MATT JACKSON SOCIAL MEDIA mattjackson@leafmagazines.com
ABOUT THE COVER
This month’s trichome-coated cover showcases Humboldt Seed Company’s Candy Hustle, captured by frequent Leaf contributor Chris Romaine, aka Kandid Kush. Our Flower Issue highlights a few of the region’s top Cannabis growers, taking a close-up look at some of their finest strains and cultivations. If you’re looking to try a new brand or revisit an old favorite, check out these mouthwatering reviews (pgs. 20-25), and be sure to tag @northeastleafmag and the featured brands for some love!
PHOTO BY CHRIS ROMAINE @KANDIDKUSH @THEHUMBOLDTSEEDCOMPANY
CONTRIBUTORS
WES ABNEY, FEATURES
AJ AGUILAR, FEATURES
DANIEL BERMAN, DESIGN + PHOTOS
BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES
TOM BOWERS, FEATURES
JACKIE BRYANT, FEATURES
JEFF DIMARCO, PHOTOS
DAVID DOWNS, FEATURES + PHOTOS
BRAM GOODWIN, PHOTOS
REX HILSINGER, FEATURES + PHOTOS
CRYSTAL HOFFMAN, REVIEWS
ELLEN HOLLAND, FEATURES
WIND HOME, PHOTOS
MATT JACKSON, FEATURES
JAKE KERN, REVIEWS
Editor’s Note
Thanks for picking up The Flower Issue of the Leaf!
Farmers are the key to life, whether it’s food or our favorite terpenes, and this issue honors the best buds that we’ve found in the market.
It’s hard work dedicating your life to growing a plant, which is why corn, soybean and weed farmers all have dirty fingernails and the hardscrabble endurance that it takes to coax a living thing out of the Earth. The biggest difference between the weed industry and the farming industrial system is that Cannabis has a huge diversity of farm and product ownership, whereas the food system is almost entirely controlled by 10 major corporations.
That lack of ownership diversity is why our food system is enti rely corrupt, which — combined with our financially crooked political system — has led to food additives, coloring and the spraying of glyphosate (as a drying agent) on wheat during harvest, poisoning our food system. Ever heard of gluten intolerance? It’s glyphosate intolerance, a fact that charts with data. It's likely why cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome pops up in newly legal states, where pesticides and chemicals are used in greater freq uency than in established Cannabis markets. Our bodies have an endocannabinoi d system, so it’s much more likely that a chemical is to blame than the plant we were created with and given by God.
In today’s America, there are only four major meat processors, and they are all owned by BlackRock, the $12.5 trillion asset management gro up. There’s a disturbing lack of choice when it comes to food at a U.S. groce ry store, including the stores themselves, which continue to merge and consolidate, all packed full of shiny brands with additives and chemicals that are illegal in Canada and the European Union.
"WE NEED FARMERS — AND OWNERSHIP DIVERSITY — SO THAT THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF CLEAN, BEAUTIFUL BUDS …”
TERPODACTYL MEDIA, FEATURES + PHOTOS
MADISON MULLIS, REVIEWS
BECK ROURKE, FEATURES + PHOTOS
TAYLOR WEINBERG, PHOTOS
BRUCE WOLF, PHOTOS
LAURIE WOLF, RECIPES
KATHERINE WOLF, REVIEWS
We are creators of targeted, independent Cannabis journalism. Please email us to discuss advertising in the next issue of Northeast Leaf Magazine. We do not sell stories or coverage. Email paige@leafmagazines.com to start advertising!
LEAF!
In the U.S., we even let food companies self-certify new ingred ients under the Generally Recognized as Safe system without Food and Drug Administration approval or notification. Letting food companies certify the safety of new additives is l ike letting pharmaceutical companies run their own trials and then redact the data, as has happened with many vaccines and controversial drugs. Remember Zantac, the antacid causing c ancer?
When you realize that the food companies are owned by the drug companies, which make money off our poor health and chronic diseases and illnesses, t he entire rotten food system suddenly makes sense.
Why am I on this soapbox? The reason you don’t have Frosted Flakes-flavored vapes complete with fresh glyphosate and Roundup sprayed until the day of harvest is that the Cannabis industry is made up of thousands of small farms all competing to deliver the best terps and products for their loving stoner fans.
We need farmers — and ownership diversity — so that there is an abundance of clean, beautiful buds along with vapes, edibles, tinctures, topicals, RSO and everything else to buy, consume, heal and feature in the Leaf. Otherwise, weed will end up like the cereal aisle: lots of brand options, all owned by four companies. That’s why we honor farmers in this Flower Issue!
Appreciating the flowers on a road trip through the Napa Valley
SENDING SUNSHINE
“Yellow is the first sign of spring,” I think to myself as I’m driving to the Napa Valley on a midwinter morning. It’s the beginning of February, and the famously golden hills of California are still mostly green. The old vine grapes in the valley are dormant, woody brown, knotted skeletons, and the sun is shining brightly. In the fields ahead are pops of yellow.
AT A CERTAIN TIME OF YEAR IN WINE COUNTRY — and across many areas of California — the mustard plants bloom, transforming whole hillsides into sunny seas of yellow. Introduced by Spanish colonialists, legend has it that mustard seeds were scattered along the El Camino Real mission trail to mark the route, creating a “ribbon of gold.” Found in adobe bricks dating from the mission era, these non-native plants were most likely transported by cattle across the wide grazing lands during the time of Spanish and Mexican ranchos. Pervasive and invasive, black mustard plants grow wild almost everywhere in California and are celebrated in Napa in February and March as a way to draw tourists during the slow season. Armed with a map put out by the local tourism board and inspired by the warmth of the sun, I’m in the heart of the valley dropping in at wineries, but I’m not tasting wine. Instead, I’m smoking weed and taking in the splendor of another flower you’ll find across California and most of the world: the black mustard flower.
MAGIC WITHOUT MONEY
It’s easy to get priced out of Napa if you’re not ultra-wealthy; most wine tastings are nearly $100, and many wineries are appointment only. I grew up in Fairfield, on the other side of the Vaca Mountains from the valley, so Napa holds nostalgic childhood memories for me. When I was growing up, the mineral pool in Calistoga had a day rate and a snack bar. Now, the only way to experience that pool is by booking a high-end massage or pricey overnight accommodations. I want to spend time in the Napa Valley, but I can’t afford to spend my day sipping expensive wine. The mustard bloom offers me an in — a way to linger in the iconic valley, best known for its wine production, without spending money at every place I stop. Bringing Cannabis along enhances the experience of enjoying time in the natural settings of the valley on an unseasonably warm winter’s day.
I spent my afternoon crawling along Napa’s two main thoroughfares, Highway 29 on the west side and the Silverado Trail on the east side. After noticing the lemons, daffodils and sour grass with delicate yellow flowers that I used to eat as a kid, I find myself deeply connected to the color yellow as the first signal that winter is ending and brighter days are ahead. The valley presents naked oak trees covered in green moss, leafless rows of grape vines and fields of yellow mustard flowers. Deepening my sensory perception with Cannabis flowers helps me connect with the natural beauty of the area.
