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https://hightimes.com/

California Man Charged with Manslaughter Over “Slapping Therapy” Death

A California man has been extradited to the U.K. to face manslaughter charges over the death of a woman at his 2016 slapping therapy workshop. An investigation was opened in October, 2016 when 71-year-old Danielle Carr-Gomm was found dead in her hotel room at Cleeve House in Seend, Wiltshire. Carr-Gomm had recently attended a paida lajin retreat, which is a form of therapy from China wherein a person vigorously slaps certain parts of the body in order to expel certain toxins from the blood. 60-year-old Hongchi Xiao, a man from California who was in Australia at the time of his extradition, was held and questioned in the U.K. in 2016 along with two other men in relation to Carr-Gomm’s death. “Hongchi Xiao, 60, of Cloudbreak, California, returned to the United Kingdom from Australia on an extradition warrant and has been taken to Gablecross custody in Swindon where he was charged. This relates to the death of Danielle Carr-Gomm, 71, at Cleeve House in Seend in October 2016,” said local police to the Guardian. According to a BBC article on the subject of paida lajin, the head and joint areas of the patient are repeatedly slapped until they turn red or bruised. This is based around the ancient Chinese belief in “sha,” meaning that “toxins” from the blood vessels which appear during the course of paida lajin therapy in the form of redness or bruising at the slapping site are a sign of latent disease. Critics of this practice have pointed out, somewhat redundantly, that this is just the result of blood vessels breaking and skin bruising. According to ABC Australia, Xiao was previously investigated over the 2015 death of a seven-year-old diabetic boy in Sydney, Australia who had previously attended one of his workshops. Xiao received a 10-year sentence for his involvement in the boy’s death in 2019. An investigation revealed he told the boy’s parents that the boy would not need insulin or medical treatment for his diabetes if he attended the slapping therapy. An Australian news outlet reported in 2022 that Xiao’s charges had been overturned after he appealed his case on the grounds that the evidence presented was inconsistent. He had served six years of his 10-year sentence at the time, and was out of jail a little over a year-and-a-half before his extradition Matthew Carr-Gomm, Danielle’s son, told the Guardian that his mother was diabetic but had difficulty injecting her insulin due to a fear of needles, thus leading her to seek holistic methods to treat her ailments. “She was always keen to try and find alternative methods of treating and dealing with her diabetes and was very interested in alternative and holistic medicine and therapies. I know she was desperate to try and cure herself of this disease. She always maintained a healthy lifestyle and was adamant that nothing would stop her from living a full life,” Matthew said. “In recent years, mum was in a great place with a partner, a lovely home, and was traveling the world. She had a lot of life left in her.” A BBC reporter with a knee injury actually reported on her firsthand experience attending a paida lajin workshop in 2015, though she was actually beaten with bamboo sticks instead of slapped. “He felt around my knee for where he thought the “little clots” were and without warning, forcefully whacked my knee. He aimed for exactly the same spot each time. It was excruciating. I yelled in surprise. The bruises turned purple quickly and minutes later, I had to halt the blows,” said BBC reporter Pamela Koh. “The beating needed to continue for at least 20 minutes to be effective, I was told. I gritted my teeth between the sharp, swift blows but I had to tell him to stop. He resumed until it became unbearable again and I tried to sit through the full 20 minutes of pain.” Incidentally, Koh reported that her knee eventually did get better but that the bruises took weeks to heal properly and she was unsure if her knee got better because of the therapy or because of the body’s natural ability to heal. A video of Xiao demonstrating paida lajin therapy can be found at this handy dandy little hyperlink. He was charged with manslaughter by gross negligence upon his return to the U.K. It was not immediately clear how much prison time he faced if convicted.

https://hightimes.com/

New Jersey Launches Second Phase of Cannabis Seed Equity Grant Program

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), an agency responsible for providing financial assistance to New Jersey-based businesses, recently announced that it will now be accepting applications for Phase II of its cannabis equity seed grant program. This phase includes a total of $8 million that will be split up between 48 applicants ($150,000 each). The entirety of the Cannabis Seed Equity Grant Program offers a total of $20 million to applicants with either a conditional or annual cannabis license, with the goal of providing funds for start up and operation expenses during a business’s first three years. The first phase of the program allocated only 40% of funds for social equity applicants, whereas Phase II is utilizing 100% of reserved funding for social equity purposes. The application window for Phase II opened on Nov. 30 at 10am, and approved applicants will receive $150,000 and “no-cost technical assistance,” which includes an eight-week program for grant recipients to benefit from in the form of webinars. “The technical assistance program will provide training on converting a conditional license to an annual license, building a cannabis business team, financial management, securing investors, supply chain management, and more,” NJEDA stated. According to NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan, building out this program will bolster the state’s cannabis industry. “Under Governor Murphy’s leadership, New Jersey is on the forefront of creating a stronger and fairer cannabis market, especially for communities historically harmed by the unjust War on Drugs,” said Sullivan. “The Seed Equity Grant, which is specifically designed for social equity applicants, will help create an equitable, inclusive marketplace that will create jobs and strengthen communities, all while ensuring our entrepreneurs are able to reap the industry’s economic benefits and have access to the resources needed to succeed.” The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) also signed off on the effort to prioritize social equity. “We are excited to see grant funding being used to help social equity applicants realize their entrepreneurship dreams. Beyond the skills and business acumen it takes to be an entrepreneur in any industry, starting a cannabis business faces additional challenges—including limited access to traditional means of business funding,” said CRC chair Diana Houenou. Phase I applicants were not required to have secured real estate or municipal approval for their cannabis business. For Phase II grant applications, applicants must meet all CRC criteria as well as have already obtained a conditional license. According to the NJEDA website, the most recent application window was so popular that by Dec. 1, new applicants were placed on a waitlist. “Based on significant interest in the Cannabis Equity—Seed Equity Grant, the NJEDA has already received applications up to or exceeding the amount of funding available under this program,” the agency posted on its website. “All submitted applications that are received at this time will be placed on a waitlist and will be reviewed if the NJEDA can determine there is funding available to support the application.” Recently in October, NJEDA announced $12 million in funds for 48 cannabis business applicants ($250,000 each), describing the round as one of the largest social equity grants of its kind in the U.S. Gov. Phil Murphy spoke about how essential it is to invest in social equity applicants. “As the cannabis industry continues to reach new heights in New Jersey, it is important that we build on our efforts to support the businesses seeking to enter and grow within this emerging market. The Cannabis Equity Grant Program allows us to simultaneously expand the pool of cannabis businesses in our state while also focusing on those communities most impacted by the unethical War on Drugs,” said Murphy. “As we work to create a stronger, fairer, and more equitable cannabis market, our Administration will continue to increase access and opportunity to the small businesses entering the industry.” Also in October, Murphy and Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced that $5.5 million in cannabis tax funds would be put toward the New Jersey Hospital-Based Intervention Program. The money comes from the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Fund, with a goal of support victims of crime through crisis intervention and victim compensation. The $5.5 million will be granted to eligible applicants starting in 2024. A poll conducted earlier this year in May by Stockton University showed the changing attitudes of cannabis in New Jersey. Out of more than 660 participants, one-third of them said that they’ve used cannabis since it was legalized. Forty-four percent said that they used cannabis for recreational purposes, while 39% said it was for both medical and recreational purposes, and only 13% said they tried cannabis for medical consumption only. The poll showed that 69% of consumers purchased their cannabis products through a legal dispensary, and 86% of them said that they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the experience. However, with the state having some of the highest cannabis prices in the country, only 7% of participants said that they approve of current cannabis prices.

https://hightimes.com/

Oregon Weed Glut Continues in 2023

Oregon cannabis producers grew too much weed again this year, according to a new report, continuing the glut of marijuana that has plagued the state’s regulated pot industry for years. For much of this year, analysis of Oregon’s production of cannabis showed that the state was on a downward trend compared to last year, leading to a modest increase in prices. But a new report from state economists Mark McMullen and Josh Lehner that was released on November 20 shows that this year’s fall harvest of outdoor weed pushed this year’s total crop beyond production levels posted in 2022. “Through the first nine months of the year, the marijuana harvest was nine percent lower than a year ago, and 15 percent lower than the record crop back in 2021,” the economists wrote. “As the market appeared to be adjusting, prices were stabilizing. That changed with the large October outdoor harvest which is 15 percent larger than last October.” Oregon’s cannabis cultivators have been growing more weed than the state’s consumers can smoke for at least five years. Mark Pettinger, a spokesman for the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC), said last year that the problem is caused in part by the difficulty operators and regulators have in predicting weed production. Because much of the state’s weed is harvested at the same time, the industry can be slow to adjust to changing market conditions at the wholesale and retail level. “It’s because about 85% of the crop is grown outdoors, comes down in October during harvest time, but planting planning is made the following April — which there really hasn’t been enough time to really gauge how the harvest from the previous fall is impacting the market,” Pettinger told a local television news outlet in 2022. The glut of weed in Oregon’s regulated market has wreaked havoc on the industry for years. Because of the oversupply, prices on wholesale cannabis and retail products have plummeted. While the decline in prices is welcomed by most consumers, cannabis companies have been left with dwindling margins and falling, or nonexistent, profits. As a result, producers, wholesalers and retailers throughout the state are having a difficult time making ends meet. Beau Whitney, a Portland-based economist who monitors cannabis prices in Oregon and throughout the United States, said that more than one-third of respondents to a cannabis industry survey said that they are having difficulty paying their taxes. Even more said that managing debt is a problem. Whitney said that the latest report of Oregon’s abundant fall harvest “couldn’t have come at a worse time.” “People are walking away from cannabis licenses or selling them for pennies on the dollar,” Whitney told Willamette Week. The slump in cannabis prices has also been reflected in the collection of Oregon’s weed taxes. Throughout the state, tax delinquencies are up and cannabis tax revenue has fallen short of estimates for four of the past five quarters. Whitney noted that Oregon regulators could spur an increase in cannabis prices with a curb in production, which could be accomplished by limiting the number of licenses or their capacity. But Pettinger of the OLCC said that the current oversupply conditions are the result of intentional policy decisions coupled with the federal government’s continued refusal to legalize cannabis, which would open up markets across the country for Oregon’s weed growers. “The state and the industry and elected officials envisioned Oregon becoming a net exporter under federal legalization,” Pettinger says. “The oversupply we’re seeing underscores the dilemma in all states where marijuana is legal—it’s the equivalent of an Iowa corn farmer only being able to sell his crop within Iowa.” Falling weed prices and the resulting instability of Oregon’s cannabis industry led two industry groups to join forces in a recent merger. The two groups, the Oregon Cannabis Association and the Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon, announced the merger last month following unanimous votes by the boards of directors of each organization. “There’s a lot of knowledge, there’s a lot of passion, there’s a lot of really educated folks within the cannabis industry in Oregon,” said Hunter Neubauer, board member of the combined trade group. “Those folks need one place to go to, where they can take a little bit of money that they have, and hopefully become members, and show up with us in Salem and advocate for reasonable regulations and future opportunities for the industry.” The newly merged group is named the Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon and represents more than 500 member businesses in the state’s licensed cannabis market, which generates about $1 billion in sales annually. “It’s a community that we all really value and we want to see survive and thrive,” Mike Getlin, the board chair of the Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon, told local media. “We want something more than a bunch of minimum wage jobs owned by out-of-state and potentially even overseas financial interests. So that’s what this fight is really about for us.”

