THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE
#69 | J AN. 2026
CAL I F O R N I A
The Weed & Wellness Issue F RE E / L E A F M AGA Z I N E S . COM
INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM SINCE 2010
FIRE FOLLOWER
SKIN DEEP
JOURNEY OF THE HEART
TOPICAL ROUNDUP
ERIKO KOBAYASHI
STASH DASH SHOP REVIEW
JAN. 2026
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LEAF EXPLAINER
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PAPA & BARKLEY
COMPANY PROFILE
STARTING 16 FRESH
CANNABIS SMOOTHIES
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TOM BOWERS @MEGABOMBTOM2.0
PERSPECTIVE
CANNABIS RESCHEDULED?
BRUCE WOLF @BRUCE_WOLF
SPARKING COMMUNITY
ADOBE STOCK
COURTESY JAMIE TIERNEY @JAMIETTIERNEY
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GLASS ART SPOTLIGHT
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EDITOR’S NOTE GLASS IS DEAD SPARKING COMMUNITY FIRE FOLLOWER RESCHEDULED? SHOP REVIEW BUDTENDER Q&A PAPA & BARKLEY CONCENTRATE OF THE MONTH STRAIN OF THE MONTH NOR-CAL WOMEN IN CANNABIS TOPICAL ROUNDUP HIGH ROLLERS CANNABIS SMOOTHIES GLASS ART SPOTLIGHT ELEVATE YOUR FATE CANNTHROPOLOGY STUDIO SESSIONS
TERPODACTYL MEDIA @TERPODACTYL_MEDIA
2026 GENETICS
One Family's Experience with Low-Dose Cannabis
COURTESY ALIEN GENETICS
ALIEN GENETICS RAINBOW FIZZ
Dementia Relief and Plant Medicine:
ANGELA-JORDAN AGUILAR @AJ.OG
#69
COURTESY
THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE
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CAL I F O R N I A
E S TA B L I S H E D 2 0 1 0
T H E E N L I G H T E N E D VO I C E N O RT H W E ST LEA F / O R EG O N LEA F / M ARY LAN D LEA F / CAL I F O R N I A LEA F /
Today, most folks are well aware of this plant’s wide wellness potential. Mary Jane’s been taking care of so many of us for ages. But what about her? Does she ever get a day off? For this year’s Weed and Wellness cover, Portland, Oregon, Cannabis photographer, Leaf Magazines director of content and longtime contributor Amanda Lopez (@terpodactyl_ media) imagined a day of self-care for Cannabis herself — featuring Dogwalker flower by Luvli (@luvlipdx) and mini bong/lighter by LevelHeady (@levelheady). PHOTO BY TERPODACTYL MEDIA @TERPODACTYL_MEDIA
WES ABNEY C E O & F O U N D E R wes@leafmagazines.com MIKE RICKER O P E R AT I N G PA R T N E R ricker@leafmagazines.com | advertising opportunities TOM BOWERS C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R tom@leafmagazines.com
DANIEL BERMAN C H I E F C R E AT I V E O F F I C E R daniel@leafmagazines.com BOBBY BLACK LEAF BOWL DIRECTOR & HISTORIAN bobbyblack@leafmagazines.com MATT JACKSON CA CONTENT DIRECTOR + SOCIAL mattjackson@leafmagazines.com
JACKIE BRYANT & MICHELLE NARANJO COPYDESK jackie@leafmagazines.com | michelle@leafmagazines.com
CONTRIBUTORS AJ AGUILAR, FEATURES + PHOTOS ASHLEY ANN, PHOTOS DANIEL BERMAN, DESIGN BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES TOM BOWERS, FEATURES + PHOTOS JACKIE BRYANT, FEATURES LEAH CERRI, PHOTOS JIMI DEVINE, FEATURES DAVID DOWNS, FEATURES REX HILSINGER, FEATURES ELLEN HOLLAND, FEATURES MATT JACKSON, FEATURES DARREN MILLER, PHOTOS TERPODACTYL MEDIA, PHOTOS MIKE RICKER, FEATURES + PHOTOS MIKE ROSATI, PHOTOS JIM SABO, PHOTOS JASE SANDERS, PHOTOS JOJO SNAPS, PHOTOS MIKE STALTER, PHOTOS JAMIE TIERNEY, PHOTOS BAILEY WHITEHILL, PHOTOS BRUCE & LAURIE WOLF, RECIPES KATHERINE WOLF, FEATURES
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Editor’s Note Thanks for picking up The Weed and Wellness issue! As a child of the ’90s, I grew up with the well-balanced breakfast commercials that sold our parents processed sugary crap instead of eggs, which are shown to increase child IQ, unlike artificially colored pebbles. This childhood pursuit of the perfect breakfast led me to bong hits and coffee as an adult, which I fell in love with during college seshes with Leaf Chief Creative Officer Daniel Berman, but I didn’t realize how healthy that choice actually was until later in life.
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American culture is shifting from excess, artificial, processed and boozy to natural, clean, healthy and high, which makes celebrating the concept of weed and wellness so intoxicating and enlightening! What was considered a taboo and illegal drug a decade ago is now the leading wellness sector in America. Today, I’m downing dark coffee with a splash of half and half, big hits of gassy terps to clear the morning fog and a high-protein diet blended with lots of edibles and gym time, and I feel better than I ever have, thanks to Cannabis. Our body’s endocannabinoid system is as large and integrated into our health as the central nervous system, playing an important role in overall mental and physical health. The ECS regulates core body functions within the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. The body even produces natural “WHAT WAS endocannabinoids, with receptors for cannabinoids throughout the body CONSIDERED having an important role in sleep, appetite, mood, pain, stress, memory, A TABOO AND fertility and inflammatory responses. This all happens naturally, just like ILLEGAL DRUG the cannabinoids that can be found in breast milk. A DECADE Taking the sum of human history with Cannabis, the integration of an endocannabinoid system in our body and the myriad benefits of the plant on the human body, it’s almost as if the plant and our species developed at the same time. To my mind, this speaks of creation and a relationship between us and a plant that was given to the world by God.
AGO IS NOW THE LEADING WELLNESS SECTOR IN AMERICA.”
Science has given us undeniable proof that our bodies are meant to work with Cannabis, and today we can pursue health and wellness while feeling good (aka baked as the nug on our cover). Self-care is health care, so dabs and face masks should be celebrated, especially over a night out drinking, which is terrible for skin and health. As I approach three years of sobriety from alcohol this February, my heart glows with the love for and benefit of Cannabis, which is why I started publishing the Leaf in 2010. The plant is good news, an ordained gift, for the healing of the nations, and it all starts with sharing a hit. Let’s make 2026 the healthiest year yet with a deep dive into Cannabis wellness, and remember to share the Leaf and invite friends and family to join the fun! You never know who might be saved by this miracle of a plant.
CALIFORNIA LEAF MAGAZINE
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-Wes Abney
jan. 2026
PHOTO BY REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO
A B O U T T H E C OV E R
N O RT HEAST LEA F
perspective
Former San Diego Magazine Managing Editor Jackie Bryant joins Leaf Nation to imagine the future of the Cannabis industry.
GLASS IS DEAD
A living retrospective of the Grateful Dead’s visual legacy debuts at The Chambers Project
On a recent December weekend in Grass Valley, California — not far from the redwood-spined heartlands of psychedelic America — The Chambers Project gallery unveiled “60 Years of the Grateful Dead,” a sweeping, reverent retrospective of the band’s visual and cultural impact. Co-presented with the Psychedelic Arts and Culture Trust, the show captures not just the band’s artwork but also the full scope of a still-thriving creative lineage. From Rick Griffin’s molten lettering to Banjo’s sculptural glass reinterpretation of “Aoxomoxoa,” it’s a tribute to what the Dead were, the world they built and what they’ve made possible.
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DARREN MILLER @DMILLDIGITAL
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CURATED BY Chambers Project founder Brian Chambers, the show gathers original artworks, sketches, posters and never-before-exhibited pieces that shaped the Grateful Dead’s visual identity. “The Dead have always been a nexus of creativity,” Chambers said. “There’s a whole visual vocabulary that followed them and influenced so much beyond them.” Works by Rick Griffin, Stanley Mouse, Alton Kelley, Victor Moscoso, Wes Wilson and others anchor the historical core of the show, with seminal items like Griffin’s original “Aoxomoxoa” drawing and Bill Walker’s evolving “Anthem of the Sun” mandala
JAN. 2026
commanding the room. But the retrospective also folds in the future, placing legacy alongside contemporary voices like AJ Masthay and Zoltron — artists who extend the poster lineage into modern counterculture (and the latter of whom co-curated the exhibit with Chambers). One of the exhibition’s most talked about pieces comes from Banjo, a master glass artist whose career traces directly back to Grateful Dead parking lots. “I started blowing glass in 1999, and at that time, the artistic pipe scene was still a tiny offshoot of the Grateful Dead community,” Banjo said.
“Bob Snodgrass was selling color-changing pipes on tour with the Dead in the mid-’80s — that’s the genesis of this whole movement.” Banjo’s centerpiece is a sculptural glass tribute to Griffin’s “Hawaiian Aoxomoxoa” poster, a 1969 image commissioned for a show that never happened. “It’s arguably Griffin’s masterpiece,” Banjo said. “The wings, the sun, the lava, the skull — it’s this elemental invocation of life and death. He spoke about it in terms of ovums and fetuses and skulls. You can feel it all in that piece.” Over four months, Banjo translated that “People are 2D image into an intricately laydrawn to ered, fully functional glass pipe, (glass) on a complete with miniature surfers, primal level, breaking waves, lava flows and the way we’re a radiant sun chamber. “I didn’t drawn to fire. want it to just be a sculpture Add Cannabis that sat there,” he said. “The to that, and challenge was to make it someit becomes thing that worked, that ripped a deeply and still honored the sacred intentional geometry and composition of Rick’s original.” ritual.” Glass, for Banjo and many in the scene, isn’t just a medium but a ritual, elemental act. “Glass is earth, water, air and fire. You melt sand with flame and breathe it into form,” he said. “It’s ancestral. People are drawn to it on a primal level, the way we’re drawn to fire. Add Cannabis to that, and it becomes a deeply intentional ritual.”
