MarylandLeaf_Jan2026

THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE

#85 | JAN. 2026

The Weed & Wellness Issue F RE E / L E A F M AGA Z I N E S . COM

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THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE

KEVIN STRAYLINE

JOURNEY OF THE HEART One Family's Experience with Low-Dose Cannabis

BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH

ERIKO KOBAYASHI PATIENT OF THE MONTH

CANNABIS 20 RESCHEDULED? 28 LEAF EXPLAINER

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STARTING FRESH

CANNABIS SMOOTHIES

OVCHARKA 18 INDUSTRIES STUDIO SESSIONS

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OVCHARKA INDUSTRIES @OVCHARKART

CECE NEHER

BRUCE WOLF @BRUCE_WOLF

GLASS ART SPOTLIGHT

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GREG MALCOLM @MARYLAND.CONNOISSEUR

ANGELA-JORDAN AGUILAR @AJ.OG

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Dementia Relief and Plant Medicine:

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EDITOR’S NOTE SPARKING COMMUNITY TOP BREEDERS 2026 GLASS IS DEAD BUDTENDER Q&A SHOP REVIEW PATIENT PROFILE CONCENTRATE OF THE MONTH STRAIN OF THE MONTH CANNABIS RESCHEDULED? TOPICAL ROUNDUP ELEVATE YOUR FATE COOKING WITH CANNABIS GLASS ART SPOTLIGHT STUDIO SESSIONS

HAYLEY EWING @HAYLEYSHOOTS.U

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2026 GENETICS

COURTESY ALIEN GENETICS

ALIEN GENETICS RAINBOW FIZZ

HAYLEY EWING @HAYLEYSHOOTS.U

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#85

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JAN. 2026

issue

New Year.

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THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE

Glass Art

by Banjo Glass

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the chambers project explores the legacy of the grateful dead through the power of glass and art STORY by JACKIE BRYANT @JACQBRY for LEAF NATION

jan. 2026

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PHOTO by MIKE STALTER/THE CHAMBERS PROJECT

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

CONTRIBUTORS

MIKE RICKER O P E R AT I N G PA R T N E R

AJ AGUILAR, FEATURES + PHOTOS DANIEL BERMAN, DESIGN JACKIE BRYANT, FEATURES

ricker@leafmagazines.com

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 EARLY M A RY L A N D L E A F P U B L I S H E R early@leafmagazines.com

WYATT EARLY STAT E D I R E C T O R wyatt@leafmagazines.com (410) 961-8779

BOBBY BLACK LEAF BOWL DIRECTOR & HISTORIAN bobbyblack@leafmagazines.com

MICHELLE NARANJO & JACKIE BRYANT COPYDESK michelle@leafmagazines.com | jackie@leafmagazines.com

WES ABNEY, FEATURES

DAVID DOWNS, FEATURES WYATT EARLY, FEATURES HAYLEY EWING, PHOTOS REX HILSINGER, FEATURES ELLEN HOLLAND, FEATURES MATT JACKSON, FEATURES JESSE JOHNSON, FEATURES GREG MALCOLM, PHOTOS TAYLOR MARTIN, FEATURES TERPODACTYL MEDIA, FEATURES + PHOTOS DARREN MILLER, PHOTOS MIKE STALTER, PHOTOS BAILEY WHITEHILL, PHOTOS KATHERINE WOLF, FEATURES BRUCE & LAURIE WOLF, RECIPES

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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.

MARYLAND 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

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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

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4 GRAMS OF FIRE For use only by qualifying patients and consumers at least 21 years old.

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.

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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

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

budtender of the month

KEVIN STRAYLINE

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“I FINALLY FOLLOWED MY DREAM TO WORK WITH CANNABIS AND IT’S CRAZY HOW MUCH IT’S CHANGED FROM SOMETHING I HAD TO HIDE TO SOMETHING I DO FOR A LIVING; IT'S VERY FULFILLING.”