https://hightimes.com/

Man in Minnesota Offers Free Grow Classes to the Public

A man in Minnesota is providing free growing and cannabis basics workshops—free to the public—to help people get a foot in the door of the industry. Minnesota allows home cultivation under its recently approved adult-use cannabis law, and residents are eager to see if they have a green thumb. Minnesota adults are allowed to grow up to eight plants, four mature. Growing cannabis takes years of experience to master, but you gotta start somewhere. Inforum reports that Steve Rosenfeldt, who is the owner of Ediblez OTC in Moorhead, Minnesota, wants to share his expertise with the plant to others. Rosenfeldt is hosting monthly Cannabis 101 and Growing 101 Workshops, held on the last Tuesday of each month at the Midtown Tavern in Moorhead. Locals say the skills they’re picking up will be valuable. “Really nice to be able to learn how to grow your own and not have to go to the store,” Jamie Carrillo, who was one of 40 people to attend the most recent workshop held on Nov. 28, told Inforum. Inforum reports that it’s the third class Rosenfeldt has taught so far. Each class attracted dozens of curious would-be growers of all ages, and some are reluctant to grow due to the lingering stigma surrounding pot. “There’s still a lot of stigma, people are skittish of even being seen in here, so it was kind of a surprise to have as many people turn out,” he said. Rosenfeldt is legally allowed to sell seeds that can grow cannabis at his store, but he cannot yet sell marijuana products. The store instead sells hemp-derived CBD and THC products. The seeds cost around $30 or $40, and it takes about four months for the seedlings to become mature plants. Last May, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed the state’s cannabis legalization bill into law, officially making Minnesota the 23rd state in the nation to legalize recreational cannabis. The 300-page bill allows adults in the state over the age of 21 to use recreational cannabis and looks to transform the current illicit market into regulated, state-licensed businesses around the state. It specifically creates a new regulatory framework to license cannabis businesses to cultivate, manufacture and sell cannabis at retail dispensaries. There are a total of 12 different business licenses a person can apply for in the recreational market, along with additional licenses for medical cannabis. The legislation also expunges low-level cannabis convictions. The new law will automatically expunge non-felony cannabis offenses, and it will establish a board to review more serious cannabis crimes. The bill was designed with social equity in mind, granting social equity status to military veterans or active service members denied honorable status because of a cannabis offense, farmers from underrepresented communities and residents of areas which have “experienced a disproportionately large amount of cannabis enforcement.” The industry is overseen by the Office of Cannabis Management, which controls the regulation and sale of cannabis products in Minnesota. When Minnesota legalized cannabis for adult use, it set the home limit at 32 ounces or 2 pounds. But out in public, Minnesota adults are allowed up to 2 ounces. The legislation allows adults to grow up to eight cannabis plants at home, including four mature, flowering plants. Out of the states that have legalized cannabis for adult use, the limit for personal amounts at home in some states ranges from 1-10 ounces. Most states with home cultivation don’t have any limits set. “The vast majority of adult use states that allow home cultivation don’t have any explicit limit,” NORML Political Director Morgan Fox told High Times at the time. “And most of them explicitly say that you can keep whatever you grow in your own home. There are four states aside from Minnesota that actually have set limits. Massachusetts has 10 ounces, Michigan has 10 ounces, Oregon is eight ounces and New York is 5 pounds.” “If you’re gonna put a limit on it, I think it’s a good idea to have it towards the higher end of the spectrum and possible so that you can avoid potentially criminalizing people that are growing their own medicine or growing cannabis for their own purposes, but who are trying not to transfer to anybody else, you know, they’re not trying to gift it out, and certainly don’t want to be selling it. Local business owners in the area, however, said that they predict 99% of consumers in the state aren’t going to have a need for 2 pounds of cannabis at home, and if they do, they will probably sell it illegally. Despite having the higher limit, industry insiders say it’s not enough for the state’s four-plant home grow limit.

https://hightimes.com/

Planted in the Culture

As cannabis came out of the dark ages, brothers Daniel and Bryan Eatmon, aka Old E and Bleezy, of Mendo Dope gave the world one of its first insider glimpses into the Emerald Triangle. Sure we had Weed Wars, a limited reality show series that debuted in 2011, but not long after, Mendo Dope started giving us an authentic look at the hill in between the tunes and very reputable cannabis they were growing. Old E and Bleezy popped their first cannabis seeds in the valleys of Mendocino County, California in 2006. That was still very much the dark ages of the Bush administration era, but compared to what was going on in the neighborhood they didn’t have a lot to worry about with their single plant. “It was in our mom’s backyard. From there, we gradually got to grow a couple more plants the next year, and a couple more plants for the next year, until we really got our own spot and were able to do our first patch,” Old E told High Times. “It was like 12 or like maybe 15 plants.” As they continued to get more dialed in, the plant size jumped before the plant count did. Many people considered that the safer course of action back in the day. They would start growing the monsters that they have become famous for over the last 11 years, starting in 2012. During all this development on the cannabis side, things were also pumping along on the music side as they shared the culture they were raised in through their tunes. “The tunes and the cannabis have been side by side from the beginning,” Old E said. “Back before we grew our first seed I was into freestyling with some friends back in high school, working on a little bit of music and such. But our first actual underground album, NOYB Boys, came out in 2007.” Their debut album featured photos of their first grow. The duo still remembers the seeds for those first plants well. “It was out of a bud that we got from somebody that was kinda unknown,” Old E said. “We didn’t even know what the strain was. When we harvested it, it was a really dark purple strain. It was beautiful. It’s one of those strains where you’re like, man, I wish we knew what we were doing back then. We could have saved the clone because we didn’t even have any idea what we were dealing with. But it was some really killer stuff. We just called it Backyard Purp.” But pretty soon they were far removed from that one plant. By 2012 they weren’t just growing monsters in huge pots but had also maxed out their plant count to 25. At the time, that was the medical limit in Mendocino County and considered “the number” if you were going to play it safer than some of the bigger gardens or properties with multiple gardens spread across them. They crushed it in 2012. But they were already at the 25-plant limit. They went into 2013 with the same plan, continuing to cultivate in their new spot in Mendo. The count remained the same, but the plants got even bigger. “So the next season 2013, we lose our biggest garden up to that date. It was killing it. We’re having so much fun. It was when we first got to start hanging out with Subcool and filmed for The Weed Nerd. And that was the year that we got raided,” Old E said. “You know it took all this time to build up to finally have this epic garden. That was the biggest one we had. And they chopped it all and took it away from us.” That 25-plant garden was supposed to be a legal medical grow. All the paperwork was in order as far as Senate Bill 420 was concerned and the Attorney General guidelines that were released in 2008. The bill and guidelines provided growers with the best roadmap to being compliant at the tail end of California’s medical era. “The house that it was at, it was definitely not out in the hills. It was really close to the freeway. It was in a residential area. So we had a couple of houses that borderline right on our fence line,” Old E said while noting that the neighbors weren’t the issue. “And so it wasn’t an ideal spot to have a whole backyard full of greenery, but we were operating under the laws and under guidelines as well. We are under the impression we were operating in compliance with everything.” Thankfully the duo had already started making a name for themselves in the wider cannabis community at that point and the community was there to support them. Old E couldn’t emphasize enough how awesome it was watching people help them get back on their feet because they knew they shared the love of the plant with them. Subcool would play a big role in helping get word out about the situation. “We had weed nerds reaching out from all over the place. I mean, out of the country, people all over the states and they just wrote us and say, ‘Hey, man, you guys need anything? I can send you guys some seeds if you guys need some herbs,’” Old E said. “People were sending us care packages left and right. And it was like such a boost of energy and just positive vibes and that made us like survive through the struggle because we had put everything into the garden. And we lost everything.” The raid happened at the end of the season on Oct. 10. Commonly referred to as Croptober in the Emerald Triangle, the state agencies that came were looking for the biggest plants possible. They make for the best photo ops. In the process of the raid drama and then starting over with a small personal patch at the family home to get things going again, the duo realized they wanted to spend more time helping people understand that they were growing these monster trees organically. The pair thought if they can grow six plants without law enforcement messing with them that they should. But they wanted to grow absolutely massive plants, film it all, and show other people exactly how they did it. “So that’s what kind of started off the whole How to Grow Mendo Dope series that we did on YouTube, which led to actually filming a couple of How to Grow DVDs. And it just started just coming back into growing very small gardens but doing big plants,” Old E said. As this was all going down, they were starting to see the writing on the wall that legalization was right around the corner. The pair’s first impression was that it looked pretty scary. They knew it was only a matter of time before big corporate entities with plenty of resources and money were coming. “Small farmers like us that have been up in the mountains, not a lot of us are just like sitting on a lot of money,” Old E said. “We love this plant so much and we helped so many people with it. And it’s our job. We’re farmers, you know, so this is a circle of things that we put back into the community, living off the land and supporting ourselves with farming. So we knew that this was about to be a very tough transition.” They knew plenty of people that didn’t want the cannabis industry to go legal. And they knew when it did get legalized, it wasn’t likely to be in a way that worked for everyone. They understood that cannabis wasn’t being legalized so farmers could make more medicine, it was so people could make money. Old E and Bleezy didn’t plan on being caught off guard or missing out on the moment. They prepped for it by trying to build out their brand to show people what they were all about. “We wanted to stay true to what we were doing and who we were and we wanted to let people know that we’re going to always be doing it this style,” Old E said. “This is why we’re in this game. Because we have a love for the plant. We have a passion for this and this true natural medicine. So we just started to take people into our life, into the culture that we represented, that we live. We’re submerged in it out here. So we just started kind of building our Mendo Dope brand and showing people who we were and what we’re all about.” During all those trials and tribulations, Mendo Dope music continued to pick up. They found themselves back on a firm footing by 2015. They would release their Live in the Garden album, which was recorded in the garden, that year. Mendo Dope kept picking things up between 2016 and 2017 as the implementation of Prop. 64 edged closer and eventually, they got the garden back up to about 20 plants. While their property was dope, the particular residential zoning they found themselves in wouldn’t fly for a legal farm. They weren’t looking for a mountainside or an acre, they just really wanted to be able to grow at home. The news was brutal. Back then when people received that kind of news they had three options. The first was to pick up and move. There are certainly folks that changed their lives a lot to get a property they could grow at. The second is just to keep pumping it on the underground market. Most of the small- to medium-size growers still in the underground haven’t had a lot of problems post-legalization haven’t had a lot of problems. The third and final option was to just give up. Mendo Dope was not going to give up. They decided to work in collaboration with Greenshock Farms for a few years. During all this they also started their breeding program in 2017 after Subcool bred their own strain for them. During a conversation with Subcool in 2016 they mentioned that they had found a Locomotion pheno that they believed was the right lady to get things going. But they weren’t sure what direction they wanted to head in with the male, and Subcool recommended using his Querkle male. “We were intrigued right away and were like ‘Let’s get it going,’” Old E said. “We created the Mendo Dope with Subcool. That was our very first intro into breeding, our first strain, and it really opened up our minds. It was so fun and it was so exciting breaking down these buds and hearing all these seeds hit the table and then growing them out and finding phenos.” This was their creation and they felt like it was taking their personal experience to a whole new level. Sadly, much of the stockpile of seeds was lost when Subcool’s home was destroyed during the wildfires of 2017 that devastated Northern California, but Mendo Dope wasn’t going to let the fire stop their breeding goals. “We knew we had to get back on it,” Old E said. “We got some Querkle seeds, we popped them, we found a new male and we did it again. And this time we created them at our house in our indoor room and we had the first batch of Mendo Dope seeds that we did all at our own spot actually. I believe that it had to be 2018.” These days Mendo Dope is still growing on the same hill they moved to after first leaving the valleys of Mendocino for its higher elevations. We asked what the differences were between cultivating in Mendocino’s different microclimates. “Well, the valley is a lot hotter. I mean, it was definitely a big change in the temperature. And down in the valley we get no coastal breeze at all, you know that shit burns off before it comes down that final hill to us,” Old E said. “So up here it’s really cool. Like, just the climate is definitely different. Certain strains that we’ve actually grown down the valley and ended up here. It’s really cool to see how different they perform only being 40 minutes away from each other. There are so many differences in strains when you grow [them] in different locations. It brings out different characteristics and different terpene profiles with the soil that it’s in, [and] with the root system that it’s intertwined.” Expect Mendo Dope to have a massive year in 2023. Their 2022 phenohunt will serve as the building blocks of their attempt to get Mendo Dope flowers into the hands of more people, coming off a terpene award in association with a concentrate made from their flowers at 2023 Emerald Cup where science dictated they had the best terps in the world’s premier cannabis contest. They also plan on dropping their next album Planters of The Trees 2 on Oct. 10, the 10-year anniversary of the raid. This story was originally published in the October 2023 issue of High Times Magazine.

