Feb. 2024 - California Leaf

THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE

#46 | FEB. 2024

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STONER OWNER

COURTESY

FEATURES

CHAMPELLI Cover Artist Cabin 7 Originals chats with Leaf Nation’s Katherine Wolf to share more about her process and artistic vision.

ALEX UBATUBA

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OF CANNABIS CULTURE

LUCID SOCIETY

DOPE

DESIGNERS

ICONIC ACTOR & ACTIVIST WOODY HARRELSON

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HASH

CALENDAR

CLUB

BRUCE WOLF

DESIGNS CREATIVE COMMONS

COURTESY

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GLASS ART SPOTLIGHT

07 08 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 31 32 34 36 38

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EDITOR’S NOTE NATIONAL NEWS REHASHED SHOP REVIEW BUDTENDER Q&A STONER OWNER CONCENTRATE OF THE MONTH STRAIN OF THE MONTH CABIN 7 ORIGINALS DOPE DESIGNERS CULTURAL HIGHCONS HIGHER FREQUENCIES TERP TOWN HASH CALENDAR CLUB RECIPES GLASS ART CANNTHROPOLOGY STONEY BALONEY

FEB. 2024

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HIGHCONS

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MIKE RICKER

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SHOP REVIEW

JOSHUA MONTHEI

GOAT GLOBAL LOS ANGELES

COURTESY

THE CULTURE ISSUE

#46

[

FEB. 2024

issue

high, california!

CAL I F O R N I A

Available at: Zen Garden Wellness Vallejo Relief center mission organic The People’s Remedy herbarium Abide Herbs Collective Hi Fidelity The Sweet Spot 365 Recreational Cannabis Blunts + Moore All About Wellness

Phenotopia Oakanna Canna Culture Collective Lemonnade Valley Pure Megan’s Organic Market Green Remedy Ascent Bishop Holistic Healing Collective culture cannabis off the charts

@midzotics @riffzotics

Merch available at midzotics.com

E S TA B L I S H E D 2 0 1 0

T H E E N L I G H T E N E D VO I C E

N O RT H W E S T L E A F / O R EG O N L E A F / A L AS KA L E A F / M A RY L A N D L E A F / CA L I F O R N I A L E A F / N O RT H E AS T L E A F / U TA H L E A F

A B O U T T H E C OV E R

Each year, we at the Leaf challenge ourselves to find a way to encapsulate the culture surrounding this plant we all love. This year, we turned to the incomparable Bridget Intessimone, better known as Cabin 7, who perfectly distilled the magic and energy of an intimate sesh between bowlmates, overlooking a Main Street buzzing with Cannabis culture. If her work looks familiar you might remember her 1st cover back in December 2021 for The Edibles Issue, where she depicted a winter wonderland utopia of frosty edible goodness set in a ultra-stoney setting.

COVER ART BY CABIN 7 ORIGINALS @CABIN7ORIGINALS

CONTRIBUTORS

WES ABNEY C E O & F O U N D E R wes@leafmagazines.com MIKE RICKER O P E R AT I N G PA R T N E R ricker@leafmagazines.com | advertising opportunities TOM BOWERS C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R tom@leafmagazines.com DANIEL BERMAN C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R daniel@leafmagazines.com BOBBY BLACK STAT E C O N T E N T D I R E C T O R bobbyblack@leafmagazines.com MEGHAN RIDLEY C O PY E D I T O R meghan@leafmagazines.com

ASHLEY HIRCHERT S O C I A L M E D I A L E A D ashley@leafmagazines.com

WES ABNEY, FEATURES BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATION TOM BOWERS, FEATURES + PHOTOS CABIN 7 ORIGINALS, ILLUSTRATIONS AMANDA DAY, FEATURES MAX EARLY. FEATURES MATT JACKSON, FEATURES WILL LANE, PHOTOS JOSHUA MONTHEI, PHOTOS SARA MILLS-GAINES, SALES JESSE RAMIREZ, DESIGN MIKE RICKER, FEATURES MEGHAN RIDLEY, EDITING KATHERINE WOLF, FEATURES BRUCE & LAURIE WOLF, RECIPES

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ABNEY

Editor’s Note Thanks for picking up The Culture Issue of California Leaf!

Cannabis is going through a cultural revolution, having a huge impact on the arts, music and culture across the board – while also becoming normalized as a choice for adults to use legally. What a unique time to be alive as a stoner!

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Weed has gone from highly illegal and very cool, to being mostly legal and somewhat less rebellious. Try going to a party and announcing you have weed. It won’t be like my college years, when a fire eighth could make you a hero for a night.

"CANNABIS Weed today doesn’t even smell like a skunk if you don’t want it to. We have HAS BEEN flavors and drinks and breath mints, all infusing our lives with Cannabis as a INFLUENCING wave of highness washes over our American culture.

ART, MUSIC, Those that watched Anderson Cooper saw the return of on-air shots of booze to the New Year's Eve celebration, but I was waiting for the power of the dab pen to get puffed on air. It’s almost as if the mainstream media, and the leaders and politicians they elect through the control of information, are completely ignoring weed. It’s legal for medicinal use in two-thirds of the U.S. – but turn on the TV and it’s all ads for pills and beer, and of course, politics.

FASHION AND ENLIGHTENED THINKING FOR CENTURIES, WHILE NEVER GETTING CREDIT FOR SHAPING THE WORLD."

These are strange times indeed, as our world heads closer towards war and our politicians ignore the will of the people heading into another important election season. I have to wonder: Why isn’t weed on the ballot and in the lungs of our politicians? Considering NPR’s report that 25% of Congress is over the age of 70, you’d think the potential for relief from the aches, pains and cognitive decline that comes with aging would be something they’d support – both for themselves and the people they represent. Hello lawmakers, medical Cannabis is here!

Our constitution guarantees the right to pursue happiness, and it seems clear that the Founding Fathers felt that any pursuit of this freedom that didn’t harm others was protected. Today, America seems to be embracing more freedoms in the pursuit of equality – but at the cost of censorship of dissenting voices. As stoners, we know what it’s like to be pigeon-holed into a second class of citizenry – facing prison for growing or smoking a plant – so we should have little tolerance for suppression of any ideas or speech, no matter which side it comes from.

While the political elites and the mainstream media do their best to isolate and divide us, we must come together as a demographic, as a community, as a culture. Cannabis has the power to unite all walks of life, races and religions, in celebration of a plant that makes us all feel better. Our culture isn’t some subset of the greater culture, it is THE culture that America needs. Cannabis has been influencing art, music, fashion and enlightened thinking for centuries, while never getting credit for shaping the world. It’s time to pass the torch! The era of the stoner is here at last.

-Wes Abney

Have a strain, product, or news tip that the California Leaf staff needs to know about? Email bobbyblack@LeafMagazines.com!

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We are creators of targeted, independent Cannabis journalism. Please email us to discuss advertising in the next issue of California Leaf Magazine. We do not sell stories or coverage. We can offer design services and guidance on promoting your company’s medicinal, recreational, commercial or industrial Cannabis business, product or event within our magazine and on our website, leafmagazines.com. Email ricker@leafmagazines.com to start advertising with California Leaf!

WES

The Second Amendment Foundation and a District Attorney in Pennsylvania have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Government that aims to strike down federal restrictions on gun ownership by medical Cannabis patients.

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With medical Cannabis legal in 38 states and recreational Cannabis legal in 24 states, there is a major conflict between individual and patient rights and the status of Cannabis as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. Classified as Schedule I means that Cannabis has been defined as a “drug with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are: heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (Cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote,” according to the DEA’s website.

The irony of this scheduling is that Cannabis, along with LSD, MDMA and Peyote all have therapeutic benefits that have been documented, placing users of these medicines at odds with the government’s regulation of firearms. Specifically, Cannabis patients and users in legal states face a choice between their medicine or their right to bear arms. This lawsuit names the U.S. 8 Government, as well as Attorney General Merrick Garland and the heads of the FBI and ATF. “With the increasing acceptance of medical Cannabis, millions of Americans are forced to choose between the exercise of their Second Amendment rights or treating their symptoms with a substance that disenfranchises them from their constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut in a SAF press "...the Federal release, who is also a Pennsylvania Government attorney.” Such a choice is incomhas a unique patible with the Constitution and opportunity to finds no basis in this country’s hisrecognize the tory and tradition. We look forward rights of users to vindicating the rights of medical of Cannabis to marijuana users.” also bear arms."

Challenges to the restrictions of gun rights on users of Cannabis have emerged in the courts over the last several years, with recent reporting on the issue by the New York Times in an article titled “Federal Law Requires a Choice: Marijuana or a Gun?” As the Supreme Court prepares to consider more gun rights arguments, and with lesser courts facing cases like this SAF lawsuit, the Federal Government has a unique opportunity to recognize the rights of users of Cannabis to also bear arms. With legal precedence set by the 2022 Bruen ruling, a historical look to gun laws indicates to us that the Founding Fathers would not have restricted the rights of those who chose to use Cannabis – which was present in over 2,000 pharmaceutical medications in 1937 when it was first made illegal in the U.S.

feb. 2024

CDC STUDY: UNDERAGE USE OF CANNABIS HAS DROPPED SINCE LEGALIZATION IN WA'S LARGEST COUNTY Youth use of Cannabis has declined in King County, Washington in the years since Cannabis was legalized, reaffirming activist predictions that legalizing the plant would have a positive impact on youth drug use.

