Cannabis icon Bob Dylan is now a Nobel Prize winner

The latest news from rock legend Bob Dylan actually marks a milestone in cannabis culture. Yesterday, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

BREAKING 2016 #NobelPrize in Literature to Bob Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”.” pic.twitter.com/XYkeJKRfhv

- The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 13, 2016

This award makes Bob Dylan a leading cannabis icon among his fellow laureates. Dylan played a major role in popularizing the 1960s counterculture and its values that opposed conformity, encouraging political activism and experimentation with mind-altering substances such as cannabis.

And his smoking friends aren't just anyone. It was he who introduced cannabis to the Beatles during their visit to New York in August 1964. Ringo says he was the first to try it. But the others soon joined in, the meeting leaving a strong impression on all four of them. Shortly after the meeting, John Lennon composed the sound of Norwegian Wood, a Dylanesque track and the band's first foray into psychedelic rock territory. Cannabis influenced many other Beatles songs, and while Dylan is honored for his contribution to American culture, his influence on international music is undeniable.

Ironically, Dylan himself wrote a song referencing cannabis, Rainy Day Women #12 & 35, on the album Blonde on blonde (1966). And to this day, Dylan denies any reference to cannabis, even though his fans have widely taken up the refrain «Everybody must get stoned» as a hymn to cannabis culture.

With this Nobel Prize, Bob Dylan is helping to bring culture closer to people. Seeing him honored for his musical contributions might make you think twice about the stereotype of the lazy stoner. And as Dylan would say, «the times they are a-changin'».