NATURE'S CARE AND WELLNESS

4925 PULASKI HWY, STE A PERRYVILLE, MD NCWMEDICAL.COM @NATURESCAREANDWELLNESS 8AM - 8PM MON.-SAT. 8AM - 6PM SUN. (443) 252-1383

WHAT ARE THE MOST FULFILLING ASPECTS OF YOUR JOB? Getting to help people with their ailments on a daily basis is something I have always wanted to do. Knowing that I get to come to work and genuinely do a service for the world is what I look forward to most. When people come back into the store after I recommend a product to them and tell me it worked, that’s what it’s all about

I used to DJ at lots of different places around the Jersey Shore, and a couple of friends got me on the mic one day, and it took off from there. I have a studio at home where I record, mix, and master everything myself.

I’m working on a track called ‘Going Crazy,’ which I hope to release in January when my story comes out.

WHEN DID YOU START USING CANNABIS AND HOW HAS IT SHIFTED? I’ve been smoking weed since I was 13, and I’m approaching 30 now, so a lot of time has passed. I come from New Jersey and when I lived there it was still illegal at the time like it was in Maryland. When I moved from New Jersey to Delaware, Cannabis was legalized in New Jersey so I was kicking myself saying, wow, this is terrible.

Then, when Maryland legalized Cannabis recreationally, I saw a career path for myself. I finally followed my dream to work with Cannabis and it’s crazy how much it’s changed from something I had to hide to something I do for a living; it's very fulfilling. This is what I do.

HOW IS THE CANNABIS SCENE IN NEW JERSEY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF MARYLAND? It’s somewhat similar in terms of brands, but I think Maryland has the best Cannabis program on the East Coast. Prices are good, access is good, and dispos aren’t as busy because the population isn’t quite as dense. I feel like you can find dispensaries in Maryland where budtenders take the time to educate you, whereas Jersey is more fast-paced. Maryland is more akin to West Coast vibes in terms of education.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY? I love being a budtender, but I’ve always wanted to do more than that. I have lots of ideas in my back pocket for brands, and more specifically, an edible line using RSO. It would be a dream to bring the right people together to form a brand and create a legacy.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES? I make music in my spare time.

I’m a rapper and a DJ, which is something I’ve been doing since I was 15 years old in New Jersey.

IS YOUR FAMILY ACCEPTING OF CANNABIS? Big time — my dad is the reason I smoke weed.

My dad and I have been smoking weed together since I was about 16. It’s never been something I had to hide, and my parents would rather know I’m doing it safely at home than going out, getting in trouble, or buying it from people I shouldn’t have been. When I think about where I’m at now, I think my parents did everything right.

AT AGE 16, Kevin Strayline was diagnosed with a condition called essential tremor, which he describes as “a neurological condition without a lot of research,” especially in regard to Cannabis. It affects his life in ways that “nobody would really realize,” such as shaky hands. Cannabis brings him relief and helps mitigate the day-to-day struggles brought on by his condition.

Through it all, Kevin has remained a beam of light in the industry and projects that energy onto the patients he serves every day in the dispensary. At the end of the day, Kevin loves weed and what it can do for people. Follow him on Instagram @americanwitchdr.

jan. 2026

STORY by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT/MARYLAND LEAF | PHOTO by HAYLEY EWING @HAYLEYSHOOTS.U SEND NOMINATIONS FOR BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH TO WYATT@LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

WAAVE CANNABIS PRESENTS x DISTRICT CANNABIS & WYLD GUMMIES

January Specials

Limited Availability - Strain Selection Subject to Change

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$23 District Cannabis (3.5g) Flower $10 District Cannabis (2x.5g) Prerolls $20 District Cannabis (5x.5g) Preroll Packs $14 District Cannabis (.5g) Distillate Vapes $30 District Cannabis (1g) Distillate Vapes WAAVE SPECIALS 2 For $50 District Cannabis (1g) Concentrates $14 Wyld Gummies (100mg)

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SHOP REVIEW

MANA SUPPLYCO. MIDDLE RIVER

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18

100 CARROLL ISLAND RD, MIDDLE RIVER, MD MANASUPPLY.COM

MIDDLE RIVER, MARYLAND is a community full of attractions like boating, a drive-in movie theater and Mana Supply Co. This store lives and breathes Cannabis culture, even bringing in musicians regularly for meet and greets with customers. In the past it has drawn big crowds for meetups with artists like Dave East, Sukihana,

@MANA.MARYLAND

Lloyd Banks, Memphis Bleek, Twista, and Baltimore local YBS Skola. These are the types of initiatives that

9AM - 10PM DAILY

bring people together and reinforce the inclusive aspect we all want to see out of the Cannabis market.

