Tabla de contenidos para December 2023 en High Times

In a world of Papaya and GMO everything, Whitethorn Rose has carved itself a spot among the elite strains that carry big flavors and produce enough hash to be commercially viable. Adding to that, with this strain you're also dealing with a decades-old family genetics line from Humboldt County providing even more reason to love it. John Casali bred the strain at Huckleberry Hill Farms when he crossed his mother’s strain, Paradise Punch, with Lemon OG in 2016. “I really hope that really my mother’s legacy would be one of the cultivars that maybe we all grew together over 40 years ago and experimenting around with some breeding projects, really discovered a cultivar that really resonated with the consumer,” Casali said. “It has a sister plant known as Mom’s Weed…

These solventless rosin edibles break the mold of traditional gummy flavors through the incorporation of tropical fruits. Created by Natura and available in California, Dee Thai is the brainchild of Josh Schmidt, Natura’s vice president of business development. Schmidt grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and loved eating Asian candy and collecting baseball cards as a child. Two of Natura’s brands, Dee Thai and Sluggers (pre-rolls designed to look like the flashy Upper Deck baseball card packs), invoke a nostalgia factor in respect to Schmidt’s youth. Originally envisioned as a CBD edible, after saying “CBD” so many times it clicked for Schmidt that “dee” in Thai means “good.” Dee Thai incorporates his longtime connections with Thailand, and started with six flavors: mangosteen, guava, lychee, pineapple, mango, and jackfruit.…

Over this last year, Have Hash has been dominating the game and adding to the overwhelming legacy of Humboldt County hashmakers. With trophies from Cannafest, Transbay Challenge, King of Z Hill, Northern California Rosin Championship, Ego Clash, Pure Melt’s Melt Down, and Europe’s Masters of Rosin, it’s getting hard to keep up with the ways they’re breaking hearts and taking names. Despite only having an 800-square-foot facility, the partnerships Have Hash formed with a select number of NorCal farms like Mendoja Farms, Booney Acres, and Pop Stops Growing have given the brand a strong product that’s managed to get them singled out by hash judges worldwide. Right now, Have Hash’s owner Jacob said he’s concentrating on creating exciting seasonal drops instead of offering smokers a never-ending faucet of rosin flavors…

INGREDIENTS: 100 grams of mint30 grams cilantro50 grams parsley Two Fresno peppers1 shallot2 tsp lemon zest and juice each3 tsp Sherry vinegarSalt to tastePepper to tasteOlive oil—enough to bring together3 tbsp Pot d’Huile infused olive oil INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Pick and chop all herbs, then add to mixing bowl. 2. Brunoise the shallot and Fresnos, then add to herbs. 3. Zest lemons on a micro-plane, then add to mixing bowl with the juice. 4. Add the rest of ingredients, then season to taste with salt and pepper.…

B-Real, Cypress Hill member and founder of Dr. Greenthumb’s dispensaries recently attended the official grand opening of his newest dispensary in west Los Angeles. The new dispensary joins the list of other Dr. Greenthumb’s retail stores currently operating in California, including another location near Los Angeles International Airport, and stores in La Mesa, Cathedral City, and San Francisco. “I’ve been so excited about opening another store in L.A.," B-Real told Benzinga in a press statement. “Any time I open a store, it’s a win, but given the reality of California’s legal market in the last few years, this store opening feels especially significant.” Dr. Greenthumb’s recently began selling its Latin Lingo strain in Florida this past April, and also a selection of strains became available in Michigan to coin-cide with…

DEA Agent Attempts to Replace Opioids With CBD The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently defended its decision to fire a special agent earlier this year after he used CBD oil to replace painkillers, and later tested positive for traces of THC on a drug test. According to court documents, Special Agent Anthony Armour filed a wrongful termination lawsuit last May against the DEA, saying that he should never have been fired for using a hemp product that’s legal at the federal level. A brief was filed in response, and the DEA defended its decision to terminate Agent Armour, calling his actions “reckless.” Armour served as a DEA agent for 15 years before he was subjected to a random drug screening which came back positive for minute traces of THC—but nowhere…

WENDY BAKER, FOUNDER OF SPACE GEM, CELEBRATED A DECADE OF making edibles in 2023—a monumental achievement that stems from a lifetime of appreciation for cannabis culture, and a commitment to working exclusively with Humboldt County ice water hash. Her products have won multiple awards at cannabis competitions, including the Humboldt County Cup and the High Times Central Valley Cannabis Cup, but most recently took home two first place trophies at the 19th annual Emerald Cup in May 2023. From Spacedrops gummies to Mind Expanding Belts, Gem Guice beverage enhancer, and Cosmic Tincture, Baker has put her edibles out into the universe, designed to uplift and inspire. The edibles only use organic coloring and flavors, are free of chemicals or solvents, and are made in Humboldt County, California. Baker grew up…

