VOL62 WEEKLY ZINE

CULTURE

TRADITION

PASSION

#62

weekly-zine

uplift the people, uplift the plant

the cannabis founders club

Fernando Bent-Mullings

cannahumans

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na

in

ca

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Sandra Bergman

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cover photo by paola tello

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creator spotlight paola tello

photo by derrall peach

thank you to Laura, Skye, Nessa, Michelle, & Christine for joining us for the faces of cannabis!

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CULTURE

TRADITION

PASSION

WEEKLY P4: creator spotlight - paola tello P8: Lighting It Up for Autism Awareness: Cannabis Might Be the Support We've Been Missing by dustin hoxworth P12: April Is Parkinson’s Awareness Month And Cannabis Is Stepping Up by dustin hoxworth P16: the cannabis founders club: fernando bent-mullings P25: dilo & koz: high expectations P28: cannahumans: sandra bergman P34: GLazed

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photo by paola tello

Creator Spotlight

Paola Tello Paola Tello, is a Kansas City-based commercial photographer specializing in cannabis macro and product photography.

Originally from Panama, she found her passion for cannabis photography after moving to Missouri and noticing a need for high-quality visuals in the industry.

“With a strong focus on branding, videography, and design, I love helping cannabis brands showcase their products through creative and detailed imagery.”

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Dustin Hoxworth: When and how were you first introduced to cannabis?

Paola Tello: Growing up in Panama, where cannabis was illegal, I rarely ever saw a plant in person. It wasn’t until I moved to Missouri that cannabis became part of my life, as I started meeting people in the industry through my husband.

DH: What made you want to become a photographer, and more specifically, a cannabis photographer?

PT: Photography has always been one of my biggest passions, and when cannabis was legalized in Missouri, I saw an opportunity. New brands were emerging and needed high-quality photography, but no one in the state was specializing in cannabis product photography, so I jumped in to fill that gap.

DH: Do you have a favorite subject outside of cannabis you enjoy photographing?

PT: I love photographing stars when I go camping in Colorado.

In a way, capturing a long exposure shot of the night sky gives me the same feeling as focus stacking cannabis macro photography, both require patience, precision, and the reward of seeing all the tiny details come together.

DH: How has cannabis positively impacted your life?

PT: Cannabis has helped me truly find my passion and purpose. I’ve always loved photography, but discovering this niche in the industry made me realize this is what I’m meant to do. It’s given me a career I love and a way to express my creativity. Aside from my son and husband, this is what makes me happiest.

DH: If you could change one thing about the cannabis industry, what would it be?

PT: It’s not so much the industry itself, but society’s perception. I wish cannabis was more accepted worldwide, at the end of the day, it’s just a plant!

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Green leaves curl in sun, whispers rise in fragrant smoke peace blooms, slow and deep.

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LIGHTING IT UP FOR AUTISM AWARENESS: CANNABIS MIGHT BE THE SUPPORT WE'VE BEEN MISSING

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By Dustin Hoxworth

pril is Autism Awareness Month, and it hits just a little different. Not just because we stand with our neurodivergent community, but because we believe in highlighting real conversations, especially the ones too many people are still afraid to have.

One of those? The growing connection between cannabis and autism support.

Let’s be clear: autism isn’t a condition that needs to be “fixed.” It’s a spectrum; a vast, beautiful range of neurological diversity. But that doesn’t mean individuals and families living with autism aren’t navigating some serious challenges with things like anxiety, aggression, sleep disturbances, and communication struggles. And for some, traditional pharmaceuticals don’t cut it, or worse, come with side effects that just trade one issue for another.

That’s why more and more families and researchers are turning toward cannabis.

Back in 2017-2018, a groundbreaking study out of Israel turned heads across the medical world. Led by Dr. Adi Aran, a pediatric neurologist at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, the research focused on 150 children with autism who were treated with CBD-rich cannabis oil (other cannabinoids like THC in very low doses were present as well - 20:1 ratio). After several months, 61% of those kids experienced significant improvements in behavior, anxiety, sleep, and even social communication.

Let that sink in; over half of the participants!

We're talking about measurable, lifeimproving changes for families who had often exhausted every conventional treatment on the table.

Find more results of the study here:

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This isn’t about “getting kids high.” It’s not about masking autism or pushing an agenda.

It’s about using cannabis in a controlled, thoughtful, medically guided way to support quality of life. The cannabis used in these types of studies is high in CBD, a nonintoxicating cannabinoid that’s shows serious promise as a tool for balancing neurological symptoms.

