420 in the 508

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420

IN THE 0 5 8

TRAVIS DUDA

If you would’ve asked the kid version of me about my favorite holiday, I would quickly shout Halloween followed closely by Christmas. As an adult it’s more like Halloween followed closely by Thanksgiving. Some would argue there are few holidays more American than Thanksgiving, but it’s not the large table of food or the day of inertness that most interests me. Instead, it's a very unique day where I get to share a few bowls of greens with some of my family before sitting down to an absolute feast. It’s a tradition we’ve shared for years, and it’s something I look forward to every autumn. I don’t want to call out any of my family members in this column but I will say my mom does not partake. However she is very cool about it and plays an integral part of the operation by covering for us when grandma goes looking.

The conversations that start in the circle and end up at the table are some of my most cherished family memories. Sports don’t strike my fancy so I love to take these opportunities to avoid the television and get into engaging conversation. I don’t get to spend as much time as I’d like with them anymore and inevitably there will come a time when I do not have the opportunity to share these moments. So I appreciate that we have a day to remind us to be thankful for the time that I have left. In the case it sounds like I’ve forgotten that this is a column about weed, my point is that I use cannabis to help deepen these conversations. I have learned more about my family history while stoned because my mind is engaged and asking the right questions. Cannabis also helps to soften the blow of any less than savory words you might be forced to hear, and ask the person not to use...for like the zillionth time. And when all you wanna do is whack ‘em upside the head... I digress. I hope your family is an equally excepting one and that you don’t have to go for the obvious walk right before dinner where you’re forced to make up a stupid story about a run in with a skunk.

However you celebrate, and even if you don’t, I’m thankful that you read this column. I’m thankful that we live in a cool city that is cannabis friendly. I’m thankful that the past year has seen a lot of progress towards national legalization, especially with the recent statement from President Biden. I’m thankful that we are taking steps to release people in the prison system facing cannabis related crimes. I’m thankful that the prices for cannabis at the dispensaries are becoming more affordable. I’m thankful that places are selling normal sized buds as mini buds for some reason and are charging me less, please keep that up. And mostly I’m thankful for the individual moments I get to share with the people around me. This includes everyone that supports my various endeavors, the super rad people that tell me they like the column, and to literally everyone that smokes weed in Worcester. Let’s keep normalizing responsible cannabis culture.