Here Weed Go!

Latest Episodes:

It's System of a Down's Shavo Odadjian Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

How’s it growing folks?! Welcome to a very special episode of Here Weed Go!

I hinted last week that this new season, this new year of Here Weed Go! would be different. The difference is you’ll be hearing a lot more about my personal journey, not just with cannabis, but through life: my travels, my success, my troubles and my failures.

Part of that means taking a slightly new tack with my interviews and interview subjects.

That will all start with this episode and my interview of the bassist for System of a Down and cannabis company 22Red founder, Shavo Odadjian.

In our conversation, Odadjian and I touch on his time growing up in LA as a recent Armenian immigrant, and how that experience shaped his outlook on music, his work ethic and how he interacted with the City of Angeles other immigrant communities.

We also talk about the years of working the LA music scene before hitting it big with System of a Down, and what sort of attention fame brings with it.

And of course, we touch on 22Red, one of my favorite producers of top shelf flower. I ask Odadjian about his first experience with weed, how he got into the cannabis industry and what his plans are for 22Red in the future.

MORE INFO

For more on Shavo Odadjian: https://www.instagram.com/shavoodadjian/?hl=en

For more on 22Red: https://22red.com/

For more Here Weed Go! episodes, to subscribe to the newsletter and all other Here Weed Go content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

For ChronicCon tickets: https://tucson.com/marijuana/chroniccon/

Podcast is produced by Pascal Albright/Arizona Daily Star

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Magic! Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

How’s it growing folks?! Welcome to a magical bonus episode of Here Weed Go!

See, I grew up loving magic. From tricks like making a bird appear out of a hat, to making the statue of liberty disappear, to my very favorite: card tricks!

In my teens, shows like Mindfreak featuring Criss Angel and specials starring David Blaine on TV defined a new era of magic that was also heavy on stunts and escape acts.

So, imagine my excitement and surprise when I was in Las Vegas and I heard from a bartender at The Cosmopolitan that starting in mid-April, there would be a cannabis-themed magic show taking residence just off The Strip for two months!

As soon as I got back to Tucson I reached out and found out that the show, called Smokus Pocus, was being put on by rising star magician Ben Zabin. Within a week or two, we scheduled a conversation for this podcast.

Known for his acerbic wit and natural performing style, Zabin has toured the U.S. extensively with Smokus Pocus already, and he’ll be starting a two-month residency on April 15 at the amazing Area 15 show room, which has been outfitted specifically for Zabin’s show.

Our conversation touches on how magic started in his life at a very young age, when marijuana worked it’s way into his act, what performing on a cruise ship was like, and of course, where the idea for such a unique show as Smokus Pocus sprang up from.

A quick note, I’ve included links for tickets to Smokus Pocus and more info about Zabin and all my other 4/20 content in the episodes description, available wherever you stream Here Weed Go! from.

Additionally, there is a fun, cannabis themed magic trick near the end of the episode that is obviously more enjoyable on video. I’ve included a link to that as well.

MORE INFO

For more on magician Ben Zabin: https://www.benzabin.com/

His Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/benzabinmagic/

For info on Smokus Pocus: https://www.smokuspocus.com/

For tickets to see Smokus Pocus, running from April 15 through June 15: https://area15.com/events/smokus-pocus/

For more about Area 15: https://area15.com/

For more Here Weed Go! content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

For tickets to ChronicCon: https://tickets.tucson.com/events/chroniccon-2023-5-20-2023

Podcast is produced by Pascal Albright/Arizona Daily Star

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Arizona's Largest Edibles Kitchen Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

How's it growing folks?! In this episode, I’m talking with Murray Stein, CEO of Halo Infusions and Extractions and the mastermind behind what will soon become Arizona’s largest cannabis infusion kitchen.

One of the better known and widely available brands in Arizona, Halo sports a litany of infused (and quite tasty, if I do say so myself) edibles, beverages and topicals in its portfolio.

As a matter of fact, their caramel chews were amongst my favorite new products I tried in 2022.

Stein walks me through the history of Halo and how it came to be, how the brand has differentiated itself from other edible and infusion companies that often focus on one or two product lines, and why he is offering space and time to rent in his new kitchen to smaller local brands that are trying to get off the ground.