Despite fears from drug war propagandists, the number of middle

As more states consider legalization of the medical and recreational use of Cannabis, studies like this demonstrate that the long-standing argument that legalizing hurts kids is simply not true. This data has also been corroborated by a Canadian study that found Cannabis was harder for students to access since legalization. For Leaf news staff, this reinforces a long-held belief that making a drug illegal makes it cool and more enticing – while watching parents eat gummies to sleep and use Cannabis responsibly makes teens less interested in Cannabis overall.

"The ‘current use of Cannabis at least once in a month’ was reported

by Marijuana Moment to have fallen from 20.4% in males and 15.5% in females to 7.7 and 9% respectively. "

and high school students who admit to frequently using Cannabis has dropped in the years between 2008 and 2021.

The ‘current use of Cannabis at least once in a month’ was reported by Marijuana Moment to have fallen from 20.4% in males and 15.5% in females to 7.7 and 9% respectively. According to the CDC report, the strict controls and age restrictions at dispensaries “might have affected availability of Cannabis to younger persons as well as their opportunities to engage in its use,” which is government speak for admitting that safe regulations work.

THAILAND CONSIDERS BANNING CANNABIS. AGAIN. With a newly-elected government in control,

Thailand is considering a shift to making Cannabis illegal again – ramping up the country’s decades-long war on drugs.

Thailand made history when they decriminalized Cannabis in 2022, which has allowed medical and adult use of Cannabis to spread in a country that once executed those convicted of drug trafficking. However, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin isn’t fond of these new freedoms and associates Cannabis with the larger illegal drug trade that has caused major problems throughout Asia. Speaking to Bloomberg Television in an interview, the PM said that “the law will need to be rewritten … We can have

[Cannabis] regulated for medical use only,” he said intensely. When asked if there would be freedom for adult/recreational use, he replied with a succinct “No.” While it doesn’t look like Thailand will be the new Amsterdam, currently adults over the age of 20 are able to grow, consume and buy Cannabis – with a proliferation of more than 5,000 shops offering products similar to a stateside dispensary, including alleged products from California’s loosely regulated marketplace.

For now, Cannabis tourists and users have nothing to fear – but how long this experiment in legalization and decriminalization in Asia will last is up in the air.

DESANTIS SAYS VOTERS WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO LEGALIZE Finally making news for a positive policy change, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters that he believes voters will get a chance to make Cannabis history this November. Medical Cannabis use is currently legal in Florida, but with heavy restrictions and penalties still in place for recreational use. The State Supreme Court is currently facing an April deadline to decide on a proposed state constitutional amendment proposal – which received 1,033,769 votes to put the issue in front of the state's highest court. When asked at a campaign event if voters would see legalization on the ballot by Cannabis lobbyist Don Murphy as reported by Gulflive.com, DeSantis replied, “I think the court is going to approve [that amendment], so it’ll be on the ballot.”

While DeSantis himself doesn’t believe that recreational Cannabis is good for Florida, over 70% of polled voters feel that Cannabis use should be legalized for adults. With more than 870,458 registered medical Cannabis patients at the time of print, it seems clear that the people want legal pot – and less Florida Man stories involving other drugs to represent the culture of the Sunshine State.

STORIES by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by ADOBE STOCK & CREATIVE COMMONS

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rehashed

january 28, 2024 | LOS ANGELES

Budtenders travelled far and wide from their SoCal posts to get a first feel of this world class experience where all the stoner senses are satiated.

leafmagazines.com

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BIG UPS TO BUDTENDERS! To show some love to the most deserving personalities in the biz, the newly revamped OG Cannabis Cafe in West Hollywood swung open the doors for a festive night of food and frolic.

This Budtender Appreciation Party showcased the finest attributes of an inviting consumption lounge – good munchies, positive vibes and elegant ambience.

Budtenders traveled far and wide from their SoCal posts to get a first feel of this world class experience where all the stoner senses are satiated. After imbibing the yummy edibles, the pre-rolls sparked up the warm evening – creating a smokey sight in the open-air veranda while DJ Ben Cohen @bencocomusic spun the sexy sounds inside. What makes this place rare is the offering of cocktails on the south side of the space, where open consumption takes center stage on the north side.

It’s official, West Hollywood’s consumption lounges are creating a culture that is becoming the desired destination for Cannabis enthusiasts inside and outside of the industry. This is your tribe, so come be a part of it!

We stoners need more safe zones to hang and share the energy and ideas inspired by the plant, so the more the merrier. And if you’re in the area, check out their Marijuana Meditations that include a Cannabis infused sound bath every second and last Tuesday mornings of the month. OG CANNABIS CAFE 1201 N LA BREA AVE, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA Super props go to Dizzies and Huxleys for WWW.CANNABIS.CAFE | @OGCANNABISCAFE providing the tasty, abundant treats. Thanks for OPEN TUES-FRI 12P-10PM & WEEKENDS 10AM-10PM (323) 452-9029 getting everyone properly lifted!

feb. 2024

STORY & PHOTOS by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ @CALIFORNIA LEAF | ADDITIONAL PHOTOS by CANNABIS CAFE See more photos from the event at LeafMagazines.com

shop review

LOS ANGELES

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THEYGOTGAME leafmagazines.com

B I G PR O P S

Like most people in this community, the first seeds sprout from the heart – and from there, they are cultivated with ideas and hard work. This cultured enterprise was no different when three friends combined their visions with the intention of developing something recognizable and significant. Which is always great when they know what good weed is. And the good weed is where the vibe began as growers in Humboldt County, leading to getting a license and opening their first shop in Eureka. This worked out so well, they began setting their sights on SoCal to return to the roots of where two of them were raised.

feb. 2024

BIG DROPS

When they embarked on this venture to establish a well-concepted retail experience that houses exclusive drops from some of the finest growers in the game, they decided to leave the cultivating to the real pros and not make this just another ordinary vertical operation that grows mids. The good news is that their reputation was so ubiquitous, the big names wanted to affiliate. So now, what you get is special VIP treatment and first grabs of hype strains from GOAT growers like Mr. Gelatti, Zushi, Doja.pak and Trilogy, just to name a few. You’d be wise to keep your eye on the GOAT GLOBAL IG page for when the next star-studded lineup will beckon your attendance. Welcome to the family!

WINNING S TRAT EGY

When you’re known for being good at what you do, people want more of it. So, with the intention of growing this elemental brand, the focus is developing a GOAT GLOBAL CONSUMPTION CAMPUS in West Hollywood – complete with food and beverages. What? That’s amazing! They’ve made it clear that they’re not interested in buying market share because they want to earn market share (that’s how you become the GOAT). In fact, they’re calculating their strategic expansion into states like Ohio and New York just for starters. No Chad money here. And BTW, this Westwood location is building an attached coffee shop, equaling one-stop shopping for caffeine and Cannabis. It’s all about giving you what you want!

GOAT GLOBAL

2299 Westwood Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 8AM-10PM Daily (424) 369-5005 goatglobal.com @goatglobal.westwood “THEIR REPUTATION WAS SO UBIQUITOUS, THE BIG NAMES WANTED TO AFFILIATE. SO NOW, WHAT YOU GET IS SPECIAL VIP TREATMENT AND FIRST GRABS OF HYPE STRAINS.”

S TA F F PICKS

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JOINTS LA Family Farms Apple Butter Hash Hole Liz Super Dope Cherry Popperz Hash Hole Reed Heavy Hitter Allen Fritter Diamond Preroll Yohanna

CARTS Chef Coldfire Dylan Dabwoods SFV OG Kiara 710 Labs Melon Soda Percy Pods Yohanna

DABS Pistol Whip Whoa Si Whoa Matt Laff Pineapple Fanta Tony

EDIBLES Good Tide Mango Michael Wyld Pear 1:1 Gummies Liz 710 Labs Hash Infused Gummies Tony

REVIEW & PHOTOS by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ/CALIFORNIA LEAF See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

stoner owner

CHAMPELLI FASHION, MUSIC AND CANNABIS

leafmagazines.com

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POPPING SEEDS ALL BREATHE THE SAME As a young buck coming up in SMOKE-FILLED AIR, and for the the Bernal Heights neighborhood past four decades, Champelli’s been in 1980s San Francisco, young Joe blowing the primo clouds. A soft-spoken, Rutherford drew inspiration and quietly confident icon, Pelli came up fast influence from his surroundings. in the ‘80s and ‘90s – sharing a similar The neighborhood itself was a trajectory to hip-hop, San Francisco and vibrant, rustic borough ripe with hippies and weed smoke – a hilltop Cannabis itself. Rising from middle school rising up among the surrounding grows at his mom’s house to being neighborhoods. name-dropped by the biggest names in “It was this unique vantage point. hip-hop, Champelli has methodically built It had all these quirky characters an empire around his greatest passions: who lived up there,” he said. “Sanstreet fashion, Cannabis culture and music. tana’s conga player lived up there.

