Here Weed Go!: Recent Episodes
Here Weed Go!
The Here Weed Go! podcast aims to educate the canna-curious, informing the unfamiliar about the culture surrounding cannabis, while still engaging the initiated with the latest news surrounding this exciting industry, all while fostering an atmosphere of inclusion and spotlighting those who have laid the groundwork for the cannabis community we know today.
I want to thank my very last Here Weed Go! (At least when it comes to the Arizona Daily Star edition) guest Sean Williams for coming onto the show. Read his story Purple Haze in Harper's Magazine too!
We actually spent most of October and the beginning of November trying to figure out how to make our interview work, because Sean lives full-time down in Australia, and of course, on top of walking around upside down, the Aussies are like 18 hours ahead in the future, or something like that.
But it was great to finally get to sit down and talk with Sean, and hear about what it takes to really get into reporting there, on the spot, on the scene. Not to make a direct comparison to what Sean does, because he has to travel to far away lands into literal war zones or occupied territories, but I’ll be doing a lot of on the spot reporting in my new job.
To start, beginning on January 16, I'll begin my new broadcast television career as a multimedia reporter for KGUN9 here in Tucson. That means pre-recorded stories and live-on-camera look-ins for me. I'll be making my living off the evening news, as Don Henley might say.
So, if you live in the Tucson area and have cable television, you'll actually be seeing a lot more of me. It just won't be all weed, all the time.
And I am OK with that. But I will miss this job, this role, forever. There won't be a day that I won't have some memory of this magical one year and eight months jogged.
My move to TV of course means that, as of 11:01 p.m. on January 11, 2024 I am no longer an employee of Lee Enterprises or the Arizona Daily Star, and thus no longer the host of Here Weed Go! and curator of TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.
At least, for now, anyways.
While the name "Here Weed Go!" and all the episodes, content and stories I created under that name will forever be the property of Lee Enterprises, I haven't completely closed the door to producing, hosting, editing and distributing an interview-based podcast focused on the cannabis industry on my own.
In fact, I have a few episodes saved I will eventually release, perhaps here under the Here Weed Go! banner or under a new, spiritually related banner.
When I’m ready to establish that new show back in the cannabis space, you’ll know about it. Especially if you follow me on Instagram at @ReporterEddieTravels.
In the meantime, for the next few months, I just need to commit myself to some other moving parts in my new role on television, reporting live and making mini-news-documentaries 3-to-5 nights a week before taking on the podcast mantle again, though I love it dearly.
But to all my friends out there in the Tucson and Phoenix cannabis community, don't worry: I'll still be out at all the AZCannafriends events and vendor fairs that I can, and I will still be looking for a great story to let Tucson know about.
Before I close this out, I want to give a shout out to a few people, the ones who really made this crazy experiment possible.
To my mother (and first real guest!), Samantha Longenbaugh, thank you so much for always being a fan of the show and everything I do. There were many phone calls you told me to keep my head up and spirit high, and they all paid off with, what is up to now, the best job I've ever had. And you were the best guest I ever ended up interviewing.
To Yvanna Cancela, I owe you so much for introducing me to the Las Vegas cannabis community before MJBiz in 2022. You were the first person to really give me the idea to mix my weed and travel stories, and I will forever be grateful for that.
To Chris Law and Pascal Albright, your efforts to edit my rambling question/answer sessions into coherent, cogent interviews will always be appreciated. Especially now that I do all that editing of said rambling myself! The industry is small, so here's to working together again sometime in the future.
And finally, my biggest thanks are reserved for my former editor-in-chief and biggest professional advocate: Jill Jorden Spitz. Jill, thank you so damn much for taking a chance on cannabis content here at The Star, and thank you so much for taking a chance on me.
Before I somehow stumbled into what I once called "The Best Job in The World," I was working the breaking news beat, the very same beat I'll be leaving Thursday.
I had pitched an idea for a pot podcast earlier, but word about development on such a project seemed to have stalled.
Dissatisfied with the role at The Star, I pursued an offer to become a business reporter in Austin, Texas, and was deciding between staying or leaving.
A few hours after being offered the job in Texas, Jill called me to let me know she had approval from corporate to run with the podcast idea. It was all a go, if I wanted it.
Although the pay in Austin would have been higher, and the nightlife more my speed, I knew what my answer was going to be. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to cover cannabis becoming legal in my home sate.
It was going to be the best job in the world.
And it was.
"We're gonna change the world," I told her.
I hope, with this crazy project of mine, I at least changed your world in some way.
If I did, or you want to hear what I'm up to in my new job, you can email me at epcelaya@gmail.com
And don't forget, keep smoking and proving them wrong. Here Weed Go!
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How's it growing folks?! Welcome to yet another pre-holiday episode of Here Weed Go! I'm your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis reporter, for now, with the Arizona Daily Star and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.
Before I introduce my guest for this episode, I want to remind you all to follow Here Weed Go! on all the social media pages, which I've left links for in this episode's description, found anywhere you stream or download Here Weed Go! from.
I've also included some links to some of my personal pages and content, which will make more sense in two weeks when I make my big announcement.
Anyway, back to this episode: A few months ago (yes, this is another of my interviews from my "lost summer") when Twitter (or 'X' as it's known now) was making a bit of a splash by allowing cannabis and cannabis-adjacent companies advertise on the platform.
Well, after finding out what set Twitter apart at the time, I figured I might as well dive into the outrageous online world of cannabis advertising.
To help me get a toke of what's up, I turned to Brendan Duane, co-founder and chief technology officer of Rank Really High.
Rank Really High bills itself as the number one Cannabis Dispensary Ecommerce Website and Digital Marketing provider, and it helps companies and brands with everything from building out their websites to optimizing their search engine optimization presence.
In our conversation, Duane and I touch on how he got into the cannabis industry, where the idea for Rank Really High came from, and just what needs to happen in order for weed to truly make it online...
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! Welcome to another of my MJBizCon2024 Here Weed Go! episodes. I'm your host of this crazy cannabis podcast, Eddie Celaya.
Before I introduce my guest for this episode, I want to remind you all to follow the Here Weed Go! social media pages for a ton of upcoming exclusive content. I also want to let you sign up for the Here Weed Go! (now weekly, again) newsletter.
And I'll even add some links to my personal social media if you're interested in seeing my traveling antics around the globe, with my next stops being Mexico City, Cincinnati, Ohio and Phoenix, Arizona.
Now, for this episode, I wanted to get a little update on the cannabis testing and regulation industry, and how the year has gone for the sector as a whole.
To do that, I got in touch with Tyler Williams, the CEO of ASI Food Safety and founder of Cannabis Safety and Quality.
In our conversation, Williams and I talk about the niche that he developed Cannabis Quality and Safety in, what the company looks at when auditing a lab or cannabis grow and how his background in food safety, pharmaceuticals and other industries has helped him in looking at the fast developing cannabis world.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! Welcome to another one of my podcast-episode-a-day editions of Here Weed Go!
I'm your host Eddie Celaya, the cannabis, marijuana and hemp reporter out here at TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com and the Arizona Daily Star.
Tonight my guest is Nick Guarino, the CEO of Naturae, a brand that's beginning to make waves out in the New York market.
In our conversation, Guarino and I touch on a wide range of topics, from New York's less than ideal rollout of its recreational cannabis program, to the potential pitfalls and positives of federal legalization, to how Guarino's family's background in managing livestock has helped him in the cannabis industry.
MORE INFO
More on Nick Guarino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-guarino-43939b103/
More on Naturae: https://naturaenewyork.com/
More Here Weed Go! podcasts: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
More Here Weed Go! and Tucson Marijuana Guide content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! Welcome to what's about to be a whirlwind of Here Weed Go! episodes before the New Year. I've set an early resolution to get this backlog of episodes out, and the goal is one episode released a day from now until January 11.
The significance of that date will make sense as I get closer and closer to it, and there will be a few announcement's made before the New Year, if all goes to plan.
To meet that goal, many of these new episodes will have minimal guest introductions and outros, with the focus being back on the interviews themselves.
Anyway, before I get into this episode, I want to let you know you can keep following me, your host Eddie Celaya, on Instagram and keep following Here Weed Go! and it's page there as well. Any big announcements about the future of the podcast, newsletter and my career will be posted there first.
Oh, and don't forget to like, share and subscribe to Here Weed Go! wherever it is you stream it from.
I've provided links to everything Here Weed Go! related, so be sure to click it and subscribe!
This episode features my interview with Red Clover managing director Jen L'Estrange.
As a veteran of large, corporate human resource firms, L'Estrange decided to go another route and now works with small-to-medium sized companies in rapidly developing industries.
"Rapidly developing" is certainly one way to characterize the cannabis industry, and Red Clover specializes in helping businesses within the space become more nimble and ready for employment in an increasingly regulated environment.
Our conversation begins with with L'Estrange explaining just what Red Clover is and does...
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How's it growing folks!? Welcome to the first of many MJBizCon2023 Here Weed Go! episodes!
MJBizCon is billed as the world's largest cannabis conference, and it's a perfect opportunity to network, check out the latest technology and score some of the best interviews of the industry's biggest movers and shakers.
But, in order to get the very best sound quality for my first interview, I decided to record this one over zoom a few days before the event.
And since I wanted to go big for Las Vegas, I figured starting with a celebrity interview would be best.
So I reached out to the PR agency connected to two of the biggest names in cannabis podcasting right now: Xzibit and Tammy the Cannabis Cutie.
If you grew up with 90s and 2000s hip-hop or were a fan of Pimp My Ride, you are probably familiar with Mr. X to the Z, and if you’re active on social media and wanting to stay up to date on just about anything cannabis related, you’ve definitely crossed Tammy’s digital path as well.
Along with both being prominent within the cannabis community individually, the two are the hosts of the new cannabis-infused podcast “Lasagna Ganja.” The show highlights and explores the growing industry that is cannabis along with owners/operators, growers, celebrities/influencers, and lawmakers who shape the world within the cannabis space.
Our wide ranging conversation touches on both X's and Tammy's love for cannabis, why Tammy believes decriminalization of cannabis is preferable to re-scheduling, Xzibit's cannabis line Napalm, and what listeners can expect from a show like Lasagna Ganja.
The interview begins with both recounting their first time trying cannabis...
MORE INFO
For more about the Lasagna Ganja podcast: https://www.dcpofficial.com/lasagnaganja
For more episodes of Here Weed Go!, newsletter content, TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com content and social media sites: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome to the first of a few Thanksgiving Week episodes of Here Weed Go! I’m, your host Eddie Celaya, the cannabis reporter with TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.
Before I get going I want to remind you all that Here Weed Go! is more than a podcast: it’s print and online content, videos and a twice-monthly newsletter filled with tons of exclusive content.
If you want access to all that and Here Weed Go! (and my own) social media pages, I’ve included a link in this podcast episodes description, which you can click on wherever you stream or download Here Weed Go! from.
For this episode I decided to take a look at a side of the cannabis media that’s close to my heart: the podcast industry!
As someone who literally does EVERYTHING to make this show happen, I wanted to let you all know what goes into making a podcast really work.
While I’m pretty happy with how well Here Weed Go! has done over 72 episodes, I wanted to reach out and speak with someone who has an even more established show.
Enter David Mantey, Editorial Director of Digital Media at Industrial Media and host of the Cannabis Equipment New Podcast.
Without stealing too much of the following interview's thunder, Mantey, who comes from a background of business-to-business trade publications, began covering cannabis the same way he approached the manufacturing industry.
However, during the pandemic, interviews that he began to record over Zoom eventually morphed into a podcast (the aforementioned Cannabis Equipment News Podcast, in fact) and video series that now has over 120 episodes to its name.
Clearly, he’s found an approach that works, even in a prohibitionist state like Wisconsin.
In our conversation, Mantey and I touch on how his sister’s experience battling cancer by using cannabis-based medicine helped shape his view on the plant, how he and his partners ended up starting Industrial Media, and what it takes to produce a podcast that stands out in the crowded field of cannabis media.
Our conversation begins with Mantey talking about his first experiences with cannabis…
MORE INFO
For more info on Industrial Media: https://www.ien.com/
For more on Cannabis Equipment New Podcast: https://www.cannabisequipmentnews.com/podcast
For more Here Weed Go! content, including links for all podcast episodes, TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com stories and to sign up for the twice monthly Here Weed Go! newsletter: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks! Welcome back again to Here Weed Go! my friends. It’s the national podcast hoping to shed light on some of the forgotten issues surrounding cannabis, the country’s fastest growing cash crop.
I’m your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis reporter at TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com, and before I get into the heart of this very important episode, I want to remind you all that if you enjoy Here Weed Go!, please leave a review, a like or comment wherever it is you stream or download the podcast from, and be sure to subscribe to the podcast and my twice monthly Here Weed Go! newsletter.
I’ve left links to all that and more in this episodes description, so check it all out and feel free to reach out to me on my social media or at ecelaya@tucson.com.
So, today’s episode is personal for my guest, Alicia Deals. You might remember that I had Alicia on the podcast about a year and a half ago to talk a little about winning one of the state of Arizona’s social equity recreational retail cannabis licenses.
Long story short, Alicia found a partner in Cookies, the dispensary chain brand headquartered out of San Francisco, California, and opened the first and so far only Cookies branded dispensary in Arizona in June.
We touch a bit on how things have gone in getting the shop up and running, but the focus of our interview is on Alicia’s father, Robert Deals, who is currently in his 10th year (of an 18-year sentence) of incarceration in Yuma, Arizona on cannabis-related charges.
But, there is hope.
First, Deals will be before the court soon to appeal his sentence, with a chance that he could be released. And second, from a Change.org petition that Alicia started and that you can sign as a show of support for Robert and others who have been wrongly and unjustly incarcerated for cannabis related offences.
