The Hall of Famer, Olympian, and Nine-time NBA All Star talks Cannabis, the strain named after him, and life after basketball.
// pg. 40
BIG BALLER SHAWN KEMP
// pg. 44
SCULPTURAL JOINTS
// pg. 54
CYPRESS HILL
// pg. 66
SOOTHING SUNDAY
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PANDAMONIUM MONDAY
40% off all Panda flower and joints
30% off all other Panda, Snicklefritz, Dabstract, Sticky Frog, and Hot Sugar BEST BUDS TUESDAY
30% off all flower and glass
CONCENTRATION WEDNESDAY
30% off all dabs & cartridges, and 30% off batteries
MUNCHIES THURSDAY
30% off all edibles & beverages
FLOWER POWER FRIDAY
30% off flower and joints when you buy 7g or more and 30% off Blue Roots
SAFETY MEETING SATURDAY
30% off flower and joints when you buy 7g or more
EVERYDAY DEALS
10% off - Wisdom Discount to Guests over 65
30% off - All CBD topicals, tinctures, and capsules
30% off - Daily rotating deals in every category
infused with authentic cannabis terpenes expertly extracted from artizen's premium flower. each pen is strain-specific!
Agro "Culture" - we hear �t all the t�me� At first we thought �t was a m�spronunc�at�on we needed to fix� we came to the real�zat�on that �t was actually a bless�ng� We pr�de ourselves on be�ng a part of Wash�ngton's cannab�s culture� Th�s company was bu�lt for and by people �n the cannab�s commun�ty� Our goal �s to br�ng the hard work�ng canna�sseur's of Tacoma a luxury product at an affordable pr�ce� Because of our ded�cated commun�ty of tokers, all across our great state, we have been able to become a one stop shop for all your cannab�s needs� From loung�ng at Owens Beach to r�ver raft�ng �n Spokane, there's nowhere you can't en�oy a l�ttle culture� Thank you to our customers, old and new, for your cont�nued ded�cat�on and support� We would also l�ke to thank our staff� Every member of our team works pass�onately and d�l�gently to assure we are gett�ng the best product out the door and �nto your hands� Shop local, shop Tacoma Grown�
Sip Relax Repeat Sip Relax Repeat Sip Relax
WES ABNEY CEO & FOUNDER
wes@leafmagazines.com
MIKE RICKER OPERATING PARTNER ricker@leafmagazines.com | advertising sales
TOM BOWERS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER tom@leafmagazines.com
DANIEL BERMAN CREATIVE DIRECTOR daniel@leafmagazines.com
BOBBY BLACK LEAF BOWL DIRECTOR & HISTORIAN bobbyblack@leafmagazines.com
KAYL WOHL COPY EDITOR kayl@leafmagazines.com
ASHLEY HIRCHERT SOCIAL MEDIA LEAD ashley@leafmagazines.com
ABOUT THE COVER
Known for his imaginative and iconic portraits of some of pop culture's biggest figures, from Ahnold to Biggie, from Jay-Z to Anthony Hopkins, Los Angeles-based photographer Timothy White always comes back with the shot. For this month's Culture Issue, White photographed NBA legend Gary Payton over a few hours at a basketball court and at his LA studio, documenting a special moment in time and capturing the essence of Payton's epic story. Read more about his life and career in Tom Bowers' interview pg. 40-41.
PHOTO BY TIMOTHY WHITE FOR LEAF NATION TIMOTHYWHITE.COM | @TIMOTHYWHITE
CONTRIBUTORS
WES ABNEY, FEATURES + NEWS
ANGELA-JORDAN AGUILAR, FEATURES
DANIEL BERMAN, PHOTOS + DESIGNS
BOBBY BLACK, FEATURES + DESIGNS
ERIC BOUCCAN, PHOTOS
JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATION
SARAH CAPPARUCCINI, PHOTOS
DAVID CENTIOLI, PHOTOS
MICHAEL GREENMAN, VIDEO
KEVIN HEIDERICH, FEATURES
REX HILSINGER, FEATURES + PHOTOS
MATT JACKSON, FEATURES PYROSCOPIC, PHOTOS
JESSE RAMIREZ, DESIGN
MIKE RICKER, FEATURES
KELSEY STEVENS, PRODUCTION
TERPENE TRANSIT, DISTRIBUTION
TERPODACTYL MEDIA, FEATURES + PHOTOS
LENA B. WHITE, AD SALES + PRODUCTION
TIMOTHY WHITE, PHOTOS
JAMIE ZILL, PHOTOS
We are creators of targeted, independent Cannabis journalism. Please email us to discuss advertising in the next issue of Northwest 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 Northwest Leaf!
Exclusive Cannabis Journalism CONNECT WITH NORTHWEST LEAF!
WES ABNEY
Editor’s Note
Thanks for picking up The Culture Issue of Northwest Leaf!
Cannabis culture sprang from the underground of prohibition like a weed thriving from a crack in the cultural sidewalk. It rose from oppression and stigma, from the hearts of activists and the streets where our plant was sold and treated like a hard drug.
We’ve seen the scene of Cannabis develop in movies, from “Cheech and Chong” to “Dude Where’s My Car,” “Pineapple Express,” and my personal favorite, “How High.” I’m currently back in college and using the proven method: study high, take tests high, get high scores! Stoner movies aren’t real life though, and what it means to be a Cannabis user has continued to evolve during the 15 years I have been publishing the Leaf. From underground to legal, from medical to recreational, from an illegal drug to something sold openly with bright branding and colors.
Cannabis culture has always had at least two sides. There are the farmers, who, despite being labeled drug dealers for years, are true people o f the earth. They make a living working with dirt, mixing nutrients, and dependin g on the plant to grow and provide a living. These are peaceful, passionate people, not “Breaking Bad” with chemicals in the RV.
Then there’s the consumer side, which at times has flirted with the drug dealer fetish of the ’90s and 2000s rap scene — an image balanced by the compelling stories of patients using Cannabis t o stay alive. This also includes the dealers of old, who varied from Grandma’s Boy-style basement dispensaries to real street hustlers moving packs. Weed is the one drug you can sell and use safely, so the culture of underground trapping has always influenced the culture, as the trap is the source of the weed itself.
So what is Cannabis culture?
“WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CANNABIS USER HAS CONTINUED TO EVOLVE DURING
THE 15 YEARS I HAVE BEEN PUBLISHING THE LEAF.”
Is it a farmer tending to plants lovingly under the sun or in a grow closet? A patient choosing full-extract Cannabis oil instead of chemotherapy? A parent using topicals, vape pens and a CBN edible at the end of the day to get to sleep? Is it the rizzed-up 21-year-old in bright clothes hitting a flavored vape during the day and smashing low-temp rosin dabs when they can afford it? Or a trapper in their 40s or 50s who started illegal, went med then rec, and now returns to the gray market due to overregulation and excessive taxation?
I believe it’s all of these examples, and in a larger sense, Cannabis culture is all of us. Just like the vibrant melting pot that makes America the greatest country in the world, our Cannabis community is full of people from all walks of life. From 18 to 80, across all demographics, we are united by the plant we share and love. With that comes a style and a culture that is unique, authentic and growing one toke at a time. Our culture is floating high in a cloud of healing, exactly what the world needs right now. So please share a joint, a puff and this magazine with friends and family, and invite them into our community to celebrate and heal this world together!
NORTHWEST LEAF BUDTENDER
JUNIOR MORALES
If he’s not building his motorcycle, you may find him at the drag strip or drift track with his buddies. He’s also into playing “Call of Duty” and “Forza Horizon” on his Xbox, but in the summer months, look for him outside at a music festival or hitting the mountain in the winter. Follow him on Instagram @juniormoraless_ and gamer tag @terpsdaily710.
WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU? Family always comes first. I’m the youngest of five so I’ve had a lot of role models in my life. I’ve got a 3-year-old daughter, too, so I put most of my time into making sure she has everything she needs.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE GETTING INTO THE CANNABIS GAME? I just turned 26, and before this job, I was a handyman for Kubota tractors, doing just about everything for them, including sales. I would sometimes sit behind the counter, be in the shop disassembling things, or I’d be out loading and unloading semis. I love working with cars. I have a couple buildouts currently in progress.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR LIFE HAS IMPROVED SINCE ENTERING THIS INDUSTRY? I’ve gotten a lot of dirt off my shoulders by creating a relationship with the plant. A lot of people wake up every day dreading having to go to work, but I wake up excited to go to work. I especially love seeing people smile when they see me in the shop, and sometimes, they bring me cookies.
“A LOT OF PEOPLE WAKE UP EVERY DAY DREADING HAVING TO GO TO WORK, BUT I WAKE UP EXCITED TO GO TO WORK.”
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AT 40 YEARS OLD? Hopefully I’ve got myself a nice little business. I’ve been looking into getting back to school to become a professional welder because I enjoyed doing that back in high school.
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU DID FOR A LIVING IN A PAST LIFE? Probably worked on cars. My brother and father are both mechanics.
