May 2023 - California Leaf

CALIFORNIA

MATT SHOTWELL MIDZOTICS’ MATT SHOTWELL

WES ABNEY CEO & FOUNDER wes@leafmagazines.com

MIKE RICKER OPERATING PARTNER ricker@leafmagazines.com

TOM BOWERS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER tom@leafmagazines.com

DANIEL BERMAN CREATIVE DIRECTOR daniel@leafmagazines.com

BOBBY BLACK STATE CONTENT DIRECTOR bobbyblack@leafmagazines.com

NATE WILLIAMS SALES OPS & DISTRIBUTION nate@leafmagazines.com (415) 717-6985

MEGHAN RIDLEY COPY EDITOR meghan@leafmagazines.com

ABOUT THE COVER

With all the ongoing uncertainty in the Cannabis industry, people seem to be on edge. So, we at the Leaf felt that we could use a reminder of why we spent our quarters in the first place – because it's supposed to be fun! And what represents the thrill of overcoming challenges quite like an exciting round of pinball? Frequent Leaf Magazines contributor Joshua Boulet(theeyebehind StoneyBaloney'ssignatureartworkeachmonth) capturedtheadventureofkeepingtheballin playthroughallthecurlyloopsandbanging bumpersofaCannabis-themedmachine, illustratingtheparallelsofhowtheweedgame canbeananxiety-filledblast!

ILLUSTRATION BY JOSHUA BOULET JOSHUABOULET.COM | @JOSHUABOULET

CONTRIBUTORS

WES ABNEY, FEATURES

ATTABOY, ILLUSTRATION

BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES

JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATION

BORO PHOTOGRAPHER, PHOTOS

TOM BOWERS, FEATURES

HEATHER BOWLING, PHOTOS

CARLI CHRISTINA ART, ILLUSTRATION

AMANDA DAY, FEATURES

STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS

MATT JACKSON, FEATURES

KATHERINE WOLF, FEATURES

SARA MILLS-GAINES, SALES

JOSH MONTHEI, PHOTOS

JESSE RAMIREZ, DESIGN

MIKE RICKER, FEATURES

MEGHAN RIDLEY, EDITING

MIKE ROSATI, PHOTOS

SCOTT SOUTHERN, PHOTOS

NATE WILLIAMS, FEATURES

BRUCE & LAURIE WOLF, RECIPES

KATHERINE WOLF, FEATURES

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 nate@leafmagazines.com to start advertising with California Leaf!

WES ABNEY

Editor’s Note

Thanks for picking up The Fun Issue of the Leaf!

Over the last 14 years of publishing Cannabis magazines I’ve had a lot of fun moments, from throwing major parties like our Leaf Bowls with free tickets to smoke and revel in the best of Cannabis, to the early days of High Times Cannabis Cups and hot dabs in parking lots from Denver to Seattle. But as I look back on my personal history with weed, it occurs to me that most of the fun I’ve had with Cannabis was when it was illegal.

Now don’t get me wrong – as someone who was arrested and charged for a single gram of weed in college, and harassed by cops and security for smoking many times – I don’t wish to go back into the dark ages. However there was something magical about getting a bag of weed, plotting a time and place to get high, and linking up in the woods to smoke mids that always brought laughter and friendship.

In the early medical days this feeling of fun was amplified. Farmer’s markets proliferated on the West Coast and patients had access to an unimaginable variety of strains, edibles, topicals, and later concentrates. Walking into a medical dispensary felt like winning the Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka’s Factory – where every month there were new strains or techniques making the plant better and helping to heal the patients needing relief. I would characterize the vibe of medical Cannabis as a hippie-rebel-healer movement that was unabashedly fun, helping others with a middle finger to the government and a lawyer on speed dial.

“DO WE REALLY NEED TO TRACK EVERY PLANT AND EVERY GRAM OF WEED AT RISK OF PENALTY OR LOSING A LICENSE...”

Fast forward to the recreational phase of Cannabis that we are in now, and things have certainly become less fun for those on the industry side of the plant. With ridiculous tax structures and regulatory burdens, the industry is smothered in hoops to jump through that are largely meaningless. Do we really need to track every plant and every gram of weed at risk of penalty or losing a license, when beer companies can give away as much booze as they want? Today’s weed industry lacks the component that made it fun: the weed itself! But instead of smoking and celebrating as a community, most operators are struggling – which combined with the high turnover of the industry, has led to a very temporary and scary feeling inside the weed community.

It’s with that understanding that we decided to have our first ever Fun Issue, with the goal of highlighting how weed improves every aspect of life. We need to recapture the reverence of decades past for the freedoms we have now … as well as for the huge variety of options we have to consume the plant! There is no better time to be a Cannabis user or patient than now, and I believe that calls for a round of fun that doesn’t lead to a hangover.

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So my challenge to our audience is to take a moment before your next sesh or joint and meditate on what it was like to wait for a dealer to show up, and the feeling of ecstasy that came with the first spark and inhale when it was finally safe to smoke. Focus on the moment as you inhale, and on how the smoke or vapor is going to make your day better, get rid of pain and help carry you through whatever challenges you might be facing. I hope you enjoy The Fun Issue of the Leaf and take a moment soon to reconnect with the plant we all share and love.

-Wes Abney

AMERICANS SPEND MORE ON MARIJUANA THAN CHOCOLATE

Americans now spend more on legal marijuana products than they do on chocolate. The USA reached this milestone as a nation last year, according to MJBizDaily.

United States residents spent about $30 billion on legal Cannabis in 2022. That compares with roughly $20 billion spent on chocolate. Almost two-dozen states now allow sales of weed for adult use, with 19 more states allowing Cannabis for medicinal use.

Americans also spent more on marijuana than they did on opioid medications ($22.8 billion) and topical pain medications ($2.8 billion) combined. However, legal weed sales are still dwarfed by sales of tobacco products. In 2022, tobacco sales totaled about $53 billion – but those sales are steadily dropping, whereas Cannabis sales are rising.

By 2028, according to MJBizDaily, sales of legal weed could reach $57 billion.

MARYLAND SETS RULES FOR MARIJUANA SALES

Maryland lawmakers expedited getting marijuana regulatory legislation in place before the state’s voter-approved adult-use legalization law takes effect July 1. Now the plan will go before Governor Wes Moore, who has indicated he will sign it into law. Under the new rules, people who are 21 and older will be able to buy recreational Cannabis in Maryland July 1.

“Under the new rules, people who are 21 and older will be able to buy recreational Cannabis in Maryland July 1.”

OKLAHOMA AUTHORITIES SEIZE 7,000 LBS. OF WEED

THE OKLAHOMA Bureau of Narcotics recently seized more than 7,000 pounds of untaxed marijuana amid an investigation into a black market operation, reports KOCO.

On April 14, the Bureau seized the Cannabis from a semi trailer, saying it shut down a black market marijuana warehouse distribution center in Oklahoma City as part of an ongoing investigation. Officials said the investigation has identified multiple farms transporting marijuana to the warehouse. The product was then repackaged into “camera equipment” boxes and shipped to New York and New Jersey. They also said the people orchestrating the operation had ties to Oklahoma consulting groups.

TEXAS HOUSE EXPANDS LIST OF MMJ CONDITIONS

A BILL approved by the Texas House in April would expand the list of conditions that qualify for the state’s medical marijuana program.