Leaf Magazines spoke with Champelli It was very old-school ‘80s San Francisco working class, musicians for the Culture Issue to learn about the and hippies.” genesis of the Champelli name and to hear He recalls some of the people what he has planned for the future. who molded him at that early age, perhaps the most influential of which was his brother.

“I got to see my brother growing in the pantry that we had off of the kitchen,” he said of his mom’s house in Bernal Heights. “It was next to the cats and the dishes and stuff like that. He was growing there when I was in elementary school, and I ended up snagging some leaves and rolling them up with some friends, trying to figure out how to roll it up or do something with it. Rolling it in binder paper. Then later on in middle school was when I started to grow there myself.”

THE COME UP Rutherford immersed himself in the culture of his city, staying as close to the heartbeat as possible. He cultivated Cannabis through middle and high school, developing his creative side as a graffiti artist and skateboarder, catching shows at a venue down the hill called The Farm.

He watched the Cannabis culture grow, and with it, the quality and price of the weed.

“I watched it go from $20 an eighth to $25-$30, to $35, and then there was this huge jump in ‘89 to $50 an eighth,” he said.

“I went to my one buddy’s house, this one dealer, and he rolled up this huge joint and we smoked it. He was like, ‘This is the super Indo,’ and it just totally got me obliterated. It was amazing. He’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s $50 an eighth.’ I was like, ‘$50 an eighth? Holy shit!’ Yeah, that was the hype.”

In 1991, Rutherford dropped out of high school, and got his own apartment, where he continued to hone his craft as a breeder and cultivator, buying lights and setting up a solid indoor grow.

FEB. 2024

CULTIVATING A NAME

“SHE ONLY SEES ME WITH CHAMPELLI TREES SHE ONLY SEES ME HAVING HELLA GS SHE ONLY SEES ME WITH EUROPEAN KEYS …”

-MAC DRE, “DAVIN RIMS”

“I WAS INTO MUSIC AND SKATEBOARDING, AND I USED TO DO GRAFFITI …

BREAKDANCE AND ALL THIS STUFF, SO I WAS ALWAYS KIND OF IMMERSED IN JUST THE EVOLVING CULTURE.” This is when Rutherford truly started on the path to becoming Champelli.

“I was into music and skateboarding, and I used to do graffiti … breakdance and all this stuff, so I was always kind of immersed in just the evolving culture,” he said.

“I gravitated toward those scenes, being in touch with professional skaters and musicians, going to shows, and eventually getting little small clothing companies emerging at that time and trading them weed for clothes.”

In ‘92-’93, he dabbled in making music with his friend Aris Voulkous, and released an album. Then, around the same mid-’90s timeframe, he got his hands on a cut of the Kush. That was when everything took off.

EARNING HIS NAME The Kush cut served as a jumping off point for Rutherford’s transformation to Champelli.

“I always had the Kush, but got my name and fame from another strain, the Champagne,” he said. “The Kush and Champagne complemented each other nicely, both being completely different spectrums and flavor profiles. They were calling me the Champagne Cowboy and all this different stuff. The linguistics here in the Bay Area are very innovative with taking words and putting a twist on ‘em, so Champagne just kind of evolved into Champelli and became my moniker. Then the weed also turned into Champelli. They were like, ‘Yo, I need that Champelli.’”

By ‘95-’96, he dove deeper into producing music, becoming the executive producer of his own record label, Champelli Entertainment, which went on to release multiple projects independently.

On the quality of his flower and his chill demeanor, Champelli started hanging with the biggest names in the hip-hop and reggae communities, blessing them with his trademark Champelli heat.

“I always had really good luck at getting backstage,” he said. “I’d always end up in the back somehow, even if I didn’t have the hookup – I would just walk back there. I was meant to be there or something. Just be invisible for a moment and end up in these places.”

Champelli became a trap household name, getting props from Snoop Dogg, Mac Dre, B-Real, Beanie Sigel, Yukmouth, Memphis Bleek and other rappers in the scene. Recently, B-Real even told a story on Instagram about 2Pac rolling up with some Champelli. “The weed kind of made its way into the culture, into the music and the songs that are still etched into history and time, in urban mythology and lore,” Champelli said, “from Mac Dre to Snoop Dogg to all these Bay Area artists that mentioned the strain. It also made it all the way from L.A. to the East Coast, so artists on the East Coast started to name drop it in songs as well.”

A Stoner Owner is a Cannabis business owner who has a relationship with the plant.

We want to buy and smoke Cannabis from companies that care about their products, employees and the plant. You wouldn’t buy food from a restaurant where the cooks don’t eat in the kitchen, so why buy corporate weed grown by a company only concerned with profits? Stoner Owner approval means a company cares, and we love weed grown with care. Let’s retake our culture and reshape a stigma by honoring those who grow, process and sell the best Cannabis possible.

THE FUTURE Now, Champelli runs a legal Cannabis brand in California and designs his own fashion line that serves customers all over the world. He stays quietly humble about it.

“I’m always looking for different ways to express myself creatively,” he said, “whether it’s musically or design or through cuisine, through creating new strains or doing art design for the brand, doing photography.”

He’s currently working through 500-600 new phenotypes to pick new winners to release this year and will be doing a seed drop with Sensi Seeds for Spannabis in Barcelona this March.

“This year I am really looking to expand the brand and kind of take things to new heights,” he said. “As a small brand that hasn’t really taken on any investors or anything like that, trying to get the right pieces of the puzzle and the right ingredients to catapult the brand to the next level – I’m working on doing all that myself slowly but surely. But as an entrepreneur, it takes being patient and diligent, and just sticking with your vision and your dream and trying to see it through to the end.”

No matter what, Champelli doesn’t plan to lose sight of what inspired young Joe Rutherford all those years ago atop Bernal Heights.

“It’s a very magical plant,” he said, “and I feel like it has to be respected as such and treated as such.” @CHAMPELLI | @CHAMPELLI.CO

STORY by TOM BOWERS @CANNABOMBTOM/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by JOSH MONTHEI @CAPTURECANNABIS

interview

JUAN RIOS-SANCHEZ CALIFORNIA LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH YOU JUST BECAME A FATHER A YEAR AGO. HOW DOES THAT FEEL? It has its

challenges – mostly the lack of sleep, of course – but it’s a beautiful feeling having a mini-me. I have to work extra hard to provide for my family because I’m not wealthy by any means, but I’m rich in the heart and that’s what matters the most.

YOU’VE BEEN HUSTLING IN THIS INDUSTRY FOR YEARS WORKING FOR MULTIPLE COMPANIES. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE TODAY? I love this industry

because I owe everything to this plant. I grew up with epilepsy – it was eighth grade when I had my first seizure – and doctors were terrified because you usually get diagnosed before puberty and mine came after puberty started. I was prescribed medication – five pills a day for about four years – which I’m grateful for, but I feel like I really messed up my liver at a young age.

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“I’M RICH IN THE HEART AND THAT’S WHAT MATTERS THE MOST.”

BORN IN MEXICO, Juan’s parents emigrated to California when he was three years old, where he grew up heavily involved in team sports until discovering skateboarding.

This is where he learned that to succeed in life, you always have to get up after you fall. He loves to read educational books, currently with his nose buried in “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert T. Kiyosaki.

Follow him on Instagram @riosjuannn.

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feb. 2024

HOW DID CANNABIS ENTER YOUR LIFE? When I was 16, my best friend informed me that weed can help people with epilepsy. He educated me a little on THC and CBD, which created the spark that got me wanting to know more. I gave it a shot and eventually when I went in for an MRI, the doctors showed me a scan of my brain and were amazed that it looked completely normal – that I no longer had epilepsy. They asked what I was doing differently, which was a pivotal moment because my mom was there. I told them that I started smoking marijuana and asked if I could get a medical card. It changed my life.

HOW WILL YOU APPROACH THE SUBJECT OF CANNABIS WITH YOUR CHILD AS HE GETS OLDER? He’ll have the understanding that this

is medicine for his parents. I don’t want him to have fear about it or feel that it’s a bad thing.

This beautiful plant that grows in nature must be respected, but when the time comes, he will have his own relationship with it.

WHAT’S THE COOLEST NURSERY RHYME THAT’S ALWAYS IN YOUR HEAD THESE DAYS? (sings)

‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ – my little boy loves that.

INTERVIEW & PHOTOS by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ/CALIFORNIA LEAF Who’s your favorite budtender? Tell us why! Email nominations to ricker@leafmagazines.com

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DREAM UO-VA’s sweet flavor shows up in more of a natural sugar kind of way, matching something like a Muscat grape.

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UO-VA Rosin DREAM is bringing in a torch from the bonfire outside and re-lighting the stove for retail shelves.

