What Happens When a Cannabis Giant Absorbs a Cult Nursery? ‘If We’d Stayed Independent, We Might Not Be Here At All’
There’s a saying in economics that sums up consolidation: big fish eat little fish. It can be bitter, but you can only shrug at the way the market moves. In cannabis, the image carries extra weight. This is a militant industry where identity, ethics, and rebellion are still entangled with business—where the small grower is […]
Cannabis Comes to Capitol Hill: Industry Leaders Confront Washington After the Hemp Ban
This article is an adapted version of the Cannabis Confidential newsletter. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author. The IgniteIt (né Benzinga) Cannabis Capital & Policy Summit was held in Washington, D.C. on Monday, November 17th, 2025. The timing couldn’t have been better, given the recent intoxicating hemp ban and […]
Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary: A Long, Strange Celebration In Golden Gate Park
The Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary celebration at Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park was less a concert and more a cosmic convergence. Dead and Company were joined by Billy Strings, Sturgill Simpson, and Trey Anastasio from Phish, each bringing their own magic to the party. For me, it was one of those rare moments where […]
Cory Booker: ‘The Idea That Heroin and Meth Are the Same as Cannabis Defies Reality. Justice Is Descheduling’
Senator Cory Booker walked into a cannabis conference in Washington, D.C. and went straight for the jugular. Justice, he told the room, starts with descheduling. Booker appeared at the Cannabis Capital & Policy Summit, a one-day event in the nation’s capital produced by IgniteIt in partnership with the U.S. Cannabis Roundtable. The crowd was packed […]
When Shit Got Weird: The Cool Kids on Weed, Rap and Their New Album ‘Hi Top Fade’
It was November 1997. Chuck Inglish of The Cool Kids was in eighth grade and had been invited to a friend’s 13th birthday party. Everybody from his middle school class was there—the cool kids, if you will. As they listened to the No Limit Records’ latest Tru album Tru 2 Da Game, specifically the song […]
Terpnami Returns to San Francisco (Dec. 6-7) With 30+ Breeders and 2026’s Wildest New Terps
The titans of global terps are gathering for the 2nd annual seed show, Terpnami, in San Francisco, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6-7. About 1,000 gardeners, big and small. I will join them to drop in on 2026’s party waves of flavor. Featuring over 30 breeders on three floors of genetics, music, art, and culture for […]
The Tech Mogul Who Never Wants to Die Is Now Macrodosing Mushrooms
If there’s one ancient thing in this world, it’s the fear of death. Hundreds of practices (more or less grounded in reality) have developed throughout all civilizations to delay our final breath, countless myths and legends from around the world describe heroes cheating the Grim Reaper, not to mention the hypotheses about what comes after, […]
You Don’t Need Duolingo To Learn Spanish. You Need Weed and a Comedian.
We got high, legally, because we have medical cards, and walked into the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires. Thirteen thousand people. Sold out. Phones locked away. The place, humming with expectation. When the lights went down, the room erupted. Full body laughter. The kind you feel in your ribs. Somewhere between the lights and the […]
The Audacity of Survival: A Veteran’s War Beyond the Battlefield
Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions of suicide and mental health struggles that may be distressing for some readers. If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or visit 988lifeline.org for free, confidential support. I came back from Baghdad in 2005 in […]
Jamaica Short on Cannabis After Hurricane Melissa: Rastafari Communities Plead for Help
Hurricane Melissa recently struck Jamaica with a fury the country hadn’t seen since the legendary Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. This Category 5 storm, with winds of nearly 185 mph and torrential rain, left 32 people dead, entire communities cut off, widespread structural damage across the island, and a humanitarian crisis in motion. On top of […]