German innovation has once again taken center stage with STORZ & BICKEL’s introduction of the VENTY, one of the highest-performing portable vaporizers on the market. As the world’s only medically certified manufacturers of vaporizers and makers of the iconic VOLCANO series, STORZ & BICKEL have come up with truly game-changing features for the new slim, fast, and customizable VENTY. Jürgen Bickel, founder and managing director, introduced the breathtaking new portable device in the company’s latest keynote on October 17th.
The first and probably most interesting standout feature of the VENTY is its lightning-fast heat-up time. Equipped with two powerful Li-ion batteries, an intelligent software design, and an innovative mini-heater, STORZ & BICKEL’s new powerhouse reaches the desired temperature within an unmatched 20 seconds. This promises minimal waiting and a seamless vaping experience. About the use of the VENTY, Jürgen Bickel stated: “It technically still is a session vaporizer, but it comes very close to an on-demand device. I just turn it on while walking down the stairs, and the VENTY is always ready for powerful, spontaneous, and discreet moments.” With this astonishingly short heat-up time in a portable device, the German manufacturer and market leader is indeed breaking records, unleashing potential.
Distinguishing itself from competitors and giving users full control over their vaporizing experience, STORZ & BICKEL engineered the first portable vaporizer of its kind to offer an adjustable airflow. Moreover, the VENTY is one of the highest-performing portable devices on the market, with an impressive maximum of 20 liters of air per minute. STORZ & BICKEL thereby nearly doubled the amount of cool, tasty vapor in comparison to its predecessor and all-time throne holder, the MIGHTY+. The VENTY’s customizable airflow settings ensure an exceptionally low draw resistance while allowing users to tailor each session to their exact preferences. On top of that, the VENTY includes a newly developed flowmeter that measures the negative pressure of the inhalation and dynamically adjusts the heating to match the draw. This results in consistent and excellent vapor production, no matter the intensity of the inhalation. These new features, combined with the VENTY’s temperature precision, which is modifiable and visible for the user directly on the device, make it as easy as it has never been before to find your own personal sweet spot.
Smart, Sturdy, Sleek: Setting New Standards, Again
STORZ & BICKEL, never shy about groundbreaking innovations, re-designed their patented convection and conduction heater and cooling technology for the VENTY. Moreover, the company came up with a new and, so far, the most sophisticated heating management system these pioneers have ever built. The re-shaped Cooling Unit and housing encapsulating the heater are made of medical-grade PEEK – a material used in medical engineering and aerospace. The ingeniously efficient new mini heater provides the fastest heat-up time of any STORZ & BICKEL vaporizer so far. It consists of an electrifiable, thus heated, wire around the heating block with holes in its center, through which air is drawn. At its maximum stage, the VENTY boasts a maximum power usage of 130 Watts at 16 Amps and therefore exceeds the currently highest-performing portable vaporizer from STORZ & BICKEL – the MIGHTY+, with a maximum of 40 Watts – by far, setting new industry standards again. The smart new VENTY supports Bluetooth and is customizable with the STORZ & BICKEL Web App. Various settings can be accessed and adjusted, like the desired temperature from 40°C – 210°C (104°F – 410°F), two pre-set Booster temperatures, the display’s brightness, vibration settings, and an ECO-charge mode. The new device allows users to modify the vaporizer to their personal taste, while software updates over the air can be implemented – all from the convenience of their smartphones. Crafted according to the high standards for medically certified manufacturers, the VENTY guarantees superior quality in performance and endurance. Therefore, it complements an active lifestyle, offering a breath of fresh adventure, whether on a mountain peak or oceanside. The VENTY is splash-proof, all materials are food-safe, and the housing is non-heat-conductive, making it touch-proof, despite the power unleashed inside this smart, sturdy, and sleek device.
Courtesy STORZ & BICKEL
Quality Made in Germany
STORZ & BICKEL is the unattained global leading brand for high-end vaporizers and is truly unique as the world’s first medically certified manufacturer of vaporizers. Based in Tuttlingen, Germany, STORZ & BICKEL continuously drives the advancement of vaporization technology, providing a safe and efficient means of consuming cannabis for medical as well as recreational purposes. For more than 20 years, the company and their commitment to quality, innovation, and compliance have consistently delivered exceptional products that meet and exceed the highest industry standards. From the iconic VOLCANO series to the new portable VENTY, the state-of-the-art vaporizers of STORZ & BICKEL, Made in Germany, seamlessly blend reliable innovative technology with timeless elegance and promise an elevated everyday vaporization experience.