So yeah, we’re lighting it up this April and not just to celebrate neurodiversity, but to keep pushing the conversation forward. Because when it comes to cannabis and autism, we’ve barely scratched the surface.

Let’s keep it honest. Let’s keep it compassionate. And let’s never stop fighting for access, education, and support for everyone on the spectrum!

What’s even more telling is that many of these kids had previously been prescribed medications like antipsychotics, which come with a host of harsh side effects like, weight gain, sedation, and hormonal shifts. Cannabis offered them a more natural option, and with fewer drawbacks.

We obviously still need more data, more clinical trials, and most importantly, more openness from the medical community. Parents are out here doing their own research, seeking out cannabis-friendly doctors, and in some cases, risking legal gray areas just to give their kids a shot at a better life. That’s not how healthcare should work!

This Autism Awareness Month, we’re not just wearing blue or posting hashtags. We’re advocating for real change. We’re shining a light on a plant that’s been demonized for far too long because current power structures still benefit from it’s illegality. It’s inhumane and disgusting when faced with something as complex and widespread as autism. We should be using every tool at our disposal instead of bending the knee to racist bs and lies perpetuated by the wealthy ruling class.

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April Is Parkinson’s Awareness Month And Cannabis Is Stepping Up

By Dustin Hoxworth

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very April, the world turns a little more purple and silver in honor of Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month; a time to spotlight a brutal neurodegenerative condition that affects over 10 million people worldwide. It’s also a month where the cannabis community needs to speak up, because guess what? The plant we love might be offering something that pharmaceuticals haven’t quite nailed yet: relief.

Parkinson’s isn’t some minor inconvenience, it’s a progressive, life-altering condition. We're talking tremors, muscle rigidity, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and eventually the kind of mobility issues that make simple tasks exhausting and damn near impossible.

Traditional treatment usually starts and stops with levodopa which is a med that can be effective, but comes with side effects and doesn’t slow the progression of the disease.

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So what happens when meds stop doing the trick? That’s where a lot of patients start looking into cannabis, when maybe we should be looking at it first because it works! Most of have seen the videos of people with Parkinson's struggling to pick up and hold a cup because of the uncontrollable tremors. Then cannabis is brought into the picture an viola! Tremors are gone immediately.

There’s a wave of early research, patient testimonials, and clinical insight pointing to how cannabinoids and especially CBD with low doses of THC, can help ease the symptoms of Parkinson’s without the harsh baggage that comes with standard pharmaceuticals. All you have to do is a simple Google search, or even go on InstaGram to see for yourself that there are real and promising results in reducing tremors, calming muscle spasms, easing pain, improving sleep, and giving patients a better handle on anxiety and depression.

They criminalize relief, call healing a crime, but cannabis doesn’t bow to their laws, and neither do the shaking hands it steadies!!!

Now, is it a cure? No. And we’ve got to be real about that. But for a disease that can rob people of so much, even a little relief can feel like freedom. And for some, cannabis brings that back. Still, access is an issue. Not every state has medical cannabis programs that include Parkinson’s. Not every doctor’s on board. There’s still the stupid stigma, still legal red tape, and still too many patients scared to even bring it up with their neurologist.

If cannabis can give people with Parkinson’s their appetite back, help them sleep through the night, calm the tremors long enough to hold their grandkid’s hand or write their name, then it deserves a seat at the table! No shame, no guilt, just plant-powered progress and relief.

This month, as we recognize Parkinson’s Awareness, let’s not just “raise awareness” in name only. Let’s raise hell for better access! Let’s raise our voices for more research, more inclusion in state laws, and more honest conversations between patients and doctors. And yeah, let’s light one up for every warrior fighting the good fight against Parkinson’s. For the ones looking for answers outside of a pill bottle. For the families searching for peace. And for a world where cannabis is part of the solution, not part of the problem, because we believe in the plant, we believe in the people, and we believe that when medicine comes from the earth, it should be available to all who need it.

4 Common Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease Tremors – Shaking, usually starting in the hands or fingers, often noticeable when the person is at rest.

Bradykinesia – Slowness of movement that can make everyday activities more difficult and time-consuming.

Muscle rigidity – Stiffness in the limbs or trunk that may limit range of motion and cause discomfort.

Postural instability – Impaired balance and coordination, increasing the risk of falls.

Parkinson’s disease can affect people differently, with symptoms varying in type and severity from person to person.

