April 20, or simply 420, is called the unofficial holiday for weed, it’s also referred to as the Black Friday for cannabis dispensaries and users.The date is usually celebrated with large smoke outs on the UCSC campus and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, but the COVID-19 pandemic snuffed out those events. However, many were still in the celebratory mood.“Cannabis is a medicine for a lot of people throughout the whole community and especially like a day like 420 where it's celebrated the cannabis can all come together and not get judged and not get singled out as someone in a negative light,” said Anthony Villarreal, a cannabis user and vendor for Pure Xtracts.And many users flocked to their favorite dispensary to pick up their marijuana goodies.“It’s Christmas,” said Margarita Vargas, general manager at East of Eden dispensary in Salinas.The day offering cannabis consumers some of the best marijuana deals of the year, making it one of the most profitable days for retailers.“It's the day that we're able to do a little more deals vendors like to get together we do a little more BOGO's (buy one get one free) we have like 20 virtual demos going on today compared to any other day of the week we have like five a day,” said Darian Nunez another general manager at East of Eden.Despite a COVID-19 pandemic, business has been good for legal cannabis retailers in California in part because they were considered an essential service.Last year alone the industry contributed more than a billion dollars in tax revenue to the state, nearly double the amount collected the year before.“It's a legitimate business it's a new day and age it's not going to be something that's looked at or frowned upon anymore and it shouldn't be,” Villarreal said.But a black market continues to eat away at profits and that’s why the Bureau of Cannabis Control started a campaign called "get weed wise" to educate users on the dangers of buying cannabis on the black market.Marijuana products bought in that market are typically cheaper but usually not tested for pesticides or THC levels.“It never works out well for the consumer in that regard whether they think they’re saving money or not ultimately they’re putting their health in jeopardy,” said Alex Traverso, spokesman for the state’s Bureau of Cannabis Control.The agency also requires legal retailers to prominently display QR codes that customers can scan to make sure the business is legitimate.“And they’re able to see our license making sure that we’re compliant and then as well every product that we sell in our retail store it is from licensed vendors and they do go through testing,” Vargas said.