Those points of origin IF YOU GO — fire, glass, music and “60 Years of the Cannabis — are where the Grateful Dead” Dead’s influence ripples is on view now most profoundly. “The pipe through June scene literally grew out of the Dead tours,” Banjo 1, 2026 at The said. “It was people selling Chambers Project pipes next to tie-dyes and 627 E. Main St., hemp necklaces. We didn’t Grass Valley, CA have color palettes back Monday-Friday, then. Just the culture, the 10 a.m.-5 p.m. creativity, the weed and a “Glass Is Dead” sense of reverence.” The Dead Retrospective opens January 31. show puts that lineage on full display. At the opening weekend, a one-night supergroup dubbed White Lightning — featuring Grahame Lesh, Pete Sears, John Molo and others — played the Bodhi Hive in Nevada City. Simultaneously, a dedicated glass section within the show, curated by Banjo, showcased other leading artists from the functional glass movement. That section will expand into a stand-alone exhibition opening January 31 titled “Glass Is Dead” — a nod to both the scene’s origin and its continuous evolution. “There’s been stigma, especially in the fine art world,” Banjo said.
“We were shunned — it was illegal, it wasn’t refined, and people didn’t see the art. But that’s changed. Now, the Corning Museum of Glass is flying me and my son out to teach glass pipe classes. There are pipes in their museum store. It’s finally being recognized as serious, transformative work.” Chambers sees the exhibits — and PACT’s formal debut — as launchpads. “We’re entering a phase where these shows are going to be curated with museum-level intention and historical grounding," he said. "We’re not just preserving — now, we’re expanding.” The Retrospective exhibition runs through June 1 with evolving programming that reflects the multiverse of creativity the Dead catalyzed: jewelry, clothing, poster art, projection and sound. As Banjo put it, “It’s not just glass. It’s a full spectrum of subcultures that emerged because of this one band. And they’re still alive.” In the heart of the gallery, amid Griffin’s ink lines and Banjo’s molten reimagining, that much is obvious: glass is dead — long live the Dead. @THECHAMBERSPROJECT @BANJOGLASS
STORY by JACKIE BRYANT @JACQBRY | EVENT PHOTOS by BAILEY WHITEHILL Author Portrait by Iydeen Younis | See more photos at LeafMagazines.com
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perspective
How Cannabis unites us and invites creativity on the road to peace and wellness
SPARKING COMMUNITY People say they want to be writers, but in actuality, many lack the discipline to do so. Like all artistic exercises, writing involves regular practice. Sitting in front of a blank page and filling it with coherent and creative sentences is not easy. In fact, it’s so commonly known that we writers lose our creative spark that there’s a phrase for it: writer’s block.
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IF YOU SEARCH “writer’s block” online, there’s a lot of advice for escaping a mental pit of inactivity: Start with an outline, take a break or, my personal favorite, just start typing and see where it goes. But, to be honest with you, if you want to start writing, the best thing you can do is smoke some weed, sit in a firm chair and don’t get up until you’ve at least partially finished what you’ve set out to do. The weed part is the key. It’s the thing that will spark your brain into uncovering new thoughts you didn’t know were trapped inside. A strong joint and a bright pink winter sunset will do wonders for the creative process. If you have more time to go even further beyond a solo smoke, there’s another great resource for finding inspiration: community. And luckily, smoking weed cultivates that too. If there’s one thing Cannabis is always coupled with, it’s culture. This plant has a magnetic pull toward shared experiences. Generally, when someone has something they love — in this case, weed — they want to share it with others. Sharing fulfills an emotional need that feels primordial, and sharing weed is the ultimate balm for our troubled Trumpian times. Puff, puff, pass! When Cannabis is smoked together in a group of like-minded people, it is often a powerful tool for wellness. Bonds between other humans are the most straightforward way to give life meaning.
With weed and camaraderie, we can free ourselves from the things that hold us back: our own insecurities and doubts, worldly obligations and distractions. When we become part of a community, we open ourselves up to receiving inspiration from others who are happy, creative and productive. Back in 2023, my friend, Leah Cerri, felt like a lot of us do these days, or at least how I do more often than not: lost. In a professional slow phase, Leah missed one of the main things that made her love working in the Cannabis industry: the close, personal connections she made with other women. To support herself, she ended up helping others, building a community of women through hosting free smoke-friendly events in Northern California. The group she built, Nor-Cal Women in Cannabis, has become one of the main ways I find myself still engaging in person with the weed world. At these events, I’m having fun just as myself, not as a representative of any company I might work for. I’m smoking tons of weed and laughing with old and new friends. When Cannabis journalism became my full-time career back in 2013, I started connecting with some of the most special people in my life, and weed became my whole world. I’m an extremely loyal person, so when I got my first job at a Cannabis magazine, I stuck with it until the end, which was the great lifequake of COVID and 2020.
Adrift professionally, I next had the opportunity to write a book on Cannabis appreciation, “Weed: A Connoisseur’s Guide to Cannabis,” which sold over 20,000 copies and got remixed into another title, “Weed: Smoke It, Eat It, Grow It, Love It.” Then, I got what seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to become the editor-in-chief of the world’s most recognized Cannabis magazine. But everything was not as it seemed. The magazine struggled in many ways and ultimately went under in a big public manner, which resulted in almost everyone in my professional sphere wanting to call me and gossip about its demise. But I had nothing to say; I was lost again. This last forced transition left me in another precarious place professionally, and I won’t lie and say I’ve made it to the other side. I’m freelancing for several magazines, including this one, but life as a weed writer is rough. Oftentimes, you’re pestering people to pay you for the work you’ve already done, and sometimes you don’t get paid at all. In a world where writers are still getting paid by the word, sometimes I’m beefing up the text in an effort not to leave any money on the table. And when something feels finished, pulling out more words can feel about as productive as juicing a banana; there’s just nothing there. Still, seeing something you wrote in print — whether it’s a book, newspaper, magazine or even just online — is monumentally satisfying. At this point, I’m addicted to the idea that I can make my way in this world as a writer, and I’m still pushing for it. But I’m also giving in a bit to where life is taking me next. I’ve found out that success is not linear, and sometimes extreme highs are followed by extreme lows.
Part of the way I’m transforming lately is by finding another community. I have a studio space in an art gallery, and I’m spending time there making art. In the studio, among a community of artists, I’m the weed person. People making amazing paintings and sculptures want to talk to me about my journalistic endeavors in Cannabis, and I want to speak to them about their creative processes. I often feel humbled because I’m just a beginner in many of the things I’m doing these days, but even though it feels challenging, I think it’s probably a good thing that might lead to growth. During the worldwide health pandemic and its aftermath, we lost those in-person connections. We lost our communities. And now, even though my communities are changing, I’m still drawing a lot of hope and a lot of my personal wellness from the connections I’m making with others. Maybe this column got too real. Maybe in the future I won’t be blessed with the opportunity of speaking to you, whoever you are, through written words on a page. I consider it an honor that you’ve stuck with me so far. Three times in my life, I’ve had the chance to write editor’s notes, and it’s always felt a bit like writing a letter, but not knowing who you’re writing to. This time I’m writing to you. Know that the path forward is never a straight line. Keep trying to stand up for what you believe in. Keep adapting and growing with change. If you want to be a writer, sit down and start writing. And if you get stuck, take a puff and find some friends. Cannabis and community will lead toward better well-being and strength. The battles in this lifetime are never-ending, but we can’t let our defeats define us. Take care, and stay kind. Share your talents, and let your light shine.
"When Cannabis is smoked together in a group of likeminded people, it is often a powerful tool for wellness."
Ellen Holland is a San Francisco Bay Area-based freelance writer; the former editor of High Times Magazine and the author of multiple books, including "Weed: Smoke It, Eat It, Grow It, Love It" (2024).
STORY by ELLEN HOLLAND @HOLLANDBUDS for LEAF NATION
perspective
FIRE FOLLOWER
Award-winning journalist/author and former Leafly Senior Editor David Downs’ monthly genetics intelligence dispatch.
TOP 50 BREEDERS IN 2026 AMERICA’S 3.3 million home growers have a historic opportunity to grow exactly the weed they want to see in the world in 2026. All across the legalization and medical states, access to genetics is at an all-time high. You can obtain seeds and learn more than ever with just some taps on your phone or keyboard. Starting in November, we ran a public Top 50 Greatest Breeders of 2025 poll online for over a month and marketed it across our channels, gathering 2,773 unique responses. Respondents could cast 10 votes for their favorite breeders from a list of over 100 nominees or write in their own favorite. When we tabulated the results, we narrowed our focus down to 703 “full ballots” (voters who used all 10 of their votes). A pretty strong top 50 list emerged of arguably some of the greatest breeders of the year.
THE RED CARPET PHOTO BY HUMBOLDT CSI
A N D N O W . . . T H E R E S U LT S
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For flowers that yield great hash, don’t miss Purple City Genetics and Masonic Seed Company. For Los Angeles heat, you can’t sleep on Seed Junky Genetics, Capulator or Umami Seed Company. Seed Junky has been releasing refinements on the top strain Lemon Cherry Gelato. Capulator just finished a huge MAC rerelease project. Umami never rereleases its hype drops — it’s one and done and on to the next one. For boutique and Emerald Triangle rarities, look to Bodhi Seeds, Biovortex, Freeborn Selections and CSI Humboldt (aka Humboldt CSI). Caleb of Humboldt CSI is spending 2026 building two new California retail stores in Rio Dell and Eureka to stock his seeds and flowers and showcase gardening. He’s mostly known for his Chem work.
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H E AV Y H I T T E R S
Nat Pennington, head of Humboldt Seed Company, said to watch out for his new cross of hitters dubbed “Hyper Za,” plus Honey Bear and Puff Pastry. One-person breeding powerhouse Blockhead in San Diego County recommends his work on the successor RAINBOW to Super Boof, John Truffolta. ZEREAL Be sure to keep an eye out for the PHOTO BY ALIEN GENETICS “automatic” seed makers — primarily from Europe — who are on a tear: Fast Buds, Mephisto and Maine’s Night Owl Seeds. Rebel Grown of California and Vermont has award-winning OG crosses. We also really love Karma Genetics’ European work on the intersection of OG and Z. It’s wild how many breeders hail from so many U.S. states: Sin City Seeds in Nevada, Thug Pug Genetics and Tiki Madman in Michigan and Subcool’s the Dank in Oklahoma. Don’t sleep on Colorado seeds in 2026 from Cannarado Genetics, Top Dawg Seeds, Ethos Genetics and more. There’s great stuff from Washington, including In House Genetics and Exotic Genetix. Of course, no top 50 list is complete without shouting out Archive Seed Bank of Oregon. They’ve reopened their online store, and the Rainbow Belts varieties sell out the fastest.
jan. 2026
BLUE POWER IX2 PHOTO BY SIN CITY SEEDS
AN ERA OF DIVERSITY
One cool feature of modern breeding is how egalitarian the fan bases are. There’s no one “big dog” in the sector. The top 50 in our poll all had relatively similar-sized fan bases. Instead of some ravenous leviathan, we have an ecosystem of popular breeders, each with a set of die-hard partisans. That bodes well for keeping Cannabis diverse and vibrant.
