In Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson wrote that if one used a special set of eyes, it was possible to see a virtual high-water mark on the mountains surrounding the city, a remnant of the cultural wave of the 60s that had welled up in response to everything old and evil in America.
According to him, Las Vegas is where the wave crested and broke.
Need a lift? Find your favorite strains on dispensaries nearby.
Those waters have welled up again in the tsunami of legalized cannabis in Las Vegas. Cannabition, a new, interactive cannabis museum, pays homage to Thompson by enshrining his “Red Shark” Chevrolet Caprice, along with other works of art and exhibits educating and promoting the masses about cannabis and its impact on our culture.
In that spirit of education and acceptance, here are the strains we craved at some exhibits inside Cannabition.
Note: On-premise cannabis consumption is not allowed at Cannabition, or anywhere else in Vegas. Yet.
Red Shark + CBD Shark
(Stacey Mulvey for Leafly)
We found it at: The Source
How long before you rave and jabber over the excitement at seeing Hunter S. Thompson’s legendary Red Shark may depend on the amount of CBD in your system. CBD Shark has got you covered. The happy, chatty feeling it promotes leave you feeling at ease as far as conversing goes. As your attorney,* I advise you to relax with CBD Shark prior to geeking out next to the real live Red Shark.
*I’m not your attorney. It’s a movie quote, son.
Find CBD Shark in Las Vegas
Bongzilla + Monster Cookies
(Stacey Mulvey for Leafly)
Order ahead of time with Leafly Pickup at: Las Vegas Releaf
Charles Lowrie of Seattle’s Jerome Baker Designs, was the primary glass artist of Bongzilla, the world’s newest, largest bong. At the grand opening gala for Cannabition, Charlie told me that if he could smoke out of Bongzilla, he’d want the flower that a wizard gave him his first time in Las Vegas: the mythical Moon Buds. Sadly not available on the recreational market, it’s just as well—unless you had magical assistance, your mere mortal lungs could never pull a hit up the 25-foot chamber. Instead, Charlie recommended a strain that honors the colossal nature of Bongzilla: Monster Cookies. This knock-out’s Grandaddy Purple lineage will knock your ass down a la the Kool-aid man. (Which, coincidentally, Bongzilla’s fat base sort of resembles).
Find Monster Cookies in Las Vegas
Huggable Nugs + A-Dub
Order ahead of time with Leafly Pickup at: Acres Cannabis
As you step onto Fremont Street in Las Vegas, you may find your views on humanity challenged by the endless stream of God’s own prototypes at their wildest. Instead of succumbing to these vibes, let the sweet diesel flavor of A-Dub lift up your spirit, and go to Cannabition to hug it out with a nug.
Find A-Dub in Las Vegas
Grow + Blue Alien
Order ahead of time with Leafly Pickup at: Thrive Downtown
A deranged caterpillar-esque creature named Bud-ee presides over the Grow Room at Cannabition, where the relaxed euphoria of the quasi-titular strain Blue Alien may inspire you to let go. Take his white-gloved hands and allow him to guide your spirit through whatever transformation is necessary for the next stage of your growth. His nuggets of wisdom include “abide,” “always double down on eleven,” and “ light at night for higher yields.”
Find Blue Alien in Las Vegas
Sativa Room + Outer Space
Order ahead of time with Leafly Pickup at: Las Vegas Releaf
Take your transcendent journey even higher with Outer Space, the ideal pick for Cannabition’s Sativa Room. The decor of this room includes bright and airy clouds plus trippy stripes, making you feel so high, you might never come down. (Plot twist: you will eventually come down).
Find Outer Space in Las Vegas
Final Thoughts
There is no cannabis consumption allowed at Cannabition, so your attorney would advise you to manage these pairings in a clandestine or metaphoric way. The collection at Cannabition gives you cannabis as a meta-topic, and the experience nudges you to consider cannabis as a movement with staying power. Not only does it touch every segment of society you care to name—from industry to art—the strength of this cannabis upswell shows no signs of crashing any time soon.
