Issuu

CREATOR SPOTLIGHT ZACH SMITH

DENISE&DERRALL PEACH OF THE

FACES CANNABIS

four-twenty

WeekLy zine

vol. 63

pg. 3: 420 A Moment A Vibe, A Ritual

pg. 4, 24, 42: The Faces of cannabis

pg. 14: dank poetry dispensary poetry contest winner: chelsea duchemin

pg.. 16: creator spotlight - zach smith

pg. 32: Hash Rosin at Sunset: A Work Trip to Boston, Made Magical by kenya alexander

pg. 41: glazed

Let’s get one thing straight,

420 isn’t just a number. It’s a feeling. It’s that first spark in the morning when the sun hits just right and you hear your favorite track sliding into your headphones like the universe was looking out for you just when you needed it most. It’s that deep breath before the exhale, that sacred second where everything slows down and suddenly...the world makes sense.

420 isn’t just about lighting up though. It’s about tuning in To yourself. To the moment. To the art of doing absolutely nothing, and doing it with intention

You ever noticed how good a mango tastes after a joint?

Or how a silly meme hits just a little deeper mid-dab?

That’s the magic. That’s the medicine.

That’s 420.

420 A Moment, A Vibe, A Ritual

Some folks out here are crunching numbers, running late, and lost in the sauce of everyday hustle But you, you know better. You know that the real flex is pressing pause. Rolling something fresh. Setting the vibe. Lighting up not just for the high, but for the harmony.

Whether you’re on a mountain, stuck in traffic, or hiding from your in-laws in the garage, 420 finds you. It whispers, “Hey. Slow down. Breathe. Let go.” It’s not always loud. Sometimes it’s just the quiet joy of packing a

bowl while your homie laughs at nothing Or that perfect ripple of smoke dancing through the air like it's got somewhere to be but no rush getting there.

This 420, don’t just celebrate it. Feel it. Make it yours. Roll something fat, cue the vibes, kiss the stress goodbye, and remind yourself, this is what it’s all about. The community, the calm, the culture.

Roll up. Spark up. Tap in.

FAT NUGS MAGAZINE

THE FACES OF CANNABIS PROJECT

ALL PHOTOS BY DERRALL PEACH

Acelebration of the people who make the cannabis industry special. It's our living archive of the real ones; those who grind, grow, create, and advocate for the plant, the community, and the culture that surrounds it. It’s about the unsung heroes; the budtender who remembers your name, the cultivator covered in resin, the artist sketching strains into the story. It highlights the growers, patients, advocates, artists, and everyday humans who live and breathe cannabis. Through striking visuals that tell stories, the idea is to capture the soul of our community, one face at a time to feature a snapshot of authenticity, a movement, a mirror, and a love letter to those shaping the future of this space with passion, grit, and dirt under their nails

Denise Peach

Kween (Queen) Tina

Adam Hall

Maximus Cagnina

BRANDON BECK

BEE GUTIERREZ

BRENDON WORLMAN

NOW YOU WANT TO SMOKE

PHOTO

PAOLA TELLO

Yesterday

I was a ghost in my own body.

Lost in the fog of what I couldn’t name

But I learned to carve my path with jagged steps

To dance with the darkness without being consumed.

I am a broken silhouette, stitched together with quiet resolve.

I faced the hollow echoes

Looked into the deep, aching places where grief resides.

I dug my fingers into a raw, unseen pain

And pulled myself out from beneath its crushing weight

I’ve learned to listen to the quiet hum

Of what I am becoming

Not the noise of what I was

The mirror never speaks, but I see myself in the way the river carves through stone-

Slow, relentless, a force

I am not who I was yesterday.

I am clearer.

A reflection forged not in perfection, But in the fire of constant becoming.

“I think most importantly cannabis - along with a healthy relationship with psychedelicshas helped me with that. In the words of Carlos Casteneda’s Don Juan, it’s my little helper.”

zach smith

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

Zach Smith: Oh man, so my first experience was my sophomore year of highschool in the back of my buddy’s car on like an empty construction site behind a bunch of giant concrete blocks. It didn't really do it for me at the time. Probably because I was so terrified my mother would find me and rip my limbs off one by one It wasn’t until I was older that it really became a larger part of my life. I partied a lot in highschool but I was a drunk idiot.

DH: How has cannabis positively influenced your life?

ZS: I really started using cannabis more after highschool when I was like 19. I was a really reckless kid. I had a lot of issues with anger and aggression that probably stemmed from anxiety, and before cannabis I didn’t have the faculties to deal with or address that I think most importantly cannabis - along with a healthy relationship with psychedelics - has helped me with that. In the words of Carlos Casteneda’s Don Juan, it’s my little helper It has

also helped so much with creativity. I think cannabis and psychedelics really helped to tear down the walls of anxiety boxing in who I really was inside, and once those were down I was free to really express myself in a way that isn’t inhibited by the worry about what other people think. I think creativity really thrives in spaces like that, and cannabis makes it so much easier to get to that space for me

I’ll be honest, for a while I gave it too much credit for my creativity. I maybe felt like to get to that space wasn’t possible without cannabis? Or maybe I knew I could, but didn’t want to.