GROWING YOUR OWN ‘ G R E AT E S T ’
Fire Follower’s poll included over 100 nominees, but respondents mentioned a total of 505 unique breeders. More than 250 breeders received just one vote, indicating a huge “long tail” of love for a personal favorite. Embrace that passion in 2026. No one can tell you which breeder to stan. It’s clear that super-fandom for obscure favorites is a hallmark of modern home growers, and that’s awesome. Everyone has that band that never made it big, but you know they had the goods to go all the way.
HONEY BEAR PHOTO BY HUMBOLDT SEED COMPANY
IT’S WILD HOW MANY BREEDERS HAIL FROM SO MANY U.S. STATES: SIN CITY SEEDS IN NEVADA, THUG PUG GENETICS AND TIKI MADMAN IN MICHIGAN AND SUBCOOL’S THE DANK IN OKLAHOMA. GROWING FOR WELLNESS
Caleb at CSI Humboldt, who ranked as the second greatest breeder of 2025 in our poll, specifically wanted to shout out Oregon CBD seeds for its high-CBD work. Caleb said their drying room is half CBD strains and half Chems, and Oregon CBD’s Seth Crawford is a real breeder’s breeder. So, if you’re looking for highly therapeutic, Type II CBD-rich cultivars, Oregon CBD is your go-to in 2026.
Now’s the time. Seek out those packs, and prep for an epic 2026 run.
TOP 50 BREEDERS TO TRY IN 2026 AFICIONADO SEEDS ALIEN GENETICS ARCHIVE SEED BANK
BLACK LUNG
BARNEY'S FARM
PHOTO BY ROMULAN GENETICS
BIOVORTEX BLOCKHEAD BLOOM SEED CO BODHI SEEDS CANNARADO GENETICS CAPULATOR COMPOUND GENETICS CROCKETT FAMILY FARMS DJ SHORT / OLD WORLD GENETICS DNA GENETICS DUTCH PASSION DYNASTY GENETICS ETHOS GENETICS EXOTIC GENETIX FAST BUDS FREEBORN SELECTIONS HUCKLEBERRY HILL FARMS HUMBOLDT CSI HUMBOLDT SEED COMPANY IN HOUSE GENETICS IRIE GENETICS JOSH D (OG KUSH) KARMA GENETICS LIT FARMS
GUAVA JELLIE
LOVIN IN HER EYES MASONIC SEED COMPANY MENDO DOPE MEPHISTO GENETICS
(GUAVA GELATO X PERMANENT MARKER) BX2 PHOTO BY SEED JUNKY GENETICS
NIGHT OWL SEEDS PURPLE CITY GENETICS RAW GENETICS REBEL GROWN RELENTLESS GENETICS RIDGELINE FARMS ROMULAN GENETICS SEED JUNKY GENETICS SENSI SEEDS SIN CITY SEEDS SKUNKTEK SOLFIRE GARDENS SUBCOOL'S THE DANK SWAMP BOYS SEEDS THUG PUG GENETICS TIKI MADMAN TOP DAWG SEEDS UMAMI SEED COMPANY
HALL PASS (PERMANENT PARADISE X WILD CHERRY) PHOTO BY SEED JUNKY GENETICS
STORY by DAVID DOWNS @DAVIDDOWNS for LEAF NATION See more photos at LeafMagazines.com
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RESCHEDULED? leafmagazines.com
Trump signs executive order advising DOJ to reclassify Cannabis
JAN. 2026
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Dec. 18, 2025, to reclassify Cannabis, signifying a new future for Cannabis research, as well as an uncertain one for the recreational THC and CBD markets. WHILE RESTRICTIONS on things like banking, taxation and research are expected to be reduced, Trump made it clear in his announcement that this is not about Cannabis’ identity as an adult-use substance. “It doesn’t legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form, and in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug,” he said. The president did say that this move is in response to the overwhelming support he’s seen for Cannabis in the treatment of conditions such as cancer. In this vein, he also compared Cannabis to prescription drugs, warning, “just as the prescription painkillers may have legitimate uses but can also do irreversible damage …” Later, tacking on that “it’s never safe to use.” Those who were hoping there would be a loosening of restrictions and stigma around Cannabis use were instead reminded by this broadcast that this executive order is about researching CBD and certain cannabinoids as possible medications.
“common sense change.” while another expressed that this Both Oz and Secretary rescheduling has the capacity to of Health and Human revolutionize Cannabis research in Services Robert F. Kennedy three ways: Jr. described how Trump * Democratizing the research has frequently called to process, giving access to all discuss the issue with them researchers on behalf of people like * Providing patients and researchers financier Howard Kessler, with access to reliable medicine for whom they said has trials tirelessly advocated to the * Organizing large, randomized president. Kessler, whom control trials at a national scale. Kennedy said “without Many watching the announcement whom we wouldn’t be here echoed the sentiments of one today,” is someone who researcher who said, “I never really Nora Volkow, the director of the “drove this change in the thought this day would come.” National Institute on Drug Abuse, schedule.” For others, especially those who said future research should Trump, Oz and Kennedy experienced the medical market, the focus on understanding what have all separately thanked green rush and the years that followed, conditions Cannabis can help Kessler for his work on this rings less as a herald of a golden with, learn how to optimally use this decision and for future for Cannabis research and Cannabis for those conditions showing them the medical instead as one that paints Cannabis and discover to whom Cannabis possibilities of Cannabis, as something dangerously similar to might present a danger. WHAT IS SCHEDULE III with Kennedy stating on prescription drugs. According to the Controlled Substances Act, record that “cannabinoids State Cannabis markets have spent a Schedule III substance is something with a and THC can have miraculous effects on countless dollars on creating organizations to provide low potential for physical or psychological chemotherapy-induced nausea, chronic standardized dosing and suggested use for products that dependence and accepted medical use. Vicodin, pain, epilepsy, and PTSD.” This statement will are reported to relieve things like chronic pain. Valium, Percocet, Xanax hopefully help with veterans The sudden announcement seems to imply that current and ketamine are all who’ve found it difficult to get laws and regulations — along with the work done examples of substances approved access to Cannabis by these individual states — are leaving patients and in this category. With for treatment. doctors without adequate guidelines on how to use these this decision comes a Kennedy went on to stress products, “even though they’re still being used,” Oz clear statement from that there are also plenty of ominously added. the administration that valid claims about the negative Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute Cannabis has positive impacts of Cannabis, such as on Drug Abuse, said the goal of this future research benefits to people’s quality psychosis and adverse public should be to understand what conditions Cannabis can of living, but that this health impacts, particularly help with, learn how to optimally use Cannabis for those might not include you to the country’s youth, but conditions and discover to whom Cannabis might present a without proper research. that most of this evidence is danger. Dr. Mehmet Oz, the “anecdotal due to a lack of administrator for the scientific studies.” The studies WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Centers for Medicare and this reclassification will allow, With so much of the future definition of federal Medicaid, spoke to the he said, will provide guidelines Cannabis possibly tied to the results of clinical trials, state audience, saying, “There on standardized dosing, along markets now have to wait and see how this shakes out. Dr. Mehmet Oz admits there is are some clinical evidence with exploring the difference As many have pointed out, the president doesn’t have clinical evidence for CBD efficacy showing that CBDs provide between botanicals and the authority to sign a paper and make rescheduling a for cancer and chronic conditions. synthetics. relief from common certainty. This executive order directs Attorney General Pam conditions that affect Bondi and the Department of Justice to prioritize this issue. Americans.” Oz listed some of those conditions, EXPERTS ON HAND Online sentiment for this decision is all over the map, including cancer and chronic pain, citing that A medical Cannabis researcher from with some saying that retailers will be left the most “6 in 10 people who use these CBDs report that Dana-Farber Cancer Institute said the vulnerable, while others point to the CBD and THCa they improve their pain.” Oz also made it a point reclassification would expand research markets as the first in the line of fire. Many are expressing to say that the landmark decision was about potential at an [important] time “and help that this step, however pigeon-toed, is heading in the giving “seniors access to cannabinoids.“ mitigate the anxiety and fear surrounding right direction. Oz said the reclassification is the delivery patients who enter treatment, especially “in Regardless of your perspective on this as positive or of the promise to find an answer to a difficult older adults.” The researcher thanked the negative, it is another incredible moment where we situation that every president has “whiffed on.” president for “supporting careful sciencewitness the plant, the industry and the culture evolve in He thanked the president for always pushing for based research that puts patients first,” response to a new era.
STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by CREATIVE COMMONS
THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE shop review
STASHDASH
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During a recent craving for Turkey & Gravy Potato Balls at Porto’s Bakery in Glendale, we stumbled upon a beautiful store in nearby Atwater Village. With an impressive 2,800 square feet of retail space, Stash Dash has an aesthetic that brings together the vibe of a vintage 1930s drugstore with a modern floor plan. Tall windows and clean, white subway tiles provide a backdrop for jars of colorful edible samples, and shoppers can taste many of these options before they buy (don’t worry, they’re nonmedicated). On the sales floor, wooden displays feature every product free from glass cases, allowing you to inspect the packages, and you can smell the flowers via clear boxes containing sample buds.
JAN. 2026
OWNER CASEY DALTON told California Leaf that she always wants the store to be a neighborhood spot like those old drugstores, the kind of place you can stop in to browse, ask budtenders a question or just say hello. It’s part of why shoppers can help themselves to the tray of warm chocolate chip cookies when they enter, as well as dog treats for furry friends big and small. “In fact,” Dalton revealed, “we have quite a few dogs that will drag their owners in just to say hi and grab their daily treat.” In keeping with modern times, Stash Dash blends this approach with modern options for those seeking a self-guided experience. Each wooden product display features a digital information station, where customers can scan an item to learn more about its history and effects. Stash Dash compiles an independent database with product details from producers for every item on the floor. Using this system, customers can scan items for batch info, strain lineage and effects, and they can even add them to a virtual cart that can be updated from any station. The combination of old-school hospitality and modern convenience is something Dalton said the community has resonated with, calling it “rewarding and wild.”