Have you ever seen those bunches of expensive Japanese grapes that taste like roses and sell for a hundred dollars a bunch? Well, that’s what it’s like to dab this UO-VA.

feb. 2024

Pronounced Ooh-Vah, the name might sound like a fancy new robot assistant, but the cut is actually Grape Gas – a Jet Fuel Gelato x Grape Pie from Compound Genetics that was grown by Dream’s producer ESG (Eastern Sierra Group) and sourced from CLTVTD (a tissue culture nursery in Sacramento).

This cultivar caused such a loud rumble in the 2023 competition scene that The Meltdown in Santa Rosa was said to have had more than 10 versions amongst the competitors.

The initial aroma is mildly fruity and rich, but with more of a dominant floral quality ending with something that’s either a little sour or gassy, depending on who you ask. As you let it warm up even more, those fruity notes go deep underground and keep things sweet, but overwhelmingly more flowery.

UO-VA’s sweet flavor shows up in more of a natural sugar kind of way, matching something like a Muscat grape. As it blossoms, those floral notes take over while still leaving that semi-sweet base. It’s an exhale blast of something more akin to rose water than grape and even though most of that fruitiness is gone, you can still pick up those sour/gassy notes in the back.

If I had to compare it to something directly, I would say rose-flavored Turkish delight – though I know that’s oddly specific.

Perhaps that’s why they chose to rename this to Uva or UO-VA (I’ve seen it described as both), because this has more than just the standard definition of the word ‘grape’ that our brains are familiar with. Speaking with KimJong, the man responsible for Dream’s recent high-quality hash program, it’s one of those catchy twist-of-fate stories that often accompanies a popular release. Their owner actually chose Uva – but in a moment of happenstance it got entered as Uova – which became UOVA. And thus was born a jar that sounds like a kick-ass side character in a Final Fantasy game.

Many dabbers will recognize KimJong from his incredible work and voice in the hash scene. He started consulting with Dream last year and then took over their rosin program in October. As a result, this is some beautiful stuff – bringing a consistency that’s moist enough to stay wet even out of the fridge, but still solid enough that you can get a nice scoop onto your dab tool. Bringing his experience into the room was a wise move for Dream and ESG, whose concentrate line might be fresh out the box – but is already winning awards like their first place trophy for rosin at the California’s Finest competition this year.

Even though they’ve shown off full-melt and fresh-press versions at contests and events, KimJong says they’ve decided to bring only cold-cure to market in order to ensure product quality. UO-VA from Dream is a great way to treat consumers to the kind of quality that the varsity dab scene demands, but from inside an accessible retail setting. We encourage you to check out all three available flavors. @DREAMBYESG | @ESG_CANNA @KIMJONGROSIN

STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON for CALIFORNIA LEAF | PHOTO by TOM BOWERS @CANNABOMBTOM

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FEB. 2024

Ridgeline

strain of the month

In a landscape where legacy Humboldt farms keep getting the short end of the stick, Ridgeline Farms keeps making the right moves to stay in the fight.

CAL I F O R N I A

Bred and Cultivated by

Lantz

Ridgeline Farms

“Candysweet fruit and dessert pastry notes with an undertone of pine and savory earth.”

OWNED AND OPERATED

by Jason Gellman, Ridgeline has built its name on top-tier genetics, skilled farmcraft and savvy branding. It doesn’t hurt that Gellman is the type of dude that other farmers look up to. If there’s magic to be had, he has it – the perfect fit for our annual Culture Issue.

Gellman has been shifting his focus recently to invest heavily in breeding projects, using his years on the farm as a foundation to create new winners. That’s where the Lantz comes in.

A cross between two strains that Ridgeline absolutely crushes – Green Lantern x Ridgeline Runtz – the Lantz takes the best of both cultivars and combines them into something new and delicious. Kolas stacked with dark purple and shocks of frosted dark green give off candy-sweet fruit and dessert pastry notes with an undertone of pine and savory earth. It’s good enough to make you want to pop a nug in your mouth and chew on it.

Definitely don’t do that though, as those same flavors all shine on combustion – with the savory notes swelling at the end of a draw, kicking the salivary glands into overdrive.

It’s good enough to have caught the attention of Gellman’s friend and frequent collaborator Berner, who features the strain as a staple on his Cookies menu. It also has its own feature in Natura’s line of hard-hitting Sluggers infused pre-rolls.

Good luck finding someone who’s smoked it that doesn’t sing its praises … if such folks exist, we certainly haven’t met them.

Keep your eye out for the Ridgeline Lantz, and pick up some of the farm’s other heaters while you’re at it. You won’t regret it.

RIDGELINEFARMS.COM @RIDGELINEFARMS TESTING: 31.28% THC TERPENES: CARYOPHYLLENE LIMONENE, LINALOOL

REVIEW & PHOTO by TOM BOWERS @CANNABOMBTOM/CALIFORNIA LEAF HAVE A LEAD ON SOME SERIOUS FIRE? EMAIL BOBBYBLACK@LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

THE CULTURE ISSUE

cabin 7 originals

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Cabin 7 Originals created our Dec. 2021 Edibles Issue cover.

I

CLOSE MY EYES and find myself with my toes digging in the sand, waves gently rolling in against the shore, palm trees stretching upwards toward the hot sun.

But wait, those are no normal leaves on those branches.

They’re weed nugs! And that’s no sun setting in the sky … it’s a purple planet. No, I’m not on some sort of cosmic Cannabis beach. I’m in a Cabin 7 Originals piece – portals into whimsical worlds often inspired by founder Bridget Intessimone’s own travels.

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“A lot of the outdoor scenes in my art are inspired by trips I've been on to different countries or states,” she explains. “I like outdoor stuff and hiking a lot. I’ll find a beautiful spot when I’m out on a trail, or even see a picture of a field while I’m scrolling on Pinterest, and instantly I have an entire story and art idea that goes along with that scene in my head.”

Bridget has always considered herself a storyteller first. “I’ve been drawing and writing my entire life, since I was born basically,” she tells me.

“Writing has always been a companion to drawing for me and all of it is connected. They can't not be together in my opinion, because there's no art without a story. Story is the central reason for everything humans do really, and that's why art is so intertwined into our culture and existence as a human race.”

In fact, the idea for the entire Cabin 7 brand came from a story – one Bridget wrote one summer back in middle school.

While her art is now full of lush landscapes, groovy patterns and vibrant colors, you may be surprised to find out the original inspiration was a bit more spooky.

“I wrote this book series called ‘The Curse of Cabin 7’ about a haunted summer camp cabin. It was just for me and my friends, really,” she explains. “All of my art for the next six or seven years stemmed from that story and it kind of became my whole identity. My mom was the one who encouraged me to embrace this whole world I had created and start branding myself as Cabin 7.”

If you look closely you’ll see many of the same characters appear over and over again in Bridget’s art, and many of them come from that same haunted cabin. “Now I have all these branches of different characters from that original story,” she tells me. “They’ve developed with me as a person over the years because all of my characters are pieces of my personality, but embodied in an individual person.

They each have their own storyline but exist in the same universe.”

Cannabis is certainly a major theme in this universe. Her images are almost like a “Where’s Waldo” of weed accessories, with smoking paraphernalia and nods to the psychedelic scene sprinkled throughout. In typical Cabin 7 fashion, each component is part of a story and perfectly placed – down to the individual items on a rolling tray and consumption methods of each character.

Bridget explains how, “There’s always something happening and lots of details included, and all of them are super intentional. It's easy to come up with those details if you really know your characters and have that story behind them. Like, ‘Oh, this character wouldn't have their phone on them but this one would, or this character would be hitting a bong and not a blunt.’ It’s all very specific for me. There's always a whole world and that person's entire life story in my head.”

These stories have truly been embraced by our community. The picture that changed things and catapulted Cabin 7 to the forefront of Cannabis art and culture went viral on Instagram back in 2018, titled “The Medicated Perspective.” A city street in sad shades of blue and gray becomes alive in rainbow colors when viewed through a puff of joint smoke – a metaphor for Bridget’s own relationship with smoking.

“I’ve always used weed pretty medically for depression and anxiety, and it’s really helped me with that,” she shares. “I also use it when I work to relax and focus. It's the only thing that makes it possible for me to concentrate on one drawing for like 12 hours. I’ve always thought art and Cannabis intersect very strongly because there’a a big overlap between people who smoke weed and people who appreciate art. That’s the special thing about weed – the culture around it. Plus, when I smoke, it just shifts everything and makes the world look brighter to me.”

CABIN7ORIGINALS.COM @CABIN7ORIGINALS @CABIN7APPAREL

Her images are almost like a “Where’s Waldo” of weed accessories, with smoking paraphernalia and nods to the psychedelic scene sprinkled throughout."

STORY by KATHERINE WOLF @KATADELLIC for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATIONS by CABIN 7 ORIGINALS

THE CULTURE culture ISSUE THE

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Stoners have always used fashion as a form of self-expression.