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM CAR? A 2000 Nissan Skyline R34, like the one out of “2 Fast 2 Furious.”
HOMECOOKIN’
FROM FEED TO WEED
Awarded the first and only license for the city, these Battle Ground natives have taken the responsibility of showing the locals in this small town how it’s done properly. Originally the owners of a local feed store, they opened this weed store 10 years ago and now keep all the animals in Battle Ground happy on both sides of the fence. It’s been a family business since the beginning where now the children run the shop while mom and pop keep an eye on things, which is how it’s supposed to be, right?
HIGH HOSPITALITY
The concept from the starting line was to offer a comfy and homey setting, unlike a sterile office building where you take a number and stand in line. With the rustic interior, you’ll feel like there might be a pot of chili on the stove. When you see neat touches like the hand-painted wood sign, the cool high-res bud close-ups, and the giant Cheech and Chong collage, you’ll immediately know you found your tribe vibe. And they are known for the spider plants that adorn the room. In fact, they provide clippings of these plants to patrons who request them, so they can take a little piece of their favorite weed shop back to their home.
“WITH THE RUSTIC INTERIOR, YOU’LL FEEL LIKE THERE MIGHT BE A POT OF CHILI ON THE STOVE.”
STAFF PICKS
Flower
Bacon’s Buds Big Smooth - Emy
Redbird White Wedding - Jaden
Royal Tree Gardens Tropicana Cherry - Chase
Joints
Forbidden Farms Infused Treats POG - Tina
Dewey Cannabis Co. Glitter Party - Shiann
Optimum Extracts Peanut Butter Breath - Zach
Carts
Oleum Live Resin Blow Trops - Emy
Micro Bar Disposable Golden Dragon Fruit - Kendra
The Capsule White Gummiez Disposable - Shiann
Dabs
Mama J’s Super Boof Rosin - Emy
Dabstract Secret Sauce Live Resin Icing - Jaden
DeSaus Sativa Skunk Live Resin - Zoey
Edibles
Journeyman Tart Lemonade 100mg Shot - Zoey
Smokiez Blue Raspberry Fruit Chews - Dylan
Good Tide Pineapple Gummies - Ryan
CANNABIS COUNTRY STORE
1910 W. MAIN ST., BATTLE GROUND, WA
CANNABISCOUNTRYSTORE.COM
@CANNABISCOUNTRYSTOREWA
9 AM - 8 PM SUN. - THURS.
9 AM - 9 PM FRI. - SAT. (360) 723-0073
smokey point productions
No matter how many garden tours I have the privilege of going on, I’m always amazed. The team here at Smokey Point Productions has built an amazing bridge between the commercial side of Cannabis production and the custom-cultivar, small-batch farms. As you’ll see, the facility is more than impressive, containing all the technology necessary to control the environment. But it’s not just who’s at the helm — it’s all about the team! Everyone here is super friendly, and it’s clear they have a love for the plant and take pride in producing it for the masses.
Hash Packing
Grow Team Chocolate Production
AFTER A QUICK TOUR of their well-appointed operational offices, it was straight into Tyvek suits and off to the garden! The infrastructure of this facility is amazing. They took the 70,000-squarefoot warehouse next to their corporate offices and completely redesigned the layout for their needs. This provides the perfect floor plan for environmental control, efficiency and overall production.
A literal car wash stands just outside this massive facility and is used for the initial stages of sanitizing the tables and moving parts. Each room is completely sanitized between cycles, and I mean everything from ceiling to floor is removed and cleaned, including the lights. Once inside, we were greeted by more smiling faces. The vibe here is old-school chill with a strong focus on cleanliness; it was spotless and I could tell it was from regular sanitization practices. Off to the mother room then propagation, this is where some of the real magic happens. Hundreds of phenotypes can be found here at any given time. This is where Head Gardener and Director of Cultivation Matthew Butters’ greatest creations come to life. A lot of time and dedication goes into developing each strain at Smokey Point Productions.
The quality, effects, structural integrity and bloom time are some of their main focuses. They also maintain their genetic library for future use. Each flower room is designed with a precise footprint to produce optimal flowers based on strain; these rooms are carefully engineered and controlled to support the unique needs of each growth stage.
The even canopies show the utmost importance placed on the pruning stages of these beautiful flowers. The final weeks leading up to the flowering stage are crucial, preparing the plants for efficient and effective use of their environment.
A complete water treatment facility on site manages the high-quality H2O needed. This, with a combination of HVAC, hybrid living soil and lots of hands-on gardening, creates the perfect conditions for a consistent product.
Whoa, the huge colas in this place! We got a glimpse of some of their newest up-and-coming strains, alongside legacy favorites that continue to impress! Some of my favorites were Eternal Death Slayer 3, Orange Faygo and Blueberry Muffin. Each flower room we explored showcased a different stage of bloom, allowing the team to maintain a near-constant harvest.
At Smokey Point, drying occurs in stages. In the first 48 hours, they aim to remove 40% of the moisture. Once that’s achieved, the slow drying process begins, which usually lasts another 14 days. At that time, the branches are bucked and
trimmed, and the nugs move into curing, a commonly overlooked stage in commercial Cannabis production today. The constant attention to detail continues. The custom setup for this curing stage is hands down the best I’ve seen in a long time; the containers used are frequently rotated, and humidity levels are monitored daily until the flower is perfect for packaging. This is just another reason why Smokey Point Productions products consistently deliver a perfect cure.
But don’t forget the edibles and concentrates! These are a wicked good combination of quality ingredients matched with high-quality Cannabis extractions. Check out the line of edibles under June and Treat brand names — I’d recommend the live hash rosin macadamia turtles.
Their concentrates are all made in-house, ensuring consistent quality. In addition to their Smokey Point Productions brand, you can also find their products under the Regulator brand.
Luckily, Smokey Point Productions has nearly 100% market saturation, meaning you can pick them up at almost every retail Cannabis store in the state. Go give them a try!
“The vibe here is old-school chill with a strong focus on cleanliness.”
Orange Faygo
Eternal Death Slayer 3
Regulator Carts
Blueberry Muffin
Drying Room
Director of Cultivation
Matthew Butters
Cart-loading Machine
JAMES JOUNG
How did you start your journey with Cannabis? I started as a teenager, smoking weed with my friends as a way to get away from the stresses of the world. Mom and Dad were fighting like cats and dogs and getting a divorce, so I got high with one of my brothers. I was in elementary school. By the time I was 19, we were going to Canada for discounts to get bulk supplies. I got caught at the border, got my first felony charge and, compared to hundreds of thousands of others, I got slapped on the back of the hand. I was 19 and had 8.5 pounds, and I got 23 days in jail, a $5,000 fine and $1,600 to a drug tax fund in Bellingham.
Wow, you got lucky! When did you start using Cannabis medicinally? I see stories of people in prison for eighths of weed, so I feel blessed that I did just get a slap on the wrist. I became a patient in the early 2000s when I was working in MMJ. I was 23 or so, but my memory isn’t the best after all my brain surgeries.
Tell us about your brain surgeries; most people have no idea what that battle must be like. Geez, I’ve had two brain surgeries, two neck surgeries and two eye surgeries. That’s it for the head part! In my 20s I started having severe headaches for no reason, not from working in the sun or bumping my head. I would be relaxing, watching TV and suddenly it would feel like I got hit with a baseball bat, so I knew something wasn’t right in my head. I went to the hospital. They confirmed it was a tumor and then wouldn’t approve my surgery for insurance reasons. After a couple years of increasing pain and symptoms, I went to Swedish [Hospital], and they said, ‘You do have a brain tumor that’s doubled in size during the insurance fight, and we had to operate.’
That sounds like a literal nightmare. I spent a few years thinking I might die at any time because of the tumor pressing on my brain. Luckily the surgery was successful, but I had a brain bleed after and almost died. They had to do a second surgery to drain my brain. This was in 2011. Fourteen years ago.
THE LONGTIME CANNABIS ADVOCATE, CONCENTRATES CONNOISSEUR AND ALWAYS SMILING FOUNDER OF OILHEAD SHARES HIS HEALTH JOURNEY AND WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE PRODUCT LINE.
“...havingthe blessingoflife afterbrainsurgeries, I
feelprivileged tobehere.”
Was it hard to get out of the hospital? I barely remember waking up in the hospital, but they told me I was thrashing and screaming and had to be restrained. I don’t remember any of it. They gave me a test at the hospital — they had me go into a little kitchen and show that I could make a cup of coffee and fry an egg and not burn the kitchen down before releasing me.
I bet you were ready to burn down a pound of weed after that. How has Cannabis helped as a medicine? I use Cannabis as my primary medicine. I take pain meds if I have a serious headache, but I wake up with dabs and a bong hit or two and keep it going all day and all night. It helps with my headaches and keeps them at bay. Without them, my pain goes up because of damaged nerves in my eyes that were damaged in the surgeries. For the last 14 years, I’ve had to put ointment in my eyes and have surgically installed plugs in my tear ducts to keep my eyes moist.