House Bill 1805, sponsored by Public Health Committee Chair Stephanie Klick, a Republican from Fort Worth, passed the House 127-19 and now heads to the Senate, reports Axios.

The bipartisan legislation would expand the state’s 2015 Compassionate Use Law. That law allows physicians to prescribe low-THC Cannabis to treat symptoms of epilepsy, cancer and posttraumatic stress disorder, among other conditions.

The new bill would allow doctors to prescribe up to 10 milligrams of Cannabis for chronic pain cases that might normally warrant an opioid prescription.

NEW HAMPSHIRE HOUSE VOTES FOR LEGALIZATION

The bill also addresses commerce-related issues such as the number and types of Cannabis business licenses available, reports CBS Baltimore.

It sets the amount of sales tax those businesses must charge at 9 percent, the The Baltimore Banner reports. Medical Cannabis will be exempt from sales tax. The legislation comes after voters passed a ballot referendum that legalized Cannabis in Maryland’s constitution in November.

BIPARTISAN BILL TO PREPARE US FOR LEGALIZATION REINTRODUCED

LEGAL MARIJUANA is one step closer to reality in New Hampshire after the state House voted 272-109 for HB 639. Legalization efforts have fallen short in recent years, but this year’s effort has momentum heading into the state Senate. HB 639 has bipartisan sponsors in both bodies of state government.

HB 639 would legalize marijuana for adults over the age of 21. Rep. Jason Osborne (R) and Rep. Matt Wilhelm (D) cosponsor the bill, and a broad coalition of marijuana industry figures, civil rights advocates and policy groups also back the bill.

Polling has shown that the vast majority, more than 70%, of New Hampshire residents support marijuana legalization for adult use. In recent years, legalization bills have passed in the state House, but have fallen short in the N.H. Senate.

states in the U.S. have legalized Cannabis for use by those at least 21 years or older.

21 months in jail is possible in Kansas with prior marijuana convictions.

42

46%

percent of Americans say they have used marijuana, according to the latest longstanding survey from Pew Research Center.

88%

percent of Americans say Cannabis should be legal for adult or medical use, according to the same PRC survey.

Democrat and Republican lawmakers have reintroduced a bill to prepare for the legalization of adult-use Cannabis at the federal level.

U.S.

House Representative Dave Joyce and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in April introduced the Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult Use Regulated Environment (PREPARE) Act.

The goal of the PREPARE Act is to bring together a diverse group of experts to collaborate on Cannabis reform. It would provide lawmakers with the information needed to establish a comprehensive federal regulatory system.

Despite more than 21 states legalizing adult-use Cannabis, it remains illegal at the federal level via its continued classification as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act.

ALABAMA ACTIVISTS PUSH FOR POT DECRIM

Local marijuana advocacy groups are asking Alabama lawmakers to decriminalize nonviolent Cannabis convictions during the 2023 legislative session. Activists, including the Alabama Cannabis Coalition, are looking at what other states are doing – including legalizing medical Cannabis – as well as pushing lawmakers to make a change on marijuana possession arrests.

“Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, is sponsoring marijuana decriminalization legislation for the fourth consecutive year.”

“Decriminalization eliminates jail time for petty crimes for so many people and those crimes,” said Marty Schelper, president of ACC, “those misdemeanors and those felonies can actually prevent those people from getting jobs and having housing.”

Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, is sponsoring marijuana decriminalization legislation for the fourth consecutive year. The legislation has previously passed Senate Judiciary committee review, but died on the Senate floor. Schelper and other advocates are calling for the Alabama Legislature to expunge criminal records for marijuana possession while looking at racial disparities in arrest rates. They’d like lawmakers to then move forward with establishing medical Cannabis dispensaries.

20,000

55,000

STORIES by STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA

patients have enrolled so far in Virginia’s medical marijuana program. The state’s first medical marijuana dispensaries opened up more than two years ago.

people were arrested in 2021 for Cannabis possession in Texas, which may reduce the penalty for possession of Cannabis and Cannabis concentrates.

U.S. residents spent about $30b on legal Cannabis in 2022 versus $20b on chocolate.

The undulating throng threw hands and joints in the air as Erykah Badu took the stage. Alex Aquino, maestro of the day’s celebration, shouted at the few of us up there with her to get the hell out of the way of the LED backdrop, lit up with a giant digital clock. It was 30 seconds to 4:20, and the countdown was upon us.

“10 … 9 … 8 … “ Her Majesty Badu chanted with the crowd as she took long draws from her Vibes Cubano, packed with her Cookies strain, That Badu.

An opaque, wispy blanket rose from the crowd and hovered, as the cacophony rose to frenzied levels.

The beat kicked in, and the freshly lit crowd swayed and bounced in unison.

It was 4:20 on 4/20 in Golden Gate park, the epicenter of 420. Badu capped a legendary day full of good vibes, good will and good ganja with a killer set of songs,

It was 4:20 on 4/20 in Golden Gate park, the epicenter of 420.

Badu capped a legendary day full of good vibes, good will and good ganja with a killer set of songs, stories and chants.

stories and chants. It was the fitting apex for Hippie Hill in 2023, for which Aquino and his concert promotions company, Sounds Bazaar, gathered heads, Cannabis brands, food vendors, artists and advocates together to celebrate the plant that enriches all of our lives.

The Leaf was there with our friends from PICC Platform, one of the event sponsors, soaking it all in. The highlights were many. The King of Z Hill competition brought the best of the best together to decide who had the best terps, handing out huge cash prizes to the winners. (Read more about the competition on LeafMagazines.com)

The occasional mid-crowd hot dog vendor saved us from the epic food lines. Cookies, Sherbinskis, Puffco, 7 Leaves, Sticker Farmer and more handed out swag and showed off new gear. Roaming hashmakers offered whiffs of their latest fire.

At the official afterparty, we got to groove onstage with M1 from Dead Prez and Mario Guzman from Sherbinskis as Talib Kweli spun the wheels, before he handed the mic to Badu for a reprise set that lasted until the wee hours of the morning.

People all over the world were celebrating in true stoner fashion, in their own ways, with their own people. We count ourselves lucky that we were here, at the amazing Golden Gate, at a free event filled with nothing but good vibes and good people. As the police and security ushered the peaceful crowd to the exits with efficiency, we remarked at just how clean and undamaged the grounds were in its wake. Not a single piece of litter left behind. What a testament to the plant and its people. See you there next year.

The PICC Platform Team & Friends PHOTO BY MIKE ROSATI

Heritage Hash Co. during the King of Z Hill Competition.

Erykah Badu leads legendary 4/20 sesh at Hippie Hill

L-R: Victorine Deych, Mario Guzman of Sherbinskis, M1 of Dead Prez, and Chef Nikki Stewart.

Talib Kweli lighting up the afterparty.

W H E R E Y O U R B U D T E N D E R S H O P S .

• B E S T M E N U I N S O N O M A C O U N T Y

• E D U C A T E D B U D T E N D E R S

• F I R S T T I M E S H O P P E R A N D

V E T E R A N D I S C O U N T S

• D A I L Y S P E C I A L S

w w w f o r m c o

• E X C L U S I V E D R O P S

• L O Y A L T Y P O I N T S

THE ARTIST TREE THE ARTIST TREE

The Artist Tree is a collective of six stores serving the greater Southern California area, including Fresno, Riverside and Beverly Hills.