FLOWERS FOR FLOWERS
The morning hit of Zangria when I arrive in Yountville tastes fruity and bright. I smoke on the walkable flat streets, which are empty of people, but full of cars parked in front of California bungalows and vacation rentals.
Bouchon Bakery — run by celebrity chef Thomas Keller, who also heads the world-renowned, three-Michelin-star restaurant The French Laundry just down the road — is a popular hotspot in Yountville in the morning. When I arrive at the bakery, it’s unusually empty. I’m a savory breakfast person, but can’t stomach the idea of a $15 ham and cheese croissant, so I opt for a cream cheese danish and an Americano. When I push my crumbs off the table, and small brown birds begin to gather, I feel like Cinderella.
In The French Laundry Culinary Garden, I spot winter vegetables like cabbage and lettuce as a woodpecker with a red cap flies just above my head.
A flowering pear drops snow-white blooms to the ground that mimic snowfall, and I feel incredibly grateful to be in California while the rest of the country is still in a time of deep winter cold.
NAPA VALLEY VIEWS
Following the map of mustard blossoms, I stop at a winery along the Silverado Trail and walk toward a field of mustard. It’s nearly 70 degrees, and the sunshine on my skin feels amazing.
I visit a few more spots on the map before arriving in St. Helena, further north along the valley. Once there, I follow a directional sign leading toward the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, which is flanked in front by a field of grape vines and mustard blossoms.
Best known for the novels “Treasure Island” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Stevenson arrived in the Napa Valley seeking sunny, dry air to improve his health. On her blog, Very Important Potheads, Ellen Komp writes that Stevenson and his cousin Bob Stevenson were inseparable in their youth, noting that Stevenson’s biographer James Pope Hennessy wrote that the two Stevensons “pursued girls together and smoked hashish (when they could get it).”
Stevenson's poem “Spring Song” reminds me of the renewal I feel on my stoney trip to the Napa Valley, knowing that spring is on its way.
The air was full of sun and birds, The fresh air sparkled clearly. Remembrance wakened in my heart And I knew I loved her dearly.
The fallows and the leafless trees And all my spirit tingled.
My earliest thought of love, and Spring’s First puff of perfume mingled.
In my still heart the thoughts awoke, Came lone by lone togetherSay, birds and Sun and Spring, is Love
A mere affair of weather?
The
valley presents naked oak trees covered in green moss, leafless rows of grape vines and fields of yellow mustard flowers.
Deepening my sensory perception with Cannabis flowers helps me connect with the natural beauty of the area.
In another poem, Stevenson wrote a line that reminds me of my ambition for my day’s adventure in the Napa Valley: “Bring flowers while flowers are sweet to see.”
SING A SONG OF SEASONS
I brought Cannabis to a place that’s best known for wine to look at another type of flower, and in doing so, felt hope for the things that are yet to come. As the days continue to warm up, the dormant Cannabis seeds that we plant in the soil will begin to grow. And come next winter, a celebration of these flowers will occur as we smoke the first tastes of the 2026 Cannabis harvest.
Napa Valley is beautiful in all seasons, and enjoying it with an herbal companion as opposed to a glass of wine was an incredible way to stay in tune with the seasons. Flowers of all kinds bring joy to our lives, but I think the Cannabis flower is the most special because of the way it can help us to appreciate the world around us.
As we look ahead toward spring and the Cannabis planting season, I hope we all can find the time to appreciate flowers and feel the heat of the sun. The yellow color of mustard blossoms that filled my day in Napa evokes happiness, energy, optimism and warmth. I take solace in knowing there are brighter and stonier days ahead as Cannabis flowers begin to bud and bloom, both in our hearts and minds.
FIRE FOLLOWER BEST SEEDS AND CLONES TO GROW IN 2026
IT'S A glorious time to be a Cannabis gardener. More folks in more states can grow more dope than at any time in history. Legalization has spread from a hippie pipe dream in San Francisco to the backyards of frickin’ legal Virginia (four plants allowed) and Ohio (six plants). Generally, dozens of states allow some form of home growing, and this March is the time to lock in your seeds for an epic 2026 full-sun run.
We do our best to review hundreds of breeder websites, seed banks, Instagrams and Discord channels to bring you this essential list of the Best Seeds and Clones to Grow in 2026. Get out there and flex your freedom to garden.
‘CANDY-GAS’
Let's start with the most popular flavor profile: “purple candy-gas.” Look toward industry leaders Compound Genetics and its 2026 line of “candy” Pavé crosses. We sampled six this month, and our where-bling-meets-flavor favorite is the Zhampagne (Blue Nerdz x Pavé). It keeps the glimmering bag appeal of the Pavé with the tongue-smacking taste of Zkittlez cross Blue Nerdz.
A related pick goes to former Compound Genetics breeder Chris Lynch and his Cipher Genetics label. Cipher has two big lines of work off the Leafly Strain of the Year 2025 nominee, Blue Lobster. Blue Lobster (Apples & Bananas x Eye Candy) has had an enormous impact over the last two years, and “it’s really worthy of it," Lynch said. Blue Lobster V2 feminized seeds are up on the Cipher Genetics website. Standouts include Paint Stripper, a cross of (Chemdog D x Monaco Octane) x Blue Lobster, but there are keepers in every pack.
Another honorable mention for herb that’s guaranteed to move is Humboldt Seed Company’s new Candy Hustle (Don Carlos x Jose x Grape Menthol).
Describing the reaction to it on the farm, Benjamin Lind at Humboldt Seed Co. said, “This is that hustle weed,” which means that it's good for folks selling to brokers and bulk buyers.
HASHERS
Second to purple candy-gas, another big wave remains: strains that hash well. One great place to start is “slips” — that is, unrooted cuttings of preselected winning varieties. New breeder super-group Arcana of Marin, California, has a top-selling slip called Bickett OG — a cross of Cherry Pie x GMO — that’s a hash dumper. Of course, Bloom Seed Co. reigns for hash-producing varieties. We’d run Super Limez, a cross of Leafly Strain of the Year 2024 Super Boof x Too Much Limez.
We just finished judging the American Autoflower Cup in Hollywood, and our biggest takeaway came from the hash entries. The future belongs to automatically flowering Cannabis that hashes well. Picks there include Fast Buds’ Apricot Auto, which won first place in Best Hash at the Autoflower Cup. Also, Humboldt Seed Co.’s new Hella Jelly Autoflower and Garlic Budder Autoflower, out soon.
Award-winning journalist/author and
Editor David Downs’ monthly genetics intelligence
HYPE STRAINS
Let's speedrun through some more essential hype: Seed Junky Genetics keeps pumping out winners like Guava Jellie (Guava Gelato x Permanent Marker BX2).
Fellow Los Angeles grower Capulator has released the 10th anniversary of MAC in seed form as MAC 10.