In most cases, the first signs of Parkinson’s typically appear after the age of 60.

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photo by kyea mofire

the cannabis founders club Fernando Bent-Mullings

If you’re looking for true cannabis community and culture in the cannabis industry these days, look no further than Boston, MA based Fernando BentMullings. Lovingly also known as Fern, you won’t meet a better, more honest and sincere dude anywhere. Fern has Jamaican roots, loves cannabis, and supports the craft side of the industry any way he can with his brand, Rasta Rootz. We’re proud to have Fern as a partner here, so we took the time to get to know him a bit better for all of us. Check out his Q&A. 316

FNM: When and how were you first introduced to cannabis?

FNM: What made you want to open a retail location?

Fern: I was first “introduced” to cannabis in 1997 when an older cousin of mine had some cannabis drying on the back steps of my aunt’s house that I would see regularly. I was about 13 at the time and remember thinking “is that what weed looks like?’’ Growing up in a Jamaican household with a mom that was adamant against cannabis, I knew I wasn’t supposed to look at it, let alone try it.

Fern: My wife-Hilary and I wanted to open a retail location because cannabis was something that we loved and consumed, and we didn’t want to “wished we had tried” to get into industry. For us a dispensary was the clear choice we’d want to pursue. The idea of being able to help people find the high they were searching for was very appealing to us.

We’d visited dispensaries in our area and always felt that the customer service side wasn’t being paid attention to. Every time we had a buying experience it was a transaction not interactions. We felt our true cannabis culture was being short changed and we wanted to give people a different kind of experience with buying cannabis.

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FNM: How has impacted your life?

cannabis

positively

Fern: Cannabis has had a positive impact in my life through different ways at different periods of time. I was a personal trainer for 14 years and a gym rat throughout that time and used cannabis to help with recovery from hard workouts. Cannabis also helped me get through a year of back pain when I was rear ended in a car accident. I didn’t want to take any prescribed drugs from the doctors, so I used cannabis to help me to sleep at night and deal with regular pain in my back.

FNM: If there was one thing you could change about the cannabis industry, what would it be?

Fern: If I only could pick one thing, I would change about the cannabis industry it would be to remove it from the controlled substance list. Cannabis in the US should not be treated more severely than alcohol is.

Even to be held to the same standard of alcohol is a disservice to the plant.

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FNM: What is your store like and what types of brands do you carry?

Fern:We have a 4-floor building with 2 floors of dispensary. The first floor is primarily for people who have issues with steps, online orders, or just don’t want talk and want to be in & out. Our second floor is more laid back, with a couch and comfy chairs to sit and talk about our menu or why you might be in and what you’re looking for. We’ve been told our menu is one the craftier menus in MA, with flower from smaller grows throughout the state. We also strive to have partnerships exclusively with businesses “with a soul”, staying away as much as we can from big MSO companies Some of current relationships we have right now that have products on our shelves are with Advanced Cultivators, Impressed, Nimbus, Treeworks and Hazel to name a few.

“We’ve been told our menu is one the craftier menus in MA, with flower from smaller grows throughout the state.”

Official Partners of Fat Nugs Magazine

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Official Partners of Fat Nugs Magazine

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The Destination Edition Is Coming

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Blue Nrdz verdant cannabis Photo by derrall peach

Dilo & Koz

High Expectations H

igh Expectations is a podcast that reviews movies through the lens of cannabis. They discuss and rate movies through 4 specific categories that the stoner community will appreciate. We wanted to find out more, so we did a little Q&A with the founders Dilo and Koz. FNM: Where did the original idea of these "One-Hitter" episodes come from and what do they focus on?

DK: One Hitters were born because we realized there are different kinds of listeners out there, some like hour long podcasts some want a quick fix. The One Hitters are less than 30 minutes and are hyper-focused on a topic or interview with someone in the cannabis or movie world. For example our first One Hitter was a tribute to our good friend Sasquatch, since we are based in Seattle.

FNM: What has been your most memorable interview for the show?

DK: I think we would both say our first interview with our friends at Outer Spaced comic was the most memorable. This was our first collaboration opportunity and they came on our show to review Austin Powers, Episode 46. We had a blast and felt super validated that another cannabis themed creator wanted to come on and participate.

FNM: If you could interview and do a show with anyone alive or dead, who would it be and why?

DK: Well we love movies and we love weed, so I think the answer may be obvious…Seth Rogen. To have him on the show would be a dream to talk about his film career and experiences but also his thoughts on cannabis.