The online petition calls upon lawmakers, policy makers, and criminal justice advocates to take immediate action to reform marijuana laws, address racial disparities within the criminal justice system, provide proper support for incarcerated victims with PTSD, and review sentencing guidelines – especially given the dynamic changes in marijuana laws and court cases from 2010 to 2023 and the racial disparities widely prevalent in such cases.
My conversation with Alicia begins with her updating everyone about how crazy the last year has been, from opening a new recreational pot shop, to advocating at the state and national level for common sense cannabis reform.
MORE INFO
For more about Alicia Deals and her story opening Arizona's only Cookies Dispensary: https://blackcannabismagazine.com/alicia-deals-berner-open-cookies-in-tempe-arizona/
To visit Alicia's Cookies Dispensary in Tempe, Arizona: https://cookies.co/stores/cookies_tempe
To sign the petition in support of freeing Robert Deals: https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-robert-deals-highlighting-injustices-in-marijuana-laws-and-court-cases?source_location=search
For more Here Weed Go! podcast episodes, online TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com content, videos and access to subscribe to the twice-monthly Here Weed Go! newsletter: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? Welcome back to Here Weed Go! I’m your Host Eddie Celaya, and I’m back to bring you some of the hardest hitting, relevant and fun conversations and interviews centered around cannabis, the country’s fastest growing cash crop.
In this episode, I have a very special guest: Hirsh Jain, the Founder of Ananda Strategy, a consultancy that advises various cannabis businesses, brands and others in the industry across North America and Western Europe. Hirsh also wears some other hats woth mentioning: he is the Vice Chair of the California Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of Directors of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) in California.
Because he has such a diverse background, this episode hits on nearly every big story happening in cannabis at the state level right now: from the state of California’s precarious recreational market, to what smaller states like New Mexico, Missouri and others can teach more established markets and others poised to make the recreational leap (like Ohio just voted to do!)
Of course, there’s also huge things happening at the national level, and our discussion attempts to shed some light and clear the smoke around what’s happening in D.C. when it comes to rescheduling cannabis from schedule 1 to 3 and if congress will ever get its act together and clear up SAFER banking and other issues they helped create.
But our conversation begins with a little bit of the personal, with Hirsh recounting what sort of impact his first time trying cannabis had on him…
MORE INFO
More on Hirsh Jain: https://twitter.com/anandastrategy
More on Ananda Strategy: https://anandastrategy.com/
For more Here Weed Go! content, including links to social media and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome again to Here Weed Go!, the podcast focused on covering the latest news, cutting edge science and breaking business deals in the world of cannabis, the nations fastest growing cash crop.
For this week’s podcast, we’re sparking up the joint on the new dispensary chain in town, Story Cannabis.
Although the brand itself was originally born in Maryland, since May when it entered the Arizona market, it’s gone from 3 to 11 retail dispensary locations in the state, with one being the sole shop in Bisbee, one of the great Bohemian small towns in America.
And from all indications, Story is not done growing in Arizona.
To learn more about the new kid in town, I spoke with Story CEO Jason Vedadi. Vedadi has deep ties to both Arizona and the national cannabis industry.
He’s been in the industry in some capacity since 2008 and is a true industry veteran. He spent a number of years as an executive at Harvest and is the creator of the cannabis-flower brand Modern Flower, which is now owned by Trulieve after it bought Harvest nearly two years ago.
In our interview, Vedadi talks about his time establishing himself within the industry, how Story Cannabis came to Arizona, and what it’s plans are for its 11 shops in Arizona and its plans in other, developing state-markets like Maryland, Ohio and soon, New Jersey.
MORE INFO
For more Story Cannabis info, including locations: https://storycannabis.com/
For more Here Weed Go! and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com content, including podcast episodes, links to social media and a link to sign up for the Here Weed Go! twice-monthly newsletter: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome back to the latest and greatest episode of Here Weed Go! I'm your host, Eddie Celaya, cannabis reporter at TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.
As a journalist who covers the cannabis space, I always try to look out for other reporters, writers and authors who are working in the industry, as well. It helps me keep up to date on what’s happening in this ever changing business, and it keeps me off my phone and from streaming too much HBO and YouTube.
Still, a lot of times, coverage of any kind of news can be a little bit negative, and sometimes, you just want an inspiring story and not a deep dive on what local zoning ordinances could mean for potential pot shops.
Enter Dr. Bridget Cole Williams, a board certified physician who has one hell of an inspiring story herself, which we get into in our conversation.
Williams, who once had a traditional medical practice at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, decided to leave the field of traditional medicine behind when she realized that for some of her patients, plant-based medicines, including cannabis, might be more beneficial.
Eventually, she found her way into publishing and is now the author and driving force behind Courage in Cannabis a two-volume collection of testimonials and short stories from everyday people and celebrities that aims to be the Chicken Soup for the Soul of cannabis.
In our interview, Williams and I touch on her personal journey with cannabis and how it has informed both her medical and literary careers within the industry, how she came up with the idea for a series like Courage in Cannabis, and what’s next for Williams and the community she’s created around her books…
In talking with Dr. Bridget, I realized that a lot of what we do is similar: We’re both writers telling stories, obviously, but we’re both ultimately trying to tell people's stories about their experiences with a plant (or derivatives of that plant) that have been life-changing or life shaping for them in some way.
And because that plant has been stigmatized and criminalized for so long, it’s tough to talk about those experiences sometimes, and even tougher to put those experiences to paper for nearly anyone to read.
So I’m proud to be able to tell another storytellers tale, and I hope any of you out there with an inspiring story, or any story with anything that might be less than mainstreamed in society, know you have a safe place to talk about it here.
If you'd like to learn more about Dr. Bridget, Courage in Cannabis or Here Weed Go!, check out these links below:
MORE INFO
For more info on Dr. Bridget Cole Williams: https://www.drbridgetmd.com/
For more on Courage in Cannabis: https://www.courageincannabis.com/
For more Here Weed Go! episodes and content, including links to the Here Weed Go! twice-weekly newsletter and social media pages: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks! Welcome to a new episode of Here Weed Go! I'm your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis writer for TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com!
In today’s episode, I'll be looking into a new line of products I haven't covered yet – ingestibles.
Although closely related to edibles both in how they work within the body and how they are consumed, "ingestibles" refers to the segment of products that include cannabinoid-specific or full-spectrum pills and tinctures that have become popular in recent years, particularly with more elderly consumers and patients and those approaching cannabis from a more wholistic, health-and-wellness adjacent path.
To help me get learn more about ingestibles, I invited Dr. Chuck Johnson, the chief scientific officer at Ally Biotech onto the show.
Based out of Payson, Arizona, Ally Biotech bills itself as a cannabis-science company, with its focus on producing highly bio-available products for consumption by recreational customers and medical marijuana patients alike.
As Dr. Chuck says, “How you present a cannabinoid to the body is very important and there are ways to do it that are more effective than others.”
The company has been at the cutting edge of developing liposomal absorption technology, basically a delivery system for cannabinoids that helps deliver them into the bloodstream, and recently acquired another Arizona-based favorite, Chill Pill.
Together, Dr. Chuck and I explore the technology behind Ally Biotech and Chill Pill, what makes ingestibles and pills different from edibles, and how Ally’s liposomal technology can be implemented in products to appeal to a customer base focused on health and wellness.
Our conversation begins with Dr. Chuck explaining what sort of effect his first experience with cannabis had on him…
MORE INFO
Ally Biotech: https://allybiotech.com/
Chill Pills: https://chillpillsaz.com/
Here Weed Go! linktree (for access to more Here Weed Go! podcast episodes, TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com content, social media pages and to sign-up for the twice-monthly Here Weed Go! newsletter): https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Here Weed Go! is back! After a few weeks in the wilderness, the podcast that puts the flame to flower when it comes to seed to sale coverage of America’s fastest growing cash crop: cannabis!
I’m your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis, travel and food reporter for TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com!
Before I get this joint lit, I wanted to remind everyone that it really helps the podcast, and I truly do appreciate, when you subscribe, share and comment on Here Weed Go!, wherever you’re streaming or downloading it from.
You can also give the podcast a shout and a follow on social media on Instagram by searching for the username Here.Weed.Go. And of course, don’t forget to visit TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com to see all of my latest content, and to subscribe to the weekly Here Weed Go! newsletter.
Let me know what you think by emailing me at ecelaya- that’s ecelaya@tucson.com to let me know what you think!
Anyway, about this episode you’re currently listening to: it’s the start of a new season and new approach. Appropriate then to speak with someone who is using a technology that is on the cutting edge and disrupting everything it approaches.
I’m referring to AI, or artificial intelligence. While the concept and its use within everyday technology is often taken for granted (think about predictive text for texting – that’s AI), the latest offerings in the field have taken businesses in the cannabis (and media) space by storm – and with some push back.
My guest today however is an advocate for its use, at least when it comes to processing the mountains of paperwork and navigating the oftentimes contradictory levels of regulatory red-tape that comes along with establishing and running a marijuana business.
Dustin Robinson is an attorney and founding partner of Mr. Cannabis Law, a cannabis and psychedelics-focused law firm based out of Florida. His firm is pioneering the use of AI software to help speed up and simplify a process that has become for some, an insurmountable hurdle to gaining some sort of foothold in the burgeoning industry.
Our conversation begins with Robinson explaining how he came to a career in law, by way of accounting…
MORE INFO
More on Mr. Cannabis Law: https://mrcannabislaw.com/
Dustin Robinson's profile: https://mrcannabislaw.com/dustin-robinson-attorney-profile/
The on-stop shop for more Here Weed Go! episodes, stories, video and audio content and more: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
To sign up for the Here Weed Go! Newsletter: http://tucne.ws/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks! Welcome to a new, picture-perfect episode of Here Weed Go! I’m your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis reporter for TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.
In today’s episode, we’re really clearing the smoke and taking a good look at cannabis. No, I don’t mean figuratively, I mean literally!
As any stoner knows, taking the perfect photograph of that unbelievably fresh, Barney-the-dinosaur purple nugget of flower you just bought from the dispensary (or grew yourself at home) is nearly impossible.
Luckily, today I have someone on the podcast who might be able to help with documenting that dank.
My guest today is Erik Christiansen, a world-renowned cannabis photographer who is the photo-half of the team responsible for two of the most definitive works of literature in categorizing different cannabis strains.
Known best for his work with Dan Michaels on “Green: A Field Guide to Marijuana” and the recently published “Higher: The Lore, Legends and Legacy of Cannabis,” Christiansen and I dive into how he found his eye for photography, where his love for cannabis grows from, and the moment he knew he had to take a photo of his weed.
Along the way, we also recount how he ended up getting into the publishing world, what makes a perfect model nugget or flower in the cannabis world, and what strains of marijuana have so far eluded him.
It’s a fun episode chock full of advise for both photo-hobbyists and canna-connoisseur looking for that legacy strain from the 1970s.
After all, if a picture is worth a thousand words, two whole coffee table books of them must be worth at least one Here Weed Go! podcast episode!
The conversation with Erik begins with him recounting how his father passed on his love for photography to him at an early age…
MORE INFO
Erik Christiansen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erik.nugshots/
Where to find his books: https://www.amazon.com/Higher-Lore-Legends-Legacy-Cannabis-ebook/dp/B0B5SSN1RL
Sign-up for the Here Weed Go! newsletter: http://tucne.ws/hereweedgo
More Here Weed Go! podcasts episodes: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
Linktree to all other Here Weed Go! content and social media pages: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome to a psychedelic episode of Here Weed Go! I’m your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis reporter for TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com!
Before we trip out on today’s main interview topic, I wanna remind you all to sign up for the Here Weed Go! newsletter and to like, follow and subscribe to all of the Here Weed Go! social media pages, like Facebook and Instagram.
I’ve added links to all of those different ways to consume Here Weed Go! content in this episode's description, which you can find wherever you stream or download Here Weed Go!
Now, for today’s episode, we’re leaving the weed at home (unless you really need it) to venture up north to British Colombia, where I chat a little about psychedelics with some new friends of mine.
See, I like to travel, and many times on my travels, I like to take trips. No, not short day-trips in a car to Sedona or Bisbee (although that can also be involved in one of these "trips").
No, instead I mean I like to take some magic mushrooms or other substances that help alter my mind during my vacations.
It’s a good way for me to reset and refocus, especially now with a career and future that are seemingly always in flux and ultimately, always on the line.
But sometimes, I wish there was a guide when partaking with 'shrooms. Unlike cannabis, which for me is always very soothing and almost numbing to the senses, psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD can be absolutely overwhelming in both an overstimulating and under-stimulating way, depending on the experience, dosage, etc.
To find out more about what a purposefully sought out psychedelic experience can be like, I reached out to the creators of The Journeymen Collective, a personalized plant-medicine based retreat and follow-up experience founded by partners Rob Grover and Gary Logan.
In our conversation, we look into the reasons why more and more people are seeking out plant-based medicine retreats based in marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, or other psychedelics, what sort of clientele are coming to the Journeymen Collective, and what feedback the pair has received from past retreat goers.
It’s a wide ranging conversation that begins with the personal: Rob and Gary recounting their first experiences with mushrooms and the very beginnings of their love story.
MORE INFO
The Journeymen Collective website: https://www.thejourneymencollective.com/
The Journeymen Collective Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejourneymencollective/
Here Weed Go! one-stop linktree (for Facebook and Instagram profiles, newsletter and podcast subscription sign-up): https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Host Eddie Celaya's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reportereddie/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? Welcome back to Here Weed Go! I'm your host, cannabis reporter Eddie Celaya.