The day before Thanksgiving, often referred to as “Green Wednesday” in the cannabis industry, saw a record number of sales once again. According to data collected by Jane Technologies, recreational sales on Nov. 22 reached $9,209,061.73—an 18.12% increase from Green Friday sales data in 2022, which landed at $7,795,803,80 last year.
Adult-use cannabis sales on Nov. 22 had also increased by 90.5% in comparison to sales on the three previous Wednesdays, including Nov. 1, Nov. 8, and Nov. 15, which collected a total of $4,833,890.74.
In products for Green Wednesday sales, flower led the way with the most sales, clocking in at $3,352,845.91, followed by vape-related products at $2,533,166.62, edibles at $1,207,840.33, pre-rolls at $963,026.92, and lastly, extracts with $448,520.89.
According to its website, Jane Technologies serves dispensaries in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. Among these, the states with the highest sales revenue included Illinois ($2,868,215.31), California ($1,084,388.39), New Jersey ($880,127.66), Maryland ($758,727.23), and Washington ($709,599.95).
Jane Technologies CEO and Cofounder, Socrates Rosenfeld, said in a press statement to Business of Cannabis that the cannabis industry’s future is continuing to grow. “As we approach 2024, the US cannabis industry finds itself at an exciting point in time. With the government’s recent actions on issues like SAFER and rescheduling, the end of cannabis prohibition has never felt closer to becoming a reality,” Rosenfeld said in a press release. “With future consumer growth expected to be exponential and large mainstream brands anticipated to enter the space, current Industry operators must continue to invest in scalable solutions to remain competitive.”
Medical cannabis sales on Green Wednesday, however, continue to drop. While medical sales reached $8,166,102.75, it was an 11.1% decline compared to last year’s sales at $9,191,493.38.
Product popularity was similar to that of adult use sales, with a slight variation. Medical cannabis flowers reached $3,922,135.11, followed by vape-related products at $2,174,895.66, edibles at $896,241.66, extracts $592,565.12, and lastly, pre-rolls at $327,542.51.
The states with the highest collection of sales varies a bit more than that of the adult-use sales, with Pennsylvania in the lead ($2,577,176.05), followed by Florida ($1,229,439.36), Ohio ($756,845.71), Maryland ($585,176.82), and Virginia ($561,534.87).
Black Friday reports are still rolling in, but traffic was high in many markets. Reports from Michigan show long lines and interest for special deals, according to Levels general manager Drew McCarthy. “Black Friday is a big stressful day, after a big stressful day,” said McCarthy. “So, we wanted to give back to people and be able to have them not just take back the product they bought, but something extra to go and share with people around them and kind of go and promote that holiday spirit.”
According to BDSA data analyst Brendan Mitchel-Chesebro, Black Friday weekend continues to reflect increased interest and traffic. “Black Friday consistently experiences the highest surge in cannabis sales of any holiday, other than 420,” Brendan Mitchel-Chesebro said, according to The Fresh Toast. “These insights are important for retailers looking to optimize their holiday strategies. By preparing for increased foot traffic with increased staff and an ample supply of popular products instead of leaning into promotions, retailers will win with consumers this holiday season.”
Green Wednesday and Black Friday continue to be one of the major cannabis sales holidays of the year. This year, some state cannabis agencies joined in to promote sales and support. The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) posted on social media to deter black market sales and encourage legal sales. “Don’t follow the hordes of shoppers today! Friday shop smart, shop licensed cannabis,” DCC wrote online. “To find your nearest licensed retailer please visit: https://search.cannabis.ca.gov/retailers.”
The New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) shared efforts to support cannabis dispensaries as small businesses.” While you grab some #BlackFriday deals, take a note from #NYCCB member, Hope Knight and support #SmallBusinessSaturdays at one of your local dispensaries,” OCM wrote.
Additionally in Connecticut on Thanksgiving Day, liquor stores were closed and other stores that sell alcohol and were open on that day were not permitted to sell alcohol. However, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection issued a notice stating that cannabis sales are permitted on Thanksgiving.