https://hightimes.com/

Beastie Mode

Mix Master Mike shot the intro scene to the Beastie Boys’s “Three MCs and One DJ” video 10 times over the course of eight hours in 1998. He would begin by walking from a coffee shop in New York City to the Beastie Boys’s “secret” rehearsal space—which he says was “basically a dungeon”—wearing a Ghostbusters proton pack he’d picked up from a Hollywood prop shop and a NASA spacesuit. MCA (Adam Yauch), Mike D (Michael Diamond), and Ad-Rock (Adam Horowitz) didn’t expect that, but this was Mix Master Mike’s first video with the Beasties and he wanted to make an impression. “They had no fucking idea I was coming in with that,” Mix Master Mike tells High Times.“To see their faces when I walked in with that jetpack for the first time, they were like, ‘Yeah, he’s awesome.’ I needed something that was gonna stick in everyone’s minds.” It took Mix Master Mike, whose real name is Michael Schwartz, almost two minutes to walk from the coffee shop and down the six flights of stairs to the room where Beasties were patiently waiting for him to put the needle on the record. Mike later found out they ended up using the first take, which makes him wonder if the nine extra takes was their way of hazing him. After all, these are the same guys who toured with a giant inflatable penis during the Licensed To Ill era and essentially made debauchery into a full-time (and very lucrative) job. But Mike didn’t care—he was just happy to be along for the ride. Mix Master Mike, a founding member of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz turntablist crew and DMC World DJ Champion, was crab scratching his way into becoming the fourth Beastie. When he was asked to contribute to 1998’s Hello Nasty, the trio’s fourth studio album, he seized the opportunity to really show them what he could do. It would prove to be one the Beasties’ biggest albums, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with more than 681,000 copies sold in its opening week. It was almost like the Beastie Boys were getting a second chance. Following the juggernaut that was Licensed To Ill, the Beastie Boys next two albums—Paul’s Boutique (1989) and Check Your Head (1992)—didn’t quite have the same impact as their predecessor. In fact, Paul’s Boutique was considered a “flop” upon its arrival. But by the mid-’90s, it seemed they started to hit their stride again. Ill Communication, released in 1994, landed at No. 1 and the Beasties were back on the proverbial top. Hello Nasty took it to an astronomical level, but Mike never anticipated that kind of success. “I didn’t really think about none of that,” he remembers. “When I was in the studio with them, I was just liking what we were making. I was liking every song that we made and I was just like, ‘Man, this is awesome. I’m in a fucking dream right now.’ I just didn’t know it was gonna come with all this extra shit until we until we did the first show and I was like, ‘Oh fuck. This album is huge.’” Mike was also busy promoting his own solo record, Anti-Theft Device, and he admits it was “a lot to take in.” Hello Nasty turned 25 on July 14, so Mike has been reflecting on the making of the album more so than usual—despite having the platinum plaques in his house as constant reminders. Mike, a San Francisco native, holed up in New York for a month while they were recording it—and cannabis may or may not have been consumed along the way (wink). “There might have been,” Mike says. “There were times when we would go out on the balcony, and I mean, some of it was heavily weed influenced, but it was just more internal excitement on my end that we were together. But yeah, there were a lot of joints, a lot of Zig-Zags [laughs]. I don’t know, but they probably smoked when they wrote ‘Three MCs.’ I remember being in the studio with Mario C [producer] when we did all the tracking for ‘Three MCs,’ and the guys disappeared. They said, ‘OK, we’re gonna go drive around and write lyrics.’ They probably did smoke. When they came back, they were [rapping], ‘I’ve got the D double O, D double O style.’” At the time, Mix Master Mike wasn’t exactly a member of the Beastie Boys—at least not yet. DJ Hurricane, who began DJing for the group in 1986, was still considered part of the crew and heavily involved in the creation of both Check Your Head and Ill Communication. At one point, they had to have a serious conversation with both DJs. “It’s kind of like a situation where after the Hello Nasty recording session, the guys brought me into one of the sound rooms,” he recalls. “We all sat on the floor and it was me, Adam, Adam H., and Mike. They were so happy with how the process came about and they asked me to become their DJ in that moment.” But then Mike’s thoughts turned to DJ Hurricane—what would they tell him? “I was just like, ‘Oh shit,’” he continues. “Being the empath I am, I was like, ‘What about Cane?’ And they’re like, ‘Don’t worry. We’ll tell Cane. I’m like, ‘OK cool.’ It was a situation where I said I was gonna take them to the next level when it comes to this department [DJing]. A couple of weeks after that session, they called Cane and let him know. I’m sure he was pretty heartbroken, but they told me Cane was more into rapping and was working on a solo album, so he’d be OK.” Mix Master Mike wound up contributing to 2004’s To The 5 Boroughs, 2007’s The Mix-Up and 2011’s Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. Between The Mix-Up and Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, MCA was diagnosed with cancer. In 2012, Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but MCA was too sick to attend. “We really didn’t care, like none of us really cared about it,” he says. “We’re just going with it. Actually, the boys were gangster about that situation. They were asked to be part of the Rock Hall two, three years prior, and they denied it. I thought, ‘Wow, you guys are probably the only dudes that have denied the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honor. It was gangster.” MCA died a short time later on May 4, 2012, leaving the Beastie Boys in shambles—not just because the Beastie Boys would now cease to exist as a hip-hop group but because they lost their best friend. Over the last 11 years, Mike D and Ad-Rock haven’t made any more albums as the Beastie Boys, but they did release the Beastie Boys Book in 2018 and the accompanying documentary, Beastie Boys Story, in 2020. Mike, in the meantime, has done massive stadium tours with Metallica and Godsmack, released a slew of projects—both solo and collaborative—and is currently working on a documentary about his journey. “I’m just working,” he says. “I’m working on scoring my documentary and getting and compiling all this footage. I’m getting my story together and doing an audiobook as well. I made 70 tracks during the pandemic, so I’m sitting on three or four albums right now. I’m just waiting for the right time to release them. But it’s crazy because my story just keeps going. I’m not done here.” This story was originally published in the October 2023 issue of High Times Magazine.