(443) 317-8162

Head over to Mana in Middle River for good times, good people, and a fire selection of products.

jan. 2026

SETTING AND VIBE The friendly, island vibe of this dispensary keeps the locals in high spirits. Employees at Mana make the experience personal, diving into their patients' needs without overwhelming them. Watching the staff in their element felt like watching a group of lifelong pals working in perfect unison.

Patients flowed through the store with smiles on their faces, being greeted on a first name basis. That type of experience at the dispensary makes you feel right at home and opens up a level of comfortability that brings you closer to the plant and its community.

FLOWER Manager Daron Pino knows fire and keeps a diverse menu of Maryland’s hottest flower offerings. Mana’s website makes preorders easy, and they offer generous weekly specials on flower. For example, whenever the Baltimore Ravens win, the first 150 customers in the store the next day can get a SunMed pre-roll or Keef Cola for just $1. Keep an eye out for deals on ounces and snag some fire at a solid price.

C O N C E N T R AT E S A concentrate fridge sits in the middle of the display cases, facing the dispensary floor for everyone to see. The importance of keeping concentrates cold cannot be emphasized enough when it comes to retaining terpenes and consistency. You can walk up to the window and take a gander at all of the freshly kept concentrates they have available. Whether you’re interested in solventless or hydrocarbon extracts, there’s a wide selection of both.

EDIBLES Mana had close to 100 different edible offerings on the menu during our visit, and you can always expect to find a menu with serious depth. They also sell cannabinoid drops like CBD, CBDA, CBG, and more. I like to experiment with different cannabinoids to dial in exactly what works best for me, and this selection makes it easy to reach the sweet spot.

There is so much more to the Cannabis plant than THC, so explore the spectrum and you may be pleasantly surprised.

“WATCHING THE STAFF IN THEIR ELEMENT FELT LIKE WATCHING A GROUP OF LIFELONG PALS WORKING IN PERFECT UNISON.”

REVIEW ED:

EDEN SOLVENTLESS

DARK RAINBOW / DISCO DIESEL THUMBPRINT COLD CURE LIVE ROSIN For those new to thumbprint, this form of rosin combines cold cure live rosin with a puddle of rosin jam in the middle. This batch was a cavern of Dark Rainbow (GMO X Rainbow Belts F1) filled with a slick, glossy pool of Disco Diesel (Wedding Cake X Lime Vines). The result is a gassy, citrusy, umami blend of terps that leaves a lingering flavor of gas in your mouth.

After a dab I was in a comfortable, focused mood that lasted for hours.

84.65% TOTAL CANNABINOIDS / 7.5% TOTAL TERPENES

STORY by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT @MARYLANDLEAF | PHOTOS by HAYLEY EWING @HAYLEYSHOOTS.U See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

PATIENT OF THE MONTH

CECENEHER It’s not every day you meet someone who is releasing a Cannabis-inspired custom hair color into the world. Hairstylist Cece Neher recently did just that with Grim Reefer — a dark green hair dye created in collaboration with indie company ChromaDaddy. It’s the first time Cece, a Germantown native and licensed stylist, has put a custom color hair dye into the world. The shade is a personal nod to three pillars of their identity: hair, Cannabis and anything spooky. “I’ve had green in my hair for four years. That’s my comfort color,” they said, adding that the neon green they would have chosen was already taken.

CECE GREW UP in a diverse community that helped them feel accepted, even when that meant being the “oddball” in school. They kept to themselves, focusing on creative hobbies like photography, which they approached with an unconventional eye for composition and theme. “I just did something that spoke to me and of me. I reflect all of my personality, my thoughts and beliefs into my artwork,” they said.

After high school, Cece earned a degree in criminal justice from Towson University, then shifted paths to attend trade school for hair. Their parents initially hoped they’d pursue something related to their degree, but Cece was ready to go all-in on their passion. “I’m so glad I did that,” they said.

Hair was Cece’s first introduction to self-expression. They learned firsthand how a cut or color could shape identity, which led them to study everything about hair and makeup. A background in painting and a house full of older sisters meant makeup came naturally, and the two mediums eventually collided when Cece started working at a haunted house — a job they kept for over 13 years.