Archive Seeds has amplified the Toad Venom strain wave with the new Ichiban (Toad Venom x Oishii).
And my favorite local, indie breeder Xeno Seed Company of Richmond, California, has a hit with Gumosa, a cross of its Black Bubblegum x Symbiotic Genetics’ Mimosa. Gumosa flower, grown by Bosky, just took second place in the 2025 MJBowl, and seeds are out now.
“THIS
OUTDOOR BANGERS
Now, let's abandon hype for unique, feel-good strains that crush outdoors. First on my list is Canna Country’s latest crosses. All Canna Country’s strains are numbered, not named. We love the Canna Country #26 (a Forbidden Fruit x Cherimoya). Anything by Canna Country with the #26 in it is going to be a pleasant treat. For example, CC29 x CC26 unites Blueberry Muffin x Dosidos and Forbidden Fruit x Cherimoya. Hot damn! Similarly, multi-Emerald Cup and California State Fair champ Greenshock Farms is on the Tangled Roots seedbank website with a few must-haves like Tropical Sleigh Ride x Tangie (just three packs left at press time).
If all this stuff feels too newfangled and fancy, grab some Rebel Grown Seeds Blue Dream F5s. The Humboldt and Vermont-based brand offers a trusted, consistent domestic source for the easy-togrow, easy-to-love, high-yield classic.
It’s impossible to fully arm you with personal garden picks — everyone’s tastes and needs are unique. Find more Fire Follower picks over at daviddownspresents.substack.com.
CANNA COUNTRY
REGGIE WEEDMAN DAVID DOWNS
BOSKY GUMOSA
IS THAT HUSTLE WEED.”
HUMBOLDT
HUSTLE
ARCANA BICKETT OG
GET YOUR VEAZY
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE PATH
AYNE JUSTMANN understood that medical Cannabis was survival.
In July 2000, standing on the steps of San Francisco’s Department of Public Health, Justmann held the city’s first anonymous medical marijuana identification card and told the San Francisco Chronicle that the program was “another brick in the path paving the way to legal use of medicinal marijuana.” At the time, Proposition 215 was only 4 years old and still politically volatile.
Patients were being questioned, raided and, in some cases, arrested. The card — deliberately stripped of name and address — was designed to protect them.
Justmann needed that protection himself. He was living with HIV and used Cannabis to manage the side effects of the medications required to control it. In 2000, he told the Chronicle he had already used his card to purchase an eighth of an ounce to relieve those side effects; symptom management during an era when antiretroviral therapies were harsh and often debilitating.
As director of the San Francisco Patients Resource Center on Divisadero Street, Justmann helped formalize access for patients who were otherwise navigating a legal gray zone. The center distributed Cannabis to qualified patients under California law, providing a structured, accountable alternative to the street market.
In the early 2000s, that structure signaled that medical Cannabis was civilized, organized and institutionalized care, the same as any other type of medical care.
The anonymous ID card program he championed was equally intentional. According to city officials at the time, doctor letters were verified, photocopies were destroyed and no identifying records were retained by the Health Department.
Activists insisted on confidentiality because federal enforcement remained a threat. Justmann understood that visibility and privacy had to coexist. Someone had to speak publicly so others could remain protected.
He was not operating in isolation, of course, especially as a close friend of Dennis Peron and the rest of their world-altering activist crew. San Francisco in the late 1990s and early 2000s was a crucible for medical Cannabis policy. Local supervisors, the district attorney and public health officials were actively shaping how Proposition 215 would function on the ground. Justmann was part of that ecosystem — a patient advocate who bridged lived experience and policy implementation.
The infrastructure surrounding medical Cannabis today — state ID systems, regulated dispensaries, lab testing and formal patient protections — can make those early fights feel distant. They were messy, political, personal and built by people who needed the medicine and were willing to stand on record saying so. They’re still happening today at the federal, state and local levels. Wayne Justmann died Jan. 28; his memorial was held in Berkeley, California, on Feb. 22. I met him briefly in San Francisco a few years ago during 4/20 celebrations. He stopped me to introduce himself, and we shared an earnest conversation filled with mutual admiration and a lot of hugs.
Similarly, in his advocacy, he did not frame his work in grand language. He spoke plainly about suffering and relief. In doing so, he helped normalize the idea that Cannabis could be a medical agent without apology. For patients who can now access their medicine without fear of arrest or exposure, that legacy is tangible. Wayne Justmann helped lay that brick; the path is still being paved.
In 2000, Wayne Justmann held San Francisco’s first anonymous medical marijuana ID card. His advocacy helped turn patient protection into policy.
Wayne Justmann, right, with friend Terrance Alan, the owner of @floredispensary in San Francisco, who passed away in October 2025.
The SF Board of Supervisors, and City Council recognized and honored Wayne with an “in memoriam” during their Feb. 24. meeting.
A memorial held Feb. 22 at Berkeley Chapel of the Flowers in Berkely, Calif.
Wayne Justmann
Jan. 22, 1945Jan. 28, 2026
Wayne Justmann
BOUQUETS, BONGS AND THE ART OF LIVING FLOWERS
SPRING CANNABLISS
There’s a primal joy that comes from harvesting something with your own hands. Whether it’s a wildflower clipped from a backyard garden or a perfectly cured Cannabis kola trimmed with care, the act itself slows time. It brings us back into a relationship with the season and our senses.
STEP OUTSIDE THE RECREATIONAL MARKET and into your home with this DIY Cannabis floral bouquet guide.
At the center of this creation sits The Mantelpiece Vase, a female-owned entrepreneurial vision brought to life by creator Elisabeth Chembry with the intention to help destigmatize and normalize Cannabis use.
This tabletop decorative glass looks like art, holds flowers like a vase and transforms into a bong when the moment calls for it. It’s clever, elegant and slightly mischievous, the kind of object that invites curiosity while honoring ritual.
CANNABIS JOURNEY
“My relationship with Cannabis began later than most. I was 22 when I took my first toke around a campfire with my parents in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. It was such a safe, beautiful experience. My God, I wish everyone had an introduction like that,” Chembry said.
Her parents, longtime but quiet home growers, had waited intentionally.
“They didn’t want to influence me as a youth,” she said. Today, her relationship with the plant is rooted in reverence: “I don’t get high, I get grounded.”
BREAKING DISCRIMINATION WITH NORMALIZATION
For Chembry, design is activism.
“People are sitting in prison for this harmless and beneficial plant,” she said. “Meanwhile, alcohol is proudly displayed in homes and boardrooms. The discrimination makes no sense.”
The Mantelpiece — with its slogan “Stop Hiding” — speaks directly to that contradiction. “It’s meant to be hidden and yet not hidden all at once,” Chembry said.
She plans to donate a percentage of proceeds to Last Prisoner Project once profits allow.
“It’s important to keep our prisoners in mind as we boldly display our use while some are still sitting behind bars."
MANTELPIECE CREATOR
ELISABETH CHEMBRY
CONSCIOUS AND INTENTIONAL DESIGN
“What makes something worth creating is the perfect combination of aesthetics and utility,” she explained. The duality is intentional.