MORE INFO

For more about Murray Stein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murraystein/

For More info about Halo Infusions and Extractions: https://haloinfusions.com/

The ticket link to ChronicCon: https://tickets.tucson.com/events/chroniccon-2023-5-20-2023

For more info about the bands, DJs special guests and vendors at ChronicCon: https://tucsonmarijuanaguide.com/chroniccon/

For more Here Weed Go! episodes, social media and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

Podcast is produced by Pascal Albright/Arizona Daily Star

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Ads on Twitter Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

How’s it growing folks?! Welcome again to Here Weed Go! Today I’m honing in on the latest advertising developments for cannabis in the digital world, specifically Twitter’s new policy of allowing some marijuana and hemp company's products to be featured on its platform.

It’s a big change for Twitter, which since Elon Musk's take-over late last year, has been hemorrhaging advertisers. It’s also a big change for social media as a whole, and something Meta, Google and other large tech companies with significant online real-estate are almost assuredly following closely.

To help make sense of what might have been behind the change in policy, why there seems to be such a slow move to allow marijuana and hemp companies to advertise online, and why my accounts are shadow banned on some platforms, I brought on attorney Clark Wu, a senior attorney with Phoenix-based law firm Bianchi & Brandt.

But before I jump into the deep end of online ads, I want to update you all on the developments in Oklahoma, where unfortunately, voters choose to forgo a state-licensed, adult-use recreational program three weeks ago, at least for the time being.

To help get a better understanding of why State Question 820 was defeated, and what it means for both the state’s robust medical program and the future prospects of a potential recreational program, I spoke with Anna Codutti, editor for the Tulsa World.

MORE INFO

Clark Wu Bio: https://www.bianchibrandt.com/team/clark-wu

Bianchi & Brandt info: https://www.bianchibrandt.com/

Context on Twitter opening its advertising to cannabis: https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-becomes-first-social-media-platform-allow-cannabis-ads-us-2023-02-15/

Past Here Weed Go! episodes: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go

Linktree link to the Here Weed Go! newsletter, social media pages and all host Eddie Celaya's content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

For tickets to ChronicCon '23 on May 20: https://tickets.tucson.com/events/chroniccon-2023-5-20-2023

Podcast is produced by Pascal Albright/Arizona Daily Star

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Women's History Month, 2023 Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

How's it growing folks?! Welcome back to Here Weed Go! With March being Women’s History Month, I figured it was a great time to talk to two of the most successful canna-preneurs I’ve come across in my time reporting on the industry, to get their stories and perspectives about what challenges and barriers women still face in breaking into cannabis.

My first conversation is with Anna-Sophia Kouparanis, the co-founder of Bloomwell -- one of Germany’s largest medical marijuana companies -- who was named one of Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 in the cannabis industry last year.

I follow that up with another interview, this time with Kim Sanchez Rael, the co-founder and CEO of Azuca, a New Mexico and New York-based company that produces fast-acting cannabis edible technology.

Both interviews dive into the back-stories of each subject, with Kouparanis detailing how her family got into cannabis and Rael recounting how past business ventures and start-up experience helped forge her path.

The episode also focuses on how the cannabis industry as a whole can be more inviting and open to women and what each subject is doing to make that a reality.

MORE INFO

Anna-Sophia Kouparanis: https://www.instagram.com/annakouparanis/?hl=en

Forbes Magazine 30 Under 30 profile on Kouparanis: https://www.forbes.at/artikel/anna-sophia-kouparanis.html

Bloomwell: https://www.bloomwell.eu/

Kim Sanchez Rael: https://twitter.com/kimsanchezrael

Azuca: https://azuca.co/

For more episodes of Here Weed Go!: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go

To sign up for host Eddie Celaya's Here Weed Go! newsletter, follow the official Here Weed Go! Instagram page and for tickets to ChronicCon: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

Podcast is produced by Pascal Albright/Arizona Daily Star

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Cannabis Beverages Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

How’s it growing folks?! Today, I’m clearing the smoke around one of the fastest growing sectors in cannabis: the beverage industry.

Currently, according to cannabis-industry tracking firm Headset, cannabis beverages make up about 1% of cannabis sales nationally. In some legal states, that ticks up a little higher, but right now, consumers seem to be sticking to pre-rolls, vaping and good ole fashioned smoking when it comes to ingesting cannabis.

However, that isn’t stopping a slew of brands, some small start-ups and others nationally recognized soda companies, from jumping into the space and trying their hands at penetrating the ever-growing cannabis market.

To help get a better understanding of what makes cannabis-infused beverages so unique, I spoke with both a representative from a whole new brand, and a representative for an internationally established beverage company.

What I found is that the challenges for beverage makers in the cannabis space are more complex than just making a good-tasting soda, tea or seltzer.