As the Cannabis and fashion industries increasingly intertwine, these three designers are on the cutting edge of the cultural evolution.

dope designers

Mars Mars grew up in NorCal always wanting his own brand — a dream that ultimately came true in 2016 when he learned how to screenprint, sew and do graphic design. He would travel all around California, going between the Bay and LA to find premium fabrics for his pieces. Mars ended up making the move to LA four years ago and launched the Mars Hype brand there in 2022. He connects with each buyer to create a “one of none” piece that is custom-made for them and collaborates with brands on limited-release clothing capsules. Mars also recently dropped a lineup of accessories to pair with his apparel including heady towels, space bags and dab mats. Some of his favorite pieces to date have been made for Berner and Chris Brown’s 11:11 album release, and he says he’s driven to “create things that last and where people can connect with each other like Mary Jane does for all of us in this community.” Mars’ pieces are truly out of this world and available exclusively through his Instagram accounts. @CREATEWITHMARS @MARSHYYPE

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fab Marissa aka FABS is based out of St. Louis — creating “FABstract” designs donned with bright colors and popping patterns. She has a bachelor's degree in fine art and now works as a freelance graphic artist with her own clothing brand telling us, “Being a ‘90s kid, I grew up playing on computers. Combining that with my lifelong love of creating, going into graphic design as a career was an easy choice.”

Marissa is most inspired by colorful, patterned work and contemporary, abstract fine art. She says she much prefers shapes and colors to people and things and to quote Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky: "Objects damage pictures." Some of her favorite projects she’s ever done have been via Grassroots California — creating capsule collections and custom pieces for musicians from Jerry Garcia and Janis Joplin to artists like Alex Grey and Chris Dyer — as well as shoe designs for her own brand FAB. You can find her work on her Instagram page as well as on Etsy, Threadless and Society6. @FABSSS

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Gretchen, a mother of two out in Humboldt County, has always been a creative artist but started Lucid Society Designs back in 2020.

Ice-dyeing is done by covering an item of clothing with ice and

sprinkling dye powder across it — the pattern will be determined by the way dye molecules spread as the ice melts and no two pieces will ever be identical. “My friend was trying to come up with something different and fun for their friend’s daughter’s birthday, and I said to let me dye something for her,” she shares with us regarding the ice-dyeing origins. “They both were in the glass-blowing community and between that friend and my significant other who works

in Cannabis, things quickly took off making customs for people in both industries.” She also enjoys collaborating with other creators and brands to support the community and recently started doing ice dye events and teaching parties to share her knowledge. These pieces may be made with ice but they certainly bring the heat!

Check out more of her designs on her Instagram! @LUCIDSOCIETYDYES

STORY by KATHERINE WOLF @KATADELLIC for LEAF NATION | ILLUSTRATION by CABIN 7 ORIGINALS Photos courtesy | See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

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lucid society designs

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BENNYY BLANCO

You can’t mention Cookies or Cannabis BERNER culture without mentioning Berner. Love him or loathe him, he’s made moves in music and Cannabis that have impacted and creatively combined both industries – where you can walk down the street in his clothing, listening to his music, on your way to his dispensary, to buy his weed. This year, he’s baking a new batch of ideas to influence Cannabis culture at the brand-new Cookies Compound. It’s a business and multimedia headquarters with state-of-the-art facilities like sales-staging setups, culinary quarters, a podcast room, offices, art installments and more.

erik nugshots Erik Christiansen has built a body of work that’s become a staple in global Cannabis education, entertainment and branding visuals. His magical macro photography, astute use of early social media, and many publications in print gave him prominent public recognition and helped professionalize the visual culture of an entire evolving industry.

Recently, Erik was busy chronicling part of that culture, culminating in a book. “Higher, The Lore, Legends, and Legacy of Cannabis,” (written by Dan Michaels and published in April of 2023) is an exquisite and informative homage to the plant exploring a vast range of sources and topics.

woody harrelson Woody and weed go way back. He’s been an advocate for hemp and Cannabis reform since the '90s when he famously withheld his taxes in protest of Colorado’s failure to pass an industrial hemp bill, was arrested in Kentucky for planting a hemp seed, and slipped President Clinton a letter in support of legalization. For his roles in normalization and advocacy, he has even received a spot on NORML’s advisory board, and was awarded the 2022 Emerald Cup’s “Willie Nelson Award.” Most recently, Harrelson has opened his first dispensary in West Hollywood (The Woods), with plans to expand into a consumption lounge.

DAN WILSON

Music and Mary Jane are a match that needs no introduction. The same goes for our first Cultural Icon on the list – if you’re a fan of R&B, Soul and Hip Hop, that is. If you’re not, let us have the pleasure of introducing you to the musically masterful and fiercely feminine creative force that is Erykah Badu.

She’s been making music (and waves) since the late ‘90s. This year, she officially entered the Cannabis scene. Her collaboration with Berner at Cookies birthed a new brand called “That Badu.” It’s a women’s health-focused line with plans to expand.

ELAINA WILCOX PHOTOGRAPHY

ERYKAH BADU

LIVEPICT.COM

>> HUMANS ARE at the heart of every community’s culture, so for this year’s Culture Issue we’re highlighting some icons throughout the national Cannabis community. We've selected folks stoking the fires of canna-culture in the arts and entertainment realms and nominated them for recent work.

But there just aren’t enough pages to praise the people of the plant. If you’d like to see us make space for someone in next year’s issue, send us your suggestions!

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THE CULTURE ISSUE

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is b a e n r n u Ca lt cu

LIFETIME ACHIEVERS

BOB MARLEY

FEB. 2024

WILLIE NELSON

LOUIS ARMSTRONG

CHEECH & CHONG

SNOOP DOGG

CYPRESS HILL

METHOD MAN

mike tyson

JERRY GARCIA

CAB CALLOWAY

WHOOPI GOLDBERG

MARTHA STEWART

kandid kush

Fine art feeds culture, and we can’t discuss fine art in Cannabis without diving into the work of Chris Romaine. He’s been photographing the plant with a perceptive eye and graceful edge around the world in editorial, commercial and artistic endeavors. While his work splendidly spans styles and subjects, much of his focus has fallen on the macro world of Mary.

Recently, this work landed him a special spot in The House of Cannabis (New York). THC NYC is the very first museum, gallery and lounge of its kind – and inside of it lies another first: “The Microverse.” It’s an exhibit featuring Chris’ work in an immersive experience that’s sure to shift perspectives.

B REAL

Cypress Hill is a staple in the stoner’s smoking soundtrack. As one of the first entertainment groups to publicly and openly embrace Cannabis back in the 90s, the crew became synonymous with the plant during prohibition. Since legalization, frontman B Real has only continued that legacy. His YouTube series “The Smokebox” has welcomed celebrity guests to smoke on camera for over 10 years.

Back in 2018, he opened up the first of many Dr. Greenthumb’s dispensaries. Today, he continues to expand his empire and influence Cannabis culture through music, media and merchandise.

STORY by LEAF NATION STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS | ILLUSTRATION by CABIN 7 ORIGINALS @CABIN7ORIGINALS | ADDITIONAL PHOTOS by CREATIVE COMMONS

COURTESY

Counterculture and Cannabis are close cousins, and no one knows that better than Ted Lidie. As Founder and Creative Director of Alien Labs, Lidie captured the connection between connoisseur Cannabis and subcultures such as skateboarding and comic books. Alien Labs ted lidie leaned into this with more than just a line of killer Cannabis products and ever-evolving cultivars – they birthed a new age of acceptance through apparel. The full line of clothing, bags and more have bridged the gap for everyone from your seasoned smoker to the mall meanderer that happens upon Alien Labs in big brand stores like Zumiez.

Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson’s rise to fame in the Cannabis community has found its footing – but the only punches he’s packing these days are THC-backed. TYSON 2.0 is a Cannabis and infused goods brand that’s relatively new to the scene, but so is the notoriously fiery fighter’s outlook on life. In numerous interviews and throughout the brand’s PR campaign, Tyson has expressed the importance of Cannabis and alternative substances in turning around his attitude, aggression and discipline as a businessman.

This transparency regarding his therapeutic transformation and promotion of the plant for athletes earns him a spot on our 2024 list.

PEDRO GARCIA

Jim Belushi is another actor-turned-activist who’s invested his time and money in Cannabis culture. His support started with his brother’s passing in ‘82 from a drug overdose – a tragedy that Jim believes could have been avoided if John consumed Cannabis for his trauma instead. It became Jim’s “mission from God” to share the plant’s healing powers, and he eventually opened a southern Oregon grow operation (over 12 years ago) that has since expanded into multiple states. These days, Belushi has teamed up with Discovery Channel to welcome viewers onto the farm in his three-season series, “Growing Belushi.”

Cannabis cups are an integral part of this culture and we can’t talk about “cups” without mentioning “California’s longest-running, most authentic celebration of Cannabis culture and quality.” The Emerald Cup is entering its 20th year, and behind it is a man with even more years of dedication to the culture. Tim Blake is a lifelong activist. Prior to founding the Emerald Cup, he helped start the Mendocino Farmers Collective & Healing Harvest Farms, Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform (Prop 64), Mendocino Cannabis Policy Council and Mendocino Cannabis Industry Association. His dedication to cultivating a community around Cannabis and organic lifestyles continues to send waves worldwide, far beyond his humble California roots.

