The New Cannabis Culture: High on Design
In 2020, Santiago edited a book showcasing people and products who are changing the way this sacred plant is understood through novel aesthetics.
Despite global efforts at legalization, Marijuana remains a tricky topic in some places. In certain parts of the world, smoking pot can land folks in jail, with Black and Latinxs making up a disproportionate amount of those arrests. All this while others get to enjoy cannabis as part of everyday life. With more states and countries opening up to legalizing cannabis for both medicinal and recreational purposes, a parallel wave of aesthetic innovations has risen to cater to a particular subset of cannabis consumers; well-heeled, design-savvy users who seek and appreciate the wellness benefits of cannabis.
Thanks to legalization efforts and the rise of “big bud,” the worldwide market for cannabis is expected to grow to $97.35 billion by 2026. Meanwhile, global demand for marijuana has surged, particularly for edibles. Against this backdrop arrives High on Design (edited by Santiago Rodriguez Tarditi and published by Gestalten), a new coffee-table book that showcases many of the top brands and key players now defining the high-end marijuana industry. These pages feature the top players launching products that appear more like design pieces than hippie accouterments. High on Design takes readers through the history and science behind this controversial plant, while showcasing projects that every design-and-cannabis aficionado will appreciate.
The book is more than an exploration of the cannabis lifestyle and a source of inspiration for artisans or impresarios exploring this rapidly growing business. It’s a manual for activists too: each chapter echoes a cry to review drug prohibition policies and normalize marijuana in an age where demands for social justice are percolating at every level.
Touching upon the essential elements of cannabis culture, the book is filled with images from visually appealing cannabis companies. There are the retro-style branding references used by Old Pal—a California-based cannabis purveyor—along with upscale handblown glass pipes like the those produced by Laundryday or the ceramic bongs created by Summerland, which can double as decor objects (i.e. flower vases) or the elegantly-tasty goodies from Défoncé infused edibles.
High on Design also features herb dispensaries like West Coast leaders Serra—which look and feel stylish like perfume boutiques decked out with the latest tech gadgets—along with media publications such as Broccoli and Gossamer, two platforms that are redefining the way we write about ganja.
“This book was born out of a need to place cannabis in a new light—both from a political and legal perspective, but also in a cultural sense”, says Santiago. “Cannabis consumers were once stereotyped as ‘lazy stoners’ and ‘criminals,’ but today people from all walks of life—from the creative to the entrepreneurial to the academic—have rediscovered the plant and its medicinal and psychological benefits.”
The community is also beginning to recognize the scientific aspects of marijuana. From the all-important endocannabinoid system (which can regulate sleep and appetite) to the aroma-impacting terpene profiles of each strain, to the religions that consume weed as a sacred ritual to connect with the gods. They’re all chronicled in High on Design next to products and pieces that we may one day soon begin seeing at an art or decoration fair. Long gone are the days of flower-power paraphernalia: the future of weed is here.