Blue Face was the first-ever indoor cultivar to win Best in Show in California’s legendary competition, The Emerald Cup. Fig Farms got to put that feather in their cap in 2023 when Blue Face delivered the goods. This was one year after its sister pheno, Animal Face—the seeds of which came out of the same pack—took home the top prize in the indoor category but couldn’t capture Best in Show in the third year of the famous outdoor competition’s indoor category. The pack the duo came from was Face Off OG x Animal Mints from Seed Junky. Blue Face went on to win a bunch of other stuff, but according to the team at Fig Farms, the third-place finish at California Ego Clash invitational in December 2022 was really special…

One of the biggest up-and-coming strains in the game, Sherbanger continued the legacy of Massachusetts putting out absolute hitters like Chemdawg and Mass Super Skunk. Sherbanger is a pairing of the Sunset Sherbert that traces back to Sherbinski and Cookies’ co-founder Jigga in San Francisco and Headbanger from Karma Genetics. After being bred in Boston, the packs eventually made it to California. Some of the most choice phenos selected are producing some of the best flower in the state. The rosin version is also starting to take off with some of the people running it having won a handful of awards in 2023. We talked with John, breeder and owner of Boston Roots Seed Co. to get his take on the big year. “Honestly brotha I’m just happy to be…

In the oncoming storm of psilocybin companies, Mycology Oakland has proven on a wildly different level than its peers. In its hometown of Oakland, California there are probably about 30 to 40 mushroom chocolate entities now in operation. I’ve tried most of them—The Clout Boy stuff, Deadhead bars, Save the Planet bars, the whole nine yards. Nothing comes remotely close to the impact of a Myco bar. The brand is also building recognition with cool merchandise, including a peyote-covered bag. In the age of fentanyl, mushrooms have turned into more of a party drug over the last few years. People dose enough to stay up all night laughing and partying but not enough to talk to God unless they accidentally take enough. This actually happened to me with a Myco…

Yelawolf is back in Nashville, Tennessee not long after performing a sold-out show with rapper-turned-country star Jelly Roll in Denver, Colorado. Wolf’s explosive set was a lesson in how all artists should command a stage—he was energetic, engaging, and a little bit enigmatic. Wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses, a black beret, and a leather jacket, the Alabama-born artist doesn’t look like the average MC. The tattoos, leather cuts, and patches make him look more like a Hell’s Angel than a former Shady Records signee. But that’s partly what makes Yelawolf so intriguing. Not to mention his musical versatility is almost otherworldly. Born Michael Wayne Atha in a small town in Alabama, Yelawolf jumped around as a kid but spent the bulk of his childhood in Antioch, Tennessee. He naturally…

Famous wrestler Hulk Hogan was recently interviewed by Muscle and Health regarding his past opioid use and alcohol addiction, as well as the benefits of CBD. Hogan spoke about his personal history with opioids as a method of treating pain from his 25 medical procedures, including 10 surgeries on his back, as well as various facial, knee, hip, and shoulder surgeries related to his profession. Hogan previously used alcohol and opioids to handle his pain, but he eventually became addicted to them even after the pain subsided. That is, until he was introduced to CBD by Ric Flair, Mike Tyson, and Carma Holdings President Chad Bronstein. “At first, I was confused because I’d never used CBD,” said Hogan. “I didn’t understand the health aspects of what it can do for…

A group of 19 countries issued a joint statement at the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs: Towards a Drug Policy for Life, Peace, and Development, which was held between Sept. 7-9 in Colombia. Representatives from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Venezuela agreed on a 17-point list addressing the failed War on Drugs, with plans to reevaluate and propose new drug policies. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has spoken out many times about the need for reform since he took the position of president in August 2022. “What I propose is to have a different and unified voice that defends our societies, our future and our history, and to stop repeating a failed…

The state of Massachusetts recently celebrated a major sales milestone just a few months shy of its five-year anniversary when adult-use cannabis sales began in November 2018. The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission said in a press release that the state’s adult-use cannabis dispensaries have collected $5 billion in gross sales. Shawn Collins, the commission’s executive director, was proud to announce the new and exciting statistics of this milestone. “Massachusetts continues to hit record sales even as other states have come online. In fact, our neighboring states Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut also had record sales this summer,” Collins said. “Demand for tested, quality cannabis products remains strong in the region, and consumers shopping in other states have not impacted Massachusetts’ success.” As of the beginning of 2023, the state had…

If you’ve been paying attention to the top-shelf landscape over the past few years, it seems the largest problem plaguing our industry today is consistency. Sure, you can pop off a new cultivar and make some noise for a little while, but maintaining the pressure is difficult, and very few players have managed to stay on top for even a season, let alone a full year. You need to have all your t’s crossed, and your i’s dotted, all the time. While there are more competitors joining the game every day, none can touch the bar that The Ten Co. keeps pushing higher. “I ENTERED THIS COMPETITION, AGAINST PEOPLE WHO… WERE LIKE IDOLS TO ME BECAUSE BEING FROM OVERSEAS I COULD ONLY SEE THESE GUYS ONLINE… AND WE CAME IN…

