabis as a conduit for an experience rather than just being the tie that binds. I’m of the age that cannabis usage was still very discreet, requiring stepping out into an alley or using MacGyver hacks like a toiletpaper roll stuffed with a dryer sheet to blow out the window, so the idea of clustering into a room to buy bud is just not my idea of a good time. But I obviously applaud the spectacle and that it illustrates a huge support and interest in the plant. (Plus, I’m planning to do some pilates and puff in the park this summer as a very lowkey activity for people who might be pilatescurious and/or cannacurious, if you want get on that list!)
The 4/20 holiday also means my mailbox is often overflowing with weed and weed-related products — always amusing to realize your handbag stuffed with an ounce of weed has the same aromatic subtleness of letting out a giant fart in an empty room. Not all of them are good or new or had room to fit, so this is by no means an exhaustive list! Fortunately, the ladies at High Her Story also have a great guide with more info to check out and Christina Wong of Fruit + Flower Unfurled always has her finger on the pulse with more tips! But after a lot of testing, here are a few choice picks approved by yours truly!
Here’s a few choice picks for this year:
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Edibles
Tempo Crackers
Tempo crackers are so good that you have exercise caution. I ended up eating three of them last night and woke up on the couch in a puddle of my own drool, because they are 5mg each and SO SNACKABLE. Their product line has increased to include flavors like truffle Parmesan, buffalo cheddar, rosemary sea salt, sour cream and onion, chipotle honey barbecue, and a whole line of crackers made with solventless hash. Unfortunately, they’re only in California at the moment, but go get them on your next trip!
oHHo THC Seltzers
Never-not screaming about oHHo’s CBD Repair Balm to anyone and everyone about this miracle CBD topical (put it to work last week, in fact, after slicing open my thumb while cooking—worked like magic), but the luxury brand also has a new line of THC seltzers that just launched, featuring deliciously bright spring flavors like blood orange and pomegranate and pink grapefruit and elderflower to get lifted and stay hangover-free. Light for microdosing, each come with 3.5mg hemp derived THC, 5mg CBG, and 10mg CBD, clocking in at only 40 calories with 4g of sugar. Get 10% off using the code WEEDWITCH10 at check out.
The Highest of Them All 4/20 Party Pack Mega Bundles from Kush Queen
Cannabis O.G. brand Kush Queen is having a blowout sale, featuring hot 4/20 bundles of all their best selling products, including: Let's Get Baked Delta 8 Chocolate Chip Cookie (personally obsessed), Bôost Liquid Cannabinoid Concentrate water soluble nano liquid concentrate (instantly infuses anything with THC, providing immediate onset effects for discrete consumption), and Delta 9 THC gummies (lemon! watermelon! strawberry!), plus big savings on Delta 8 THC + CBD gummies samplers, minor cannabinoid gummy packs (precision microdose your sleep, sex, and bliss!), flower samples and bath bomb bundles (smoke ‘n’ soak!), and more! Take 40% off sitewide from 4/8-4/17 and score half off the whole site on 4/18-4/21. Check out the pod with founder Olivia Alexander.
The Spritz by House of Puff
Do you like getting high? Do you like not being obvious about it? Are you OK with spray bottles? Do I have a product for you! Elevated smokeware brand House of Puff makes its plant-touching debut with The Spritz, a pocket-sized oral spray that slips neatly into your purse for the ganja gal/guy/goy on the go. Low-dose and fast acting, it offers a controlled high for socializing, so you can get weird without getting too weird. Check out the pod with House of Puff founder Kristina Lopez Adduci.
Sugar-Coated Pearls by Grön Edibles
Among the few brands gaining a national footprint that I’m not mad about (just received word they’re coming to New York!), Grön Edibles’s premium delicious sugar-coated pearls are better-than-average gummies that use quality ingredients (including real fruit juice) and deliver a very smooth high. Grön will be at MARY Fest in Brooklyn on 4/20 and at Higher Vibrations at Inter, an immersive 420 experimental event, on 4/18 with unmedicated versions of their products to try.
White Chocolate Matcha Daytime Chocolates by Harney Brothers
Picked up a pack of these at Dazed in Union Square during the Miss Grass spring disco a couple weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious and fun these low-dose edibles are. Technically, they’re not mochi (and not labeled as such), but the chewy tapioca consistency and flavor profile come across as a heavy dupe. Each piece is only 2.5mg, making them easy to microdose and savor.
Sundae Flowers Hemp-Derived THC Mochi Gummies
Been wanting to get your hands on Sundae Flowers’ Vogue worthy mochi gummies, but never seem to be near a dispensary carrying them? Good news: the brand is launching them nationwide using hemp-derived THC in cool flavors like sour yuzu, lychee dragon, and white strawberry. The 4/20 Softee Ice Cream Truck will also be wandering around New York 4/18 to 4/20 at Washington Square Park, Culture Lab, and Bowery Showroom.
Accessories
Yew Yew’s Blowout 4/20 Sale
Still relying on grody plastic doob tubes to stash your joints? Thinking about upgrading your grinder and bong to something a little classier for your coffee table? Design queen Yew Yew is throwing a 4/20 sale starting 4/18 where you can score 40% off triangle and half-circle pipes, 30% off the wavy ashtray and grinders, and 20% off their signature Sunset bong. Yew Yew is also taking preorders for their new Cloud Case, which holds two j’s and a standard lighter in a smell-proof container with a magnetic closure to keep everything locked and loaded.
