Does the number 420 mean anything to you? Of course it does. It’s when your big brother used to disappear in the basement with his friends only to emerge 20 minutes later with a mad craving for anything cheesy in the pantry.

We’ve come a long way since Reefer Madness was released (78 years, to be exact) and marijuana is far more acceptable in our society than it ever has been. Colorado residents can toke with reckless abandon. Washingtonians can, too.

So why is it that Oregonians still can’t walk to a dispensary and swipe a card to buy some recreational marijuana? There have been plenty of legalization measures on the state ballot over the years and you’d be hard pressed to walk from Kincaid to Agate without running into somebody who’s lit up a roach in the last month. Hell, there’s even a spot outside of Allen Hall known as The Smoking Tree.

From the first Cheech and Chong film (1978’s Up in Smoke) to last year’s This is the End, marijuana has taken considerable leaps into the mainstream. It’s no longer considered the brain-killing, burnout-inducing drug it once was.

With two states having legalized recreational pot, there’s little doubt that much of the U.S. will follow.

That’s why we’re here.

If this year’s mid-term elections earn marijuana the same legal status as tobacco and alcohol, you want to be prepared, right? From strain reviews — penned anonymously, of course — to the repercussions of what happens if you’re caught toking without a medical marijuana card, we’ve got you covered. This edition of The Emerald is dedicated to weed. If it’s not your thing, don’t go any further (but please, read further. The Daily Jade is getting dangerously close to our circulation numbers.)

Here’s your guide to weed culture at the University of Oregon.

Check out the full selection of our weed issue stories here.