“It’s a bong, and bongs can be loud visually and sometimes stanky loud,” Chembry said with a laugh. “I wanted to soften that. I wanted a piece I’d genuinely use every day yet discreet enough to leave out on the mantel.
“At the heart of it, adults deserve options. The Mantelpiece Vase is the Cannabis alternative to crystal champagne glasses.”
Sustainability is woven into the company ethos: recyclable packaging, soy inks and heirloom-quality glass. “I refuse to create something that becomes waste. The box and the piece are meant for a lifetime.” Future plans include new colorways and an ashtray design launching this year.
#317
#310
MANTELPIECE VASE WITH THUNDER CHIEF FARMS
“GASSIUS CLAY”
CRAFT A LIVING CANNABLISS SPRING BOUQUET
Set the mood. Open a window. Light palo santo. Put on music that feels like sunlight—KMHD jazz radio is my pick. Think heart-centered crafting, not nervous rushing.
Lay out your offerings. Choose vibrant florals — daisies, roses, dahlias, hydrangeas, wildflowers — paired with fresh-cut Cannabis fan leaves. Arrange them in sections from small to large. Let the plants guide the mood.
Prepare the vessel. Rinse the Mantelpiece Vase. Pour water into the floral chamber while keeping the smoking pathway dry and separate. Don’t have a Mantelpiece Vase? No problem, Leaf Readers enjoy an exclusive savings: Use code LEAF10 upon checkout.
Grounded in green. Trim stems at an angle, and remove leaves below the waterline. Start with greens as your foundation; vary heights to create movement and flow.
Time to bloom. Place flowers in a loose, open shape. Nature doesn’t do symmetry; she does balance. Let some stems rise tall and others fall soft.
Weave in the kush. Fan leaves slide in like sacred feathers, framing the arrangement. Add Cannabis flower last as gemstone accents. Keep buds dry and lifted so their trichomes stay luminous. Our custom Cannabliss Bouquet features Thunder Chief Farms fan leaves and nugs in Gassius Clay.
Bask in your Cannabliss. Rotate the Mantelpiece clockwise, and adjust gently. There should be one slightly wild side that looks like it grew that way on its own.
Keep the blessings blissful. Refresh water daily. Remove fading blooms. Dry fan leaves as keepsakes, like pressed petals from your love.
This DIY guide is an invitation to let Cannabis exist in the open. All you need is a clean Mantelpiece Vase, fresh flowers, a few Cannabis fan leaves, scissors and water.
Happy spring, OGs! Remember, each of us is in the process of elevating and blossoming.
Breakfast in Bud
There are a few items in my pantry that I can eat any time of day, and Nutella happens to be one of them. When I saw Butter had a rosin-infused Hazelnut Spread, I knew it was something I had to try.
At 100 milligrams per jar, the opportunities — on toast for breakfast, on banana slices for a snack or just on its own at dinner — had me excited for a flexible, indulgent edible.
WITH DOSES of 5mg per teaspoon, this may not be ideal for lower-tolerance consumers who find themselves wanting more. For me, piling a healthy spoonful of about 25mg across slices of pineapple was a standout dessert that sent me giggling.
Perfect for a preparty canape or sweet treat when I need a pick-me-up, I felt a serious mood boost that could make even the most dour night feel jovial. The come-up felt smooth and decisive before tipping quickly into a euphoric, happy headspace that made everything around me a little funnier.
What surprised me most about the rosin-infused hazelnut spread was the rich flavor. There was a distinct cocoa note that evoked a slightly more adult treat. It lacked any hint of herbal flavor associated with Cannabis infusions or the bitterness that can come from rosin.
Butter’s Hazelnut Spread was luscious and satin-smooth, with a thick texture that felt close to ganache. As soon as it engulfed my tongue, the flavor landed with a balanced sweetness that never became cloying. This is a confectionery treat through and through.
Drops of Sunshine
During a recent trip to Massachusetts, a friend introduced me to high-potency Levia Drink Drops. Within a few days, the tincture had earned a spot in my daily routine. The versatility is what sold me. I added a few drops to nearly anything, and it instantly infused with no elaborate prep or sticky syrups required.
IN ONE WEEKEND ALONE, we dosed iced lattes during a morning coffee run, spiked smoothies before a work conference and even experimented with infusing a Coca-Cola at dinner. The soda was ambitious and slightly questionable. While the drops are water-soluble, they blend best with something creamy. Coffee with whole milk has been a top contender. THC binds to fat, so mixing it into a fattier drink may make the effects feel more robust.
The Achieve blend, labeled “awake” and “active,” has become my favorite. It is sativa-dominant and tailor-made for daytime use. It inspired a stimulating lift with a slight touch of euphoria, which made creative tasks feel less forced. Focus sharpened. Words flowed more easily. Ideas connected without the usual mental gymnastics. For a neurodivergent brain that frequently oscillates between hyperfocus and distraction, the balance was surprisingly delightful.
Each drop contains about 5 milligrams of full-spectrum THC, making it easy to dial in the right dose. The customization element is especially appealing to dabbers like myself who often find infused beverages underwhelming. One drop offers a gentle lift. Two or three enhance the experience without tipping into excess. Four or more, and even a seasoned consumer could feel a steady buzz that lingers throughout the day.
There are minor compromises. The tincture is a white, milky liquid that may make your drink appear slightly cloudy. But when properly dosed, the flavor is nearly undetectable with virtually no grassy aftertaste.
Overall, what stands out most is how effortlessly Levia’s Drink Drops integrate into daily life. There was no need to carve out a special time to consume. It seamlessly slipped into my morning coffee, daily commute or afternoon workflow. By the time the to-do list was in motion, the day felt less daunting, and focus was heightened.
THE ACHIEVE BLEND, LABELED “AWAKE” AND “ACTIVE,” HAS BECOME MY FAVORITE.