Despite all these challenges, you have such a happy and uplifting vibe! I try to have a positive outlook — see the better in things. Obviously having the blessing of life after brain surgeries, I feel privileged to be here, just like the other patient Cannabis veterans of who get caught with weed and go to jail or prison. I feel really blessed to have gotten off lightly. I’ve lost my mother, brother, and my dad died in my arms at 13, so I know that life is a blessing — I’ve seen that with my own eyes. Every day I wake up and try to be happy for something, I always try to see the bright side of life.
How did your work in Cannabis lead you to start the brand Oilhead? I’m an old-school smoker. I’m almost 50 now, and when I started smoking weed, it was always taboo. People called you a pothead, like it was a negative thing. Nowadays, the majority of the industry is oil. So the modern take on pothead is Oilhead! Many people take dabs, vapes or edibles, and that all starts from flower, but it becomes oil, so we’re all oil heads now.
Do you feel the stigma still exists for Cannabis? It does still exist, so every morning I’m out trying to promote my two loves of Cannabis and music. I’m trying to normalize it as much as possible. I want to proclaim my love for Cannabis. I’m an oilhead!
How does Oilhead speak to the culture of Cannabis? Oilhead is directed to the culture! The face in the oil is a sheet of shatter, and it’s one of the newest plays on one of the oldest words. Vaping and dabbing is a culture in itself — everyone and their mom keeps a vape pen in the car for when the torch doesn’t make sense. I hope that Cannabis users and patients are more widely accepted, and I’d love for people to grow in their yard like tomatoes and not need a medical permit. On the same note, I don’t want to see the government and big pharma take it over. I want to see the progression of legalization, but I’m going to fight to make sure the culture isn’t taken away!
From shower curtains to wall prints to skateboards, Oilhead has you covered.
“...a heady, floaty, time-warping euphoria perfect for daytime adventures.”
Aim for the moon and you’ll dab with the stars with Constellation Cannabis’ out-ofthis-world, singlesource solventless concentrates.
CONSTELLATION CANNABIS
Hash rosin and solventless concentrates have dominated the heady division of Cannabis culture for the last five-plus years, and Constellation Cannabis has an incredible legacy as a leader in this market. The culture of hash rosin is all about quality, sourcing, flavor and effects, which Constellation delivers with each terpy dab. To celebrate the impact solventless has had on our heads and the industry, we grabbed a lineup of rarified dabs to share for this special issue.
We start our dabbing adventure with the Smackles, a tantalizing cross between Watermelon Sugaree and Red Piegasm. Hand-numbered in beautiful packaging, this first gram of 300 shows how small the runs are for hash rosin, which explains the value, much like a limited run of fine wine. Opening a jar releases a rush of fizzy Watermelon Z terps, creamy pie-berries and a citrus-cake-frosting finish that teased our minds and tummies while loading a dab.
First inhales send a rush of gentle melon-pie vapor straight to the frontal lobes, warming the mind with a heady, floaty, time-warping euphoria perfect for daytime adventures.
Already floating higher than the clouds, we sat down with the Permanent Marker, a delicious blend of Biscotti x Jealousy x Sherbet BX (back cross). As a child of the ’90s, I was always afraid of a permanent market, whether on clothes or my school transcript, which was undoubtedly marked with a few behavioral issues.
Luckily for us troubled youth, Cannabis has offered a pathway to success, so we are ready to play with this Permanent Marker!
As the name suggests, these are heavy terps that smack with notes of sour, funky glue and a thick, markery sharpness that lets the mind know that an immense wave of stoniness is coming with each dab.
First inhales are thick and rich, with a raw, funky glue that grips the lungs with a chest-warming high, and a smooth exhale that sets eyes watering as the mind and body melt into a permanent puddle.
Fully launched into the stars now, we reached out for cosmic adventures with our trusty penjamin loaded with a Blackberry Slushee rosin cart, which is a heady new-school meets old-school cross of Super Boof and Blackberry Kush. First rips from the cart are all blackberries and kush, with a smooth exhale that’s full of boofy citrus on the finish. Stoney and uplifting, this is a giggle and chill, watch 30 minutes of cat Reels at work type of high that’s as productive as you’re willing to make it!
Blackberry Slushee Hash Rosin Cartridge | Permanent Marker Cold Cured Live Rosin | Smackles Cold Cured Live Rosin
STRAIN MENU
FEBRUARY
SIGNATURE LINE
Biscotti
South Florida OG x Gelato #25
LUXURY LINE
Luxuriotti x Runtz
Gelato #33 x Wedding Cake
Biscotti x Jealousy x Sherb Bx
Permanent Marker x Fruit Punch
Triangle Kush x Animal Mintz
Gorilla Butter F2 (GG4 x Peanut Butter Breath)
Zkittlez x White Truffle
SMALL BATCH LINE
25 EYES
Guava Gelato x Heavy Eye
Boysenberry Creme Brulee
Guava Dawg x Wedding Cake
Boysenberry Creme Brulee x White Truffle
(Zkittlez x Kush Mints 11) x Kush Mints
San Francisco Cookie Cut x Electric Gorilla Butter
Wedding Pie (Grape Pheno) x Gush Mintz
Mimosa x Gorilla Butter
Elon Musky x Boysenberry Creme Brulee
Gorilla Butter F2 x Pancakes
Garlic Snake Breath x Gorilla Butter x Garlic Icing
Lemon Cherry x Z Animal
Gorilla Butter F2 (Vegas Cut) x Alien Apple Kush
Permanent Marker x Malibu
Permanent Marker x Sour Diesel
Permanent Marker x Purple Push Pop
Permanent Marker x RS11
Runtz x Ice Cream Cake x Zoap x Zkittlez
Permanent Marker x Pineapple Fruz
JD Maplesden
JD Maplesden’s journey as an artist is a story of passion, growth and relentless pursuit of mastery in a craft that combines fire, glass and imagination. His path was not a straight line, but rather a mosaic of experiences, challenges and breakthroughs that have shaped him into one of the most innovative figures in the world of contemporary glass art.
BORO PHOTO
JAMIE ZILL
JAMIE ZILL
JD x Piper Dan
JD x Rye
JD x Walmont Glass
STARTING OUT IN 2001, JD found himself working in between Spokane and Humboldt during the early years of his career. His time there was marked by experimentation and growth, learning the ropes of flameworking through the limited classes that were available. Then in 2007 he had the opportunity to TA for Chris Roesinger at the Revere Glass School. This same year he gained his Color Certification through a class at Glass Alchemy. His scientific dive into colored glass helped him realize the impact it could have on his works. His desire to innovate led him to experiment with fume work, stepping away from the use of vibrant colors and focusing on more subtle, refined techniques. This was just the beginning of his exploration into the art of glass.
From 2008 to 2009, JD helped to build Montage in Spokane, a collaborative space that would later become a hub for the local glass blowing community. He didn’t just learn; he taught others, sharing his knowledge and encouraging the next generation of artists. It was here that JD’s love for teaching truly took root.
Over the years, he has continued to teach workshops, including an upcoming one in March 2025 on mixed media in Denver (see his page for details). His passion for teaching was deeply ingrained in his philosophy, believing that sharing knowledge and collaboration were essential to advancing the craft. By the end of 2009, JD moved to Seattle, where he worked for SwissPerc and learned the intricacies of the lathe. He immersed himself in the opensource learning environment, testing his skills and
putting his unique spin on pieces. In 2011, he relocated to Nebula, Ivan’s studio in Bellingham, where he continued his craft while continuing to build relationships on the East Coast.
It wasn’t long before Scott Deppe of Mothership Glass, a fellow artist and mentor, recognized JD’s potential and brought him onto his team.
This ultimately led to JD’s role in manufacturing the groundbreaking 2012 “Fab Egg,” a project that won Most Innovative Product at the 2013 American Glass Expo. Scott brought JD on stage and gave him recognition and acknowledgement of his integral part of the process.
JD’s breakthrough moment came in 2014 when he launched his solo career, posting his first "Solo Wormhole," which sold almost immediately.
From there his focus on creating wormholes as a canvas for collaborations with other artists quickly earned him a reputation as one of the most innovative glassblowers of his generation.
From 2014 to 2017, JD’s career soared as he traveled across the country and beyond, teaching classes and presenting his work at prestigious events like the Pipe Classic, DFO, and various gallery openings. His 2015 show at Emerald Gallery on the California coast, “An Exploration of the Wormhole,” was a massive success, featuring 46 pieces and collaborations with 43 artists. Even as his fame grew, JD remained grounded. He continued to travel — teaching and learning — working with friends and colleagues in studios around the world, including a trip to Colombia in 2017 where he helped establish the first public glass blowing demos in the country. Despite an injury setback in 2017, JD’s resilience
“His passion for teaching was deeply ingrained in his philosophy, believing that sharing knowledge and collaboration were essential to advancing the craft.”
shone through as he focused his energy on "Vagabond," a film that showcased the artistic process behind his work. This film debuted at dozens of theaters and glass events across the country.