First, I spoke with Laura Jarmillo-Bernal, the COO of NuEra Cannabis, a vertically integrated cannabis company based out of Illinois with a presence in multiple states (including Arizona) and that sports six dispensary locations and a litany of brands, including their new soft drink Riseau, a CBD-infused seltzer which recently launched here in Arizona.

Jarmillo-Bernal explains how Riseau came to be, why NuEra is testing out the product in Arizona first, and what she thinks is needed for cannabis beverages to succeed in a crowded marketplace.

Next, I interviewed Bohb Blair, the CMO for Jones Soda Co. and the Chief Brand Officer for Jones Soda’s latest project: Mary Jones Cannabis.

Blair and I delve into the reasoning behind Jones Soda, a nationally recognized brand known for their creative flavors and fun bottles, entering into the cannabis space, why a company likes Jones Soda is uniquely positioned to make inroads into the market and why he thinks consumers have been so slow to drink beverages that can get you high.

Be sure to listen until the episode's end where I’ll be doing a ticket give-away for ChronicCon, the biggest and best cannabis festival in Southern Arizona set for May 20th here in Tucson!

MORE INFO

For more on NuEra Cannabis: https://nueracannabis.com/

For more on Riseau: https://riseau.com/

For more on Jones Soda Co.: https://www.jonessoda.com/

For more on Mary Jones Cannabis: https://gomaryjones.com/

For more info and tickets to ChronicCon: https://tucsonmarijuanaguide.com/chroniccon/

Linktree to more Here Weed Go! podcasts, sign-up for the Here Weed Go! newsletter and all the rest of host Eddie Celaya's content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

Podcast is produced by Pascal Albright/Arizona Daily Star.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Hemp Products and Legal Mushrooms Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

How’s it growing folks? Today, the Here Weed Go! podcast is honing in on a few different subjects that are beginning to enter into the national conversation: hemp-derived products and legal mushrooms.

For some quick context, hemp-derived products, or HDPs, are products like gummies, vape products, drinks and smokables that are in many ways similar to the marijuana-derived products you can find at state-licensed dispensaries.

Except HDPs can be sold at grocery stores, smoke shops and gas stations in many states. That’s due to hemps federally legal status as result of the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill by Congress.

When it comes to mushrooms, it’s important to remember that psychedelic compounds like psilocybin are still classified as federally illegal.

However, there are a wide range of mushrooms that aren’t psychedelic and are just now coming to public prominence due to movies like Fantastic Fungi and Dosed that seem to show the medical benefits of mushrooms.

To talk about both subjects, my conversation today is with Brett Weiss, an entrepreneur from a young age who is now the CEO of Smilyn Wellness, a San Diego-based hemp company that also sells legal mushrooms under the brand Happy Mush.

Weiss, a University of Arizona graduate like myself, talks about how he entered into the world of hemp originally, why he believes legal mushrooms and psychedelics are less than a decade behind cannabis in going main-stream, and about Smilyn's almost endless products lines: all made possible through hemp and mushrooms.

And, if you use the code HWG25 you'll receive 25% off your 1st order on Smilyn's website.

MORE INFO

For more info on Smilyn Wellness: https://smilynwellness.com/

For more Here Weed Go! podcast episodes, newsletter sign-up and tickets for Chronic Con '23 on May 20: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

Visit TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com for more of host Eddie Celaya's content.

Podcast is produced by Pascal Albright/Arizona Daily Star.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's all over Oklahoma Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

How’s it growing folks?! In today’s episode, I’m taking a deep toke on the cannabis-only special election in Oklahoma on March 7, 2023. For those not in the know about the Sooner State, here’s a little background:

Although you probably wouldn’t guess it, Oklahoma is home to the most dispensaries per capita of any state. And it’s not even close.

Known as the "Wild West of Weed," by some estimates, there are more dispensaries currently operating in the state then there are gas stations.

That’s a lot for a state with just a medical program. And although nearly 10% of Oklahomans hold a medical card, that’s only about 350,000 patients.

As you might be able to tell, that’s a lot of store fronts and cannabis product for a relative few patients.

As a result, a lot of that pot has found its way into the underground black market in-state and elsewhere. That's what gives Oklahoma it’s other cannabis-derived nickname: "The Black Market Capitol of Marijuana."

Now, after a back-and-forth with the courts and state government, State Question 820, which would implement an adult-use recreational program in the state, is up for a state-wide special election on March 7.

To help get a better perspective of what’s going on on the ground out there, I’ve brought on two guests, Anna Codutti, a journalist with the Tulsa World, and dispensary operator Arshad Lasi of the Nirvana Group.

