What a year!

The dawn of cannabis in California arrived in 2018, a truly historic year for the state, the movement, and everyone who benefits from access to marijuana.

It was exhilarating and challenging, as the largest legal adult-use market in the world grappled with shifting regulations and escalating testing standards. At the same time, new partnerships and philanthropy networks were made, setting the cornerstones of the industry’s foundation for years to come.

[SEE ALSO: 5 predictions for legal cannabis in California]

“I have been working on this for decades, and this was the year that the movement crested,” U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D, Oregon) told The Associated Press. “It’s clear that this is all coming to a head.”

As 2019 dawns, we take a look at the year that will always have an important place in cannabis history.

January

• Jan. 1: California’s Proposition 64 goes into effect, ending prohibition in the most populous state. Enjoy the moment!
• Mid-month: Eaze Insights publishes the 2017 State of Cannabis, our first data report of the year, showing broad growth and emerging consumer trends.
• Jan. 22: Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signs H.511, making it the first state to legalize through an act of legislature as opposed to a ballot measure.

March

• March 8: Eaze supports International Women’s Day, donating $1 per delivery to The Women’s Foundation of California.

April

• April 15: Eaze Insights discovers widespread opening up about cannabis use in its second quarterly report of 2018.
• April 19: The first Dawn of Cannabis event, held at Eaze headquarters in Venice Beach, brings together a host of California cannabis VIPs. Conversation centers on the challenges of taxes, new regulations, the illicit market, and social justice.
• April 20: 4/20 arrives, and it’s a big one! Eaze had its biggest sales day ever, while Californians celebrate all over the state.

May.

• Old Pal launches exclusively on the Eaze menu. The most affordable ⅛ in California is an instant hit, and is it any wonder? It’s not just cheap flower, it’s great weed.
  $15

  Sativa

  Old Pal

June

• All month: Pride and cannabis have a long, intertwined, and still-important relationship, a bond that’s reflected in Pride events all around the state, and Eaze takes part in several. We donated 5% of the month’s proceeds to workplace diversity, and brought together our brand partners to support other great LGBTQ causes.
• June 7: Canada ends prohibition! The House of Commons votes to send a legalization bill to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, making our neighbors to the north the largest sovereign country with adult-use.
• June 25: The FDA approves epilepsy treatment Epidiolex, making it the first cannabis-derived medicine that’s federally legal in the United States.

July

• July 1: Category II regulations go into effect, meaning all cannabis products must go through additional testing for pesticides and other toxins. The event causes bottlenecks and supply headaches across the industry, but when the dust settles, consumers are the clear winners.
• July 7: Eaze partners with Dead & Co.’s summer-tour stop in Los Angeles, parking the Eaze VW Bus on Shakedown Street at Dodger Stadium, and handing out more than 50 “miracle” tickets to grateful fans.

August

• Aug. 6: Eaze Insights releases its third quarterly report of the year, examining the impact of the illicit market.
• Aug. 16: dosist comes Eaze, bringing the popular premium, dose-controlled all-in-one vaporizers to the platform for the first time.

September

• All month: September is Pain Awareness Month, and helping manage pain is one of cannabis’ most time-tested medical applications. A portion of the month’s proceeds support the research of Dr. Sue Sisley, who’s also putting the finishing touches on the first clinical trial examining cannabis for PTSD.
• Sept. 9: Kiva launches on Eaze! One of the most trusted and established brands comes to the menu, and life couldn’t be sweeter.
  
  $22

  Milk Chocolate

  Kiva Confections
• Sept. 26: Without fanfare, the Los Angeles International Airport police department posts its cannabis no-hassle policy, as Eaze first reported.

October

• Mid-month: Expungement Week takes on a new urgency in California, while organizations like Cage Free Cannabis continue to fight around the U.S. for justice and access to clean records wherever prohibition laws have been overturned.
• Oct. 15: For World Food Day, our partners at Bloom Farms double their one-for-one program, providing a meal to a food shelter for every product sold.
  
  $29

  Daytime

  Bloom Farms
• Oct. 17: Canada’s legal market opens! We examine how it compares with California‘s.
• Oct. 27: The state of California issues its first permanent cannabis licenses, including one to our friends at Om Edibles.
• Oct. 31: We hope everyone had a Happy Halloweed!

November

• Nov. 6: Election Day is good for cannabis. Michigan voters make theirs the first Midwestern state with legal adult-use, and Utah and Missouri pass medical measures.
• Nov. 7: The day after the election, President Trump fires Attorney General Jeff Sessions, perhaps the biggest single cannabis legalization blocker in the federal executive branch.
• Nov. 10: Veterans Day arrives with a bit of good news: Eaze announces an ongoing discount of 25% off the entire menu for ex-military.
• Mid-month: Eaze Wellness launches! Our CBD-only platform begins shipping to 41 states.
• Nov. 21: The day before Thanksgiving is Green Wednesday, our biggest single-day sale of the year and an emerging cannabis super-holiday. Eaze customers enjoying 40% off almost the entire menu make it our biggest sales day in history, beating the previous record from seven months ago on 4/20.
• Nov. 26: Eaze pledges 20% of proceeds from the week of Nov. 26 to Direct Relief, which provides urgent emergency services to the victims of California wildfires.

December

• Dec. 5: The Bureau of Cannabis Control, the state body governing marijuana in California, publishes its final regulations – the result of months of iterations and negotiation.
• Dec. 12-Dec. 23: Eaze celebrates its first 12 Days of Cannabis, with new deals and giveaways every day.
• Dec. 21: The Farm Bill is signed by President Trump, making hemp legal to cultivate and distribute in the United States. What a way to close out 2018!

[Products named in this story are registered under California licenses C11-18-0000024-TEMP, CDPH-T00000171, and CDPH-T00000171]