COURTESY

JIM BELUSHI

MIKE ROSATI

COD NEWSROOM

TIM BLAKE

SUPERFESTIVALS.COM

hcons

THE CULTURE ISSUE

higher s f e e r qu ncie

T

he number of Cannabis podcasts has really opened up over the last couple of years. With so many video and audio programs out there, there’s truly something for everyone.

Many of you already subscribe to hits like Masonic Smoker, the OG Potcast and First Smoke of The Day, but here’s some other recommendations for listening to interviews, histories and interesting stories about weed.

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Don’t forget to check out some of these podcasts from members of our Leaf Magazine Family.

Leaf Life

Wes Abney & Mike Ricker

hot dabs Now on its

third season, this hash-centric video podcast asks people from around the Cannabis community to answer compelling questions as they exhale huge dabs that get up to 900 degrees. Hosted by Dustan of Real Deal Resin, episodes have featured former professional wrestler The Godfather, Mami Uvas from “Life Is Not Grape” and Fran Terpy, the founder of social club Terpy Barcelona.

leafmagazines.com

@HOTDABSPOD

the hashish inn Intimate conversations with

some of the most celebrated, decorated and recognized hashmakers in the game today. Host Shoragim is dedicated to collecting the stories and shared history of America’s modern hash culture. This combination audio/ video podcast has featured makers like Dammit Bobby, Tree City Solventless and Hanzo Gardens. @THEHASHISHINN

That’s Good PizzZa Host JPeezy sits

down with passionate movers and shakers, letting them tell their story and asking their all-time desert-island favorites. One thing that’s great about this video/audio podcast is that they have a diverse range of guests. From incredible cultivators like Anna from CAM or Dave from Preferred Gardens, to passionate makers like Cozy Cubes edibles and Rektipz founder D-Rek. @GOODPIZZZAPODCAST

Leaf Magazine’s audio/video podcast where, just like Cannabis, the topic can go anywhere. With guests and episodes that range from parenting and meditation to social media and AI’s role in the industry, nothing is off the table. Along with this, the team features regular segments in which they review new products and devices. @LEAFLIFEPODCAST

Cannthropology Bobby Black

An engaging podcast presented by The World of Cannabis Museum project and hosted by WoC Executive Director, California Leaf Editor and marijuana media icon Bobby Black. In each episode, Bobby speaks with a different expert or significant figure in Cannabis culture to provide an entertaining and educational history lesson. @CANNTHROPOLOGY

The Smoking Spot Amanda Breeze & Ryan Herron

dreamtown

terpene therapy An informative

An NPR-style audio history hosted by David Weinberg. The seven-part stylized story details the California town of Adelanto and its 2014 battle with legalizing cultivation in order to save failing revenues. Tailored for a more general audience, it pairs well with a road trip. @CROOKEDMEDIA

look at terpene profiles and Cannabis products. Not just smokable and dabbable, they also look at the items we use to consume them. Alongside these discussions, they also record on location at events such as The Smoking Jacket and Ego Clash. Episodes have featured John Dawson from Kung-Fu Vapes, glass artist Zach Brown and Stache Products. @TERPENETHERAPYPODCAST

FEB. 2024

Explore the world of Cannabis and through interviews and discussions with industry insiders. Hosts Amanda and Ryan are contributing writers to a slew of publications nationwide (including Oregon Leaf), offering listeners a unique perspective having written for many parts of the industry. Recent episodes have featured Leafly Editor David Downs, renowned photographer Kandid Kush and Oregon micro-growery Brave Hearts.

Smoke & Bridges Be a fly on the

wall for a casual conversation between Cannabis personalities and journalist/ event creator Jimi Devine. Join in the audio one-on-one as Jimi sits down for an hour-long chat with industry figureheads like Champelli, Keith from Fig Farms and Kayla’s Marc Hammond. @YOURGREENSTATE @THEJIMIDEVINE

@THE.SMOKINGSPOT

Grow Bud Yourself Danny Danko & Mike Gianakos

Author of “Cannabis: A Beginners Guide to Growing Marijuana,” Former HIGH TIMES Senior Cultivation Editor and recent Northeast Leaf Editor Danny Danko offers news, activism reports and cultivation tips for listeners of all skill levels, alongside co-host, Leaf Nation writer and former HT Editor-In-Chief Mike Gianakos. @GROWBUDYOURSELF

STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON for LEAF NATION | ILLUSTRATION by CABIN 7 ORIGINALS @CABIN7ORIGINALS

®

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THE culture ISSUE

terp town

Miami Welcomes The Weed World for Terp Basel 2

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F

OR A SECOND YEAR, the world of fine art and Cannabis came together near the shores of Miami Beach.

Terp Basel, a gathering of Cannabis, community and couture, took over a skate park near the Wynwood district for a full weekend including art, music, podcasting, fire dancing, a rolling competition – and plenty of smoke.

Since 2002, the week of Art Basel has transformed the city of Miami into one of the world’s premiere artistic gatherings and since 2022, the Cannabis community has come together to also celebrate creativity at an event called Terp Basel.

Expanding this year from two days into four, the organizers invited brands from Florida, as well as California, New York, and Colorado, providing them a chance to put on a show in the streets of the sunshine state. For its sophomore outing, the team behind Terp Basel incorporated fashion and flavor with infused pizza options and a runway show, transforming a Miami Shores skatepark into a system of separate hang out areas and smoke spots.

More than just a collection of tables and booths, you could also find live glassblowing, an airbrush t-shirt station, calisthenics, on-site embroidery, and big names like Terphogz, Fidels, Sherbinski, and Natura alongside 2023’s Legends of Hashish competitors like Sugar Magnolia.

We saw a lot of excitement at the Zatix

booth over their OG Diesel, as well as for the Moroccan Peaches at the Mountain Man Melts table. Some of my personal hits included the Magic Z from Humboldt County’s Jelly Wizard, a Peyton Manning rosin that Colorado brand Bakers spent three years pheno hunting, the special on-site drop of the Truly Red Panda/Astraluxe collab, and a Rosin-infused sugar from Miami brand NWO (pro-tip, ask your local barista to make you a Cafe Cubano with the sugar packet).

Longer than most events we’re used to, Terp Basel stretches out in order to work in harmony with all the other happenings across the city, including MINS Basel, Dab Day, Uprising and Art Basel itself. This year saw the addition of even more events including a Kapow Berries release with edible darlings Super Chill, who gave Floridians a non-medicated preview of the flavors for their upcoming California recreational release. At the event, things heated up with a performance by Dead Prez, live magic, a taping of First Smoke Of The Day podcast – there were even free massages and workouts on the last day.

Terp Basel packs a lot of elements into a relatively short period of time, giving visitors all day to cruise the murals and galleries then grab a Cuban coffee before hitting the venue after 6:00 p.m. It’s a bizarre thing to be smoking a joint having spent your day staring at works by Chris Dyer, Mab Graves, Yoshitomo Nara, and Ai Weiwei, then look up at a skate ramp covered by Atomik, knowing that the through line is Cannabis. To punctuate the point, the venue was also decorated with well-placed groves of hemp plants rented from a local service to give things a real garden feel.

Terp Basel offers those of us from other parts of the country, and Cannabis in general, a chance to take a place in the circle and see what comes out on the canvas. Still in its infancy, there’s a lot of potential for growth seeing as the Florida crowd seemed excited to discover new brands faceto-face.

For those of us visiting, it provides a chance to check out a state whose scene we know little about, during one of its most exciting weeks. Part of the spirit of this art-centric weekend is to bring together different elements of a movement, letting them mix and mingle in the Florida heat under the watchful eye of an audience, something Terp Basel definitely accomplished this year. TERPBASEL.COM | @TERPBASEL

Longer than most events we’re used to, Terp Basel stretches out in order to work in harmony with all the other happenings across the city, including MINS Basel, Dab Day, Uprising and Art Basel itself.

feb. 2024

STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON for LEAF NATION | ILLUSTRATION by CABIN 7 ORIGINALS @CABIN7ORIGINALS Photos by @scooch_lifestyle | See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

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The Hash Calendar Club creates a whole new way to ask what day it is. around the country, then spinning a whole new world around them. He especially thanked @ billwilldabs and @bigmikejax for their help in pulling it all off.

Current members of the club represent a wide variety of both basic consumers and people with access to the private market – all looking to uncover new delicacies and have a little fun along the way. As Big Gim put it, for members, “It’s about the dabs, but it’s also about the discovery.” At the end of the day, the goal is to create something fun while helping break down the walls of access.

Big Gim has already seen the importance of keeping the original spirit while listening to new members about what they’d like to see next. The process is a blueprint that’s still being drawn out as he goes, and Big Gim is one of those people whose mind is always working on a good idea. Throughout our conversation he would punctuate his answers with new concepts and additions for future versions, writing his inspiration down between dabs.

Since I first discovered the Hash Calendar, I’ve watched it continue to swing for the fences.

Whether it’s adding new members, custom accessories or outrageous thematics, there has yet to be a plateau for this project.