A SHORT 12 MILES from Los Angeles International Airport on iconic Santa Monica Boulevard, their West Hollywood store has been serving the community for four years this October.

In WeHo, an area that’s known for beautiful dispensaries, this location manages to make an impression by being part gallery, part garden store, and part radical restaurant space.

Warm and welcoming with vivid, eye-catching murals and live Cannabis plants you can visit, dispensary manager Meghan Pool says this is a store that’s proud to be both a community resource and a tourist destination. When every jar is full, she told us the store holds an impressive 94 strains of Cannabis, along with a diverse selection of vapes, edibles, topicals and concentrates.

THE GARDEN

As soon as you enter the store you’re struck by the appearance of a glass cube behind the counter filled with Cannabis plants of all different sizes.

The Artist Tree has a designated staff member that tends the garden and makes sure everything is humming along – especially since visitors are encouraged to head inside the walled space to take pictures. Thanks to a partnership with Purple City Genetics, they offer customers a wide array of seeds, clones and even teen plants for the at-home grower.

THE ART

The relationship between artists and Cannabis has always been a close one –but this store takes it one further by setting them side by side on the shelf. Along the walls you can find an impressive array of local art, with 100% of each sale going to the artist with zero gallery fees.

Every four to six months, their in-house curator rotates the shows between this shop and their two other nearby locations in Korea Town and Downtown.

Shows range from group exhibitions to solo works, and all artwork is purchasable by using the QR code under each piece.

THE LOUNGE

Located above the dispensary floor, The Artist Tree operates one of only two official consumption lounges in Los Angeles County. Classy without being pretentious, the space is intended to feel more like a restaurant experience. Patrons are welcome to make a reservation or stop by to see if there is a free table, then have a consumption experience just like you’d have lunch … only with weed.

Lounge Manager Sky Fairman knows Californians are used to smoking privately at home or inside a friend’s house, but creating this safe space for people to enjoy what they’re already doing, just in a social setting, is “a big part of dispelling the outdated mentality that enjoying Cannabis in public is a taboo thing.”

You can even order food and drink through a partnership with local eateries Fresh Corn Grill and Kitchen 24, giving hungry customers wonderful options to satiate stimulated appetites.

From the bright oil paintings downstairs to the drag brunches upstairs, there’s always something to grab your attention at The Artist Tree West Hollywood.

The relationship between artists and Cannabis has always been a close one – but this store takes it one further by setting them side by side on the shelf.

MIDZOTICS

WE’RE TEARING down the two-lane highway that carves through the wetland stretch between Vallejo and Sebastopol, slicing through the dark, sticky night like scissors trimming sugar leaves. The engine whines at a high pitch as we fly past blackened silhouetted landscapes, reclining in bucket seats mere inches above the ground. How fast are we going? It feels like 1,000,000.

I glance over at the driver, who’s talking at breakneck pace without diverting his gaze from the unfurling blacktop, gripping the wheel tightly in his Wonder Bread NASCAR uniform.

“Dude, I like how you drive,” I say. “You push it to the limit.”

I peer through the dark at the dash, squinting to make out the odometer reading. We must be breaking multiple traffic laws at this pace. My eyes find the correct dial. We’re only going 65 miles per hour.

I suddenly remember we’re in a Geo Metro.

“Its full street name is the Lambo Metro Geo Ghini,” said Matt Shotwell, legendary trapper and owner of Midzotics, one of the most memorable flower brands in California Cannabis. Shotwell feels immense pride in the trusty steel steed carrying us through the night. “Its government name is the Chevy Geo Metro, the most midz car in America. That’s why I chose to make it my brand car. At least that’s the marketing pitch. But really, I’ve had five of these cars. ‘I made a million in a Metro’ is what I like to say.”

The fact that Shotwell took a Geo Metro, with its 55-horsepower inline 3-cylinder engine, and decked it out with bucket seats, a sweet paint job and Lamborghini-style scissor doors, tells you everything you need to know about his approach to life. Well, almost everything.

BEFORE THE MIDZNESS

Shotwell opened his first dispensary back in 2010 in the waning heyday of the Prop 215 era after a couple of years slanging weed via Craigslist in a different Geo Metro

MATT SHOTWELL MATT SHOTWELL

– with a printer, scanner and power converter in the back. It was a move that came on the heels of his father and sister both undergoing treatment for cancer, when he stepped up to become their medical Cannabis supplier.

Before that? He was a Merchant Marine Officer and Cargo Ship Navigator, which was his career after graduating from the Vallejo-based California Maritime Academy.

That’s correct. The man in the pimped-out Metro is an expert in global shipping routes and logistics, and has military training in conducting open-ocean water rescue operations as a rescue swimmer.

“It’s arguably in the top three hardest trainings you could do in the military,” Shotwell said. “Navy Seals being number one, pilots being number two, then search and rescue swimmers, number three. That’s why this shit is easy for me on a weekday. These (weak asses) are tired and want to quit. I’m like, have you ever almost drowned? Get back in the fucking grow room.”

THE

MIDZ GOD EMERGES

After years of growing his business in cultivation and distribution, Shotwell had an epiphany.

“I was meditating one morning, talking to Jesus,” he said. “I just smoked some DMT, and I got

a download from Jesus, from the universe, from Source. And my entire marketing campaign clicked in my mind. I knew clear as day every single thing that I was gonna do, instantly.”

See, when Shotwell was younger he and his brother used to freestyle rap, and goofed on the idea that he was Slim Shotty, in a send up of Eminem’s character Slim Shady. Flash forward to Shotwell’s DMT trip, and Eminem and Machinegun Kelly were in the press for a beef that resulted in the release of fire diss tracks: Eminem with “Rap God” and MGK with “Rap Devil.”

“So the instant download was like, I’m gonna impersonate Eminem, I’m gonna impersonate MGK, and I’m gonna rewrite both of their songs like Weird Al Yankovic would do,” he said. “But I’m gonna make them battle each other in my own manufactured weed war rapper beef, where I talk shit about myself to myself.”

He recorded a parody of Eminem’s Machinegun Kelly diss track, “Rap God,” called “Midz God” –and it got picked up by Worldstar. A midz monster was born.

Next, he set aside the beef for a moment and took aim at Riff Raff – the Florida-based rapper who bears a striking, allegedly not-coincidental resemblance to James Franco’s character in “Spring Breakers.”

“I got in full character, bought all this merch online and then I reached out to his management on his email and I said, ‘I want to do a music video with Riff Raff,’” he said. Riff Raff’s management told Shotwell that the rapper doesn’t love the idea of being impersonated.

“I was like, ‘Well, I’m gonna do it with or without you guys, so you can get in my sandbox and play if you want to – I’m just gonna do it either way. It’s already done,’” he said. “So then Riff counters with an even more genius idea. He saw my midz genius, and he proposed, ‘What if we make a brand-new song, a song about your brand and I produce it on my label, and I rap it and you get to be featured in it?’ And I was like, ‘Whoa, now we’re talking next level.’”

The pair dropped a track and a video for “Smokin’ on MiDZOTiCS,” and released it on Riff’s JodyHighRoller YouTube channel. To date, the video has nearly a quarter million views. Then Riff took Shotwell on a state-wide California tour from Humboldt to Hollywood, booking daytime dispensary meet-and-greets to promote Boysenberry Bobcat, Riff’s own strain he produced with Shotwell under the label Riffzotics, and the two performed together at sold-out shows at night.