Growing up, Dalton said she’s always had a strong connection to both Cannabis and Atwater Village. Her brother, Dan, used to get stoned in the apartments above where the store now sits, and her mother owned a business within walking distance. Despite growing up in a family that was very comfortable with Cannabis (she learned to roll the perfect joint at age 9), watching the store quickly become a normalized and respected part of the local retailer community is still a bit of a shock at times, Dalton told the Leaf. In 2025, Stash Dash celebrated its second anniversary. In that time, Dalton said the store has participated in local events and school fundraisers, and it even runs a weekly booth at the local farmers market. She attributes much of these successful community engagement efforts to Max Herrera, the operations manager and purchaser. As well as community involvement, Herrera also prioritizes freshness, using the database to monitor shelf life and ensure there’s no old product. Herrera said he wants every item as fresh as the warm chocolate chip cookies they bake on-site. “I do all the buying for our shop myself,” he said. “I can guarantee everything is fresh.”
“… SHOPPERS CAN HELP THEMSELVES TO THE TRAY OF WARM CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WHEN THEY ENTER, AS WELL AS DOG TREATS FOR FURRY FRIENDS BIG AND SMALL.”
STASH DASH
3176 GLENDALE BLVD., LOS ANGELES, CA STASHDASH.COM @MYSTASHDASH (323) 327-9709 8 A.M.-10 P.M. DAILY
STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON/CALIFORNIA LEAF @CALIFORNIALEAFMAG | PHOTOS by JAMIE TIERNEY @JAMIETTIERNEY See more photos at LeafMagazines.com
budtender of the month
CAROLINE JOHNSON She’s a self-proclaimed psychonaut transplant from Kansas City, Missouri, who is into music festivals and yoga. Expressing her creativity is paramount, as evidenced by her love for writing, modeling and amateur DJing. Follow her on Instagram @consciousness_carol. WHAT’S ONE OF YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES WITH CANNABIS? I went to the University of Kansas, and I remember being super stoned with my college bestie and another friend from Colorado who had brought White Widow from Denver. I remember being blasted for the first time because of the quality of the strain. Well, we went to Taco Bell and laughed for three hours straight. I still have a difficult time achieving that level of stoniness.
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THAT WAS A KILLER STRAIN IN ITS DAY. WHAT’S ONE NOW THAT GIVES YOU THE GIGGLES? Lamb’s Bread. I feel like that’s a hard strain to come by. It’s hard to get the giggles now; sometimes it’s gotta be an edible.
“THIS IS A SPIRITUAL, MASTER HEALER, AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE A SAFE SPACE WHEN EXPLORING HER BENEFITS.”
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YOUR SHOWROOM IS CALLED THE MEDICINE ROOM. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO IMPRESS UPON PEOPLE THE LINK BETWEEN ALTERNATIVE CANNABINOIDS AND WELLNESS? It’s extremely important, not just at this shop, but everywhere. There are so many contributing factors to the entourage effect that are imperative to our body’s wellness. Our customers here can comfortably get a consultation because most really just want to understand the plant better. 99 High Tide was one of the first boutique shops from the medical days when it was in Venice.
99 HIGH TIDE COLLECTIVE 22775 PACIFIC COAST HWY, MALIBU MALIBU99HIGHTIDE.COM | 310-456-9930 MONDAY–SATURDAY: 10 A.M.–8 P.M. SUNDAY: 12 P.M.–7 P.M.
WITH THE SINGING BOWLS AND THE LIVING WALL AS PART OF THE AESTHETIC, YOU FEEL IMMERSED IN THE ESSENCE OF THE PLANT, DON’T YOU THINK? Yes, we truly honor the spirit of the medicine here. It’s a very vibrant, connected, and expressive vibe. Cannabis is female, and we want to keep in touch with the magical spirit of the femininity of the plant. This is a spiritual, master healer, and we want people to have a safe space when exploring her benefits. THE PALISADES FIRE HAPPENED JUST OVER A YEAR AGO. HOW HARD HAS IT BEEN TO STAY AFLOAT? It’s been extremely hard because we lost half of our customers, many of whom lost their homes. Yvonne and Sam are great friends and owners who showed incredible resilience. We didn’t see most customers for weeks or months. We really had to rally together as a community to survive, but we’re stronger than ever and feel that we’re being divinely protected. WHAT’S THE DOPEST CELEBRITY ENCOUNTER YOU’VE HAD? Well, we have a policy about keeping celebrities’ identities, confidential, but we have had a few fellow mermaids drop in. And they love seaweed.
STORY & PHOTOS by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ/CALIFORNIA LEAF @CALIFORNIALEAFMAG Who’s your favorite budtender? Tell us why! Email nominations to mattjackson@leafmagazines.com
THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE
PAPA & BARKLEY
PAPAANDBARKLEY.COM @PAPAANDBARKLEY
LOOK FOR THE LINEUP AT YOUR LOCAL CALIFORNIA OR NEW YORK RETAILERS OR ONLINE
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Papa’s Purpose Some brands add wellness products to fill a gap in their retail offerings. Others use the plant’s therapeutic value as the soil from which they sprout their mission. Founded a decade ago in Northern California, Papa & Barkley is named in honor of founder Adam Grossman’s dad and his dog, Barkley. Grossman started the company after using Cannabis-based therapeutics to help his ailing father’s battles with debilitating back pain. “I MADE the first product, our pain balm, for my dad when he was in terrible pain,” Grossman told the Leaf. “It changed our lives and started our mission, so it’s my favorite. I use it a lot on my back and hip, before and after working out.” Since those balmy foundational days, Papa & Barkley has added a number of other wellness-focused product types, including roll-ons, gummies, tinctures and capsules. Where many companies blend distilled or isolated compounds to produce their infusions, Grossman’s goal is to harness the power of the plant’s full beneficial spectrum. “We make all our products using a proprietary lipid infusion process that retains all of the plant’s cannabinoids, terpenes, plant fats and phytonutrients,” Grossman said.
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“By cooking the plant in only oil and water, we infuse the base oil with the full spectrum of medicinal compounds. This is true plant medicine without any chemicals or solvents.” The Leaf had the chance to try an array of Papa & Barkley’s products, including the effects-based gummy line, which takes its full-spectrum oils and blends them to achieve cannabinoid ratios tailored to specific results. The Sleep formulation, with its equal ratios of soothing CBD, euphoric THC and sedative CBN, proved particularly effective. The high-THC Active Releaf Balm Stick — made with Cannabis, cacao butter, beeswax, menthol, vitamin E, lavender oil, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil and coconut oil — made for an excellent addition to the post-gym routine and was especially helpful for the knees and hips on leg day.
Papa & Barkley is a part of the Mammoth Distribution brand portfolio, and is available in more than 600 California dispensaries and 300 New York retailers with its adult-use Cannabis line, and its hemp products are available in 46 states online. Papa & Barkley plans to launch into the regulated market in New Jersey in 2026, and will also be adding transdermal patches to the national hemp line, as well as body lotion to the lineup for California and New York retailers this year. As the landscape continues to shift with rescheduling on the horizon, they’re staying mission-focused. “The actual (Papa & Barkley) mission is to unlock the power of Cannabis to improve people’s lives,” Grossman said. “We do this with industry-leading pain and sleep products, including our hero product, the Releaf Balm.”
STORY & PHOTO by TOM BOWERS @MEGABOMBTOM2.0 @CALIFORNIALEAFMAG
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BY BARRETT FARMS
SKYNET
JAN. 2026
concentrate of the month
This month, Barrett Farms released Skynet — the first in their new Artist Series and part of a three-year collaborative project with its own merch capsule. Bred by Bloom Seed Co. and named for the mythic AI from the “Terminator” franchise, Skynet is another banger from Harry Palms. A Headband x Sour Garlic Cookies cross (which itself is GMO x Sour Dubb), the flower gives off a scent like a fresh jar of Carmex when rubbed between the fingers.
LIKE THE AI IT’S NAMED FOR, SKYNET ASSIMILATES FAST. AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, IT’S JUDGMENT DAY: DO YOU SMOKE THE LAST DAB?
BARRETT FARMS OWNER Dashiell Miller said quartz fans describe the flavor as “gassy,” while e-rig lovers report more of a Headband-forward vibe. Either way, both camps agree the Sour Dubb finish comes through strong. Miller originally planted 150 seeds for this project. Of those, seven were selected to run again, the winner being number 87, which Miller said they picked because it was super gassy. “It’s a sour gas,” he said, adding, “When it came to hunting, I knew that part was going to come across in the profile. But the creaminess, that was unexpected.” And unexpected sums it up nicely. Like the AI it’s named for, Skynet assimilates fast. And before you know it, it’s judgment day: Do you smoke the last dab? Only 300 units are available in this drop, with another 400 expected in February. That’ll be the final release of this first edition. A longtime art collector, Miller said these projects will be where he and the artists he loves can work together to create moments of pure intention. “Art is life,” he told Leaf Magazines. “I want this to be the kind of box people can’t throw away, like with iPhones.” The first iteration features a juggernaut of the psychedelic art scene, Joe Roberts. A Wisconsin native and West Coast transplant, Roberts has a large following in psychedelic and hash culture and has worked with brands like Supreme and Brain Dead, and been featured in magazines like Juxtapoz & GQ. After knowing each other for almost a decade, Miller said Roberts and his entrancing visuals have been a longtime inspiration for him. Miller added that he and Roberts already planned to work on a project together and were just waiting for a flash of inspiration. When he saw Skynet, Miller felt that tingling of an idea and immediately called Roberts to discuss the possibilities. While Miller pheno hunted, Roberts developed the artwork and merch for the capsule drop. Last year, Miller said he finally had the cut ready for production, and the two began refining the unique cardboard aesthetic and cube-shaped packaging. “It’s so fitting that it’s coming out right now, with AI being rumored to possibly win person of the year,” he said. Though Miller said he knows other fans of Roberts’ work will be hunting for the drop, he hopes someone walking by will be just as struck by the packaging or the jar as you would be by something hanging in a gallery. “To me,” Miller said, “something like this brings joy to an otherwise draining market where price and (THC) percentage tend to dominate the conversation.” @BARRETTFARMS @61CA3HTTA33W
STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON @CALIFORNIALEAFMAG | PHOTO by TOM BOWERS @MEGABOMBTOM2.0
STRAIN OF THE MONTH
Cultivated by
Nameless Genetics
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“WE STARTED COLLECTING BAG SEEDS, AND THROUGH POPPING SEEDS AND JUST SELECTING, WE FOUND MEGA WELLNESS.”
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CAL I F O R N I A
Over the last decade, Mega Wellness OG from Nameless Genetics has proven to be one of the most elevated representations of OG Kush in the California marketplace, as it continues to earn podium spots at contests.
