I Celebrated Weed Legalization Day with an 11-Hour Meal at Taco Bell

October 17 marked the first day that cannabis was legal for recreational use in Canada, a momentous occasion in this nation’s history. While legalization is important for several reasons—primarily, the eradication of archaic policies that disproportionately target people of color—it was a great day for selfish reasons too.

Although the stigma of using cannabis has disappeared in many sectors, for many, it was the first time that it could be acknowledged publicly.

By happenstance, I had the 17th off work and was intent on celebrating. It dawned upon me that whether it was a case of inadvertent elitism, a function of being gainfully employed, or simply growing too old to stomach it, I hadn’t been to Taco Bell in years. What better way to spend legalization day than at the most stereotypical stoner restaurant possible? I headed out and spent the whole day at Taco Bell, keen on learning something new about the human condition, or at worst, get a snapshot out of what 10/17 looked like for those likely craving The Munchies.

11:00: Arrive at Taco Bell and it is underwhelming. The orange-and-purple storefront that I’ve come to expect from my youth has been replaced by a dull font reading “TACO BELL” mounted upon an otherwise nondescript purple building in Toronto’s Queen West neighbourhood. (Classic Taco Bells still exist in the city, just not in this part of town.)

11:14: This is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. I’m fearful of destroying my stomach lining and have instant regrets about my choice to spend the day at Taco Bell. I decide on a Big Box meal, consisting of two hard tacos, cinnamon twists, nachos and cheese and a fountain drink.

11:16: The Big Box Meal no longer comes in a big box. What a letdown.

11:40: I thought it would be any of the various products involving cheese that would be the most difficult to stomach but I was dead wrong. The combination of cinnamon twists and my first of many refillable Pepsis is just way too much sugar to intake this early. The hard tacos are surprisingly edible although the wilted lettuce adds nothing to the flavor profile, the stadium-style nacho cheese as expected but the chips don’t really hold up. I make a note to avoid getting a combo for my second meal.

11:52: Two men in their mid 20s stroll into Taco Bell. It may be an unfair assumption but since there are so many options on the menu, posted above the counter, it’s pretty easy to tell who’s visibly stoned. My suspicion is confirmed when Friend No. 1 yells out “It’s legal!” then proceeds to order a combo.

11:56: Friend No. 2 sidles over to the pop machine, where I’ve posted up for the day and proceeds to spill Dr. Pepper all over the counter carelessly. Seeing an opportunity to make a new friend, or at least avoid spending the day in sweaty isolation, I blurt out “Happy 10/17!” like a huge dork. He spins on his heels, chuckles, and remarks “It’s going to be one of those days!” before rejoining his pal.

12:30: I’m experiencing a full-on sugar crash from the pop and cinnamon twists.

12:40: The tacos are no longer sitting well and I keel over the table.

12:43: I wonder what the staff thinks of me. I’m hyperaware that I’ve been their first customer, have yet to leave and begin to concoct a million different excuses if and when they ask me to get the fuck out.

1:36: I take a look at myself in the bathroom mirror and do not like what I see, beaten by the experience. Nearly an hour later, I take a selfie to document how broken I feel.

1:38: After resuming my seat at the table adjacent from the pop machine, one of the Taco Bell staff gives me a quizzical look as if to say “you’re still here?” I can’t blame him so I start fumbling with my phone charger awkwardly, as if it would conjure up enough of an excuse to loiter.

1:39: None of the staff give a shit that I’m still here, rendering my charade useless.

2:11: Over the past hour, the majority of the staff’s interactions have been with people who are merely trying to use the bathroom and not purchase anything.

2:34: A woman accosts the Taco Bell staff for apparently getting her order wrong. To the staff’s credit—the same one who doesn’t seem to mind that I’m posted up here all day—he kept his composure while getting berated, and her partner does his best to defuse the scenario. This bums me out. Why are people so shitty to fast food workers?

2:40: The same couple gets into an animated discussion about dispensaries and is seemingly confused about how to purchase cannabis now that it’s legal. I refuse to help.

2:50: The store is empty. Smoke break!

3:13: Re-enter Taco Bell and order three soft beef tacos with the goal of avoiding another pop-induced sugar crash. Two of the staff members exchange bewildered looks, reading, “what the fuck is he doing here again??”