“My name was on the fucking bus,” Shotwell said. “They wrapped the whole bus and my name’s on the back of the bus, ‘Shotty,’ right there. Done.”

MIDZMARKETING MASTER

Though his outward persona seems absolutely bonkers, every move Shotwell makes is meticulously planned to serve the marketing of his brand. He’s about to launch an entire line of products with Riff Raff, who will be coming to NorCal for a show to promote the drop in May (date and venue was still TBD at the date of printing).

He also just dropped his second video in the rap beef project, a parody of the MGK diss track “Rap Devil,” called “Midz Devil.” For the shoot, Shotwell underwent a complete transformation – bleaching his hair and cutting his trademark mullet, and covering his torso and arms with temporary tattoos he had custom-made specifically for the shoot more than a year ago (See behind the scenes pictures and footage on IG @californialeafmag).

The shot-for-shot video remake shows the rehearsed rap flow and the pure pro approach Shotwell and his team take to his projects. No official word on what he has up his sleeve next, but he did hint that his next “midzpersonation” would be Jack Harlow. As we tear past the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, he comments that he wants to race his collection of Geo Metros there for a video shoot someday.

One thing’s for certain, whatever the self-proclaimed Weed Al Dank-O-Midz decides to do next, it’s going to be entertaining … and midz as fuck. MIDZOTICS.COM

“That’s correct. The man in the pimped-out Metro is an expert in global shipping routes and logistics, and has military training in conducting open-ocean water rescue operations as a rescue swimmer.”

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.

FRUIT BEER ICE WATER HASH

flower and infused -

ed by something unexpectedly out of this world. That’s why it was so special when our good friend Joe Sullivan from Mercy Wellness took us aside at last year’s Emerald Cup Harvest Ball and said, “Dudes, have you tried Moon Valley? You have to try Moon Valley.”

Leave it to Sullivan’s platinum palate … but damn if he wasn’t spot-on with his recommendation. The accomplished hash assassins at this NorCal-based hashery churn out absolute fire on the regular, and the Fruit Beer full-melt ice water hash stands out among the pack.

A blend of fresh-frozen Papaya, Starburst OG and Root Beer GMO – all house-grown in Moon Valley’s indoor, living-soil fed facility – this single-source hash is hand-paddled, using reclaimed water and ice from the facility’s HVAC system.

The result presents as cream-colored angelic fluff, delicate and brightly aromatic. Delicate is actually an understatement – as the package warns, this hash needs to be kept frozen at all times.

After 10 minutes at room temperature it starts to homogenize, with the wisplike granules clinging to one another in what will eventually end up as a firm, sticks-to-everything glob of deliciousness.

In other words: This hash is for mindful connoisseurs only.

The trebly, fruity top notes make the mouth water instantly – leading to an uplifting, delicious dabbing experience. On the long, slow, savorous exhale, you’ll immediately taste the candied tropical funk of the Papaya and Starburst OG. It’s an absolute confectionary dream.

Try taking a few slow, dry pulls pre and post dab, before pulling out the mop. When we did so, we noticed distinct, undeniable sweet notes that reminded us nostalgically of Fruit Stripe gum.

Overall, it was an experience we can’t wait to repeat. Keep an eye out for this one, and anything out of the Moon Valley facility in the future. You won’t regret it.

“The trebly, fruity top notes make the mouth water instantly – leading to an uplifting, delicious dabbing experience. ”

off the shelf

INFUSED PRE-ROLLS

ENHANCING JOINTS WITH HASH IS AN AGE-OLD PRACTICE. We fondly recall perching a ball of hash on the end of a paperclip and lighting it on fire before crumbling it up over spliff joints in our younger years. Now, infusing joints is a science. Hash hole rolling, distillate injection, kief coating – the game keeps leveling up. For The Fun Issue, we decided to round up a few heavy-hitting infused pre-rolls, purpose-built for people looking for a convenient way to get lifted on the go.

SLUGGERS JUICED INFUSED JOINTS

The crew at Natura knocked it over the left field fence with their Sluggers line. Built like an old-school pack of trading cards, the brand is crafted to tug on those nostalgic heartstrings via names and strain choices that hearken back to bygone days of summers past. They even include playing cards for each strain. Sluggers is also not just a clever baseball-themed name – these juiced-up babies hit like Mark McGwire in the late ‘90s. We love every flavor we’ve tried but are particularly fond of the Bubble Bath. It lives up to its name … just one of these bats will make you feel like you’re taking a well-earned soak.

Strain: Bubble Bath | 48.3% Total Cannabinoids | natura.io @NaturaLife2020 (Twitter)

REAL REAL RESIN

LUCHA VERDES HASH ROSIN

INFUSED PRE-ROLLS

The wrestling-obsessed crew at Real Deal Resin took a flying leap off the top rope with this multipack of rosin-packed cones. The purpose-built, personal-size Js burn evenly and pack a wallop. We loved the Mod Grapes version, infused with the hash rosin that has become RDR’s finishing move in the ring. The overall effect was euphoric and relaxing … perfect for the end of the day.

Strain: Mod Grapes | 31.4% Total Cannabinoids realdealresin.com @realdealresin__

GANJAGOLD TARANTULA INFUSED PRE-ROLL

GanjaGold wraps a stoney time in a furry package with the Tarantula. Infused with distillate and coated in house-extracted kief, the line of enhanced joints are not nearly as scary as the name suggests (but you should still be wary). The African Queen regular-sized Tarantula delivered the motivating and uplifting effects of the classic landrace sativa strain. We also had the chance to try the GMO Crashers version of the King Tarantula – a grandaddy-sized cone with a furry kief crust. That one will bliss you out so much you may not notice a hairy spider crawling up your arm. Strain: African Queen | 28.88% Total Cannabinoids | ganjagold.com @ganja_gold

RAPID ONSET FRUIT CHEWS + POPS INDOOR PREMIUM FLOWER + PREROLLS + INFUSED PREROLLS

AWARD-WINNING CHOCOLATES

THCA DIAMONDS + THCA FROST

LIVE RESIN CONCENTRATES + VAPE CARTS SORBET (CURED RESIN) CONCENTRATES + VAPE CARTS

SUMMER OF NUG ®

“A FLASH OF GAS FOLLOWED BY SWEET FRUIT THAT’S COLORED IN-AND-OUTSIDE THE LINES WITH AN OILY, CHEMY EDGE.”

33.9% THC

0.0754% CBD

3.18% TERPENES

37.7% TOTAL CANNABINOIDS

LIMONENE

BETA CARYOPHYLLENE LINALOOL

P. B . & JANE

CULTIVATED BY LUMPY’S

Sacramento has really settled into its role as home to some of the state’s hottest Cannabis producers and Lumpy’s is one of SacTown’s premiere legacy craft brands. Famous for strains like Apple Fritter and Reckless Rainbow, Lumpy’s has been pushing out heat since their owner and originator Jayson first came up with the brand name to use on message boards back in 2012.

When the Lumpy’s crew started looking for new strains two years ago, they decided to cross their Cherry Jane (Pink Lemonade x Cherry Pie) with Peanut Butter Breath (Do-Si-Dos x Mendo Breath). What they ended up with were two different phenotypes that were huge hits with their R&D team. While their Peanut Butter Toast has a strong funky smell and a dark green complexion, it’s the sweeter and more Cherry Jane-looking pheno that stopped us in our tracks: a ruddy, sparkling flower called PB & Jane that off-gasses a nose-burning peanut-buttery aroma with fruit notes.