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A Love Letter to the Macrodose

This is a love letter to large things. Microdoses are for tourists. Sometimes, tourists love a place so much that they move there. As a white girl from the Caribbean, I (and my parents) can certainly understand that. I think fellow High Times writer Hadley Tomicki said it best in the article that is art titled “In Defense of Macrodosing” with the words (the whole essay is worth a read), “many of us entered the world of cannabis when all we had was a tin can and some dry buds the color of Hershey cocoa.” Younger stoners grew up in a world of millennial pink Indica vape pens, CBD lavender edibles blended with other aphrodisiacs, and multi-course infused dinners, low-dose, of course! Other older folks are putting behind their regressive views and embracing cannabis, but, honestly, kind of screw you if you needed daddy government’s permission to enjoy grass, if that terminology even applies anymore. Consider donating to The Last Prisoner Project if you have enough dough to shell out $120 for a box of dainty edibles clocking in at 2.5mg of THC per serving. But it’s true that it’s best to “start low and go slow” if you’re new to cannabis. Otherwise, you could risk gobbling down an entire 100mg brownie and trip for 24 hours, unsure if the Wookies around you are real or part of a dream, so you zip yourself up in your hot tent in West Virginia and start having spontaneous orgasms. Like what happened to me in college at a music festival, transforming me into a sexy stoner, like when that radioactive spider bit Peter Parker, transforming him into Spider-Man. Maybe you should have that experience now that I write it out. And I actually have no idea the THC content of the infamous brownie because I got it from a couple tattooed with the THC chemical structure who baked it themselves and just wanted to give ’em out. Once upon a time, the idea of THC dosage printed on a label was absurd. But enough about sounding old. I’m a hot girl. And I won’t say that macrodosing is “empowering” because, as we’ve established, I got my power from happy hippies at a music festival (and describing women as empowered is just so infantilizing). But there is something about popping back a big one with my best friend before we step out of the subway in our stilettos and click-clack towards the party. Maybe it’s because the devil’s weed is a woman. And, regarding the subway, now’s my chance to blame the macrodose on criminalization. Why did I get into THC gummies? They don’t smell; I can say that they’re candy, and as a result, especially before New York went legal, I feel safer carrying my enhanced sugary delights than a bag of flower. There are plenty of logistical reasons to argue in favor of the macrodose. It’s more bang for your buck. Companies might be trying to rip us off under the guise of low-dose, as Jimi Devine detailed in “The Great Cannabis Microdosing PR Conspiracy.” The medical marijuana world has been advocating higher THC doses forever. There’s some pain that 2.5, 5, or even 10mg won’t touch. The current cannabis dosing also doesn’t adequately consider the vast differences in bodies. As Tomicki writes, many of us grew up with the plant and now have higher tolerances. And sure, THC can be ingested to avoid emotional pain that one should probably be handling straight on and addiction exists. But I come from a harm reduction perspective. I think the idea that there is morality to sobriety or honor in suffering is absurd. It’s a medicine, and for many people, the line between medical and recreational is blurry. Would you rather I take an opioid for this migraine pain that makes me barf or opt for the plant that also handles nausea? Would you unclutch your pearls if I cut loose with tequila shots instead of a goofy gummy bear? Come on. But the best reason to adore the macrodose has nothing to do with logistics. The sugar-dusted 100mg gummy bear wants nothing to do with practicality. Because the best argument in favor of the macrodose is just that it’s fun. The more appealing argument for getting totally baked is that, at least for some of us, it’s frilly, frivolous, fun. Because yeah, low-dose aphrodisia edibles are cool, but when was the last time a micro-dose gave you spontaneous orgasms?

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Germany Eyes April 2024 for Cannabis Legalization

The Germany’s coalition government called the Traffic Light coalition, which combines individuals from the Social Democratic Party, Free Democratic Party, and The Greens, reportedly reached an agreement for cannabis regulation on Nov. 27. These recent discussions estimate that cannabis legalization could take effect starting on April 1, 2024, with social cannabis clubs potentially allowed to open as early as July 1, 2024. “The #Cannabis law is coming! Finally: We are finally ending the failed ban policy! After intensive negotiations, there is now a law that focuses on youth and health protection , ends criminalization and is practical,” said The Green Party spokesperson Kirsten Kappert-Gonther in a translated social media post. According to news outlet Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), Kappert-Gonther said that the coalition has come to a consensus regarding possession and cultivation. With legalization, residents will be permitted to grow up to three plants at home, and have no more than 50 grams from cannabis cultivated at home (up from 25 grams in previous discussions). Cultivation will not be permitted within 100 metres (approximately 328 feet) from places where children frequent, such as daycare businesses, playgrounds, and schools. “In the negotiations, we have succeeded in finding practicable regulations that guarantee the protection of young people and health and make the decriminalization of adult users a reality,” said Kappert-Gonther. While possession of more than 25 grams was the initial threshold for criminal conviction in an early draft, now people are allowed to carry 25-30 grams of cannabis in public, and 50-60 grams in private. Any more than these amounts is still considered a criminal offense, with fines of up to €30,000 ($38,000 USD). Previously, the fines were set to a maximum of €100,000 ($126,930). DPA reports that the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure is expected to propose a THC limit for impaired drivers by the end of March 2024 as well. “Communal consumption in cannabis clubs and edibles is not (yet) implemented,” Kappert-Gonther added on social media. “But what we were able to agree on together is a big step forward. Thank you to everyone who has campaigned for this law for decades!” Currently the law is still a draft and subject to change, but the next step includes sending the current draft to the German Bundestag, or parliament, which could happen as early as next week. The Bundestag is separate from the German Bundesrat is a separate governing body that represents the country’s 16 states. The resolution of cannabis legalization has been a long time coming in Germany. The Traffic Light Coalition announced its intentions to work together to legalize adult-use cannabis back in November 2021. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, who had previously opposed cannabis legalization, shared that he had revised his opinion in summer 2022. By September 2022, Lauterbach announced that there would be five hearings to discuss cannabis legalization. “We are starting the preparatory phase of legislation. Being able to finally announce this is a special, gratifying moment for me personally,” Lauterbach said at the time. “Like many others, I have been working for years to ensure that we in Germany finally stop criminalizing cannabis users and start a modern and health-oriented cannabis policy.” Earlier this year in April 2023, AP News reported that a scaled-back version of cannabis social clubs was being proposed. By July 2023, Germany officially revealed the details of its draft bill. “It is planned to pass the draft law in the federal cabinet during the summer break. The draft law will then be introduced into the parliamentary legislative process and discussed in both the German Bundestag and the Bundesrat in the autumn. The German Bundestag is responsible for the final decision on the law,” the Germany Ministry of Health stated. “The law does not require the approval of the Bundesrat. It is scheduled to come into force at the end of 2023. Once the bill comes into force, adults can legally smoke a joint in Germany under the proposed law. Until then, cannabis will remain prohibited.” A final reading and vote on the cannabis legislation was initially supposed to be held last week but was delayed so it could be discussed next month, according to Germany politician Carmen Wegge. “The CannG will be decided in December,” Wegge wrote on social media. “This means that we are not keeping to the schedule. I know this is a huge disappointment for many. That’s why this decision wasn’t easy for anyone. However, well-designed improvements are in all of our interests.” Kappert-Gonther also expressed the necessity of more time, with promises of improvement. “The #CannaG comes, just a little later. I am confident that the law will become significantly better as a result of the discussions. Some wording still needs to be worked on on some points. This is for a good cause, quality comes before time pressure. Completion scheduled for December,” Kappert-Gonther wrote online. Hopefully progress will continue on track through December with the German Bundestag, which is said to follow discussion within the German Bundesrat.

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New Study Suggests Cannabis Does Not Help Opioid Use Disorder

A long-term study on opioid addiction and cannabis use found little to no evidence that using cannabis can help addicts reduce or stop their long-term intake of illicit opioids. The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, was led by researchers at the University of Sydney and followed over 600 heroin addicts for up to 20 years, monitoring their cannabis and heroin intake at regular intervals to try and associate a relationship, positive or negative, between the two. “The Australian Treatment Outcome Study (ATOS) recruited 615 people with heroin dependence in 2001 and 2002 and reinterviewed them at 3, 12, 24, and 36 months as well as 11 and 18–20 years after baseline,” the study said. “Heroin and cannabis use were assessed at each time point using the Opiate Treatment Index. A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model analysis was conducted to identify within-person relationships between cannabis use and heroin use at subsequent follow-ups.” The results of the study did not find cannabis to be a statistically significant factor in reducing or ceasing a person’s opioid use, despite anecdotal evidence from addicts who claim the plant helps them use less opioids or stop using them altogether. The lead author of the study credited these misconceptions to the way previous studies were conducted, in that they only followed addicts for a short time and did not examine long-term impacts. “Our investigation shows that cannabis use remains common among this population, but it may not be an effective long term strategy for reducing opioid use ,” says lead author Dr. Jack Wilson, from The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, at the University of Sydney. “There are claims that cannabis may help decrease opioid use or help people with opioid use disorders keep up with treatment. But it’s crucial to note those studies examine short-term impact, and focus on treatment of chronic pain and pain management, rather than levels of opioid use in other contexts.” The study actually found data that indicated cannabis use may lead to further opioid use, particularly around the two-three year period of the study. “After accounting for a range of demographic variables, other substance use, and mental and physical health measures, an increase in cannabis use 24 months after baseline was significantly associated with an increase in heroin use at 36 months,” the study said. That said, the study did not go so far as to make a claim that cannabis use may increase heroin use, it merely mentioned the data. Rather, the results section of the study indicated that there simply was not a significant enough relationship in the data to draw any conclusive conclusions, if you will. “Although there was some evidence of a significant relationship between cannabis and heroin use at earlier follow-ups, this was sparse and inconsistent across time points. Overall, there was insufficient evidence to suggest a unidirectional or bidirectional relationship between the use of these substances,” the study said. Dr. Wilson indicated in a press release from the University of Sydney that based on previous available research there does not appear to be a one-size-fits-all solution to opiate addiction, a sentiment which was further reinforced by the results of this long-term study. “Opioid use disorders are complex and unlikely to be resolved by a single treatment,” Dr Wilson said. “The best way to support them is evidence-based holistic approaches that look at the bigger picture, and include physical, psychological, and pharmacotherapy therapies.” Previous studies have found somewhat contradictory results compared to this one but as aforementioned, none of those studies were conducted for anywhere near as long. For instance, a study conducted through the University of Connecticut found evidence that cannabis users required less opioids while recovering from a particular major neck surgery. However, the study lasted less than a year and did include data on any possible adverse outcomes that may have occurred after the study, context which is important due to the nature of addicts to sometimes stumble into opiate addiction after having them prescribed for pain. Additionally, a 2022 study published in Substance Use and Misuse found that around four out of five patients who were prescribed opioids self-reported in a survey that they were able to reduce or cease their opiate intake using medical cannabis. However, this study was based on one survey and did not follow anyone long-term. That said, there have been several other studies that found similar, positive results. In general, the issue of cannabis as a potential replacement for opioids appears to be a mixed bag until more research is conducted.

