The Museum of Weed Is a New, Interactive Shrine to Cannabis

Not to state the obvious, but we're living in a golden age of marijuana. As states continue to legalize and decriminalize the ever-controversial plant and dispensaries pop up in cities around the country...

Weedmaps
Weedmaps

Not to state the obvious, but we're living in a golden age of marijuana. As legalization and decriminalization expands and dispensaries pop up in cities around the country, it's slowly but surely losing its stigma alongside a rapidly growing cannabis industry. Still, few of us likely know much about the drug's storied history in America beyond anecdotal trivia and stoner comedies. You'll soon have the chance to explore its colorful backstory in a fun and unique way at a brand new weed museum that opens next month in Los Angeles. 

The Museum of Weed, set to open August 3 in LA and helmed by the folks from the popular website Weedmaps, will be a 30,000sqft space filled with interactive and informational exhibits telling the story of "growers, stoners, and activists who expanded knowledge of the plant and kept the cannabis movement alive despite decades of government prohibition and propaganda." It will have exhibits and areas highlighting marijuana's role in several eras, from pre-prohibition, to the "age of madness," the counterculture revolution, the war on drugs, and beyond. It'll also explore social justice issues surrounding weed and how medicinal use helped change its reputation in America.

"Our goal with the Weedmaps Museum of Weed is to demystify cannabis and its role in society, and to draw attention to the impact prohibition of cannabis has had on various social groups in the US and beyond," Weedmaps CEO Chris Beals said in a press release. "The Weedmaps Museum of Weed will combine all the immersive elements you’d expect to find in the world’s finest museums across multiple categories, including cultural, fine art, and natural history." And because it's 2019, there will surely be plenty of Insta-worthy fodder to capture. 

Although there unfortunately won'y be any cannabis or CBD available to purchase on-site, there will be a cafe should you find yourself with the munchies. There will also be a gift shop where you can pick up plenty weed-themed merch. 

If you want to check it out, you'll need to stop by in the next two months, since this is just a pop-up museum. It'll only be open through September 29, and you can grab tickets online for $35 apiece. 

h/tMatador

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Joe McGauley is a senior writer for Thrillist. Follow him @jwmcgauley.