Today we’re taking yet another sip of a topic I just can’t get enough of: Cannabis infused beverages.
I’ve dedicated at least one other episode earlier this year to the subject, but just like any good soda, seltzer or other cannabis-infused cocktail, you can’t stop at just one.
To help guide me through the ever-evolving and growing category, I turned to the head of brand for Wherehouse Beverage Co., Miguel Garcia.
Recently, Wherehouse dropped their latest brand of cannabis-infused drinks in Arizona: Countdown. Touted as a higher dosage answer to the company's more established seltzer, Wynk, Countdown is now available at dispensary locations across the state.
Garcia, who cut his chops in the beverage world outside of cannabis, helps me clear the smoke around questions I’ve had for ages, like who the average canna-beverage consumer is?
We also dive into the different sort of canna-beverage consumers: from the canna-curious who might want to try replacing their Friday WhiteClaws with something non-boozy, to the canna-connoisseur who’s looking for an experience they can’t get from anything else.
Along the way, our conversation touches on how beverages can help bridge the “social consumption” gap in ways smoking or vaping can’t and just how disruptive products in Wherehouse Beverage Co.’s arsenal can be to long-established markets like soda, juice and perhaps even alcohol.
Our conversation begins with Garcia explaining where the idea behind Warehouse Beverage Co. comes from...
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks!? Welcome to another fun episode of Here Weed Go!, the podcast focused on finding high-end cannabis content for your national marijuana needs. I'm your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis reporter for the Arizona Daily Star and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.
While I might be based in Tucson, all of you regular listeners of the podcast know I love to travel and love traveling even more when there’s some top-shelf weed involved.
So for this episode, we’re taking a deep toke and getting introspective about one of the most successful independent dispensary chains in the country.
And it just so happens that its flagship shop is just north up interstate 10 in a small Phoenix suburb known as Guadalupe, Arizona.
For anyone that’s driven pretty much anywhere in Arizona, they know I’m talking about The Mint, a chain of dispensaries in the Phoenix area (with a future presence in Tucson possible in the near future) known state-wide due to the company’s old-school approach to marketing with billboards.
The flagship shop is also the only location in Arizona to be open 24 hours (although a new Mint location in the works will also be open round the clock), feature an active marijuana grow room that customers and patients can see into, and is the only dispensary in the country with an in-house kitchen making infused made-to-order cakes, pies, pizzas and wings, as well as other cannabis-infused culinary confections.
As a quick aside, I’ve been to some enormous and impressive dispensaries in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Seattle, and The Mint’s Guadalupe location, where this interview took place, can certainly hang with any of them.
Both in terms of products available and showmanship
I’ve done recent episodes on how things are going in Michigan and Missouri, and it just so happens that The Mint also has a presence in those states as well.
To help me get a better grasp of The Mint and how it operates, I spoke with the companies co-founder and chief operating officer, Raul Molina.
Molina, who came into cannabis from the car sales industry, is a near legendary figure in the Arizona market. During our conversation, we were interrupted no less than three times by local businessmen just looking to introduce themselves and exchange numbers with the man.
Once we got going, we touched on the origins of The Mint and how the company has grown in and out of state, how the old-school tactics marketing tactics of billboards and radio spots has worked for the company in an age of increasing online footprints, and just how successful The Mint has been.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks! its me your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis reporter at the Arizona Daily Star and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com, reporting in with another great episode of Here Weed Go! The podcast that’s always looking into new cannabis markets across the globe.
Before we get, I’d be remiss not to remind you that you can follow both Here Weed Go! and myself on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I’ve left links to each in this episodes description, but just search for @ReporterEddie and @Here.Weed.Go and you’ll find content ready and waiting for you to roll up and consume.
So, speaking of markets and consumption, for the last month, I’ve been thinking about Missouri. Ever since my conversation and episode with John Mueller of Greenlight Dispensary, I’ve been intrigued and wanting to find out more.
Luckily, I was reached out to by a PR team representing Hippos, a vertically integrated chain of dispensaries operating in Missouri, and run by a veteran of the alcohol industry, on the distribution side, Nick Rinella.
Rinella, who was apart of the process of crafting the legislation voters ultimately passed in 2022 to make marijuana recreational, provides insight into the state’s lowest-in-the-nation sin tax for marijuana and the reasoning behind it, what differentiates Missouri in its approach towards equitable licensing for more retail and store front opportunities, and where Hippos (named for the Hippocratic Oath taken by healthcare professionals) fits into the newest and hottest cannabis market in the country.
Our conversation begins with Nick talking a little about his background with cannabis, and how his upbringing in distribution of alcohol, another highly regulated substance, helped shape and inform his approach to cannabis.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome back to Here Weed Go!
Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Threads at the handle @ReporterEddie. Oh, and you can follow the podcasts social media on Facebook and Instagram, just search for Here.Weed.Go
So, I’ve been doing a little thinking (and podcasting) lately on large, macro trends within the cannabis industry. I’ve touched on the rise of gummies in the edible market, and how cannabis beverages seem to be making steady growth, year-over-year, especially since the pandemic.
One method of consumption I haven’t touched on yet is pre-rolled joints and blunts. Along with vaping cartridges and edibles, the pre-roll categories completes the “Holy Trinity” of convince consumption methods and, as a category, accounts for anywhere from 10-15% of sales in most states markets in the United States.
Still, those sort of numbers only give so much perspective. I still have a lot of questions, like: How has the market for pre-rolls grown since the recreational legalization movement started really gaining steam five years ago? Where are pre-roll papers sourced from? Are their pre-roll machines?
To help shed some light on those an other topics, I turned to Harrison Bard, co-founder of Custom Cones USA, one of the largest suppliers of pre-rolled cones and rolling papers in the United States and Canada.
In our conversation, Harrison explains how a business venture originally founded on improving infused cannabis rolling papers grew into the giant in the industry that Custom Cones is today, the reasons behind the recent proliferation in pre-roll sales, and what he believes the future is for custom cones and the cannabis industry as a whole.
The interview begins with Harrison diving into the origins behind Custom Cones USA, and the story of its rise.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? Welcome back to Here Weed Go! after our two week break!
My sincerest apologies, but even those of us who cover (mostly) marijuana for a living need a break. Luckily, I was in one of the best weed markets in the United States, Seattle, enjoying all of the fun sites and attractions of the emerald city.
And since I love combining my two loves of travel and cannabis, of course I hit up a few dispensaries and tried out some new weed strains and products.
As always, my vacation got me thinking of marijuana markets and legal states I still have yet to visit. And I figured for this week, I would turn the spotlight on one of the states that jumped into the adult-use recreational waters just a few months ahead of Arizona, The Wolverine State itself: Michigan.
To help me and you get a better handle on just what the market is like out there, I turned to Narmin Jarrous, Chief Development Officer for Exclusive Brands, one of the largest Michigan-only cannabis companies in the state and the first to open a recreational dispensary in the state in December 2019.
Jarrous explains how she came to be at Exclusive and how she’s grown with the company, how the company has grown with Michigan’s move from medical to recreational, and what it’s like operating in what she calls one of the most unique and interesting cannabis markets in the country.
We also touch on some of the differences between operating a cannabis company in Michigan as opposed to Arizona and other markets.
Jarrous and I start the conversation by exploring her own personal experience with cannabis, from growing up in a conservative Arab family, to discovering and struggling with an endometriosis diagnoses in her teens and journey to finally trying cannabis for the first time in her 20s and finding a new level of relief and eventually starting her own cannabis brand.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome back to another new episode of Here Weed Go!, the podcast issuing a public health message that it’s just a matter of time before marijuana makes its way into your life!
So, in the age of the pandemic, I’m of the belief that knowledge, when paired with good data, is power. That logic applies to public health initiatives as well.
In the case of marijuana and other recreational drugs, however, patients and consumers within those communities and industries are rightfully skeptical of public health programs and initiatives.
And who can blame them? Look at the infamous DARE program of the late 80s and 90s. Two generations of school children and young adults were given the “Just Say No” talk taught to lump cannabis into the same category as much harder substances when it came to consequences and health detriments.
And those consequences, when they weren’t coming in the form of unfair and unjust criminal charges (usually worse for minorities), were usually overexaggerated when it came to physical and health related effects.
Still, it’s disingenuous to suggest that consuming cannabis, especially habitually, is all rainbows, lollipops and thumbs up from your doctor for a clean bill of health.
For some people, there are health- and psychological-related risks and issues that come with cannabis consumption. But it’s not like the over-dose fears drilled into third graders during their after recess DARE session.
To help talk to me about what a modern, state-sponsored and funded public health campaign aimed at educating the public about marijuana usage, I spoke with Dr. Benjamin Brady director of education and policy initiatives at the University of Arizona's Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center.
The Center was the recipient of a $1 million grant from the Arizona Department of Health Services, the state agency in charge of regulating marijuana, to develop a program that promotes awareness and respect for Arizona’s marijuana laws and to encourage responsible use of cannabis.
You can read more about the grant in my story on TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com, but in our conversation, Dr. Brady and I clear the smoke around what a public health campaign created around marijuana usage should sound and look like in this day and age, how public health education has evolved since Nancy Regan smashed those eggs, and just how he and his colleagues will be able to measure if the public has finally wised up when it comes to weed.
MORE INFO
For more on Dr. Benjamin Brady: https://publichealth.arizona.edu/directory/benjamin-brady
For more on University of Arizona's Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center: https://cpac.arizona.edu/
For more on the $1 million grant to CPAC from the Arizona Department of Health Services: https://tucson.com/marijuana/ua-pain-center-wins-1-million-grant-from-state-for-new-cannabis-education-program/article_fd433883-34ac-57a9-940b-4a033ca7a8a1.html
For more Here Weed Go! podcast episodes: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
To subscribe to the Here Weed Go! Southern Arizona Newsletter: http://tucne.ws/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? Welcome back to Here Weed Go! Before I get going, I want to remind you, dear listeners, that you can stream all of my Here Weed Go! episodes by clicking on the link I've provided in this episodes description, available on whatever platform you stream or download Here Weed Go! from!
So, speaking of economic and macro sales trends, I figured since we’re almost halfway through 2023, we might as well take a look back at the last year of cannabis sales trends.
Is the overall national market for cannabis growing with new states being added to the recreational column, or did COVID-19 artificially increase average sales so much two years ago that there’s still nowhere to go but down?
If you’ve ever wondered how much states took in in tax dollars related to cannabis, or how one state’s recreational and medical market measures up against another's, this is the episode for you.
To help me make sense of a mountain of data, I’ve enlisted the help of Cooper Ashley, the analytics manager at Headset, a cannabis industry data tracking firm that follows sale, tax and compliance data in most American and Canadian legal cannabis markets.
Our conversation aims to clear the smoke around what factors influence consumer behavior, from the effects of the pandemic to the availability of dispensaries for the average customer.
We also dive into why some newly legal states seem to be thriving, while legacy markets like California and Colorado are struggling.
A few notes before we start our interview: This conversation was recorded on April 20, 4/20, this year, so some information may be slightly out of date. Additionally, I recorded the interview without the help of my trusty Yeti microphone, so my audio might be a tiny bit scratchy.
MORE INFO
For more data from Headset: https://www.headset.io/
For more Here Weed Go! podcast episodes: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
To sign up for the Here Weed Go! Southern Arizona Newsletter: http://tucne.ws/hereweedgo
For all other Here Weed Go! and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome again to Here Weed Go!
For my regular listeners, you’ll know I did a few election-centered episodes of Here Weed Go! near the end of last year that focused on some of the most important races and ballot propositions and initiatives for cannabis advocates across the country.
One of those state initiatives was in Missouri, and it ended up passing resoundingly. I’ve been looking to take a toke out of that market ever since.
It only makes sense then that I would reach out to one of the biggest operators in the Show-Me State to, well, show me what exactly is happening in the country's latest developing cannabis market.
I reached out to Greenlight Dispensary, one of the most prominent dispensary chains in the Midwest, who has a large presence in Missouri.
Greenlight is a chain of dispensaries found in Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, West Virginia and South Dakota. The chain is an example of what is known in the industry as a multi-state operator.
Luckily, John Mueller, co-founder and CEO of Greenlight Dispensary, was available.
In our discussion, Mueller talks a little about growing Greenlight Dispensary into the Midwest giant it is today and how the company has grown in states both with recreational cannabis programs and ones without.
We then hone in on what makes Missouri special in the greater U.S. cannabis market, like being bordered by states that either aren’t as friendly to cannabis use or who have significantly higher taxes.
And we dive into what’s next in the Midwest, from further Greenlight Dispensary expansion to the next possible states to drop cannabis prohibition.
MORE INFO
For more on Greenlight Dispensary: https://greenlightdispensary.com/
For more Here Weed Go! podcast episodes: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
To sign up for the Here Weed Go! newsletter: http://tucne.ws/hereweedgo
For all Here Weed Go! and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome back to Here Weed Go!, the podcast dedicated to covering the ever-growing cannabis industry! I’m your host Eddie Celaya, reporter here at the Arizona Daily Star and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.
Today’s podcast is a fun and interesting one.
Usually when we take a look at new technologies on Here Weed Go!, they are things that are physically tangible. Take for example the episodes we’ve done on THC breathalyzers, eye-motion capture devices, and two weeks ago with the Boveda humidity packets.
However, the products we’re focusing on for this episode is a little different. This tech is a little more about code, in particular UPC.
You see, Lucid Green is a Universal Product Code, or UPC, that claims to help with cannabis retailers and brands when it comes to supply chain inefficiencies, optimize inventory management and cut down on the impact of human error within the cannabis industry.