By 2019, JD was back at the torch, traveling and visiting friends but focusing more on his art than the grind of the industry. He relocated to Eugene in 2020 and continued to work on his passion during the lockdown.
By 2023, JD’s journey had come full circle. He returned to Europe to do demos in Switzerland and Spain. That brings us back to today where JD still has his studio in Eugene, but his travels are taking hold again — you’ll find him all over the place in 2025. Keep an eye on his page and check out a live show or class if he’s in your neck of the woods.
JD Maplesden’s career is one of perseverance, growth and transformation. His work — whether through collaborations, solo pieces or workshops — continues to inspire a new generation of artists, leaving an indelible mark on the world of glass art.
JAMIE ZILL
BORO PHOTO
JD x Brown
JD x Joe P.
CULTIVATED BY MOMMA CHAN FARMS
HALLIE BERRY
“EFFECTS RUSH TO THE MIND QUICKLY, ENHANCING SOUND AND SENSATIONS AS AN ENERGETIC EUPHORIA TAKES HOLD.”
DITCH THE CHOCOLATES AND THE ROSES THIS MONTH AND PICK UP A BOUQUET OF THE HALLIE BERRY, WHOSE DEEP PURPLE NUGS TEASE THE SENSES WITH GASSY COOKIES AND CREAMY BERRIES.
THE BEST TIME to buy Valentine’s chocolates is the day after the holiday, when everything flashes to 75% off and stores begin putting out their 420 decorations. You can get heart-shaped versions of your favorite chocolates, fuzzy slippers, and a fluffy white pillow with a big red smooch on it and spice up your stoner vibe.
To celebrate the biggest holiday for flowers, we chose the beautiful purple Hallie Berry as our Culture Issue strain of the month. Named after a major A-lister who pushed culture and Hollywood forward as the first Black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in “Monster’s Ball,” this top-shelf flower from Momma Chan Farms is the perfect weed homage to an excellent actress.
Purple weed has dominated the weed scene lately, and it doesn’t get any more purps than these dark purple nugs.
Perfectly formed and frosted heavily with trichomes, these dense buds snap with a sprinkle of trichomes and reek of fresh cherries and apple peel, with a tropical gas and an earthy-cookies-berry kick on the finish that sets our mouth to watering.
First tokes are full of bright rose petals and creamy berries, with an extremely smooth burn that’s clean and fast, indicating a superb cure given the density, which allows for big juicy hits of juicy fruit and cookie gas.
Effects rush to the mind quickly, enhancing sound and sensations as an energetic euphoria takes hold. This is dancing to your happy daze mix and forgetting your keys, drink and scarf on the way out the door when blazed in the morning type of weed! With stunning looks that are drool-worthy, beautiful curves, and a sweet berry nectar, this Hallie Berry is the perfect Valentine’s treat.
IYKYK
PAYTON'S PURPOSE
Gary Payton is objectively one of the greatest point guards in the history of basketball. For proof, let’s review the tape: NBA Championship? Check. Olympic Gold Medal? Got it. NBA All-Star? Payton made the All-Defensive First Team nine times, tied for the record with Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant. On the court, no one can challenge his legacy. But that’s all in the past. Now, the man they call “The Glove” is racking up assists in the Cannabis space, helping patients and athletes find relief with his new brand, Greater Purpose. The LEAF caught up with Payton courtside at a park in Los Angeles to learn more about his new moves.
BAY AREA BEGINNINGS
Even if you’ve never watched basketball, you probably know Payton’s name from the famed Cookies strain named after him. Bred by Bay Area legend Kenny “Powerzzzup” Powers, the GP strain was named and released by Berner in collaboration with Payton.
“One of my guys came to me and said, ‘You know, they got a strain with your name,’” Payton said. “I said, ‘Who does?’ And it was a guy named Berner. I said, ‘We’re gonna have to meet with him.’”
The strain originally was called “Strain 20,” its ID number in Powers’ pheno hunt. Berner and the Cookies crew saw the correlation with the legendary Oakland-born baller Payton, whose jersey number was 20.
“He was like, ‘You are an OG here in Oakland, and we’re proud of you, we want to name it after you,’” Payton said, recounting his initial conversation with Berner. “So I said, ‘OK, cool.’”
Payton picked the likeness for the bags and helped with the creative decisions, and one of the most popular strains in Cookies’ history was born.
A SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE
Ironically, considering the legendary status swiftly earned by his namesake strain, Payton had never been a weed smoker himself.
“When I was in the NBA, it wasn’t like that,” Payton said. “People didn’t know what Cannabis did for you. … Nowadays, it’s different, because a lot of people use Cannabis products, and they understand what it’s doing and helping. When I was playing, we didn’t have this much knowledge, so we didn’t believe in Cannabis. We didn’t know much about it.”
In the years since his career on the court, there’s been a tectonic shift in the attitude toward Cannabis in athletics. The plant’s recovery benefits have been well documented, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver lifted the league’s ban on Cannabis usage.
“Adam Silver knows that 80 to 90 percent of his players smoke marijuana,” Payton said. “So why fight it? You’re gonna catch ’em, and what if you catch the whole 80-90? You’re not gonna have an NBA.”
Not only is it in the league’s best interests to allow its players to make their own decisions about Cannabis, Payton says it’s in the players’ best interests, as well.
“With marijuana, they get a sense of relief,” he said. “They can mellow out and be calm. Most of these kids are smoking weed and playing PlayStation. They’re having a good time and being mellow. I’d rather have them like that than have them out on the streets, drunk, killing people.”
Payton doesn’t know how fast the rest of the professional sports community will catch on, but he loves that the NBA is leading the charge.
“I don’t know what baseball and football are gonna do,” he said. “I don’t think they trust it, and I don’t think the commissioners know much about it. But I think Adam Silver is a players’ Commissioner, and he understands what’s going on.”
FINDING A GREATER PURPOSE
While the world has experienced a sea change in its attitude toward Cannabis, Payton himself felt a personal perspective shift about the power of the plant that set him on a new path.
“It started because my mother — she's dying from cancer,” Payton said. “I gave her some gummies, I gave her some marijuana and some rubs that would keep her from aching and pain. During that time, we knew we couldn’t stop the cancer. It was terminal.”
The infused products Payton provided helped ease his mother’s suffering and brought her a modicum of normalcy during her struggle.
“I decided to do it for a greater purpose," he said.
Greater Purpose became his mantra, his mission, and then became the name of his own therapeutic Cannabis brand. Payton founded the company with industry operators Green Label Rx to bring safe and clean relief to patients and athletes. They are releasing a lineup of roll-on balms and gummies to start.
“It’s a Greater Purpose to help people who are ailing,” he said, “to get them off medications, to have a better life.”
The products are aimed squarely at symptom relief, and Payton recommends them for use anytime you might experience swelling, muscle pain or stiffness, especially before and after workouts.
“I use it every day I get up,” he said. “If I’m feeling achy, I’m getting close to 60, so I’m like, ‘Yo, I gotta use it, too.’ It makes me feel better, and it’s safe. I don’t feel high, I don’t feel drowsy, I feel great.” @GARY.PAYTON.20
COURTESY
" IT’S A GREATER PURPOSE TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE AILING, TO GET THEM OFF MEDICATIONS, TO HAVE A BETTER LIFE."
BIG BALLER SHAWN KEMP
The 1990s was an epic decade for Seattle. As grunge rock sparked a music craze that put this city in the upper-left corner of the country into the spotlight of global popular culture, so too were the National Basketball League’s Seattle SuperSonics, who battled their way to the top of the NBA echelon. One of the most notorious players on this team — if not the most — was arguably the 6-foot-10 dunk tank who adopted the nickname “The Reign Man,” Shawn Kemp. Having spent 14 seasons in the league, making six All-Star teams and earning an Olympic gold medal for Team USA, his credentials are Hall of Fame-worthy.
Now he’s in the weed game with two retail shops in both the SoDo district and Belltown of Seattle. When Shawn played the game, the league did not condone Cannabis use for its players but has recently changed its policy. And now with athletes utilizing the plant in a multitude of ways, like for muscle recovery, anxiety and beyond, he’ll be the first one to tell you that his career would’ve lasted longer if he’d had legal access to the medicine. And maybe, just maybe, they would’ve beaten Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the ’96 Championship.
THE VIBE OF HIP-HOP COMBINED WITH THE NBA HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CANNABIS CULTURE. WOULD YOU AGREE? Absolutely. I think sports and music are very similar. We’re talking about entertainment. One will follow the other’s lead, and the reason they are both so influential is because people enjoy their time with sports and music, and Cannabis just accentuates the experience. So it makes sense that they would somehow blend to make people’s lives better.
WHAT IS THE BENEFIT TO USING CANNABIS FOR AN ATHLETE? Honestly, it doesn’t even really come down to smoking the plant. Just the topicals make a big difference in pain management, allowing your muscles to heal and rest. Back in the day we’d play three games in a row. Now they play two at the most. So any of these products, whether they’re on their knees and their joints, are an absolute bonus.