That theatricality now shows up in their studio hairstyling work.

“Recently, on one of my friends, I did an open brain concept,” they said. “It was so festive and spooky.

I painted his head, and it took me a while, but it was so worth it.”

As for personal style, Cece said they take a day-by-day approach — letting their mood dictate what they wear and how they present.

Most clients give them full creative freedom, though Cece emphasizes thoughtful consultation and detail.

“They normally give me a color palette, and they tell me to go wild,” Cece said.

20

“There’s no correct way of doing hair. It’s a matter of finding your style and technique.” They added that although they plan to teach hair classes in the future, most of what they know came from trial and error on friends and family.

One of the three pillars of inspiration for Grim Reefer, Cannabis is a major part of Cece’s life and work. They started using it young, eventually getting a medical card when Maryland launched its program. It helped them manage anxiety and depression, and they even worked in the industry before committing to their studio full-time.

“Cannabis was a blessing in disguise. I stayed true to it,” they said. “I love when people pick my brain about it.”

Though once a sativa lover, Cece now prefers indica-leaning hybrids and dabbing rosin. Their holy grail strain is Black Afghan, which they say helps with both wellness and creativity.

That openness shows up in their studio, too.

They keep Tall seltzers on hand as a Cannabis-friendly alternative to the typical salon champagne, and clients often come to them after being shamed for being medicated elsewhere.

“I’ve gained clients because they’ve been shunned for being medicated in other salons,” Cece said.

“Making these people feel like their true selves so they can pass that energy to someone else — it’s all about spreading the love and free expression.”

While there’s currently no Cannabis-infused hair product on the market, Cece hopes to one day develop one and they’re watching developments in research on CBD and hair health closely.

Until then, they said they want to continue being open about their cannabis use, in and out of their job, and encourage others to be open as well.

“Be loud, take up space,” they said, adding that they’ve carried this mentality through most of their life. “You never know where being yourself can take you.”

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“Cannabis was a blessing in disguise.

I stayed true to it,” they said. “I love when people pick my brain about it.”

jan. 2026

@COLORFUL.COURT

STORY by JESSE JOHNSON @JESSETHEVIBESMAN for MARYLAND LEAF | PHOTOS by GREG MALCOLM @MARYLAND.CONNOISSEUR

CANNABIS FOR A BETTER LIFE

SUNNIES

concentrate of the month

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jan. 2026

THCA: 73.8% TOTAL TERPS: 13.57% MYRCENE: 3.56% LIMONENE: 2.47% TERPINOLENE: 2.19% CARYOPHYLLENE: 1.49% OCIMENE: 0.89%

It has been a minute

SUNMED LABS

since I dabbed up a good

STRAWBERRY CHEM KUSH LIVE RESIN BATTER BALLER JAR “SUNMED’S DUTCH-STYLE GREENHOUSE LETS PLANTS ENJOY THE BENEFIT OF SUNLIGHT, WHICH IN TURN IS FRESHLY FROZEN AND PROCESSED IN-HOUSE TO PRODUCE AN ARRAY OF FULL-SPECTRUM LIVE DABS, EFFECTIVELY PACKAGING SUNSHINE IN TERPENE FORM.”

batter, so to remedy this, I dove headfirst into the Sunnies Strawberry Chem Kush Live Resin Batter Baller Jar by the dedicated lab crew at SunMed. FOR THOSE who have been reading my humble opinions over the years, you will know that budders/ batters are my personal favorite genre of dabs because the extraction process typically leaves in more fats/ waxes from the plant, which, I feel, enriches the flavor. With that being said, this batch of Strawberry Chem Kush could be a budder, batter, sauce or shatter, and I would be adequately blown away by its unique terpene profile and luscious palate performance.

SunMed’s Dutch-style greenhouse lets plants enjoy the benefit of sunlight, which in turn is freshly frozen and processed in-house to produce an array of full-spectrum live dabs, effectively packaging sunshine in terpene form. The Strawberry Chem Kush has a really spectacular balance of those sunlight-induced terpenes, with limonene and terpinolene in unison tempering a myrcene top note that is a fantastic bouquet of fruits.

