With new cannabis conference, Willie Nelson declares 10 days in April the 'High Holidays'

For marijuana enthusiasts around the world, April 20, aka 4/20, is a hazy day of reverence best celebrated with bong hits and brownies. 

According to Willie Nelson, 4/20 is just the beginning of a 10-day stretch of “High Holidays.” This year in Willie world, the annual carnival of cannabinoids will be capped off with The Luck Summit: Planting the Seed. Nelson’s inaugural cannabis convention kicks off on April 26 and runs through the country music icon and outspoken marijuana advocate’s 88th birthday on April 29. The event, a virtual smokeout and philosophy sesh, will be hosted by musician Nathaniel Rateliff. Aiming to destigmatize cannabis culture, it will include keynote speakers, cooking demonstrations, musical performances, comedy sketches and more. 

“I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is an herb and a flower. God put it here. If He put it here and He wants it to grow, what gives the government the right to say that God is wrong?” Nelson said in a statement about the convention. 

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The idea of a Willie Nelson-presented cannabis convention has been “floating around” for some time, Matt Bizer, head of Luck Presents, Nelson’s in-house production company, said during an episode of Austin360’s streaming show, the Monday Music Mashup. Last year, with Nelson stuck at home and unable to tour, Bizer’s crew decided to throw Nelson a smoky virtual birthday bash called “Come and Toke It” on April 20. 

The marijuana-themed variety show included appearances by everyone from Matthew McConaughey to Ziggy Marley. Homebound stoners logged on from around the globe and many participated in a “pass left” challenge in which a virtual joint circle moved around the world. It was a big (ahem) hit. 

“I think when we saw the engagement and the amount of people that gathered around that event, we realized that we just had such a platform for and an appetite for that kind of storytelling,” Bizer said. 

As Bizer’s team realized the depth of interest in cannabis-themed content, they felt a sense of responsibility. “If we have that kind of ability to engage people, we need to do it for a cause and actually make this a part of the education,” he said. 

Texas is still “under prohibition," Bizer said. In the Lone Star State, non-intoxicant hemp products have been legal for only a few years. Consequently, the Luck crew, who work out of Nelson’s ranch about an hour outside of Austin, is unable to host a full cannabis conference and convention. Still, Bizer said he felt it was “really important here to open a conversation and start a dialogue.”

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“We feel like Willie has always been the best conduit to that,” Bizer said. “One thing people can unite around in Texas is the love for Willie. And I think that allows a platform for people to have a little more discourse than they would day to day, especially in today's times where we're so polarized.”

Similar to Luck Presents’ signature event, the annual Luck Reunion, the virtual convention’s programming is spread out over multiple stages on multiple days with tracks that cover everything from the ethics of cannabis to health and wellness to politics. Users will be able to access all the stages on the conference's online platform. Unlike other virtual conferences, most notably the South by Southwest Festival and Conference, most of the conference content will be streamed live, with only some entertainment segments pre-recorded. 

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“What you're really getting is a lot of different perspectives on cannabis (from) a lot of different lenses,” Bizer said. 

Nelson, who has had multiple brushes with the law over his marijuana use, has decried the way the justice system unevenly treats minor drug offenders. According to Austin police data, of 432 marijuana citations issued in 2019, 201 were issued to Hispanic people and 163 to African Americans, making up 84% of all citations. (Austin City Council voted to end the enforcement of low-level misdemeanor marijuana possession in January 2020. Former Austin police chief Brian Manley revised department policies to comply with the council's resolution in July.) 

As the conference looks for a “path toward legalization efforts, decriminalization is a huge piece,” Bizer said. The conference will highlight the need for social justice for people who are serving time for low-level offenses like carrying or distributing cannabis.

“We're having conversations about social equity and creating opportunities for people, as businesses start to come in,” Bizer said, also asking, "Who are the people who are able to seize these opportunities to open businesses and to monopolize on cannabis?” That is an issue states must grapple with as they legalize cannabis, he said. 

More:State legislators weigh lighter penalties for marijuana possession

To gain access to the conference, virtual fest-goers must make a donation to Headcount’s Cannabis Voter Project, a nonpartisan initiative to register voters and educate them about cannabis issues. 

“Public opinion really isn't one of the big roadblocks to getting cannabis reform moving forward here in Texas,” Sam D’Arcangelo of Headcount said during the Monday Music Mashup. “A lot of the most recent polls that have come out have found upwards of 60% support for legalizing cannabis for adult use here in Texas, much higher numbers when it comes to medical cannabis.”

In Texas, where decriminalization measures passed by the House have been halted by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick before they moved to the Senate, D'Arcangelo believes “the politicians are really lagging behind the people on this issue.”

Like Bizer, he believes Nelson is the perfect advocate to move the needle in Texas. 

“Partnering with Willie Nelson on an event like this is obviously fantastic,” he said. “I mean, Willie's a cannabis icon. He's a music icon. But he's also, you know, a Texas icon. And those three things make him really the perfect person to lead this conversation here in Texas.”