Sander Dufour, a Brooklynite musician and writer, collects marijuana packages off the street. He has over 200 and is not alone in his pursuit. With the increase of storefront (including licensed and illegal) dispensaries, a world of new pop culture collectibles is in bloom.
Recently, he met another Brooklyn resident, illustrator Steven Guarnaccia, whose work is no stranger to this column, and who has also been hoarding a cache of discarded packs. For months now, Guarnaccia has been trying to convince me to seriously examine this new design phenomenon. (He’s even referenced a portfolio, anticipating eventual legalization, of speculative packages that were conceived by Seymour Chwast and others back in the late ’60s.) Pot is not my thing, so I’ve been resistant to delve into the grassy knoll—that is, until he introduced me to Dufour, who makes seeking out weed packages as ritualistic and fun as finding the Afikoman at Passover.
Given the rich variety of package designs—most by anonymous creators—I couldn’t pass over their graphic-cultural significance any longer.
Below, Dufour, who holds a master’s in publishing from NYU, talks about the breadth of his collection, its target audience and the future of commercial weed packs in a regulated industry.
What stoked your foray into collecting “commercial” weed packages?
I have always collected things, especially those found on the ground. Initially, I was taking photos of outrageous bags I stumbled upon and quickly realized that each new bag I found was better than the last. So, I took home the ones I found amusing.
After reading Cigarette Pack Art by Chris Mullen, I was left with the impression that this was a special moment, akin to the boom of cigarette pack design. There are strong parallels, including custom commemorative packaging for special occasions, unsubstantiated health claims, and novel brand characters.
My interest was further spurred by meeting illustrator and designer Steven Guarnaccia, who also collects weed bags from the street. We laid out our collections side by side one day and found hardly any overlap, despite sourcing the bags from the same neighborhood. There was a sea of visual and textual information and an overwhelming odor, yet very little insight into patterns and meaning. These products are almost entirely influenced by culture, yet far removed from the discourse of product packaging and rules of design. That’s when I started scooping up every bag I could find.
Were you surprised by how many there are, and that more keep coming?
Continually. I have only a handful of duplicates in my collection of 200+. Compared to Highley Varlet’s impressive haul back in 2020/2021, the current increase in design and shape variations (specifically custom die-cuts) over just the past three years is immediately apparent. The bootleg market forces legitimate brands to constantly change design or add watermarks. I think this partially accounts for the diversity.
Have you designed some? They remind me of rave cards and Wacky Packs. How would you describe the prevailing aesthetic?
I have never designed any but often think about what my designs would look like. I don’t smoke weed and try to avoid internet culture, so it would be hard to imagine what consumers look for. There doesn’t seem to be one prevailing aesthetic but they can be grouped thematically. The most popular bags reference, if not directly mimic, sugary food and drink. Lots of children’s cartoon characters as well, both clearly aiming for a younger demographic.
They all seem to be comics and graffiti style. Some are funny, others are gross, but all are somewhat similar. Have you come across any that are, shall we say, more temperate—or establishment—for older fans of weed?
There are some which are more minimal and discreet. These typically use higher quality material and have proper labels, warnings and watermarks. One strange attempt used the Victorian children’s book illustration “Marriage of Cock Robin and Jenny Wren” by Susan Maxwell Schmidt. Not sure how that fits in.
However, most are extraordinarily topical, maximalist, and born from internet memes or current events. I like to think of these bags as some strange manifestation of the internet—decontextualized, estranged from the author of its image, endlessly variable, self-referential, hyper-relevant, and completely impermanent. The variation in design is also directly tied to the way the internet produces and consumes images. Once pulled from the digital world into the physical, they go right back online, with promotion and sales being mediated through social media. Temperate subjects and designs don’t populate an Instagram feed as well as holographic Joe Biden smoking a spliff in space.
Who is responsible for their production?
It’s a blend of international, regional and neighborhood producers of both product and packaging. Most are bootlegs coming from massive wholesale distributors in the downtown LA Toy District. However, my corner print shop is churning out mylar bags, and typically, I won’t find the same designs in Manhattan as I do in Brooklyn. Even going a few neighborhoods away, I start to see variations. There is absolutely a local supply chain.
Some are tagged with a QR code leading to the designer’s social media. I have found a few local designers this way, as well as larger-scale bag manufacturers and independent designers. You can buy custom bags on Etsy, or blanks on Amazon or Alibaba. You can order a custom die-cut design from Sri Lanka for $30. I’m definitely noticing some AI-generated designs out there as well. There are so many possible origins.
Are there artists and designers that are the “stars” of weed packs?
There are popular brands, styles and themes, but I haven’t discovered much about the individuals behind the packaging. Discretion is fundamental.
Do you have preferences for style?
I have developed a ranking of desirability: Die-cut, anachronistic, copyright-violating, bonus points if the bag makes no reference of the product inside. Interesting text on the package is equally desirable—one of my favorites, distributed by Candy Cartel, has an amazing parody of the Surgeon General’s warning.
Do you have a sense of where weed packs are heading, say, a year from now?
As with cigarette packs, there will be brand consolidation, government regulation and design bottlenecking. This is already apparent in Colorado and Washington state. At the rate of legalization rollout and the prevalence of the black market, I expect only greater supply. As far as design and packaging, I anticipate political designs—possibly some propaganda—in the next few months. Beyond that, I could imagine an increase in celebrity branding, eco-friendly biodegradable bags, and an overall move towards minimalism as restrictions tighten.