Together, these terpenes form some of the most popular citrus, berry and overall tropical fruit notes, and to have them all together in one robust profile is a treat that no one should pass up. If you need a moody uplift in the wintry wilds, this dab is not only delicious, but it’s euphoric as well.

The fruit-laden sunshine is not only captured in the flavor profile, but it also manages to touch the mood in all the right uplifting and creative ways that we need to get through winter sadness and early sunsets.

Limonene is a known serotonin dump, but when combined with terpinolene, I experience a surge of serotonin and can feel my worries melt away like the last snow at spring’s dawn. We all need a delicious dab sometimes, and we surely could all use a mood boost, and for both, I recommend Sunnies Strawberry Chem Kush batter.

The smooth high is here for all your winter needs, and I would be curious to note how many types of fruit you can identify in a single dab.

SUNMEDGROWERS.COM @SUNMEDGROWERS.MD

REVIEW by TAYLOR MARTIN for MARYLAND LEAF | PHOTO by GREG MALCOLM @MARYLAND.CONNOISSEUR

THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE STRAIN OF THE MONTH

"For those who enjoy the sedative side of the spectrum, OGKB will deliver your winter needs and heady headspaces every time."

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OG Kush

jan. 2026

This wintertime Strain of the Month is one of Curio Wellness’ consistent classics: OG Kush Breath. Curio Wellness has brought staples to the market for a while, but one of their longtime, distinctive and utterly luscious cultivars is their OG Kush Breath, sometimes known as OGKB.

cultivated by curio wellness

CANNABIS CONSUMERS are notorious for our desire for new cultivars week in and week out, and as such, we see a lot of cultivators constantly trying out new varieties in their systems. This is all well and good, but it is worth mentioning that when a cultivator consistently produces a variety over the long term, there is something truly special about that genetic in that system. This month, we honor the OGKB from Curio, which has long been on the market and long been under-recognized for its powerfully heady effects and really delicious, nuanced flavor profile.

OGKB’s terp profile reads like the quintessential indica effects profile, running myrcene over limonene over caryophyllene over linalool, which is perfect for winter’s heady hibernation status. As temperatures drop, OGKB is ready to wrap your mind and body in the warm embrace of narcotic trance and foggy relief, allowing you to escape those seasonal affective vibes and leapfrog through time to inch closer to the sunshine and spring weather just around the corner. The terpenes have an even balance that really compounds the potent 29.7% TCHa of OGKB into a really perfect, heavy high. For those who enjoy the sedative side of the spectrum, OGKB will deliver your winter needs and heady headspaces every time.

Furthermore, the profile is one of those slept on, nuanced types of herbal gas that connoisseurs and laymen alike appreciate. Most Cannabis that comes out of the modern market has notes of diesel and gas, but this OGKB has a very distinctive earthy/herbal top note that is underscored TOTAL THC: 29.7% by fuel notes and hints of TOTAL TERPS: 2.39% vanilla and berries. It is truly MYRCENE: 0.55% a winter’s delight on the palate, transporting the mind LIMONENE: 0.50% CARYOPHYLLENE: 0.45% to chilled forests and warm hearths, shaded by dried LINALOOL: 0.34% herbs and freshly harvested HUMULENE: 0.18% vanilla spices that surround the morning’s breakfast of berries on oatmeal.

Imagining myself in such a forest forager’s dwelling is the best way for me to wrap my head around the truly nuanced and delicate notes that embody the OGKB experience. For heavy headspaces and distinctive decadence, Curio’s OG Kush Breath is the must-toke flower this month!

Breath curiowellness.com

@curiowellnessbrand

REVIEW by TAYLOR MARTIN for MARYLAND LEAF | PHOTO by GREG MALCOLM @MARYLAND.CONNOISSEUR

CONTACT US

FOR MORE INFORMATION WWW.RITUALDISPENSARY.COM

RITUAL DISPENSARY

RITUALDISPENSARYMD

THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE

28

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 being possibly tied to the results of clinical audience, saying, “There on standardized dosing, along trials, state markets now wait to 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 the Pam Bondi and conditions that affect the Department of Jusitce 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. Others point to the CBD and THCa markets they improve their pain.” Oz also made it a point reclassification would expand research as the first in the line of fire. While 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 towards giving “seniors access to cannabinoids.“ mitigate the anxiety and fear surrounding the 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

