Letter from the Editor

When we first started creating the vision that would become Green Eugene, it went without saying that at some point, we were going to have to tackle the conversation of incarceration in order to accurately cover the full scope of the industry and do it justice.

It’s so easy to become engulfed in the progressive bubble that is Oregon cannabis culture that consumers can forget the harsh realities of an industry borne from the war on drugs. In order to continue to make positive progress, it’s a conversation we have to have, both as individuals and as a larger community.

We cannot move forward as an industry, as a society, without addressing the deeply ingrained systematic issues and institutions that actively cause harm to minority populations and people of color in Oregon, and across the states. As we thought about how to tackle such a wide reaching and complex topic, we found the best way to begin to address those issues with our platform at Green Eugene was through conversation and education.

Photographers

Alice Yeager

Megan McEntee

Skyla Patton

Gino Savaria

Gustavo Del Real Figueroa

Kaylynn Wohl

Cover photo taken by Gustavo Del Real Figueroa

Staffers have worked around the clock on these stories for nearly four months, dedicating huge amounts of time and energy to ensure that each piece was thorough, accurate and properly representative to the best extent possible. As editor, it was nothing short of incredible to watch them work and see firsthand how much resolve and passion they poured into their reporting; and that work became evident in the smallest of details as the magazine came together piece by piece.

Now, four years after Green Eugene’s inception, we finally had the team, the time and the resources to do this issue proper justice—so we went for it. And I’m so glad we did.

Enter: The Incarceration Edition. Let’s get into it.

President And Publisher

Bill Kunerth

VP of Operations

Kathy Carbone

Designers

Emily Fox

Zoe Hardister

Ben Jensen

Maegan McCoy

Layna Beale

Giullian Galindo

Maya Merrill

Makenna Lloyd published by Emerald Media Group | 1395 University St. Suite 302 | Eugene, OR 97403

Director of Sales & Digital Marketing

Shelly Rondestvedt

Creative Director

Sam Rudkin

Student Sales Manager

Patrick McCumber

Account Executives

Riley Valle

Amy Menendez

Keaton Roberts

Kevin Sullivan

Jen Caplan

Melanie Lopez

Thank you for reading Green Eugene. Please note that our publication and site spotlights content about substances that are illegal under federal law and under state law as well in certain places. We do not promote, advocate or condone illicit drug use. All content produced by Green Eugene is for educational and entertainment purposes only.

It’s the middle of winter. The sky is gray and the roads are mucked with mud and trash. An unknown residue is lining the sides of your favorite pair of rain boots and it almost seems like a sign to stay in, snuggle up, and share a bowl and some stories with friends. Well let me give you a tale that you can add to your roster...

Ever heard of the legendary “Godfather of Grass” and his classic hybrid strain Kentucky Bluegrass?

Johnny Boone, otherwise known as the Godfather of Grass, is a legendary figure in the weed smuggling world. As a oncebeen leader of the “Cornbread Mafia,” a rural Kentucky-based drug organization that grew 29 large illicit cannabis farms in 10 states, Boone obtained an intense following and was looked up to by many. After a mass arrest of the mafia in June of 1989 with over 70 arrests and 47 tons of confiscated cannabis from the site, the U.S. attorney in Louisville coined the Cornbread Mafia as the “largest domestic marijuana syndicate in American history.”

After the arrests of the Cornbread Mafia, Boone included, law enforcements believed this to have a positive impact on the community. However, after Boone was released and then arrested once more in 2017, the Godfather of Grass began to publicly defend the Cornbread Mafia and his crewmates.

“We’re from a poor place... I don’t think anybody here is into any kind of thievery. I can only say that ... in our area, marijuana is one of the things that