For the next edition in July, Big Gim cryptically promised, “a return to its roots with some big surprises.” Until then, I’ll be percolating with anticipation to see what new escapade he and the next set of hashmakers dream up for their members. @THEHASHCALENDARCLUB

STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON for LEAF NATION | ILLUSTRATION by CABIN 7 ORIGINALS @CABIN7ORIGINALS Photos by Will Lane @thehigh_redbeard | See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

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ROUCHO MARX famously said he’d never join any club that would allow him as a member but then, Groucho never knew about the Hash Calendar Club.

This secret set of subscribers are part of an amazing program presenting people with a bespoke box containing the hottest hash from around the country – all custom packaged and themed for specific holidays.

Just like an advent calendar full of chocolate, you open up a different section each day to uncover a rosin sampling from new favorites, heavy hitters and rare flavors.

What began as a passion project in December of 2021 has now quadrupled in size with people lining up to get on the waitlist.

Box sets and limited collections have seen a rise in both popularity and creativity over the last two years, as fans have shown a desire to interact with the Cannabis companies they love – the same way they do as with brands like Nike or Supreme. The difference here is that Hash Calendar Club boxes are not only limited but curated, both by the community and by its creator Big Gim. Imagine a collection of specially-built, shared experiences for the hash enthusiast, where along with your fellow members, you get to open a new window each day and discuss the flavor – sometimes opening the box up to discover elaborate edibles, delicate glassware, or chances to win huge prizes.

These sets are released a few times a year, built from the ground up as a showcase of who is pulling ahead of the pack. Every part of the experience is carefully thought out, then visually designed by the talented artist Van Gogh Zuh. When we asked how important art was to this project, Big Gim told us that good visuals are essential to taking members of the club on a ride with him through each immersive adventure. With every elaborate edition, members are led along haunted hallways, through wizard’s castles and into enchanted forests – one delicious dab at a time.

It’s an exclusive and somewhat costly list to get onto, but Big Gim pointed out that’s due to the labor-intensive nature of collecting the diverse selection of incredible products from

THE culture ISSUE

one dab at atime

COOKING WITH CANNABIS

CHOCOLATE MAKES US HAPPY

DOES CHOCOLATE MAKE YOU HAPPY? Wait, let me answer that: Yes, it actually does. Dark chocolate has significant health benefits, both mental and physical. In fact, the darker the better is a significant source of antioxidants and lowers blood pressure. Chocolate also boosts serotonin levels, which helps with depression. It’s like what Cannabis does … although Cannabis does it better!

When I first became a Cannabis lover, my favorite treat was sitting in front of the record player, listening to cool music and eating, from the container, a healthy serving or two of “cool and creamy pudding.”

Fun to make and easy to eat, there is an infused chocolate bark out there for everyone.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING SERVES 4 1/2 cup sugar 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 3/4 cups milk 2 tablespoons canna butter or oil 2 teaspoons vanilla 1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Add the milk. Heat on medium. Bring mixture to a boil and stir constantly until the pudding coats the back of the spoon.

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2. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the infused butter and vanilla. Divide between glasses. Chill.

CHOCOLATE CANNA CLUSTERS MAKES 36 CLUSTERS

CHOCOLATE BARK SERVES 9 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 2 cups dark chocolate chips or melts 3 tablespoons canna butter 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

Creamy, crunchy and chewy, and the tender raisins add a touch of sweetness.

1. In a small, dry skillet, toast the coconut flakes.

2. In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, melt the chocolate with the canna butter. Mix well.

3. Place parchment on your work surface. Turn the chocolate onto the paper and form a 5x7 inch rectangle.

4. Combine the coconut with the pecans and apricots.

Sprinkle the toppings on the just-poured chocolate.

Allow to set until completely dry, at least an hour.

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1 1/2 cups chocolate chips 3 tablespoons canna-butter or canna-coconut oil, melted 1 cup toasted slivered almonds 1/4 cup chopped cherries 1. In the top of a double boiler, heat the chips with the canna butter. When fully melted, add most of the almonds and cherries, stirring to blend.

2. Place a piece of parchment on your work surface.

Drop the mixture, by the tablespoon, on the paper.

Sprinkle the still-not-set clusters with the remaining almonds and cherries. Allow to set for 60 minutes.

RECIPES by LAURIE WOLF @LAURIEANDMARYJANE for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF @BRUCE_WOLF

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Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 or older. This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit-forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgment.

Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children.

glass art spotlight

ALEX UBATUBA @ALEXUBATUBA

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UPGRADE TO WARLOCK STATUS FEB. 2024

Welcome to the world of Alex Ubatuba's wondrous and elusive creations. Over the past 20 years, Alex has permanently carved his name into the glass world, offering a style and sleekness in a league of its own.

Alex is world famous for his pendants, known as Warlocks, which have been incorporated into his functional pipes and rigs and used in his Living Light Sculptures. He has worked with countless maestros, including Japanese artist Yoshinori Kondo, Adam G and Calvin Mickle on breathtaking Warlocks and various functional rigs.

This wizard of an artist is recognized for creating unique borosilicate colors that are simply out of this world. Alex also works with precious metals and gemstones – bringing to life Warlock pendants that look like they belong in a jewelry store.

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Alex started collecting pipes at age 14 from a rave record and tape store in the city. At a Widespread Panic concert in 1997 at UIC, he and a friend met a glass blower for the first time selling his pipes in the parking lot.

"I wanted to learn how to make them and met two local pipemakers through a friend's brother,” he tells me. “I bought a torch in 2001, and the journey began."

After Operation Pipe Dreams in 2003, it forced the artists at Prodigy Glassworks to pivot in a new direction and focus on non-functional work to sell at art fairs. This time was pivotal in his glass-blowing career, opening his mind to new possibilities beyond pipes.

"I had a lot of traction till the 2008 market crash,” he explains.

“That summer, I began selling pipes and pendants at music festivals.

It reinstated my love for traveling and selling glass again."

At Lucent L’Amour in 2009, Alex helped their team set up the venue in LA. He was mesmerized by how fabric and LED light interacted and immediately began exploring borosilicate sculptures illuminated by LED. The first Europan Invertebrates sculpture was born in the summer of 2012. The sculpture debuted at Colorado's Sonic Bloom Music Festival and was shown at Burning Man through Jen Ingram with Tribe 13 – blowing the minds of many, including my own.

"I realized I could bring my art to new venues and events outside the glass pipe world. I loved influencing people who had no idea about flameworked borosilicate glass. Shortly after, the Warlock pendants began to gain substantial traction. It allowed me to work consistently and continue to refine the Living Light Sculptures into a passion project. It was a massive jump-off point to continue pushing my personal limits of working with glass," says Alex.

He currently resides in Evergreen, Colorado and works out of a state-of-the-art studio that he built called Satellite 6. The studio includes a gallery that showcases Living Light Sculptures, functional glass and fine jewelry pieces.

"The next few years will be exciting to watch as I create new work and explore new materials with no limitations. It’s an incredible facility to host collaborations, and I truly look forward to what the future holds now that everything is dialed in," he shares.

Head over to his Instagram for available work and information about upcoming glass events @alexubatuba.

"The next few years will be exciting to watch as I create new work and explore new materials with no limitations."

STORY by MAX EARLY @LIFTEDSTARDUST for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS courtesy

cannthropology

PRESENTS

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It’s no accident that racism-driven marijuana prohibition coincided with the dawn of the Jazz Age: In the early 20th century, jazz was originated and performed almost exclusively by Black musicians—many of whom used the creative influence of Cannabis (aka “reefer,” “tea,” “gage,” “muggles,” or “shuzzit”) to fuel their musical improvisations. Those who smoked it were known as “vipers” (allegedly because of the hissing sound they made when taking a toke), and the biggest viper of all also happened to be the world’s most famous entertainer — one of jazz’s founding fathers, Louis Armstrong.

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BORN ON THE BAYOU Louis (pronounced “Lewis,” not “Louie”) Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901 and grew up in a ghetto called the “Battlefield.” As a child, he would reportedly dance for pennies and stuff them in his mouth to keep other kids from stealing them — earning him the nickname “satchel mouth,” or “Satchmo” for short. By the age of 11, he’d managed to buy a used cornet for $5 from a local pawn shop and began honing his skills under the tutelage of renowned cornetist Joe “King” Oliver. Satchmo played in bars, brothels, and on Mississippi riverboats until 1922 when his mentor recruited him to be his second horn in Chicago. There, he made a name for himself at the legendary Cotton Club — performing and recording with Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band. In 1925, after a year-long stint in New York City, he returned to Chi-Town and formed his own ensemble: Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five / Seven.

GAGA FOR GAGE In 1928, Armstrong began a months-long residency at Chicago’s Savoy Ballroom. It was outside during intermission at one of those Savoy gigs that a white arranger (possibly infamous clarinetist/weed dealer Mezz Mezzrow) turned Armstrong on to his first reefer cigarette.

For Louis, it was love at first toke. Smoking “gage,” as he called it, quickly became an essential part of his daily routine. Photographer Jack Bradley recounted seeing Armstrong smoking a “bomber joint” on the toilet often in the mornings while on tour. In fact, Bradley even claimed that Louis’ other famous nickname was weed-related.