THE FLOWER
FLOWER ISSUE
ROLLING HILLS WELLNESS SOUR DIESEL (WEASEL TREATMENT)
NEW YORK // THERE’S NOTHING MORE NEW YORK than Sour Diesel. For the 30th anniversary of the original 1996 cut, Treatment is blessing the people with her return. This is the real deal. Astringent notes of bitter coffee set the foundation for this skunky-funky sour, which coats the mouth with a puckering, acrid smoke. The fluffy pointed bract structure is as archetypal to Sour Diesel as the high. This functional euphoria is equally suited to creative work, grueling chores or organizational thinking. You may experience an invigorating and focused mindset from this fuel. @rollinghillswellness | Review by Beck Rourke @punkyfunkster2.0
ELECTRALEAF TROP CHERRY
NEW YORK // ELECTRALEAF DESERVES ITS FLOWERS for how on the mark its cut of Trop Cherry is. It presents in a deep purple-red ruby tone cut with streaks of green. The team clearly dials in every element of the grow. The nose opens to a wave of bright citrus blended with sweet cola notes before tingling the sinuses with a clove-laced herbaceous exhale. The effect is often clear, euphoric and mood-lifting, perhaps perfect for picking up your personal pep levels after a long day or before socializing with friends. @electraleafnyc | Review by Jake Kern @jake.s.kern
Photos by Taylor Weinberg @taylordweinberg
ELM CULTIVATION VIETNAMESE LEMONS
MAINE // VIETNAMESE LEMONS hits with a bright citrus flavor that fills your mouth with pucker-inducing juiciness, amplified by a bitter tang on the exhale. This potent citron profile comes from Elm Cultivation’s practice of crossing landrace strains with modern genetics. In this case, Elm crossed a long-harvesting Vietnamese landrace with Lemon Skunk. Like a true long-flowering sativa, this strain is often stimulating and head-forward; it may send your mind buzzing. Many find Vietnamese Lemons ideal for a long creative spell or for knocking out chores around the apartment, but maybe not for smoking before bed. @elm_cultivation | Review by Jake Kern @jake.s.kern
MECHANIC FARMS CRUNCH BERRIES
NEW YORK // IF YOU’RE IN THE ROOM when someone pops open a jar of Crunch Berries, you might think they are pouring a bowl of cereal. The smell of this flower is so eye-poppingly sweet, with the same kind of enveloping draw as fresh blueberry yogurt, brimming with sugar. A truly unique cultivar, this is a cross of Kimber Slice and Sweet Retreat. It could draw you into a mellow, laconic high, best suited for evening relaxation. @the_mechanics_farm.ny Review by Jake Kern @jake.s.kern
Photos by Taylor Weinberg @taylordweinberg
MECHANIC FARMS CHERRY MARKER
NEW YORK // CHERRY MARKER from Mechanic Farms is the unmistakable result of its two parents: Lemon Cherry Gelato and Permanent Marker. The Permanent Marker note jumps out instantly with a nostril-flaring punch, but it is quickly wrapped in a bold, deeply fruity, cherry aroma. The tartness of the cherry is lifted by the Marker’s punchiness, which adds depth to this strain’s aromatic profile. The high may be elevating without being overly stimulating, equally suited for kicking back socially or easing into a relaxed evening. @the_mechanics_farm.ny | Review by Jake Kern @jake.s.kern
Photos by Taylor Weinberg @taylordweinberg
BUDDING BLISS FARMS MACSTOMPER
NEW YORK // MACSTOMPER IS STINKY, sweet and sticky. This beautifully hand-trimmed flower epitomizes the benefits of small-batch farming. The bud doesn’t crumble when squeezed, and it oozes a juicy grape scent. The terpenes up front are sweet and creamy, with a linalool backnote and a low-key funk. Breaking the bud up, my fingers stuck together, and the grind held its shape when rolled. A slick resin ring drips toward the cherry, and the smooth smoke maintains flavor until the very end. I had a top-shelf experience thanks to this legacy-to-legal microbusiness out of Troy, New York. @buddingblissfarm Review & photo by Beck Rourke @punkyfunkster2.0
ROLLING HILLS WELLNESS
30TH ANNIVERSARY DIESEL
(SOUR DIESEL F4) | WEASEL
NEW YORK // BRED FOR BIGGER BUDS with a more commercial-friendly structure, the Anniversary Diesel is like a New York snowbird on a bright sunny Florida morning. Sweet and sour citrus notes dance against a faint burnt-rubber-on-asphalt aroma. Fruit-forward on the inhale with a sour mineral exhale, this F4 anniversary celebration may hit like sunshine in a clear blue sky. @rollinghillswellness Review & photo by Beck Rourke @punkyfunkster2.0
GPS GLASS
GREGORY PAUL SCHEYER
Gregory Paul Scheyer, the artist behind GPS Glass, started life like a lot of us did: with a skateboard. He told the Leaf that defining his own style came from learning and enjoying board sports, from something as simple as how you do a kickflip to finding zen in the mountains on a snowboard. There are no set laws and no national judges, just you and your vision of a clean landing.
“BOLTS” (flawlessly landing a skateboard trick) — that’s what Scheyer desires in his artwork as well. Landing a trick perfectly requires practice and the ability to do it until you are happy with the results. It’s not about who, what, why, when or where; it’s about finding solace in your own mind. When the Leaf asked Scheyer about influences, it started with skating. His friends Michael Nicholson and Mark McCourt were mentors. They skated together, experienced life together and partied together. Fortunately, all of this happened in a “mecca” of contemporary glass art.
Eugene, Oregon, has been a cultural center for the arts and creatives for over half a century. It was here that Bob Snodgrass, the “Godfather of Glass,” put down roots in the 1970s.
The art form has progressed at an amazing pace. Today, you can find dozens of studios, raw material providers and a great education base.
One of these institutions, the Eugene Glass School, is a creative space where Scheyer learned to mold something from his mind that didn’t involve carving a fresh slope or finding the perfect transition. Charles Lowrie was among the first of many teachers that would help encourage Scheyer’s playful disposition and youthful exuberance.
Scheyer said that working on large scale soft glass projects with Charles gave him a broader perspective on the bigger picture. Many can relate to this moment in our lives, when the walls come crashing down to reveal a whole world that was in front of us the whole time. Scheyer hit that slope and is still riding the wave. His style is defined by his execution. You will notice a perfect symmetry in his work. The juxtaposition of his sculptural proportions mixed with the perception of his internal vision always creates something unique and magical for the mind's eye.
“We are all a catalyst
He said he realized part of what drives him is “never being satisfied while at the same time accepting that true perfection isn’t a real thing. But I'd rather do my best and give it all I've got.”
Scheyer has learned from some of the glass masters, including Robert Mickelsen, Carmen Lozar and Roger Parramore. After years of experience, personal growth and Flame Off events, he did some exploring. His travels landed him in Medford, Oregon, about 15 years ago, where he has made a home with his wife, Jenny Calaba.
Continuing to explore his mind and the world around him for inspiration, he never loses sight of the goal to always do better and be the best version of himself.
If you are craving a piece of this master's artwork, check out his website or with your local glass gallery. Keep an eye on his Instagram for updates on openings and drops.
...”
in each other's lives
In his 30s, Scheyer had another enlightenment. “We are all a catalyst in each other's lives, a catalyst of change,” he said. This was brought on by his realization that what we put out into the world affects others.
GPSGLASS.BIGCARTEL.COM | @GPSGLASS
Mechanic Farms
Mechanic Farms’ focus has always been getting New Yorkers access to the highest quality Cannabis. For founder and head cultivator Chris, that mission comes from his first time smoking as a teenager. At a time when your strain choices were some weed or none, Chris’ first smoke, rolled in notebook paper, is the opposite of
When talking about how his years catering to a more selective consumer base impacted his grow today, Chris told me his focus is all
“I want the consumer to know exactly what they’re smoking and what the genetics mean,” he said. “If they know a cross tastes like one parent or both parents, then when they’re in the mood for something, they can say, ‘That cross was great’ or ‘That strain was great,’ and they can start looking for other crosses they might find the tension between
categories consumers recognize.