The holiday season is also the time of year we begin to see cannabis brands offering support to local communities. Puff Cannabis handed out an estimated 2,500 turkeys this year for people in need, which was twice the amount that the brand gave out in 2022. “The goal of Puff Cannabis Company from the beginning has been to offer top- notch cannabis products while building a knowledgeable and customer-focused team,” said Puff Cannabis founder Justin Elias. “We are honored to have grown to 12 dispensary locations throughout Michigan in only four years, with many locations on tap to open in 2024.”
MariMed, which operates in Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, Ohio, and Delaware, announced that it would be donating 800 turkeys this year as well. “Doing our part to support the communities we serve is an important part of MariMed’s mission to improve people’s lives every day,” said MariMed CEO Jon Levine. “This is the third consecutive year of our Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, which has become a wonderful tradition that our entire MariMed family rallies behind. We’re proud that we can help ease the financial burden for so many people at this time of year.”
Researchers observed a notable development in an ongoing study of microdosing for ADHD. Two weeks into the research, participants using traditional ADHD medication reported lower mindfulness levels compared to those not on medication. But at the four-week mark, regardless of medication, both groups demonstrated improvements in mindfulness, indicating a leveling effect as a result of continued microdosing with psilocybin, Psychedelic Spotlight reports.
The study on microdosing, published in the Frontiers in Psychiatry Journal, analyzed data from 233 individuals, most diagnosed with ADHD or experiencing severe symptoms. About a third of the participants used ADHD medication daily. These include pharmaceuticals like Adderall, Ritalin, and Concerta. Both groups, those medicated with such drugs, as well as those “untreated,” microdosed psilocybin mushrooms.
As High Times reported, it’s worth noting that for those people in the trial taking Adderall, getting their medicine may have been a struggle recently due to a medication shortage. The shortage of Adderall, which started in the fall of 2022, was initially expected to be a short-term issue. The FDA predicted a resolution within a month or two. However, this has yet to be the case. In August 2023, a joint statement acknowledged the ongoing shortage, describing it as ‘understandably frustrating’ for patients and healthcare providers.
The joint notice explained that the shortage began due to a manufacturing delay by one drug maker last fall. Although this issue has been resolved, its impact persists, exacerbated by an unprecedented increase in stimulant medication prescriptions. Over the past decade, from 2012 to 2021, there has been a 45.5 percent rise in the dispensing of stimulants, including amphetamine products and other similar medications in the U.S.
So, while the study in question looked at people microdosing and those microdosing in addition to taking such medications, there is also a potential role for psychedelics to step in when traditional pharmaceutical methods fail.
Researchers began the study with an initial assessment of mindfulness and personality traits of all study participants. The scientists continued the research with additional check-ins at two and four weeks. The research team anticipated that microdosing would enhance ‘trait mindfulness,’ which is the ability to be consciously aware of and attentive to present thoughts, feelings, and sensations without excessive reaction. They also expected improvements in traits such as conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and openness, coupled with a reduction in neuroticism.
Two weeks into the study, participants on traditional ADHD medication showed lower mindfulness levels compared to those not using medication. Yet, after four weeks of microdosing, this disparity went away, with both medicated and non-medicated groups having similar improvements in mindfulness.
Additionally, four weeks into the study, the microdosers with ADHD showed the average mindfulness levels of the general population. Specifically, they demonstrated increased mindfulness, excelling in areas like acting with awareness and non-judgmentally accepting their inner experiences. Additionally, these individuals exhibited a decrease in neuroticism, indicating reduced emotional instability.
PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other comorbid diagnoses had no impact on the study’s participant’s results.
Yet, the participants did not meet all of the researchers’ expectations. For instance, personality traits like agreeableness and openness didn’t change much, suggesting that microdosing may have a “ceiling effect;” in other words, it only helps so much.
The findings still hold important implications. Firstly, they indicate that microdosing has the potential to impact stable traits such as mindfulness and neuroticism for people with ADHD. The result showed that ADHD medication did not affect these changes, suggesting that microdosing could enhance existing treatment models and increase the quality of life for those with ADHD.
In the future, such findings could help people with ADHD plan a multi-faceted treatment approach that yields better results than traditional medications or even just psychedelic therapy alone.
And researchers are studying microdosing psilocybin to treat more mental health conditions than ADHD. In August of this year, scientists explored how psilocybin affects various brain networks and how it can potentially help people with depression, High Times reported.
