Cannabis & Comedy
Cannabis and Comedy go hand in hand, all the way back to The Cheech and Chong days! Since October 17th, 2018 cannabis has become legal in Canada, and with this happening, it has opened a new venue for all artists and cannabis consumers. No more just having to go to a show or an event and just drink. Well, we wished this was the way they were going to run things, but the truth is the rules differ from province to province, city to city, which can be a hassle, as we have many provinces in Canada. Everyone we spoke with was so looking forward to legalization, and to finally being free to choose between drinking or cannabis when going out.
Rules, Rules, Rules!
Unfortunately, this didn’t happen in Montreal, QC. which in my eyes is the coolest city in the world. Nope, the opposite happened, the cannabis consumers there are still judged and stigmatized. Many longtime cannabis consumers we spoke with were so looking forward to finally coming out of the “closet” to socialize with their fellow cannabis consumers, were left to find their own gathering spot, be it legal or illegal. While there are hundreds of bars in Montreal, QC. not one venue has been allowed to welcome the cannabis consumers, along with the addition of many other rules they have implemented, since cannabis has become legal.
Oh! don’t get me wrong there are a few “secret location” spots for the cannabis consumers to go & consume with friends plus have a good laugh. Sadly, most consumers don’t even know these spots exist. They can be found if your lucky enough to have the right connections, but you still have to be on “Alert” ready for them to pounce in at any time. Which is such a buzz kill! So many cannabis consumers just stay at home.
Let the laughs and buds flow!
Last weekend I had the pleasure of going to visit my neighboring city of Toronto, ON. and boy oh boy what a great surprise. Toronto has welcomed the cannabis community with open arms. There are so many spots that you can go and feel free to BYOB (bring your own buds) roll it up and smoke it. You can sit at one of the many coffee cafes or vape lounges (at the vape lounges you can only vape) along with many other comedy spots. This is a perfect start to what the cannabis community needs to stop the stigma of cannabis consumers.
The Underground Cafe & Social Club
I have to say out of all of the places we visited, my favorite place was The Underground Cafe & Social Club. It is one of Toronto’s most exclusive comedy & social hangouts. Here the lovely owner Joanne Baker aka Puff Mama strives to bring you the best in comedy, burlesque and live music. We went to a Sunday evening show, arriving early so we were the first ones there. Which was perfect as we had time to get a chance to look at all the goodies in this groovy cafe. We also had time for a chat over a joint about the differences between each province since the legalization of cannabis. I had so many questions. Joey was happy to answer them all. She is a wonderful lady full of cannabis knowledge. She had a late show the night before but she was there ready to serve us. The added bonus for us was the tons of old cannabis memorabilia, all the clocks were set to 4:20 and full candy jars.
Now onto the show where we were entertained by four or five wonderful Comedians that made us giggle for hours. We truly didn’t want to leave. We felt like we had finally found a cannabis spot to call home. Here are just a few of the many names that have stopped in, sometimes there are a few surprises, they’ve had cats like Mike Rita, Scott Thompson, Ari Shaffir, Doug Benson, Sam Tripoli, Kenny Robinson, Rory Scovel, Ben Kronberg, Eric Andre, Greg Proops, and Joe Rogan.
It’s closing time!
As much as I didn’t want to depart Toronto this time, mostly because it was so cannabis friendly now. I am going to have to leave saying that Toronto has its cannabis game on point. I never thought you guys would be cooler than Montreal, but for now, it’s looking like your city is going to be the brighter side of the cannabis industry. While Quebec continues to be a stick in the mud. So in closing, if you’re looking for a great venue in Toronto for a bowl full of laughs The Underground Cafe’s is a “highly” recommended stop. Make sure to check the schedule for their regular shows in the link below to find out when someone cool is Puffin through!
Copyright © 2018