Great Moments in Weed History

Whenever cannabis and capitalism collide, legacy weed farmers find themselves caught in the crossfire—trapped between hyper-capitalized mega-grows with corporate lobbyists and the corrupt government bureaucrats who do their bidding.In a just-published article for Rolling Stone, ace cannabis reporter and longtime friend of the podcast Mary Jane Gibson details how a shady backroom deal pulled the nug out from under California's old-school weed growers. As a result, a confluence of extinction-level-events now threatens to bring down the state's entire legal weed system via an impending market crash.But fret not—the Hempire has only begun to strike back.Mary Jane Gibson joins us for this episode of Moment in Weed, which includes a ceremonial smoke sesh.Here's a link to Mary Jane's original article in Rolling Stone.Find Mary Jane on Instagram here.And connect with Weed + Grub, her podcast with brilliantly blazed stand up comedian Mike Glazer.PATREONPlease support Great Moments in Weed HIstory on Patreon. Supporters get exclusive access to video versions of this podcast and private seshes, plus cool rewards like a signed book or signature lighter. And it truly helps us make the best show possible. 

Within the Church of Entheogenic Plants, a dozen varieties of psilocybin (aka "magic") mushrooms await those who wish to incorporate use of psychedelic fungus into their religious and spiritual practices. Two years ago, the church was raided by local police, but they re-opened the next day and still plan to sue in federal court to affirm their religious liberty.So take a trip (yes, pun intended) with Abdullah and Bean to this incredible oasis in Oakland, California to see for yourself, while also learning about the long history of mushrooms and other psychedelics for spiritual and ceremonial use.The Church of Entheogenic Plants is also known as ZIDE DOOR.The organization Decriminalize Nature has been at the forefront of successful efforts to decriminalize magic mushrooms and other psychedelics.Double Blind magazine has information and resources about psychedelic culture, cultivation and best practices.MAPS is a leading organization advocating for legal access to psychedelics for medicinal use.PATREONPlease support Great Moments in Weed HIstory on Patreon. Supporters get exclusive access to video versions of this podcast and private seshes, plus cool rewards like a signed book or signature lighter. And it truly helps us make the best show possible. 

When Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Ricky Williams famously chose natural grass over professional football back in 2004,, the NFL, sportswriters and many fans reacted with horror and anger. How dare one of the greatest football players in history walk away from the game that made him rich and famous?With the Super Bowl coming up this weekend, Abdullah and Bean decided to ask the man himself, and found out that from his first time getting high, to starting his own cannabis company (appropriately called Highsman), to studying Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, Ricky Williams has always blazed his own path in life.He also led the way for a generation of athletes who successfully pushed back against professional football's hypocritical and draconian ban on cannabis, leading to a new era where the NFL has now stopped drug testing players for weed, and has just donated $1 million to study how the plant's medicinal properties could actually help players deal with pain management and provide neuroprotection from concussion.PATREONPlease support Great Moments in Weed HIstory on Patreon. Supporters get exclusive access to video versions of this podcast and private seshes, plus cool rewards like a signed book or signature lighter. And it truly helps us make the best show possible. 

From his incendiary album "Legalize It" to his defiant speech denouncing Jamaican officials to their faces for their downpressive laws against ganja (delivered while smoking a spliff on stage), Peter Tosh fought for the equal rights of cannabis people around the world. While also promoting the plant's myriad of therapeutic benefits in detailed ways decades before the medical establishment started to catch up.Along the way, he created some of the most seminal and iconic reggae music of all time, working solo and as part of The Wailers alongside Bob Marley and Bunny Livingston.We're honored to have Niambe McIntosh—Peter Tosh's daughter and founder of The Peter Tosh Foundation—as our guest to discuss her father's life and work. PATREONPlease support Great Moments in Weed HIstory on Patreon. Supporters get exclusive access to video versions of this podcast and private seshes, plus cool rewards like a signed book or signature lighter. And it truly helps us make the best show possible. 