According to the preprint study titled “Psilocybin desynchronizes brain networks” offers an in-depth analysis of the effects of psilocybin on the brain’s default mode network (DMN). Researchers closely examined how psilocybin interacts with and influences the DMN.
“Psilocybin-driven desynchronization was observed across [the] association cortex but strongest in the default mode network (DMN), which is connected to the anterior hippocampus and thought to create our sense of self,” the researchers noted in their findings.
The study highlights that the most significant impacts of psilocybin on the DMN were observed in areas like the thalamus, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and hippocampus. The researchers further elaborated in their abstract, “Persistent suppression of hippocampal-DMN connectivity represents a candidate neuroanatomical and mechanistic correlate for pro-plasticity and anti-depressant effects of psilocybin.”
Here’s to finding new ways to help psilocybin improve the lives of those living with mental health conditions.
We’ve all heard about how THC can give you the munchies, but did you know there is another cannabinoid that can give you the un-munchies, the unchies? Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCv) has shown such promise for controlling diet and weight loss that it has been patented for it.
The Discovery of THCv
While THCv wasn’t one of the first cannabinoids discovered like CBN or CBD, it was part of the second wave of cannabinoids identified during the 1960s and 1970s, like CBG. Specifically, THCv was first discovered by Edward Gill and a team of researchers in 1970, who found it in a sample of cannabis tincture, which was a legal medicine in the UK at the time. The name Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCv) was coined by Merkus in a study the following year.
Does THCv Get You High?
Sources online are mixed when it comes to the purported intoxicating effects of THCv. A chapter in the 2016 book The Analytical Chemistry of Cannabis is clear that “High doses of Δ9-THCV have been reported to produce a psychoactive effect characterized as mild intoxication.” The authors noted a dose dependent effect, where THCv was “capable of behaving either as a CB1 antagonist or, at higher doses, as a CB1 agonist in vivo.” A 2023 study is the most recent to find “THC-like effects” at higher doses, “though mild and not associated with impairment.”
On the other hand, a literature review released in 2020 was unambiguously clear, “The main advantage of THCV over THC is the lack of psychoactive effects.” The authors addressed the mechanism through which THCv affects the body, furthering their argument, “Unlike THC, which is psychoactive and an agonist at the CB1 and CB2 receptors, THCV is a non-psychoactive, neutral CB1 antagonist.” Additionally, in a 2021 article Jonathan Vaught, PhD, the CEO of Front Range Biosciences, said “People report that, when [THCV] is used in combination with THC, THCV can mitigate [the intoxicating] effects of THC.”
One related and unique finding about THCv came from this 2023 study, which found “THCV and its metabolites were endowed with the advantage of blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration compared to THCA.” In other words, THCv had an easier time passing through the blood-brain barrier than THCa (the precursor of THC). So whether or not THCv produces feelings of intoxication, it does seem to have an easier time impacting the brain than THCa.
The Unique Medical Effects of THCv
Since its discovery more than fifty years ago, much has been learned about the medical effects of THCv, with the bulk of research focused on its ability to combat obesity and aid people suffering from diabetes. In 2013, a team of researchers from GW Pharmaceuticals (GW) found “THCV is a new potential treatment against obesity-associated glucose intolerance,” which could make it a benefit to people with type 2 diabetes. Some of the same researchers followed up on their study with a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study and found that “THCV [helped with] glycemic control in subjects with type 2 diabetes.” Since then, multipleteams of other researchers have added to the growing body of evidence that THCv is a benefit to those with type 2 diabetes.
GW’s researchers also highlighted THCv’s benefits to those with obesity or looking to diet, “THCV is a novel compound with hypophagic properties and a potential treatment for obesity.” In 2015, other GW-affiliated researchers found that THC had “therapeutic activity in obesity, perhaps with a lowered risk of depressive side effects.” That mention of depression is a reference to Rimonabant, a CB1 antagonist and inverse agonist that was briefly on the market before being pulled in 2008 because it caused depression and suicide. Another team of GW researchers were the first to find that THCv “decreases resting state functional connectivity in the default mode network” of the brain which “suggests possible therapeutic activity of THCv for obesity.”
Additionally, THCv has been shown to have benefits to those suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, schizophrenia, cancer, pain, inflammation, and untreatable epilepsy. Finally, some research has indicated that both THCv and CBD can “modulate the effects of THC via direct blockade of cannabinoid CB1 receptors,” similar to Rimonabant, but without the unwanted mental health impacts.