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 skincare 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

jan. 2026

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 even-keeled 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

5-PACK HALF GRAM PRE-ROLLS

ASK YOUR BUDTENDER ABOUT OUR NEW 5-PACK

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THE weed & WELLNESS ISSUE

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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 SKINCARE 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 skincare. 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, rosehip, 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.

jan. 2026

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

it to us LEAFMAGAZINES .COM

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JOURNEY OF THE HEART

36

Dementia Relief and Plant Medicine: One Family's Experience with Low-Dose Cannabis

leafmagazines.com

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.

jan. 2026

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

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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

40

leafmagazines.com

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

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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

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

studio sessions

HOW CANNABIS INSPIRES ART

@OVCHARKART W W W. O V C H A R K A . S H O P

OVCHARKA INDUSTRIES Artist collective Ovcharka Industries creates vibrant and humorous graphics and animations that blend modern techniques with a visual style that’s heavily inspired by the animation of the 1930s.

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YOU’VE PROBABLY come across some of their art while scrolling through Instagram. Described by one of their clients as “dystopian bubblegum,” they say what sets their work apart is keeping a sense of humor to the art.

Cassie and Darlene are full-time artists who have crafted a life traveling together while working on jobs for brands like Apple, Liquid Death, Adobe, and Wiz Khalifa’s Mistercap’s.

Both illustrators and designers, Darlene also handles art direction while Cassie does incredible animations for their work. Since around 2020, the pair has worked freelance after leaving their full-time jobs and devoted themselves to their own merch as well as working with clients.

One of the easiest ways to sum up their work is Betty Boop on acid, and indeed there is a focus on cartoonish hedonism in their colorful illustrations. Many of their pieces feature smiling bongs, dancing nugs, or flowers and clouds sharing cartoonishly large joints, but despite having a running theme of consumption in their work, they told us that they don’t consider themselves big stoners. “We actually don’t smoke that much,” Darlene said in our interview. “We collaborate with brands in the Cannabis space mainly because our style fits so well with that culture: bold characters, humor and a bit of chaos.”

Darlene followed up with a point that really sums up a big part of why I started this column.

“Rather than Cannabis shaping our art, it’s more that our art naturally resonates with that audience,” she said. Proving that it’s not the amount you smoke or how much top-shelf you have that dictates how connected you feel to the plant, or how connected the community feels to your artistic style.

jan. 2026

“ONE OF THE EASIEST WAYS TO SUM UP THEIR WORK IS BETTY BOOP ON ACID.”

Their workspace in Thailand is a collection of large screens and inspirational totems, where they say you can hear “mostly phonk and techno” coming out of the speakers. Alongside that, Darlene told us there are usually horror movies playing in the background. “One of the last ones that shocked us was ‘Together’ from 2025,” she said. Although they break up the continual

feed with global news, as it “keeps things interesting,” Darlene noted.

Most recently, they released a buildable poster with Layer By Layer Prints in the U.K., which lets you place the pieces down until you’ve created a piece of 3D art for your home — a must-have gift for the holiday season.

STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON | ILLUSTRATIONS by OVCHARKA INDUSTRIES See more of their work at LeafMagazines.com

MARYLAND HAS STORIES - WE ROLL WITH THEM

Cannabis products inspired by the legends of the Old Line State LORE is a Maryland-born cannabis brand rooted in the myths, cryptids, and campfire stories that helped to shape this place. From mist-covered woods to dark water folklore, every product is crafted to carry the weight of a legend! Local, intentional, and built with respect for the stories behind it.

2ct - .5g Diamond Infused Pre-rolls

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Our products are made for those who value craftsmanship, potency, and narrative in equal measure. Each product is a modern ritual, made with purpose and finished with precision.

This is cannabis with a sense of place.

We are Maryland, inhaled.

Now introducing Double Double Diamonds Diamonds Built for those ready to step further into the legend.

LORE's newest pre-roll is the first in Maryland to be infused AND coated with THCa, delivering a fully saturated e%perience designed for seasoned consumers.

What’s your LORE? Must be 21+ to view this content - Cannabis is for use by adults 21+ or certified medical patients

ceresnaturals.com/lore