TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor's note: Weed like to correct some errors made in this story regarding the location of Thursday's event. The following story has been updated to reflect those corrections.
Cannabis aficionados worldwide are celebrating April 20, otherwise known as 4/20, in a variety of ways (though namely and mostly one way), but the Toledo Hemp Center is kicking off the unofficial holiday in a tasty fashion: by giving away 420 slices of hemp pizza at a local eatery.
From 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Thursday, the organization will "invade" Hammer's Grill on W. Laskey Road and serve free hemp coffee and $2 hemp seed muffins.
Following that, from 11 1.m. to 5 p.m. at the Toledo Hemp Center's Jackman Road location, organizers will serve 420 slices of hemp pizza for free in the "world's largest free hemp pizza party."
The event will also include several other vendors selling hemp-based products, free hemp coffee and $2 hemp seed muffins.
"Hemp pizzas will NOT get you high," Toledo Hemp Center partner Kevin Spitler said in a press release regarding the event.
So what's the buzz about hemp?
The organization touts the nutritional benefits of hemp seeds which, as Spitler said, will not give you a "high", as, according to the FDA, they do not naturally contain THC or CBD, both psychoactive ingredients found in other parts of the plant. Additionally, the cultivar used in hemp seed harvesting is not the same breed of cannabis harvested for recreational or medicinal marijuana use and was found to have lower levels of THC in general.
To be blunt, hemp seeds are not only completely legal but are regarded by the FDA as safe for human consumption. They are also well-known for their high nutritional value. Dope, right?
Hemp is also celebrated for its multitude of sustainable industrial uses outside consuming the seeds. Hemp is used in paper, rope, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, biofuel and more. It was also among the first plants to be spun into fiber by humans nearly 50,000 years ago, according to scientists.
Whether you are already a hemp seed enthusiast, or simply want free pizza (maybe you have the munchies?), head over to the Toledo Hemp Center.
And if you are partaking in any less-than-legal psychoactive activities, doobie careful and "hash"tag don't drive high.
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