In 2004, Weldon Angelos was sentenced to 55 years in prison for selling $900 worth of weed. That's what you get for bringing some of the earliest hip-hop shows to Salt Lake City, Utah.A music producer who has worked with legends like Snoop Dogg, Tupac's Outlawz, Nas, and Pink,, Weldon's case became a symbol of the racism and injustice that plagues our criminal justice system.But as you'll hear in this interview, from the moment he arrived at a maximum security prison—to serve a virtual life sentence—he began advocating for himself and other non-violent cannabis prisoners. Now head of The Weldon Project, he's built a truly bi-partisan coalition—Cory Booker, Rand Paul, Charles Koch, Alicia Keys—that pushed President Barrack Obama to commute his sentence in 2016, followed by a full pardon from President Donald Trump in December 2020.In September, Weldon sent the Biden administration a letter signed by more than 150 celebrities (Drake, Killer Mike, 2 Chainz, Ty Dolla $ign, T.I.), athletes, politicians, law enforcement professionals and academics calling on the President to issue a “full, complete and unconditional pardon” to all people with non-violent federal marijuana convictions.For more on what the current administration is—and isn't—doing about cannabis, check out our recent interview with Representative Earl Blumenauer, one of the leading marijuana legalization voices in congress, in an episode titled "Is Biden Gonna Legalize or What?"PATREONPlease support Great Moments in Weed HIstory on Patreon. Supporters get exclusive access to video shows and seshes, plus cool rewards like a signed book or signature lighter. And it truly helps us make the best show possible. 

Celebrate 2021's weediest highlights with Abdullah and Bean's inebriated recounting of the year's most impactful cannabis news stories. PLUS: Our annual re-telling of the classic Chrstmas tale "Santa Claus is a Siberian Mushroom Shaman."Recorded IRL in a "holiday hashish hot box," this episode also gave rise to a conspiracy-themed spin-off show called "The Green Pill," and introduced our new sponsors Human Meat and Vlad's Blintzes. PATREONPlease support Great Moments in Weed HIstory on Patreon. Supporters get exclusive access to video shows and seshes, plus access to cool rewards like a signed book or signature lighter. And it truly helps us make the best show possible. ARTICLES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODEOur round-up of 2021's biggest marijuana stories featured these articles and journalists::LEAFLY REPORTSLeafly Cannabis Harvest Report this year (by David Downs)Leafly Jobs Report (by Bruce Barcott, Beau Whitney, and Janessa Bailey)Leafly Seeds of Change Report (by Janessa Bailey)Altria, Maker of Marlboro Cigarettes, Is Lobbying on Cannabis Sales in VirginiaBy Nushin Rashidian and Alyson Martin in Cannabis WireHow Mitch McConnell Accidentally Created An Unregulated THC MarketBy Lester Black at 538.comI needed answers. My hunt to find the backstory of the perfect pot pipeBy Adam Tshcorn - LA WeeklyMarijuana trade group drops lawsuit against state after backlashby Dan Adams - Boston GlobeSouth Dakota Supreme Court Invalidates 2020 Marijuana Legalization Initiative As Activists Pursue 2022 BallotKyle Jager - Marijuana MomentVA Secretary ‘Looking At’ Medical Marijuana Policy Change Following ‘Profound’ Discussion With VeteranKyle Jager - Marijuana MomentConan O’Brien Celebrates Retirement By Smoking Weed With Seth Rogen On TVKyle Jager - Marijuana MomentThe Oligiarch and the Marijuana FundMary Jane Gibson - Rolling StoneWinemakers Collaborate With Weed Growers on New Cannabis Appellation SystemJackie Bryant - Wine EnthusiastCelebrity Cannabisby Lindsey Carmela Bartlett in ForbesSteve UrkelJustin BieberSeth Rogen Lil KimARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DISCOVERS 17 PSYCHEDELIC COMPOUNDSby Jimi Divine - LA Weekly