“wants to drop super fresh flowers for rec, but there are so many things slowing you down or stopping you. You get put in a queue with hundreds of other people waiting for testing, and you can hit backups, like three weeks or a month, and then it’s not as fresh as you’d want
Mechanic Farms has stayed committed to the same mission: quality over everything. While legal markets can be like a race to the lowest price for producers, Mechanic Farms is a proof point that craft Cannabis has a clear lane: selling out, even on the top shelf.
MATT ROSENSWEIG
If you step into your local dispensary and see Matt Rosensweig standing next to a decorated table with a smile on his face, and you ask him what he’s doing, he’ll tell you that he’s there “spreading the love for District Cannabis.”
WORKING AS a brand ambassador, promoting and educating people about any Cannabis-related topic requires not only a wealth of knowledge but also an effective way to communicate this information that anyone can understand. Carrying a passion for Cannabis and an enthusiasm to help a stranger, all Rosensweig needed to do was wait for someone to walk through the door, and he could get to work.
“I love making people happy, I love having that interaction,” he said. “We’re in the Cannabis industry; nobody should be frowning.”
Rosensweig was born and raised in Pikesville and attended Towson University after graduating high school, earning a degree in psychology. “I love interactions with people and what goes in people’s minds,” he said. Fresh out of college in 2007, Rosensweig took a position working with Child Protective Services in Baltimore.
“My parents always told me growing up you care more about others than you do yourself,” he said, adding that all of the jobs he’s worked since he was 14 have been customer service-based, McDonald’s and summer camps among them. With CPS, he said it’s the “most rewarding, toughest job you’ll ever have.”
Ten years into his tenure with CPS, Rosensweig enrolled in a master’s program at the University of Maryland’s School of Social Work through the department and graduated with his Master of Social Work degree in 2018.
Working remotely was a strange transition at first, Rosensweig said, due to the contrast of being out in the field and interacting with people in the city to talking to someone on a screen multiple times a day.
“I did Uber and Lyft on the side just so I can get my people interaction,” he said. “I can’t sit anywhere all day, my ADD won’t let me.”
In 2024, Rosensweig was laid off from his remote position. He knew he wanted to get into the Cannabis industry at some point, but it was a bit more challenging with where he was at the time. He said with other coworkers also being laid off, a lot of them would be looking for the same type of job, motivating him to look at something in the Cannabis industry. Upon hearing that District Cannabis was looking for a brand ambassador, he interviewed for the job and got hired, moving back to Maryland a short time later.
After 15 years of service with CPS and earning his master’s degree, Rosensweig felt he needed a change of scenery. Luckily, a friend had recently moved to Houston and offered to help him find work pertaining to his master’s degree.
He was offered a remote position doing social work for a hospital in the area while still living in Maryland, so he decided to pack his stuff and move to Texas in 2022.
Reflecting on the move, he said, “I don’t want to go back on my life and wonder what if.”
“I said, ‘Screw you guys, I’m going home,’” he said, laughing as he quoted Eric Cartman from “South Park.” “I’ve always had an interest in Cannabis. I wanted to learn what aspects make it help you,” adding that he wrote papers while in his master’s program about the benefits medical marijuana could bring to Maryland.
Rosensweig first tried Cannabis when he was 18 after being introduced to it by his best friend. From there, he said he’s been in love since the first hit. In addition to helping with anxiety and stress, Cannabis has also greatly reduced the severity of the hand tremors he's had since he was a kid.
Rosensweig is constantly on the move in this role with District Cannabis. While there is no “normal” day, he credits his previous job experience — particularly his time in CPS — for helping him handle the ebb and flow that comes with working in a different spot every day.
“That job really opened me up to seeing how different the world actually is, how people live differently than I do,” he said. “But still, at the end of the day, I’m helping people, but in way different capacities.”
Even though he’s been in the industry for less than a year, Rosensweig said his goal is to learn every kind of position in the industry in an effort to not only be the best brand ambassador for the company he’s with, but industry-wide across Maryland and beyond. Being a visual learner, he said, creating and participating in content for Instagram and TikTok became a big part of helping him to get his work a larger reach.
“I got five months in the industry, and I’m nominated for Brand Ambassador of the Year,” he said. “I studied brand ambassadors before I started this job, and I wanted to do something completely different than what everyone else was. I want to be that guy.”
While his method of consumption varies, Rosensweig’s go-to strain is something heavy in myrcene or caryophyllene with some purple hues in its buds. This combo helps relax him, he said, adding he only resorts to smoking something with more energizing terpenes like pinene or terpinolene if he has a larger task to do.
Rosensweig and his brother often communicate with each other through quoting different movies and television, admitting that watching a lot of comedy — specifically “The Three Stooges” and anything starring Chris Farley — helped shape his bubbly, outgoing personality. When asked what quote would best describe his journey, one that came to mind is from Michael Scott in “The Office”: “Sometimes I’ll start a sentence, and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.”
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
2
1
1
2
1
Serving
MOROCCAN STYLE CHICKEN WINGS
Serving size: 4 wings
tablespoons garam masala Pinch cayenne (optional)
1/2
2 tablespoons canna-oil Chopped fresh cilantro
WINGS
1. Prepare wings like steps 1-4 in the teriyaki recipe.
2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, pomegranate molasses, papaya juice, garam masala, cayenne, canna-oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
3. Cook the sauce until it thickens. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. Once cooked, transfer wings to a large bowl. Pour sauce over the wings, and toss to coat evenly.
5. Arrange wings on a tray, and spoon over any leftover sauce. Garnish with cilantro.
1.
Slowly whisk in the canna-oil and olive oil, and mix well.
3. Cook the sauce until it thickens. Remove from heat.
4. Once cooked, transfer wings to a large bowl. Toss with the sauce. 5. Arrange wings on a tray, and spoon over any leftover sauce. Garnish with cheese and parsley.
When I asked a random sampling of Facebook friends what they most wanted to snack on for 420, the answer was loud and clear: wings. I’m currently enjoying cooking with sativa-dominant Crater Lake by Pruf Cultivar. It’s perfect for staying focused, excited and ready for some safe, legal 420 fun.
TERIYAKI STYLE CHICKEN WINGS
Serving Size: 4 wings
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Rinse the chicken wings and pat them dry. Cut off wing tips and discard. Separate wings at joints into 2 pieces.
3. Toss wings with vegetable oil, and spread out on baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn wings over and bake an additional 15 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted registers 150 F.
5. While wings are baking, in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, lime juice, hoisin sauce, ketchup, coconut sugar, white wine vinegar, ginger, garlic powder, chili powder and canna-oil.
6. Cook the sauce until it thickens, but do not go above a gentle simmer. Preserve the terpenes. Remove from heat.
7. Once cooked, transfer wings to a large bowl. Pour sauce over the wings, and toss to coat evenly.
8. Arrange wings on a tray, and spoon over any leftover sauce. Garnish with cashews and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.