Certificate of Analysis 1.8:1 THCv:THC Ratio, Courtesy of GenCann, LLC
GW Holds Many Medical Patents on THCv
Given all the promising research on THCv, it should come as no surprise that there are several patents on this cannabinoid and plants that produce it. As much of the research on THCv was done by GW, they hold many of the patents. In 2002, GW first applied for their patent on THCv extracts, which they reapplied for several times before ultimately withdrawing it. In 2005, they applied for two still-activepatents on THCv in the treatment of “obesity, schizophrenia, epilepsy, cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s, bone disorders, bulimia, obesity associated with type II diabetes (non-insulin dependant diabetes) and in the treatment of drug, alcohol and nicotine abuse or dependency.” In 2009, GW applied for a still pending patent on using THCv and CBD to treat epilepsy. In 2011, they applied for a now published patent on THCv in production of insulin and blood glucose (diabetes).
Growing Interest in THCv Cultivation
While for years THCv was a relatively rare cannabinoid, found in Durban Poison and few other cultivars, in the past few years there has been a surge of breeding for THCv. First, cultivars like Black Beauty and Doug’s Varin were developed, and earlier this year GTR Seeds released multiple THCv cultivars.
In 2021, the furor over THCv hit its fever pitch, and the world’s first THCv plant patents were issued to GenCann, LLC (GenCann) for three different cultivars, V1, V2, and V3. To learn more about GenCann’s plants and patents, High Times spoke to Mike Kahn, their Chief Cannabis Officer. “I believe we are the only ones in the world to have both plant and utility patents,” said Kahn, “The plant covers any clones and the utility covers anything derived from the plants.” Each cultivar is a little different, but Kahn said “V1 and V2 are both higher THCv than THC.”
Until Phylos Bioscience got a plant patent for a THCv cultivar last year, GenCann’s patents were the only ones to mention THCv. Kahn was critical of Phylos’ propagation methods which relied on “selfing,” which Kahn described as “rubbing colloidal silver on a female plant which causes it to produce male pollen to impregnate that plant or another female, like feminized seeds.” Kahn says that selfing produces less stable genetics than GenCann’s more natural method of open pollination and selection of phenotypes for linebreeding, though their method also came with risks. “A bear came and destroyed all but eight plants,” said Kahn, but thankfully they could salvage those plants and didn’t lose their genetics.
Kahn was an advocate for growing THCv outdoors, “speak to anyone working with THCv, they all say it needs to be grown outdoors,” as the landrace genetics at the root of most THCv cultivars tend to produce very large plants. He was also a strong advocate for quality, organic sourcing, “Where is the COA should be the first question asked about THCv flower,” Kahn also was skeptical of THCv converted from CBD (like delta-8) or made by yeast. When it came down to the debate around THCv being intoxicating, Kahn said “It is like CBD, it is psychotropic but not psychoactive.”
Whether you are looking to try something old school, like Durban Poison, or something more modern like V1, thankfully there are a lot more options out there for THCv-rich flower and manufactured products.
Binoid has just launched something that the industry didn’t think was possible just a few years ago – a disposable vaping device that carries a stunning 7 grams of vape oil, powered by a comprehensive battery and advanced coil. This rechargeable vaping device is referred to as the “Slush Series”, named after the lineup of strains that are all inspired by slushie beverages.
Placing THCA front and center, the vape oil contains additional cannabinoids as well, for a fully satisfying experience that Binoid can deliver like no other. We got to try this disposable for ourselves, so we’re going to review it for you right now.
You can also jump right in and experience this awesome 7 Gram Disposable with the code HIGHTIMES30for 30% off with fast and free shipping here. But first, let’s take a look at the 7 gram review.
The New 7 Gram THCA Disposable Vape – Slush Series from Binoid
Binoid’s 7 Gram THCA Disposable Vape is the first of its kind, as no disposable vaping device has managed to pull off 7 whole grams of cannabis-based vape oil yet. It features a rechargeable battery, and is ready to vape right off the bat, as no setup is required. Aside from occasional recharging, it doesn’t need any maintenance, and it contains a blend of live resin and cannabinoid distillates, both of which have undergone strict third-party testing.