Mega Wellness OG
WE TALKED with Jeff Malinovitz and Clyde Story, the co-founders of Nameless Genetics, to dive into the history of the legendary cut that has stood the test of time far better than most strains. It all started with Clyde’s cultivation adventures in Chico, California. As a child, he would make the run from the Sierra Foothills back to Southern California with his dad. On one occasion, a hungry young Clyde opened a giant popcorn tin in search of a snack. What he found inside was a batch of loud Cannabis, and his father immediately demanded that he close the tin in the car now flooded with the smell of dank. As Clyde got older, he joined the booming foothills cultivation scene. His neighbor received the original OG Kush and eventually brought the Skywalker OG to the market. “He kind of taught me everything about hydroponics and indoor cultivation and all that,” Clyde told Leaf Magazines. “That’s when OG Kush and Pure Kush started being a thing. We started collecting bag seeds, and through popping seeds and just selecting, we found Mega Wellness.” What made the Mega Wellness OG special, Jeff noted, was a bit of an extra lemon terp that stood out against a lot of the OG on the market when the original selection was made in 1997. He started selling it at his dispensary in 2009. It would prove to be the backbone of Nameless Genetics’ early work when he founded the company alongside Clyde in 2015. “It’s hard to say exactly what it came from,” Clyde said. “But when we hunted it, we saw its resin production finish fast, and it just has all these Pure Kush-leaning traits. That’s, to me, what was the main thing.” Clyde argued that one of the reasons the strain has stood the test of time is that it has responded well to advancements in cultivation over the years, from houses in the Hollywood Hills to new, dialedin warehouses. “I feel like the fertilizer and the way that we’re cultivating is improved, and the way that we’re able to cultivate at scale and get the proper weights with OG,” Clyde said. “All those things took 15 years of growing that strain to figure out how to do it.” Jeff noted that back in the early years, there was a lot less Cannabis to compare it to, so it really stood out. Its win at The High Times Cannabis Cup SoCal in 2015 proved that. The hits kept coming, as Mega Wellness OG won almost 80 spots over the decade, including recognition for its aroma and potency at the 2025 Zalympix. Mega Wellness OG is exclusively available from Nameless Genetics’ retail partners around California. NAMELESSGENETICS.COM @NAMELESSGENETICS
STORY by JIMI DEVINE @JIMIDEVINE2.0 for CALIFORNIA LEAF @CALIFORNIALEAFMAG | PHOTO by TOM BOWERS @MEGABOMBTOM2.0 HAVE A LEAD ON SOME SERIOUS FIRE? EMAIL MATTJACKSON@LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE
Community-dr
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MICHAEL ROSATI @ROSATIPHOTOS
leafmagazines.com
Free, Cannabis consumption-friendly events help women find their spark
Nor-Cal Women in Cannabis Founder Leah Cerri
JAN. 2026
Cannabis competitions,
When Leah Cerri found herself
exclusive small-batch flower
losing one of the core reasons
drop parties, major conventions in
that she enjoys working in the
Las Vegas and New York — while
Cannabis industry — the deep
only one Cannabis gathering has
bonds she felt with other women
gone mainstream, there are tons
also working in weed — she pulled
of ways to network in the Cannabis
from her professional background
industry. But despite the onslaught
to start a free community event.
of events, finding gatherings that
Held monthly since December
cultivate authentic connections
2023, Nor-Cal Women in Cannabis
with like-minded professionals can
provides space for women to chill
be challenging.
and smoke together.
“I WANT to create a space where it’s OK for people to be themselves,” Cerri said of her events. “At first, I was thinking about networking, but when I really thought about it, what I really wanted was to build deeper connections.” Taking place in weed-friendly venues from Humboldt to Oakland (where Cerri lives), these parties feel like gatherings of old and new friends. They’re not overly salesy, and while there’s a plan for activities, the conversations and experiences feel organic. Women-owned companies are present to share their flowers, dabs and Cannabis products. There are things like arts and crafts, massages and tarot readings, and photographer Ashley Ann is often taking smoke shots, which women aligned with the leaf can use as headshots to promote their brands. Cerri said it’s great if people want to participate in the activities she’s planned, but her goal is for people to find the wellness in the community that they really need. “If they want to participate in the activities, great; if they don’t, they can lie on a couch and get high, and that’s fine with me, or just get lost in some arts and crafts project if they’re feeling not super social or overwhelmed by all the people,” she said. “I really want it to be not what I think people need, but what people really think they need themselves.” Cerri had a background working in event planning with nonprofits before joining the Cannabis industry six years ago. She has worked in several positions since then — including founding two Cannabis event companies — and is currently the territory manager for Storz and Bickel in the U.S. and Canada. “It’s hard for everyone in the industry right now, men and women, and I’m not trying to be divisive. But I’ve been to a lot of events that are for the industry as a whole or the community as a whole, and sometimes they don’t feel safe. Sometimes, they’re really sexist,” Cerri said when asked why she founded a gathering that’s exclusively for women. “When I’m thinking about how hard it is for all of us — like with taxes, with the unstable economy, the unstable job market, especially in California, the
ASHLEY ANN @ASHLEY_ANN_PHOTOS
riven well-being
Cerri said it’s great if people want to participate in the activities she’s planned, but her goal is for people to find the wellness in the community that they really need. prices skyrocketing — you know, Cannabis is struggling. We’re all facing that stuff, men and women, but added on top of that, (women) have to deal with a lot of sexism and discrimination in the workplace.” Nor-Cal Women in Cannabis events are intended to provide an environment free from those issues to foster closer bonds. Additionally, the nonmonetized, relaxed atmosphere lets attendees be themselves and engage at their own comfort level. Smoking weed is always encouraged. “The venue has to allow consumption, or there has to be a patio that we can access readily,” Cerri said. “We work in Cannabis. This is for the industry and the community, and if you can’t consume Cannabis at the event, I don’t really see the point.”
NORCALWOMENINCANNABIS.COM @NORCALWOMENINCANNABIS
STORY by ELLEN HOLLAND @HOLLANDBUDS for CALIFORNIA LEAF @CALIFORNIALEAFMAG | PHOTOS courtesy
THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE
TOPICAL ROUNDUP
SKINDEEP
The plant doesn’t have to be sparked up to work its magic: Cannabis topicals take a grounded, targeted approach to wellness by working with the body’s natural endocannabinoid system right where you need it. Today, topicals are showing up on shelves in more ways than ever. From post-workout recovery to glow-up skin care routines, these skin-first rituals are redefining what Cannabis care can look like.
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T TRANSDERMAL P AT C H E S SET IT & FORGET IT
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ransdermal patches take topicals to the next level, literally. Designed to deliver cannabinoids through the skin and into the bloodstream over time, they offer steady, long-lasting support without the digestive detour. This slowrelease method is especially helpful for chronic pain, inflammation, cramping or endometriosis. Once it’s on, you’re set for the day.
The LEAF gals swear by Synergy Skin Worx, available in Oregon, Montana, Arizona and Louisiana. We like to cut their patches into smaller pieces for convenient, customizable application and more bang for your buck. They’re sweat- and water-resistant for any active wellness routine, or provide consistent relief when curling up for an all-day couch-rot sesh. For best results, apply transdermals to a veiny area (such as the inner wrist or ankle) to maximize absorption and keep effects evenkeeled from morning to night. SYNERGYSKINWORX.COM @SYNERGYSKINWORX
> > C O N T I N U E S N E X T PA G E
STORY by KATHERINE WOLF @KATADELLIC for LEAF NATION | PHOTO by TERPODACTYL MEDIA @TERPODACTYL_MEDIA
MAKE GROWING
SIMPLIFY YOUR GROW BY SWITCHING TO A GRANULAR FERTILIZER THAT HAS BEEN SPECIALY FORMULATED FOR CANNABIS. IT’S AS SIMPLE AS MIXING IN WITH SOIL OR COCO THEN IT’S WATER ONLY AFTER THAT.
CUT COSTS REDUCE ERRORS INCREASE QUALITY AND YIELD MOST AFFORDABLE FERTILIZER AT SCALE ALL IMAGES SHOWN WERE GROWN EXCLUSIVELY USING BEANSTALK CRF*
MORE INFO HERE!
TRIALS FOR NEW FARMS. CONTACT US AT INFO@BEANSTALKCRF.COM
EASY AGAIN
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T O P I C A L R O U N D U P > > C O N T I N U E D F R O M P R E V I O U S PA G E
CBD SKIN CARE GREEN MEETS RED LIGHT THERAPY
R
ed light therapy is all the rage in the wellness world, using low-wavelength light to support circulation and cellular repair. Add the power of the plant to the mix, and you’ve got a ritual that goes beyond surface-level skin care. While red light energizes cells and boosts circulation, cannabinoids help calm inflammation and restore balance. Together, they create a synergistic experience that feels both restorative and intentional. Our go-to move? Apply a cannabinoid-rich serum or cream before your red light session to enhance absorption and create an at-home spa-like ambiance. Enter this CannaSmack Honey Serum: a luxe blend of responsibly
sourced honey and botanical oils like hemp seed, rose hip, argan and orange oil for deep hydration. Bonus points for being a women-founded brand with online shopping and nationwide shipping!
CANNASMACK.COM | @CANNASMACK
THC ROLL-ONS W O R KOUT R E C O V E R Y, E L E VAT E D
M leafmagazines.com
eet your new workout MVP: Infused topicals combine powerful cannabinoids with other ingredients, such as nourishing botanicals or aromatics, to target sore muscles and soothe overworked joints. Unlike ingestibles, these stay local to calm tension and inflammation in skin and muscle tissue without affecting your headspace. Think recovery, minus the mental fog.
Our crew can’t get enough of Buddie’s Fire & Ice lotion, available in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. This award-winning formula features a soothing blend of menthol, camphor, eucalyptus and cinnamon with an advanced recovery blend of THC, CBD, CBG and CBN. Plus, the roller-style applicator makes it ridiculously easy to apply this liquid-gold lotion on the go. Toss it in your gym bag or keep it in your car cupholder for roll-on relief after Pilates, leg day or an ambitious hike.
