Editor’s Note

Thanks for picking up The Culture Issue of the Leaf!

This month’s cover is graced by Cheech and Chong, the iconic stoner humorists who’ve represented Cannabis culture since 1971. Crossing generations with comedy and electric screen presence, they pioneered the plant at a time when using Cannabis was highly illegal. With today’s access to pot stores verging on excessive, it’s easy to forget the risk that buying weed represented in the ‘70s – let alone smoking joints on camera in a form of public protest and entertainment.

Cannabis culture spread into the mainstream on the silver screen, rebranding the war on drugs with wit and taking the fear out of the weed equation. In many ways our current version of stoner culture can be defined by the vibe that Cheech and Chong created atop the echoes of the ‘60s hippie renaissance. Go to a weed event today and you’ll see plenty of tie-dye mixed in with friendly folks blending of all cultures, backgrounds and socioeconomic status. But while colorful clothes and glass define the look, the only thing needed to join the plant tribe is a smile and a bowl to smoke.

We’re entering the ‘Goldilocks Age’ of legalization: Icons and individual consumers alike remember the scars and costs of prohibition. A new generation of stoners turn 21 each month in a world where dispensaries are as ubiquitous as liquor stores. It’s magical to see the worldview of Cannabis shifting – bringing youthful energy and hope which has lit a fire that cannot be put out. Reaching escape velocity, Cannabis is slingshotting from criminal activity to vending machines in a lifetime – and its effect on the arts, entertainment and larger world, shouldn’t be underestimated.

As I wrote last year – if Putin were puffin’ – he probably wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine. I believe we will see a radical transformation in global politics and humanity’s view of responsibility for one another, and our shared planet, once the plant is free to heal. Just look at Thailand’s seemingly overnight drug policy change: Weed has gone from a death penalty offense to a scene of international press, as a Cookies dispensary opens to the blessings of monks and the community.

The energy is right for this movement to grow. And perhaps that’s what brought Cheech and Chong back together, and to the forefront of the movement they planted seeds for 50 years ago. We certainly need weed heroes and while they’re far too cool for capes, it’s an honor to share their presence on the cover of Leaf Magazines. Please enjoy our cover interview by our own Bobby Black and Mike Ricker, with amazing photos by Emily Eizen styled by Toreno Winn in Los Angeles, and the rest of our unique Culture Issue. As I’ve said since June 2010 when the first Leaf magazine went to print – thank you for reading and for being a part of our beautiful Cannabis culture!