THE BULLS PULLED OFF 2 THREE-PEATS WHEN YOU WERE PLAYING BALL. DO YOU THINK THAT’S POSSIBLE FOR A FRANCHISE TODAY?
I don’t because professional sports are so fan-oriented these days, the money is so big, and with free agency, most players aren’t going to stay with a team that long because of the salary cap. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but improbable.
" WHAT I REMEMBER THE MOST WAS PUTTING SMILES ON PEOPLE’S FACES."
WHAT’S ONE OF YOUR BEST MEMORIES PLAYING BALL? As I look back, what I remember the most was putting smiles on people’s faces. I always got a lot of joy out of that. Most of us humans don’t smile enough.
YOU STILL LIVE IN SEATTLE. WHY ? My wife is from Seattle. We’ve been married 24 years. I’ve been in this fight to bring back the Sonics, and you’ll be hearing an announcement from the league in hopefully four to six months.
WILL WE SEE THE SHAWN KEMP BANNER HUNG FROM CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA? I think so. We’ll have a night for me, a night for Gary Payton, and a night for Detlef Schrempf.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR KEMP’S CANNABIS? Staying busy in the community and doing service for the people to always make our brand better.
IF YOU COULD DO A DAB WITH ANYONE, PAST OR PRESENT, WHO WOULD IT BE? Jack Nicholson. He would always sit courtside when we played against the Lakers, and sometimes when I was doing warmups, I could smell the green coming off him. I always wanted to smoke with Jack. I’d say, ‘Who’s got the skunk in here?’ And you knew it was Jack Nicholson.
Shawn
Kemp’s Cannabis, Belltown
Kitsap County’s premier recreational cannabis shop
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THE DANDY WARHOLS
It’s dim and bustling in the mid-level bar at the McMenamins Elks Temple in Tacoma, Wash., on a cold December day. A sold-out crowd begins to swell outside for ’90s psychedelic and shoegaze rock darlings The Dandy Warhols, who are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the formation of their band.
Zia McCabe, Lady of Synth and Bass — with a mean tambourine and sexy vocal — sits across from Wes Abney, reveling in his introduction to the band and their intersection with Cannabis culture. It’s hard to believe that Cannabis-loving music fans are still discovering this band, as drug culture has always been central to The Dandy Warhols.
The band has numerous Cannabis references in their art, from the subtle pot leaf in their logo to bold songs like “Smoke It.” The award-winning rockumentary “Dig!” chronicles seven years with The Dandy Warhols. The band notably performed in 2009 at the Playboy Mansion for a Marijuana Policy Project fundraiser, which sparked conversations about pregnancy, parenthood and Cannabis.
Zia is settled into our table, food has been ordered, and everyone is nicely stoned.
"
CANNABIS AND PSYCHEDELICS BRING OUT A TRANSCENDENT QUALITY IN MUSIC."
Front left, Brent DeBoer Center front, Zia McCabe Center Right, Courtney Taylor-Taylor Back, Peter Holmstrom
" I SNEAK BONG RIPS INTO EFFECTS ON THE MIC - IT’S PART OF THE VIBE."
HOW HAS CANNABIS INFLUENCED YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A PERFORMER? I wish I could perform stoned, but I can’t keep track of everything. I’d probably never drink again if I could pull it off, but I become an audience member instead of staying present. I just start watching the show!
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE CANNABIS RITUAL WHEN WORKING ON MUSIC? We call it EQing during rehearsals. It means we get stoned halfway through. Starting sober lets us focus. Then we light up and bring a new attitude to what we’re doing. It’s all about getting into cruising altitude before adding the buzz.
HAS CANNABIS PLAYED A ROLE IN YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS FOR ALBUMS? For our latest album, ‘Rockmaker,’ which came out in March 2024, Cannabis helped set the tone. Peter doesn’t use cannabis but the rest of us use it regularly for creative inspiration and deeper introspection even if the music doesn’t sound specifically “Stoney”, it’s still part of our process.
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON CANNABIS AND PARENTING? I’ve said it before: Smoking pot makes me a better mom. It reorders my priorities, helping me focus on what’s important, like playing with my kid. It’s better than drinking or taking pills to cope.
HAVE YOU FACED CHALLENGES TRAVELING WITH CANNABIS AS A BAND? Oh, yes! In France, we got fined the equivalent of three T-shirts for carrying Cannabis on our tour bus. In Arizona, the cops tried to bust us, but their ‘drug dog’ was so fake — it didn’t find anything until they searched manually. We’ve been pulled
over in places where it wasn’t legal back then. I had an ounce that wasn’t split up yet, and I had to explain to the authorities that it was my medicine. It’s wild to see how far legalization has come since then.
WHAT’S YOUR VIEW ON PSYCHEDELICS AND MUSIC? DO YOU FEEL CANNABIS IS INTEGRAL TO PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC? Absolutely. Cannabis and psychedelics bring out a transcendent quality in music. They enhance the listening experience and inspire creativity in ways other substances can’t. Psychedelics help many people make incredible music, and it’s a result that you just can’t replicate. I love how the neopsychedelic movement is alive and well today.
HOW HAS CANNABIS CULTURE EVOLVED DURING YOUR CAREER? It’s amazing. We’ve gone from being harassed for weed to seeing it sold legally. Kids today turning 21 don’t even know how different it was. The stigma has faded so much, and I think it’s for the better.
DO YOU THINK CANNABIS HELPS YOU CONNECT WITH YOUR FANS? Definitely. Fans love finding little Easter eggs, like the bong rips hidden in our tracks. It’s been a fun way to subtly celebrate Cannabis culture, and we’ve done it on my radio show too. I sneak bong rips into effects on the mic — it’s part of the vibe. Cannabis and music go hand in hand. When I DJ stoned, I’m so keyed into the vibe, so sensitive to the music. It’s my favorite way to connect with the moment and the people around me.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ARTISTS BALANCING CANNABIS USE AND PRODUCTIVITY? Start sober and get your momentum going, then light up. It’s easier to keep going with a fresh perspective than to start something new when you’re already stoned. Get to cruising altitude first, then enjoy the ride!
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE DANDY WARHOLS? For our next record, I want us to treat it like it’s our last. I’d love for us to drop acid together, get weird, and pour everything into the music. It’s about embracing creativity and making something truly transformative.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CANNABISFRIENDLY PLACE? I’m from Portland, so I love our dispensary scene here. Places like Electric Lettuce have a great vibe, but even the smaller, no-frills shops have amazing quality. I’ve been spoiled with access to great Cannabis. When in Washington, it’s House of Cannabis.
With that, Zia’s food arrives, and many fans clamor for a moment with the rock-and-canna starlet. Conversations twist and turn as we eventually make our way into the Spanish Ballroom for the show. A packed crowd, from teens to grandparents, danced as The Warhols filled the stage with swirling guitars, neo-psychpop-rock rhythms, synth-heavy bass and tight vocal harmonies for 90-plus minutes, celebrating their 30th anniversary.
(L-R) Zia, Brent, Courtney, and Peter
RETRO ROCK ART
San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in the late 1960s was ground zero for the birth of the counterculture in America — manifesting the fashion, music, and mindset that defined a generation. Experimental, socially conscious jam bands like Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Moby Grape and, of course, the Grateful Dead provided the soundtrack to the dawning hippie revolution. It was at their concerts, in legendary Bay Area venues like the Fillmore West and the Avalon Ballroom, that thousands of young people from across the country first experimented with mind-altering substances like marijuana, LSD, mushrooms and peyote — opening their minds to the universe and losing themselves within the music.
So naturally, the advertisements for those shows had to be just as psychedelic. To meet that need, a new breed of underground artists emerged to create a new pop culture art form: the rock poster. Now the Portland Art Museum is revisiting the work of these incredible artists with a groovy new exhibit entitled “Psychedelic Rock Posters and Fashion of the 1960s.”
The exhibit features nearly 200 posters from around a dozen different artists, including the genre’s legendary “big five” — Rick Griffin, Alton Kelley, Victor Moscoso, Stanley Mouse and Wes Wilson. Most of these entheogen-inspired handbills feature vivid colors that vibrate when juxtaposed against one another, creating optical illusions of movement (especially when viewed while tripping), and wavy, hand-drawn lettering (inspired by turn-of-the-century European art) that is often nearly illegible — specifically designed that way to keep the “squares” away.
“The artists deliberately made them difficult to read, and I think part of that was so they could appeal to this subculture of folks who would stand there and stare at that poster as long as it took to figure it out,”
notes the exhibit’s curator, Mary Weaver Chapin, Ph.D. “Not surprisingly, the people who commissioned the posters did not like that at all. In fact, there's a famous exchange in which one of the producers, Bill Graham, says to his artist, Wes Wilson, ‘These are terrible — nobody can read them!’ And the artist replies, ‘Yeah, man, that's the point!’”
