Honeysuckle Celebrates Historic 420 with Lil Wayne’s GKUA

 Cover Story and Diversity-Led Times Square Billboard Campaign: Pot Culture is Pop Culture

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This year, 420 is more than National Cannabis Day; it also celebrates the historic passage of New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act (MRTA), the country’s most social equity-focused cannabis legislation to date. On April 20, 2021, the award-winning media company Honeysuckle Magazine honors this significant event with a special Times Square billboard campaign saluting Women and Artists in the dynamic cannabis industry.

“This is a primarily female-led campaign,” said Honeysuckle founder Ronit Pinto. “Women use innovative risk-taking and imagination to elevate their brands. It’s no secret that the plant belongs to them. As the first company to put cannabis and hemp brands on Times Square, we are thrilled to experience this year with another first. 

Ronit continued. “NYE 2019, we featured Dasheeda Dawson of The Weedhead™, the first Black female cannabis business owner to ever grace the boards. This year, our campaign features - for the first time in history - an international collaboration of Indigenous brands as well as the first Indigenous cannabis company to advertise in New York Times Square.”

“This is super huge for Indian Country,” said campaign participant Mary Jane Oatman, founder of Tribal Hemp & Cannabis (THC) Magazine and the Indigenous Cannabis Coalition. “It elevates the Indigenous social equity cannabis conversation with such a global presence.” 

Participating brands include My Bud Vase™, Hamptons Medi Spa, Green Bee Life, HighTea.Life, Legacy 420, THC Magazine, and The Herb Somm, as well as GKUA by Lil Wayne. My Bud Vase™ founder Doreen Sullivan, one of Honeysuckle’s partners for their original groundbreaking Times Square campaign in 2018, will go live on the Herb media platform at 4:20PM on 4/20 to discuss her VAMPS ‘On a Mission To End Prohibition’ line, and the current collaboration. 

Rebelle Dispensary, a Berkshire County and New York-based brand, is Honeysuckle's back cover and 420 homepage takeover sponsor. Rebelle is hosting a private event on the evening of 4/20 to honor the strides made in cannabis legalization and diversity in the industry.

Exquisitely designed by creative director Sam C Long, the billboard campaign will take place on the iconic Nasdaq and Thomson Reuters boards, at 43rd Street and Broadway and 43rd Street and 7th Avenue respectively, from 10AM-10PM on 4/20, with boosts on the latter around 4:20PM. Lil Wayne fans can spot the legendary rapper and his cannabis brand GKUA on both boards. The brands will then enjoy a week-long run on the Plaza billboards through 4/27, situated next to NASDAQ.

420, Honeysuckle’s 11th curated edition, is available for purchase in our shot https://honeysucklemag.com/shop. For the cover story, Lil Wayne granted Honeysuckle an exclusive interview about the latest iteration of his cannabis line GKUA Ultra Premium and an upcoming series of in-person and virtual VIP performances, UPROAR at the Torch at the LA Memorial Coliseum, presented by GKUA, where “the greatest rapper alive” will perform with special guests. The issue also features in-depth interviews with acclaimed filmmaker Gaspar Noé (Irreversible, Climax, Lux Aeterna); mythic cannabis cultivator Chemdog; sex educator King Noire; a plethora of incredible LGBTQIA+ artists; and more.

The Honeysuckle Diversity in Cannabis Times Square campaign will run on the Nasdaq and Thomson Reuters boards 10AM-10PM on 4/20. For more information, follow Honeysuckle Magazine on Instagram at @honeysucklemagazine.

Stay tuned for details on UPROAR, presented by Lil Wayne’s GKUA and its series of 4/20 VIP performances, set to debut on August 13th.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jaime Lubin – jaime@honeysucklemag.com, 404-247-3983

Ronit Pinto – honey@honeysucklemag.com, 646-632-7711