Why Cannabis-Themed Weeks Are Falling Short—and How to Fix Them

As cannabis lounges, events, and travel products continue to find footing in mainstream tourism, the idea of a Cannabis Week—a curated celebration of the plant and its culture within a specific destination—is gaining traction. In theory, it’s brilliant: a chance to elevate cannabis to its rightful place in lifestyle, hospitality, wellness, and local identity. But in practice, it’s falling flat.

Cities in legal markets like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas are not hosting official weed weeks. Despite booming tourism sectors, cannabis-themed weeks haven’t yet received the institutional backing they need. Why?

The Problem: Misalignment, Messaging & Missed Opportunity

Cannabis Weeks today suffer from a critical identity crisis. They’re too often:

Siloed and fragmented, with no coordinated effort between tourism boards, city governments, cannabis operators, and local businesses.
Rooted in outdated “stoner” tropes, complete with fogged-out dab bars and smoke-heavy parties that clash with city initiatives around wellness and clean-air public policy.
Lacking economic clarity, with little to no data to support ROI or long-term community benefits.

Cities are trying to attract wellness travelers, digital nomads, and value-driven consumers—not throwback cannabis tourists from the Cheech & Chong era. That’s where current Cannabis Weeks miss the mark.

As Beard Bros has long pointed out, the cannabis community deserves respect—and events that reflect real value, not caricature.

Cities Want Alignment, Not Opposition

From a civic standpoint, cities like New York, Boston, and Amsterdam are hesitant to back Cannabis Weeks without a framework. There’s a real lack of clarity around banking regulations, advertising restrictions, and how cannabis-related commerce should be monitored or taxed during events. Local leaders worry about public safety, mixed messaging, and political fallout.

But these are solvable problems—if we build the right bridge between cannabis and civic priorities.

The Solution: Build Around the Experience Economy

Instead of treating cannabis as a standalone attraction, we need to weave it into the broader experience economy: an economic model focused on “time well spent” rather than just products consumed.

Experience-driven cannabis means spa treatments with infused topicals. Culinary pairings with terroir-driven narratives and cultivars. Art exhibits and storytelling experiences that explore cannabis history and social inclusion. Wellness hikes, sensory lounges, and intimate talks with legacy cultivators. That’s the new frontier.

A thriving Cannabis Week should be:

Multi-stakeholder: Led by tourism boards, supported by cannabis operators, city officials, economic development teams, and community orgs.
Data-backed: Designed using metrics that matter—visitation volume, hotel occupancy, visitor spending, and earned media.
Civically aligned: Messaging that uplifts local pride, wellness, culture, and sustainability.
Economically viable: Clear ROI for cities, event producers, and brand sponsors alike.

Places Getting It Right

Coachella Valley’s Canna-Week is positioning itself as a luxury, lifestyle, and wellness-forward experience. By integrating cannabis with broader desert culture, music, and art, it’s finding traction with locals and travelers alike.
San Francisco’s Spacewalk offers a culture-centric immersion that aligns with the city’s tech and design ethos, bridging the gap between civic engagement and sensory exploration.
New York City’s cannabis events are beginning to attract mainstream attention with their elevated narratives and curated spaces—though support still varies by borough and leadership.
Amsterdam, long a global cannabis destination, is actively reevaluating its messaging to focus more on health, heritage, and responsible tourism amid growing restrictions on smoking in public.
Berlin and London have teamed up to establish European Cannabis Week, combining Mary Jane Berlin and Cannabis Europa to form a solid one-two punch of B2C and B2B experiences for operators and consumers alike.

These efforts work because they speak the language of destination marketing, not just cannabis culture.

The Audience Is Eager—and Proven

This isn’t speculation. MMGY Travel Intelligence and I have studied the cannabis travel audience for more than five years. The numbers are in:

Travelers are actively seeking cannabis experiences that align with their values: wellness, culture, curiosity, and connection.
They don’t want to “get stoned”—they want to immerse, learn, and engage.
They’re educated, economically mobile, and culturally influential.

This audience is ready. It’s time for destinations—and the cannabis industry—to meet them where they are.

Let’s Build It Right

At Beard Bros Travel, we know firsthand that cannabis is more than a product. It’s a culture, a story, and a powerful community builder. Our media, advocacy, and travel initiatives are designed to elevate the industry and its impact.

We’re not just here to point out the problem. We’re here to help build the solution. Through our expanding Beard Bros Travel platform, our team offers:

Event consulting and strategy rooted in tourism and cannabis industry know-how
Media coverage and storytelling that connects cannabis with community, equity, and legacy
Access to top-tier partners, educators, and operators ready to activate experiences
Collaborations with destinations that want to lead—not follow—on cannabis tourism

If you’re looking to build a travel strategy that actually works, let’s talk.

Explore our work at https://beardbrospharms.com/cannabis-tourism/

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Let’s create Cannabis Weeks that inspire, uplift, and drive real results.