The vast majority of the posters on display were donated to the museum by local artist Gary Westford, who began collecting them while attending San Francisco State College from 1968 to 1971. In addition to the art, the exhibit also features a selection of fashions from the era and a psychedelic light show by OG visual artist Bill Ham, who provided the visuals for many of the old “Family Dog” concerts at the Avalon that these posters were promoting.
The “Psychedelic Rock Posters and Fashion of the 1960s” exhibit runs until June 25, so if you’re in the area and feel like experiencing a far-out flashback, take a hit of your preferred vibe enhancer and head on down… We think you’ll really dig it.
PORTLANDARTMUSEUM.ORG @PORTLANDARTMUSEUM
VICTOR MOSCOSO
BOB "RAF" SCHNEPF
WES WILSON
RICK GRIFFIN
STANLEY MOUSE
IS IT CAKE?
Joint rolling has enjoyed a brilliant renaissance as of late. With waves of professional rollers in both the traditional and recreational markets, and a growing desire for hash donuts from consumers at events, there’s an accessible, connoisseur-level experience for almost every shopper. These artisans are masters with rolling papers and an adhesive pen. But what about the people who prefer to create sculpture?
There’s no doubt the bar for a wellrolled joint is set high, but we want to talk about those out-of-this-world, intricate, pinata-like joints — the kind that look like miniature super yachts with little people on the bow and a tiny speedboat at the back that you inhale through.
Our previous article on “The Art Of The Roll” explored this world with superstars like Grasshoppa, Tony Greenhands and June Da Goon. However, this time we’re taking a deeper dive into the world of rolling paper mache to ask: What does it take to create these masterpieces? To help, we enlisted the help of MJ Mazzei, a Los Angeles-based artist who fashions flowers into incredible forms like speedboats, dinosaur skulls, Air Jordans and even color portraits. Mazzei, a full-time roller and content creator, started his journey into this kind of tech in 2022. Back then, he says, there really wasn’t much in
Creating Sculpture out of Sensimilla
the way of education despite it already being pioneered for years by people like Weavers and Tony Greenhands. Studying their online videos and spending hours practicing, he began to outline the art form for himself.
WHAT
DOES IT TAKE?
According to Mazzei, there are three major techniques. The first is the traditional ones we see in how-to books, like the cross joint or the windmill. They take skill, but as he points out, there’s a ceiling for how elaborate you can get. Next there’s the sculpting method, where you take pre-rolled pieces and adhere them together, adding and subtracting segments until the whole thing becomes a single, smokeable piece. You can see this style in the work of LGLAWEED, Eclipse, and Lydia The Doobie Duchess.
Finally there’s the mold and form method. With this you can use a mold as a framework to paper over, then cut away the paper from the frame and fill it with weed before sealing it back up.
Alternatively, using a form, you can layer paper around that until you create a sort of pocket around the shape that can be filled up and sealed like an empanada.
This is how Mazzei says he works most, and he even helped design a mold kit for first-timers so they can try the process out in less than an hour. He says regardless of which of the three you choose, there’s still the time involved in grinding all the weed up. Recently, he spent six hours prepping 1 1/2 pounds for a Basquiat-inspired piece. (above)
HOW LONG ONE OF
THESE SMOKEABLE SCULPTURES
TAKES TO CREATE REALLY DEPENDS ON THE SIZE OF THE PROJECT JUST AS MUCH AS THE AMOUNT OF WEED YOU’RE STICKING INSIDE OF IT.
How long one of these smokeable sculptures takes to create really depends on the size of the project just as much as the amount of weed you’re sticking inside of it. Mazzei said hours can be spent on shading and color (we’re quick to forget that rolling papers come in a pretty small color palette). Layering them to produce different hues is something that takes a lot of time to perfect. Some of his portraits took 30 to 40 hours, but after all the practice, he says object-based pieces take around a day to complete.
When asked if there’s any one he’s particularly proud of, he brought up two different pieces. The first was a Bosky collab for the Freedom Grow Gallery at Hall of Flowers this year.
The two hands lighting a joint, one skeleton and one flesh and bone, represented the struggle Cannabis prisoners face in the fight for their freedom. He meant this to evoke conversation in the way we expect of traditional gallery art. The second was a tribute to Basquiat he created for the Terp Basel event. Working in a medium that’s often overshadowed by brand marketing, that piece represented a chance to make an artistic statement and create something that wows the crowd at a sesh, as well as in a museum.
but it mostly comes down to sound engineering. “Corners are particularly hard to get burning properly,” he said. “The airflow wants to go to the inner side and will burn faster than the outside.” Mazzei points to his T. rex skull, which had so many angles that the whole thing burned from the inside out, giving the unexpected effect of flaming eyes. Another important factor he brought up is that, as the joint burns, the flower below is dehydrating and therefore shrinking. If the flower isn’t tightly pressed or the joint isn’t well-engineered, the second half can become loose, causing the cherry to fall out.
For anyone interested in learning more, Mazzei has created the World Series of Rolling to host competitions, skill shares and a community space for anyone looking to practice this art form.
TIPS & TRICKS
We asked for some pointers on making molded joints, and he said there are a few important things to keep in mind,
“No one person can overcome the shadowban,” he points out. “This creates a platform where the art can be visible.” You can also purchase one of the rocket mold kits he helped create online and then try it out with your friends.
What’s great about Mazzei is his appreciation for this as more than a technique or art that’s unique to our community. “I see this as having three forms,” he told us.
“Physical, like traditional art; digital, for its ability to quickly deliver a message through social media networks; and most importantly, experiential, because we’re consuming this to create memories.”
And he’s right, you never forget the time you and your friends smoked out of a shoe.
FROM KINGPEN
Guess who’s back, back again?
Captured by federal law enforcement in 1986, Barry “Flash” Foy was at the center of the largest drug investigation in U.S. history at the time. Foy was on the run for two years before authorities cuffed him at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in front of his wife and two kids. The “marijuana kingpin” from South Carolina was the poster child for the type of corruption then-President Ronald Reagan railed against as part of a War on Drugs campaign. After smuggling what amounts to $1.8 billion worth of marijuana and hashish in today’s dollars, Foy and his partner Les Riley earned the moniker “The Gentlemen Smugglers” — a nod to their college education and aversion to violence. The kingpins headlined a group of more than 100 men and women arrested on behalf of Reagan’s law-and-order pursuit. Foy was sentenced to serve 11 years in the same Atlanta prison where Chicago gangster Al Capone previously resided.
Gentlemen Smugglers' Strawberry Cough
TO GENTLEMAN
THOSE WERE THE GLORY DAYS OF CANNABIS, AND IN A VERY REAL WAY, WE WERE THE DISTRIBUTORS AND DISPENSARIES OF THAT TIME.
“I’M PRETTY SURE I stayed in the same cell,” said the 73-yearold from Columbia, noting that a carving of Capone’s name could be found on his bunk.
Upon release, Foy figured it was best to stay on the straight and narrow. The Cannabis game had changed, he recalls, with “California coming online” and Colorado’s approval “just around the corner.”
He, too, was different. A decade had passed with him removed from family, friends and society. “It’s not something anyone really wants to go through,” he said. “I just tried to stay busy, keep going in the right direction and be positive.”
Embroiled in the War on Drugs and imprisoned for years, Barry Foy has emerged into the legal Cannabis world with a truly unique story and perspective.
beautiful women, all while owning big houses and driving expensive cars. He was known to have no fewer than four Porsches at his disposal at any time.
“Those were the glory days of Cannabis, and in a very real way, we were the distributors and dispensaries of that time,” he said.
But the fear of recidivism was real. Despite fond memories of the “glory days,” Foy had no intention of returning to prison. So he chose to settle into a joy found prior to incarceration: restaurant ownership. Foy’s career in Cannabis was over and he was OK with that.
Or so he thought.
As years passed and he prided himself on feeding hungry restaurant patrons, the country began to embrace Cannabis, with legalization efforts spreading across the U.S. Meanwhile, The Gentlemen Smugglers stayed relevant in a tell-all book, “Jackpot,” which was released in 2011, four years after the last fugitive was arrested. The memoir caught the eye of film editor and artist Kevin Harrison, who was put in touch with Foy in hopes of making a documentary.
“‘Come see the most eloquent kingpin you’ll ever meet!’” laughed Harrison. “That’s how I was pitched to come meet Barry and they weren’t kidding. He told me his story and it was so compelling, I thought, we’ve got to bring this to the big screen. But the more we talked, we began to ask ourselves, ‘How do we launch a brand?’”
The process of creating a brand took Foy and Harrison years to create, calling it an organic process.
“It didn’t happen overnight,” Harrison said.
crazy journey to get to where we are today,” smiled Foy.
The Gentlemen Smugglers have made quick work, expanding into 52 dispensaries in Massachusetts, as well as an additional 23 in New Mexico. Just last month, the brand successfully extended its reach into a dozen Maryland dispensaries, pairing with SunMed Growers to span coastwards to Ocean City and as far west as Frederick. Gentlemen Smugglers will also make an appearance in New York dispensaries come December.