Vista Edge Sage by Vessel
Upgrade your vape game with the latest from Vessel, who is teaming up with cannabis reform nonprofit, Last Prisoner's Project to launch a limited edition Sage bundle, exclusive for 4/20. During the month of April, purchase (and bundle) a Vista Edge Sage pen, Sage Rover Kit, and Base Charger, and Vessel will donate one dollar from every Sage Bundle purchase to Last Prisoner’s Project. Bonus: from April 12-30, Vessel will hold a 30% off sitewide sale for 4/20, with several flash sales including 50% off Expedition, Vista Edge and Compass vape pens (in Yosemite & Mojave), Drift case in Olive, the Cone series, and Mill dry herb grinder in Beechwood. April 25-30, get 40% off Core, Compass (Copper), and Craftsman (Walnut/Blackwood) vape pens.
PAX 4/20 Sale
Been eyeing that personalized PAX mini or PAX plus for awhile? Now is the time to buy, as the entire PAX site is 20% off through 4/20 including their award-winning vaporizers, Delta-9 THC gummies, and all accessories!
Cannador Sitewide Sale
Cannador, the humidity-controlled storage container for the serious cannasseur, is having a sitewide sale of 30% until April 30, including limited edition designs — a nice extension for those who might have made some hazy purchasing decisions and realize they need a new place to stash all their goods.
Shine x Banana Bros Gold Otto
While I love a good hand roll, there’s something to be said about the convenience of knocking out five at once without to deal with cleaning up a rolling tray. Banana Bro’s Otto, an automatic flower grinder that grinds fine and fluffy flower directly into your cone, packing tight pre-rolls with very little clean-up. Bonus: It’s on sale, and if you join their Cone Club, you can get an extra 15% off your purchase plus free shipping.
SLIMESUNDAY x Sackville & Co.
Just in time for 4/20, NYC-based design-centric smokeware company, Sackville & Co. is dropping another limited edition collaboration with surrealist collage artist SLIMESUNDAY. Only 200 pieces will be sold, making this a collector's item! Check out the pod with founders Lana Van Brunt and Hayley Dineen.
Studenglass
Studenglass’s iconic gravity infuser that normally retails for $599 is on sale for only $420, plus up to 40% off site wide for accessories (including the Modul Dok bundle and bubble glass globes) for Green Week!
Session Goods
Take up to 50% off Session Goods entire site this 4/20, including their Designer series bongs and nigiri bundle featuring a cute lil’ sushi pipe!
Edie Parker Spring Sale
Make a statement with a luxe bag or lighter from Edie Parker, which is having a limited time sale of 25% off on their signature pieces (including the burn bag that I really, really want in case anyone wants to get this for me).
Storz & Bickel Sale
Always under the radar, Storz & Bickel products are known to be top-of-the-line and usually cost about as much as you’d expect, which is why Green Week is the best time to invest as products are up to 40% off until April 22.
Smokeables
Stone Road
It’s all peaches and pineapples this spring at Stone Road, at least in the fruit salad selection of goodies that magically landed in my possession. Now in five states with New York expansion on the horizon, Stone Road is still building that Emerald Green Road, one brickweed at a time (actually their weed is pretty exceptional, but I couldn’t think up a better joke and technically founder Lex Corwin did get his start selling brickweed which you can hear about in the podcast).
A Golden State
NorCal flower geniuses, A Golden State, are launching SVF OG, a pure OG exotic genetic that he team has been perfecting for nearly 20 years. And you can get it 30% at most California retailers as part of their brand-wide sale for 4/20! Find BOGO deals at the following California dispensaries: The Woods, Erba (Venice), New Amsterdam, Erba (Pico), Hwy 80, F street, Project Cannabis 420, The Sweet Spot (Santa Rosa), Main Stage (Sacramento), Natural Cannabis Company, Sundial Collective, Nug x Sundial, Sundial Red Bluff.
Phases
Effects-based strain brand, PHASES, is releasing Cherry Runtz, its first new strain since the brand’s launch, a super mellow and relaxing cerebral high that is candy-sweet yet gassy and sticky that’s also 50% off at most CA retailers.
Miss Grass
Not-so-new but new to New York is Miss Grass, whose adorable mini packs are sleek and stylish with plenty of sativa for the fast walkin’, fast talkin’ New York City toker. Unfortunately, New York dispensaries aren’t allowed to do discounts due to marketing rules (DUMB marketing rules), but you can pick up a pack at Dazed and go hang in Union Square in the sunshine.
Triple Seven
The Cannabist Company (formerly Columbia Care) is rolling out a series of promotions, giveaways, doorbusters, buy-one-get one deals and fun in-store pop-up events across its 15 markets. Shop between now and April 18 and get an extra $5 off 4/20 purchases between April 19 and April 20 (all markets expect OH). Here are the promotions listed for the Cannabist Brooklyn location, where you can pick up their award-winning brand, Triple Seven.
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