WeedTube: The Future of Cannabis

We live in a world where information spreads to the masses forever within a single click of a button. A single tap of an index finger. Our deepest concerns, opinions, and questions in the palm of our hands, on 3% battery.

Some of us grab chargers and delve into the double digit pages of google for answers, while some grab a stool and are handed a bottle. Hell, some even light up a joint and grab a burger instead.

And then there are WeedTubers; Weed-YouTubers.

If you were already a part of the millions of people that comprise this community, then you would already be familiar with this internet niche known as “WeedTube”. But if not, it might seem surprising that people actually smoke weed on the internet. Especially given various issues related to state and federal legislature on cannabis as a whole.

And on YouTube’s side of things, as a massively successful company, it doesn’t get any easier for WeedTubers. Ongoing changes with YouTube’s content policies have made it harder on WeedTubers to earn revenue via video advertisements. Cannabis themed content for any reason (entertainment, education, or cultivation) on YouTube is automatically deemed non advertiser friendly, which greatly lowers the rate as which creators can make money per number of views.

As a result, WeedTubers must rely on either contributions from their viewers for income (via sites like Patreon and Twitch), or by sponsorship with specific online shops and brands. Meaning that very few people who smoke weed on YouTube are able to earn a living just posting to their channel.

But what’s the appeal? Why would anyone watch somebody else take a bong hit?

Well, for one, it’s one of the few ways people who don’t smoke weed can see what it’s like to smoke weed from the comfort of their own home or privacy. Without actually having to be anywhere near weed. WeedTube videos provide anyone the ability to learn about the plant, the industry, and the community as a whole. You don’t need to know a thing about weed to access the knowledge WeedTube content provides. Just wifi.

And for those of us that wouldn’t mind a morning bowl with a mug of coffee, WeedTube provides an appropriately engaging experience. There’s Josh from “StrainCentral”, for example. Josh creates for his WeedTube channel of more than 420,000 subscribers multiple times each week, and has for about 3 years, accumulating more than 50 million views. His content primarily consists of cannabis education, offering a more intellectual point of view to WeedTube. Specifically, his “WeedTube Wake and Bake” series shares shares local (Washington state) and national news relating to cannabis and the cannabis industry. Naturally, this series was how I discovered StrainCentral, as I am definitely a morning news with a coffee and a bowl kind of guy.

And of course, who could ever forget about entertainment? Sure we could watch a Cheech and Chong flick every now and again, but what if we could see real time progression with true characters every day? From CustomGrow420, to GroovyMac, to TwoGirlsOneBong, SilencedHippie, and SlowerFuture, WeedTube is home to a lot of original,innovative, and consistent content. These five channels combine for over 200 million views across nearly 3,000 videos over just the past 3 years.

And unlike Cheech and Chong, you are much more likely to see these people in real life. Not to disrespect the legends, it’s just I’m sure after much longer careers and still working on their own creative endeavors, it’s harder for them to make it to every public gathering and festival. WeedTubers, however, usually attend weed festivals at every opportunity they get. This not only speaks to the strength of the community, but to how much fun it actually is for these content creators to meet their viewers. And the collaborations are always special.

And perhaps the biggest appeal would be the fact that these creators; WeedTubers prove the negative stigma attached to cannabis wrong. The lack of productivity stigma. The antisocial stigma.

This is seen through the amount of work it takes to record, edit, publish, read feedback, promote others, write new ideas, research, build social medias, network, and overall maintain something bigger then the individual. The work load can be staggering at times. I have experienced this first hand, as within a year I was able to build a community of 60,000 people on YouTube to follow 200 cannabis themed entertainment videos. Every single day was dedicated to the entire process of being an aspiring YouTube personality, and it lead me to meet incredible people in real life thousands of miles away from home, as well as learn so much about the plant itself. But it required hundreds, if not thousands of hours of tedious, fruitful work. And the payoff was seeing thousands of people express their appreciation and enjoyment for the little things that added up to make each and every piece of content.

Interestingly enough, however, the WeedTube community is still seemingly so young, as legalization still has not reached most states, with it still being federally illegal as well. It would seem that WeedTube’s best days are still ahead. But one thing is certain; more and more people are watching people smoke weed on the internet. But as crazy as it might sound, is it really that odd? Perhaps people in general are just now taking a puff or two more than they once did? If one thing is certain, the WeedTubers sure are.

And of course we know that because at any given moment we can log on to YouTube and watch. With the simple click of a button, or the tap of an index finger. WeedTube continues to solidify its role as the future of cannabis, as its content and creators provide people with an efficient way to access more and more knowledge about the plant, the industry, and the community as a whole.