Lucid Green’s technology also claims to be a boon for cannabis consumers, allowing anyone with a smart phone to scan their purchases code to find out all the information they need to know their flower or edibles meets state regulatory requirements and is as fresh and safe as possible.
Since I’m the least tech savy guy in the cannabis world that also somehow has a podcast, I decided to reach out to one of Lucid Green’s co-founders, Paul Botto, to help me learn more about the company.
Our wide ranging discussion starts with the story of how the idea for Lucid Green came to be after Botto and his business partner, Larry Levy, got together and realized they were working on different ends of the same problem and eventually gets into applications for the technology outside of the cannabis industry.
MORE INFO
For more on Lucid Green: https://www.lucidgreen.io/
To subscribe to the twice-monthly Here Weed Go! newsletter: http://tucne.ws/hereweedgo
For links to all other Here Weed Go! and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome to Here Weed Go! the still-weekly podcast bringing you the latest in news, science, business and culture when it comes to cannabis, the nations fastest growing and best smoking cash crop.
I’ll tell you what folks, my first week back on the breaking news beat has so far been quiet, so that’s allowing me to continue covering this amazing world of cannabis, and damn do I have an interview for you today.
This episode, which features my very fun interview with Allison Krongard, the co-founder of the unabashedly women-forward cannabis brand Her Highness, was supposed to run for mothers day.
But schedules get mixed and episodes that are mixed and ready get out of the gates first. So think of this episode as a belated mothers day edition of Here Weed Go!, or at least one dedicated to the women in your life!
I’ve grown up around cannabis since my mid-teens, and ever since that time, its been a very dude dominated culture. That’s remained fairly unchanged as the plant has transitioned from the underground to the nearly mainstream.
According to a survey by industry trade journal MJ Biz Daily, the percentage of women executives in the space only grew by a percentage point to 23.1% over the past year. Women also continue to lag behind men when it comes to staff-level jobs in cultivation/manufacturing (44%) and retail (47%), the survey found.
Krongard and her partner, Laura Eisman, have set out to help change that narrative by marketing Her Highness and their products exclusively to women and, as they say, men who love women.
Many of the Her Highness products come in bright gold packaging, with a large Her Highness logo in the shape of ruby red lips gracing the packaging's front. That stands out on a shelf where many brands in the industry seem to be blending in, instead.
Krongard and I begin our chat talking about what Her Highness is and why it’s focus is on the female consumer and how women can enjoy of cannabis, move into a discussion about Her Highnesses unique packaging and marketing strategy, then clear the smoke around topics ranging from Her Highnesses patent pleasure oil to what the future holds for a brand that seems to be taking New York by storm.
MORE INFO
More on Her Highness: https://www.herhighness.com/
More Here Weed Go! podcast episodes: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
For all Here Weed Go! content and social media pages: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome to the latest episode of Here Weed Go! I’m your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis reporter for the Arizona Daily Star and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com!
So about a year ago, I was out at Earth’s Healing dispensary here in Tucson looking for some top shelf marijuana flower. I made my purchase, came home to grind the flower up to hit out of my freshly cleaned bong, and when I poured some of the flower out, a small brown baggie about the size of a Splenda package fell out with it.
Perplexed, I looked at the baggie to see what it might be. It wasn’t immediately clear to me, but there was the name of a company on the back of the baggie: Boveda.
According to it’s website, Boveda is the creator of two-way humidity control packs. Essentially, the company creates humidity packs to help keep fresh products that depend on a certain humidity level, like marijuana, hemp, cigars and musical instruments.
To help me learn more about the company, and to help explain some of the science behind Boveda and its humidity packs, I spoke with Shannon Klick, the Vice President of Global Sales for Boveda.
Klick and I chatted about the history of Boveda and how it originally started as a technology to help preserve high-end cigars and tobacco products, how the company got involved with cannabis, and just how exactly Boveda’s proprietary technology works, especially when it comes to keeping your cannabis flower fresh!
MORE INFO
For more info on Boveda: https://bovedainc.com/
For more Here Weed Go! content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? Welcome again to Here Weed Go!, the podcast bringing the latest news, info and science surrounding the nations newest cash crop, cannabis, to you!
Today starts a string of podcasts that explore an overlooked but integral part of the cannabis industry: packaging. Gone are the bad-old days of dried-up cannabis passed around in Ziploc baggies or rolled up pieces of tin foil.
Instead, that's all been replaced with some of the freshest flower and products you’ve ever laid eyes on, sealed in glass jars or smell-proof bags, with the latest technology making sure the products stay as potent and moist as the day they were sealed.
If you’re buying legal, adult-use or medical cannabis in the United States, pretty much every product sold out of state-licensed dispensaries, from marijuana flower to edibles, comes packaged.
And chances are, whatever it is you’re buying sports packaging made or developed by DIZPOT, a Phoenix, Arizona based packaging, design and branding company that produced over 80 million pieces of packaging exclusively for the cannabis industry last year.
Here Weed Go! spoke with DIZPOT co-founder and CEO John Hartsell, a one-time political campaign worker and ad agency executive, about DIZPOT and how it keeps up with the differing packaging requirements not only for all of the separate brands the company serves, but all of the different legal cannabis jurisdictions as well.
We also touch on how DIZPOT has been able to become integral in the world of cannabis packaging, in a relatively short period of time.
One note on the conversation: The episode was recorded in mid-March, and throughout the conversation, Hartsell and host Eddie Celaya make quick mention of a piece of state legislation, known as Senate Bill 1271 or SB1271, that dealt with the regulation and packaging of hemp and hemp-derived products here in Arizona, and that Hartsell opposed.
We’ve removed a portion of our conversation that dealt with the bill since it was eventually killed in the Arizona State House of Representatives and was too "inside baseball."
MORE INFO
For more info on DIZPOT: https://www.dizpot.com/
For more Here Weed Go! podcasts: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
For all other Here Weed Go! content, including the Here Weed Go! newsletter and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome back to Here Weed Go!
As any of my long-time listeners know, I’m endlessly curious about how cannabis is treated, regulated and used in different jurisdictions and markets. What’s legal, acceptable and cool in one place, might not exactly be in another.
In today’s episode, I’m taking a deep toke on one of the world’s great agricultural producers: Colombia! Once known primarily for its association with cocaine and the illicit drug trade, the country has made a concerted effort since the late 90s to rehabilitate its image for the world.
Now, the country is an agricultural powerhouse, exporting bananas, cut flowers and other commodities to all corners of the globe.
To help me get a better understanding of how cannabis is doing in one of South America’s fastest growing marketplaces, I spoke with Auz Zadoff, the CEO and co-founder of Cannexp Consulting Group.
Zadoff explains how Cannexp has helped non-psychoactive cannabis (or what we in the United States call hemp) producers, farmers and growers get their product in front of international consumers, from Europe, Australia, and as of recently, the US!
Zadoff and I also discuss what makes Colombia such a great place to produce cannabis and why producers within the country have been forced to look elsewhere to make money off the cash crop. We also touch on the politics surrounding psychoactive cannabis, or marijuana as we know it, in Colombia and how this year could be the year it becomes federally legal
Our conversation starts off with Zadoff explaining how he got into cannabis consulting and why he helped found Cannexp.
Podcast is produced by Pascal Albright/Arizona Daily Star
MORE INFO
For more info on Cannexp Consulting Group: https://cannexpconsulting.com/
For more Here Weed Go! podcasts, to subscribe to the Here Weed Go! newsletter and other cannabis content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! It’s so nice to say "Welcome back to Here Weed Go!," again!
I’m keeping it Arizona-based this episode by taking a look at Copperstate Farms.
Known best its five Sol Flower dispensaries in the Phoenix area, the vertically integrated company was started in 2016 in part by former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington, and sports as part of its portfolio one of the largest indoor greenhouses in North America.
The facility, a former industrial hydroponic tomato grow located in Snowflake Arizona, is over 40 acres in size, or 1.7 million square feet, with over 50 strains of cannabis in production under its roof at any given time. It also has a state of the art extraction lab on site.
In other words, it’s an enormous cannabis grow that rivals anything in the country.
To help talk about Copperstate, I spoke with Allie Marconi, the company’s senior director of marketing.
In our conversation, we explore how Marconi transitioned from a career in fine dining to cannabis, why Copperstate is going through a rebranding effort and what consumers can expect from the company in the near future, and just how impressive that big greenhouse is!
MORE INFO
For more on Copperstate Farms and its brands: https://www.copperstatefarms.com/
For Sol Flower locations: https://www.livewithsol.com/
For more Here Weed Go! podcasts and content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! The Here Weed Go! interview this week features Josh Hirschey, the president of Timeless, a marijuana vape company based here in Arizona.
Timeless started its corporate life originally as a cannabis lifestyle company that was founded in 2013.
After beginning life as a sort of hybrid head shop and skate shop merchant, the brand expanded in the medical cannabis vape space, becoming one of the OG brands in Arizona to get into the industry.
Since then, cannabis has been legalized for adult-use in Arizona, and Timeless has expanded it’s offering of vape products and associated brands while dipping its toes in the marijuana pre-rolled joint market as well.
Hirschey and I take a deep toke on Timeless’ lifestyle brand past and it’s move back towards that distinction over the last few years, how the vape market has grown so quickly since the early 2010s, and what timeless’ plans are for the future when it comes to expanding its reach, both in terms of products and geography.
MORE INFO
For more about Timeless: https://www.timelessvapes.com/
For more Here Weed Go! content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
For the entire Here Weed Go! podcast library: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome to a very special episode of Here Weed Go!
I hinted last week that this new season, this new year of Here Weed Go! would be different. The difference is you’ll be hearing a lot more about my personal journey, not just with cannabis, but through life: my travels, my success, my troubles and my failures.
Part of that means taking a slightly new tack with my interviews and interview subjects.
That will all start with this episode and my interview of the bassist for System of a Down and cannabis company 22Red founder, Shavo Odadjian.
In our conversation, Odadjian and I touch on his time growing up in LA as a recent Armenian immigrant, and how that experience shaped his outlook on music, his work ethic and how he interacted with the City of Angeles other immigrant communities.
We also talk about the years of working the LA music scene before hitting it big with System of a Down, and what sort of attention fame brings with it.
And of course, we touch on 22Red, one of my favorite producers of top shelf flower. I ask Odadjian about his first experience with weed, how he got into the cannabis industry and what his plans are for 22Red in the future.
MORE INFO
For more on Shavo Odadjian: https://www.instagram.com/shavoodadjian/?hl=en
For more on 22Red: https://22red.com/
For more Here Weed Go! episodes, to subscribe to the newsletter and all other Here Weed Go content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
For ChronicCon tickets: https://tucson.com/marijuana/chroniccon/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome to a magical bonus episode of Here Weed Go!
See, I grew up loving magic. From tricks like making a bird appear out of a hat, to making the statue of liberty disappear, to my very favorite: card tricks!
In my teens, shows like Mindfreak featuring Criss Angel and specials starring David Blaine on TV defined a new era of magic that was also heavy on stunts and escape acts.
So, imagine my excitement and surprise when I was in Las Vegas and I heard from a bartender at The Cosmopolitan that starting in mid-April, there would be a cannabis-themed magic show taking residence just off The Strip for two months!
As soon as I got back to Tucson I reached out and found out that the show, called Smokus Pocus, was being put on by rising star magician Ben Zabin. Within a week or two, we scheduled a conversation for this podcast.
Known for his acerbic wit and natural performing style, Zabin has toured the U.S. extensively with Smokus Pocus already, and he’ll be starting a two-month residency on April 15 at the amazing Area 15 show room, which has been outfitted specifically for Zabin’s show.
Our conversation touches on how magic started in his life at a very young age, when marijuana worked it’s way into his act, what performing on a cruise ship was like, and of course, where the idea for such a unique show as Smokus Pocus sprang up from.
A quick note, I’ve included links for tickets to Smokus Pocus and more info about Zabin and all my other 4/20 content in the episodes description, available wherever you stream Here Weed Go! from.
Additionally, there is a fun, cannabis themed magic trick near the end of the episode that is obviously more enjoyable on video. I’ve included a link to that as well.
MORE INFO
For more on magician Ben Zabin: https://www.benzabin.com/
His Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/benzabinmagic/
For info on Smokus Pocus: https://www.smokuspocus.com/
For tickets to see Smokus Pocus, running from April 15 through June 15: https://area15.com/events/smokus-pocus/
For more about Area 15: https://area15.com/
For more Here Weed Go! content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
For tickets to ChronicCon: https://tickets.tucson.com/events/chroniccon-2023-5-20-2023
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! In this episode, I’m talking with Murray Stein, CEO of Halo Infusions and Extractions and the mastermind behind what will soon become Arizona’s largest cannabis infusion kitchen.
One of the better known and widely available brands in Arizona, Halo sports a litany of infused (and quite tasty, if I do say so myself) edibles, beverages and topicals in its portfolio.
As a matter of fact, their caramel chews were amongst my favorite new products I tried in 2022.
Stein walks me through the history of Halo and how it came to be, how the brand has differentiated itself from other edible and infusion companies that often focus on one or two product lines, and why he is offering space and time to rent in his new kitchen to smaller local brands that are trying to get off the ground.
MORE INFO
For more about Murray Stein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murraystein/
For More info about Halo Infusions and Extractions: https://haloinfusions.com/
The ticket link to ChronicCon: https://tickets.tucson.com/events/chroniccon-2023-5-20-2023
For more info about the bands, DJs special guests and vendors at ChronicCon: https://tucsonmarijuanaguide.com/chroniccon/
For more Here Weed Go! episodes, social media and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome again to Here Weed Go! Today I’m honing in on the latest advertising developments for cannabis in the digital world, specifically Twitter’s new policy of allowing some marijuana and hemp company's products to be featured on its platform.