Binoid’s 7 Gram Disposable First Impression
Let’s talk about the first impression. The box has a cool design on it, and the labeling covers all of your bases pertaining to things like ingredients, directions, the name of the strain, and so on. The device itself is visually striking – obviously not a necessity, but really does catch the eye and make the overall experience all the more enjoyable. The most unique device in the THC industry.
The Strain Selection
Strains are super important, and today’s stoners care abouts strains more than ever. Keep in mind that these strains come in the form of live resin hemp extract – an ultra-rich and flavorful extract that come from fresh, flash-frozen, rather than dry-cured flower, and retains a higher level of trichomes for a stronger concentration of terpenes.
The strain options all belong to the “Slush Series,” which is the brand’s playful variety of strains named after slushy drinks. The options are:
Grape Slushie: A sativa-dominant strain that’s super giggly and euphoric, perfect for socializing.
Blueberry Slush: A fruity strain that’s indica-dominant, and can bring you into a state of powerful, hazy couchlock.
Dew Drop: AKA Lemon OG, Dew Drop is an indica-leaning hybrid that’s great for late-night partaking, due to its tranquil effects.
Strawberry Slush: This indica-dominant hybrid is extremely balanced, helping you feel both at peace and uplifted, without being too energizing or drowsy.
Pina Colada: A delicious 50/50 hybrid that feels more like a sativa thanks to its uplifting, focus-enhancing properties.
Blue Razz: A sweet and sour indica-leaning hybrid that’s great for calming down those thoughts and feeling at total peace with your surroundings.
The Strongest Cannabinoids
Courtesy Binoid
Now we can move onto the cannabinoid blend itself. The 7 gram disposables line comes in two choices, as 1 of 2 cannabinoid blends is assigned to each strain above. First, you have THCA + delta 9P + delta 9H. The THCA is self-explanatory, and the latter two cannabinoids are isomers of delta 9, bonded to THC-P and THC-H respectively, offering even more potency than their naturally occurring counterparts.
The second option is THCA + HHC-P, the cannabinoid that’s 10 times as intoxicating as HHC. Either way, prepare to get really high, as these cannabinoid blends are both very powerful.
The One and Only 7 Gram Device On The Market
The Binoid 7 gram device performs great, we’re pleased to say. The pulls are nice and smooth, and the high-capacity battery lends itself to nicely sized, fluffy clouds. We didn’t run into any issues whatsoever, thankfully. Most issues with larger disposables is that they leak, clog and don’t work after a few grams. We still have 1 gram left in the tank and the device is still running. This is great news for those who want a great value disposable.
The 7 Gram Slush Flavor Experience
We went with Grape Slushie, because it’s a great afternoon vape that can be enjoyed with friends. Before we talk about the high itself, let’s dive into the flavor. This is a very, very delicious strain that, to us, tasted like sweet, plump grapes blended with sour citrus. There’s a sugary sweetness to it that makes you want to lick your lips after each puff, and no doubt, the fact that it’s live resin really helps make it even tastier.
Courtesy Binoid
The Binoid 7 Gram Disposable High
The high kicked in within about 10 minutes – probably thanks largely to the potency of the cannabinoids – and immediately, there was a feeling of giddy euphoria, and the giggly effects are legit. The high lasted for about 3 hours, and the general “lifted” effect persisted the whole time. There was no crash or couchlock at any point, and we were able to stay relatively clear-minded, while there was a clear body high effect that felt warm and tingly.
Try Binoid’s 7 Gram THCA Disposable Vape Today!
Binoid has done it again – this time, with a first-of-its-kind vaping system that’s convenient, portable, and powerful, with 7 whopping grams of potent cannabinoids and delicious terpenes. Fortunately, it’s already available on their website, so you don’t have to wait to find out for yourself why this exquisite vaping system has got it all. Try the 7 Gram THCA Disposable Vape at Binoid for yourself, and choose from some phenomenal strains, all in mouthwatering live resin form.
Departing Berkeley, California on a foggy Wednesday morning, I was in for a treat. I knew I was headed to my favorite place and to what is, in my experience, the best cannabis farm in the world. On the drive north, everything got more beautiful, sunnier, golden, and green. I drove all the way to Dos Rios Farms in Dos Rios, California. This farm opens my heart. The locale and the people there are unparalleled and so is their herb.