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Check with your budtender for personalized recommendations, as topicals come in all sorts of formats, from these roll-ons to balms, creams, oils and more. For next-level results, try applying your topical of choice right after a shower when your pores are open for peak absorption. BUDDIESBRAND.COM @BUDDIESBRAND_OFFICIAL
RSO POTENT PLANT POWER FOR THE SKIN
RSO
(Rick Simpson Oil) is a highly concentrated, full-spectrum Cannabis extract known for its potency and thick, sticky consistency. When applied externally, RSO skips the psychoactive effects while offering incredibly localized benefits. It delivers cannabinoids directly to CB2 receptors, which are involved in regulating inflammation and immune response. Research is still evolving, but anecdotal evidence has sparked serious conversation around RSO’s potential role in addressing skin cancers, including melanoma. In fact, multiple Leaf team members have personally used topical RSO to help minimize or eliminate melanoma spots. It’s also been known to support scar care, inflammation, stiff muscles and dry skin. As more studies continue, the takeaway remains consistent: This oil is powerful stuff. If you’re exploring RSO topically, we recommend RSO Syringes from 710 Labs, which are currently available in Colorado, California and Michigan. These stand out because they’re cultivar-specific, an often overlooked detail that can heavily impact desired effects. RSO is widely available in both medical and recreational markets, so ask your local budtender for their own pick. Pro tip: Less is more, because a little RSO goes a long way! Mix a rice-grain amount with a carrier oil, such as coconut or hemp seed oil, for smooth and even application. 710LABS.COM | @710LABS
STORY by KATHERINE WOLF @KATADELLIC for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS courtesy
EST. 2006
1654 W CARSON ST TORRANCE, CA 90501
THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE
HIGH ROLLERS
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When we talk about Cannabis as a wellness product, we often stay in the same sandbox: relief for lifelong chronic pain or the elderly and infirm. It was only recently that we embraced and focused on its benefits to sports medicine as well as daily wellness. Only in the last decade have athletes been able to come out in support of Cannabis as a method of not just recovery, but part of an ongoing routine for physical and mental well-being. One sport where support for the plant seems to have taken root from an early stage and flourished is roller derby.
WHAT IS ROLLER DERBY? For the uninitiated, roller derby is a fast-paced sport where two teams race on an oval-shaped track. Each game is divided into a series of two-minute “jams” where players form walls to try and block the opposing team’s designated scorer, known as the “jammer,” while trying to help their own jammer through the pack. This player, identified by the star on their helmet, gets a point for every blocker they make it past, creating nail-biting situations where scores can change dramatically at a moment’s notice. Angel City Derby is Los Angeles’ premier member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby League. A nonprofit organization comprising four different teams of players, Angel City is ranked as the sixth-best team from a list of 546 rosters worldwide. Started in 2004, the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association has grown to become a sport enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of athletes. With its own World Cup and teams in over 50 countries, women’s roller derby is a no-holdsbarred, full-contact sport that’s exciting to watch but is undeniably physically demanding. I’ve watched players skid into the stands at full speed, kiss concrete while taking a moving tackle and make “Matrix”-like jumps through a pileup of the opposing team. I’ve seen the bruises and doctor bills that often come with athletic performance, so it’s no wonder that derby players are well acquainted with CBD and THC. In fact, roller derby and Cannabis have skated side by side many times. Cheryl Cryer, owner of the Illinois CBD brand Urban Apothecary, has 14-plus years of experience with derby. On the brand’s website, Cryer — who used to compete under the name Crybaby Cryer — said that her company has created products targeted directly to “the demands of this full-contact sport.”
jan. 2026
HIT ME BRUISETON
ONE SPORT WHERE SUPPORT FOR THE PLANT SEEMS TO HAVE TAKEN ROOT FROM AN EARLY STAGE AND FLOURISHED IS ROLLER DERBY. Cannabis-as-sports-medicine advocate, athlete and entrepreneur Bethany Semeiks played with Los Angeles’ Angel City for eight years. Semeiks told a reporter for Sports Cannabis that she had an “ah-ha moment” in 2018 after discovering how Cannabis helped her at night to sleep and feel physically rested. Colorado breeder Cannarado even has a strain named Roller Derby. Recently, Angel City and Polly Urathang hosted High Roller, a Cannabis-sponsored, consumption-friendly event in Los Angeles, where two teams squared off on a flat track and fans watched a friendly grudge match between 710 Labs and Terphogz. Afterward, when the score was tallied and the skates were off, we asked Angel City if any of their players would be willing to discuss the role Cannabis plays in their wellness routine and what kind of stigma, if any, exists around Cannabis in this sport. > > C O N T I N U E S N E X T PA G E
STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON @CALIFORNIALEAFMAG | PHOTO by JOJO SNAPS @THEJOJOSNAPS
THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE
> > C O N T I N U E D F R O M P R E V I O U S PA G E
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HIGH ROLLERS WHAT DO THE PLAYERS SAY? The players who spoke with us all said that while safety is paramount, Cannabis is largely accepted by the derby community as something that helps deal with the bumps and bruises. Cole Train, who plays for Angel City as a blocker, has been in the derby community since 2013. She said even those who don’t smoke, dab or eat edibles likely have some sort of topical or other product for recovery purposes. LaQuanda Stokes, who plays under the name Hit Me Bruiseton, said she doesn’t see as much of a stigma about Cannabis roller derby, but that people she meets are “often surprised when they find out that I am a stoner because I’m very active.” Being such a physically demanding sport, many of the Angel City players who spoke with Leaf brought up how they’ve found Cannabis to help them in so many recovery efforts from previous injuries, both on and off the track. Stokes, who also uses Cannabis for ADHD, said that she incorporates Cannabis into much of her routine, finding that topicals, flower and even concentrates are a great way to ease the pain and cool down. “I think it helps me relax,” she said, “especially since my body is hurting most of the time.”
COLE TRAIN (RIGHT) COACHING SHORE SHOTS VS SIN CITY
jan. 2026
BEING SUCH A PHYSICALLY DEMANDING SPORT, MANY OF THE ANGEL CITY PLAYERS BROUGHT UP HOW THEY’VE FOUND CANNABIS TO HELP THEM IN SO MANY RECOVERY EFFORTS FROM PREVIOUS INJURIES, BOTH ON AND OFF THE TRACK.
Cole Train told the Leaf that after knee surgery, it wasn’t playing that caused discomfort, but rather more commonplace activities. “I love to take long walks, and for a long time, I felt like my recovery had stagnated and I was never going to fully heal from my surgery. Over the last year, I have been using Cannabis on my walks, and I have found that it helps me to put my knee through its full range of motion, which over time has vastly improved my mobility, and now my range of motion is closer to what it was presurgery.” While primarily using these products to relieve the aches and pains of the game, these athletes are really no different than your grandma grabbing a roll-on for her hip. “I’ve used just about every topical over-the-counter stuff for pain, but at the end of the day, I would rather choose a more natural way to relieve my pain,” Juggernaut Joey, Angel City’s recruit trainer, told the Leaf. Juggernaut Joey, a blocker and pivot skater who also suffers from insomnia, takes gummies or the occasional hit off a vape to help them sleep. She said these things are what help them feel more rested and ready to hit the track for a game. But wellness is not just about muscles, Juggernaut Joey said, as they also have a CBD-based facial regimen. “No bullshit, it’s made my skin so much more vibrant,” she said. > > C O N T I N U E S N E X T PA G E
STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON @CALIFORNIALEAFMAG | PHOTOS by JASE SANDERS
THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE
> > C O N T I N U E D F R O M P R E V I O U S PA G E
HIGH ROLLERS COCO BUTTHER, BLAXYL ROSE & SHAGGY
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MORE THAN A FEELING What makes roller derby players different from some of the athletes we’ve talked to in the past is the way they feel like the role of Cannabis isn’t being demonized in their world. “We understand the complexities of use, diversity of product and multitude of circumstances that vary by person,” Rachel Rotten, Angel City’s director, explained. More than just a veiled acceptance of CBD ointments, a policy like this makes it possible to have a Cannabis-related post-game, post-workout or daily wellness routine without setting a timer on how long it might stay in your system. While understanding some of the complexities around using Cannabis for recovery, Rachel Rotten made it clear that policy still maintains that once an athlete laces up their skates, they need to be clearheaded and ready to roll. As we spoke with players about their experiences with the Cannabis stigma, many of them also talked about how they’ve managed to help defy the stigma of the lazy stoner. It seemed like each one recounted a story about how their active lifestyle and achievements in the sport had helped redefine that caricature for their family, friends and co-workers. None of them recounted, however, being denied accolades or advancement because of their Cannabis use or a time they lost a sponsorship for being a stoner.
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ANGEL CITY DERBY VS LOS ANGELES DERBY DOLLS
ANGEL CITY’S DIRECTOR, RACHEL ROTTEN, MADE IT CLEAR THAT POLICY STILL MAINTAINS THAT ONCE AN ATHLETE LACES UP THEIR SKATES, THEY NEED TO BE CLEARHEADED AND READY TO ROLL.
These hardworking, game-winning machines are an example of what a modernized Cannabis approach to sports can accomplish. As such, roller derby players are helping tackle outdated ideas of Cannabis making you too lazy to lace up some skates, hit the track and live life to the fullest. ANGELCITYDERBY.COM @ANGELCITYDERBY
STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON @CALIFORNIALEAFMAG | PHOTOS by JIM SABO @PAGAN_GOD See more photos at LeafMagazines.com
NOW HIRIN
CAL I F O R N I A
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cooking with cannabis
MANGO PINEAPPLE
MANGO PINEAPPLE SMOOTHIE Servings: 4 2 cups frozen mango chunks 2 cups frozen pineapple chunks 2 cups milk (dairy or coconut milk) 1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt 1-2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional) 3 teaspoons canna-oil 1 cup ice (optional) Mint leaves for garnish
TRIPLE BERRY RED
1. Add milk to the blender. 2. Add mango, pineapple, yogurt and sweetener (if using). 3. Blend until smooth and creamy. 4. Adjust thickness with more milk or ice if needed. Add mint. 5. Serve immediately.
GREEN PISTACHIO SMOOTHIE Servings: 4 2 cups fresh spinach 1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted 1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios 2 frozen bananas 2 1/2 cups milk (almond or oat milk works well) 1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt 1-2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional) 3 teaspoons canna-oil 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup ice (optional) Chopped pistachios for garnish
GREEN PISTACHIO
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SMOOTHIES TO START YOUR NEW YEAR OFF RIGHT!
1. Add milk to the blender. 2. Add spinach, avocado, pistachios, bananas, yogurt, sweetener, canna-oil and vanilla. 3. Blend until completely smooth. 4. Add ice if needed, and blend again. 5. Serve immediately.
Starting Fresh This January, I’m easing back into healthier habits with a simple, sustainable routine. Each morning starts with a 45-minute walk, followed by a nourishing smoothie lunch built around fruits and vegetables — going light on processed sweets and minimal on meat. After a season of holiday indulgence, this feels less like a reset and more like a gentle return to balance. I focus on what’s fresh when I can, and when something isn’t available, I reach for frozen fruit with no added sugar or syrups, keeping everything clean and uncomplicated.
jan. 2026
TRIPLE BERRY RED SMOOTHIE Servings: 4 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries 1 1/2 cups frozen cherries or blueberries 2 1/2 cups milk or apple juice 1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt 3 teaspoons canna-oil 1-2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional) 1 cup ice (optional) Strawberries for garnish 1. Add the liquid to the blender. 2. Add all berries, yogurt, canna-oil and sweetener (if using). 3. Blend until smooth and thick. 4. Adjust consistency with more liquid or ice if needed. Top with a strawberry. 5. Serve immediately.
