Season 31 of the ‘Simpsons’ is among us and if you caught the 17th episode, “Highway to Well”, you will have noticed that the sitcom was heavily influenced by cannabis. Since the show is set in the now-thriving cannabis region of Illinois or, to be more specific, Springfield, it was just a matter of time until the famous cartoon family began dabbling in the green stuff.

“Highway to Well” is the 679th episode of the Simpsons. Supporters of the herb believe that Illinois’ nascent industry could get a boost after being featured in the Simpsons; the state launched its recreational cannabis market on January 1. After all, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?

The Simpsons cannabis episode: What happens?

Marge is employed at a “cannabis boutique” that is housed inside a “Well + Good” store. Her boss is none other than Mike Tyson. In real life, the 52-year-old former world boxing champion has actually gotten involved in legal weed, with the heavyweight having established his own brand, Tyson Holistics, and even having opened a 420-style ranch in California.

Local school bus driver Otto is seeking out a bag of stinky bud, but is turned down at Marge’s place of work. Homer, without thinking about the repercussions that his actions may have on his beloved wife Marge, decides that the locals need a backup option for topping up their stash. Upon realizing that there’s a gap in the market, Homer and his trusty bartender friend, Mo, open a cannabis lounge at the rear of Duff’s. Business seems to be running smoothly, until Tyson voices his concerns about the competition with his new employee Marge.

“[You] cannot continue to work at this company while your husband is taking pot back to the dark ages of 2018,” says Tyson, who gives her an ultimatum: step down from the role or turn Homer into the cops. Marge chooses the latter option; joining forces with a Health Department team to catch him red-handed. In an attempt to distract him – and perhaps slow down his reflexes in the process –Marge gifts her husband with a container of weed-infused cheese balls.

Homer, feeling eager to get “baked” with his buddies, indulges Krusty with a cheesy edible. Shortly after Krusty sinks his teeth into the cannabis-laced ball, the cops swoop in on Homer. “You’re coming with us, scumbag. You’ll pay a $25 fine,” the cop says to Homer, whose daughter Lisa doesn’t see what the problem is.

“I guess there’s nothing wrong with it; cannabis is legal in this state,” she expresses.

The Simpsons cannabis episode makes subtle reference to vape crisis

The majority of content featured in the Simpsons is lighthearted, witty banter. However, there was a darker, more serious element to the Simpsons cannabis episode; albeit masked with humor. An oil explosion occurs at the opening party for Tyson’s resort, where Marge and Homer kiss and make up after the snitching scenario. As the duo get comfortable on a bench outside the party, Marge decides to try a tincture. Meanwhile, Homer blazes up what he thinks is a doobie, but is actually a vape pen.

What happens next? The pen bursts into flames, with sparks triggering a major explosion of the “highly flammable” CBD oil tank that sits nearby. Fire spreads quickly throughout the house and the aftermath forces Springfield lawmakers to completely outlaw the plant… once again. Metaphorically, the oil explosion represents the vape-lung health crisis that sent shockwaves across the U.S. in mid-2019.

According to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2,807 people were hospitalized as a result of contaminated THC vape cartridges sold on the black market; vitamin E acetate was found to be the trigger for respiratory illness and, in 68 instances, failure. Homer’s decision to launch a cannabis social lounge inside Duff’s pub – mimicks the thriving black market in the U.S. Based on stats published by BDS Analytics, as much as $52 billion in revenue is reaped by illicit dealers every single year in the U.S.

The moral of the story for viewers who managed to – or have yet to – catch the recently-aired Simpsons cannabis episode is that black market loyalty weighs heavy on licensed, legal dealers. Until this rift between the legal cannabis market and the black market is resolved, situations like the one that surfaced in the fictional town of Springfield could be a common occurrence for quite some time to come.