Being a party reporter is one of the most daunting gigs in media, maybe only second to having a weekly column. Brock Colyar straddles both roles, and they’ve become one of the most exciting and downright funny culture writers over the past few years. 

With their weekly nightlife dispatch “Are U Coming?” for New York Magazine, Colyar shadows a medley of socialites, niche micro-influencers, and undeniable legends (Candace Bushell, hello!) as they embark on a memorable night out in New York City. Brock then chronicles their misadventures in a diary-style format, with time-stamped blurbs/vignettes summarizing their activities (alongside some delicious commentary) from the first cocktail of the night through the wee hours.  

Choice cuts include a Diplo DJ set at a Midtown megaclub, an Easter orgy, a Columbia frat party​​, an insanely cringe socialist literary party, plus an evening (or two) with Caroline Calloway. And don’t forget Brock’s cover story on partying during the pandemic, which will go down in history as one of the best time capsules of life in New York during the height of lockdown. 

I’ve gotta give Brock some serious props — it takes a true mix of guts and self-discipline to helm a gig like this. It’s a tricky balance: being loose enough to talk to strangers, or riding the same chemical wave as one of your subjects, while remaining lucid and journalistically sharp. Further, a different writer might feel tempted to be overly fawning about certain events and gatekeepers, or be compelled to roast the more oblivious characters they cross paths with. Brock, however, doesn’t front. They are authentic about what they like and don’t like, bitchy when appropriate, and yet rarely punch below the belt. 

Brock is also one of my favorite people to share a joint and shoot the shit with at an overstimulating social function. It’s always a treat when we hang, and the writer’s 420 Recs for Cash Only are just as delightful. In our interview below, Brock talks about writing sober but editing stoned, their ethics regarding consuming drugs with a subject, and how weed has recently infiltrated fashion parties. Big ups to NYC’s top party chronicler, we love ya!

Can you tell me about the first time you smoked weed?

Brock Colyar: Oh my god, the first time I smoked was at the music festival Bonnaroo. There was a jam band playing and my cousin passed me a joint and that’s all I remember, besides the fact that I didn’t get high. It was one of those classic first time experiences where it doesn’t work and you don’t get high at all. I was 16, maybe? A late weed bloomer.

The first time I really remember getting high was my first week in college. I made a stoner writer smoker friend from Iowa and we went out to Lake Michigan together at night and got super high by the water. It was like two months before the 2016 elections, and I was such a neoliberal Hillary Clinton-supporting fuck at the time. We got stoned and then my new friend and I got into a fight about Bernie Sanders. But then we made up by going to get milkshakes.  

How has your relationship with weed evolved since then? What’s your consumption like today? 

Since I was maybe 19, I have smoked on a daily basis, but I’ve always been a nighttime smoker. Every night, maybe two hours before bed, I smoke a bowl because I can’t roll a joint and I’m a baby. It’s really sad because I’ve watched a million YouTube videos on how to roll, but I can’t do it, so you’ll have to teach me. 

Anyway, I’ll smoke and, on a good night, I’ll use those two hours as my thinking time. I’ll write down ideas and I often edit my work when I’m high. I become more vicious as an editor, and I’ll cut things that aren’t funny or aren’t working. I also think I become slightly bitchier after smoking. So I edit my writing high, and then I joke that the next morning my desk is always littered in Post-It notes with things I scribbled while stoned — story ideas, little sentences I like, unfortunately there’s usually a few musings about the state of my dating life, etc. Nine out of ten of them are really, really, really bad, but then I usually feel that one out of ten ideas is good and makes it worth it. So yeah, I write completely sober, and then everything is edited while I’m stoned.

Lately, my relationship with weed has been changing, though. I recently went to this weed shop in the East Village that I really like, and I bought my first pen. I’ve never smoked out of a pen prior. I’m practicing becoming a more social smoker, so now I always have this pen with me. And I’m trying to use it when I’m out during the week more because I end up drinking less if I’m high. 

I don’t know the name of the pen, and it shows that I’m such a n00b. I’ve smoked nearly every day for the last five years of my life, but I can’t tell you the difference between any strain. I just always smoke a sativa; I hate smoking indicas. Always sativa, even at night. I like my mind to be going. Indica can make me lethargic and I can’t move. I accidentally bought an indica a couple weeks ago, and when I smoke it, I just lay down in my bed and start watching shitty YouTube videos for hours without moving. And I’ll stay up way later than I wanted to.

What’s the weed shop in the East Village like?

It’s on East 10th near 1st Avenue, close to that crystal shop. My friend lives nearby, and it’s also near a bar that I like to go to for cheap martinis. The shop was selling weed before weed shops sprung up seemingly everywhere, so I became loyal to it. And I buy my flower from a delivery service called Hotline Green. 

I’m curious about using weed while you’re out reporting for your party column. Does New York Magazine have a policy about smoking while on the job? When do you decide it’s OK to smoke with an interview subject?

So my general rule when I’m reporting is that I try not to do any substances that the people around me aren’t doing. I want the nightlife experience to be as authentic as possible to the people around me and the people I’m covering. So I usually don’t smoke unless I’m offered or the subject is smoking. 

But then again, I recently started carrying around this pen. And I have to be loosened up to talk to people when I’m out party reporting. Drinking is a little more dangerous for me because I’ll end up going home too early, so I’ve been using the pen more to loosen the gears and force myself to talk to people. 

So if a subject is consuming x, y, or z, you’ll mirror the behavior to get on the same wave?

Yes.

Is that encouraged by your editors? 

Not necessarily. I think that’s a tricky ethical question I’m always thinking about — my own substance use while out on the job. Obviously, using substances while reporting can cause some problems. But I’ve also found that it can be, well, helpful. If I’m out with a subject who is drinking or smoking or whatever, and I do it too, I think it creates a mutual vulnerability between us. We’re both taking a risk. And I think by doing so I’m able to write about nightlife as authentically as possible. I approach it all on a case-by-case basis, though, and try to be as smart as possible. Of course, there have been times where I fucked up a little, meaning I drank or smoked too much and went home earlier than I should have. I like to see a party from beginning to end. I hate it when I take myself home before the end of the night (or, worse, let someone else lure me home…)

I have offered weed to a subject once. I offered it to Candace Bushnell because she was desperate for something other than a Cosmo. I happened to have my pen on me, so we got super stoned together. She told me she couldn’t get high off THC, but then she got totally stoned [laughs]. 

Were there any other “Are U Coming?” subjects who smoked a lot?