When cannabis and capitalism collide, our community's best laid plans for an equitable industry all-too-often go up in smoke. Enter Shaleen Title, a longtime drug policy activist who in 2017 became one of five inaugural commissioners of Massachusetts's Cannabis Control Commission.Described as “the people’s weed watchdog” by Boston Magazine, Shaleen is widely recognized for her focus on social and racial justice and her efforts to make the cannabis industry more fair and inclusive.She's also an avid listener of Great Moments in Weed History who supports the podcast on Patreon—just saying... and she shares that among her personal great moments was being the first person to order legal cannabis delivery on the East Coast. Naturally Shaleen's weed and gummies were provided by a social equity company that represents everything she works for as an advocate, attorney and now head of the Parabola Center—a think-tank she co-founded to "support people not corporate profits" in the cannabis industry.Please join us for an engaging conversation on the bright green future of cannabis with someone helping to make it happen.SUPPORT "GREAT MOMENTS IN WEED HISTORY" ON PATREONSign up for our Great Moments in Weed History Patreon for special bonuses and fun surprises, including exclusive access to our weekly video series "Moments in Weed" where we get blazed and talk about a cannabis current event.

When prominent author Marie Lee published an essay titled "Why I Give My 9-Year Old Pot" in 2009, it set off a media sensation. Years before CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta ever touched the subject, Lee's vulnerable and defiant description of desperately seeking relief for her severely ill son—and finding it in cannabis—struck a nerve with parents worldwide.Now a teacher in the creative writing program at Columbia University, Marie Lee joins Abdullah and Bean to relive her son Jay's difficult, rewarding journey using medical cannabis to treat severe autism and other debilitating conditions. Including the life-saving help they got along the way from Dr. Lester Grinspoon, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, underground marijuana growers, and the weed community writ large.We also get an update on Jay, who is doing great!SUPPORT "GREAT MOMENTS IN WEED HISTORY" ON PATREONSign up for our Great Moments in Weed History Patreon for special bonuses and fun surprises.PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSORS!This episode is brought to you by Tweedle Farms, Northwest Oregon's premier, family owned hemp farm, specializing in farm-to-table, terpene rich, high CBD hemp flower, concentrates, vapes, edibles and topicals.Use promo code “greatmoments” for 25% off your next order shipped anywhere in the United States.MARIE LEE'S NEW NOVELMarie Lee's next book—The Evening Hero—is forthcoming May 2022 from Simon & Schuster;

In the 1990s, a new federal law banning any student with a drug conviction from receiving financial aid led to the formation of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). Created online by a swarm of young activists in the early days of the internet, the organization quickly grew into the largest student organization in the United States.Today SSDP has over 5,000 active members on 300 college campuses around the world, all of them dedicated to advocating for the legalization of cannabis and the end of the War on Drugs. To hear the antiestablishment history of this game-changing organization, Abdullah and Bean sit down with founding member Kris Krane, who has also served as SSDP's Executive Director.SUPPORT "GREAT MOMENTS IN WEED HISTORY" ON PATREONSign up for our Great Moments in Weed History Patreon for special bonuses and fun surprisesPLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSORS!This episode is brought to you by Tweedle Farms, Northwest Oregon's premier, family owned hemp farm, specializing in farm-to-table, terpene rich, high CBD hemp flower, concentrates, vapes, edibles and topicals.Use promo code “greatmoments” for 20% off your next order shipped anywhere in the United States.

In remote areas of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Southeast Asia, indigenous farmers cultivate cannabis on small plots that date back centuries. Maintaining their precious landrace strains has been an uphill battle in an age of rapid industrialization, but now the effort to preserve this living cultural and botanical history has gone global.The Indian Landrace Exchange is a a grassroots, locally-led, globally crowdsourced effort to support these traditional cannabis-growing communities while preserving some of the oldest cannabis strains on Earth before they're lost forever.In this episode, Abdullah and Bean speak with @irrazinig—co-founder of the Indian Landrace Exchange—about growing up surrounded by post-colonial cannabis, making a fateful trek to "the Humboldt County of India," and forming a mutually beneficial bridge between indigenous communities and the world of legal weed.SUPPORT "GREAT MOMENTS IN WEED HISTORY" ON PATREONSign up for our Great Moments in Weed History Patreon for special bonuses and fun surprisesPLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSORS!This episode is brought to you by Tweedle Farms, Northwest Oregon's premier, family owned hemp farm, specializing in farm-to-table, terpene rich, high CBD hemp flower, concentrates, vapes, edibles and topicals.Use promo code “greatmoments” for 20% off your next order shipped anywhere in the United States.