Merry-juana Christmas! Colorado Cannabis Charity Gives Free Weed to Homeless

By Christopher Coble, Esq. on December 29, 2015 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are nothing compared to some dank Purple Kush or sticky Strawberry Cough. So while the Biblical Magi may have been kind to baby Jesus, the volunteers for Cannabis Can were the real heroes when they gave free joints to Denver's homeless for Christmas.

We're not sure whether those joints contained some sweet, sweet Sour Diesel or fuzzy Super Silver Haze, but we're pretty sure the presents were appreciated. "Merry Christmas and a puff puff, New Year's," one woman told volunteers while accepting a joint.

Getting High, Raising Awareness

The Sinsemilla Santas were volunteers with Cannabis Can, a Denver nonprofit founded by Nick Dicenzo, and the Christmas joints were part of an effort to raise awareness and money for the group's crowdfunding campaign to renovate used RVs to provide local homeless persons with an accessible place to use the bathroom, shower, and even get a haircut.

"Half of the people we interviewed weren't even proponents of marijuana, but everyone was interested in having access to a regular-working shower or haircut," Dicenzo told Westword. "Most of them were like, 'What organization are you with, again? We don't have to hear a sermon, do we?' The reaction was unbelievable."

High Helping Hands

In states like Colorado where recreational marijuana is legal, you can give someone marijuana as a gift. But you still have to comply with state marijuana laws. For example, Colorado prohibits public smoking, and residents are only allowed to possess one ounce of marijuana at a time, limiting Cannabis Can's recent charity work. Dicenzo said the regulations "makes the logistics of this really tricky, but yeah I have lots of people with one ounce on their person."

But it's all about proving that marijuana dispensaries can do good beyond their regular customers. "It had nothing to do with where you live or how much money you make. It was about giving back and spreading some joy," he explains. "It wasn't just for the homeless. We just wanted to get people to interact."

I bet baby Jesus didn't even know what myrrh was. (I still don't.) But I'm sure the people Dicenzo and the rest of Cannabis Can's volunteers met this Christmas knew they were receiving an act of kindness.

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