I feel like weed has become more popular recently at fashion parties and fashion-adjacent parties. They’ll have free joints available. Like our friends from Medly were giving out weed at the Laquan Smith afterparty for the Met Gala, and also last year at a Pornhub party at Nublu during fashion week. The NSFW, which is a sex club in Soho I recently wrote about, advertises itself as a cannabis-friendly space. And when I wrote about the psychedelics scene, I smoked during the comedown. Oh, and when I wrote about some Euro sorority girls at Columbia going to a frat party! I think they could’ve outsmoked any of my subjects. And they rolled their joints in these beautiful pink and black papers, with gold filters. Very chic.

I love it when there are free joints at a party, though. Because my favorite thing to do at the end of the night is to get really stoned on my walk back to the train. If I smoke, I enjoy my train ride back — I’m playing music, I’m having a good time, and I won’t pay for an Uber. 

What activity do you like to do after you’ve gotten really stoned?

I like to watch a lot of reality TV. If I’m done brainstorming, then I’ll put on The Real Housewives. I crave two things when I’m high: drama and food. So I’ll watch a lot of reality TV and a lot of YouTube cooking videos. I don’t cook at all; I’m a Trader Joe’s frozen meal person, but me and Allison Roman spend time together every night. Oh, I also like to chainsmoke when I’m stoned. Love a cigarette, or five, after I’m high. 

What sort of snacks do you like to eat while you’re high?

I like trail mix, Chex Mix, and the little sesame sticks from Trader Joe’s. I also love fruit — orange, grapefruit, really any type of citrus, oh my god! If I don’t have this stuff, I’m going to the 24-hour deli that just opened near my place and buying a pint of ice cream. That can mean trouble because I know there’s always a place I can get snacks at the end of a night. 

What do you like to listen to when you’re stoned on that late night train back home? 

It’s all Stevie Nicks. I’m a classic rock girl. ‘70s music. Stevie Nicks, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, maybe a little Joni Mitchell – music that makes me feel romantic and flirty and floaty. Music that makes me want to twirl around in a shawl.

Can you recommend something to read once stoned? 

I usually don’t read while I’m high, but if I do, I’m reading something I’ve read before, like my comfort literature. This sounds so cheesy, but I keep a book of Adrienne Rich poetry by my bed. If I’m high, I may pick it up and read a poem out loud. Or even an old Joan Didion book of essays that I’ve read a thousand times. That’s actually interesting: If I read while I’m high, I’m reading out loud and really focusing on the sentences and words. If I’m not doing that, I’m not taking any of it in. It’s an interesting literary exercise to read something out loud. I’m also working on becoming a better public speaker, so this helps with that.

Who’s in your dream blunt rotation?

OK, OK. Definitely Stevie Nicks. She’s my fairy godmother of everything. She doesn’t drink anymore, but I have a secret feeling that she still gets stoned. I’d want to listen to her music with her and just talk about everything. Talk all the shit. Do I get to have other guests? Might as well invite Joan and Eve Babitz too, as cliché as that is. Make it a whole LA party girl thing.

Follow Brock Colyar on Socials:
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‘Are U Coming?’ Newsletter

The post Cash Only’s 420 Recs: Brock Colyar, Nightlife Reporter appeared first on High Times.

Clare Gillen is a visual artist, photographer, and creative director — a true visionary, if you ask us. Her work often mixes beauty and the grotesque, and it feels informed in equal parts by Cindy Sherman and Tim & Eric, though only in spirit. Clare has developed a visual universe that’s all her own. 

The Philly-born artist is known for art directing, designing, and producing the live shows for a who’s who of iconoclastic musicians — including Rihanna, Blood Orange, Jack Antonoff, and King Princess — and she’s worked on music videos for the likes of KP (“Pussy Is God”), Lil Miquela, Lana Del Rey, and most recently Eric Wareheim’s Las Jaras Wines.

The wine spot is a great entry point to Clare’s work. In the frenetic clip, Spider-Man, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, and the Grinch get lit and spray suds on each other while T-Pain’s “Spray That Booty” soundtracks their shenanigans. The short is edited perfectly, including a montage of each mascot jumping off a hill and tripping, as well as a moment where the lyrics “It’s gonna sound like I’m pissing” lines up with a shot of Goofy pretending to let a stream rip behind a tree. Truly one for the books!

Outside of her brain-blooming portfolio, Clare is a super thoughtful person with a dedication to wellness and self-care. When asked if she’d be down for a Cash Only interview, Clare explained that she had recently taken a hiatus from weed in order to prepare for a San Pedro and Kambo retreat. For the unfamiliar, San Pedro is a psychedelic cactus that’s been utilized for self-healing and religious rites for thousands of years. Kambo, on the other hand, is a purge that involves skin secretions from the kambo frog that get burnt into your skin. 

As a regular toker and “Philly Cheesesteak girl,” the ceremony’s required pre-cleanse presented an opportunity for Clare to embrace some lifestyle adjustments, including changes to her diet and the aforementioned weed break. We thought this was interesting and wanted to learn more about other takeaways she gleaned from the unique psychedelic experience. So, instead of our 420 Recs series, Cash Only wanted to present a conversation with Clare about the San Pedro / Kambo retreat. 

Below, the artist discusses how she changed her consumption habits prior to the ceremony, what actually went down there, and how it’s influenced her day-to-day life since. Inspiring stuff from an inspiring person. Thanks Clare!!

So you recently did a cleanse to prepare for a San Pedro ceremony. What did it entail?

Clare Gillen: My friend invited me to this San Pedro ceremony in Connecticut, and it also included a Kambo ceremony the next day. I had to prep for it, so you don’t drink alcohol, you can only eat pretty much vegan food — and then no coffee, no sex, and you don’t consume THC (specifically for the Kambo). 

I was smoking weed pretty regularly before, but I wanted this plant medicine experience to be life-changing in a fundamental health way. I did the ceremony a couple weeks ago, and I haven’t smoked since, with the exception of one Saturday night when I hit a delicious joint. Other than that, I haven’t been using weed at all and I’m off coffee, too. This is the first time in my life I’m off coffee, so it’s a huge deal for me. I’ve been eating pretty close to vegan, which is also a huge deal to me because I’m a Philly Cheesesteak girl at heart.

How long do you have to do the cleansing routine before the ceremony?

They suggest a week, but some start only three or four days out. You want to be pretty clean for it. I transitioned to green tea and said my goodbye to weed with a fat joint that I shared with some friends. I was excited to jump into this new chapter. It’s really weird, dude. I never felt like I had a reason to stop smoking, but this was a reason. It’s been really inspiring because it works. I have no real desire to smoke now, and I think something changed with my mental addiction to it. 

Can you tell me more about what went down at the retreat?

So we got there on Friday, did some yoga, and then had a vegan dinner where we got to know everyone and talked about San Pedro. The next day we woke up, did some Pranayama (breathwork), and then we drank the San Pedro. We did some mantras, did some singing, and then made super cozy spots for ourselves outside in a big circle around an altar.

