Loud Thoughts Origin Story: Who is Lief Landracer?

My fictional story about a real-life stigma.

Jack

It all began when I was 10 years old, inside an amber-lit gymnasium. In fourth grade, I gave a five minute speech about my thoughts on D.A.R.E., remaining drug-free and helpful tips for the future. The speech was a big deal to me—I wanted to do the right thing since I was very young and quite frankly had my heart set on winning at the time. I rehearsed in front of my dad, adjusted accordingly and went on to win the essay contest. Just eight years later, I spearheaded my city’s cannabis reform efforts at WNY NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).

My name is Jack Porcari and I’m here today because I came back from a very dark place. Lief Landracer is the person I became after overcoming personal hurt and adopting a fresh mindset. I decided to represent this change with a pen name because the new personal paradigm helped me understand the fluidity of my own attitudes. If you could look up Lief Landracer in a dictionary, unification would probably be the top synonym.

Choosing Lief obviously is adventurous; it symbolizes exploration, uncertainty and the long distances we are traveling to understand one of nature’s sweetest shrubs. The respelling of “Leif” represents a history we need to rewrite to integrate the plant. Lief literally means “loved” or “heir,” relating to the love of cannabis and our destiny to reclaim the throne of inner mastery—knowing ourselves, others and respecting the world around us (that includes respecting the plant and how we use it responsibly).

The last name, Landracer, is simple; it is adapted from the word “landrace,” meaning a pure-bred cannabis cultivar originating in Asia, Africa and eventually, the world: these genetics are extremely difficult to find and produce distinct effects in each region (my favorite is Durban Poison). Landracer reminds us we are all incredibly unique and step on the same soil. As far as cannabis is concerned, every experience is cultivated by a unique person and came about because of a unique plant. Despite different regions, altitudes and horticultural practices around the world, weed found a way to grow bountifully.

This “living lens” I’ve learned to see through has given me strength to shed the internalized stigma of my life. As a result, Lief Landracer has become my antidote to self-loathing, canna-shame and a lack of purpose. I am no longer humiliated to call myself epileptic. I refuse to accept the belief that consuming cannabis is harmful to society. And crucially, the plant has inspired a personal fascination of crossing boundaries and building bridges everywhere. I’ve seen firsthand the transformation that is possible when you are in tune with your own frequencies.

The plant gave me the space to mentally be myself, slow down and realize life’s tough pushes, little pains and seeminglyimpossible goals are the lifeblood of a happy existence. I never could imagine telling this story after the tsunami of depression I endured on the anti-epileptic drugs of my teenage years. And I get it, doy—plant does not equal perfect. But the first time I felt high, it felt like I was being held by something bigger than myself. Not a person, not a plant, not a religious experience or anything like that… just a present sense of safety. At that point in time, I realized it had been four years since I felt that way—before I was diagnosed. And although the stigma around reefer has started to erode, prohibition’s roots of racism, disinformation and division are deeply entangled in the stemming cultures.

Because of this fact and my own journey, I am inspired to help others see past complicated crossroads—in any area of my life. Lief’s passion birthed a desire to share his intimate canna-musings online as The Canna-Professor. The Instagram page is dedicated to spreading everyday stories and revealing the love and beauty of Right Now through cannabis. As Lief Landracer, aka professor, I’ll be unyielding in unifying through storytelling. So join me, as I share the Loud Thoughts of my life.