Winning Wings
HOW CANNABIS INSPIRES
WOOKWEAR MICHELLE GALLAGHER
Next month is Leaf’s annual Glass Issue, so we thought we’d get a jump on it by visiting an artist whose work runs hand in hand with heady glass pieces.
USING UPCYCLED, modern, vintage and custom fabrics, Michelle Gallagher tailors custom pouches and bags for the fashionable stoner. Her brand Wook Wear creates cozy homes for those expensive marbles, dab tools and glass pendants. She also sews custom bags and has collaborated with names like Trevy Metal, trulyredpanda, Mike Gong and Bubba’s Face.
Although Gallagher said she made art for most of her life, it wasn’t until the pandemic — when she lost her job, and her boyfriend bought her a sewing machine — that she started Wook Wear and took it full time.
Since then, she’s created 1/1 couture out of everything from vintage Pendleton to fabrics imported from Africa. Gallagher’s main inspiration comes from both the textile feel of something and its rarity. She said that lately she’s been loving the challenge of working with rare and hard-to-find fabrics, finding that having less to work with means more focus on what she can make.
Gallagher isn’t just one of Portland’s many incredible artists; she’s also a part of Main Circle Studios, a collection of creative heavy hitters in the glass scene. Over in her personal studio, you’ll find organized piles of colorful trim and stacks of fabrics.
“I try to keep everything organized, but I get stoned and start pulling out everything I want to use, and it piles up pretty quickly,” she said.
When asked how Cannabis interacts with her work, Gallagher said, “I, for sure, take a few
goodbye dabs before I hit the studio to get creative, then I use it as a reward for getting parts of a project done. I don’t smoke inside my studio, but I can hear all my studio mates through the wall, so I know when a sesh is starting. I’ll make that my reason to finish what I was working on so I can go take a dab break.”
When the break is over, and she gets
“I TRY TO KEEP EVERYTHING ORGANIZED, BUT I GET STONED AND START PULLING OUT EVERYTHING I WANT TO USE, AND IT PILES UP PRETTY QUICKLY.”
back behind her sewing machine, Gallagher said she listens to a ton of Notion — calling it “the best music ever” — as well as the “Are You Garbage?” podcast. “It’s two comedians asking other comedians questions about how they grew up to see if you’re trashy or classy,” she said.
Page Burner
One of the most beautiful things about smoking flower is the way it invites us to slow down and create a sense of ritual.
Naturally, Leaf Magazines’ Flower Issue book pick needed to be a great companion to that moment.
THINK ABOUT how you grind up your flower, deeply inhale its aroma and feel the texture of the buds between your fingertips as you roll. This ceremony is exactly the space Sarah Wilson explores in “This One Wild and Precious Life.” Her approach to presence centers on returning to “wild practices,” which are simple, intentional acts that reconnect us to ourselves, each other and the natural world. Not through productivity hacks or the quest for perfection, but through conscious acts of awareness, community and creativity. One of these wild practices that resonated deeply with me is Wilson’s call to “become a soul nerd” through a connection with the arts — whether that be classical music, visual arts, poetry or longform reading. She describes carving out sacred time for this long reading that becomes ritualistic, much like packing a bowl or rolling up with intention:
“Reading deep articles and nonfiction, as well as good literature, cultivates focus and reprograms our neurons.”
“Reading deep articles and nonfiction, as well as good literature, cultivates focus and reprograms our neurons. …You might like to try my approach. I set aside time. Sunday afternoons work for me. I take that lull period between morning social activity or chores and the end-of-weekend dialing down and own it. I carve out an hour and sit on the couch. I made a pot of tea. It’s a ritual. It must be a ritual.” Add your favorite strain, and the scene is set. This is a fast-paced read that you can easily follow with a stoney headspace. Wilson tackles feelings of modern disconnection with head-on honesty and offers grounded ways to combat it. Her conversational writing tone feels more like a wise friend who’s done some wandering and comes back with a notebook full of stories and a little dust on her boots. Happy reading and reflecting, page burners!
This One Wild and Precious Life
The Path Back to Connection in a Fractured World by Sarah Wilson
Published by Harper Collins @_sarahwilson_
The Dogfather
If there were a Cannabis genetics hall of fame, Chemdog would stand proudly alongside classics like Skunk #1, Original Haze and Northern Lights as one of history’s cornerstone cultivars. Remarkably, this gassy hybrid with an intense aroma and cerebral high would likely have faded into obscurity had it not been for a lucky teenager who stumbled upon it in a Grateful Dead parking lot by the name of Greg “Chemdog” Krzanowski.
A HEAD OF HIS TIME
Greg Krzanowski was born on March 19, 1973, in North Hampton, Massachusetts. He grew up in a good family and spent his junior high years racing ATVs ... that is, until he discovered Cannabis.
and Chong movies came out, and for some reason I re ally loved them,” he said. “I swear that’s what influenced me to get to where I am today.”
seventh grade, but didn’t get high because “it was basi cally brick weed — probably like 5% THC back then.” It wasn’t until high school that he developed a true appre ciation for the herb, as well as for the Grateful Dead. At 16, he attended his first Dead show — July 2, 1989, at Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts — and he was blown away.
parking lot, the music, the experiences … how it all made you feel,” he said. “And I realized, holy crap — this is the mecca of freaking good weed! At the Dead show you can find this stuff called ‘kind bud.”
HIGH AS A DOG
In June 1991, Krzanowski spent some of his graduation gift cash on Dead tickets and followed the tour for the summer. It was at one of these shows — on June 6 at the Deer Creek Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana — that he’d have an encounter that would change the course of his life. For it was at that fateful concert, while cruising Shakedown Street in search of smoke, that he met a couple of hippie dealers from Colorado named Joe “B” Brand and Mike “P-Bud” Nee. They were selling some killer kind called Dogbud — allegedly because it made you “roll over like a dog” after you smoked it — which they also referred to as “Chem Weed” because it tasted so strong that Nee assumed the grower “must have pumped so much chemicals” into it.
“It was the best pot I’d ever seen in my life,” Krzanowski reminisced. “It was so green, it smelled so nice and skunky. Then they packed a bowl, and I tasted it, and it hit me like kryptonite!”
He paid $125 for a quarter-ounce — the most they would sell anyone due to high demand. He was so impressed by the buds that he asked for their phone numbers so he could stay in touch.
HAIR OF THE DOG THAT BIT YOU
Upon returning home in August, Krzanowski called them and arranged to purchase another ounce of Dogbud for $500. When it arrived in the mail, he was elated to discover 13 seeds in the bag.
“I was so thrilled … I was like, ‘Wow, I think I just hit the lottery,’” he told Cannabis & Tech Today in 2011.