I realized it was the first time I’ve taken psychedelics with the intention of doing literally nothing. I’ve obviously taken psychedelics with friends where we sort of did nothing, but you’re still expected to make jokes or talk to each other or report on how you’re feeling. You often want to make it an adventure, right? But this was the opposite. It was like, “Let’s do nothing and literally just lay and process.” You can cry if you want to, listen to songs if you want to, go on a walk, etc. But I really just laid around.

How did the San Pedro make you feel?

The San Pedro felt really, really mild and positive. Not everyone there had positive experiences, and everyone came to it with different stuff they were going through, but I just felt really integrated with the Earth. And it weirdly made me horny. It made me want to be in touch with my body more and eat more plants. The night ended with us around the fire and we came down and played music and ate. It was amazing. The next day we did the Kambo. For that, you don’t eat, but you chug a gallon of water, meditate, and then they burn the poison into your arm. I still have a couple dots on me. 

The San Pedro high was so clean that I felt like I could have gone to work or driven a car. It wasn’t as heavy as ayahuasca is. It was very, very body. And San Pedro is known as “the grandfather,” whereas ayahuasca is known as “the grandmother.” You’re gonna hear it from your grandmother — grandma is prone to drop a bomb in your face, right? But grandfather is a little more passive about it. That’s the gendered connotation.

I definitely was tripping and was aware of that. Acid can sometimes feel chemical-y, and mushrooms can be overwhelming, especially visually, and they can also feel a little swampy. But San Pedro felt very clean and very supportive. Plus, I was in a really good and grounded place when I went into it. I had been prepping with yoga, plus the diet integration stuff. I was just ready to receive what it had to give.

How did the Kambo experience compare to the San Pedro?

Kambo is not psychedelic. Kambo is just a poison [laughs]. It’s over very fast. And, I’m not going to lie, I was very afraid of it. From what I had read, I thought it would be very heavy and intensely scary on a physical level. I thought I’d almost be in pain because the poison hits you immediately. But I’d also read that it can feel euphoric. And when I took it, I felt the heat rising and the poison flowing through my body. I felt my face getting hot. But I didn’t feel afraid. And the woman leading the ceremony told me, “Be brave. The medicine likes when you’re brave.” Interestingly, Kambo was used for centuries by hunters so they could have super clear, unanxious minds. 

I started with five dots and I was not purging. I was chilling, breathing, feeling it. I knew I needed more because ultimately you want to purge, right? It’s good to purge, they say. Then I was given two more dots, and I hate throwing up, so that was a little weird for me. It ended up being amazing because after you feel very clean and really renewed. It’s supposed to reset your body from a molecular level, and take toxins out. After the Kambo, we did this healing session that was like a sound bath and they did acupuncture and cupping on us. It was fucking amazing, bro [laughs]. 

Were you told to continue any practices after leaving the retreat?

A lot of what was talked about was to notice integration. I’m now on this new age tip where I’m convinced you can manifest stuff and there’s this psychic energy to tap into. My friend was telling me about this French concept called dérive that’s like an intuitive wandering method. During the industrial revolution, some people thought everything was too planned and we needed to be more random and intuitive. So they’d go walking intuitively and see where that led them. I embraced that idea yesterday with the intention to run into someone specific. I knew they hung out at this park, and I thought I’d wander my way there, but then three blocks down from where I started, not even near where they live, I ran into them. Funny, right? That’s fucking cool to me. I think most plant medicine is heart-opening, and our hearts have an intelligence that we don’t necessarily follow. I feel like I’m more open to listening to what my heart says now. People keep asking me, “Did you have any breakthroughs on San Pedro?” And I’m like, “My breakthrough was to eat clean and to lead with my heart” [laughs].

So this is a tangent, but you said the San Pedro made you horny. Do you think human sexuality is more influenced by the heart than the brain?

Wow. That’s such a good question. I know my brain was in charge for a long time because of how it was primed growing up, from things like porn or even the idea or construct of a romantic fantasy. Especially for women, sexuality can often be intellectual and less body-related. As I grow into a woman there’s something about tapping into the next level. And the next level for me is that there is a path towards heart energy — even Kundalini energy. I want to explore that connection.

Now that the ceremony has passed, do you want to continue this new relationship with what you put in your body, like food and weed?

I hope it lasts. Oh, I have a funny story that shows how strong the lifestyle change was. On Saturday, after I was back from the ceremony, I went to brunch at the Butcher’s Daughter and ate pancakes. After eating, I walked around for a little, and I was like, “Oh, no… I need to lay down. I feel terrible.” So I went home to rest, and kept waking up and was like, “I feel so bad. I have COVID. This is terrible.” It legit felt like when I actually had COVID and it came out of nowhere. Then I woke up a few hours later and felt completely fine. I realized I didn’t have COVID, I had just eaten pancakes! But I felt ill! Probably because I hadn’t had that much sugar in a while. The meal geeked me out. I have always eaten whatever I want, since forever, and I had a similar relationship with weed. The pre-ceremony cleanse made me super sensitive. 

How else did the San Pedro make you reconsider your relationship with weed? 

I think for a lot of regular weed smokers, there is this mental addiction that grows. I think we often reach for weed as a crutch, but what we really need is to move our bodies, or to move some energy around. I also have been curious about something I recently read regarding pleasure and pain. We are over-pleasured as a society, which is actually more anxiety-inducing and makes us less happy. Our brains really like the homeostasis of pain mixed in with pleasure. But in our culture, we don’t have enough pain, we don’t force ourselves to run up the hill, we don’t force ourselves to sit with pain and grieve. Instead, we reach for the bong. 

The quick-fix solution is less effective long-term, and it makes our brains freak out. Our brains want equilibrium and homeostasis — pain and pleasure. So for me, being like, “I’m not going to get that sugary drink” like I usually would, and instead having a tea… even something as subtle as that is good for my brain. It’s good not to give your brain that immediate reward. I think it builds this muscle of discipline, too.

What will your relationship with weed be like going forward? 

I think for a while now, I’ve been grappling with the fact that if weed is handed to me, I hit it without thinking. I started smoking like 15 years ago, and I never really stopped because I loved it. And in L.A., it’s everywhere. But going forward, I want to be more intentional with my use. I want to feel who I am raw, without any of this stuff. I want to strengthen my mind to be like, “Can I escape from this rat race or this gnarly world we live in through my own means and strengthened connections to myself, to my heart, to my truth?” It feels like shit, but I think it’s more commendable. Weed has always been a positive thing in my life, and I don’t think it will totally disappear, but I’m really happy to have this reset.

Any last thoughts you want to add?

Yes, to conclude, weed has had such a positive impact on my life. My creative growth is closely tied to it. So shout-out weed, love you girl, thanks for everything, but our relationship is going to change a little. These things shouldn’t be so high-contrast and black and white. I think maturity is all about integration and really being in touch with yourself and what’s serving you in the moment and what’s not. And right now, I know what’s working for me.