Having tried both, I can agree that the look on these buds carries those deep purple tones that you’d find in Thrifty’s Bing Cherry Ice Cream. This pheno might look like the Cherry Jane, but the smell coming out of the bag is like the kind of old fruit air freshener you’d find in a mechanic’s shop. It’s a flash of gas followed by sweet fruit that’s colored in-and-outside the lines with an oily, chemy edge.

The dry inhale sees the fruit pull away and the Peanut Butter Breath blossom into a sweet licorice spice drop. As you start smoking, a smooth peanut butter flavor coats the sides of your mouth in a jiffy. This gassy, nutty funk dominates the flavor of this strain.

Though the fruit from the Cherry Jane does try to peek its head back in the door from time to time, it only gets as far as the aftertaste before the PBB launches a sandal at its head.

This is definitely one of the funkier and gassier flavors from the Lumpy’s stable – one that you’ll not only want to smoke but also compare to the other phenotype – just to know and experience the difference. Because knowing, as they say, is half the battle (though I think they left out smoking as the other half).

ENHANCING THE EVERYDAY

Simply doing nothing is always a solid option when you’re stoned … but while we love a lazy day, this is the Fun Issue! There are so many activities that can be enhanced by Cannabis, helping you to get even more out of your high – whether you’re looking to get out on the town, get creative or get active – opportunities abound.

HANGING OUT FARMER’S MARKET

Fresh air and fire snacks? Count me in. My absolute favorite thing to do on a Sunday morning is roll up a joint, smoke on my walk to the market, and stock up on local goodies for the week. It’s a great way to get outside, meet people in your community and support small businesses.

CONCERT

Music just sounds better stoned … especially live music. Look up a local show, light up and get out on the dance floor! For added fun, try going to a show for an artist you don’t know or a genre you wouldn’t normally listen to. You just may find your new favorite band out there.

STAYING CREATIVE PUFF AND PAINT

Interested in getting really high at a guided painting class? These events are all the craze these days with classes popping up in cities nationwide. Perfect for a dank date night or group hang, using Cannabis allows you to get out of your comfort zone and can result in some seriously trippy art.

DAY AT THE MUSEUM

When I’m looking for creative inspiration (or something stoney to do on a rainy day), I like to drink an infused beverage or eat a gummy before hitting a local museum. Whether it’s science, modern art or natural history, it’s easy to get lost in an edible-infused exhibit of any kind.

GETTING ACTIVE NATURE TRAIL

Mother Nature is even more magical with Mary Jane. Personally, I love to hit the trail after hitting a nice uplifting sativa strain with a piney terpene profile like an OG Kush. Don’t forget to leave no trace and dispose of any joint roaches or product packaging properly.

STONED SEX

All your senses are heightened when you’re high, making stoned sex a more intimate and pleasure experience. Sharing a joint, using THC or CBD lube, or giving a massage with infused body oil can sure shake up sexy time – just be sure to keep the communication open with your partner.

HIGH &SEEK HIGH &SEEK

THERE IS A DAY when mushrooms grow from ink and clay, through cracks in walls and walkways springing up on our streets and stores – creating a worldwide scavenger hunt for everyone who loves art. Called Game of Shrooms, it’s a global holiday that Hi Fructose Art Magazine co-founder Daniel Seifert, known as Attaboy, unintentionally created in 2019 “as a way to change the narrative of my day.”

KEVIN THE RACCOON by Carli Christina

QUAGMIRE CLUSTER by Attaboy

In the mini-documentary filmed in 2022, Seifert describes how he started hiding mushrooms after a sudden bout of existential depression caused him to turn to a familiar kind of art therapy.

As a child, he and his grandmother would paint ceramic mushrooms together in her studio and place them all over her garden, living room and kitchen, so making mushroom art has always been a soothing source of inspiration. Creating and hiding little pieces of art gave him a sense of purpose. He felt not only some control over his own day, but a secondary joy thinking about the positive effect it might have on someone who found one. After all, understanding that you have the ability to make others happy through art is something people strive for their entire lives.

The inspiration caught on with others who were going through their own struggles, especially during the Covid-19 lockdown. Seifert began seeing other artists hiding mushrooms across galleries and museums, and after a moment, he understood this was becoming something larger than just his own road to wellness – it represented a whole highway that could be mobilized into an insane art caravan.

Since launching that first official game in 2019, Seifert told us the hunt has become larger than he could have ever imagined. In Poland, Mexico, Russia and all over the United States, people are sharing their locations to the website www.yumfactory.com/gameofshrooms and adding to the global map, with Antarctica even getting into the mix for 2023.

Playing is easy. Along with the site, you can follow #gameofshrooms on Instagram to see which artists are participating – that way you have some idea of what you want to start hunting for.

On the official day, watch each artist’s stories for clues to where they’ve hidden their shrooms. Follow the clues, and if you’re lucky enough to recognize where it’s hidden, take a picture and tag the artist so others know the piece has been found.

Finding hidden artwork is like fol lowing an Indiana Jones adventure to a priceless treasure. There are the emotional highs and lows of winning and losing, the spark of competition, and the thrill of the hunt. This holiday doesn’t care how artistic you think you are, it encourages everyone to create and hide their stuff in order to spark a connection between people and art, but also one that is person to person. Once you get that rush of emotion from finding one of these mushrooms, it’s hard not to want to pay that feeling forward. The rolling thunder has gotten so loud that last year Seifert rented out Fairyland Children’s Park in Oakland to throw an adult-themed meet-up where participants could gather, celebrate a job well done, and maybe hide some last-minute mushrooms.

For anyone who’s interested, visit the website for all the details, or check out the tag on Instagram #gameof shrooms to see examples from past years.

On June 10, there will be a bigger crowd than ever looking to hit those streets and they’re going to need all of us spores. So break out your pens, paints, construction paper, 3D printers, crayons and clay… because the Game of Shrooms is on.

yumfactory.com/gameofshrooms

@gameofshroomsofficial #gameofshrooms

PHOTO BY HEATHER BOWLING

Since launching that first official game in 2019, Seifert told us the hunt has become larger than he could have ever imagined.

Art by Attaboy.

ART OF

ART OF

GRASS HOPPA

Luxe Rolls and Luxe Roll Bar Founder and renowned creative joint-rolling artist Grass Hoppa, is a professional roller sponsored by top brands including The Flower Mill, Organitips, Caligar Rolling Glue and Raw Papers. She specializes in live joint-rolling services and custom smokeable art, and she can be found twisting up expertly-rolled joints and shocking onlookers with her machine-like precision at well-known industry events like The Emerald Cup, The Secret Session and The Trans Bay Challenge. Her services have given her behind-the-scenes access to high profile parties across the country, and she has been commissioned to roll joints for some of the biggest brands in Cannabis. Grass Hoppa is an accomplished competitive roller, and currently serves as one of the judges for Raw Rolling Papers’ annual worldwide rolling competition. @thegrasshoppa

STURT DOINKS

An OG in the scene with a couple decades of experience at every level of the industry, Sturt has the connections, quality assessment expertise and rolling ability to create some of the loudest, most flavorful hash holes anywhere. In fact, Sturt is credited with proliferating the “hash hole” nomenclature beginning in early 2018. The sourcing often comes from top quality flower brands like Blueprint, GreenDawg Cultivators, SureFire Selections and NorCal Gardens, and the hash is usually from Hash Assassins or one of West Coast Alchemy’s many collabs – all elite companies producing some incredible products, which Sturt then artfully pairs to create stunningly flavorful and hard-hitting bars.