Then I actually had a year not too long ago where I got into a little trouble in a non-legal state and had to stop smoking for a year. I think that year really helped my relationship with the plant grow in a weird way I was working in a corporate creative role in the cannabis industry as a marketing director, so I had to be creative without it for the first time in a very long time Turns out I did just fine getting to that creative space without being able to smoke weed

Creator Spotlight

I also was able to manage anxiety and anger without it because of, can you believe it, therapy!

I guess the point of that is that I realized that the space inside my head that allows me to be free exists whether cannabis is the vehicle that drives me there or not. Without it I might just need to walk to the space and get there a little slower. I was proud of the realization that acknowledging that this creative space is always there for me does not take away from the impact cannabis had on helping me find it, or on my relationship with it.

DH: What do you do you do in the cannabis industry?

ZS: I run Altered Focus and I work with brands doing studio cannabis photography and creative still life and lifestyle photography I focus on vibrant imagery

“I think the gold rush time in cannabis is over and the Chads and Brads are trying to abandon their ships and probably go be parasites in the future psychedelic market.

Those types of companies are realizing that it costs a lot to run these companies, it's hard work, and most of the money brought in is going back into operating. Hopefully that will lead to more companies

TRIPPLE BURGER

PHOTO BY

ZACH SMITH

ROOT BALL

PHOTO BY ZACH SMITH

PHOTO BY KYEA MOFIRE

Kailah aka Twat

Logan Azana

SAUD GALLEGOS

BRIANNA GUERRERO

HEATHER MOROSO

INTRODUCE SOMEONE NEW TO CANNABIS

LEMON CHERRY GELATO

PHOTO BY KYEA MOFIRE

HASH ROSIN AT SUNSET: A WORK

TRIP TO BOSTON, MADE MAGICAL

By Kenya Alexander

There’s something about arriving in a new city for work that always gives me a quiet thrill. It’s like slipping into a parallel life for a few days–one where you know the streets just well enough to feel a bit like a local, but still get to see everything with fresh eyes

This time, the destination was Boston. And yes, I was there for work–but I had a personal mission too: to get my hands on a very specific cannabis product that I’d tried the last time I was in town–Squier’s Specialty Elixirs Hash Rosin Drink Mixers.

Squier’s Specialty Elixirs

I was lucky enough to receive an invite to a cannabis industry networking brunch hosted by Kate Avruch of Operator Academy, with Good Life Gang and Beard Bros Pharms. I didn’t expect it to be a highlight of the trip, but it absolutely was - not just because of the company and conversation, but because I had the chance to meet Zack Squier, the founder and CEO of Squier’s Specialty Elixirs

Hearing him talk about his process and purpose gave me a deeper appreciation for why I’d been so eager to get my hands on his product again. It’s the attention to detail that shines through: the use of clean, quality ingredients, the inclusion of solventless hash rosin (available in Maine and Massachusetts), the way every part of the experience feels considered without being complicated.

That morning, after stepping outside for a smoke break and realizing the sun was up and I wasn’t shivering in my coat like the day before, I made a quiet little plan. If the weather held, I’d treat myself to a harbor cruise to end the day. No big gestures, just something gentle to wrap up a full day of movement and conversation–something to restore my social battery before my early morning flight.

My Harbor Cruise at Sunset

By 6:00 PM, I was already out on the water, bundled up just enough to enjoy the crisp air without distraction Sunset wasn’t until 6:59, but you could already feel the shift–the sky beginning its slow descent into evening, brushed with the early hints of pink and gold. I found a seat on the deck and got comfortable, ready to watch the light change

I grabbed a Rita-No-Marg lemon mocktail from the bar, then pulled out the Squier’s Blueberry Lemon mixer–packaged in a charming little glass bottle, another nod to the brand’s thoughtful design I poured it into my drink, gave it a gentle stir, and took the first sip. The flavor was everything–bright, balanced, just a little bit wild. A few minutes in, a woman sat down beside me–a stranger at first. We took turns snapping photos of each other against the backdrop of the city glowing in the fading light. After that moment, we parted briefly to take in the views

alone, but eventually found ourselves both inside, running from the chill that rolled off the water That’s when the conversation began to unfold. We talked about cannabis in Switzerland–where she’d just left her attending physician role to move to Boston and begin cardiology research–and then wandered through topics like travel, family, politics, and what we were both hoping for in this next chapter of our lives. The kind of conversation that flows without force–the kind you remember.

I’m grateful–for that evening, for the unexpected warmth in the air, for the stranger who became a momentary companion, and especially for Zack Squier. The care and quality he pours into his products made that night possible in the most subtle and beautiful way It’s not just about the drink It’s about how good things, made well, can help us slow down and savor life–one sip at a time.