For more on Clare Gillen:
Website
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Gilly Studio

The post Cash Only: Visual Artist Clare Gillen on Breaking Up With Weed To Embrace San Pedro appeared first on High Times.

Mark Moran wears many hats. Formerly known as an investment banker, reality star on Fboy Island, and “Employee No. 1” at Litquidity — one of the premier accounts in the extended FinTwit universe — Mark has since created Equity Animal, an investor relations firm that is kicking ass and taking names. 

Mark is also one of my favorite on-screen media personalities. For example, take his appearance at Bitcoin Miami alongside Serena Shahidi (aka @glamdemon2004), which is arguably the best video tour of the cringe-filled conference to date. After a half-dozen watches, I still laugh at the scene where Serena touches up her make-up while Mark rides a mechanical bull “longer than CNN+ existed” in the background.

Mark is clearly a funny guy with strong convictions, and this applies to his thoughts on cannabis. In a phone interview with Cash Only, the media personality weighed in on Wall Street employees’ evolving relationship with weed, his ongoing love of late night edibles consumption, and more. He also recounted the time he accidentally connected a coworker with a drug delivery service called Tech Support, when the kid just wanted help fixing his computer. Cheers, Mark!

What was your first time smoking weed like?

Mark Moran: I was around age 17 when I first smoked weed. I remember coughing for eight minutes straight and then sweating nonstop. I had hit a gravity bong, and immediately had no idea what was going on. When it hit me, I thought the feeling was interesting. Then you do more, and you do more, and by the end of it, I was coughing less. I had never felt like that, and I was with a bunch of people who were more seasoned, so they seriously laughed at me — and then I laughed at myself, too.

Did you go through a stoner phase in high school?

I didn’t because I was playing sports the whole time. I think I only smoked once or twice in high school. And in college I was drug tested all the time because I was running track. For any division one athlete, you get tested a lot, so I couldn’t indulge. It wasn’t until grad school when I started dabbling, but even then it wasn’t regular. When I started working in banking, though, I started to smoke and eat edibles as a way to relax in the evenings because I was high-strung all the time.

Honestly, I got way more into edibles than smoking — even now. I’ll often structure my day where if I have rote tasks to do, like emails or whatever, I’ll save it for the evening so I can eat an edible and have a nice buzz going when I sit down to finally type. That’s when I’m most creative — during the evening, relaxing, staring out the window, and then being able to type and write stuff. I’m not much of a writer, but this window is when I come up with content ideas, concepts, or show ideas. That’s one of my favorite things to do.

Also, I like to tweet when I’m stoned in the evening. If you were to run the Twitter analytics of when I’m high versus when I’m not, I’m getting so many more likes when I’m high. Twitter is a big social experiment to me, where some people want to take it seriously, some people want to be insightful, but I’m the opposite of insightful (which is on brand for me). I’ll blast out 30 tweets in two hours, and they get crazier and crazier. Most of that humor I would have never thought of sober. You can see the progression of me getting stoned if you read through my tweets at night.

When you worked in finance, were you drug tested? Did your coworkers smoke?

You’d always have to take an entry drug test when you started a new job. They’d test for weed because it wasn’t legal in New York at the time. I’d read all these forums where people in finance would ask if they’d actually test for weed. They stopped drug testing across the board like two years ago, though. 

What’s interesting, though, is that finance is a very buttoned-up industry, but once you get close to people, you kind of realize that a decent percentage of workers (especially workers who are very good at their jobs) are high while they’re doing it. The kids who can sit in front of a computer all day and do Microsoft Excel or financial modeling for 18 hours? They’re high for a lot of it. And that’s the way a lot of them relax or cope with stuff. Also, if you were a pothead all throughout college, you’re not going to be stopping once you start working at a big investment bank.

It’s funny because you associate finance with coke and stimulants — and people definitely do that — but a lot of people in the industry like to unwind with weed in the evenings. It’s a way to relax, and everyone is so high-strung. People do keep their weed use to themselves, though, compared to other drugs. Workers would rather have their officemate know they’re taking stimulants over smoking weed. Weed still has negative connotations associated with it in suit-and-tie workplaces. 

So weed is not a social drug within the finance community? It’s a private tool. 

Yeah, it’s more of a private thing. I think a lot of it has to do with finance people not being super social. Like you’re not sitting down with your colleagues and getting to know each other. There’s always this work veil of who you are, even if you’re getting drinks with your colleagues. There’s a line you never want to cross with personal intimacy. I think this got broken a bit during COVID because you’re working all the time, and there’s no boundaries between work and relaxation, and your office is feet from your bed. So I think a lot more people started smoking, or smoking more, during COVID. The downside is you can get high in the evening, get assigned more work unexpectedly, and then the next morning you’re like, “What the hell was that email I sent last night?” [laughs]. But people need a way to relax! Especially when you have a stressful job and you’re at your breaking point. I think weed helped a lot of people during the pandemic. 

Where do you get your weed in NYC?

So my weed delivery service is called Tech Support. If you want edibles, you have to message them, “Hey can I get tech support for .edi files?” When I was working at Centerview Partners a few years ago, the dude who sat next to me was my boy. But one Sunday night he hit me up, and I was already high, and he goes, “Yo, can you send me tech support’s number?” I say sure and send it to him. He hits me up a little bit later and says, “They’re asking who referred me.” I tell him to say my name and they say cool. Then, they ask him, “So what type of files do you want?” He hits me back and is like, “Dude, did you just refer me to your drug dealer? I wanted tech support for my computer!” I might have peed my pants a little bit [laughs].

You said you’re an edibles guy. What sort of edibles are we talking about?

They have these Peppermint Patty ones that were my favorite. I’ve definitely taken some weird bodega shit too, and that will put you on your back. I also like Canna-Bricks. The pack has like 400mgs in it, but I take maybe 10-20mg at a time. Sometimes, I’ll take 20mg on a Sunday, but then I’m being hilarious on Twitter, and I’ll take a little more, and then I’m in outer space. That’s always hilarious to me. I like that weed is associated with humor for me.

What activity do you like to do after you’ve gotten really stoned?

I’ve experimented with taking a small edibles dose and then going for a run, and I like it but I don’t love it. My favorite thing to do when high might be going down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, literally for hours until I learn everything about the given topic. Most recently, I got really into looking at high school football stadiums in Texas. I’d look at aerial views of all of them, and it blew my mind. Another rabbit hole I got into was looking at plane graveyards in New Mexico. I’d also look at aerial photos, and you’d see thousands and thousands of planes that flew there on their last journey and are now stripped and just shells. It’s fucking wild. 

Can you recommend something to watch while really high?