To complement the routine, I’ve been enjoying infusing these smoothies with Astral Works (Prūf No. 24), a low-THC, higher-CBD strain crossed from Harle Tsu and TH1. With its citrus and pine notes and clear-headed, calming effects, it offers a mellow, relaxing vibe without a heavy high. It’s the kind of support that helps me slow down, stay present and ease into a be-healthy, try-to-be-happy rhythm — grounded, intentional and kind to both body and mind. Laurie@Laurieandmaryjane.com
RECIPES by LAURIE WOLF @LAURIEANDMARYJANE | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF @BRUCE_WOLF #Don’tFearTheEdible #BeKind #EatYourCannabis #LaurieAndMaryJane
glass art spotlight
Eriko Kobayashi is a native of Tokyo, Japan, where she started her journey in glass art 11 years ago. Her focus started on soft glass flameworking, as borosilicate wasn’t part of the curriculum there yet. After coming to the U.S. a little over five years ago, Eriko saw the popularity of borosilicate glass and gradually started learning the process.
THIS WAS MEANT TO BE; as the pandemic hit, Eriko was still able to create without needing the large facility, team and tools associated with soft glass work. Basically, all you need for borosilicate work is a torch, a countertop kiln and some hand tools. She also likes torch work because it allows her to create larger pieces without the need for multiple sets of hands. With a focus on contemporary glass art, it’s no surprise that Eriko is inspired by some of the greats. You might be familiar with the work of Danny White (@ethan_windy) and Chris Ahalt (@cha_glass), two of her favorites. But go take a look at the pieces by Eunsuh Choi (@ eunsuhchoi), Karina Guevin (@karinaguevin) and Cedric Ginart (@cedricginart), who are three of her other major influences. Their work is absolutely stunning. Three months ago, Eriko moved out of her home creative space to an artist building in Seattle, where she has her own studio to create and plenty of space to grow. Her installation of “Chewy Thoughts,” made as an homage to “The Gum Wall” (a literal wall of gum in a downtown Seattle alleyway), is now on display at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport between baggage claim 7 and 8 for your in-person viewing pleasure.
The installation will be there for the next six months, so go give it a peek next time you’re flying into or out of Seattle. When asked about her vision of the future of glass art, Eriko said, “My vision is to continue developing techniques that combine playfulness with strong conceptual grounding. I hope to create work that feels accessible, surprising and uniquely tactile.”
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ERIKO KOBAYASHI
JAN. 2026 jan.
Regarding the growing market, she stated, “For the industry as a whole, I hope to see more diversity in techniques and voices, more cross-disciplinary collaboration and a growing appreciation for processdriven work. I also want to help build communities where knowledge is shared openly, so that more people can fall in love with glass.” We tend to feature a lot of functional glass art in this column, but this month, the Leaf wanted to provide something a little different for our readers: art just for the sake of art. We hope you enjoy the images of this amazing work as much as we do. Take a minute (or more) to dive into the visual aspects as deep as you see fit. Experiencing any kind of art creates space in our mind for reflection, self-healing and an overall focus on our personal wellness. To find out about the availability of her work or commission a piece for yourself, visit her Instagram and send her a direct message! @ERIKO_GLASS
“My vision is to continue developing techniques that combine playfulness with strong conceptual grounding.” STORY by REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS courtesy See more of her work at LeafMagazines.com
elevate your fate
JOURNEY OF THE HEART
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Dementia Relief and Plant Medicine: One Family's Experience with Low-Dose Cannabis
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I proudly carry her name, Angela Aguilar, like an ambient ember dancing in my heart, glowing with ancestral lineage and love. My Abuelita is 93 years old, a testament to the strength of our Indigenous American, Native Mexican bloodline. She’s a woman whose life has shaped the architecture of our familia traditions. She is the cornerstone of what it means to be an Aguilar, the matriarch we could always count on. Her presence, like a great oak tree, always held a sense of strength, resilience, shelter and warmth. As dementia has now woven its shadow across her mind, my family and I find ourselves walking beside her on one of the most tender journeys of our lifetime.
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ACCORDING to the World Health Organization, dementia affects 10 million new people globally per year. In 2021, there were 57 million families worldwide living with its many forms daily. The U.S.C.F. Fein Memory and Aging Center discovered that dementia unfolds when nerve cells in the brain lose connection, FTL1 proteins accumulate, and as a result, memory pathways crumble. Entire regions of the brain shrink like dried riverbeds. But nothing that science tells us can prepare the family for how it feels to watch someone you love fade in and out of the present moment like clouds on a windy day.
It began slowly: small childlike quirks, repeated questions, a drifting attention span, loss of short-term memory and a scrambling to identify family names. Over the course of five years, mi familia developed a steady routine of support. We felt confident that, even through this challenging phase of life, we could reliably support my Abuela. However, as she approaches 94 years of age, none of us were prepared for the dramatic and aggressive decline we would face.
"It was as though the plant opened a small window of clarity in the dissolution of fog ..."
O
ver the past three months, mi Abuelita’s condition shifted sharply. Her memory slipped almost entirely, and conversations evapA third of a orated midsentence. 10mg piece each day She could no longer brought relief. follow her favorite novelas. She stopped eating, bathing herself and maintaining everyday functions. Fear crept into her eyes, and she grew distrustful, unhappy and increasingly aggressive. Our once-gentle and humorous matriarch began lashing out violently, and with each change, our family dynamics became strained. Through it all, I kept offering a path of hope: "Cannabis might help her," the ancestors whispered to me. Every time I sat down in prayer and meditative reverence focused on mi Abuelita, the plant spirits nudged my intuition. Unfortunately, the familia wasn’t ready to try an Earth-grown remedy; fear, stigma and uncertainty lingered like ghosts from older generations. Dementia doesn’t only alter the person living inside it; it reshapes everyone within its orbit. We felt the grief first. That quiet, heavy kind of grief that comes before death, when you are already missing someone who still sits right in front of you. As the stress level increased, family tensions surfaced. Some family members withdrew emotionally; others denied how severe her condition had become. The stress was immense. The house felt heavier, and conversations were shorter. The air was tense in ways we didn’t want to admit. Questions arose: What’s the right care plan? Should we move her into a care facility? Are we doing enough? Where is the consistent support from the children she brought into this world and the grandchildren she lovingly guided? Caregiving is holy work, but it can fracture a family before it unites one. Eventually, the burden became so immense that only my parents’ compassionate, dedicated love beyond measure could manage mi Abuelita’s around-the-clock care.
They stepped into roles that demanded patience, ing, something we hadn't witnessed in several stamina and a kind of spiritual resilience that months. She was enjoying her novelas, and we stretched them thin from exhaustion. I watched us were finally back to our heartwarming reading all confronting the painful truth that dementia had sessions in which I had the privilege to read her taken our family dynamic and the children's books she once placed it under pressure we’d read to me. never known. It was as though the plant Then, the breaking point came: opened a small window of Mi Abuelita’s aggression became clarity in the dissolution of fog, unmanageable. Caregivers were where light could pour back struggling to manage support, into her heart and mind. and the nights grew longer. To witness this healing — That is when her doctors apinitiated by an indigenous proved a progressive decision — plant medicine our ancestors one born not out of desperation, revered — felt like a full circle but out of love and trust. moment of reindigenization. We introduced a small piece of Cannabis has carried me Earth-grown medicine: The 4.20 through my own wellness jourMini Chocolate Bar Infused with ney, and now it has become Gold Leaf Gardens Hash Rosin the gentle medicine guiding "She was enjoying her Indica, grown with aloha, and the matriarch whose name I novelas, and we were crafted by Evergreen Herbal. inherited. Both the young and finally back to our We cut the 10-milligram piece the old Angela Aguilar are into thirds, giving her just onerestored and renewed by our heartwarming reading third each day. beloved Cannabis. sessions in which I Gracias a Dios, that was the This is reparation. This is had the privilege to read moment the light returned to the reclamation. This is the spirit her the children's books eyes of our beloved Abuelita. of Earth medicine returning she once read to me." The shift was noteworthy. Her home to its people. aggression softened, her eyes Tonight, as I sit with mi warmed and her curiosity returned. The first night, Abuelita — her hand in mine, her smile soft she slept peacefully, and the next day, she ate a full as dawn — I feel nothing but gratitude. Her meal. And for the first time in three months, she battle with dementia is not gone. The journey allowed caretakers to help her get ready for a new continues, but hope has returned, and with it, a day. She began remembering family names and reminder, OGs, that even when memory fades, having clear cognitive conversations again. love remembers. Even when the mind wanders, Within a week, she was laughing and smilthe spirit knows the way home.
STORY & PHOTOS by ANGELA-JORDAN AGUILAR @AJ.OG @ELEVATE_YOUR_FATE for LEAF NATION See more photos at LeafMagazines.com
cannthropology
PRESENTS
Setting The
Standard
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Lifelong civil rights activist Pebbles Trippet is one of the most respected elders in the Cannabis community, and with good reason: it’s her courageous legal battle nearly 30 years ago that established a patient’s right to legally transport their medicine and to possess as much Cannabis as deemed necessary by their doctor — a precedent-setting policy known as the Trippet Standard.
A BORN ACTIVIST Mary Susan “Sudi” Trippet was born Nov 10, 1942, in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As early as the age of five, she began suffering from excruciating migraines. “I just remember pounding my head against the backboard Photo of Trippet from an article about activism on of the bed in order to campus in the University counteract the pain,” she of Oklahoma newspaper recalled. circa 1967. Between headaches, her youth was dominated by two passions: athletics and activism. At the age of 13, she became aware of Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Emmett Till’s lynching, and they deeply affected her. “This was a part of my generation … it was happening in real time, and I was paying attention.” The most important lesson she learned from the bus boycott, she said, was how to beat the system. “I thought, ‘Oh, so that’s what you do to win — you come together for a common purpose, and you stick together.”
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THE POWER OF PROTEST In college, Trippet devoted herself to activism — joining the Students for a Democratic Society, founding the Committee to End the War in Vietnam and organizing an anti-war rally on Flyer for the SDS campus that drew over March on Washington. 100 people. In 1960, she participated in the NAACP’s lunch counter protests to integrate Tulsa’s eateries. And in April 1965, she helped the SDS organize the first national protest March on Washington against the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, these acts of civil disobedience incited threats of violence against her. “At some point, a bomb came in my front door, sent by the Minutemen,” she told Fat Nugs Magazine last March. “Luckily, it didn’t go off … but it singed the walls and me a little bit, and I decided to move.” After college, she moved east — first to New York and then to Boston — where she spent about four years working odd jobs and ramping up her activist efforts. She joined the Socialist Workers Party, but due to ideological disagreements, she and her partner-in-crime, Robert “Stoney” Gebert (aka “Geb”), were expelled from the group.