It’s a big change for Twitter, which since Elon Musk's take-over late last year, has been hemorrhaging advertisers. It’s also a big change for social media as a whole, and something Meta, Google and other large tech companies with significant online real-estate are almost assuredly following closely.
To help make sense of what might have been behind the change in policy, why there seems to be such a slow move to allow marijuana and hemp companies to advertise online, and why my accounts are shadow banned on some platforms, I brought on attorney Clark Wu, a senior attorney with Phoenix-based law firm Bianchi & Brandt.
But before I jump into the deep end of online ads, I want to update you all on the developments in Oklahoma, where unfortunately, voters choose to forgo a state-licensed, adult-use recreational program three weeks ago, at least for the time being.
To help get a better understanding of why State Question 820 was defeated, and what it means for both the state’s robust medical program and the future prospects of a potential recreational program, I spoke with Anna Codutti, editor for the Tulsa World.
MORE INFO
Clark Wu Bio: https://www.bianchibrandt.com/team/clark-wu
Bianchi & Brandt info: https://www.bianchibrandt.com/
Context on Twitter opening its advertising to cannabis: https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-becomes-first-social-media-platform-allow-cannabis-ads-us-2023-02-15/
Past Here Weed Go! episodes: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
Linktree link to the Here Weed Go! newsletter, social media pages and all host Eddie Celaya's content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
For tickets to ChronicCon '23 on May 20: https://tickets.tucson.com/events/chroniccon-2023-5-20-2023
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! Welcome back to Here Weed Go! With March being Women’s History Month, I figured it was a great time to talk to two of the most successful canna-preneurs I’ve come across in my time reporting on the industry, to get their stories and perspectives about what challenges and barriers women still face in breaking into cannabis.
My first conversation is with Anna-Sophia Kouparanis, the co-founder of Bloomwell -- one of Germany’s largest medical marijuana companies -- who was named one of Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 in the cannabis industry last year.
I follow that up with another interview, this time with Kim Sanchez Rael, the co-founder and CEO of Azuca, a New Mexico and New York-based company that produces fast-acting cannabis edible technology.
Both interviews dive into the back-stories of each subject, with Kouparanis detailing how her family got into cannabis and Rael recounting how past business ventures and start-up experience helped forge her path.
The episode also focuses on how the cannabis industry as a whole can be more inviting and open to women and what each subject is doing to make that a reality.
MORE INFO
Anna-Sophia Kouparanis: https://www.instagram.com/annakouparanis/?hl=en
Forbes Magazine 30 Under 30 profile on Kouparanis: https://www.forbes.at/artikel/anna-sophia-kouparanis.html
Bloomwell: https://www.bloomwell.eu/
Kim Sanchez Rael: https://twitter.com/kimsanchezrael
Azuca: https://azuca.co/
For more episodes of Here Weed Go!: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
To sign up for host Eddie Celaya's Here Weed Go! newsletter, follow the official Here Weed Go! Instagram page and for tickets to ChronicCon: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Today, I’m clearing the smoke around one of the fastest growing sectors in cannabis: the beverage industry.
Currently, according to cannabis-industry tracking firm Headset, cannabis beverages make up about 1% of cannabis sales nationally. In some legal states, that ticks up a little higher, but right now, consumers seem to be sticking to pre-rolls, vaping and good ole fashioned smoking when it comes to ingesting cannabis.
However, that isn’t stopping a slew of brands, some small start-ups and others nationally recognized soda companies, from jumping into the space and trying their hands at penetrating the ever-growing cannabis market.
To help get a better understanding of what makes cannabis-infused beverages so unique, I spoke with both a representative from a whole new brand, and a representative for an internationally established beverage company.
What I found is that the challenges for beverage makers in the cannabis space are more complex than just making a good-tasting soda, tea or seltzer.
First, I spoke with Laura Jarmillo-Bernal, the COO of NuEra Cannabis, a vertically integrated cannabis company based out of Illinois with a presence in multiple states (including Arizona) and that sports six dispensary locations and a litany of brands, including their new soft drink Riseau, a CBD-infused seltzer which recently launched here in Arizona.
Jarmillo-Bernal explains how Riseau came to be, why NuEra is testing out the product in Arizona first, and what she thinks is needed for cannabis beverages to succeed in a crowded marketplace.
Next, I interviewed Bohb Blair, the CMO for Jones Soda Co. and the Chief Brand Officer for Jones Soda’s latest project: Mary Jones Cannabis.
Blair and I delve into the reasoning behind Jones Soda, a nationally recognized brand known for their creative flavors and fun bottles, entering into the cannabis space, why a company likes Jones Soda is uniquely positioned to make inroads into the market and why he thinks consumers have been so slow to drink beverages that can get you high.
Be sure to listen until the episode's end where I’ll be doing a ticket give-away for ChronicCon, the biggest and best cannabis festival in Southern Arizona set for May 20th here in Tucson!
MORE INFO
For more on NuEra Cannabis: https://nueracannabis.com/
For more on Riseau: https://riseau.com/
For more on Jones Soda Co.: https://www.jonessoda.com/
For more on Mary Jones Cannabis: https://gomaryjones.com/
For more info and tickets to ChronicCon: https://tucsonmarijuanaguide.com/chroniccon/
Linktree to more Here Weed Go! podcasts, sign-up for the Here Weed Go! newsletter and all the rest of host Eddie Celaya's content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? Today, the Here Weed Go! podcast is honing in on a few different subjects that are beginning to enter into the national conversation: hemp-derived products and legal mushrooms.
For some quick context, hemp-derived products, or HDPs, are products like gummies, vape products, drinks and smokables that are in many ways similar to the marijuana-derived products you can find at state-licensed dispensaries.
Except HDPs can be sold at grocery stores, smoke shops and gas stations in many states. That’s due to hemps federally legal status as result of the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill by Congress.
When it comes to mushrooms, it’s important to remember that psychedelic compounds like psilocybin are still classified as federally illegal.
However, there are a wide range of mushrooms that aren’t psychedelic and are just now coming to public prominence due to movies like Fantastic Fungi and Dosed that seem to show the medical benefits of mushrooms.
To talk about both subjects, my conversation today is with Brett Weiss, an entrepreneur from a young age who is now the CEO of Smilyn Wellness, a San Diego-based hemp company that also sells legal mushrooms under the brand Happy Mush.
Weiss, a University of Arizona graduate like myself, talks about how he entered into the world of hemp originally, why he believes legal mushrooms and psychedelics are less than a decade behind cannabis in going main-stream, and about Smilyn's almost endless products lines: all made possible through hemp and mushrooms.
MORE INFO
For more info on Smilyn Wellness: https://smilynwellness.com/
For more Here Weed Go! podcast episodes, newsletter sign-up and tickets for Chronic Con '23 on May 20: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Visit TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com for more of host Eddie Celaya's content.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! In today’s episode, I’m taking a deep toke on the cannabis-only special election in Oklahoma on March 7, 2023. For those not in the know about the Sooner State, here’s a little background:
Although you probably wouldn’t guess it, Oklahoma is home to the most dispensaries per capita of any state. And it’s not even close.
Known as the "Wild West of Weed," by some estimates, there are more dispensaries currently operating in the state then there are gas stations.
That’s a lot for a state with just a medical program. And although nearly 10% of Oklahomans hold a medical card, that’s only about 350,000 patients.
As you might be able to tell, that’s a lot of store fronts and cannabis product for a relative few patients.
As a result, a lot of that pot has found its way into the underground black market in-state and elsewhere. That's what gives Oklahoma it’s other cannabis-derived nickname: "The Black Market Capitol of Marijuana."
Now, after a back-and-forth with the courts and state government, State Question 820, which would implement an adult-use recreational program in the state, is up for a state-wide special election on March 7.
To help get a better perspective of what’s going on on the ground out there, I’ve brought on two guests, Anna Codutti, a journalist with the Tulsa World, and dispensary operator Arshad Lasi of the Nirvana Group.
We touch on why State Question 820 is on it’s own special election ballot, what state politicians and medical industry stakeholders are saying about the initiative, and how likely voters are to pass a measure that would make Oklahoma the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana.
MORE INFO
For more content on cannabis in Oklahoma, visit the Tulsa World: https://tulsaworld.com/search/?sd=desc&l=25&s=start_time&f=html&t=article%2Cvideo%2Cyoutube%2Ccollection&app=editorial&nsa=eedition&q=cannabis
For more info on the Nirvana Group: https://www.nirvana-dispensary.com/
For more Here Weed Go! content, including past podcast episodes, the Here Weed Go! newsletter and access to the official social media pages: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
For more info on Southern Arizona's largest 5/20 cannabis celebration: https://tucsonmarijuanaguide.com/chroniccon/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome again to Here Weed Go!, the national podcast that looks at the business, science, politics and culture surrounding cannabis, America’s favorite pastime.
Today’s episode is a special Black History Month episode that outs the focus on cannabis company owners and brand creators that are pursuing success through authenticity in a way that is unique to their stories and their struggles.
According to a report by cannabis industry publication Marijuana Business Daily, only about 4% of cannabis business owners and founders are black. When it comes to black women owners, that number is about 1%.
Take into account a study from the American Civil Liberties Union that found that, on average, a Black person is 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though Black and white people use marijuana at similar rates. In 10 states, Black people were more than five times more likely to be arrested.
With all that in mind, there are amazing stories of success, like the stories my two guests sport in their backgrounds.
Marlo Richardson is a former police lieutenant and serial entruprenur who is now the owner, president and CEO of Greenwood and Co., a vertically integrated cannabis company based out of Los Angeles.
Watts Homie Quan is a comedian, social media influencer and cannabis afficianado who is promoting his new cannabis brand, Growin’ Up LA, with the help of Richardson’s delivery service and a unique marketing strategy that utilizes QR codes, social media skits and a love for quality weed.
I spoke with both Richardson and Quan last month about how each got into the cannabis industry, how their partnership came about, what sets their brands apart in the uber-competitive and saturated LA market, and what challenges they’ve faced as black founders and owners in an industry that touts itself as diverse, but still has plenty of work to do.
MORE INFO
Marlo Richardson info/social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/IamMarloNicole
Watts Homie Quan: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-w7-3ngzZP199hURvE7MbA
The Here Weed Go! linktree for links to the official Facebook and Instagram social media pages, subscribtions to past Here Weed Go! episodes and a sign-up for the Here Weed Go! Southern Arizona newsletter: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks!? Welcome to the latest episode of Here Weed Go!
In this episode, I’m looking at a new and interesting technology. Like most new technology there’s some virtual reality and artificial intelligence involved, but not in a way you might suspect.
Ken Fichtler is the former chief business development officer for the state of Montana and current CEO of Gaize, the technology start-up responsible for a ground breaking impairment detection technology.
Gaize is focused on helping determine if someone driving or working is impaired by marijuana, but approaches the notoriously difficult problem of figuring out is someone is actually impaired with a unique, but very appropriate for the times, solution: A virtual (or augmented) reality headset.
And as of this week, February 13, it is on the market. That comes after the world's largest cannabis impairment clinical trial.
Fichtler explains why his company's approach is more accurate in determining actual impairment than some breathalyzer based-technologies and why he believes that being able to police cannabis in public spaces and the workplace is essential to making it legal.
Our discussion also touches on the ethical questions and issues surrounding VR headsets and artificial intelligence, what a technology like Gaize could mean for the trucking and shipping industry and if the headset can be re-calibrated to detect for impairment of other substances or drugs.
MORE INFO
For more info on Gaize: https://www.gaize.ai/
The one-stop-shop Here Weed Go! linktree, where you can find and subscribe to all past podcast episodes, social media links to Facebook and Instagram pages and a sign-up link to the weekly Here Weed Go! Southern Arizona newsletter with all of host Eddie Celaya's cannabis and travel content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
To see everything else, visit TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com for more local content and updates on the Largest Cannabis Fair in Southern Arizona History: ChronicCon!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? It’s Super Bowl week here in Arizona and to get into the spirit, I’ve put together a super bowl of cannabis content with this episode, featuring my interview with former NFL star and counter-coulter icon Jim McMahon.
On top of being a living legend with two super bowls, including the 1985 title with the Chicago Bears, McMahon is active in advocating for cannabis legalization. In addition to using medical cannabis to help with his many injuries and ailments left over from his playing days, he also advocates for the inclusion of cannabis as a means to deal with pain for pro-athletes and regular joes alike.
Our conversation clears the smoke around how McMahon was initially introduced to cannabis while growing up in San Jose, CA, how cannabis has helped him deal with the after effects of a 15-year career in the NFL, and what the plans are for Revenant, a cannabis company and brand he helps promote with fellow NFL veterans Kyle Turley.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome to a special edition of Here Weed Go! These sort of episodes happen when the largest Cannabis legal state in the country, California, gets one step closer to possibly opening up the floodgates to interstate commerce for cannabis.
If you’ve been living under a rock the past week, here’s what happened… Last week, California’s regulatory body, the Department of Canna Control, decided to official solicit an opinion from the state’s attorney general about the opening of the state’s cannabis marketplace to allow for trade with other states.
“I think we have a pathway forward toward interstate commerce in cannabis,” Matthew Lee, the general counsel for the DCC, said in an interview with Politico.
If that’s true it could potentially be a game changer, not just within the Golden State, where producers large and small have been struggling to break even since the state’s recreational program came online, but for other Western states and potentially any state with a medical or recreational program.
