Green Wednesday: Las Vegas marijuana dispensaries expect increased business ahead of Thanksgiving

By Sara MacNeil (contact)

Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Many are familiar with Black Friday, the day-after-Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza featuring sales and long lines of consumers.

But you may not be familiar with Green Wednesday, the day-before-Thanksgiving retail marijuana push that produces some of the best sales of the year. Some dispensaries even report higher sales on Green Wednesday than on 4/20, the national holiday in cannabis culture on April 20.

Green Wednesday in 2019 saw 40% greater total sales than the average sales on the four previous Wednesdays, according to an analysis of recreational transactions in California, Colorado, Nevada and Washington by cannabis data company Headset.

Las Vegas dispensary officials say marijuana and the family gatherings of Thanksgiving are an ideal match because cannabis can stimulate the appetite, aid in digestion, reduce stress and help a hangover.

“The greater retail world braces for Black Friday while we brace for the gracious glory of Green Wednesday,” said Matthew Janz, director of marketing for The+Source, which has two Las Vegas dispensaries. “The rest of the world can have Black Friday. Green Wednesday is our cannabis-infused holiday that belongs to our culture.”

Janz expects Green Wednesday…