“They brought me up on charges and kicked us out of the SWP,” she told Fat Nugs. “I had already decided that they were too backwards … the anti-gay policy, and the anti-weed policy, they were no good for me … so I left.” Amid the growing hippie movement in the late 1960s, Trippet did what thousands of other young idealists did — she headed to California. CALIFORNIA & CANNABIS In 1972, Trippet moved to Los Angeles, where her activism shifted toward two new issues: LGBT rights (a subject that, as a bisexual woman, was deeply personal to her) and marijuana legalization. (Since first trying Cannabis during college, Trippet had learned that it could prevent the horrific pain of her migraines and had been using it regularly.) Trippet joined the nascent pro-pot movement in their effort to pass the California Marijuana Initiative (aka Prop 19) — helping to gather the 326,000 signatures needed to get it on the ballot. Despite winning only 33% of the vote, advocates viewed the turnout as a victory. Their second initiative, two years later, also failed, but more localized efforts would soon prove successful: namely, the Moscone Act of 1976, making possession of up to an ounce of marijuana in San Francisco a misdemeanor rather than a
PLEADING HER CASE Throughout the 1990s, Trippet was busted ten times in five different counties. The most consequential of these arrests took place on Oct. 17, 1994, in the Berkeley Trippet & Dr. Tod Mikuriya Hills area of Kensington. After being stopped for a traffic violation, police discovered around two pounds of leaf in her vehicle and charged her with felony transportation of a controlled substance. At trial, she first tried a religious-use defense, then a medical-necessity defense. Dr. Mikuriya testified on her behalf, saying that Cannabis was indeed effective for her condition, and that if it were legal for him to prescribe to her, he would. Nevertheless, she was found guilty and, on February 20, 1996, sentenced to six months in jail.
Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality
of the Controlled Substances Act.
But Trippet had expected to lose — the reason she chose to go to trial rather than take a plea deal was to challenge the constitutionality of the law. She filed an appeal, and as fate would have it, her first day back in court was November 4, 1996 — the day before Prop 215 was voted into law. With medical marijuana now legalized, her medicinal defense had new legs. Unfortunately, her attorneys weren’t on board with her strategy, so she fired them and opted to go it alone — visiting UC Berkeley’s law library to educate herself on past Cannabis cases and court procedures. In addition to her appeal, Trippet also filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the Controlled Substances Act — arguing that penalties for medical marijuana are “excessive and disproportionate,” constituting “cruel punishment,” and that confiscating said medicine amounted to “unreasonable seizure.” Unfortunately, the court rejected her petition. THE TRIPPET STANDARD Luckily, though, she had better luck with the appeal. Representing herself, she argued that the Compassionate Use Act applied retroactively to her case, and that the right to transport her medicine — Pebbles selling though not explicitly stated activist merch in in the law — was implied the Castro. by it. She also argued that since she needed to smoke up to five “fatties” a day to keep her headaches at bay, she should not be held to the preset legal limit of 28.5 grams. Remarkably, on Aug. 15, 1997, the First District Court of Appeals agreed with her, ruling that if a patient has a legal right to possess Cannabis, they also have a right to transport it. They also ruled that the quantity of Cannabis a patient can possess should be “reasonably related to the patient’s current medical needs,” as determined on a case-by-case basis based on the physician’s approval — a new legal guideline dubbed the “Trippet Standard.” Her case was then remanded back to the lower court, where the charges were dismissed. It would be nearly a decade before that standard was put to the test. In 2003, California passed SB 420 — establishing new regulations for medical Cannabis. In that bill was a section that set a limit of 8 ounces of dried marijuana and six mature or 12 immature plants per pa-
tient — a policy in direct conflict with the Trippet Standard. Two years later, the LAPD searched the home of medical marijuana patient Patrick Kelly and found 12 ounces and seven plants, and charged him with exceeding the legal limit. He was convicted, but the conviction was overturned, and when it reached the state Supreme Court in January 2010, they ruled that Prop 215 trumped SB 420, and thus the Trippet Standard was upheld. ENDURING LEGACY Thanks to her historic legal victory, Trippet has been honored with three lifetime achievement awards: from the Emerald Cup in 2003, from Women Grow of Posing with her lifetime Mendocino in 2016 achievement award at and from the Califorthe 2024 CA State Fair. nia State Fair Cannabis Awards in 2024 — an award that, like the law she helped establish, has been named after her. Trippet has spent much of the past 30-odd years living off the grid on her property near Albion, California. While there, she co-founded the Medical Marijuana Patients Union, the Mendocino Medical Marijuana Advisory Board and the Cannabis Elders Council, as well as creating Cannabis Cards - trading cards honoring stoner heroes. Sadly, though, the long, difficult legal battle has taken a toll on her. Unable to maintain a steady job for many years, she had to sell activist literature and promotional materials on the streets to get by. In 2023, she was forced to start a GoFundMe and sell her cottage in Mendo to survive. She spent around two years living at Emerald Cup founder Tim Blake’s Area 101 compound in Laytonville before moving in with a friend in San Francisco who now takes care of her. Now 83, Trippet has also been struggling with several debilitating ailments, including severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which makes it difficult for her to breathe and speak. But despite her failing health, Pebbles’ radical spirit and commitment to the cause remain undimmed. “A Roe v. Wade-type constitutionality challenge is what matters now,” she insisted. “I’m confident that if some lawyers would just come forward and take it to the Supreme Court on civil rights grounds, we would win.” For our podcast and more Cannabis history content visit worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology.
STO RY b y B O B BY B LAC K @ CAN N T H RO PO LO G Y fo r LEA F NAT IO N | M AI N P HOTO b y M I K E ROSAT I @ ROSAT I P HOTOS
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEBBLES TRIPPET
BAY AREA BUST In the 1980s, Pebbles and Geb formed the California Marijuana Reform Initiative Coalition, an organization promoting progressive ballot initiatives. They got significant measures passed, including an Apartheid Consumer Boycott, a “Nuclear Free Zone” in SF and an AIDS Research Initiative. “I went to bat for any cause that was about human rights, civil rights, and ways of making change,” she says. Unfortunately, that activism made them targets of law enforcement. On May 8, 1982, the SFPD raided CMRIC’s offices as part of an undercover sting operation and found small quantities of weed and around 2,000 doses of LSD. Narcotics agents arrested Trippet, Gebert and four others, charging them with misdemeanor Cannabis possession and felony possession with intent to sell LSD. Trippet cried entrapment and accused the police of harassment, claiming that the operation was planned as a way to short-circuit their latest initiative. Nonetheless, she was convicted and served three years’ hard time Despite this setback, she remained closely involved with the burgeoning medical marijuana scene spearheaded by Dennis Peron, “Brownie Mary” Rathbun and Dr. Tod Mikuriya — promoting the Cannabis Buyers’ Clubs, serving on the organizing committee for Proposition 215 and helping to supply Rathbun with Cannabis to make her “benign brownies” for AIDS patients and veterans.
Trippet filed an amicus brief with the U.S.
CHERI SICARD
felony, and 1978’s Prop W, recommending that the city’s district attorney and cops not enforce federal marijuana laws. After years of splitting her time between Los Angeles and the Bay, in 1978 Trippet relocated to a commune in Mendocino County, where the members all chose new hippie names. She went through several nicknames that didn’t stick before finally hitting on the right one: As she tells it, when a Chinese girlfriend named her Black Jade because it was the rarest kind, she replied that she preferred the commonest kind, so it became Black Pebble. Then, after dropping the Black and adding an “s,” she became simply “Pebbles.” “It really does fit me … because I am the commonest kind — I am of and for and by the people.”
studio sessions
THEARTOFSKINNER.COM | @THEARTOFSKINNER
HOW CANNABIS INSPIRES ART
THE ART OFSKINNER The monster-fueled madness that comes from The Art of Skinner is the kind of thing that feels right at home on the pages of Heavy Metal or “Tales of Terror.”
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IN FACT, Skinner actually worked on a variant cover for the print return of “Heavy Metal” magazine earlier this year. This artist — who goes simply by his last name — makes what he self-describes as “psychedelic nightmare artwork” and has been sought out by bands, brands and breweries all over the country, leading to collaborations with Magic: The Gathering, Tim Heidecker, Thee Oh Sees and even the ghost of Jack Kirby. His work features detailed shading, dynamic color palettes and monsters from legendary tales of science fiction and cryptozoology. Along with creating his own collection of paintings, vinyl toys and apparel, Skinner has been commissioned to design for Cannabis brands like Timeless Vapes and Seattle-based Saints Joints' artist series packaging. In the Bay Area, where he’s currently based, I’ve watched adults race city blocks to try and score one of his Game of Shrooms pieces. I spoke with him over the phone while he was working at his home studio. Right now, Skinner said his creative space plays a nonstop mix of dark synth soundtracks, the rock band Red Fang and the Australian metal band Battlesnake. On the screens? A progression of old conspiracy documentaries, anime and cartoons like “Dungeons & Dragons” or “Ghostbusters,” noting that he gets a lot of inspiration from the monsters and old folk horror ghosts they featured. As to why the Cannabis community as a whole has been drawn to his art over the years, Skinner points to stoney being not just an adjective but an aesthetic. “When you see something that’s stoney, you're like, ‘I totally get this.’ Whether it's a Japanese cartoon or a doom metal album cover, I think you learn to recognize that quality in things.” It’s a quality that he described as “embracing the weird.”
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"SKINNER POINTS TO STONEY BEING NOT JUST AN ADJECTIVE BUT AN AESTHETIC." Skinner said Cannabis helps him come up with these stoney ideas, allowing him to “detach from any kind of rigid thinking.” He points to the exhaustion that comes from the pressure to commoditize one’s own creativity and how Cannabis can act as a release valve. “Society has us constantly focused on the grind, but when I smoke weed and draw or paint, it makes me want to think about
stuff that doesn’t necessarily relate to something profitable,” he said. As an artist, “smoking weed is instrumental in reconnecting me to the part of myself that wants to be creative instead of making money and being a little businessman scumbag," he joked. "It opens my heart," he added.
STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON | PHOTOS by SKINNER & HOUSE OF GOG See more of their work at LeafMagazines.com