To help walk me through what California could be proposing, I spoke with Justin Strekal. Strekal is the former national political director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the nation’s largest cannabis consumer advocacy organization and currently is the head of BOWL Pac, the political arm of Better Organizing to Win Legalization, a group working for marijuana legalization and justice for people harmed under criminalization.
Our conversation kicks of with Strekal explaining what the letter from California’s Department of Cannabis Control is arguing for.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Last week, I took a deep toke into the budding recreational program out in New York.
The guest I spoke with, New York cannabis farmer and entrepreneur Karli Miller-Hornick, was confident the legal market could overcome the challenges of burdensome regulations and an entrenched underground market.
Today, I’m attempting to clear some of the smoke surrounding a much more established cannabis market, one facing many of the same challenges.
I’m talking about California, of course. While many casual cannabis consumers and cannabis canna-suers think of The Golden State as the Shangri-La of pot, many within the industry point to California as a precautionary tale.
Although it is unquestionably America’s largest cannabis market, structural problems persist.
For example, the wholesale value of cannabis for adult-use from licensed farmers was $1 billion last year, down from $1.66 billion in 2021, according to a cannabis harvest report released in November by industry tracking firm Leafly.
During that same time period, the actual tonnage produced by those growers was about 12 tons more than the previous year, 2021.
Clearly, something is off.
To help me understand more about the problems facing the original cannabis state (after all, it was California’s move to start a medical cannabis program in 1996 that started this slow cascade towards legalization), I spoke with one of the people who has been involved with the industry since the very beginning: Dave Wedding Dress, or as he is better known, Dress Wedding.
As co-founder of Harbor Side dispensary, one of the first medical dispensaries to open in California, Wedding has seen the industry grow from its underground, prohibition-addled roots, to what it is today.
Along with the challenges faced by the state of California, our conversation touches on some of Wedding's personal experiences and anecdotes as well, from his time at UC Berkeley, to his protest and advocacy work outside of the cannabis space, to his latest venture as the Chief Strategy Officer for Supernet, a credit card geared towards the cannabis industry that could make both consumer purchases and business banking much easier.
MORE INFO
For more on Dress Wedding: https://www.instagram.com/therealdresswedding/
To read Wedding's book: https://get-a-life-book.com/
For more info on SuperNet: https://www.supernet.ai/
For more Here Weed Go! podcast episodes: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
To sign up for the Here Weed Go! newsletter: http://tucne.ws/hereweedgo
To access all the Here Weed Go! social media: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
For host Eddie Celaya's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reportereddie/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! To find out what’s going on in New York’s budding cannabis market, I talked with Karli Miller-Hornick, the CEO of Florist Farms, a brand of organically grown cannabis flower and other cannabis products which are available on the shelves of Housing Works Dispensary, the first legal recreational pot shop in the state.
Miller-Hornick originally got into farming organic vegetables before adding hemp and now cannabis to her farms and is also CEO and founder or co-founder of an entire suite of hemp and cannabis related companies and brands.
Our conversation clears the smoke hits around the craziness of opening day back in December, what Miller-Hornick see’s as the largest hurdle for independent cannabis growers and producers in New York moving forward, and what should be done about The City that Never Sleeps well-established underground cannabis market.
MORE INFO
For more on Karli Miller-Hornick: https://www.instagram.com/karlimh/
For more on Florist Farms: https://floristfarms.com/
For more on Miller-Hornick's other brands, including Head & Heal: https://headandheal.com/, http://www.karlimillerhornick.com/
For more Here Weed Go! podcasts, video, social media pages and content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Sign-up for the Here Weed Go! Southern Arizona newsletter: http://tucne.ws/hereweedgo
For all of host Eddie Celaya's craziness: https://www.instagram.com/reportereddie/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! This episode is really one for your friends, your Cannafriends to be specific. Here in Arizona, dispensaries and other cannabis companies and brands are allowed to show off their products at vendor fairs and trade shows.
Probably the most popular of these events is a twice-monthly meet-up known as AZ Cannafriends. AZ Cannafriends events take place in both Tucson and Phoenix and can feature up to 30 vendors and more than 300 attendees.
To help shed some light on what makes these events so special and unique, I spoke with the organization's current president: Amethyst Kinney.
Kinney, known as Arizona’s Canna-queen for her boundless energy and ubiquitous presence throughout the state, is also the founder and CEO of Blue Dream Entertainment, a Limited Liability Company she set up to oversee AZ Cannafriends and her brand-ambassador service.
In our interview, she describes how she’s expanded AZ Cannafriends and what some of her 2023 plans for the event are, how she was introduced to cannabis at two very different points in her life, and her work promoting Revenant MJ -- a brand of cannabis founded in part by former NFL Quarterback Jim McMahon.
Our conversation kicks off with Amethyst telling the story of her first time getting high… and it’s hilarious.
MORE INFO
For more on AZ Cannafriends: https://www.azcannafriends.com/
For more on Amethyst Kinney: https://www.instagram.com/cannaqueenaz/
For more Here Weed Go! podcasts, stories, travel guides and videos: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
For more from host Eddie Celaya: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reportereddie/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/reporterEddie
Visit TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com for more
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! My guest this episode is Marta Di Forti, a researcher at King’s College in London and one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of cannabis and pyschosis.
She is the lead researcher of a study named “Cannabis and Me,” what’s being hailed as the largest cannabis study of its kind in the UK, ever.
In a nutshell, Di Forti and others are looking for 6,000 participants who either use cannabis or have never (or almost never) used it. The goal is to look for a variety of environmental and biological factors behind the different effects people experience when they get “high.”
Di Forti and I dive into the different populations she’s looking to examine for the study, what cannabis psychosis is and how it manifests itself and how studies like Cannabis and Me, often criticized by many within the cannabis space, can help empower the industry with better data to help assuage some of the fears the greater public still has.
MORE INFO
More on Marta Di Forti: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/marta-di-forti
More on Cannabis and Me: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/kings-college-london-spearheads-the-largest-ever-independent-study-into-cannabis-use
Here Weed Go! content and social media: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Host Eddie Celaya's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reportereddie/?hl=en
And don't forget to visit TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks!? It’s a new year and a new episode of Here Weed Go!, streaming to you live all over the world!
Before I jump into my interview, I want to give a quick shout out to the HousingWorks Cannabis Co. dispensary in New York City. It made history over the holiday break when on Dec. 29, 2022, it became the first legal cannabis dispensary in the Empire State to open and serve customers.
You might be asking yourself why it’s taken that long for the state to set its regulatory guidelines, issue various licenses and establish an industry testing regimen? Those are good questions I'll explore soon.
In that time it's taken to get legal cannabis off the ground, the so-called “gray” market has exploded, with technically-illegal store-fronts, consumption lounges and even mobile, food-truck-like operations proliferating throughout New York City.
I’ll be checking in with a deep smoke sesh focusing on New York’s cannabis journey in a few months, part of my goal of covering every single adult-use state at some point in 2023.
Now, on to my interview with Jorge Olson, the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer for Hempacco Co., one of the largest manufacturers of hemp rolling papers and cigarettes in the United States.
Based out of San Diego and hailing from Tijuana, Mexico, Olson explains how he came to the industry from a background in fast-moving consumer goods sales, what the differences are between cannabis and hemp, and why he believes Hempacco is uniquely positioned not to compete with cannabis but to disrupt the trillion dollar global tobacco industry.
MORE INFO
Hempacco Co.: https://hempaccoinc.com/
More Here Weed Go! content, podcasts, stories and social media pages: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks? As a canna-consumer for over 15 years, I’ve seen the industry explode in ways I'd never imagined.
But I’ve always wondered why cannabis-based and -infused beverages just haven’t taken off. Much like smoking or vaping, consuming alcohol is (usually) best enjoyed as a social act. Participating in something with others brings out good conversation and good times.
Someone who agrees with my on that is Greta Brandt, the president of The Flower Shop, a chain of medical and adult-use marijuana dispensaries in Arizona and Utah.
Originally a lawyer by trade, Brandt got into the industry originally to help with compliance, and eventually worked her way up The Flower Shop corporate ladder.
The upcoming year promises to be an interesting one for Brandt, The Flower Shop and the company's new brands, including its new cannabis-seltzer beverage company, Cannabis Beverage Company, and it’s line of six flavored seltzers, called "High Tide."
Our conversation touches on a wide range of topics, from Brandt’s introduction into the cannabis industry at The Flower Shop, what differentiates the regulatory and political environment for cannabis in Utah as opposed to Arizona, and of course why she believes, like me, that cannabis infused beverages are the next wave of the future.
MORE INFO
The Flower Shop (Arizona or Utah): https://theflowershopusa.com/
Here Weed Go! linktree to all social media pages and content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Don't forget to visit TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com for more of host Eddie Celaya's local and national cannabis content.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! Welcome to the very last of the Here Weed Go! MJBizCon 2022 episodes!
For this episode, I sat down with Kim Rael, the President and CEO of Azuca, a cannabis company founded by Chef Ron Silver of Bubby’s in New York City that focuses on edible innovations and improvements.
One of the things that sets Azuca apart is its trade marked delivery system, called TiME INFUSION. Essentially, where normal cannabis edibles can take up two or three hours to take affect, TiME INFUSION allows for onset of effects within 15 minutes.
Rael explained how the company, with it's headquarters in New York and production facility in New Mexico, licenses TiME INFUSION to other brands, how she came to lead the company and what she sees for the future of Azuca and fast-acting edibles.
MORE INFO
Azuca: https://azuca.co/
Here Weed Go! linktree to more episodes, content and social media: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! During my time on the convention floor, between scheduled interviews and exploring all the new products and innovations, I ran into two dispensary operators, Weiwei “Vivian” Fellman and Monica Werkheiser.
While both women head up operations for their companies, that’s about where the similarities end.
Fellman, who immigrated from Vietnam, lives in Fargo, North Dakota and is founder and Chief Visonary Officer for Kota Botanics, a line of Hemp CBD products available both online and at Kota’s own branded shops.
Werkheiser is a former pharmacy manager who also managed a line of medical cannabis dispensaries in Pennsylvania before being awarded a recreational license in New Jersey, where she is readying here shop, Canna Remedies, for open in Fall 2023.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Probably among the most popular online apps and companies in the cannabis industry is Weedmaps, which was founded in California in 2008.
For the uninitiated, Weedmaps connects adult use and medical marijuana consumers with dispensary locations, doctors' offices, brands, and delivery services. Consumers can also place online orders to partnered dispensaries or delivery services using the Weedmaps website.
To help explain more of where Weedmaps came from and what it does, I spoke with company COO Juanjo Feijoo.
We discuss how Weedmaps works, debate whether Weedmaps has become more of a tech start-up than a cannabis company, talk about the recent growing pains of the cannabis industry in the last year and where that has Weedmaps looking in the future.
A quick note: if you enjoy this podcast, feel free to leave a comment or rating at whatever streaming service you found this episode through. You can also watch the video recording of the interview at TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.
MORE INFO
Weedmaps website (you can find the app for smart phone users in either the Apple or Google app marketplace): https://weedmaps.com/
Juanjo Feijoo social media: https://twitter.com/juanjoff
Linktree to Here Weed Go! social media, content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Host Eddie Celaya's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reportereddie/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! My guest this episode is Matt Morgan, an innovator and maverick in the cannabis industry with numerous start-ups, dispensaries and other cannabis-infused accolades under his belt.
Right now however, he finds himself focused on spreading the gospel of the Cannaverse – home to Cannaland, a potential meta-marketplace gamechanger on the blockchain for all things cannabis.
Morgan explains the idea and concept behind Cannaland, how it would work on a practical level for consumers and businesses alike and where he believes the industry as a whole is heading.
MORE INFO
Social media for Matt Morgan: https://www.instagram.com/thematthewmorgan/
Cannaverse and Cannaland info: https://cannaversetech.io/
Linktree to all Here Weed Go! social media, content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Host Eddie Celaya's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reportereddie/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome back to Here Weed Go!
Most legal jurisdictions still have prohibitions about smoking or vaping cannabis products in public, and many hotel chains still discourage the practice. That can leave us traveling cannabis consumers in somewhat of a bind when it comes to finding someplace chill (and legal) to partake.
In that vein, I’m continuing my MJBizCon series of interviews with this episode, which focuses in on a new sector of the cannabis industry: lodging and hotels.
To help me do that is my guest Chris Chiari, owner of The Patterson Inn, a castle-like hotel located at the highly appropriate address of 420 E. 11th Ave. in the heart of Denver’s historic Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Chiari is also the founder and owner of The 420 Hotels, a budding hotel chain amongst the nation’s first where, according to the company’s website, guests will be able to consume cannabis onsite in legally licensed lounges.
The idea is to convert intimate boutique hotels into high-end, members only cannabis consumption clubs merged with luxury overnight accommodations.
I sat down and asked Chiari about where the idea for The 420 Hotels came from, how he plans to make the Patterson Inn the flagship of his new venture, and what the future of cannabis-based touring and lodging looks (and smokes) like.
Quick note, this interview was recorded on the floor of the sprawling and super impressive Las Vegas Convention Center during MJBizCon 2022, so some parts may sound slightly scratchy.
MORE INFO
The Patterson Inn: https://www.pattersoninn.com/
The 420 Hotels: https://the420hotels.com/
Linktree to all Here Weed Go! social media pages and podcast episodes: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Read all of host Eddie Celaya's content and work at TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks! Welcome back to Here Weed Go! This episode I’m focusing on what’s happening out in Germany.
For those who might not be aware, back in 2016, the German federal government approved legislation for a restricted medical cannabis program. Patients obtain a medical prescription from a doctor and the government grants licenses to a few companies to help cultivate the plant.