@sturtsdoinks_official

SPLIFF WIZARD

JUNE DA GOON

June Da Goon is a Stockton, Calif. based roller with some impressive accolades. Raw Papers holds an annual worldwide rolling competition, and June Da Goon holds four championship titles. In fact, he is now a judge for the event and sits on a panel with Raw Brands’ Founder and CEO, Josh Kesselman. With nearly a decade of experience in creative rolling under his belt, coupled with eight years of competitive rolling, he has honed his craft and earned himself a spot as one of the top joint rollers in the world. One of his most notable works of late was a 3D replica of the goat on the cover for Berner’s “El Chivo” album – which he personally gifted to him in 2020. @xxjune_da_goonxx

Ryan Dawley is a self-described “natural born roller,” whose unique skills have led him on a journey from Miami to Europe to the West Coast and beyond. In addition to his self-taught joint-rolling talents, he is also a graduate of Full Sail University and a professional photographer and social media manager currently freelancing for a number of brands in both Oregon and California. Dawley has done it all, from winning rolling competitions to teaching and training crews of joint rollers how to properly roll infused joints, plus aspects of cultivation, extraction, security and more. It’s safe to say that Dawley’s life revolves around the plant, and his passion for the art of the roll has elevated his status to legendary in the tightknit and highly-exclusive rolling scene. @spliffwizard

THE ROLL

THE ROLL

BRUNO’S ROLLS

Bruno is an absolute joint surgeon capable of producing perfectly hand-rolled doobies stuffed to the brim with unmatched precision and consistency. He began his love affair with the plant as a cultivator in Tuolumne County in 2012, and after years as a grower, he met his now wife who encouraged him to follow his dream of mastering the art of the roll. Pursuing that passion has led him to become one of the top rollers in the country, and perhaps the world. Last year, Bruno hand rolled more than 18,000 joints, which earned him some notable recognition, including the title of “Joint Rolling Champion” at the 2022 Emerald Cup and two 1st Place wins at Lumpy’s California’s Finest 2022 competition. @brunosrolls

THE JOINT

began as a simple, filterless Cannabis cigarette, but has evolved into something very different. Today, joint rolling is both a profession and an artform –producing a modern era featuring standout talent with a variety of skill sets.

Some are practitioners, technical joint-rolling samurais, focusing on cleanliness and consistency. Some are visionary artists who transform everything from cultural icons to everyday objects into certified smokeable art.

MARCOS SURITA

Entrepreneur, certified award-winning joint roller and CGO Lyfestyle brand Founder Marcos Surita is a Sacramento native and an absolute beast with the bars. A free agent with his own brand renowned for fire hash holes and limited apparel drops, Surita collaborates with top tier cultivators and flavor curators like Emerald Queen Farms, Champelli, Prodigal Company, Doja and Bay Area Flavors, and hash artists from across California to create his carefully constructed and extremely exclusive wares. Surita’s joints, crafted with Organitips, are usually made by order and have created a demand for his skills taking him all over the country. @cgo__lyfestyle

We’ve scoured the country to find out who’s got the best joint-rolling abilities, and we caught up with a few of them to learn more about their history in Cannabis and how they discovered their passion for the art of the roll.

TONY GREENHAND

One of the original joint artists in the game, Greenhand is wid ely renowned for his creativity and imagination, where he’s been crafting art-forward joints professionally for almost 15 years. Greenhand has worked with some of the biggest stars in the world, including Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Juice WRLD and Tommy Chong. Smokeable Space Needle? Greenhand has done it. A quarter-pound replica dab pen joint? Check. Pizza, Pokémon, guns and grenades? You bet. Greenhand has done it all, and continues to produce standout work with unmatched detail and intricacy. When asked about his style of rolling, he replied, “I enjoy the technical challenges involved in engineering never-before-seen joints and plan to continue to blend new concepts and designs into future art.”

@tonygreenhand

PROPER DOINKS

Proper Doinks is an up-andcoming, brand-forward rolling company with eyes on the recreational market. Having just locked down space for their own grow, distro, delivery and production studio, the brand is hoping to bring their properly produced products to discerning California consumers this summer via a members-only delivery service. While the team at Proper Doinks certainly maintains a significant focus on a precise roll, their ability to judge flower quality and only put the top 1%-level herb in their Doinks is second to none. In addition, they’ve done a service to the community with their entertaining and educational Instagram reels that help push consumers towards better smoking technique and etiquette. If you’re lucky (and follow their Instagram closely), you can score one of their limited edition reusable glass tips. @properdoinks

PHOTO BY JOSH MONTHEI @CAPTURECANNABIS

Today, joint rolling is both a profession and an artform.

PHOTOS BY EMERALD MOUNTAIN MEDIA

FUN-SIZED

From baby blunt wraps and tiny torches to entire sesh table scenes, Levelheady has carved out a notable niche in the world of Cannabis miniature art. We sat down with the Denver-based artist, who has been putting out small resin replicas that are making big waves, to find out what’s so fun about finger-sized art.

In the world of Levelheady, loud art comes in little packages.

What was your journey to working with resin as a medium? Art has always been an escape for me, but I started working with resin in 2016. I was doing a ceramics project in college and wanted to incorporate mixed media – my art teacher recommended I try out this thing called ‘resin.’ I bought some, watched tutorials online and was like, ‘Woah. This is kind of cool. I want to do this.’ I suddenly was no longer interested in ceramics at all and actually dropped out of college during that time because I became so focused on working with resin.

How did you get your start in your niche of making miniatures? I started focusing really hard on the scale model aspect in 2020. I had been serving tables and doing art on the side forever, and I would have a breakfast shift, come home and work on a project, then post whatever I did that day. I didn’t even think of it. I was just consistently sharing with the world, ‘Hey, this is what I'm working on. This is something I'm excited about.’ One of my pictures went viral and I think other people saw what I was doing and thought it was unique – so they would share it, and it just kept growing from there. Then the pandemic hit and I didn’t want to serve anymore, and thought maybe it was time to just focus on my art. I bought a website and started posting like crazy. That’s when companies started noticing me and being like, ‘Hey, this is cool. Would you make minis of our product?’ I had this moment where I was like, ‘Oh, I can do this!’ So that's kind of how it all started.

Where do you draw inspiration from, and how does Cannabis play a role in your artistic process? Almost everything I've done has had something to do with a small version of weed stuff. I’ve always been really intrigued by Cannabis. These days, I’m inspired by Japanese resin techniques because they’re a lot more in-depth than the ones here. In the U.S., a resin pour is just one thing in a mold – but in Japanese culture, they’ll be inspired by all these little details. It’s about as much detail as you can put into one little space. It’s almost gaudy. And I was like, ‘I like that. I want to do that, but I want it to be inspired by my own stuff.’

