As 4/20 approaches, Cheech Marin is once again embracing the unofficial holiday that helped make him a cannabis cultural icon.
The comedy legend has teamed up with Jimmy John’s for the sandwich chain’s new “Dream Rotation” campaign, sharing the kind of food lineup he reaches for when the munchies hit.
“There’s no sesh without the munchies,” Marin says in the campaign.
The sandwich company launched the campaign ahead of April 20 with a limited-time menu centered around what it calls a “Dream Rotation Meal” — a toasted sandwich, chips, and a new Cereal n’ Milk Crispy Treat. Marin appears in a digital spot alongside Amanda Batula, Skyler Gisondo, and Kal Penn, with each celebrity naming the order they would add to the mix.
As for why “the munchies” happen after a “sesh”: scientists say tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, stimulates receptors in the brain that heighten appetite, boost the smell and taste of food, and trigger dopamine release. The result is the familiar urge to reach for salty, sweet, or indulgent snacks after using cannabis.
But Marin’s involvement is bigger than a celebrity endorsement: for decades, he has been one of the most recognizable faces of cannabis culture.
The ‘high holy holiday’ of 4/20 has become far more mainstream than the underground ritual it once was. The phrase dates back to 1971, when a group of California high school students known as “the Waldos” used “4:20” as code for an after-school meet-up.
According to records later confirmed by the Oxford English Dictionary, the slang spread through the Grateful Dead’s circle before becoming global shorthand for cannabis in the 1990s, thanks to High Times magazine.
For Marin, the date has always carried extra meaning. Alongside longtime collaborator Tommy Chong, he helped turn cannabis culture into a pop-culture phenomenon through movies like Up in Smoke and Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie.
Decades later, the pair has parlayed that reputation into a cannabis and hemp business reportedly worth more than $150 million. Their companies now sell THC-infused beverages, gummies, and other hemp-derived products nationwide, with projected revenue nearing $100 million in 2025.