Fast forward to 2021, when the new German governing coalition announced a plan to legalize cannabis for recreational use. Although no legislation has been proposed yet, most industry insiders believe that could come as early as 2024.
To help explain more about where Germany is headed, I interviewed Anna-Sophia and Niklas Kouparanis, the co-founders of Germany’s largest cannabis company, Bloomwell.
Together, they help explain what some of the differences are between US-style and German/EU-style medical programs, how Bloomwell came to be and how it plans to operate in the face of coming legalization, and what the pair think about a possible expansion into the fractured but huge American cannabis market.
One note: This interview was recorded on the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center during MJBizCon 2022, so there may be patches of audio that are a tiny bit scratchy.
MORE INFO
Learn more about Bloomwell: https://www.bloomwell.eu/
Linktree to all Here Weed Go! social media pages and episodes: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Visit TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com to read all of host Eddie Celaya's content
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks!? Welcome to another great episode of Here Weed Go! This week, host Eddie Celaya sits down with former NFL running back Ricky Williams, winner of the 1998 Heisman Trophy, and now co-owner and face of his own budding cannabis brand Highsman (wink, wink).
Williams sat down along with Highsman CEO Eric Hammond, to talk about how Williams was introduced to cannabis, what it's like being a cannabis pioneer in professional sports and what sets his brand apart from other celebrity fronted brands in a super-competitive market.
MORE INFO
Highsman website: https://www.highsman.com/
Here Weed Go! official linktree (access to social media pages, Here Weed Go! local newsletter and other content from host Eddie Celaya): https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
More content from host Eddie Celaya can be found at TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com. You can also follow him on Instagram @reporterEddie.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks! Welcome to the very first episode of my Las Vegas series of Here Weed Go!
I'm out here attending the world's largest cannabis conference, MJBizCon 2022.
To help get the week started, I interviewed Layke Martin, executive director of the Nevada Dispensary Association.
We compare license structures between western states, look into the state's new experiment with cannabis consumption lounges, and clear the smoke around some of the biggest issues facing dispensaries here in the Silver State, like excess marijuana products from California coming into the state.
It's just the beginning of multiple episodes recorded here in Sin City. So sit back, relax and enjoy!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! It’s me, you’re Here Weed Go! host Eddie Celaya, and since I’m a glutton for punishment, election season and cannabis, I figured I’d throw together one more special episode, this one focusing exclusively on what just played out on Election Day 2022.
Five state's voters considered legalizing recreational adult-use cannabis on their ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 9, with two -- Maryland and Missouri -- passing. They now become the 20th and 21st members of the "Green Club," aka cannabis-legal states.
To talk more about these developments and how various voting blocks and constituencies came out for cannabis this election, I’m joined by Sam D’Arcangelo, Director for HeadCount’s Cannabis Voter Project, an initiative that aims to get people to the polls by informing them of the ways their votes can influence cannabis policy.
We touch on the larger picture of what these victories, and losses, this election cycle could mean for advocates going forward, what cannabis consumers in the newly legal states can expect, and where the next state to consider cannabis legalization will be.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks? It's your host Eddie Celaya here to delivery a special episode. I can update you with some good (and bad) cannabis news: Maryland and Missouri voters voted to approve recreational adult-use cannabis programs in their respective states.
Plus, five counties in Texas voted to effectively decriminalize cannabis use and halt most enforcement of prohibition within their borders.
Unfortunately, similar adult-use measures in Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota were defeated.
I guess that all leads me to this special episode on some of the latest research and findings on cannabis and it’s possible use as a replacement (or a supplement to) opioids.
To learn a little more about the subject, I spoke with Benjamin Land, Research Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Washington.
Our conversation touches on how both opioids and cannabinoids like THC and CBD affect the body, how cannabis might be able to help fight different kinds of pain, and how cannabinoids and opioids might be used in concert with each other.
MORE INFO
Read Benjamin Land's piece from The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/cannabis-holds-promise-for-pain-management-reducing-the-need-for-opioid-painkillers-a-neuropharmacology-expert-explains-how-186906
Here Weed Go! LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Today’s episode deals with testing for cannabis impairment.
In states across the country, folks are pulled over and charged for marijuana DUIs and denied jobs all based on blood, urine or hair follicle tests that aren’t designed to determine actual impairment.
Luckily, that’s where Evan Darzi and Neil Garg come in. The duo are the masterminds behind a new cannabis technology startup called ElectraTect, which is based of the pairs research and development into a cannabis breathalyzer they began developing at UCLA.
Although still being developed for wider use, Darzi and Garg have partnered with a company called Intoxalock, which installs ignition interlocks, to eventually bring to fruition one of the first, most accurate ways to determine just how inebriated someone who consumed cannabis is.
The episode begins with my interview of Garg, a professor in organic chemistry at UCLA, co-founder of ElecraTect and a well known Ted Talk speaker. The conversation kicks off with Garg detailing where he got the idea to start working on a “cannabis breathalyzer."
MORE INFO
For more info on ElecraTect: https://electratect.com/
For more info on Intoxalock: https://www.intoxalock.com/
Follow Here Weed Go! on social media: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
For more content from host Eddie Celaya: https://tucsonmarijuanaguide.com/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Welcome back to Here Weed Go!, the pot-cast dedicated to bringing you the most pertinent info on the country’s most potent plant: cannabis. I’m your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis reporter here in Tucson, Arizona.
Well listeners, It’s that time of year again. No, I’m not talking about harvest season. Or Hallo-weed. I’m talking about election season!
In less than two weeks, five states around the country will have the opportunity to join the legal cannabis club. And here in Arizona, local elections could have potential consequences for how both the medical and recreational programs run and operate.
To get a little higher and more enlightened about these election developments, I’m joined by Justin Strekal, former national director of politics for NORML (the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws) and Jon Udell, the current interim co-director of Arizona NORML.
We talk about if party really matters when it comes to getting cannabis legislation passed at both the federal and state levels, where legalization is on the ballot this season, and what the Biden Administration’s announcement to pardon past charges and consider cannabis’s current scheduling status means for federal policy going forward.
Our conversations kicks off with Strekal talking about his current work with BOWL Pac (Better Organizing to Win Legalization) a marijuana-centric political action committee.
MORE INFO
More on NORML: https://norml.org/
More on Arizona NORML, including the Voters Guide 2022: https://arizonanorml.org/
More on BOWL Pac: https://thebowlpac.org/
Access to Here Weed Go! Episodes, social media pages and content from host Eddie Celaya: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! After bringing in Ric Flair for last week’s episode, I’ve been back in the lab talking with some of the country’s premier experts in Cannabidiol (better known as CBD).
To help explain the science behind the cannabinoid that is seemingly everywhere now-a-days, my first guest is Dr. John Streicher of the University of Arizona.
Streicher is part of a team of pioneering researchers looking into the pharmacological effects of cannabinoids and terpenes in pain management. As a matter of fact, you can hear a little about that research in my season one episode “It’s Pain Management.”
My second guest is Inesa Ponomariovaite is the owner and founder of Nesa’s Hemp, a nationally available line of CBD and CBDa hemp oils.
The episode focuses on explaining what makes CBD different from THC and other cannabinoids, what conditions or ailments it could help people with and what its future is when it comes to pharmaceutical applications.
We also touch on the difference between CBD derived from hemp plants as opposed to marijuana plants and if the CBD products you can find at your local grocery store are the same as the ones you’ll find at state-licensed dispensaries.
The episode begins with Streicher explaining what CBD is and where it can be derived from.
MORE INFO
More info on John Streicher: https://profiles.arizona.edu/person/jstreicher
Nesa's Hemp: https://www.nesashemp.com/
Here Weed Go! social media and links to host Eddie Celaya's work: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! I've got a special treat for you this week!
Go into almost any dispensary in any state and you're bound to find some pre-rolls or gummies (or maybe even the dispensary chain itself) containing the name or likeness of a famed stoner like Willie Nelson, or NBA legend Shawn Kemp, or actor Seth Rogen.
Perhaps one of the biggest names to get into the industry recently is former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson with his new brand Tyson 2.0. Even more recently, Tyson has been joined by the greatest professional wrestler of all-time, the Nature Boy himself, Ric Flair.
Flair, a 21-time world champion in WWE, WCW and a number of other pro-wrestling organizations, was in Phoenix promoting the rollout of his own line of cannabis and cannabis-infused products – Ric Flair Drip.
Some of the products include flower, pre-rolls, vape cartridges and edibles (called WOOOOO Chews), offered in sativa, indica or hybrid. All come in packaging with graphic designs of Flair himself or scenes and images from his nearly half-century-long career.
For now, Ric Flair Drip products can be found exclusively at the six Verano-owned and operated dispensaries (branded as Zen Leaf here in AZ) located in Arizona and Nevada, and at other partnered shops throughout California. For more info on products and locations, visit RicFlairDrip.com, or see this episode’s description for links.
Our conversation starts off with Flair explaining how he used cannabis-infused gummies to help ween him off prescription drugs and also touches on why its so hard for celebrity brands to succeed, what Flair’s goals are with this venture and what cannabis’ future will be in pro wrestling and other sports leagues as it becomes more mainstream.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? On the latest episode of Here Weed Go!, host and cannabis reporter Eddie Celaya is joined by two members of the Halo Infusions and Extractions team.
Founded and based here in Tucson, Halo is responsible for five different brands of cannabis-infused topicals and edibles (with a sixth, cannabis-for-canines focused brand in the works): Aunt Ellie's Baked Edibles, Canna Confections Candies & Confectionary, Cannabliss Medicated Snacks, Chronic Health Tinctures & Topicals, and Pure and Simple Juices.
To help explain how their ultra-full-spectrum approach to making their products works, product manager Jay Zimmerman and Halo Infusions CEO Murray Stein join for a fun conversation that touches on each of their cannabis journeys, how full-spectrum methods are different than others in infusing cannabinoids into products and where the edible/topical industry is headed at the federal level.
The conversation begins with Murray explaining how Halo originated. Spoiler alert: It used to be connected to one of Tucson’s oldest medical dispensaries, Halo Cannabis, which you can still find just south of Tucson proper.
MORE INFO
iLAVA (episode sponsor): https://ilava.com/
Halo Infusions and Extractions: https://haloinfusions.com/about-halo-infusions/
Here Weed Go! social media: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Watch out for next week's episode!!!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! After a short break, Here Weed Go! is back, and is brought to you by our local sponsor, iLAVA!
With nearly two weeks of travel on the East Coast, host and cannabis reporter Eddie Celaya is focusing this episode on what’s going on across the pond in Jolly Ole England with a look at the first publicly traded cannabis pharmaceutical company in the UK: Kanabo.
To do that, he's joined by Kanabo CEO and Executive Director Avihu Tamir and Suleman Sacranie, the founder of UK-based telehealth platform The GP Service, which was recently acquired by Kanabo.
Together the three discuss Kanabo’s birth in Israel (the first and so far only country in the world with a federal medical cannabis program), the differences between products, markets and regulations on cannabis when it comes to different EU member states (and the U.S.) and just how telehealth for cannabis works in the UK – and how it could make it’s way to a U.S. state near you.
The conversation begins with both men explaining their introductions to cannabis and how the experiences shaped their businesses. A note: Due to technical difficulties while recording this interview, the questions have been re-recorded at the Arizona Daily Star Studio.
MORE INFO
Here Weed Go! social media pages and more content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Kanabo: https://www.kanabogroup.com/
The GP Service: https://thegpservice.co.uk/
iLAVA products and information: https://ilava.com/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! On this episode of Here Weed Go!, host Eddie Celaya is in New York City and he's talking about just how wide-spread this marijuana movement is in the land of the free.
To help give some context to just how far the country has come in the last 10-15 years when it comes to pot, today's guest is Ricardo Baca. As the original marijuana editor for the Denver Post, Baca covered the first-of-its-kind adult-use recreational roll-out in Colorado.
More recently, as the founder and CEO of Denver-based, cannabis-focused PR/ad firm Grasslands, Baca has helped companies, brands and individuals within the industry tell their stories to a larger, more mainstream audience.
The discussion touches on how much public perception on cannabis has changed, what new emerging cannabis-friendly state investors and tourists should look out for next, and just how close the industry is to producing it’s first huge (think Coca-Cola or Kleenex) mainstream brand.
MORE INFO
Grasslands website: https://mygrasslands.com/who-we-are/
More Here Weed Go! content: TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com
Here Weed Go! social media: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? Today I’m taking a look at the fastest growing seller in almost ever state’s cannabis market: edibles.
To do that, I’m joined by Christine Smith, the founder and CEO of Grön, one of the largest producers of cannabis edibles in the Northwest.
In our chat, Smith, an architect by trade, details how she originally came to cannabis as a chocolatier and became a “recovering architect,” where the idea (and name) behind Grön came from, how a brand is able to operate in multiple states and countries despite federal prohibition, and why the edible market continues to grow in popularity.
We also attempt to clear the smoke behind the great edible debate: why are gummies so popular, especially when chocolate is technically a better vehicle for introducing cannabinoids into the body?
Our conversation begins with Smith talking about why she originally left the world of architecture for the rough-and-tumble Oregon cannabis market.
More Info
Grön: https://eatgron.com/
Here Weed Go! Social media links: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Host Eddie Celaya's Instagram: @reporterEddie
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome back to Here Weed Go!, where cannabis reporter and host Eddie Celaya is joined by Adams Lee, International Trade Attorney with the Seattle-based law firm Harris Bricken.
Lee explains why prices for cannabis products have remained steady, or even fallen, in some states. He also shows how cannabis, seemingly inflation-proof at the consumer level (so far), is actually fraught with some of the same issues and problems other more established industries also face.
