Tupac Shakur’s still-unsolved murder mystery was revived—nearly 30 years later after his murder at the peak of his career in 1996—as police agents in Las Vegas, Nevada executed a new search warrant Monday.

A gunman in a white Cadillac rolled up and shot Shakur four times while he sat in a black BMW with Death Row Records CEO Marion “Suge” Knight at a stoplight in Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996. He died from his wounds six days later in the hospital on Sept. 13, 1996. The prime suspect, outlined in documentaries, was long-believed to be Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, who died in 1998, and the whole thing was believed to have allegedly escalated over a Death Row Records medallion, and a scuffle at the MGM Grand. Anderson was never convicted, however, and evidence wasn’t sufficient to close the case.

Nevada does not impose a time limit for prosecuting homicide cases, and detectives have new evidence that might enable them to finally crack the case, perhaps explaining who was the driver and/or other suspects involved.

On July 17, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) executed a search warrant and descended upon a home in Henderson. Video footage obtained by ABC News showed the moment police demanded that they come out with their hands up.

The LVMPD merely confirmed a warrant was executed, giving no further details. “LVMPD can confirm a search warrant was served in Henderson, Nevada on July 17, 2023, as part of the ongoing Tupac Shakur homicide investigation. We will have no further comment at this time,” Las Vegas Police said in a statement.

The search was conducted at about 10 p.m. local time, and the police were joined by Las Vegas Metro PD SWAT at the site. ABC News reports that the scene was described as loud, and police used bullhorns and lights.

No charges have been filed yet, and the investigation will likely drag on for weeks to months. Investigators generally believe that the gunman is likely dead, having been killed in a separate shooting just two years after the Vegas drive-by that took Shakur’s life. 

The current investigation could lead to a determination of who was in the car with the gunman when the rounds were fired that killed Tupac. That could lead to someone being charged as an accomplice. But the official cautions that charging decisions have not been made yet.

Tupac Shakur’s Impact on Hip-Hop and Weed

Shakur’s rebellious nature and overall imprint on hip-hop is legendary, especially considering he did it all before his death at the age of 25—with five number one albums topping the Billboard 200, three more Top 5 albums, a diamond-certified album, and songs topping the charts. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards and inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Shakur was also known as 2Pac and Makavelli and blossomed as an actor (Nothing But Trouble, Poetic Justice, Above the Rim, Juice.)

Chronic of course went hand-in-hand with the gangsta rap of the era, and a blunt was Shakur’s form of choice. In a video tutorial, Shakur demonstrated how to roll a blunt and absolutely lights up as he talks about his favorite herb. “We gotta keep it all natural, right?” Shakur said, making a canoe shape with a blunt roll. “Once you got it all broken down like that, get it all, right. Use your fingers like that. You can’t just fold. That’s why we got sloppy blunts. You gotta roll it, like you’re rolling a joint. Close it off at the [ends]”

In the early ‘90s, Snoop Dogg was of course seasoned with joints wrapped in papers and other forms of smoking. But he told Howard Stern that it was Shakur who introduced him to his first blunt in the early ‘90s. Last December, Snoop Dogg announced that Death Row Records, Shakur’s record label, would be entering the cannabis game with Death Row Cannabis. 

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Upgraded Points, a travel information site, released a data report on Oct. 24 detailing which U.S. states are best and worst for a “canna-cation.”

For the top best places, the first three included Colorado cities of Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs; followed by Oakland and San Jose, California; Henderson and Las Vegas, Nevada; and lastly, Portland, Maine (the only east coast state to make the list). “In these states, economies of scale have been built over the last decade, bolstered by a booming weed market that includes dispensaries, farm tours, and cannabis lounges,” said Alex Miller, Upgraded Points founder. “The industry supports over 83,000 jobs in California alone.”

Upgraded Points analysts based their report on a four-day cannabis vacation for one person. They based their results on numerous averages, such as roundtrip airfare, fast food meats and other meal prices, nightly lodging, local rideshare rates, the current price of 1/4 ounce of weed, and the cost of a 100 mg pack of edibles.

The report shows that in western states, cannabis flower prices are more affordable than eastern flower, and northern states also have a higher price for vacation factors as well. The top most expensive states include Burlington, Vermont; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Boston, Massachusetts. “Canna-cations in eastern states like Connecticut, Vermont, and Massachusetts can be much pricier… as the infrastructure for using, purchasing, and producing cannabis is far less established in these areas,” Miller said.

The most cost-efficient locations were Oakland, California ($1,068 per day) and Spokane, Washington ($1,135 per day). Both of these locations were noted as 22% cheaper than the national average, which is $1,262.

Unsurprisingly, Denver was at the top of the list because of its many cannabis-related attractions, such as bus tours and a plethora of licensed dispensaries. Other more affordable locations include states on the west coast, especially those with an adult-use market that has been in place for anywhere between 6-10 years.

Locations such as Washington, D.C., Illinois, and Vermont record some of the highest flower prices, such as $590.50 for one ounce.

According to Miller, the U.S. cannabis tourism industry will only continue to grow. “Cannabis tourism is flourishing. The U.S. cannabis industry now supports more than 428,000 jobs and is anticipated to exceed $72 billion in sales by 2030. Recreational marijuana is currently legal in 19 states, Washington, D.C., and Guam, and weed tourism will only grow as more states are poised to legalize recreational retail sales of marijuana later this year. If you’re looking for the ideal destination for your ‘canna-cation’ this year, the grass is greener in cities like Denver, Oakland, Boulder, and Portland.”

A report released in June 2022 projected that the U.S. cannabis tourism industry could be valued at $17 billion. “By 2025, 50% of travelers in the U.S. are going to be millennials,” Cannabis Travel Association Founder Brian Applegarth. “And their relationship to cannabis consumption is extremely normalized compared to the stigmatized industry leaders of today.”

On an international scale, the tourism industry is beginning to open up. While Canada’s adult-use program is thriving, bringing cannabis over the border was prohibited, as of July 2021. In Amsterdam, cannabis tourism is being discouraged. However, in November 2021, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates ended jail time for travelers with THC.

Aside from the usual cannabis attractions, such as grow tours and having multiple dispensaries to choose from, cannabis-themed museums have continually begun to grow. In June, a hemp museum opened in Spain, and continues through February 2023. A Croatian museum also opened up back in April in the city capital of Zagreb. In 2019, the University of California, Berkeley had a limited exhibit called “Pleasure, Poison, Prescription, Prayer: The Worlds of Mind-Altering Substances.” Of course, Las Vegas will soon become home to a museum called the Cannabition Cannabis Museum, and the city council also recently approved consumption lounges in September which is expected to boost tourism numbers.

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