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More Than 10% of Older Americans Have Used Cannabis in the Last Year

After analyzing available survey data, researchers at the University of Michigan said that 12.1% of adults in the United States aged 50-80 reported using cannabis in the past year. “Among those who reported cannabis use, 34.2% reported using cannabis products 4 or more days per week,” the researchers said. The researchers analyzed data extracted from the National Poll on Healthy Aging, which they described as “a nationally cross-sectional survey that asked U.S. adults ages 50-80 in January 2021 about their cannabis use in the past year.” (The poll is sponsored by the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation at the University of Michigan.) The researchers noted that “multivariable logistic regression was used to identify demographic and health characteristics associated with cannabis use” for their analysis. “More than one in 10 U.S. adults aged 50-80 used cannabis in the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many used cannabis frequently. As access to and use of cannabis continue to increase nationally, clinicians and policymakers should monitor and address the potential risks among older adults,” the researchers wrote in their conclusion. The researchers noted that “cannabis use was less likely among people who identified as Hispanic ethnicity or as ‘other’ races compared with non-Hispanic white respondents.” Cannabis has proven useful to many older individuals, who have turned to pot to mitigate chronic pain and other ailments that accompany aging. “It is not surprising that a rising percentage of adults consider cannabis to be a viable option in their later years. Many older adults struggle with pain, anxiety, restless sleep, and other conditions for which cannabis products often mitigate. Many older adults are also well aware of the litany of serious adverse side-effects associated with available prescription drugs, like opioids or sleep aids, and they perceive medical cannabis to be a practical and potentially safer alternative,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said in response to the University of Michigan survey. Other pieces of survey data have illustrated the same trend. Earlier this year, The Hill reported on a survey showing that the “share of over-65 Americans who have used marijuana nearly tripled in a decade, from 11 percent in 2009 to 32 percent in 2019,” and that “more than half of the 60-64 demographic reported cannabis use, another sharp increase.” “Cannabis consumption among older adults reached 35 percent in 2021. But the pandemic affected the survey methodology, researchers said, possibly skewing the results,” The Hill reported. “The graying of cannabis culture signals broadening social acceptance of marijuana, which is now available for recreational use in 23 states. It is also a generational story about the aging baby boomers, a generation that grew up in an era of psychotropic experimentation. Cannabis use, for many older Americans, is less about getting high and more about getting sleep. And pain relief. And calm.” Another way to put it: more Americans –– young, old and middle aged –– are using cannabis than any time before, a natural consequence of the wave of legalization that has swept over the country in the last decade. Gallup confirmed as much earlier this year. In August, the venerable pollster released findings showing that “half of Americans (50%) say they have tried marijuana at some time, a new high point for this behavior that has been inching up over the past quarter century.” “While essentially unchanged from the 49% and 48% readings in 2021 and 2022, respectively, the new figure is statistically higher than the 45% in 2017 and 2019 who said they had tried marijuana,” Gallup reported. “In answer to a separate question intended to measure current behavior, about one in six Americans (17%) say they ‘smoke marijuana.’ This is also a new high in Gallup’s trend since 2003, albeit similar to the 16% recorded a year ago. These findings are from Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits survey, conducted July 3-27. The proportion of Americans who say they smoke marijuana has more than doubled since 2013, when Gallup first asked the question. That year, 7% said they did. Gallup’s much longer trend on ever having tried marijuana shows that experimentation increased sharply in the first decade after the initial measure. Between 1969 and 1977, it jumped 20 percentage points, from 4% to 24%. It rose another nine points, to 33%, by 1985, but thereafter stalled at under 40% until 2015, when it ticked up to 44%. It remained at about that level through 2019 but then rose to 49% in 2021, roughly where it is today. Over that same period, Gallup recorded a significant increase in the U.S. public’s support for legalization of marijuana, which has grown from 12% in 1969 to 68% today.”

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University of Utah Launches Medical Cannabis Center, Seeks DEA Approval

Researchers at the oldest college in Utah are opening a medical cannabis research center and seeking for a DEA-approved grow site in order to overcome some of the regulatory hurdles. On Nov. 21, the University of Utah announced the launch of the new center and its initiative. University of Utah Health, in partnership with the state of Utah, launched a new research initiative to push forward the scientific understanding of medical cannabis and help patients and providers make better informed health decisions. In the years following the launch of the Utah Medical Cannabis Program, Utah State Legislation identified a great need for more medical cannabis research to catch up with the growing number of unproven medical claims. To do this, and fund the center, the Utah State Legislature approved House Bill 230, and it was signed by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on March 15. High Times reported last March that the University of Utah confirmed that it’s starting the early planning phases to build a Center for Medical Cannabis Research (CMCR). On July 1, the University of Utah established the CMCR to create research opportunities to support the efficacious application of cannabis in our state. Could the center help provide evidence to support medical claims in the future? “The Center for Medical Cannabis Research is focused on creating opportunities for researchers to have the necessary support to begin answering these types of questions,” Valerie Ahanonu, senior manager of CMCR, told High Times in an email. “As cultural views on cannabis have shifted and states have opened access to patients seeing benefits with medical cannabis, research within the field has been a leading proponent to bolstering or dispelling these claims. From epilepsy to oncological supportive care, we have seen research bring to light aspects of safe cannabis use that address patients’ needs and identify risks surrounding cannabis use as well.” Ahanonu continued, “The CMCR plans to be a hub for translational research that through pilot grants, funds collaborative studies and trials that not only focus on advancing our understanding of evidence based medical cannabis outcomes, but also focuses on addressing the standards and quality of medical cannabis products made available to patients. By creating a network of multidimensional researchers working collectively we hope to inspire a bench to bedside model that advances the overall understanding of the therapeutic benefits and risks of medical cannabis.” The CMCR listed several core strategies to achieve this goal: Local leaders are hopeful. “This is one of the premier research institutions in the nation,” said Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost, MBA, who represents District 22. Dailey-Provost sponsored the bill that funds the CMCR. “We couldn’t ask for a better place to keep the heart of a meaningful research program than the University of Utah.” Dailey-Provost is a doctoral candidate in public health at University of Utah Health, and believes the university is well-equipped to handle this type of research, and she also recognizes the great need for more data. “We keep hearing from providers that they just don’t have enough information to comfortably recommend this for patients,” Dailey-Provost says. “What we ultimately need is reliable, evidence-based research information on the medication that we are already offering to patients in the state of Utah.” Jerry Cochran, M.S.W., Ph.D., interim director for the CMCR, describes the spectrum of research the center will support as “bench to bedside.” Starting with pilot grants to help scientists begin projects on medical cannabis, the CMCR will promote research ranging from chemical characterization of the active components of cannabis through to late-stage clinical trials. The center will partner with the Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah to create educational materials to inform the public about medical cannabis. The Genetic Science Learning Center will develop materials designed to help reach patients and providers with the knowledge to make informed decisions. The CMCR also plans to work with the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library to produce an accessible database of the most rigorous and up-to-date information in the field. The center acknowledges the roadblocks they face as medical cannabis research is hampered due to the federal status of cannabis. “One significant hurdle to cannabis research is the limited supply of research-grade medical cannabis, especially from sites that are approved by the DEA,” the university reported. “The CMCR aims to eliminate this bottleneck by supporting the establishment of an DEA-approved cannabis grow site for research.” Setting the stage for change in the way medical cannabis research is hampered at the federal level, on Dec. 2, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the “Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, H.R. 8454,” (the Cannabis Research Bill). In Utah, medical cannabis patients began applying for ID cards on July 4, 2019, and medical cannabis cultivation began in summer of 2020. Regulators finally issued dispensary licenses in Jan. 2020, about one year and two months after the law passed. Medical cannabis sales began in October 2020, about two years after voters approved the law. But doctors in Utah are reluctant to give out recommendations for medical cannabis as they know it has been marketed as a cure-all and that there are many unproven medical claims. “In certain circles, medical cannabis is being pushed as a cure-all, but I think it’s going to help certain things and not others,” Cochran said in the news release. “Science needs to take the lead in this area so that we continue to help people.”

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Report: 90% of Virginia Med Patients Obtain Weed Outside of State’s Medical Market

It’s not uncommon for residents of states yet to enact cannabis laws to travel and obtain their weed through out-of-state dispensaries. However, one Southern state appears to be experiencing this issue when it comes to medical cannabis, even though it’s had legal, operational medical dispensaries since 2020. A new 78-page report released by the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) takes a closer look at the state’s medical cannabis market, most notably finding that the state’s high prices are driving consumers to bordering states to purchase their cannabis products. The report is the result of a request on behalf of the CCA from earlier in 2023, to study Virginia’s medical cannabis program with a focus on patient access and “determining the necessity and feasibility of adding new licenses to the existing program.” The study involved a population survey of past-year cannabis consumers and patients, an assessment of supply based on patient experiences and a policy analysis. “The study found that the Virginia medical cannabis program is struggling to capture patients amid evolving local policies as well as adult-use policies in bordering states, resulting in prices remaining high,” the report notes, adding that 12% of patients report traveling to obtain cannabis from other states or jurisdictions, largely Washington, D.C. and Maryland. According to the report, medical cannabis patients in Virginia spend more on cannabis than non-medical cannabis patients in the state. It also notes that patients in Virginia report spending an estimate of $19 per gram on average for medical cannabis flower, which is higher than the national average for medical cannabis flower — though looking at the publicly available price data, the report found that the average price of a medical gram in Virginia was closer to $14, which is still higher than average. By comparison, the average price per medical gram in D.C. was $8/73 in September 2023; in Maryland, adult-use cannabis is $9.27 per gram on average. Looking broader, 90% of patients purchased cannabis from sources other than the Virginia medical market, and the largest proportion of grams were obtained from “an unregulated, but not necessarily illicit, market.” Additionally, 57% of medical patients obtained their cannabis by growing at home, while 65.2% of patients received cannabis from a friend or family. Despite low barriers to patient participation, Virginia’s estimated patient enrollment encompasses 0.5% of the total state population, which authors say supports the assertion that patients can meet their need for medical cannabis elsewhere. Of those past-year consumers who are not patients, 22% said they did not need to become medical patients because they already had access to cannabis. “Virginia’s restrictive policy framework, including limited licensing and the Health Service Area (HSA) segmentation, coupled with the widespread availability of cannabis from out-of-state markets, home cultivation, and illicit channels, has created an environment in which Pharmaceutical Processors are operating at their profit-maximizing supply quantity,” the report states. “In other words, licensees may have no expectation of increased profits if they expand their supply and lower prices because substitute markets have recently taken root.” The report notes that the high prices of Virginia’s medical cannabis are “likely necessary” for Pharmaceutical Processors to stay afloat due to the current state market and policies that accompany it, rather than intentionally overcharging medical patients. Authors also lay out five potential pathways to improve patient access to medical cannabis, with the shared objective to increase supply, lower prices and shift patient demand to regulated Pharmaceutical Processors. The pathways include a mix of potential options, like issuing the remaining Pharmaceutical Processor licenses in the HSA or adding limited standalone medical cultivation, manufacturing and dispensary licenses allowed to operate within any HSA while allowing Pharmaceutical Processors to expand beyond the current six-store minimum within their area.

