Marijuana is still illegal in North Carolina, to be blunt, Axios' Alexis Clinton writes.

Yes, but: You can legally buy and get high off a product just like it.

State of play: Delta-8 is a popular alternative to cannabis. It is a derivative of Delta-9, the psychoactive component of marijuana, and can provide a similar high.

• Meanwhile local law enforcement is tasked with cracking down on marijuana use, and that gets complicated.

Context: 4/20 has become a big marketing hook. (4/20 is doper slang for marijuana and has turned April 20 into a big, lit celebration.)

Here are legal ways to celebrate in Charlotte:

💨 Seed to Soul: A luxury dispensary in SouthPark.

🍃 Happy Camper: Get the "THC experience" at the consumption lounge in NoDa, or grab a joint to-go from its Optimist Park dispensary.

🍵 Hemp & Tea Company: Sip on cannabis-infused teas from any one of its locations, including Huntersville and southeast Charlotte.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation turns 50 this year, and the celebration kicks off today in Independence Park, Charlotte's first public park.

If you go: Charlotte History Festival: This is Meck runs from 10am-2pm. It's free to attend.

🍺 Expect music, art, food and drink, including Lost Worlds Brewing, which just opened its Metropolitan location.

🚙 Free parking is available in Central Piedmont Community College's Deck 1 at 1321 Charlottetowne Ave. You can also take public transit like the Gold Line, which runs past the park.

📍 Independence Park is at 300 Hawthorne Lane. The festival will take place in the west side of the park, which is between Hawthorne Lane and Charlottetowne Avenue.

Find more fun things to do this weekend.

🛒 Wegmans will open its first Charlotte location in Ballantyne in 2026.

🍗 Bojangles is expanding to Los Angeles.

🍰 Cakeable, a nonprofit workforce development program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has opened a cafe in Uptown.

☕️ Higher Grounds by Manolo's is a new coffee shop inside Myers Park United Methodist Church opening in mid-May.

🏟 The UNC Board of Governors approved the $60 million first phase of expansion of the Charlotte 49ers football stadium.

🎰 North Carolina burst out of the gate during its first month of legal mobile sports betting — with a total bet of $659.3 million between March 11-31.

🚶‍♀️ SouthPark Community Partners has released "The SouthPark Vision Plan," and hopes to become a place where you rarely have to move your car.

🚊 Local leaders are discussing the Red Line, a commuter rail that would end in Mooresville.

🐶 Skiptown will open its second Charlotte location in 2025 near NoDa.

🏃‍♀️ More than 100 Charlotteans ran the Boston Marathon. They also gave Axios the scoop on the best bathrooms to stop at on your next run in Charlotte.

🍸 Folia, an upscale cocktail bar with a Miami feel and a menu from mixologist Bob Peters, will open in South End this summer.

🥃 Seoul Food Meat Co. has opened a kid-free speakeasy inside its Optimist Park location.

The Salty Donut will open a second Charlotte location this fall at The Bowl at Ballantyne.

Context: The Miami-based doughnut shop opened its first North Carolina location in South End in January 2023 at 1515 S. Tryon St. #105. The business also had a pop-up truck at UNC Charlotte.

What's next: The Salty will have a pop-up at today's Run! Ballantyne event, serving traditional glazed, brown butter & salt, milk & cookies, and strawberry shortcake doughnuts.

• Expect more pop-ups leading up to the opening.