There is no strain carrying the Z flag higher than Blue Zushi these days apart from the Original Z from deep in the heart of Mendocino County where they don’t let lawsuits from candy companies stop the hype. The Blue Zushi wave has been led by one of the better marketing minds in cannabis, Staks of The Ten Co., who doubles as arguably the most prominent Englishman in international cannabis at the moment. Hype is a finicky thing though. Blue Zushi has always done well since it first hit the scene and has always had its haters. When it won its first Zalympix it was still in the packaging. The haters argued people were voting for the hype. When it won its second Zalympix award, it beat out 120 plus…

A legendary New York name that’s begun to ring out again in the streets. This year, GOAT Global in Los Angeles helped launch the California dispensary line for Gotti, the cannabis brand built by the family of iconic mob figure John Gotti. This team came onto the scene last year and, since then, has created lasting relationships with West Coast figures like Deep East, Greendawg, and Blueprint. They’ve built a lot of traction through releases of their Blue Sapphire, Zattie, and Seabiscuit. This last example is one that helped them win a coveted spot in the Transbay Challenge qualifying event in Los Angeles. The story of this strain is pretty incredible. Originally this Zkittlez x Zoap was bred by Deep East for Greendawg. They ended up keeping two phenotypes from…

There is a legitimate argument to be made that Preferred Gardens is the best indoor cultivator on both coasts. Oh wait, we didn’t even mention they probably have the best mixed-light product in California. These realities have led to a lot of respect across the board for the company. The dedication to excellence in flowers has turned Preferred into one of the most mom-and-pop multistate operators out there. Much of the workload on the cultivation side is handled by the founder David Polley, while his wife Nicki oversees the books and takes care of the actual business side of things. The last few years of growth at Preferred were backboned by mixed-light cannabis, which means it was grown light-deprivation style, during which the cultivator uses tarps and supplemental lighting to…

By now, everyone has heard about the legendary Blue Zushi rosin that shocked the whole community by going for an unheard of price of $500 a gram. These buckets, which reached a new high water mark for the cannabis industry, were an amazing lightning in a bottle situation for The Ten Co. but there’s so much more to this brand than the hype of the hash. Coming to Los Angeles by way of London, creator Staks and his partner Gerry have brought consumers to their knees with the Blue, Yellow, and Pink versions of Zushi (all combos of Zkittlez and Kush Mints), along with Wazabi, Zoyi, Wagyu, and Tenbanger. These bright bags with their playful, manga-style characters have inspired more than a few other designs and drawn crowds who claim…

1 14TH DALAI LAMA With the help of interpreter Tenzin Geyche, for the October 1975 issue of High Times, writer Robert Singer interviewed His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, then age 35, who is believed by some to be a reincarnation of bodhisattva Chenrezig. “Enlightenment should be curried by the full alert mind,” His Holiness told High Times. “But if you take these drugs and these things… Maybe. In exceptional case.” Later in the conversation he admitted The Tibetan Book of the Dead might be helpful for people on LSD (the question probably prompted by its use by The Beatles). In 2013, the 14th Dalai Lama, now much older, said he supports medical cannabis. 2 ALLEN GINSBERG For the February 1992 issue of High Times, Gregory Daurer interviewed the late renowned beat…

In August 2021, the North Carolina-based Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) made history by legalizing medical cannabis within their territory, called the Qualla Boundary. This year in early September, EBCI residents voted in favor of legalizing adult-use cannabis on tribal land by passing Referendum Question #2 (Cannabis). The tribe has plans to turn an old bingo hall into a massive dispensary, which is estimated to sell approximately 350 different products, and create 400 jobs. According to an opinion piece from Qualla Enterprises, LLC, which was published in the tribe’s news outlet Cherokee One Feather, legalizing adult-use cannabis will benefit the tribe in numerous ways. “The demand to work with Qualla [LLC] is both over-whelming and humbling; Qualla has received hundreds of job applications, and that number grows each week.…

A report called “The Pharmaceutical Cannabis Report 3rd Edition,” was recently published by Prohibition Partners and Cannabiscientia in September. In this extensive study of cannabis, the authors wrote that the industry is projected to grow from its current value of $1.11 billion in 2023 up to $1.37 billion in 2027. In its review, authors also stated that pain is the most prevalent symptom that is currently being tested as a treatment in clinical trials. “Pain, especially chronic and neuropathic pain, remains a prominent area of investigation,” the report stated. “Trials have demonstrated the potential of cannabinoid-based medicine in alleviating pain associated with various diseases, including fibromyalgia, cancer-related pain, and neurodegenerative disorders such as [multiple sclerosis] and Parkinson’s.” The percentage of clinical trials involving cannabis have increased significantly, starting with only…