Cannabis

Research Grade Cannabis sativa.

Cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, weed, pot, and ganja, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various traditional medicines for centuries. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive component of cannabis, which is one of the 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporizing, within food, or as an extract.

Cannabis has various mental and physical effects, which include euphoria, altered states of mind and sense of time, difficulty concentrating, impaired short-term memory, impaired body movement (balance and fine psychomotor control), relaxation, and an increase in appetite (also known as "getting the munchies"). Onset of effects is felt within minutes when smoked, but may take up to 90 minutes when eaten (as orally consumed drugs must be digested and absorbed). The effects last for two to six hours, depending on the amount used. At high doses, mental effects can include anxiety, delusions (including ideas of reference), hallucinations, panic, paranoia, and psychosis. There is a strong relation between cannabis use and the risk of psychosis, though the direction of causality is debated. Physical effects include increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, nausea, and behavioral problems in children whose mothers used cannabis during pregnancy; short-term side effects may also include dry mouth and red eyes. Long-term adverse effects may include addiction, decreased mental ability in those who started regular use as adolescents, chronic coughing, susceptibility to respiratory infections, and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.

Jack in the Box and cannabis

The fast food chain Jack in the Box has alluded to or directly referenced cannabis in its marketing and products.

Bobblehead.

• The controversial 2005 commercial Bobblehead features what critics deemed a stoner attempting to order from a Jack in the Box and hallucinating an inanimate bobblehead of the chain's mascot Jack Box coming to life. Officially, Jack in the Box denied the character was intoxicated, and director Rick Sittig, interviewed in character as Jack, claimed he was just tired. Art critic Travis Diehl deemed it "the earliest example of what we might consider a weed-themed JitB ad."

Puppet Jack with Jack's Munchie Meal.

• In 2013, Jack in the Box launched Jack's Munchie Meal, a late-night combo meal which observers noted appeared to be marketed to cannabis users. A series of commercials for the meal featured a presumably hallucinatory puppet version of Jack speaking with a stoner-like inflection.

• In 2017, Jack in the Box tested the "Munchie Mash Up" Wakey Bakey Hash, a hash brown topped with fried egg and bacon.

• Also in 2017, Jack in the Box partnered with Merry Jane, a cannabis-focused digital media company launched by rapper and marijuana advocate Snoop Dogg. After California legalized recreational cannabis, the chain released a limited-edition version of Jack's Munchie Meal, the Merry Munchie Meal, for $4.20 at several Long Beach locations.

Pineapple Express Shake.

• In 2022, Jack in the Box launched the Pineapple Express Shake, the name of which appears to be an unauthorized reference to the 2008 stoner comedy film Pineapple Express. To promote the shake, Jack in the Box pledged to plant a tree for each one purchased on 4/20 through third-party delivery services. Members of the press received a gift box containing "4/20 essentials," including redness reducing eye drops, a bucket hat, a pine air freshener, a "$42.0" gift certificate, and a QR code to a 4/20-themed Spotify playlist..

• To celebrate the tenth anniversary of Jack's Munchie Meal, Jack in the Box introduced Snoop’s Munchie Meal, a limited-time celebrity meal created in collaboration with Snoop Dogg in 2023. The meal included a "baked" brownie.

• In 2023, Jack in the Box collaborated with Weedmaps, an online cannabis platform, with banner ads and a dedicated landing page. Jack in the Box CMO Ryan Ostrom stated "we feel this investment is a great place to secure brand love, favorability, and engagement from a specific segment — the cannabis consumer."

• In 2024, the company filed trademarks for "Hot Box" and "Not Hot Box," which as of March 2025 are listed as "Dead/Abandoned." "Hotboxing" refers to the practice of multiple people smoking cannabis in an enclosed space, such as a car, with no way for the smoke to escape.