The soft tacos are easily the best item I’ve had today.

4:43: There is a sizable faction of customers observing 10/17. Taco Bell no longer lives up to the stoner stereotype placed on it decades ago, however. This is essentially a family restaurant. I wonder with the proliferation of food delivery services like Uber Eats and Foodora whether Taco Bell holds the same cache for your average cannabis user. That’s a future thinkpiece.

5:30: I’ve had small, pleasant conversations with some people but no one wants to speak on record. Although there is a generally positive vibe here, with shared glances among the clearly stoned, people just want to eat their junk in complete silence.

5:50: The second meal is holding up a lot better than I anticipated. I’m certainly not coming back to Taco Bell for a long time but I haven’t had to use the Pepto Bismol I brought with me.

6:00: A mother and her teenage daughter discuss cannabis legalization. The daughter tells her mother that kids at school were screaming “Weed is legal” and she asks some incisive questions, if it’s sold at pharmacies and what it means. The mother responds in hushed tones, it’s clearly something she didn’t want to address.

6:05: Two friends sit at the center of the restaurant, with one loudly discussing WeedMaps—it’s pretty much what it says it is, a service that helps people find strains and dispensaries in the area. Both of them—who later mention they’re from out of town—turn their attention to finding Toronto’s famed Hotbox Café and argue about whether they can get weed delivered legally. (You can, btw.)

Another person jumps in and offers up the idea to go to Kensington Market. Seizing an opportunity to make new acquaintances and cure my boredom, I offer up a few dispensaries that may be selling even after legalization.

“Yeah, but yesterday dispensaries were legal and now they aren’t,” my new friend, Scott, (incorrectly) says. I tell him that it’s essentially a 50-50 proposition, wish him good luck and offer him directions to Kensington Market. We exchange high-fives and I go back to my seat.

6:15: I’ve now counted seven people who have discussed 10/17, marijuana legalization or openly said they were high.

7:42: “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” by Tame Impala begins to play, the first song I’ve rocked with the entire day. The lyrics appear to be mocking me, however.

7:57: Someone brings a puppy in but it wants nothing to do with me.

8:45: Time for a third meal. I’ve been avoiding the Double Cheesy Gordita Crunch all day out of cowardice, so I order one, along with a Fries Supreme.

There is no crunch to the gordita and it’s not nearly as filling as I anticipated but it’s passable. The fries supreme is easily the worst thing I’ve consumed all day, with their chili topping curdling over in my stomach alongside the rest of the day’s contents.

9:45: A group of three men walk in for dinner are more excited than anyone should reasonably be for Taco Bell. One of them bellows, “IT SHOULD BE A NATIONAL HOLIDAY” to tepid approval and indifference.

The trio waits for their order and proceed to the back of the restaurant where I’ve spent most of my day. After calling and making plans for their friend to meet at Taco Bell, they all ruminate about smoking legally.

The staff have trouble getting the attention of one of the men. An unassuming patron yells out “YO, HARRY POTTER, YOUR FOOD IS HERE,” getting the attention of the de facto leader of the group, who is wearing a sweater adorned with a bear sporting a tie. In a less happy environment, this could’ve gone awry but everyone laughs.

A few minutes pass by and the group’s friend shows up. Turns out, it’s none other than burgeoning rapper Raz Fresco and his photographer. Fresco clearly wants to downplay his appearance, and his photographer walls him off from any attempt to speak to him. The original trio finishes off their tacos and then departs with Fresco and his photographer to an apparent photo shoot.

10:00: I’m not sure if there’s a grand takeaway but Taco Bell provides a sense of community in light of legalization. Most people are friendly and use it as an escape, a brief interlude to their pre and post-smoking pursuits, a place where they can eat trash in silence. The overwhelming majority of people at Taco Bell are in favour of cannabis legalization, but there is rampant misinformation about the legality of dispensaries, how, and where to purchase cannabis, which may be a larger reflection of the landscape as it stands.

Whether you’re a rap star, a local, or an out-of-towner just looking for some bud, Taco Bell provides a temporary comfort where you’re allowed to loiter for hours on end. I’m not sure if that says anything but being afforded to remain high in peace, with some of the most indigestible food imaginable by your side, is a vision I can get behind.

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