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South Carolina Bill Would Tax, Regulate Delta-8 THC

The delta-8 THC market is bigger than ever before, regulated like hemp, but South Carolina could change that if one proposal takes root. Rep. Rosalyn Henderson-Myers (D-Spartanburg) filed a bill under South Carolina’s upcoming legislative session that seeks to create regulations around delta-8 THC and similar products, which can be sold anywhere that hemp products are sold. H. 4628 was prefiled in the South Carolina House Nov. 16, and referred to the Committee on Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs. The bill would create a set of new rules for the production and sale of delta-8 THC and other Under the proposal, only adults 21 years and older could purchase those types of products. The bill would also establish a tax at the retail level, imposing a 5% sales tax. The tax revenue would be allocated towards regulating the industry, according to the bill. Producers and retailers would be licensed by the state, and any hemp-derived cannabinoid product produced or sold in the state must be tested for pesticides and toxins and to ensure it contains only the legal amount of delta-9 THC. The license would be in addition to other required business licensing. The annual licensing fee would be $500 for producers and $250 for retailers, according to the prefiled bill draft. Products would also have to have a variety of safety labeling and be contained in child-resistant packaging. “These products are not controlled substances in South Carolina. So the quote-unquote enforcement that we’re seeing is a misguided view of the existing law,” North Carolina-based hemp attorney Rod Kight told The State. “That’s why I think it’s important that a bill like this gets passed so it’s absolutely and unambiguously clear.” Despite warnings from law enforcement that the products are considered illegal in the state. Kight provides services to hemp businesses and due to the rapidly changing legal landscape around hemp. Mike Sims, one of his clients, was subject to the murky laws surrounding hemp. Sims’ store in Columbia, South Carolina, Crowntown Cannabis was raided last January when police said he was selling marijuana. Kight clarified, however, that Sims’ store was selling hemp-derived products, not marijuana. Confusion about what constitutes hot hemp is also an issue in South Carolina. Law firm Collins and Lacy reports that recently, the Columbia Police Department (CPD) sent letters to over 30 retailers in the city informing them that delta-8 THC is an illegal substance. CPD is likely following the South Carolina Attorney General’s Oct.4, 2021 opinion that delta-8 is an illegal substance. Per state law, the manufacture, distribution, and possession of a Schedule I drug is illegal and carries penalties ranging from imprisonment of up to six months and/or a fine up to $1,000 for a first offense for simple possession to imprisonment of five to twenty years and/or a fine up to $20,000 for a third or subsequent offense of manufacturing or distribution. S.C. Code §§ 44-53-370(b)(2) & (d)(2). “[U]nless specifically excepted”, “Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)” of any kind is listed as a Schedule I drug, separate and apart from marijuana. S.C. Code § 44-53-190(D)(18). Therefore, the manufacture, distribution, and/or possession of any form of THC, including delta-8, would be illegal, “unless specifically excepted” by some other statute. The legal gray area is due to whether South Carolina’s Hemp Farming Act specifically outlaws delta-8 THC. Delta-8 THC has seen a surge in popularity due to a legal loophole in federal regulations, the 2018 Farm Bill, that limits THC to 0.3% in hemp products but has no limit for delta-8 THC. High Times reported on the significant differences between delta-8 and delta-9 THC. Researchers have known about it for decades. Roger Adams and a team of researchers at the University of Illinois were the first to report partial synthesis of delta-8 in 1941. It wasn’t until 1966, when Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and his colleague Dr. Yechiel Gaoni, achieved a total synthesis of delta-8 as part of their groundbreaking work at Hebrew University. In 2002, Dr. Mechoulam applied for a patent on the conversion of CBD into delta-8 and THC through various methods, which he received in 2008, and expired in 2022. Last year, a South Carolina farmer filed a lawsuit against the state over the destruction of his hemp crop in 2019. The lawsuit was filed on Sept. 16, 2022 by John Trenton Pendarvis, and it alleges that a trio of state agencies––the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Department of Agriculture, and attorney general’s office––“all denied him due process after Department of Agriculture officials discovered unreported hemp crops during a check of his Dorchester County property on July 30, 2019,” according to the Associated Press.

https://hightimes.com/

New Hampshire Cannabis Commission Fails To Reach Agreement on Legalization Plan

A New Hampshire commission formed to create a cannabis legalization plan for the state held its final meeting this week but failed to produce any recommendations after months of deliberation. The 19-member commission convened this summer to consider a plan to legalize cannabis for adults under a program that would see retail sales of weed handled by state-run cannabis shops, similar to New Hampshire’s model for alcohol sales. But after months of discussions about a draft legislative proposal from Republican Senator Daryl Abbas, the commission ended its work on Monday without adopting the plan or issuing any recommendations. Some members of the panel placed blame for the commission’s failure to reach a consensus on a proposal on Republican Governor John Sununu, who has opposed the legalization of recreational marijuana for years. Earlier this year, however, Sununu said he would consider a legalization plan that put the control of cannabis dispensaries in the hands of the state liquor commission, which would oversee shops run by franchisees selected by the state. The governor also threatened to reject any legislative plan that did not meet his specifications. “The governor is open to discussing a franchisee-based system, but the success of such a model is in the details,” the governor’s office said in a written statement to local television news. “The governor has been clear that any system meets his outlined framework – or be met with a veto.” Before the commission ended its work on Monday, Sununu added new conditions that he said would have to be met in order for him to approve a pot legalization plan. In addition to his previously stated requirements, the governor wanted a statewide limit of 15 cannabis retail shops and a ban on lobbying by and political contributions from the licensed cannabis industry. Democratic Senator Becky Whitley, a member of the commission, criticized the governor for his demands, which came on the day of the panel’s final meeting. “At the very last meeting, the last half-hour, now, all of the sudden, we’re considering things that flew in from the governor’s office last-minute?” said Whitley. “This is not how we legislate.” While discussing the governor’s new conditions, the commission heard testimony from Paul Morisette, a New Hampshire resident who is a partner in Maine-based East Coast Cannabis, who said that the requested cap on cannabis retailers is not enough shops for the state. “You are not going to collect the tax you are projecting in fifteen stores,” Morrisette told the commission in testimony cited by New Hampshire Public Radio. “You are setting up the liquor commission to fail.” But a representative from the governor’s office said that Sununu is set on the 15-store limit. “I can tell you from the point of view of the governor’s office, we are adamant about that number,” said David Mara, Sununu’s advisor on addiction and behavioral health. The commission also heard from Frank Knaack of the New Hampshire chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, who told the panel’s members that the governor’s requested ban on cannabis industry lobbying and political contributions is likely illegal. “It’s definitely something of concern, something we haven’t seen before in other aspects of New Hampshire law,” said Knaack. After the committee wrapped up its proceedings on Monday, Whitley cited Sununu’s late demands as the cause of the commission’s inability to find consensus after months of meetings. “Disappointed but not surprised,” Whitley wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “@GovChrisSununu yet again interferes with legalization in NH. Setting up a responsible, regulated adult-use market for cannabis will recapture $$$ currently going to our neighboring states AND it’s what Granite Staters want.” The failure of the commission to develop a cannabis legalization plan for New Hampshire, the only state in New England that has not ended the prohibition on weed, leaves the prospect for reform in the near future unclear. But even before Monday’s meeting, Republican Senator Tim Lang noted that any proposals adopted by the commission would be subject to further discussion in the legislature. “This isn’t the end,” said Lang. “We are just getting to the beginning.”

https://hightimes.com/

Drug Trafficker Turned Informant Offers Up Private Island in Hopes of Leniency

An international drug trafficker with possible business ties to a reputed “super cartel” as well as the Italian mafia has handed over the ownership rights to his multi-million dollar private island in an attempt to try and reduce his sentence. Known drug kingpin Raffaele Imperiale made headlines in 2016 when police raided one of his homes in Naples and found two original Vincent Van Gogh paintings estimated to be worth more than $58 million each. The paintings had reportedly been stolen in a heist at the Vincent Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam in 2002. He spent five years on the run before being arrested in Dubai in 2021 and extradited to Italy in 2022. Imperiale is now staring down the barrow of a lengthy prison sentence after evading arrest in Dubai for several years. He faces over 14 years prison time if convicted, but Imperiale has been cooperating with authorities by giving them information on international crime syndicates he brushed shoulders with during his heyday. According to the Guardian he also offered prosecutors something much bigger: his man-made private island off the coast of Dubai. The island called “Taiwan,” not to be confused with the East Asian country, is reported to be worth anywhere from $60 to $80 million. Imperiale is believed to have spent the majority of his time on the run at this island, and on Monday he signed it over to Italian prosecutors. “It is clear that Imperiale wants sentence reductions,” said the prosecutor, Maurizio De Marco to the Guardian. “We are assessing the validity of his statements, but there seem to be no doubts about their genuineness.” Imperiale appeared in Italian court Monday alongside 20 other defendants to face charges related to the enormous criminal empire he was allegedly at the helm of. Italian authorities have also alleged Imperiale has close ties to the Camorra mafia family as well as an international “super cartel” that trafficked drugs from South America through five or more European countries including Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates, according to Europol. The super cartel controlled around ⅓ of the cocaine trade in Europe before authorities arrested 49 suspects believed to be associated with the group in 2022. The super cartel was allegedly led by Imperiale and: Authorities have alleged that Imperiale helped run one of the 50 largest drug trafficking operations in the world and had a virtual monopoly secured over nearly all the cocaine produced in Peru. The Guardian said Imperiale got his start running a cannabis cafe in Amsterdam that he inherited from his late brother. Imperiale led a tale worthy of another Godfather movie during his time as a criminal. He was rumored to have spent over $400,000 every single month while he was on the run in Dubai, according to the Guardian. When Italian authorities searched one of his homes in March, they found over 80 firearms and other weapons, including a grenade and three Kalashnikov rifles, hidden underneath Imperiale’s garage floor. He also had over 5,000 rounds of ammunition, according to Reuters. Additionally, controversy was stirred up in Italy shortly after Imperiale’s extradition. According to Sunday World, two Italian judicial officers were caught disposing of documents related to the Imperiale case during the course of their job duties. A hidden camera caught the employee putting certain documents into a bin under her desk. “[They] systematically destroyed, suppressed and concealed, making them untraceable, the following true public documents, represented by documents and / or entire files relating to criminal proceedings pending at the Judicial Offices of the District of the Court of Appeal of Naples,” said officials with the Guardia di Finanza to Sunday World. The accused judicial workers told authorities they were trying to lighten their own workload by disposing of the documents, many of which were discovered in the garbage by police who made photocopies of everything. No word had yet been released at the time this article was written on whether or not Imperiale’s island offering will have any definitive effect on his sentencing.