“His nickname ‘Pops’ comes from pot … it’s because he was the father of marijuana,” Bradley once said. “[Pops] probably turned more people on to pot than anybody else in the world.”

feb. 2024

Louis lights up: Beloved jazz musician, vocalist, and cultural icon Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong had a lifelong love affair with Cannabis.

Eventually, Armstrong was reportedly smoking up to three large blunts worth of weed a day. Armstrong used marijuana medicinally to help with sleep and anxiety — finding it a far better alternative to alcohol or heroin (both of which were popular in the jazz scene at the time). ‘’It really puzzles me to see marijuana connected with narcotics … dope and all that crap,” he famously wrote. “We always looked at pot as a sort of medicine … It’s a thousand times better than whiskey — it’s an assistant, a friend.’’

Cannabis also helped him vibe better with his fellow musicians — something essential in an improvisational group.

“That’s one reason why we appreciated pot, as y’all calls it now — the warmth it always brought forth from the other person,” Armstrong observed.

“It makes you feel a special kinship.”

Satchmo almost always toked up before performances and during recording sessions, and encouraged all of his band members to do so as well.

“Louis insisted everyone smoke some of that good shuzzitt before they began recording,” notes Laurence Bergreen in his book “Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life.” “By the

KEYSTONE PICTURES USA / ALAMY

Song of the Viper

time the musicians played, everyone was pleasantly stoned, Louis most of all … the band may as well have been called Louis Armstrong and His Vipers.”

Satchmo recorded two songs in praise of pot: the 1928 hit “Muggles,” and “Song of the Vipers” in 1934. Released in 1947 by Polydor Records, “Song of the Vipers” was pulled off the shelves when the label realized what the title meant (it would be decades before it would be reissued in the US).

POPS GETS POPPED In 1930, Armstrong began a residency at the renowned Cotton Club in Culver City, California. On the night of November 14, 1930, he stepped outside with drummer Vic Berton during intermission to “blast a joint” in the parking lot and was approached by two narcotics officers who placed them under arrest — making Armstrong the first celebrity ever busted for weed. (California was the first state to pass a law prohibiting Cannabis in 1913). Turns out, a rival band leader had “dropped the nickel” on them (pay phones didn’t cost a dime yet) … but the cops were such big fans that they not only let him finish his second set before taking him downtown, but practically apologized for having to arrest him.

“When we found out that you was the one we must nab, it broke our hearts,” Armstrong remembered one cop saying.

“When we reached police headquarters, they all recognized me right away,” he continued. “They too had been diggin’ my music nightly over the radio.”

Nevertheless, on March 10, 1931, he was sentenced to a thousand-dollar fine and six months in jail. Luckily for Louis, though, an influential club owner apparently pulled some strings, and he ended up serving just nine days in Downtown Los Angeles City Jail.

“The judge gave me a suspended sentence, and I went to work that night — wailed just like nothing happened,” Armstrong later recalled. “Every night I would run across those same detectives who arrested me, glad as ever to see me, and me back on the mound blowing again.”

TRICKY DICK & THE SMUGGLED MUGGLES As legend has it, the architect of the Drug War himself, Richard Nixon, once unknowingly smuggled Louis’ muggles through customs for him in the early 1950s. The story An old publicity photo of goes like this: Satchmo with Nixon (1957).

The US State Department had appointed Armstrong as a so-called “Goodwill Ambassador” and sent him to Europe and Asia to promote American values abroad during the Cold War. Upon returning from the first two legs of the tour, “Ambassador Satch” was waved through customs due to his “official” status. So, when returning from the third leg in Japan, he decided to fill one of his suitcases with three pounds of gage. But when he landed at New York’s Idlewild Airport (now JFK), customs officials (having sup-

“We always looked at pot as a sort of medicine ... it’s a thousand times better than whiskey — it’s an assistant, a friend.”

posedly gotten an alert to look out for smugglers) instead directed him to the inspection line with the rest of the travelers. While waiting for what he assumed would be his inevitable arrest, then-Vice President Nixon rolled in with a security detail and press posse in tow and, wanting to meet the jazz icon, made a b-line for Louie.

“Satchmo, what are you doing here?” he reportedly asked. Then, according to Nixon advisor Roger Stone in his book “Nixon’s Secrets: The Rise, Fall, and Unknown Truth About the President, Watergate, and the Pardon,” this is how it went down: “Without hesitation, Nixon grabbed both of Satchmo’s suitcases. ‘Ambassadors don’t have to go through customs, and the Vice President of the United States will gladly carry your bags for you,’ Nixon said. Whereupon the Vice President ‘muled’ three pounds of pot through United States Customs without ever knowing it.”

It wasn’t until years later that one of Nixon’s aides — after hearing about the incident from a musician who’d traveled with Armstrong — informed the President about what was in the suitcase … to which Nixon allegedly replied incredulously, “Louie smokes marijuana?”

As fun as that story may be, however, it’s unlikely that it actually occurred. According to research by Ricky Riccardi — Director of Research Collections for the Louis Armstrong House Museum and author of “What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years” (Pantheon, 2011) — most of the dates and details simply don’t add up … not to mention the fact that Louis himself apparently never relayed the tale.

it got into her purse and ended up only paying a small fine. Nevertheless, the incident shook Armstrong — prompting him to dictate a letter to his manager, Joe Glaser, threatening that if Glaser couldn’t get him some kind of legal “permit” to possess and smoke Cannabis, he’d be forced to retire.

“Mr. Glaser, you must see to it that I have special permission to smoke all the reefers that I want to when I want, or I will just have to put this horn down,” he declared. “I can’t afford to be ducking and a-dodging and being tense, fearing that any minute I’m going to be arrested, brought to jail for a silly little minor thing like marijuana … I just won’t carry on with such fear over nothing.”

VIPER TO THE END Naturally, Glaser couldn’t obtain such a permit. Instead, he chose to protect Armstrong in his own way — by allegedly using his mafia connections to ensure that Louis was never busted again, and by insisting that all references to Cannabis in the autobiography released that year, “Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans,” be omitted. Louis hoped to release a sequel containing all of his stories and thoughts on marijuana entitled simply “Gage,” but that never materialized. It wasn’t until speaking with biographers Max Jones and John Chilton months before his death in 1971 that his love affair with the herb finally came to light — thanks to the 750 tapes of audio journals he’d dictated into his reel-to-reel recorder at his home in Corona, Queens (now the Louis Armstrong House Museum).

These tapes are the source of nearly all of Armstrong’s quotes about Cannabis.

To avoid the “drastic penalties” LUCILLE & THE LETTER imposed on vipers, he claimed publicly to have given up the Armstrong only Louis and wife Lucille in his home office. gage ... but in reality, Satchmo encountered legal continued smoking reefer for the rest of his life. troubles relating to marijuana one other time: “The respect for gage will stay with me on New Year’s Day 1954, after just arriving forever,” Armstrong testified. “If we all get as from Tokyo, Louis’ wife Lucille was arrested old as Methuselah, our memories will always at her hotel in Honolulu and charged with be of lots of beauty and warmth from gage … smuggling after a Customs officer discovered I don’t intend to ever stop smoking it, not as “about $5 worth of marijuana” (one joint and long as it grows.” two half-smoked joints, totaling around 14 grams) inside her eyeglass case. The weed undoubtedly belonged to her husband, but she For our podcast & more Cannabis history content took the rap for him: She denied knowing how visit worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology.

STO RY b y B O B BY B LAC K @ CAN N T H RO PO LO G Y for LEA F NAT IO N

PHOTOS & POSTER COURTESY OF LOUIS ARMSTRONG HOUSE MUSEUM

Original “Song of the Vipers” record.

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IS IT JUST ME or does everyone have a spot in their living area where the items that are too uncategorizable to belong anywhere specific end up? This is a place devoid of a proper name. And we’re not talking about the junk drawer.

The junk drawer is for junk, but this is something else. This item has a potentially important role, you’re just not sure when you might need it.

It belongs in a place that’s fairly accessible – but determining ‘where’ is the conundrum.

Whoever invented this item was smart. In fact, so smart that they convinced you it would be an imperative addition to the massive amount of shit you already have. They did this by instilling the fear of uncertainty that if you found yourself in a situation that required it, but didn’t have it, you would suffer the consequences for a lack of preparedness. Yes, it was an impulsive purchase, but you never know. And now finding space for it – a place you know you won’t forget you have it – is tricky.

You’ve thought about it … but haven’t quite been able to pinpoint where it rightfully belongs. And during this epoch of contemplation while waiting for the solution to naturally reveal itself, it lives in purgatory – in the vortex of randomness – in a closet, on the floor, or in your home office. Wherever this item lands, it is clearly out of place – causing an unwanted splash of stress each time it catches your eye.

And it’s not a promotional t-shirt with a brand logo you’ll never wear. We all know that goes in a plastic bin either in the garage or the storage unit.

Or maybe in the far back corner of the bottom dresser drawer.

By the way, this is an area where you have never put your weed.

FEB. 2024

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