Together, Eddie and Adams also clear the smoke around how inflation and its impact in other parts of the economy may be behind a downward trend in sales across the country.
Our conversation kicks off with Lee helping Eddie with his Econ101 homework and explaining just what inflation is.
MORE INFO
All Here Weed Go! Content, including Instagram and Facebook pages, newsletter access and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com, can be found here: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks?! Here Weed Go! is back!
If you’ve ever bought anything from any dispensary anywhere, you’ll know that on every jar or piece of packaging comes an added notice letting you know the product's potency and other testing information, sometimes with a printed state seal.
Well Robert Brodnick, co-owner and CEO of Titan Laboratories -- an Arizona Department of Health Services licensed cannabis testing facility here in Tucson, Arizona -- is one of the men behind the sort of labs that determine just how safe and potent your cannabis is.
Brodnick has an interesting background: once an officer in the military who helped oversee some of the nation’s most sophisticated labs for catching contraband users in the military, now he helps determine potency levels and if cannabis products are safe enough to hit dispensary shelves.
Our conversation touches on how Titan Laboratories came to be here in Tucson, what labs like Titan are testing for to keep consumers safe, what states like Arizona and others can do to make sure cannabis patients and customers are safe, and what federalization would mean for the cannabis testing industry.
MORE INFO
Info for Titan Laboratories: https://www.titanlab.net/
Phone: (520) 771-9990
Contact Robert Brodnick: Email: robert@titanlab.net
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How's it growing folks?! On the latest Here Weed Go! my guest is Jen Christiansen, the owner and operator of Arte Bella on 4th Avenue, a unique "consumption lounge" space here in Tucson, Arizona.
Christiansen explains how Arte Bella, which started as a mobile paint-n-puff operation after the passage of medical marijuana here in Arizona, grew into what is likely the first cannabis consumption lounge in the United States that also sports a full bar.
Oh, and it has a full-service restaurant. And a concert event space. Oh, and you can still drop in and paint. And puff.
Our conversation touches on the struggles, both in business and in life, Christiansen has overcome to make Arte Bella a success, what running such a versatile business is like and what Christiansen thinks Arte Bella’s role in fighting the stigmas that still exist against cannabis and cannabis users is.
More Info
Here Weed Go! social media pages: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
Arte Bella on 4th Ave: https://www.artebellaon4th.com/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? It’s another great episode of your favorite cannabis-centric podcast, Here Weed Go! This episode is especially special because it means Here Weed Go! Is officially back and better than ever for Season 2!
I’m kicking off this new run of 12 episodes with a guest who might have the first billion dollar idea in cannabis. Her name is Lilach Mazor Power and she’s the founder and CEO of Mazor Collective, a vertically integrated cannabis company based out of Phoenix.
Its brands include The Giving Tree Dispensary in North Phoenix, Sneakers – a line of premium pre-rolled joints available throughout Arizona – and Revelry, a line of mico-dose pills containing a formula of various cannabinoids aimed at helping relieve menopause symptoms.
If you’d like to learn more about Lilach, Mazor Collective or Revelry, links can be found below. And don’t forget to follow the Here Weed Go! Facebook page and host Eddie Celaya's Instagram as well.
And read more of Eddie's local content and reviews at TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.
More Info
For more Here Weed Go! episodes: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
Mazor Collective: https://www.mazorcollective.com/
The Giving Tree Dispensary: https://givingtreedispensary.com/
Revelry: https://www.revelrycannabis.com/
Here Weed Go! Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HereWeedGoPod
Host Eddie Celaya's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reportereddie/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? Welcome to the latest episode of Here Weed Go!
Today’s episode has a decidedly European flavor: my guest is a Michael Sassano, the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Somai Pharmaceuticals, a European pharmaceutical and biotech company centered on manufacturing in Lisbon, Portugal.
Sassano is a bit of a legend in the world of cannabis startups here stateside and was an early investor in the cannabis industry. He also started his own cultivation farm, Solaris Farms, that merged with a dispensary brand in Las Vegas, where he was during our conversation.
A wide ranging and engaging chat, we touch on how Sassano got into the cannabis space, what he see’s as the main difference between EU and US approaches to cannabis regulation and culture, and where the real future of cannabis lies – both in the United States and internationally.
More Info
More info on Michael Sassano, Somai Pharmaceuticals and Solaris Farms
Michael Sassano Twitter: https://twitter.com/Michael_Sassano
Somai Pharma: https://www.somaipharma.eu/
Solaris Farms: https://solarisfarms.org/
Here Weed Go! Facebook and newsletter sign up pages
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HereWeedGoPod
Here Weed Go! local newsletter: https://tucson.com/newsletters/#tracking-source=menu-nav
Host Eddie Celaya's social media pages:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reportereddie/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/reporterEddie
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome to the latest episode of Here Weed Go! Today, I talk with Alicia Deals one of the 26 winners of a social equity marijuana dispensary license here in Arizona.
A young black mother of three hailing from Phoenix, Alicia’s story and journey with cannabis and marijuana is full of triumph and heartache, includes a dash of the good ole American Dream, and just might be meant to be.
Our conversation picks up with Alicia talking about who she is, where she’s from, and what her family story means going forward in a venture that’s anything but a guarantee.
MORE INFO
Want to learn more about Arizona's new social equity program? Read some of host Eddie Celaya's stories here.
https://tucsonmarijuanaguide.com/search/?l=25&sort=relevance&f=html&t=article%2Cvideo%2Cyoutube%2Ccollection&app=editorial&nsa=eedition&q=social+equity
You can also visit Eddie's Instagram and Twitter pages as well.
Don't forget to like the Here Weed Go! Facebook, page either.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? Welcome to the latest episode of Here Weed Go! the podcast dedicated to covering cannabis in all of it’s forms! I’m your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis writer here at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, Arizona.
This episode begins Here Weed Go!'s seasonal focus on election-related issues affecting cannabis, the cannabis industry and those who consume cannabis in one way or another.
Our topic this week is the nation's southern border with Mexico: Where once marijuana poured across the border by the ton, now the flow is barely measured in pounds. What’s responsible for that drop-off, and what have the consequences been?
To help give context to cannabis and it’s relationship with the southern border I’m welcoming my guest Curt Prendergast, the Opinion and Editorial Page editor here at the Daily Star.
Prendergast touches on the methods smugglers used to get marijuana and other illicit drugs into the country and the precipitous drop in marijuana trafficking since the implementation of medical and recreational marijuana programs here in the U.S.
More Information
More Here Weed Go! episodes: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go
More from Curt Prendergast: https://tucson.com/users/profile/curt%20prendergast/
More from Eddie Celaya: https://tucsonmarijuanaguide.com/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks? Welcome back to Here Weed Go!’s first two-part episode ever! As I alluded to just now, this episode is the second part of a very special interview I did at Arte Bella of 4th Avenue with former 4-time NBA Champion and 3-point marksman Craig Hodges.
If you haven’t listened to the first part of our conversation, go do that, but if you'd like to listen to this episode first, here's a recap of last week: our conversation covered his first experiences with cannabis, how the NCAA and NBA treated marijuana use in the 80s, and his time with the Chicago Bulls, which resulted in his winning two titles – but also may have inadvertently led to Hodges being black-balled from the league after a visit to the White House with the team in 1992.
This second half of our talk picks up with Hodges delving into why he was using cannabis at the end of his career in contrast to his days as a young high school player and eventually touches on his coaching time with the Lakers as an assistant for Phil Jackson, his involvement with marijuana advocacy now and his answer to the eternal debate: Jordan or Kobe.
A big Jen Christiansen, owner/operator of Arte Bella on 4th Ave., for letting us record the episode on site, and to Downtown and D2 Dispensaries, for providing some of the iLava products mentioned in the episode.
Last, thanks to Here Weed Go! Apprentice Vic Verbalaitis for editing the episode together and dealing with the myriad of technical difficulties that arose during production.
If you'd like to read more here weed go content, be sure to visit our wbsite: TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.
Additional Info/Social Media
Arte Bella on 4th Avenue: https://www.artebellaon4th.com/
Downtown Dispensary: https://thedowntowndispensary.com/
D2 Dispensary: https://d2dispensary.com/
iLava: https://ilava.com/
Eddie's Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reportereddie/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/reporterEddie
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How’s it growing folks!? Welcome to a special, basketball-centric episode of Here Weed Go!, the podcast dedicated to all things cannabis!
In today’s episode, we're joined by a special guest: four-time NBA champion and cannabis advocate Craig Hodges.
Hodges, the subject of an upcoming documentary about his life, advocacy, and social justice work, was one of the NBAs first true 3-point assassins, winning the leagues 3-point contest three years in a row, a feat matched only by Larry Bird.
He still boasts the single best round ever recorded in the contest, hitting 25 of a possible 30 shots.
For the first part of our discussion, I ask Hodges about his time growing up in Chicagoland and first being exposed to cannabis and basketball.
Eventually, we touch on his time at Long Beach State under legendary coach Tex Winter, the approach to cannabis in the late 70s and early 80s by the NCAA and NBA, and his now infamous trip with the Chicago Bulls to the White House after their second championship in 1992.
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This episode of Here Weed Go! smokes out the process of how proposed cannabis legislation becomes law in Arizona, and focuses in on a bill (House Bill 2050) currently working it’s way through the state legislature up in Phoenix.
To help clear the smoke around the topic, we're joined by attorney Jon Udell. Udell is at the Rose Law Group in Scottsdale, where he serves as the co-chair of the cannabis department, and he’s the political director for the Arizona Branch of the the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
If you'd like to hear or read more exclusive Here Weed Go! content, sign up for the companion newsletter here. You can also visit the Here Weed Go! Facebook page. And find Eddie on either his Instagram or Twitter accounts by his handle: @ReporterEddie
Rose Law Group: https://www.roselawgroup.com/
AZ NORML: https://arizonanorml.org/
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Welcome to the latest episode of Here Weed Go! This episode sees host Eddie Celaya joined by guests Matt Pinchera, CSO of Hana Dispensaries -- which sports locations in Green Valley and Phoenix, Arizona, respectively -- and Bryan McLaren, CEO of Zoned Properties, a firm offering commercial real estate services for the cannabis industry at the national level.
Together, they attempt to identify and navigate the different levels of red tape involved in finding suitable property for potential dispensary and cultivation sites. From avoiding schools and churches to adhering to changing local zoning ordinances, it's an eye-opening episode sure to make you appreciate your neighborhood dispensary even more.
If you'd like to read more about Hana Dispensaries and get more exclusive Here Weed Go! content, sign up for the companion newsletter here. You can also visit the Here Weed Go! Facebook page. And find Eddie on either his Instagram or Twitter accounts by his handle: @ReporterEddie
https://hanadispensaries.com/
https://zonedproperties.com/
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Here Weed Go! returns for another pot-astic episode! Host Eddie Celaya takes a deeper look at the growing movement to expunge marijuana-related convictions and is joined by Caroline Isaacs, the executive director of Just Communities Arizona and Martin Hutchins, an attorney and the marijuana expungement litigation manager for the Arizona Justice Project.
Together, they shed some light on what expungement means in the context of cannabis charges, what obstacles people with marijuana-related charges face and where the nascent expungement movement is headed with recreational programs proliferating around the country.
If you'd like to learn more about expungement here in Arizona, you can visit the Arizona Marijuana Expungement Coalition's website here.
And if you'd like to read more from Eddie Celaya (or follow him on Instagram or Twitter) or the work put out on TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com, you can subscribe to the companion Here Weed Go! newsletter here.
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With the latest episode of Here Weed Go!, host Eddie Celaya is joined by a trio of researchers from the University of Arizona Health Sciences Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center: Tally Largent-Milnes, John Streicher and John Vanderah.
The good doctors share their latest cannabinoid-based research and findings into terpenes, the so-called "Entourage Effect" and other cannabis compounds and what the possible implications are for those suffering from different kinds of pain.
For more information on the research mentioned in this episode, follow these links:
Tally Largent-Milnes, PhD, studies the role of the endogenous cannabinoid system in functional pain disorders including migraine.
John Streicher, PhD, is exploring how cannabis terpenes affect pain.
Todd Vanderah, PhD, and interim director of the Pain and Addiction Center, has researched cannabinoids for more than two decades.
You can also sign up for the Here Weed Go! Newsletter here. Just scroll down to "Here Weed Go!," click the button to indicate you wish to sign up, and enter your email address. And don't forget the Here Weed Go! Facebook page!
Listeners can also follow Eddie at his Instagram and Twitter handle: @ReporterEddie
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On the latest Here Weed Go! potcast, host Eddie Celaya explores just what, exactly, the rules and laws are surrounding commercial airline travel and cannabis: can you fly with it domestically? Internationally? What are the consequences if caught? The episode also touches briefly on the ongoing saga of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who is still being held in Russia after allegedly being found in possession of cannabis-infused vape pens.
Attorney Jason Adelstone sheds light on what legal consequences Griner and others could face, and TSA spokesperson Patricia Mancha lets you know what the TSA is looking for.
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The second episode of Here Weed Go! clears the smoke around recreational adult use marijuana programs and what they mean to the economics, politics and people of states that implement them. Arizona Dispensary Association Executive Director Samuel Richard discusses how Arizona's recreational program got toking, and Mike Robinette, president of the Arizona branch of NORML, shares just how much has changed in states and nationwide since prohibition has begun to fall.
More information
Arizona Dispensary Association: https://azdispensaries.org/
Arizona branch of NORML: https://arizonanorml.org/
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The first episode of Here Weed Go! dives into the origins behind the podcast. It includes an emotional look at the experiences that shaped host Eddie Celaya's formative years with cannabis, featuring an interview with his mother, Samantha Longenbaugh.
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