Marijuana Magic: Smokus Pocus Performs In Reno And Beyond, Arrive Baked, Leave Bewildered

If you happen to be in Reno, Nevada this coming week and you love magic and adore weed, you’re in for a treat. But if not, an awesome 2023 national tour is just beginning.

Smokus Pocus is a weed-themed magic show and the smokus in the show is not conjured up but is indeed the real thing, and there’s lots of it. In fact, lucky audience members might even get to take some of the magic home with them 

Ben Zabin, 24 and a native of New York is the creator of Smokus Pocus. He dropped out of college after one year, sold a bit of weed, did some magic on cruise ships and then moved to Portland, Oregon. 

Shortly thereafter the pandemic hit and Zabin started thinking about how to combine his penchant for magic and the magic of cannabis. So, he decided to put the ancient practice of magic and the millennia-old cannabis plant together and Smokus Pocus was born.

"The idea of a weed-themed magic show was something that had been on my mind for a long time," Zabin told the Reno Gazette-Journal (RGJ). "When the pandemic hit and all my work halted, I decided to take my COVID unemployment money and move to Portland, Ore., sight unseen, to launch Smokus Pocus."

Oregon legalized recreational cannabis in 2014 and Nevada did the same in a 2016 ballot, so that worked out well for Zabin. Although, with cannabis illegal on the federal level, one wonders how he transports his main prop from Portland to other legal states.

"Travelling with the weed can be a bit complicated, but as a magician, I have my secrets," Zabin told the RGJ.

Welcome Back To Reno: "We are thrilled to have Smokus Pocus back at The Theater," fellow illusionist Kevin Jeffrey told the RGJ. "Ben is a smart producer and incredibly talented performer who knows his audience. Trying to theme a magic show is very difficult and he deserves all his success."

Ben Zabin's Smokus Pocus will be at Reno's The Theater on Jan. 27.

You can catch Smokus Pocus in other US cities throughout the year.

Photo: Ben Zabin Facebook