He brings such a strong and unique perspective on weed, we would love to interview him and see what we can learn.

FNM: If there was one thing you could change about the cannabis industry, what would it be?

DK: Great question and this is something we talk about a lot as cannabis creators who also have 9-5er’s. As you may notice we have no photo’s of us included here, well that’s because we both don’t really know how this show concept would be received by our employers.

We have lost out on potential brand partners because of the cannabis association but if it were a top shelf liquor we might have a line out the door? Cannabis needs to be set free and allowed to be a part of our lives just like alcohol or tobacco, let’s keep normalizing this industry for all the creators out there.

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melted strawberry high west farms Photo by derrall peach

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s a n d r a

“The more soccer moms, grandparents, teachers, athletes, military personnel, law enforcement, etc that are out there talking about how cannabis benefits them, the more acceptable it will become and help wear down the stigma.”

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b e r g m a n

c a n n a h u m a n s

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rom the moment you get a chance to talk to Sandra, you realize that she cares about people and cannabis. Which in all honestly are the two main ingredients for actual success in the cannabis industry.

Sandra is one of those types of people that will give you the shirt off her back.

She also wants to help retailers in the industry become successful by helping to drive loyalty. Which if you know anything at all about retail, it’s one of the most important things there is. We took the chance to talk with Sandra and find out more about her personally and professionally in this Q&A.

FNM: When and how were you first introduced to cannabis?

Sandra Bergman: I was 15, a sophomore in high school, when I smoked pot for the first time. My boyfriend smoked regularly and he introduced me to it. I just remember coughing, laughing, coughing some more and just giggling at nothing. I want to find that strain now!

FNM: What do you focus on in the industry?

SB: I’m laser-focused on helping dispensaries retain more customers and increase sales. After working for two large MSOs in Colorado and doing all things dispensary marketing, I saw a lack of focus in the industry on retaining customers.

Everyone was chasing new customers. But your existing customers are the most lowhanging fruit you’ll find from a marketing perspective.

FNM: Why is focusing on building a great loyalty program so important in the cannabis industry?

SB: It’s 5-7X more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing one. The cannabis industry has notoriously low marketing budgets, so it’s an especially cost-effective strategy to lean into customer retention programs. Loyalty programs provide a sense of community and connection between the dispensary and its customers.

When customers feel appreciated and recognized, it encourages repeat visits and builds strong brand advocacy. Most importantly, when done well, customer loyalty programs influence customers to spend more and visit more often, having a significant impact on a dispensary’s revenue. One operator I worked with saw loyalty email & text campaigns contribute $1.3 million in revenue in just the first six months!

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FNM: How has impacted your life?

cannabis

positively

FNM: If you could change one thing in the cannabis industry what would it be?

SB: I’m not like many in the industry who have benefitted from cannabis by treating a medical condition. I simply enjoy the way it makes me feel and allows me to unwind.

But the biggest impact for me has been to find a career that I’m passionate about and able to bring my full, authentic self to. I don’t have to hide what I spent my weekend doing. Starting my own business in the industry has pushed me WAY out of my comfort zone professionally and personally.

I truly believe it’s growth that I wouldn’t have otherwise experienced. And I’m so grateful for all of the genuine business relationships and friends I've found working in this industry.

SB: I would really like to see more products and dispensary experiences that cater to new and lower-dose consumers. I know those aren’t the high dollar customers for dispensaries, but the impact of bringing more mainstream customers into the fold helps move the entire industry toward normalization. The more soccer moms, grandparents, teachers, athletes, military personnel, law enforcement, etc that are out there talking about how cannabis benefits them, the more acceptable it will become and help wear down the stigma.

Polina Tankilevitch

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photo by paola tello

Podcast partners

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maple nectar #2 verdant cannabis Photo by derrall peach

time to free all the cannabis prisoners

puff puff pass guano

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glazed

free all cannabis prisoners

photo by kyea mofire

100 MILLION JOINTS 100 MILLION MOMENTS RollPros recently surpassed an incredible milestone: 100 million joints have been rolled on Blackbird joint rolling machines. This is more than just a number. It’s a testament to the partners, operators, and innovators who believed in our vision.

So here’s to you, 100 million times over. Thank you for being a part of the journey.

LET’S KEEP IT ROLLING!

photo by kyea mofire

"sungrown cannabis is the whisper of the earth reminding us that healing doesn’t always get seen or heard, it sometimes grows in silence, leaf by leaf." Dustin Hoxworth