Reno 911. My favorite thing to watch. I’ve seen it so many times. I don’t watch a lot of TV, and I don’t like stuff unless it’s action or comedy. So there’s just something about Reno 911 that resonates with me. There’s layers to it, and it gets more funny with each watch. 

Can you recommend something to listen to while smoking?

I have a real cool view from my apartment, where I can see the Empire State Building and other shit. I like to just lay in bed, listen to music, and stare out the window. I start with Usher, and then hit “Create Station” on Apple Radio and I go from there. Later on, I’ll try to find remixes of Dave Matthews Band on Soundcloud and then put those on a playlist. I grew up in Virginia, and they’re from Charlottesville where I went to school, so listening to DMB brings me back — and the remixes are pretty wild. 

Can you recommend something to read once stoned? 

I really like reading longform journalism in The Atlantic. There’s always something that makes you think. Recently, I read this piece that was my favorite thing from the past year, and it was about how divided we are as a society. And why the next 10 years will be so wild because there’s only a small percentage on the left and a small percentage on the right who control pretty much how everyone else processes information. Ten years ago, you could have very different opinions than your neighbor, but you had to interact with them every day. That would lead people to be more accepting of others’ opinions. Now you can live in a filter bubble where you only get, say, Fox News and the various right wing outlets — and you never have to confront people with different opinions than you, on the internet or otherwise. People don’t have to leave their comfort zone or have their views challenged, which is bad for democracy and society as a whole. I love reading shit like that. And I would never have had the time to think and sit on it during the day, so I thank weed for that.

Who’s in your dream blunt rotation?

Bill Clinton. That would just be hilarious. Martin Luther King Jr. Randy Moss the football player, for sure. He’s a huge pothead. Jose Canseco. People who you just know will say wild shit when they’re stoned. And then Paris Hilton. It would be chaotic and wild to have all these people in the same room smoking. I want us all to smoke in a random-ass airport restaurant, like the CBGB’s at Newark — or the smoking room in the TGI Friday’s at the Miami airport. I want us to be people watching while we’re chilling, and then passersby can come and say what’s up. 

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The post Cash Only’s 420 Recs: Mark Moran, Top Dog at Equity Animal appeared first on High Times.

On Saturday, December 17th, Cash Only threw its inaugural Cannabis XXXmas Holiday Market. 

Over a thousand people came, shopped, and smoked under THC-infused tinsel and marijuana mistletoe. 

We had two dozen plus vendors — including a mix of legacy cannabis serves and arts and culture makers — a sativa Santa, and even the tripped out magicians from Smokus Pokus. 

Watch our hot and hazy video tour of the event, featuring our friends from Brooklyn Arboretum, Juanitas, Uncle Budd, Fortune World, Pipe Dreams, and Johnny Gaffney. 

A big thanks to everyone who came out, especially our vendors. And a shoutout to Matthew Weinberger who took photos of the festivities, including a handful below. 

See you all at the next one!

The post Cash Only: Hotboxing NYC’s Dopest Cannabis Holiday Market appeared first on High Times.

Madison also co-founded the print and online publication DoubleBlind, which focuses on psychedelics and their global evolution, and regularly contributes to outlets like Rolling Stone, VICE, Playboy, High Times, and more. 

I’d argue that Madison is one of the best cannabis reporters out there, and her nuanced approach to storytelling is the crème de la infused crème. 

Take, for example, this 2017 feature she wrote for Merry Jane while I was editing the pub. It starts as an article about California wildfires threatening legacy growers in Emerald Triangle, before pivoting into a larger exploration of appellations, terroir, and how craft farmers can protect their botanical IP. Madison has that gift of combining idiosyncrasy and gravitas in a way that makes editors drool and other writers jealous.

Madison is a dear friend, and we’ve collaborated on a variety of stories in the past — often trading roles as editor and writer. Before we get into her heady 420 recs, I want to briefly mention one of her birthday parties from a few years back. All her friends, including a variety of old school cannabis activists and “magic Jews,” came to the Kibitz Room at Canter’s Deli in LA for a nosh and a hang. Before I knew it, an Eaze delivery showed up with an excess of weed so everyone could smoke in between bites of their knishes. Does it get more “Jews and drugs” than that? If only it was an annual tradition…

In her Cash Only interview, Madison explains the benefits of CBG (an overlooked cannabinoid), highlights some really cool POC-owned craft farms, and details what a party needs in order for her to be super stoned and still have a good time. Choice recs from a real head! 

What’s your current favorite strain and how do you like to consume it?

Madison Margolin: Anything with high CBD, ideally a hybrid and not sativa-dominant, though I do like Blue Dream. I prefer a tobacco-dominant spliff (occasionally, I like when that tobacco is menthol).

I’m always impressed by the Humboldt growers, folks like Huckleberry Hill Farms, Moonmade Farms, Briceland Forest Farms, etc. I’m not that much of a “stoner” where I’m particular about what I’m smoking, as long as it’s not a super heavy sativa. That gets me anxious at worst, and too alert at best, though I’m open to changing that narrative. As long as it’s a good enough spliff, the flower doesn’t matter too much to me because the tobacco is cutting it. I’m not a consumer nerd, but rather a casual smoker. 

That said, I prefer to support the small outdoor growers in The Emerald Triangle, the mom and pops. Even if the weed is “better” or stronger from an indoor grow op, I still prefer outdoor weed. I like the lifestyle of outdoor farming and what it entails, especially the sungrown, eco-friendly, sustainable and regenerative aspects. I like people who put care into every single plant, energetically, holistically, etc. That’s preferred over the impersonal, mass produced indoor weed you can find elsewhere. 

Do you have a current favorite weed product?

This CBG tincture by Artemisia Negra, a local queer POC-owned craft company based in Hudson Valley. The brand is owned by this really cool herbalist. She’s awesome. I came across the brand at a farmer’s market in Kingston, and they get their hemp from Deer Creek Herbs, which is another small, regenerative operation in the Hudson Valley / Catskills area — so it’s all made from within this regenerative, local ecosystem. 

For me, I’ve found that CBG gets me a little more focused and alert than other cannabinoids. I’ve taken it before starting work for the day, and it helped! CBD has anti-inflammatory properties and can keep you relaxed, but CBG makes you sharper. It’s very subtle, obviously, but I love the way it makes me feel. 

What activity do you like to do after you’ve smoked? 

To be honest, I don’t smoke that much weed these days. If I do, it’s definitely at night, and usually a few puffs from a spliff. Then, if I’m in for the night, I’m getting cozy. If I’m out, I like to dance. 

Unless I’m with people I’m super close with, I can get socially awkward if I’m too stoned. If I’m at a party, I want there to be music with good, meditative vibes — maybe something a little trance-y. I like being high at parties where you can lock into the groove, stay on the dancefloor, and not have to socialize too much. In other words, I don’t like being high at house parties where everyone is socializing and talking nonstop. I want a vibe I can get lost in, without having to focus on my small talk skills. 

