The World's First Cannabis Product Commercial Is Basically a 'Portlandia' Episode ­-- and It's Awesome

This article is cont­ributed by Leafly, the world’s largest cannabis information resource. For more information please visit Leafly.

Things you wouldn’t expect the world’s first cannabis product commercial to contain: an original soundtrack, an adorable keeshond pup, a woman attempting to clean the patio with paper towels, subtle kung-fu-inspired sound effects, the phrase “fuck yes,” and a man taking his pants off.

Mirth Provisions says the 93-second commercial for its cannabis-infused Legal sodas is the first of its kind worldwide, and so far no one’s disputed that claim. In it, you’ll find 32 reveling Portlanders, nine instances of hipster facial hair (totally subjective), eight pairs of hipster glasses, six readily apparent tattoos, five floral-print button-ups, four close-up guitar shots, three backwards hats, two Mason jars, and one set of gages, all at one rollicking Portland backyard barbecue. Hence why this feels like a Portlandia sketch. It’s filmed in the Rose City, set to an ironic original jam, and directed by Portland-based, fabulously coiffed indie musician and filmmaker James Westby (who’s also the frontman onstage).

Fun facts:

  • You’ll only catch the commercial on YouTube if you’re 21+ and living in Washington or Oregon.
  • Officially launched on July 25th, the video garnered coverage from as far afield as Germany and France in a matter of days.
  • Since no cannabis marketing guidelines have been developed yet for these sorts of spots, the team chose to abide by alcohol marketing guidelines.
  • The backyard barbecue wasn’t staged; it actually happened at the home of an employee at Sockeye, the marketing firm that worked with Legal to create the video.
  • The charismatic canine star also belongs to a Sockeye employee.
  • You’ll catch glimpses of recognizable PDXers-about-town (like the owner of Mississippi Studios drumming onstage), and even a cameo from Mirth Provisions founder Adam Stites (in the Legal tee).
  • There won’t be any more commercials in the foreseeable future – instead, Stites told Leafly, “we already have something else in the pipeline, so keep your eyes peeled in the next month or so.”

Check out the video in full below -- and note that watching it more than once will likely get the song stuck in your head. You’ve been warned.

This article was originally published as Watch This: The World’s First Cannabis Commercial is Pretty Much a Portlandia Episode. For this and more articles on cannabis news and culture, visit Leafly News.

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