On August 21, a total solar eclipse will take place, and the best location on the planet to watch it happen is Oregon. An estimated one million visitors are headed to Oregon next month for the eclipse — whether to attend the massive festival celebrating this astronomical event, or to watch it on their own somewhere in Oregon’s gorgeous countryside. In preparation for all these tourists, dispensaries and liquor stores need to stock up; the demand for both cannabis and booze is already at a record high.
Pot shops in particular, are getting shipments of fun, astronomically themed products — strains like Moon Puppies, for instance — in celebration of the eclipse. Moon Puppies is a cross between Lemon Skunk and Chemdawg, explains Leigha Christensen, assistant manager of Oregon’s Finest, a dispensary in Portland. Christensen’s shop expects at least a two or three times increase in sales, thanks to the eclipse. However, there’s little Oregon cultivators can do to grow more weed at this point (a grow cycle takes at least a couple of months). Still, dispensaries are ordering more product. Oregon’s Finest, for example, ordered 25 percent more and is planning on offering special packages and eclipse glasses.
“I think events like this overcome that stigma because we get to talk to more people and provide that education that is really needed,” says Christensen. With so many out-of-towners coming into a legal state, many for the first time will be able to buy weed legally and see how legalization operates.
So if you’re headed to Oregon next month, ganja tourism will look a little different this time. Here are some reasons to pick up a stash and head out to watch the eclipse.
This Almost Never Happens
This is the first total solar eclipse to touch the continental United States since 1979. It specifically touches down on coastal Oregon between Lincoln City and Newport at 10:15 am. Before it touches Oregon, the moon’s shadow, or umbra, won’t touch any other island or landmass.
Oregon is Just Plain Beautiful
What better place than to be than surrounded in the Oregon nature, watching of the most spectacular natural phenomenons? On the day of the eclipse, the Willamette Valley and the Deschutes River Valley are expected to be sunny. That means you’ll also get to witness two whole minutes of darkness, without cloud coverage obscuring it. Pack your bowl before, and head out for a hike after the eclipse.
The Eclipse Will Be Trippy
Make a trippy thing trippier with some weed. Cannabis might also help you to relax and appreciate the eclipse in a deeper way. After all, this phenomenon happens rarely. Learn about why it’s happening and observe the wonders of the world, literally.