Can you recommend something to watch while stoned? 

I recommend watching something full-length, so a movie that would last the length of the high, and ideally something funny, like Annie Hall or something. I tend to get a little stuck in my head when I’m high, and so keeping it light and humorous is helpful and allows me to focus on something other than my thoughts. 

Can you recommend something to listen to after smoking?

The American Beauty album by the Grateful Dead. I just love it so much. It reminds me that America isn’t awful, and it is simultaneously fun to move to. Plus, the lyrics feel soulful to me. 

Can you recommend something to read while high?

The last time I really tripped out reading while baked was when I hit the chapter on “unity” in a book by Aryeh Kaplan called Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide. This book describes a psychedelic experience, through the means of meditation. 

Who’s in your dream blunt rotation?

I feel so lucky that I’ve gotten high with people who are already in my dream blunt rotation — people like Mark McCloud and John Entwhistle, for example. My dad and his friend Gene Schoenfeld, too. Old school hippies and activists from the ‘90s. I’m grateful for the legendary people I’ve already smoked with! 

Also, Ilana Glazer is on my smoke sesh bucket list. Cazzie David, too. She’s a smoker and less stressful to be around than her dad, I’d imagine. Hit me up for a smoke sesh, Ilana and Cassie!

For more on Madison Margolin, visit her website here.

Follow Madison on Twitter and Instagram

The post Cash Only’s 420 Recs: Weed and Psychedelics Journalist, Madison Margolin appeared first on High Times.

Cash Only offers an exclusive tour of St.ned Pizza LES, a weed nightclub and speakeasy run by the infamous Pizza Pusha — aka Chris Barrett, who makes the best THC-laden slice in NYC.

For $140, guests at the nightclub are offered a three-course infused meal, unlimited cannabis cocktails, live music, and more. Plus, it’s BYOC and there’s a dispensary inside, so you can smoke as much as your heart desires while munching on pot-filled pizza.

This is NYC’s first true social consumption success story, and could very well set the model for what 420-friendly venues could look like in the future.

Over the course of several hazy hours, Cash Only bopped around the two-floor venue and talked to staff and attendees, as well as Jay Bulger — a weed expert who first broke the story on the Pizza Pusha for New York Magazine. 

We also tried weed-infused pizza, weed-infused wings, weed-infused garlic knots, and weed-infused cocktails… all while getting a lay of the land at this elegant space. By the time we left, we had easily consumed north of 100mg of THC and were practically crawling up the stairs on our way out.

Watch the video and stay tuned for more docs on New York’s rapidly-evolving weed landscape.

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Daniel Rodriguez says he’s the biggest stoner in the UFC: “I probably display that I smoke weed more than any other fucking UFC fighter out there,” he told me during a phone call while in the middle of rolling up a joint. 

The mixed martial artist is a loud and proud pothead, and luckily that gels with the UFC. Last year, the organization enacted a policy change and will no longer consider a positive drug test for weed a violation of its anti-doping policy. 

This couldn’t be better news for D-Rod, who utilizes the plant to help him stay focused (and entertained) while training nonstop. And the man gets results: After a 7-0 record as a Welterweight in the amateur leagues, an 8-1 record in Dana White’s Contender Series, he stepped up to the big leagues in 2020 with a UFC win, earning him the Performance of the Night award. 

“All these fools in the UFC are getting beat up by a straight-up stoner,” says Rodriguez. 

D-Rod says he wants to “shine a light on the idea that athletes can be successful and smoke weed,” and he’s pushing that message by partnering with California’s Tradecraft Farms as a brand ambassador. (FYI: Tradecraft Farms, which was founded by Brent Walker and Barry Walker, is a multi-state operator with full vertical ops in California and Oklahoma, as well as an upcoming site in Maine where UFC and MMA have huge followings.)

“The partnership with D-Rod has been organic since we met,” wrote Shadow Becker from Tradecraft. “We quickly realized he was elevating his craft beyond the norm which is what we like to do with our cultivation and brands. The pairing was perfect and together we will continue to push the collaboration between cannabis and Mixed Martial Arts. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come!” 

But first, get to know D-Rod a little. In a very mellow interview, the fighter brings us through his weed-laced training routine and talks about being stoned during his most recent UFC match. “It’s like the movie How High; if I train high, then I should fight high.” He also offers some choice West Coast hip-hop recs and explains why he wants to “smoke a joint with the whole world.” 

What’s your current favorite strain and how do you like to consume it?

Daniel Rodriguez: First off, I gotta say I probably display that I smoke weed more than any other fucking UFC fighter out there. Most people are discrete, but I put myself out there with my weed use. Shit, I’m going to roll a joint as we’re talking. I’m going to get into the zone, bro.

For my favorite strain, I’d say Gelato, I like that. I like pretty much anything that doesn’t get me slumped. That said, most weed doesn’t get me slumped. A lot of people tell me that weed knocks them out, or they’ll ask, “How do you smoke weed and still work out?” And I’m like, “I don’t know how you smoke weed and not work out.” It’s a mental thing for me. I am so focused on trying to be my best that it consumes my mind, whether I’m high or not. I think smoking weed enhances my desire to work. It takes my mind off the pain and gets me in my zone. It’s all mental.

I’m just constantly thinking about trying to grow and get better as a fighter, so smoking weed just enhances that shit. It actually makes me more creative and willing to try other shit. Plus, I train so much that I have to be able to stay entertained doing it — and weed helps with that. 

Does weed help you train, regardless of what type of weed it is?

I feel like weed is gonna help me, regardless of the strain. Whether sativa, indica, or hybrid, I don’t really feel a difference. For me, I’ll smoke a fucking joint, which is my preferred smoking method, and then I’ll pop on some headphones, get some good music going, and I can do this training shit all day.

Actually, my schedule is: I wake up, smoke a joint, go work out, eat some healthy shit, smoke a joint on my way to another gym, go work out, and so on. Weed just helps me get through the fucking day. 

Everybody knows when I show up to the gym — I smell like straight up weed, bro. I’ll stink it up. They smell me before I even walk in. Weed is my cologne. I’m that dude bumping music and hotboxing my car five minutes before practice. 

Do you ever consume cannabis before a professional fight?

Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I fought stoned during my last fight. It was against Kevin Lee, and I smoked a joint before we left the hotel to go to the venue. It was like two or three hours before the fight. I look at it like this, bro: It’s like the movie How High; if I train high, then I should fight high. And I’ll get high scores. 

Didn’t Lee get flagged for taking adderall before that fight?

Ya man. That’s wild bro. And he still lost. It shows that weed beats adderall. I’ve said this before, but all these dudes in the UFC are getting beat up by a straight-up stoner. And that’s me. 