https://hightimes.com/

From the Makers of the VOLCANO – The Breathtaking New VENTY

German innovation has once again taken center stage with STORZ & BICKEL’s introduction of the VENTY, one of the highest-performing portable vaporizers on the market. As the world’s only medically certified manufacturers of vaporizers and makers of the iconic VOLCANO series, STORZ & BICKEL have come up with truly game-changing features for the new slim, fast, and customizable VENTY. Jürgen Bickel, founder and managing director, introduced the breathtaking new portable device in the company’s latest keynote on October 17th. The first and probably most interesting standout feature of the VENTY is its lightning-fast heat-up time. Equipped with two powerful Li-ion batteries, an intelligent software design, and an innovative mini-heater, STORZ & BICKEL’s new powerhouse reaches the desired temperature within an unmatched 20 seconds. This promises minimal waiting and a seamless vaping experience. About the use of the VENTY, Jürgen Bickel stated: “It technically still is a session vaporizer, but it comes very close to an on-demand device. I just turn it on while walking down the stairs, and the VENTY is always ready for powerful, spontaneous, and discreet moments.” With this astonishingly short heat-up time in a portable device, the German manufacturer and market leader is indeed breaking records, unleashing potential. Distinguishing itself from competitors and giving users full control over their vaporizing experience, STORZ & BICKEL engineered the first portable vaporizer of its kind to offer an adjustable airflow. Moreover, the VENTY is one of the highest-performing portable devices on the market, with an impressive maximum of 20 liters of air per minute. STORZ & BICKEL thereby nearly doubled the amount of cool, tasty vapor in comparison to its predecessor and all-time throne holder, the MIGHTY+. The VENTY’s customizable airflow settings ensure an exceptionally low draw resistance while allowing users to tailor each session to their exact preferences. On top of that, the VENTY includes a newly developed flowmeter that measures the negative pressure of the inhalation and dynamically adjusts the heating to match the draw. This results in consistent and excellent vapor production, no matter the intensity of the inhalation. These new features, combined with the VENTY’s temperature precision, which is modifiable and visible for the user directly on the device, make it as easy as it has never been before to find your own personal sweet spot. STORZ & BICKEL, never shy about groundbreaking innovations, re-designed their patented convection and conduction heater and cooling technology for the VENTY. Moreover, the company came up with a new and, so far, the most sophisticated heating management system these pioneers have ever built. The re-shaped Cooling Unit and housing encapsulating the heater are made of medical-grade PEEK – a material used in medical engineering and aerospace. The ingeniously efficient new mini heater provides the fastest heat-up time of any STORZ & BICKEL vaporizer so far. It consists of an electrifiable, thus heated, wire around the heating block with holes in its center, through which air is drawn. At its maximum stage, the VENTY boasts a maximum power usage of 130 Watts at 16 Amps and therefore exceeds the currently highest-performing portable vaporizer from STORZ & BICKEL – the MIGHTY+, with a maximum of 40 Watts – by far, setting new industry standards again. The smart new VENTY supports Bluetooth and is customizable with the STORZ & BICKEL Web App. Various settings can be accessed and adjusted, like the desired temperature from 40°C – 210°C (104°F – 410°F), two pre-set Booster temperatures, the display’s brightness, vibration settings, and an ECO-charge mode. The new device allows users to modify the vaporizer to their personal taste, while software updates over the air can be implemented – all from the convenience of their smartphones. Crafted according to the high standards for medically certified manufacturers, the VENTY guarantees superior quality in performance and endurance. Therefore, it complements an active lifestyle, offering a breath of fresh adventure, whether on a mountain peak or oceanside. The VENTY is splash-proof, all materials are food-safe, and the housing is non-heat-conductive, making it touch-proof, despite the power unleashed inside this smart, sturdy, and sleek device. STORZ & BICKEL is the unattained global leading brand for high-end vaporizers and is truly unique as the world’s first medically certified manufacturer of vaporizers. Based in Tuttlingen, Germany, STORZ & BICKEL continuously drives the advancement of vaporization technology, providing a safe and efficient means of consuming cannabis for medical as well as recreational purposes. For more than 20 years, the company and their commitment to quality, innovation, and compliance have consistently delivered exceptional products that meet and exceed the highest industry standards. From the iconic VOLCANO series to the new portable VENTY, the state-of-the-art vaporizers of STORZ & BICKEL, Made in Germany, seamlessly blend reliable innovative technology with timeless elegance and promise an elevated everyday vaporization experience.

https://hightimes.com/

Green Wednesday Adult-Use Cannabis Surpassed $9 Million in Sales

The day before Thanksgiving, often referred to as “Green Wednesday” in the cannabis industry, saw a record number of sales once again. According to data collected by Jane Technologies, recreational sales on Nov. 22 reached $9,209,061.73—an 18.12% increase from Green Friday sales data in 2022, which landed at $7,795,803,80 last year. Adult-use cannabis sales on Nov. 22 had also increased by 90.5% in comparison to sales on the three previous Wednesdays, including Nov. 1, Nov. 8, and Nov. 15, which collected a total of $4,833,890.74. In products for Green Wednesday sales, flower led the way with the most sales, clocking in at $3,352,845.91, followed by vape-related products at $2,533,166.62, edibles at $1,207,840.33, pre-rolls at $963,026.92, and lastly, extracts with $448,520.89. According to its website, Jane Technologies serves dispensaries in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. Among these, the states with the highest sales revenue included Illinois ($2,868,215.31), California ($1,084,388.39), New Jersey ($880,127.66), Maryland ($758,727.23), and Washington ($709,599.95). Jane Technologies CEO and Cofounder, Socrates Rosenfeld, said in a press statement to Business of Cannabis that the cannabis industry’s future is continuing to grow. “As we approach 2024, the US cannabis industry finds itself at an exciting point in time. With the government’s recent actions on issues like SAFER and rescheduling, the end of cannabis prohibition has never felt closer to becoming a reality,” Rosenfeld said in a press release. “With future consumer growth expected to be exponential and large mainstream brands anticipated to enter the space, current Industry operators must continue to invest in scalable solutions to remain competitive.” Medical cannabis sales on Green Wednesday, however, continue to drop. While medical sales reached $8,166,102.75, it was an 11.1% decline compared to last year’s sales at $9,191,493.38. Product popularity was similar to that of adult use sales, with a slight variation. Medical cannabis flowers reached $3,922,135.11, followed by vape-related products at $2,174,895.66, edibles at $896,241.66, extracts $592,565.12, and lastly, pre-rolls at $327,542.51. The states with the highest collection of sales varies a bit more than that of the adult-use sales, with Pennsylvania in the lead ($2,577,176.05), followed by Florida ($1,229,439.36), Ohio ($756,845.71), Maryland ($585,176.82), and Virginia ($561,534.87). Black Friday reports are still rolling in, but traffic was high in many markets. Reports from Michigan show long lines and interest for special deals, according to Levels general manager Drew McCarthy. “Black Friday is a big stressful day, after a big stressful day,” said McCarthy. “So, we wanted to give back to people and be able to have them not just take back the product they bought, but something extra to go and share with people around them and kind of go and promote that holiday spirit.” According to BDSA data analyst Brendan Mitchel-Chesebro, Black Friday weekend continues to reflect increased interest and traffic. “Black Friday consistently experiences the highest surge in cannabis sales of any holiday, other than 420,” Brendan Mitchel-Chesebro said, according to The Fresh Toast. “These insights are important for retailers looking to optimize their holiday strategies. By preparing for increased foot traffic with increased staff and an ample supply of popular products instead of leaning into promotions, retailers will win with consumers this holiday season.” Green Wednesday and Black Friday continue to be one of the major cannabis sales holidays of the year. This year, some state cannabis agencies joined in to promote sales and support. The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) posted on social media to deter black market sales and encourage legal sales. “Don’t follow the hordes of shoppers today! Friday shop smart, shop licensed cannabis,” DCC wrote online. “To find your nearest licensed retailer please visit: https://search.cannabis.ca.gov/retailers.” The New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) shared efforts to support cannabis dispensaries as small businesses.” While you grab some #BlackFriday deals, take a note from #NYCCB member, Hope Knight and support #SmallBusinessSaturdays at one of your local dispensaries,” OCM wrote. Additionally in Connecticut on Thanksgiving Day, liquor stores were closed and other stores that sell alcohol and were open on that day were not permitted to sell alcohol. However, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection issued a notice stating that cannabis sales are permitted on Thanksgiving. The holiday season is also the time of year we begin to see cannabis brands offering support to local communities. Puff Cannabis handed out an estimated 2,500 turkeys this year for people in need, which was twice the amount that the brand gave out in 2022. “The goal of Puff Cannabis Company from the beginning has been to offer top- notch cannabis products while building a knowledgeable and customer-focused team,” said Puff Cannabis founder Justin Elias. “We are honored to have grown to 12 dispensary locations throughout Michigan in only four years, with many locations on tap to open in 2024.” MariMed, which operates in Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, Ohio, and Delaware, announced that it would be donating 800 turkeys this year as well. “Doing our part to support the communities we serve is an important part of MariMed’s mission to improve people’s lives every day,” said MariMed CEO Jon Levine. “This is the third consecutive year of our Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, which has become a wonderful tradition that our entire MariMed family rallies behind. We’re proud that we can help ease the financial burden for so many people at this time of year.”