“It feels good writing a new chapter,” said Foy, likening SunMed’s large-scale operation to the “Disney of all facilities.” “They’re great people to work with — very organized and top of the line from a wellness aspect.”
Foy feels good with the proverbial pen in his hand, he said. A decade ago, the best-selling book “Jackpot” provided Americans with a not-sofriendly look into Foy — a “kingpin” who former colleagues referred to as, “impetuous, taking too many risks and having little regard for others’ wellbeing.” This time around, he’s providing patrons with access to top-tier medical Cannabis at an affordable price. A percentage of the profits covering four states and over 70 dispensaries goes directly to the Last Prisoner Project.
“That’s something that is very special to me,” Foy said of the nonprofit dedicated to reforming the criminal justice system in America. “I feel a kinship to what they do on a day-today basis.”
A handful of Foy’s contributions come from Albuquerque, home of the legendary Walter White. White was the fictional antihero of the AMC hit television series Breaking Bad that features a high school chemistry teacher who transitions into a drug lord. A “big fan” of the show, Foy was asked if he, a convicted felon now legally aiding medical patients, could be accused of...Breaking Good?
Foy lived fast in his 20s, smoking the finest herb, throwing fancy parties and routinely courting
In September 2022, they celebrated alongside their inaugural partners, a Massachusetts-based company Green Meadows, as their first products came to market. Nearly four decades after being shut down by the U.S. government, the Gentlemen Smugglers were back in business.
“I LOVE THAT!” he exclaimed.
- BARRY FOY GENTLEMENSMUGGLERS.COM
“To think where we were and how far this thing has come… it’s been a
Barry visits SunMed
THE BLOCKCHAIN RENAISSANCE
How WEB3’s NFTs are Transforming Cannabis Culture and Global Commerce
WEB3: NEW AGE INTERNET POWERED BY THE PEOPLE
As we navigate the shifting landscapes of digital innovation, Cannabis commerce and creative culture, WEB3 and nonfungible tokens (NFTs) are shaping the future of how we connect, trade and transcend borders. This electric fusion of blockchain technology, art and Cannabis is lighting up the internet and shaping a global counterculture.
WEB3, the next evolutionary step for the internet, shifts the power dynamics of the digital world. By leveraging decentralized blockchain networks like Ethereum and Solana, WEB3 promises transparency, security and true ownership. Unlike the traditional internet, where corporations hoard data and dictate terms, WEB3 places the reins back in the hands of individuals.
WELCOME TO THE KILLAVERSE: COLLECTIBLES WITH REAL VALUE
For creators and visionaries like the team behind KILLABEARS, WEB3 has proven to be a fertile playground for innovation. Ben Cohen, Mikael Tyrsen and Mexico’s renowned illustrator Memo Angeles laid the foundation for KILLABEARS as an NFT collection in April 2022. The community-focused ethos of WEB3 enabled the team to launch the collection as a free mint, which went on to become a popular property. The team blended elements of art, gaming, entertainment, Cannabis and blockchain technology seamlessly.
Digital Collectibles, also known as NFTs have redefined the concept of ownership in the digital art realm. Each NFT is a unique, verifiable asset stored on the blockchain. Memo’s creation of 3,333 limited edition KILLABEARS have showcased how NFTs can spur cultural movements. These aren’t just digital art pieces — they’re gateways to a vibrant community and even real-world commerce such as Cannabis.
Building on their success, the team added a playful twist with the creation of 8,888 customizable KILLACUBS, further strengthening their community’s engagement. Their approach to NFTs, combined with innovative tools like Snapchat filters for character interaction, brings a multi-dimensional experience to fans — it’s about participating in a shared vision and becoming a part of a future-forward community.
KILLAVERSE MEETS THE BIG SCREEN
Produced by KillaVerse Media, the KILLABEARS movie will be the first NFT-adopted, live-action movie to hit the big screen. Executive-producer actor Seth Green, will take this vision to a new level, intertwining storytelling and blockchain culture. As we await its release in the next 18 months, the KillaVerse NFT ecosystem continues to grow, uniting art lovers, gamers, Cannabis users and crypto enthusiasts.
BLOCKCHAIN KUSH: A CULTURAL RENAISSANC E
Imagine a world where your favorite Kush strain is not only a smokable flower but also commemorated by a piece of art — an NFT-backed, limited edition treasure with provenance recorded on the blockchain. The KILLABEAR community has entered into the Cannabis industry with the brand launch of KILLAKUSH. Available worldwide, this brand exemplifies how WEB3 is revolutionizing global trade. Cannabis commerce has long been shackled by legal red tape and fragmented markets, but blockchain technology has the potential to create a seamless, transparent and decentralized marketplace.
KILLAKUSH has taken the first bold steps into this space, offering THCA and THCP-infused edibles and concentrates, as well as trusted and reliable premium quality hemp flower to an international audience. Thanks to the blockchain, these products can be tracked, verified and traded globally, ensuring both quality and compliance. The syntheses of global Cannabis commerce backed by decentralized technology has even sparked the interest of the iconic CHAMPS Las Vegas counterculture awards. By incorporating limited edition bearhead collectibles into their Cannabis product line, KILLAKUSH merges culture with commerce. These 1,300 bearheads are keepsakes, symbolizing a new era where Cannabis transcends borders and enters the realm of art and technology. The KILLAKUSH lifestyle brand includes handcrafted rolling trays, stash boxes and inspired clothing available on the KillaVerse alongside other unique items such as KillaDinks the custom-designed pickleball racket.
“These 1,300 bearheads are keepsakes, symbolizing a new era where Cannabis transcends borders and enters the realm of art and technology.”
THE ALCHEMY OF WEB3, NFTS AND CANNABIS
This fusion of high-quality Cannabis products, alongside curated merchandise, exemplifies the power of WEB3’s cultural branding. Each product is personal, intentional and connected to the larger KillaVerse community.
Looking ahead, KillaKush aims to expand access of their consumable goods into the recreational Cannabis markets of Washington, California, Missouri, Illinois and Florida.
This isn’t just a technological evolution — it’s a cultural renaissance. Imagine a future where Cannabis isn’t restricted by borders, where artists and farmers collaborate to create strains backed by unique one-of-a-kind collectible merchandise and digital assets. For decades, the Cannabis community has been rooted in counterculture and innovation. Now, blockchain technology is ampli fying these values, creating new pathways for expression, trade, and connection. This isn’t some far-off utopia — it’s happening now, led by a team of KILLABEARS smoking that KILLAKUSH.
As the KILLABEARS movie looms on the horizon and KILLAKUSH expands into new markets, this fusion of blockchain and Cannabis feels like the ultimate cosmic alignment — a trip into the future where innovation meets liberation. Stay tuned, because the revolution is just getting started. Light one up, log on and embrace the elevated future of WEB3.
This expansion highlights the scalability of Cannabis commerce within a blockchain framework. KILLAKUSH.COM | @KILLA.PRODUCTS
Sunday Wednesday
Saturday
Thursday
High on the Hill
BORN TO GET BUSY
The story of Cypress Hill begins in the early 1980s in the LA suburb of South Gate, where two Cuban-American teenagers named Senen Reyes and Louis Mario Freese first met while attending nearby Bell High School and forged a fateful friendship. Reyes reportedly gave Freese (five years his junior) his first joint when he was around 13, and the two became instant stoney homeys — cutting school, smoking “Buddha,” reading High Times and listening to Public Enemy records together. Adopting the MC monikers “Sen Dog” and “B-Real,” they dreamed of becoming famous rappers… but it wasn’t until after connecting with an Italian-American DJ from Queens, NY, named Lawrence “DJ Muggs” Muggerud in 1986 that their pipe dream began to come into focus.
Originally, it was Sen and his brother Sergio, aka Mellow Man Ace, who formed a group with Muggs called DVX (Devastating Vocal Excellence). But when Ace went solo, B-Real stepped up, prompting the group to change its name to Cypress Hill — inspired partly by a reference in the “Wild Style” movie soundtrack and partly by a street Sen lived on called Cypress Avenue. With Muggs as their DJ/producer, they began writing and recording songs, developing their own unique, Latin-infused hip-hop sound. Sen’s vocals were deep, raw and gruff, while B, on the other
hand, had a distinctively highpitched, nasal style. As for their lyrics, they were primarily inspired by two things: their hard times in the hood (both Sen and B had spent time gangbanging with the Bloods) and their love of weed.
“When we first started Cypress, we weren’t even writing about weed — it was Muggs that had the vision,” Sen told DJmag.com in 2021. “He told me one day, ‘You and B-Real need to be the Cheech and Chong of hip-hop. You guys are the two biggest stoners I know. You read High Times like it’s the Bible. You guys are great rappers, but you don’t have something that you’re known for. And it’s been under your nose the whole time!’”
SOMETHING FOR THE BLUNTED
The trio put together a six-track demo tape and began shopping it around. They received offers from a few labels but turned them down due to the censorship that would’ve been imposed on them.