What would you say is fun about you and your art? I just love fun! I genuinely believe magic is real and want to bring a little bit of that feeling to people through my art. I want them to feel transported, and I think that’s the really fun thing about my minis – people can look at them and be like, ‘Oh my god, this is my smoke table at home!’ There’s also the connection we all have to miniatures from our inner child. It brings you back to being like, ‘This is so small, I would have played with this when I was a kid. But I like it as an adult because it’s my torch?’ It’s kind of a paradox … it’s silly and there’s no reason for it, other than to look at it and smile or think or show someone. Even if your only response is to laugh at my art, that makes me happy because I brought joy out of someone by doing something that I enjoyed.

levelheady.com | @levelheady

“I just love fun! I genuinely believe magic is real and want to bring a little bit of that feeling to people through my art.”

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MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE

SPICED &STONED

This May, I’m bringing a little south of the border love with these easy and yummy, infused recipes. I’ve been craving Mexican food a lot and loving the bold, strong flavors. As luck would have it, I was able to find one of my favorite strains – Acapulco Gold – for this month’s recipes. This spectacular blast from my past is a sativa dominant, hard to find, potent plant. And it’s real pretty too.

Rich, spicy and elegant, this hot chocolate is one of our favorite indulgences. And it’s not just for winter – we drink it year round. For extra glam, top it with whipped cream and serve it with a cinnamon stick for stirring.

6 tablespoons dark chocolate hot cocoa mix

1 ½ tablespoons chocolate syrup

2 teaspoons canna butter, at room temperature

2 small pinches of chili powder (optional)

½ cup whole milk, heated until warm

1 ½ cups water, heated until warm

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon or two pinches of cayenne pepper (for garnish)

SERVES 2 | 5MG THC/SERVING

1. In a saucepan, whisk together the cocoa mix, chocolate syrup, canna butter and chili powder, if using, over medium-low heat until the butter has melted and the mix has dissolved.

2. Pour the warmed milk into the pan and whisk until well combined.

3. Pour the warmed water into the pan and whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to low and warm the chocolate until hot, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Divide the hot chocolate between two mugs, and garnish each mug with 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon or cayenne pepper. Serve immediately.

CHORIZO–COTIJA CHEESE QUESADILLAS

2 SERVINGS | 1/2 QUESADILLA PER PERSON

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 green onions (white and green parts), chopped

1 link chorizo, removed from the casing and crumbled (or ¼ cup bulk chorizo)

¼ cup cotija cheese

2 teaspoons canna oil

2 flour tortillas (6-inch)

Sour cream, for serving (optional)

Salsa, for serving (optional)

1. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

A quesadilla can be so much more than just melted cheese in a tortilla. This version pairs spicy chorizo with the salt and tang of this Mexican cheese.

2. Add the green onions and chorizo, breaking the sausage up with a spoon into small pieces. Sauté until the onions are tender and all the pink has disappeared from the meat.

3. In a medium bowl, stir together the cheese and canna oil. Add the chorizo mixture and mix thoroughly. Don’t wash skillet.

4. In the same skillet, heat one of the tortillas.

5. Spread the filling across one tortilla, leaving a ¼ inch border around the edges, and place the second tortilla on top.

6. Cook the quesadilla, turning once, until golden brown – 5 to 7 minutes total.

7. Let the quesadilla rest for a few minutes before cutting it in half and serving it with the sour cream and salsa, if using.

GUACAMOLE

MAKES 2 CUPS

½ CUP SERVING

2 large ripe avocados, peeled and seeded Juice of two medium limes

4 teaspoons canna oil

½ small red onion, diced

¼ cup finely chopped cilantro leaves

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 small tomato, seeded and chopped (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, mash the avocado.

2. Add all the other ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Avocados have tremendous health benefits and they also taste great, especially when made into guacamole. To keep your guac from turning brown, drizzle it with citrus juice and press plastic wrap snugly into its surface (this limits the oxygen exposure that leads to browning). We like our guacamole chunky, so we mash the avocado only enough to break it up a bit … but you can make yours as smooth as you like.

Reefer Madness Revisited

Since the early days of American cinema coincided with the dawn of Cannabis prohibition, it makes sense that some filmmakers would look to the sensationalized stories of marijuana mayhem and madness portrayed in the “yellow journalism” of the era as inspiration for their films. In the 1930s and ‘40s, a number of low-budget, anti-pot propaganda films were produced that were hysterical in both senses of the word: Originally, they were intended to induce a “hysteria” (overwhelming fear and panic) among the American public about marijuana; in modern times, however, they’re hysterical in the humorous sense due to their campy delivery and absurd exaggerations of the dangers marijuana purportedly posed.

Here’s a look back at history’s most infamous “drugsploitation” flicks.

“MARIHUANA”

The first of the pot propaganda flicks to make it to the big screen in May 1936, “Marihuana” (a.k.a. “Marihuana: The Devil’s Weed,” a.k.a. “Marihuana: The Weed With Roots in Hell”) tells the tale of a high school girl named Burma who’s “led to ruin after befriending a drug dealer who invites her to a party at his beach house.”

After Burma and some other girls get drunk and smoke weed at the party, one ends up drowning while Burma becomes pregnant. After she pressures her boyfriend to marry her, he gets hired by the

dealer to unload some smuggled drugs at the docks and ends up being killed by the cops. Upon hearing the news, Burma runs away from home, has the baby and puts it up for adoption – then becomes a drug dealer herself. After graduating to heroin and becoming a junkie (the classic “gateway drug” theory), she tries to kidnap her sister’s new baby and hold it for ransom, only to find out it’s actually her own.

“Marihuana” was produced by the pulp fiction power couple of Dwain Esper and Hildegarde Stadie. Stadie spent her childhood traveling around the country in a horse-drawn wagon with her opium-addicted uncle – a doctor turned snake oil salesman who shamelessly used her to hawk his cure-all, Tiger Fat (including having a pre-teen Hilde appear in front of customers nude except for a python). In 1920, she married Dwain Esper, a former carnival barker who, in 1932 – despite having no training or experience in filmmaking – began a new career as a movie director after acquiring a small studio in a loan default settlement.

With Hilde as his writer and co-producer (and often in cameo roles), Esper began cranking out outlandish B-movies designed to entice and frighten, including 1933’s “Narcotic” (a tale based loosely on Hilde’s uncle) and 1934’s “Maniac” (a.k.a. “Sex Maniac”). Esper not only side-stepped the Hollywood movie industry and their decency standards, but the theater system itself by forming his own distribution company, Road Show Attractions, in 1936.

The Espers would travel around showing their films in pop-up theaters and tents like a circus sideshow attraction, then hightail it out of town before local law enforcement could slap them with obscenity or indecency charges. This practice led Esper to crown himself the “king of the celluloid gypsies.”

In addition to their own films, the Espers occasionally bought the rights to other low-budget films, which they would then spice up with more sex and drug scenes and re-release under new titles. One such film was the one we’ll examine next—twas the drugsploitation classic, “Reefer Madness.”

“REEFER MADNESS”

Originally entitled “Tell Your Children,” the film that came to be known as “Reefer Madness” was first released on July 12, 1936.

The story begins with a high school principal telling a PTA meeting about a group of students lured by pot pushers to a “reefer house” where they smoke marijuana, become immediately hooked, and begin hallucinating and going mad. Under the influence, they commit various violent crimes, including running over a pedestrian, shooting a teenage girl, beating a man with a stick, attempted rape, and suicide. The film ends with the principal cautioning the parents in the meeting (as well as those watching through the camera lens) that “the next tragedy may be that of your daughter ... or your son ... or yours!”

Profiling pot’s most preposterous propaganda pictures.

