Wiz Khalifa, Billy Ray Cyrus to headline 4/20 ‘virtual’ cannabis celebration

A California technology and software company aims to take cooped-up music fans to a higher place with a nationwide music event.

Weedmaps, which supplies several cannabis dispensaries across Illinois (including Chicago, has created “Higher Together: Sessions from Home,” where notable musicians, DJs, comedians and other influencers perform exclusive sets from their homes and debut new content via live stream.

Their plan is to celebrate 4/20 — the unofficial holiday for cannabis consumers — in all four U.S. continental time zones at 4:20 p.m. Monday.

Wiz Khalifa, Billy Ray Cyrus, Ari Lennox, Joey “CoCo” Diaz, Berner, Stephen Marley, Cam’ron, The Alchemist and others are among the creatives who are scheduled to participate in what Weedmaps calls the “world’s biggest 4/20 virtual celebration.”

Cyrus plans to debut his new single “Hillbilly Ray,” along with an accompanying animated music video, as part of his exclusive acoustic set.

Weedmaps

“For more than 12 years, Weedmaps has connected millions of consumers with retailers and brands, while advocating for accessible cannabis for all,” Juanjo Feijoo, Weedmaps’ CEO said in a statement. “We’re excited to partner with some of the best in music and entertainment to celebrate the plant and the culture with our community.”

While the virtual concert has a celebration aspect, the event is also a means to raise funds for Weedmaps’ event partner, The Last Prisoner Project, a Denver-based coalition of cannabis industry leaders that aims to bring restorative justice to the cannabis industry and those jailed for marijuana offenses — especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our constituents, many of whom are over the age of 60 and have underlying health conditions, are ‘imprisoned’ because of a plant that has now been deemed an ‘essential’ service by jurisdictions across the country,” said Sarah Gersten, Last Prisoner Project’s executive director and general counsel in a statement. “Releasing cannabis prisoners now is not only the right thing to do from a justice perspective, but also to ensure the health and safety of all of us.”

For information on where to send donations, log onto www.LastPrisonerProject.org.