By Leafly Staff
If you’re reading a top-10 list today, it can mean only one thing: The old year is about to die. And websites across the interwebs are eulogizing it in a shameless attempt to capture eyeballs and boost pageviews.
Count us in.
We decided to wrap up 2015 with a top-10 meta-list, tying some of our favorite best-of lists into a master bundle. One list to rule them all, so to speak. Consider it our tabulation of tallies totting up the year in cannabis.
10. Russ Belville’s Top Ten Marijuana Data Stories of 2015 — Marijuana Politics
Radical Russ, one of our favorite cannabis radio yakkers, is also a bit of a data hound. Here he rolls up his top mining expeditions of 2015. Good stuff on youth-use surveys, the role of cannabis in the California drought, road safety and rehab admissions.
9. What Americans Googled in 2015 — Estately
The folks at Estately put out another “What Americans Googled” map with a year-end twist. What’s the cannabis connection? Check out our friends in Ohio.
8. Top 5 Cannabis Moments of 2015 — Chalice Farms
The growers and budtenders at Oregon’s Chalice Farms put out a list that’s just a wee bit self-referential. (We’re not sure Chalice’s big win at the 2015 DOPE Cup will rank so high on other tallies.) It makes our list, though, in part for recognizing Women Grow, which began 2015 as a tiny startup and ended the year as a burgeoning cannabis group with national influence.
7. Top 10 Marijuana News Stories of 2015 — CelebStoner.com
We could come up with a Top Ten list of Celebstoner’s best headlines of 2015 (No. 1: “Frank Sinatra Was Not a Stoner”), but that’s another story. Their year-end list puts the Ohio legalization debacle in the top spot, followed by a lot of state decriminalization measures and celeb calls to end prohibition. Expected: Bill Walton. Unexpected: Morgan Freeman.
6. Top 10 National Marijuana News Stories of 2015 — Chicago Sun-Times
Illinois’ medical marijuana opening drew the Sun-Times onto the cannabis beat this year, and its list leans heavily on politics. Top story: Bernie Sanders’ call to end federal prohibition, becoming the “first U.S. Presidential candidate” to do so. We could argue it was Jimmy Carter, but he only promised decriminalization, so we’ll give Bernie the nod.
5. Top 10 Marijuana Policy Victories of 2015 — Rob Kampia
Marijuana Policy Project Executive Director Rob Kampia looks back at the political ground gained over the past 12 months, including a lot of local decriminalization victories, medical marijuana expansions, and five statewide legalization campaigns on track for 2016 (see our take here).
4. 2015: The Year of the Cannabis Industry — Cannabis Wire
We think you’re calling this a little early, Cannabiswire. If you thought 2015 was big, wait ‘til you see 2016. We like Cannabis Wire’s list because No. 2 is the ouster — finally, mercifully — of DEA head Michele Leonhart, whose blockheaded views on cannabis were embarrassing even to those on her side.
3. NORML’s 2015 Year in Review — NORML
NORML tops its list with one winner and one loser. Upside: Congress’ reauthorization of protections. Downside: Federal Judge Kimberly Mueller upholding marijuana’s Schedule I status.
2. (Tie) Top 10 Cannabis Studies of 2015 — LiveScience and The Joint Blog
These two sites tot up the scientific breakthroughs of 2015, including new insights into conditions helped by medical cannabis, problems with labeling inaccuracies in unregulated markets, and a new understanding of the mechanism that triggers the munchies.
1. Top 10 Weed Songs of 2015 — WeedStream
Aww, yeah. From Pop Evil’s heavy “Ways to Get High” (No. 9) to Snoop Dogg’s chill “California Roll” (No. 2), the researchers at Weedstream cover the full spectrum in 2015. We’ll let you click through to reveal who sparked up at No. 1. WeedStream’s list lends itself to a natural New Year’s Eve game: Name the single best cannabis lyric of 2015. Enjoy.
To continue reading this story, visit our friend’s website (opens in a new window):: The Best of Cannabis Best-of Lists for 2015