Do you have any favorite weed products right now? 

So I have a partnership with Tradecraft Farms, and they have some fire-ass weed. They’re good people and the weed is fucking amazing. It’s a growing company and I’m happy to be a part of it and help bring the light to what they’re doing. They just opened a shop in El Monte, California, which is right next to my hometown, and we’re hosting an event on June 4th — a grand opening with a mural, a lowrider show, a band, food, vendors, etc. 

As far as weed products, I’m a flower connoisseur — you can call me that. I’m not really a fan of edibles. That shit just hits different, bro. I’ll do the occasional dab at the end of the day after I’ve smoked so many joints. But I typically keep like four or five different strains on me. So throughout the day, I’ll smoke joints with different flower strains in them. If I smoke the same strain all day, the effect plateaus. It won’t hit me as much as when I mix up the strains in my rotation.

Funny enough, I don’t like to mix strains together in the same joint. I tried it recently, and that hit me differently; I was lazy as fuck. That’s the only time weed really gets me slumped.

What activity do you like to do after you’ve gotten really stoned?

Honestly bro, everything I do revolves around fighting. If I have a moment where I can just kick it and be faded and not work out, I’m usually in recovery mode. I’ll chill in the sauna or hang out in the hot tub or an ice bath. Recovery mode is essential to me. Other than that, my life is totally consumed by training. I don’t play video games, or shit like that, you know? I’ll drink beers on my off time, though [laughs]. 

Can you recommend something to watch while really high?

If I have time to watch something, I’ll check out some stand-up comedy or NBA playoffs. I like comics like Dave Chappelle, Sebastian Maniscalco, Bill Burr, Jo Koy, Jeff Ross. I even like old school shit like George Carlin. 

Can you recommend something to listen to while smoking?

I listen to not-so-popular shit. I dig through a lot of music. Lately, I’ve been focusing on up-and-coming rappers from the West Coast. Of course, I still listen to YG and Nipsey, but lately I’ve been focusing on Dom Kennedy, Premo Rice, D Smoke, Polyester The Saint, this R&B artist called Blxst. Stuff like that, real mellow stuff that has positive energy and goes well with a side of bud. I like hood shit too, like RJ Mr. LA, B-Real, and Berner.

Can you recommend something to read once stoned?

The Mamba Mentality, which is Kobe Bryant’s book. It’s his personal notes, quotes, sayings, and stories. I love the complete Mamba mentality — situational stuff, like when he injured his achilles and how he dealt with that. I’m a heavy, heavy, heavy LA enthusiast. I’m huge on the vibe and culture. And since I’m from Cali, I really took stuff in from Kobe Bryant. I want to read something on Nipsey Hussle next. I’m into books on positive mindsets and LA legends. 

Who’s in your dream blunt rotation?

Anybody alive? I already smoked with B-Real. So definitely Snoop, Berner, Eddie Bravo (my jiu jitsu coach), and Mike Tyson. 

I haven’t tried Mike Tyson’s weed yet, but I’d definitely like to get my hands on some. I could see myself running into Tyson at some point with my line of work and career trajectory. Whether I go on his podcast, or he comes on mine, I feel like we’re gonna chop it up sometime soon.

Also, I want to smoke a joint with the whole world! We’ll solve world peace, you know what I mean?

Any upcoming projects you want to plug? 

I want to give rapping a try, but right now I’m really focused on training my dick off. Smoking good weed, training hard, and fighting these fools. I’ve been on the sidelines for six or seven months now. I finally gave my body the rest it needed, and now I’m ready to get back in there. People keep asking, “When’s the comeback? When’s the next fight?” So I feel the urgency to get back in there. Everything will come with time. I’m just developing my skills in areas that need work, instead of dropping bombs on these fools all the time. 

For more on Daniel Rodriguez, follow him on Instagram.

The post Cash Only’s 420 Recs: Daniel Rodriguez, the ‘Biggest Stoner in the UFC’ appeared first on High Times.

Last month, Cash Only linked up with the founder of Uncle Budd’s Bud Bus to learn what it’s like to run a mobile marijuana dispensary in NYC, and the story immediately became more complex than we anticipated. 

As we’ve noted before, weed is now legal in New York, but a regulated retail system is still a work in progress. So technically no one is allowed to sell weed for the time being. 

But since the NYPD is mostly embracing a policy of non-interference, savvy entrepreneurs are taking advantage of this purgatorial moment and setting up a variety of semi-legal cannabis businesses. These include brick-and-mortar pot shops and cannabis speakeasies, as well as weed buses that post up in areas with heavy foot traffic and sell kush out their windows like Marijuana Mister Softee trucks. 

Uncle Budd is arguably the pioneer of this gray market model, embracing a legal loophole by gifting weed (not selling it) in exchange for a donation. At the height of his operation, he oversaw a dozen weed buses, and you could find these de facto mobile dispensaries in SoHo, Harlem, Midtown, and several other neighborhoods. They were hard to miss with their flashing LED signs and unapologetic weed imagery plastered on the sides of the massive cars. 

Then, in early September, nearly two dozen weed buses (including Uncle Budd’s fleet, as well as competitors) were towed by the New York City Sheriff’s office, and it supposedly had nothing to do with the wares they kept onboard. 

“There’s an issue with the selling of products people are not licensed to sell,” an NYC Deputy Sheriff told NBC. “That is an issue, but the main concern today is what’s happening on the streets,” meaning registration and parking violations.

All the buses were returned within days of being confiscated… except Uncle Budd’s Bud Bus. Over two months later, 11 of their buses are still impounded. They got one back after paying $5,000 in fees, but its electrical system is no longer functional (and it was working fine prior to being confiscated).

We wanted to get some insight into why Uncle Budd’s competitors got their buses back while his were still being held by the city. So Cash Only linked with the impresario in Harlem and visited one of his office-traps to chop it up.

Then, while getting some background details, we noticed framed lyrics on the wall and asked Uncle Budd what the deal was. It turns out he was incarcerated for 21 years, and the lyrics were from the Staind song “Outside,” which Uncle Budd said kept him from losing his spirit while locked up.

The future remains uncertain for Uncle Budd, but the man is passionate, experienced, and deeply connected to Harlem. We also think it’s questionable (to put it lightly) that a victim of the War on Drugs, as well as a person of color, isn’t being given a leg up in New York’s impending recreational cannabis retail market. And furthermore, why haven’t the Uncle Budd Bud Buses been returned while his competitors who ripped his model got theirs back?

The Uncle Budd story is still playing out, and we’ll be filming follow-up interviews with him in the coming months. Stay tuned for more.

Visit Uncle Budd’s Website Here.

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Bianca Perez, aka @Yung_Nihilist, is one of NYC’s most beloved meme lords, as well as a writer, and possibly the first to coin the term “keta-weed” (you know, when you mix ketamine and weed).

