Are BIC White Lighters Truly Cursed?

Broken mirrors, black cats, walking under ladders, and Friday the 13th are all associated with bad luck...but what about white BIC lighters?

If you've been in enough smoking circles, you've probably run into someone who maybe gets a bit freaked out at the presence of a white lighter or simply avoids them.

So what's behind this piece of cannabis folklore, and is there any substance to this superstition? We cover all of these questions and more below.

According to urban legend, several members of this list, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain, all had BIC white disposable lighters in their pockets when they died. Because of these "accounts" (we'll get more into that later), the notion of white lighters being bad luck has integrated itself into cannabis culture as much as rock music itself.

But did Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, and Cobain even have BIC white lighters in their pockets when they passed away?

The invention of the disposable lighter is probably one of the most critical developments in cannabis history. Could you imagine lighting a packed water pipe with a Zippo or a match? No thanks.

Lighters have been around since 1823 and even predate the invention of friction matches by four years. However, it wasn't until 1961 that the brand Cricket from Annecy, France, debuted the world's first disposable lighter.

Now let's go over the dates on which the original members (excluding Cobain) of the 27 Club passed away:

But why are these dates so important for the BIC white lighter urban legend? BIC didn't introduce its disposable lighters until 1973.

So, whether you do or don't believe in bad luck, that fact alone dispels the entire myth that each of these legendary musicians had a BIC white lighter in the pocket simply because they didn't exist at the time.

But what about Kurt Cobain, who passed away on April 5, 1994?

While a set of photographs (reader discretion is advised) taken by the Seattle Police Department did confirm that lighters were near Cobain at the time of his death, none of them were in his pocket, and none of them were white lighters.

So basically, BIC white lighters didn't even exist when Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison died, and Cobain didn't have any lighters in his pocket, nor were any of the lighters near his body white. In other words...this myth is busted.

Just about every seasoned cannabis enthusiast knows what the corner of their lighter is for—packing flower into the bowl of their pipe.

One reason why people might think it's bad luck to use a BIC white lighter or just any disposable white lighter is that the color makes it more obvious that someone uses that lighter for cannabis. After all, the burnt residue is easier to spot on a white surface than any other shade or color.

Back in the days of prohibition, cannabis enthusiasts may have wanted to take an extra ounce of precaution in hiding their habit. In the early days of BIC lighters, only two colors were black and white. So, to be more discreet, black would have been the preferred choice.

Then again, this theory primarily originates from a deleted user on Reddit, so do with that information as you please.

Next time you find yourself in a smoking circle and one of your buddies starts freaking out about someone bringing a BIC white lighter, you have a whole bunch of facts to bust out (which will hopefully calm them down).

But if you are a bit superstitious (or just don't want to smoke), you're more than welcome to check out our wide array of federally legal edibles, vapes, and drinks shipped to your door without the bad luck. 

Until next time, happy exploring.