“They thought we were good entertainers,” Sen told Medium in 2016. “They just … didn’t want us to rap about weed, didn’t want us to cuss in our songs, didn’t want us to use the word ‘nigga,’ didn’t want us to talk about violence…”
From Snoop and Dre, to Meth and Red, to Berner, Cudi and Khalifa — many rap icons have made Cannabis an integral part of their music and personas throughout the years. But when it comes to the true OGs of reefer rhymes, the musical godfathers of the modern marijuana movement, none can compare to the “Cheech and Chong of hip-hop,” Cypress Hill.
Ultimately, in 1990, they signed with Philadelphia-based Ruffhouse Records (a subsidiary of Columbia/Sony), which offered total creative freedom. This resulted in their 1991 self-titled debut — a groundbreaking album that combined Spanish slang and sirens with beats and melodies sampled from diverse genres, including rock, soul, jazz and funk. But the most distinctive aspect of the album was its heavy emphasis on marijuana. Not only did most of the songs have weed references, but three songs (“Light Another,” “Stoned is the Way of the Walk,” and “Something for the Blunted”) were dedicated entirely to getting high. They even adopted a skull with an inverted pot leaf as their logo, which is featured prominently on the cover. Surprisingly, rather than discouraging their pot proselytization, Sony actually leaned into it, running a full-page ad for the album on the back cover of the band’s beloved High Times (Dec. 1991). A few months later in the March 1992 issue, High Times bumped them up to the front cover, running a feature interview with them that included a photo
DJ Muggs, B-Real & Sen Dog
essay in the centerfold entitled “How to Roll a Blunt” — the first time blunts were discussed in the magazine.
Well received by fans and critics, Cypress Hill’s eponymous debut would eventually be certified double platinum, making them the first Latino rap artist to sell over a million albums. But more importantly, they set a new standard for openly embracing Cannabis in hip-hop — paving the way for Snoop and Dre’s “The Chronic” and the countless other herb-inspired joints to follow.
“Rappers didn’t talk about weed when Cypress Hill came out,” Muggs bragged to Revolver in 2018. “We opened the floodgates.”
STONED IS THE WAY OF THE WALK
Cypress didn’t just sing about Cannabis, though — they actually advocated for its legalization, becoming the official “smokes-band” for NORML and learning about the plant’s history and uses from activist icon Jack Herer. In fact, when it came time to release the group’s follow-up album, “Black Sunday,” in July 1993, they included an info sheet of marijuana factoids culled straight from Herer’s groundbreaking book, “The Emperor Wears No Clothes.”
“We always considered ourselves the champions of cannabis culture in terms of hip-hop and mainstream music,” B-Real has said. “We wanted people to know that we weren’t just about smoking, we were about educating people about all aspects of the culture.”
Naturally, “Black Sunday” also featured more classic stoner anthems, including “Hits From the Bong,” “I Wanna Get High” and a brief interlude entitled “Legalize It” that layered quotes from Herer and HT editor Steve Bloom over a funky guitar groove. Cypress’ controversial Cannabis support garnered them a huge following among college kids and a ton of media attention. Thanks in part to this coverage, “Black Sunday” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making Cypress Hill the first hip-hop group to have two albums in the Top 10 simultaneously. Selling over a quarter million copies in its first week, it went on to go triple platinum and earn two Grammy nominations.
I WANNA GET HIGH
Riding high on the success of “Black Sunday” and the growing influence of hip-hop, Cypress Hill continued their marijuana-fueled march into mainstream American culture.
“We always considered ourselves the champions of Cannabis culture in terms of hip-hop and mainstream music.”
Months after the album’s release, the band was booked to perform on the Oct. 2, 1993, episode of “Saturday Night Live.” Though SNL was known for subversive, counterculture humor, Cypress was admonished by numerous network and record company executives not to smoke pot on stage. Nevertheless, when it came time for their second performance, “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That,” DJ Muggs “felt like he needed to make a statement.” As the song began, Muggs defied the warnings — announcing: “Yo New York City… they said I couldn’t light my joint … but we ain’t goin’ out like that,” then firing up and puffing on a doobie. As a result, producer Lorne Michaels banned them from the show.
“I was like, ‘Man, fuck them,’” Muggs told Revolt in 2022. “Cause, you know, we were young and aggressive. We really just didn’t give a fuck.”
A few years later, Cypress reached an even larger TV audience when they made a guest appearance on another pop culture institution, “The Simpsons.” During the May 19, 1996 episode “Homerpalooza,” an animated version of the trio begins to perform “Throw Your Set in the Air” (from their third album “Temples of Boom”), during which Bart and Lisa notice an odd aroma in the air that “smells like Otto’s jacket.”
own annual marijuana music festival, the Cypress Hill SmokeOut. Hosted by Cheech and Chong, the show featured an array of activist speakers and rap, reggae and metal performers. In 2010, the SmokeOut made history as the first music festival to allow licensed medical marijuana patients to consume their Cannabis legally.
DR. GREENTHUMB
Despite several hiatuses to pursue solo and side projects, these Stoned Raiders have continued to crank out groundbreaking ganja-inspired grooves for over three decades — releasing eight more albums featuring numerous other reefer rhymes, including “High Times,” “Ganja Bus” (with Damian Marley), and the hilarious “Dr. Greenthumb,” in which B-Real plays a goofy grow guru sporting a lab coat, stethoscope, afro wig, nerdy glasses and buck teeth.
There’s also another scene backstage where they’re accused of ordering the London Symphony Orchestra while high, then perform a rendition of “Insane in the Brain” with classical accompaniment (another notorious “Simpsons” prediction that eventually came true when Cypress performed with LSO last July!).
RAP SUPERSTARS
Throughout the 1990s, Cypress Hill widened their fanbase by touring with several mega festivals, such as Lollapalooza, H.O.R.D.E., Warped Tour, Smokin’ Grooves, and even Woodstock ’94, where they performed alongside rock icons like Metallica and Aerosmith (and added percussionist Eric “Bobo” Correa to its lineup).
But regardless of where they played or who they played with, Cannabis remained a consistent component of Cypress’ live shows — smoking cartoonishly large joints on stage, encouraging their audience to light up, and even inviting Herer up to drop some knowledge on the crowd before their sets. Then, in 1998, the group founded their
Eventually, B took his commitment to Cannabis — and his wacky alter ego — well beyond the world of music. In 2009, he founded his own streaming network, B-Real TV, where he hosts several podcasts, including “The Dr. Greenthumb Show” (dubbed “The Highest Show in the World”) and “The Smokebox,” where he and various celebrity guests hotbox one of his classic lowriders. In 2018, B opened his first Dr. Greenthumb’s dispensary in Sylmar, California, and has since expanded to seven locations across the state. He’s also launched two Cannabis brands, Dr. Greenthumb and Insane, and a line of glass joint filters called Phuncky Feel Tips.
AIN’T GOIN’ OUT LIKE THAT
To date, Cypress Hill has sold over 20 million albums worldwide, been nominated for three Grammys, and even been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019. But despite these accomplishments, their greatest impact on our culture is how their music and advocacy have helped lead marijuana into the mainstream acceptance it enjoys today.
“I like to think that Cypress Hill had something to do with changing that culture and that mentality,” Sen Dog once said. “I will forever believe for the rest of my life that Cannabis is actually something that is positive for the earth and positive for human beings.”
Visit WorldofCannabis.Museum/Cannthropology.
High Times cover & centerfold - March 1992
Vintage “Insane in the Brain” poster
Still from “The Simpsons” episode with Cypress
Dr. Greenthumb logo
SmokeOut 2002 poster
#306 SAN PEDRO
#308 GRAFFITI & CANNABIS
#309 BILLIARDS & CANNABIS
I DON’T KNOW if the guy who invented Italy’s most important contribution to the world was smoking a pepperoni-sized doob when he changed the course of civilization by going robust on the crust. Still, that champion put the chow in ciao. I mean, there are only so many ways you can embellish a burger, but with a pizza, the mouthwatering combinations are exponentially endless.
Like, you could empty your takeout box of General Tsao’s chicken for a mound on the round, pop it in the oven to completion, and you’ve invented the Chinese Pizza. I know. You’re an award-winning innovator.
Artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, pineapple and broccoli all in the same bite? Oh mio dio! That means “oh my god” in the language of pizzalian. You throw on some cured meat and 18 different types of cheese — fuggedaboudit! Hell, you could throw a raw salamander on that fucker, and I’ll bet someone somewhere would eat it if it were baked in a wood-fired oven.
Maybe Leonardo Da Vinci was in the wrong business. Because I’ll bet, an 8-year-old can’t tell you who he was, but they can tell you who Mario and Luigi are. Sure, they are potentially the most popular video game characters on the planet, but I’ll bet a thousand lira that they were named after guys with spaghetti sauce stains on their wife-beaters who shout a lot.
I understand they have a tilted tower in a city called Pisa, which lends the name to what my buddies and I call the stack of leftover boxes the morning after a raging party. And if the boxes are somehow leaning, we consider that an omen from the almighty.
So, we commence a bong sesh to honor the unexplainable forces of the universe.