Directed by Louis J. Gasnier, the film was financed by a Christian church group to “educate” parents about the supposed dangers of Cannabis. But in 1936, shortly after its release, it was acquired by Esper, who added some salacious new shots (naturally) and screened it on his underground film circuit until the early 1950s under different titles in each region of the country: In the South it remained as “Tell Your Children;” in the West he called it “Doped Youth;” in Pennsylvania and West Virginia it was known as “The Burning Question;” but it was in New England that was given the name it would be remembered by, “Reefer Madness.”

Widely considered one of the worst movies ever made, “Reefer Madness” passed into the public domain and was largely forgotten … that is, until it was rediscovered in the early 1970s by NORML founder Keith Stroup – who began hosting screenings of the absurd propaganda pic at colleges to raise money and interest in the budding legalization movement. Today, it’s the most well-known drugsploitation movie by far.

“ASSASSIN OF YOUTH”

Directed by Elmer Clifton, “Assassin of Youth” (a.k.a. “The Marijuana Menace”) is another “cautionary tale” about a young journalist named Art who’s tasked by his editor to investigate the death of a rich old woman killed in a car crash with a “marijuana-crazed youth.” Posing as a soda jerk, the reporter infiltrates a gang of “dope fiends,” attends their wild parties and falls for the woman’s virtuous granddaughter Joan, who’s set to inherit her fortune. Joan agrees to help him but is framed as a degenerate by her promiscuous, pot-dealing cousin Linda, who drugs her and sets her up in compromising positions to get her disinherited through a “morality clause” in the will. Spoiler alert: Art ends up saving Joan’s reputation at the last minute in a dramatic courtroom scene in which he exposes Linda and her suppliers and reads aloud from his article in which he decries the evils of marijuana, which he calls the “assassin of youth” and the “scourge of our country.”

Released in January 1937, the film shares its name with the infamous anti-pot propaganda article published in The American Magazine in July of that same year – an article written by Federal Bureau of Narcotics director Harry J. Anslinger (see our Oct. 2020 edition). The article details various marijuana-related crimes drawn from Anslinger’s “gore files,” similar to those portrayed in this film. While not as overtly absurd as some of its counterparts, “Assassin” shares their paranoia-inducing purpose – apparently effective, since Anslinger’s Marijuana Tax Act (essentially outlawing Cannabis) was signed into law later that year.

“DEVIL’S HARVEST”

Released in 1942, “Devil’s Harvest” is a lousy gangster movie that uses marijuana as a gimmick to drum up an audience.

Directed by Ray Test, this flick tells the story of Kay O’Farrell – a high school girl who gets sucked into the underworld of organized crime. On the promise of a dancing gig, Kay is lured to a wild party, where gals strip down to their undies to dance and get busy after smoking the “loco weed.” After a brawl breaks out and a girl dies, police question all the “kids” from the party (who all look 40 years old) and manipulate Kay into helping bust the marijuana ring. She’s soon recruited by the racketeer suppliers to dance at their nightclub, where the top mobster Larry falls for her. It ends with a showdown in Larry’s office between him and a rival gangster named “Snuffy,” in which they both end up dead. Through it all, Kay remains bizarrely calm and unaffected by everything going on around her. With its flimsy plot, cheesy dialogue, goofy acting, bad lighting and sloppy editing, “Devil’s Harvest” more than earns its place in the drugsploitation Hall of Shame.

“THE DEVIL’S WEED”

Directed by prolific B-movie maker Sam Newfield (a.k.a. “Sherman Scott”), “The Devil’s Weed” regurgitates the same tired tropes of its predecessors: a dancing girl who gets corrupted by marijuana at a wild party, becomes

romantically involved with her dealer, and ends up in ruin. In this case, it’s an orphan chorus girl named Anne Lester who is pressured by a dealer named Markey into smoking reefer at a “tea party.” After Markey seduces her and gets her hooked, she loses her job and goes to work for him selling “tomatoes.” When her younger brother Bob discovers what’s going on, he – ridiculously – hangs himself. Soon after, Anne is arrested, shown a few druggies and the asylums where they end up, and spends a couple of months in jail before cleaning up her act and helping the cops nail Markey.

Like others in the genre, this movie also had many titles: It was initially released as “Wild Weed” in July 1949 through Eureka Productions and was not well-received (“Never did vice seem so devoid of enchantment.” - NY Times). It was later acquired by Hallmark Productions, who made some changes and re-released it – first, as “The Story of Lila Leeds and Her Exposé of the Marijuana Racket” (more on that in a minute), then later as “She Shoulda Said No!” and “The Devil’s Weed.”

Hallmark had more success with it, thanks to new promotional posters featuring racy photos of its leading lady and some fabricated letters to community leaders claiming it was a public service sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department.

The most interesting thing about this film, however, is that it was purportedly inspired by the life of its lead actress, Lila Leeds. On September 1, 1948, the stunning 20-year-old starlet was busted smoking weed with actor Robert Mitchum in her home, charged with felony narcotics possession and sentenced to 60 days in jail plus five years probation. Unfortunately, the stigma of her arrest led to her being blackballed; broke and desperate, she reluctantly agreed to star in “The Devil’s Weed” – which alas, turned out to be her final role.

After that, her life tragically ended up mirroring those depicted in drugsploitation films: she went to prison, became a heroin addict, was involved in a car accident, had parole violations, and eventually turned to prostitution. All of which shows once again that what truly ruins lives is not using Cannabis, but getting arrested for it.

For our podcast & more Cannabis history content visit worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology.

Widely considered one of the worst movies ever made, “Reefer Madness” was largely forgotten … that is, until it was rediscovered in the early 1970s by NORML founder Keith Stroup. Today, it’s the most well-known drugsploitation movie by far.

News clipping of Leeds’ & Mitchum’s conviction.

Mobile billboard advertising “Assassin of Youth” circa 1937.

Publicity photo for “Devil’s Harvest.”

WOC MUSEUM

WOC MUSEUM

WOC MUSEUM

I FEEL LIKE BEING BAD. Therefore, I am going to find a sign on the side of a building that prohibits me from hanging out and purposefully look like I don’t belong. I’ll don a feather boa, sparkly and ridiculously-oversized sunglasses, and a t-shirt that says FUCK CORRUPTION.

I think this is what they mean by NO LOITERING. Because I’ve never used the word ‘loiter’ once. Like, did the government pull this one from the archives of the The Old Farmer’s Almanac or something? I know they say ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking it, but are they trying to trick all passers-by by using a Portuguese word?

Maybe I’m being profiled. Maybe dudes who appear to be up to something other than spending money are automatically categorized into the class of ‘loiterers.’ Because I had no intention of loitering until you told me not to. And now that I’ve been offended, I’m going to loiter purposefully.

This is my protest.

I will stand here and not spend money until someone arrests my loitering ass. In fact, I will start a club full of people who do nothing but loiter. I will transform the word loiter into the antithesis of the word lawyer. I will run for office, and my campaign slogan will be MAKE AMERICA LOITER AGAIN.

This is all about freedom, people! We only want to hang out, and they have the audacity to put up a sign that says NO LOITERING.

Where the fuck are we supposed to loiter, in the woods? Right next to the sign that says NO LITTERING?

This post-pandemic era of division, isolation and detachment has hit a fever pitch – and loitering is exactly what we need to be doing, you assholes!

So, I’m gonna smoke a joint to calm the nerves.

Hopefully, that too falls into the classification of loitering.