We touch on why State Question 820 is on it’s own special election ballot, what state politicians and medical industry stakeholders are saying about the initiative, and how likely voters are to pass a measure that would make Oklahoma the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana.

MORE INFO

For more content on cannabis in Oklahoma, visit the Tulsa World: https://tulsaworld.com/search/?sd=desc&l=25&s=start_time&f=html&t=article%2Cvideo%2Cyoutube%2Ccollection&app=editorial&nsa=eedition&q=cannabis

For more info on the Nirvana Group: https://www.nirvana-dispensary.com/

For more Here Weed Go! content, including past podcast episodes, the Here Weed Go! newsletter and access to the official social media pages: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

For more info on Southern Arizona's largest 5/20 cannabis celebration: https://tucsonmarijuanaguide.com/chroniccon/

Podcast is produced by Pascal Albright/Arizona Daily Star.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Black History Month, 2023 Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

How’s it growing folks?! Welcome again to Here Weed Go!, the national podcast that looks at the business, science, politics and culture surrounding cannabis, America’s favorite pastime.

Today’s episode is a special Black History Month episode that outs the focus on cannabis company owners and brand creators that are pursuing success through authenticity in a way that is unique to their stories and their struggles.

According to a report by cannabis industry publication Marijuana Business Daily, only about 4% of cannabis business owners and founders are black. When it comes to black women owners, that number is about 1%.

Take into account a study from the American Civil Liberties Union that found that, on average, a Black person is 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though Black and white people use marijuana at similar rates. In 10 states, Black people were more than five times more likely to be arrested.

With all that in mind, there are amazing stories of success, like the stories my two guests sport in their backgrounds.

Marlo Richardson is a former police lieutenant and serial entruprenur who is now the owner, president and CEO of Greenwood and Co., a vertically integrated cannabis company based out of Los Angeles.

Watts Homie Quan is a comedian, social media influencer and cannabis afficianado who is promoting his new cannabis brand, Growin’ Up LA, with the help of Richardson’s delivery service and a unique marketing strategy that utilizes QR codes, social media skits and a love for quality weed.

I spoke with both Richardson and Quan last month about how each got into the cannabis industry, how their partnership came about, what sets their brands apart in the uber-competitive and saturated LA market, and what challenges they’ve faced as black founders and owners in an industry that touts itself as diverse, but still has plenty of work to do.

MORE INFO

Marlo Richardson info/social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/IamMarloNicole

Watts Homie Quan: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-w7-3ngzZP199hURvE7MbA

The Here Weed Go! linktree for links to the official Facebook and Instagram social media pages, subscribtions to past Here Weed Go! episodes and a sign-up for the Here Weed Go! Southern Arizona newsletter: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

Podcast is produced by Pascal Albright/Arizona Daily Star.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Impairment Detection Technology Feb 16, 2023

Show notes

How’s it growing folks!? Welcome to the latest episode of Here Weed Go!

In this episode, I’m looking at a new and interesting technology. Like most new technology there’s some virtual reality and artificial intelligence involved, but not in a way you might suspect.

Ken Fichtler is the former chief business development officer for the state of Montana and current CEO of Gaize, the technology start-up responsible for a ground breaking impairment detection technology.

Gaize is focused on helping determine if someone driving or working is impaired by marijuana, but approaches the notoriously difficult problem of figuring out is someone is actually impaired with a unique, but very appropriate for the times, solution: A virtual (or augmented) reality headset.

And as of this week, February 13, it is on the market. That comes after the world's largest cannabis impairment clinical trial.

Fichtler explains why his company's approach is more accurate in determining actual impairment than some breathalyzer based-technologies and why he believes that being able to police cannabis in public spaces and the workplace is essential to making it legal.

Our discussion also touches on the ethical questions and issues surrounding VR headsets and artificial intelligence, what a technology like Gaize could mean for the trucking and shipping industry and if the headset can be re-calibrated to detect for impairment of other substances or drugs.

MORE INFO

For more info on Gaize: https://www.gaize.ai/

The one-stop-shop Here Weed Go! linktree, where you can find and subscribe to all past podcast episodes, social media links to Facebook and Instagram pages and a sign-up link to the weekly Here Weed Go! Southern Arizona newsletter with all of host Eddie Celaya's cannabis and travel content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

To see everything else, visit TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com for more local content and updates on the Largest Cannabis Fair in Southern Arizona History: ChronicCon!

Podcast is produced by Pascal Albright/Arizona Daily Star.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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