Smoke Before Supper
The term Danksgiving fuses “dank”—stoner slang for top-shelf aromatic weed—with “Thanksgiving.” Though it first appeared online in 2009, the ritual was already alive. By the mid-2000s, smokers had turned the pre-meal “cousin walk” into a fixture—sneaking a quiet sesh behind the garage before the turkey hit the table.
From Amsterdam to America
Every November, U.S. heads flew to the High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, which ended just days before Thanksgiving. They returned home with hash, stories, and the inside joke of throwing a Danksgiving dinner. That late-’80s Cup-to-holiday pipeline likely birthed the name and spirit that carried into the States.
From Joke to Hashtag
By 2006, Danksgiving was popping up in slang forums and search trends. Its first clean definition landed on Urban Dictionary in 2009—“a Thanksgiving where everyone gets stoned and eats.” From there, it spread across Reddit threads, early Instagram pages, and NORML blogs posting infused recipes, turning a stoner punchline into annual tradition.
Green Wednesday Sparks
As legalization expanded, dispensaries noticed a surge in pre-holiday sales. The day before Thanksgiving became Green Wednesday, now the second-largest cannabis shopping day of the year. Danksgiving emerged as its cultural twin—the community’s high holiday for food, family, and flower.
The Menu Evolves
By the 2010s, infused butters, canna-cranberry sauce, and 5mg pumpkin pies were standard on Danksgiving tables from California to Colorado. Weed chefs treated it as a fall harvest celebration—paying homage to growers, extractors, and trimmers whose hands shaped the season.
Roots and Reflection
Beneath the humor lies something deeper—gratitude and harvest. For cultivators, it’s a moment to give thanks for the soil, the crop, and the survival of a culture that endured prohibition. Danksgiving echoes cannabis’s agricultural roots while reframing them through modern community and creativity.
From Whisper to Ritual
Today, Danksgiving isn’t just about getting high; it’s about connection. The plant’s presence at the dinner table marks how far the movement has come—from whispered seshes to open celebration.
A Holiday Rewritten
What started as a stoner pun now stands as a yearly ritual of gratitude and good weed. Danksgiving reminds the culture that the best part of any meal isn’t the food—it’s who you pass the joint to.
YOUTUBE VIDEO
— Nugg Notes
SOURCES:
1. “Danksgiving.” Urban Dictionary, www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Danksgiving. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025. 
2. Jaeger, Kyle. “Feds Warn About Marijuana Use and Driving on ‘Danksgiving’.” Marijuana Moment, 16 Nov. 2018, www.marijuanamoment.net/feds-warn-about-marijuana-use-and-driving-on-danksgiving/. 
3. “Happy Danksgiving from NORML!” NORML, 24 Nov. 2016, norml.org/blog/2016/11/24/happy-danksgiving-from-norml/. 
4. “Green Wednesday Was Second Biggest Day of Year for Cannabis Sales.” Retail Brew, 6 Dec. 2024, www.retailbrew.com/stories/2024/12/06/green-wednesday-was-second-biggest-day-of-year-for-cannabis-sales. 
5. “7 Cannabis-Infused Recipes for Your Danksgiving Feast.” Cannabis Now, 25 Nov. 2024, cannabisnow.com/7-cannabis-infused-recipes-for-your-danksgiving-feast/. 
6. “Celebrate Danksgiving With 6 Easy Recipes.” Hometown Hero, 14 Nov. 2024, hometownhero.com/learn/danksgiving-guide-and-recipes/. 
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