From brick weed and pager dealers to QR codes, lab results and loyalty points, buying cannabis has changed almost beyond recognition. There was a time when buying weed didn't involve a menu. There were no terpene profiles. No QR codes. No rewards points. Nobody asked whether you wanted flower that was uplifting, relaxing, creative, euphoric or good for watching four hours of nature documentaries. You called a guy. And if you were buying cannabis in the 1980s or '90s, ther

Photos by Gabriel Roman In an era of arena spectacles, mega festivals, and algorithm conjured playlists, the real bloodstream of live music still runs through small rooms, living rooms and imperfect cubby spaces. These are the houses, warehouses, brewery corners, and alley pubs where bands learn how to hold a crowd, where vibrational explorers gather without corporate gatekeepers, and where the connection between performer and audience remains intimate and human. Without the

You went to bed high. So why does it still feel like your brain hasn't clocked in the next morning? A friend of mine recently learned one of the oldest lessons in the edible handbook. She ate one. About 40 minutes went by. Nothing. So she ate another. Still nothing. Then another. You already know where this story is going. At some point, all three apparently received the same memo and showed up for work at once. When I saw her the next day, she wasn't exactly high an

Cannabis is finding its place in football season, but game-day culture is changing faster than some of the rules around it. Football season has always had its rituals. Friday night means high-school stadium lights glowing over small towns. Saturday brings college colors, folding tables, parking-lot grills and somebody screaming at a television mounted in the back of an RV. By Sunday morning, jerseys are back on, fantasy lineups are being checked and the first round of wings

Photos by Gabriel Roman Bryan Giles talks 21 years of Red Fang, life on the road, creative trust and why the band still refuses to fit neatly into a genre. After more than two decades together, Red Fang has accumulated plenty of labels—stoner rock, sludge, metal, hard rock—but the Portland band has never seemed particularly interested in choosing one. Maybe that’s part of why they’re still here. When Red Fang rolled into Oklahoma City, I had the chance to sit down with guita

Perimenopause is a profound biological transition. It is not simply the time when a woman stops having menstrual cycles. It is a period of changing ovarian hormone production, fluctuating estrogen and progesterone, changes in sleep, altered neurotransmitter signaling, shifts in metabolism, and changes in the nervous and endocannabinoid systems. For many women, this transition can bring hot flashes, night sweats, restless sleep, anxiety, changes in mood, brain fog, headaches,

The longest weeks of an outdoor grow might be the ones right before harvest. There comes a point every September when outdoor cannabis growers develop a slightly unhealthy relationship with the weather forecast. You check it when you wake up. You check it at lunch. You check it before bed. Then you check another weather app because obviously the first one could be wrong. That little rain icon four days from now suddenly carries the emotional weight of a hurricane warning.

Sometimes they're premium flower in a convenient package. Sometimes you might be better off not asking what's inside. I've never really been a pre-roll guy. Give me flower and I'll roll my own, or better yet, pack a glass pipe. Part of that is habit, but part of it is that I like seeing what I'm about to smoke. A pre-roll requires a little faith. I've bought cheap ones that seemed like a great deal right up until I lit them. They burned unevenly, needed to be relit consta

Sungrown organic regenerative cannabis cultivars in their whole plant form offer numerous advantages that make them an exceptional choice for those seeking true plant-based wellness. As a regenerative farmer and advocate for whole plant medicine, I believe that how a cannabis cultivar is grown is just as important as the genetics it contains. Healthy soil produces healthy plants, and healthy plants provide the greatest opportunity for wellness. Environmental Stewardship Throu

Walk into almost any dispensary and you will eventually hear someone ask the same question: “What’s the strongest thing you have?” It sounds reasonable. If you are spending money on cannabis, you want something that works. The problem is that “strongest” does not tell a budtender what kind of experience you actually want. Do you want to relax without falling asleep? Enjoy a concert without forgetting where your seat is? Ease into an edible without spending the evening negotia