https://hightimes.com/

Jon’s Stone-Cold Cop List #44: Green Everyday

It may be the first week off I’ve had in ages, but you know I couldn’t let another month close without dropping you a new list of heat to acquire. I know last week was all about supposed deals amidst all the stuff we’re already thankful for, but the good news is over here life’s green everyday – we don’t have to limit it to just one that’s designed by corporations to suck your coffers dry. There are always deals if you know where to shop! Anyway, November’s just about over, it’s officially (at least) hoodie weather everywhere, and the real holiday madness is about to begin. I’ve already seen several Christmas ads, and parking lots turning into open-air tree markets, and I’m already sick of the holly jolly nonsense. Maybe I’m cynical, maybe I’m old, but this is by far the least Christmas spirit I’ve ever felt, so, drugs it is to spice things up. Below are some of my latest favorites, as well as some fun events happening this week that I figured I’d throw in in case you’re in town. For those on the east coast, we’ll be rolling pretty deep to Miami next week for Terp Basel. Come hang out! As always, feel free to pop me a line on twitter to tell me what you hate about this, or on the rare occasion what you loved, I’m always happy to argue with you. We’re big fans of Preferred Gardens over here. From the immaculate flower they produce, to the massive team/entourage they roll around with, everything about these guys is top tier. I was late to the party only first getting to link up with them at the beginning of the year, but I’ve seen them many times since and the consensus remains: They’re fun to be around, and their work ALWAYS smokes. The last time I mentioned them in a list I gave props to the joints these guys put out. In the immortal words of the team, ‘these doinks don’t suck,’ and in fact, I started calling them one ashers, as that’s really all that you’ll need if you know what you’re doing. That said, having now had a few more chances to get hands on with the flower in its original form, I’m happy to share that they’re all bleeding terps, even through a blunt. This is one I’d been hearing rumblings of for a while. There are few cultivars that hit the street with this much hype in tow, and typically when I see something pop off that fast I tend to assume it’s a smoke & mirrors play. The hype is usually just marketing. But friends, I’m here to tell you that’s not the case with Venom, this one’s a real smoker. A cross of Animal Face & Sin Mintz, originally bred by Ronin Seeds, grown by Cannapy Builders, and popularized by West Coast Connoisseurs, Ted from Alien Labs showed me some of the Living Soil batch they put out recently and man, I got so high that I forgot what time my flight was – while looking at my confirmation. I hear there’s a new batch that’ll be cured up in Jan that’s expected to be very special, so I’m excited to cop a bit more for myself. I suggest you do the same. At the Full Moon Sesh last month there was one pickup that made it into my bag that exceeded all others in terms of my excitement to consume it. Now this was a hyper privileged batch, and I’m not sure when a full run will hit the streets, but Serge certainly has a hit on his hands with this one, and it seems like a light washer, so if you see this on a menu somewhere don’t sleep on your chance to taste it. Maybe the most Pina Colada-y terps I’ve ever experienced, and from fresh press no less, the Colada was washed by frequent purveyors of hype Feel Good LA. Grown by Serge, but originally bred by Beleaf the Hunter Gatherer, this one’s not only terpy, it smacks too. It might taste like that light drink you sip by the pool, but you’re going to feel it like a tidal wave. Another frequent flier on the cop list, Pelli’s incredible legacy has been shouted from the rooftops (and included in rap songs) for literal decades, but his new hash holes? I gotta say, Pelli’s in the zone right now. He’s been hard at work hunting for his next new flavors, some phenos of which I was fortunate enough to get to check out at Full Moon, but he’s been twisting up the classics lately and they’re just as fresh as ever. His Ropeium (which was paired with GG4) remains my favorite, but that Super Gremlin stays a superstar as well! I actually meant to get this one in the last list so I apologize for the delayed notice, but the Z that Your Highness has been rocking lately is worth calling attention to. A bit darker than most of the Z we typically see floating around – which if anything just makes it more market viable – every time I’ve seen them this year the weed seems to somehow keep getting better. They’re also a ton of fun. At every one of Jimi’s Transbay events they always had one of the best set ups, and the aesthetics and merch continue to set an example for the rest of us. These guys have had a really good year. From winning one of the most coveted competitions on the east coast through a collaboration with Cipher Genetics on ‘Blue Lobster’ – which is a well-known but rare delicacy for those back east (I know a lot of west coasters are like ‘tf is that?’) – to now launching that same strain on the rec market out here in California, a rare feat for an east coast label, the gang from Maine has been doing some truly impressive work. And before you ask, it’s not just the Lobster. I’ve had the good fortune of trying several of their cultivars, and they’re all in the upper echelon. I don’t want this to come off as a slight because the genetics are clearly great, but I also wonder if these guys have some special curing techniques as well because every sample I’ve seen has smoked immaculate. When I did the High Grade Confirmed event last month, Firefly Organics was the brand one of the founders was most excited to show me, and with good reason – these guys were an exciting discovery. I got to check out three cultivars, of which the Albariño was definitely my fav, but it had that orange stain your mouth terp that not everyone loves, so I also want to recommend the White Niño, which was my favorite of the other two. That said, they all tasted delicious, and were clean smokers, so it’s worth tapping in with whatever you can from this crew. I’d been following Pleasant Effects for awhile now, and while from afar I’ve been a fan of what he’s been putting out online, having finally gotten a chance to get my hands on his small batch grow I’ve got to say, it smokes even better than it looks – and that’s already set a high bar. True to his name, the high is *at the very least* effectively described as pleasant, and strong, with all four of the varietals I sampled rocking me. My favorite of the gang was probably his SD Warheads, but the Permanent Market and Sherbanger were also definitely amongst the best expressions I’ve seen. Another one of my favorite finds from my most recent trip back east, Bushwacker’s flower smokes as good as his jar looks, which is worth celebrating in and of itself in this marketing-driven society we live in. That said, while the Grapeful Dead (a Runtz x Coffin Candy) was definitely my favorite jar, it was the Pandemonium (Z x Sherbanger) that stole the show for me. I also smoked the Sake Bomb, which is pictured above and a cross of Sherbanger & Gelato 33, and while not my favorite of the bunch, was absolutely a serious smoker. These guys might’ve been a new name for me, but they definitely know what they’re doing. One to keep an eye on for sure. Sacred Fruits has been producing high quality mushroom products since their inception, and while typically they buck the trends of the market, skipping over-popularized low-hanging fruit like gummies or chocolate, their latest product is likely their most familiar and entry-level SKU yet. We’ve all heard of Mushroom Tea, perhaps the easiest way to down the magic you’re after, but it’s not like they were just selling these tea bags at the grocery store. While still not at the grocer, you can now get a pre-blended journey through their Magic Tea, which I’ve affectionately started calling Sacred Tea. A box comes with 5 teabags, each packing 1.4 grams of mushrooms as well as a delicious blend to help mask the taste. It’s recommended you steep these for 20 minutes to maximize the effect. It was an eventful weekend online for Vandul, who participated in one of the most ridiculous art beefs to ever grace the internet, but I realized amidst the madness that I haven’t told you guys about his Hostage series yet, which I’ve been obsessed with for months. While I recognize there are serious world events happening right now and don’t say this to make light of anything happening abroad, it feels safe to include as he’s attacking corporations, rather than any perceivable innocents, and consumerism is killing us all. He’s been crafting some of my favorite toys for years now, but this new series really tickles me in a special type of way. I’ve already bought Hostages 1 & 2 (Mickey & Kaws) and can’t wait for the next drop. These don’t usually last long so if this is up your alley I wouldn’t sleep on it… This is another artist I’ve been a fan of for a long time that’s making cool shit that I’m realizing I can include in here because who is going to tell me I can’t? Dogman crafts incredibly intricate hand made toys that are far better than most of the handmade DIY stuff you see on platforms like Etsy, and he regularly makes small runs for events in our community, like the Very Heady Halloween sesh. Most of his characters are hilarious commentary on world events or creative bootlegs of pop culture heroes, like the Elmer’s Greenhouse shown above, and honestly I’ve started amassing a collection over here. Following the success of Hash Hole Island earlier this summer, CGO is back with another event, and this time he’s starting up a national holiday. The combination of 4/20 & 7/10, our two days already dedicated to weed and hash, 11/30 this year represents the inaugural Hash Hole Day. Coming downstate this time to maximize the hype, the event will be hosted by industry godfathers Berner and Adam Ill, who it’s worth mentioning has been celebrating this combo holiday for a few years now, though not dubbing it Hash Hole Day. Taking place at Optimist Studios on the west side, I’m excited to celebrate with you all on Thursday! Speaking of events this week, on Friday some of the best weed-friendly comedians in the game are doing a special night of smoke and comedy at GOAT’s new spot in West Hollywood and it promises to be a night to remember. Featuring WEIRDOS alum Frank Castillo and Steve Furey, as well as Trevor Wallace, Ron Funches and Jil Chrissie, the lineup is clearly stacked, and it’s likely that many of the jokes will be at our expense, so it’ll be worth pulling up if you’re in town. Going to Comedy shows is one of my favorite things to do, and I’ve realized recently how many of my friends just… never go to them, so if you’re not already regularly doing this, this is also just a good idea for your mental, gangster. Doesn’t have to be this one specifically, just get out and laugh a bit. It’s medicine, too. I simply can’t close this out without once again shouting out Weed & Wagyu and the gang over LA FAV. At Jesse’s memorial at Archie’s earlier this month, LA FAV dropped a new collab with his Weed & Wagyu brand to honor his legacy, and it’s actually the fulfillment of his original plan for Not Another Lemon Cherry Gelato – spoofing the Not Another Teen Movie poster and replacing the characters with our community’s usual suspects. This got the nepotism tag because I’m on the jar, as is Jesse and TrulyRedPanda, but true to form for the gang even the most novice of consumers won’t mistake this Bubble Zum for an LCG. They won’t be complaining about it, either! Also, fuck SSENSE (the fashion co, not the weed guys) for covering up Saber’s mural!

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