Within weeks, he’d rented an apartment and set up his closet grow
— purchasing a small hydroponic setup called Emily’s Garden System and a 250 HPS light from the nearby garden supply store Worm’s Way. He then planted four of the 13 seeds, along with two brick weed seeds. For his new East Coast batch of killer bud, Krzanowski combined its two previous names into one, rechristening it “Chemdog.” One of the Dogbud seeds turned out to be a male, which he discarded (a rookie mistake he regrets in retrospect), along with another dud he tagged “Chemdog B”. By late December, his remaining plants — “Chemdog” (Chem 91) and “Chemdog A” (Chem’s Sister) — were ready to harvest.
TOP DOG
At just 18 years old, Krzanowski was now the sole caretaker of one of the most potent and flavorful Cannabis cultivars in the country. Using clones from his Chem 91 mother plant, he began “pounding out” crops of kind bud, some of which he’d take on Dead tours with him to sell.
During these tours, Krzanowski also began buying pipes from glassblowing icon Bob Snodgrass, some of which he’d resell back in Massachusetts. In 1993, he spent two weeks in Oregon studying under Snodgrass, becoming the first glass pipe maker in Massachusetts. Then in 1994, he made his first trip to Amsterdam to attend the High Times Cannabis Cup, where he purchased around $2,000 worth of seeds to smuggle home.
In the late ’90s, Krzanowski moved into a larger space and scaled up his operation. He also honed his breeding skills — stabilizing the Chemdog genetics and developing his own strain, the ill-fated Dog Daze. In 2001, he popped three more of those original Dogbud seeds, producing Chem C (discarded), Chem D and Chem E (also discarded).
As word about Chemdog spread, demand skyrocketed — not just in Massachusetts but throughout the Northeast. Adopting the name of his strain as his own, “Chem” began making periodic runs down to New York City, where he could move his flower fast. Naturally, his first stop was typically the High Times offices, where the staff would often clean him out within minutes.
IN THE DOGHOUSE
Sadly, Chemdog’s cultivation career came to a dramatic end at around 10 a.m. on August 2, 2011, when 30-35 law enforcement officers simultaneously raided both his home in Southampton and his parents’ house in Easthampton (whose top floor housed his grow, unbeknownst to them). Apparently, the IRS, DEA and state narcotics unit had been watching him for months — likely because one of his associates had turned informant.
“I got ratted on by a guy named Rezdog,” he revealed at last year’s Flower Expo. “He’d gotten Gypsy Nirvana and a bunch of other people in trouble. He’d been to the house and gotten clones, so … that was the conclusion we came to.”
According to reports, police seized 9 pounds of herb and 97 plants with an estimated street value of $150,000. They also confiscated his Winchester .22 caliber rifle and a Tupperware container in his freezer that held his entire seed collection — including the last original Dogbud seeds.
He was originally charged with cultivation, possession with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm without a federal identification card and tax evasion, which, taken together, could have landed him up to 20 years in prison. Luckily, his lawyer negotiated a plea deal that avoided prison time. In October 2012, Krzanowski pled guilty to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and three counts of money laundering (he’d made three $800 cash deposits into one of his bank accounts).
“Between the Chemdog and the OG, those two strains pretty much paved the way to contemporary Cannabis.”
“They wanted me to do five years’ probation and forfeit $500,000,” Chem told me. “I said, ‘I don’t have that kind of money.’ But I’d just sold the new house that I’d built, so I had like $310,000 in equity from the house that was held in escrow, and they said, ‘We’ll just take that.’”
On January 14, 2013, he was sentenced to three years’ probation, a $2,500 fine and forfeiture of $300,000. And since 4 pounds of weed were found in the trunk of his car, they confiscated that too.
“They took me for everything,” he lamented. “I had no money, and I had to piss in a cup every month for over a year. It sucked.”
STONER, INTERRUPTED
Now 39 and sober, Krzanowski had to start over from scratch — moving into an apartment with his fiancee and son and figuring out new ways to earn a living. Though he couldn’t grow or sell weed, he wanted to keep the Chemdog name alive. So in 2011, he traded me a few ounces of Chem D to design him an official logo, which he then copyrighted and used to produce an array of cool swag. He also rekindled his old passion for glassblowing — relighting his torch for the first time in a decade and cranking out a cavalcade of fantastic functional glassware. Fortunately, thanks to good behavior, Chem was able to get off probation after just a year and a half, but continued his herbal hiatus for at least another year after. It wasn’t until Massachusetts legalized Cannabis for adult use in December 2016 that he really felt comfortable smoking and handling the plant again.
THE DOG’S PEDIGREE
Thankfully, Chemdog’s genetics lived on through the friends he’d entrusted with clones, such as Montana’s Luck Dog Cannabis Co., Illinois-based IC Collective and NYC’s Top Dawg Seeds (who changed the spelling from “Dog” to “Dawg” to distinguish their genetics from Chem’s original cultivars). Thanks to their work with those clones, we now have incredible strains like Motorbreath, Headband, GMO and, most famously, Sour Diesel — supposedly a cross between Chem 91 and Diesel, which itself was allegedly an accidental cross between Chem 91 and either Super Skunk or Northern Lights. Legend has it that OG Kush is also an offspring of Chemdog — a rumor that Krzanowski denies, though he believes they are definitely related. What can’t be denied is the massive impact these cultivars have had.
“I want to say strongly that between the Chemdog and the OG, those two strains pretty much paved the way to contemporary Cannabis,” Chem avers.
As for Chemdog itself, its origins remain a mystery. Joe B said that he procured the original Dogbud from a biker in Crested Butte, and that it was allegedly grown in Oregon’s Camas Valley. But as for its lineage, theories abound: Some speculate that it came from an Afghan landrace; others that it originated from a rare Skunk phenotype; still others — including Chem himself — believe it may be descended from Northern Lights.
We may never know Chemdog’s true origin; what we do know, however, is that it’s become one of the most iconic strains in history. In fact, when bioengineering company Medicinal Genomics decided to map the genomes of Cannabis plants, the first one they analyzed was Chemdog.
EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY
Today, Chemdog serves as director of cultivation at Canna Provisions — growing around 20 of his namesake strains and their descendants for retail sale under the Smash Hits Cannabis brand in his home state of Massachusetts.
What’s more, his Cannabis career’s connection with the Grateful Dead has come full circle: Nate Duval, the local artist who designs Smash Hits’ packaging, also designed concert posters and album covers for the Dead. Jay Lane, the drummer for Dead & Co., has been spotted wearing Chemdog tees during performances. And most exciting, when Jerry Garcia’s family and Dead drummer Mickey Hart decided to launch their own Cannabis brands, both tapped into Dead lot lore to select Chemdog as their first offerings.
Most recently, he partnered with five other legacy breeders to launch Arcana Collective — an organization dedicated to preserving heritage Cannabis genetics and providing them to the public from their authentic sources.
After three decades of hustling, and having his life nearly destroyed, Chemdog is finally enjoying the spotlight with no fear or regrets.
“I think that getting in trouble put me in the position where I am now … to do what I want to do, and do it legally,” he told Cannabis & Tech Today. “I can’t ask for much more.”