The first time I toured a friend’s cannabis facility in Colorado, I expected rows of beautiful plants, bright lights and maybe a few trimming tables. I was not prepared for the hairnet. Before stepping into production, I covered my shoes, washed my hands and listened to a list of sanitation rules that made the place feel like part greenhouse, part laboratory and part commercial kitchen. My friend laughed when she saw my expression. “You thought we just watered plants all day,

The human nervous system is one of the most remarkable healing systems in the body. Every thought, movement, memory, heartbeat, emotion, and sensation depends upon healthy communication between billions of nerve cells called neurons. These neurons communicate through electrical impulses and chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters, creating an intricate network that allows every organ and tissue to function in harmony. The nervous system is divided into two primary sect

I once left a bag of cannabis gummies in the center console while running what I thought would be a quick summer errand. It was not a quick errand. When I returned, the individual gummies had surrendered their independence and formed one large, sticky republic. The colors had merged. The shapes were gone. The carefully measured servings had become a single fruit-flavored question mark. Was the THC still in there? Probably. Was I going to cut the gummy blob into what I hoped w

Summer announces itself through smell. Fresh-cut grass. Sunscreen. Charcoal smoke. Watermelon split open on a picnic table. That mysterious odor coming from the cooler because someone forgot to drain it after the last cookout. Cannabis has its own summer fragrance collection, led by bright citrus, fresh pine, sweet fruit and tropical aromas. These scents are often connected to terpenes—volatile compounds produced by cannabis and many other plants. Terpenes help give lemons th

Over the last two decades, cannabis research has evolved dramatically. As legalization expanded and scientific restrictions loosened, researchers began comparing the respiratory effects of cannabis smoke to tobacco smoke more closely. One of the most important findings repeated throughout the literature is that while inhaling any combusted material can irritate the lungs, cannabis does not appear to create the same level of chronic lung destruction seen in long-term tobacco s

When most people hear the phrase “cannabis cooking,” they immediately picture brownies. Maybe gummies. Maybe somebody dumping distillate into cookie batter and hoping for the best. But cannabis in the kitchen has evolved far beyond novelty desserts and college-style experiments. Over the last several years, chefs, home cooks, and cannabis consumers alike have started approaching cannabis the same way they approach herbs, spices, wine, or specialty ingredients — as something c

Cannabis consumers love judging each other’s preferred consumption methods whether they admit it or not. The edible crowd thinks they’re evolved. Joint smokers think they’re traditionalists. Dab enthusiasts act like chemistry majors with torches. Cart users pretend convenience is the only reason they own six different batteries. Meanwhile, somebody with a one-hitter and cargo shorts quietly watches the entire argument unfold like a retired war veteran who has seen too much. O

In my work as a regenerative organic farmer and holistic health provider, I have come to understand one truth above all else: the nervous system does not respond to force. It responds to safety, nourishment, and relationships. In today’s world, many are living in a state of chronic dysregulation. The body is overwhelmed, the mind is overstimulated, and the spirit is disconnected from the rhythms of the earth. Healing the nervous system requires us to return to whole plant med

If you walk into almost any dispensary today and glance at the display cases, one thing becomes immediately clear: pre-rolls have taken over a large portion of the cannabis market. What was once considered a convenience product has quickly become one of the fastest-growing categories in the industry. From single joints to multi-pack “dogwalkers” and infused options, pre-rolls have evolved into a staple for both new and experienced consumers. Part of the reason for their popul

Every industry has a moment on the calendar that everything seems to build toward. In retail, it’s Black Friday. In sports, it might be the Super Bowl or the championship game. In the cannabis world, that moment is April 20th. What started decades ago as a bit of inside slang has grown into the biggest day of the year for cannabis culture and the businesses that now serve it. For dispensaries, cultivators, and product manufacturers, 4/20 isn’t just another busy day. It’s the