Bianca’s meme account is an oasis of brilliantly cursed humor—a recent post simply states “if you ever feel safe, please remember I’m out there,” accompanied by the caption, “it’s not a threat, it’s a warning.” In other words, this shit is not for the faint of heart! It’s some real tier-five level content. 

Bianca also co-runs the infamous account @bigtittyofficial, hosts parties in the city, and does consulting work for companies like Co-Star. The crew at Dirty Magazine even made a limited edition @Yung_Nihilist trading card.

Like many of the best shit posters, Bianca is a weed lover, though she’ll freely admit she’s no pot purist. The homie is down for Delta-8, bodega weed, and head shop pipes because we can’t all be terpene nerds. The other week, the two of us got real high and caught a screening of Inland Empire at IFC — and damn was that shake-filled joint needed to survive the three-hour Lynch epic.

After we recovered from the Lynch trip, Bianca got on the phone with Cash Only to discuss her ties to THC. In the following interview, she explains why “keta-weed” is a good combo, recounts getting stoned for the first time at a Fiesta de Palos ritual in the Dominican Republic, and shares some choice weed memes, as well as a YouTube playlist she likes to put on at parties to “scare the hoes.”

Do you have a current favorite weed strain?

Yung Nihilist: Straight up Delta-8 joints. I’m half-joking. I think Delta-8 is just really bad mids—like mid mids. It doesn’t make me feel good, and it gives me a headache. But it’s no K-2, I’ll tell you that. 

For real weed, I literally don’t care and that’s why I said Delta-8. If it’s weed, it’s fine by me. I’m not a purist, which is maybe bad. I guess I prefer hybrids because most shit is mislabeled, so I’m like, “OK give me the best of both… the fuck?” I also like fruity-tasting weed because I like being fruity. 

You said you have a stash of head shop paraphernalia. What’s in the collection?

I have an iridescent grinder, which I mostly use for kief scrapings as a last resort when I’m out of weed. I’ll smoke a bowl if I’m having a broke moment. I also have a classic bodega pipe, one of those little glass ones with the squiggly lines. I never clean it; I’ll just buy a new one when it’s dirty. 

When I’m having an abundance moment and getting a weed allowance, I smoke mostly joints. Now, I’m back to the bowl. I don’t like bongs if I’m being honest, but I have one and it’s really cute. Bongs can be scary, but mine has Hello Kitty on it. I also have a Hello Kitty tattoo, which is my only tattoo. 

Do you have any favorite weed products—any particular papers, grinders, or whatever?

My go-to weed arsenal consists of a large chromatic iridescent grinder, small Raw rolling papers, a Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) rolling tray, and a small pipe from the deli. Plus, that Hello Kitty bong I mentioned.

What activity do you like to do after you’ve gotten stoned? 

I usually listen to music for hours and doom scroll until I find something worth posting. I look at everything. I even go on Tumblr sometimes, RIP. Here are some weed memes I like: 

Can you recommend something to watch while stoned?

My weird YouTube playlist that’s almost 700 videos long (on shuffle). I’m really into YouTube rabbit holes, as well as rabbit holes in general. The playlist has stuff that’s not viral and mostly has very low view counts. Rare stuff. I’ll put this on at parties and scare the hoes.

Watch this.

What do you like to listen to after smoking? Any albums, radio shows, or podcasts?

These days I’ve been revisiting Nirvana’s discography, “Something to Look Forward To” by Hooky, and Spliffhappy’s new single. I haven’t been listening to many podcasts, but my friend Dustin just put me on to this paranormal-themed radio program, Coast to Coast AM, hosted by a guy named Art Bell that aired from 1992-2015. It’s got a strangely comforting nostalgic campfire vibe. 

Can you recommend something to read after smoking? 

Memetic Magic: Manipulation of the Root Social Matrix and the Fabric of Reality by R. Kirk Packwood. He’s a weird guy who wrote this book on chaos magic theory and memes. He predicted Trump, they say. You know, like the idea behind Pepe and all these people on the internet who basically put Trump in power and how it was a break in reality. I like reading this stuff because it makes me paranoid and that’s fun for me.

What’s your ideal weed smoking environment? 

It depends on my mood, but usually by myself. That’s a nice hole to be in, especially if ketamine is involved. I love keta-weed. I feel like the weed prolongs the ketamine, stretches it out, and the ketamine helps balance out the paranoia from the weed. It just makes sense, but I’m not a scientist. 

What was your first time smoking weed like?

I remember trying a lot of times and it not working. When I first got high, I was in the Dominican Republic at a bar with some friends and we smoked outside. I was like 21 or 22—a late bloomer when it comes to weed. Then, I went to some party my family was having and I got really scared. There’s this thing in the Dominican Republic called Palos where in a regular party setting people will put on this crazy music and basically have a spiritual experience where they convulse on the ground and it’s almost like a Pagan ritual. People will say they feel the spirit of their dead loved ones. But it was literally a birthday party, and I was high as shit for the first time watching these rites and rituals. It’s common in the DR, but wild when you’re high. Just Dominican things…

Do you think weed is essential for being a meme lord?

No. I don’t think so. I think being sober is cool—quote me on that. Sure, being in an altered state can help with coming up with original content, but it’s not essential or necessary. Weed doesn’t even benefit my sense of humor. I think it makes you dumber. It’s harder to recall funny things. Weed helps and it doesn’t. It’s a complicated relationship. An abusive relationship, even. 

Who’s in your dream blunt rotation? 

Ayn Rand, Azealia Banks, Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, Ariana Grande.

For more on Yung Nihilist, follow her on socials:
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The post Cash Only’s 420 Recs: Yung Nihilist, Your Favorite Meme Lord appeared first on High Times.

Cash Only visited downtown LA’s wholesale cannabis packaging district—a micro-neighborhood where smoke shops and black market weed ops can get the materials to make counterfeit products such as mylar bags, flower jars, vape carts, edibles packaging, and much more.

If you want to start an underground weed brand—or bootleg an established brand like Cookies, Jeeter Juice, or Raw Garden—this is where you design and buy your wares in bulk. It’s essentially an IRL Alibaba.

The district’s accessibility has enabled a game of cat-and-mouse between licensed cannabis brands and savvy entrepreneurs looking to profit off the former’s likeness. If a legal brand adds something to its packaging, such as a QR code or holographic sticker, the bootleggers can purchase the updated product at a legal dispensary, bring it to the wholesale packaging area, and have the item copied and counterfeited that very same day.

Every time you see a counterfeit or unlicensed pot product in a New York bodega, such as Flamin’ Hot Weedos or mylar bags with stoned Rick and Morty on them, it likely came from this part of LA. Watch as we explore the area and highlight a major part of the underground weed ecosystem that is hiding in plain sight.

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