Dos Rios is in northeastern Mendocino County on the way to Covelo. The road to Covelo has a complicated history. Covelo is the end of California’s Trail of Tears and Dos Rios is about halfway down that road. I came to visit Mark Thies and his wife Leslie Hines at their farm. They have one bustling little nursery and two 10,000-square-foot cultivation sites where they work to breed and grow some of the most unique and impeccable varieties of cannabis in the world. It’s the most beautiful of the hundreds of cannabis farms I’ve visited in my life. The location is unique; an overwhelming sense of peace and protection comes over you as soon as you arrive on the farm. Their land almost magically keeps freezing temperature snow off the plants and buffers against high temperatures and fire. The best vibes reflect directly in the herb grown at Dos Rios, which is cultivated by people who are truly committed to an organic lifestyle. They are my favorite for good reason; they cultivate and breed the best cannabis I’ve ever had the joy of discovering.
High Times Magazine, October 2023
All the product from Dos Rios Farms is fantastic. Some of the most notable strains of theirs I’ve tried are Fruity Booty, Lemon Crème (which placed ninth in the flowers/mixed light category at the 2023 Emerald Cup), Dutch1 (which is T1 Purple Jasmine crossed with Dutch Treat), Cherry 1 (Cherry AK crossed with the T1 Purple Jasmine), and Hood Candyz. My honest favorite of theirs might be their family of OG Kushes; their Skywalker is one I remember as the pinnacle of a rich, piney, citrusy, petrol smoke.
“The Kush I like has that deep, deep oily flavor with a lemony paste on the back of your throat,” Thies says. “It’s a no-joke, couch locked time to eat or time to create, in any order, kind of deal, no more with bills, chores, etc.”
The flowers that Thies and Hines grow are universally sticky, powerful, and are always perfectly cured. Thies has been growing for 40 years (with 11 years spent at Dos Rios) and his breeding techniques have introduced countless incredible cultivars to the market and the people of California. The powerful terpenes and trichomes cultivated by the team at Dos Rios are no accident; they are the result of decades of dedication to the healing herb we all know and love.
The cannabis at Dos Rios is of the highest grade and the land where the farm is located has been totally organic since long before cannabis was cultivated there. With naturally occurring water sources like a pond that is always full and the perfect geography, Thies and Hines aren’t just lucky. They work hard to tend to the land, practicing regenerative farming techniques that work symbiotically with nature. Their farming techniques and practices create a truly sustainable environment. Everything farmed at Dos Rios is planted, fed, and harvested with regards to the moon, the stars, and the sun. They are Sun+Earth certified and have been contributing back to the soil and our planet by growing great cannabis for many years.
“I take the role of biodiversity seriously and I don’t want to pollute our cherished ground with salt-ladened animal nutrients,” Thies says. “That’s not to say you can’t pollute your soil with organic products. Secondly, I love the flavor and the high of timely harvested organic flower.”
Lush terrain surrounds Dos Rios Farms in Dos Rios, California.
The only things that aren’t sustainable are the prices and laws constraining our favorite cultivators and their successful operations. Since Proposition 64 passed, like many farmers, Thies and Hines have struggled to meet ends. They have, however, found solutions and support in their community through collaboration with neighbors and groups like the Round Valley Cannabis Co-Op, a community of small farmers that work in the pristine, remote beauty of the Covelo/Dos Rios Appellation. They have also partnered with retailers like Natural Cannabis Co. which consistently features Dos Rios’s cultivars in their shops and in their famed Best of Harvest boxes every year. The state of the market remains in flux but because Dos Rios Farms product is so incredible they maintain their presence on the top shelf and also in the hearts and lungs of all of us lucky enough to consume what they produce.
As I head back home into the fog bank, I contemplate the possibilities. There are many peaks and valleys, complicated by weather conditions, politics, finances, health, and reality. The one thing that I know for sure is Dos Rios Farms is the most special cannabis farm that has made it through the storm of legalization (so far) and I can assure you that you should seek out their product if you can. Thies and Hines are like my weed dad and cannabis mom; in my dream life they would adopt me, but at least I get to enjoy their herb and be friends with them.
The harsh reality of legal cannabis for small farmers is that for many the situation with licensing, fees, taxes, and regulations is not tenable or sustainable. It’s particularly tough for regenerative farms.
Jah Kush #1
“Unfortunately, these last two years I’ve been chasing the highly marketable strains to keep our farm afloat,” Thies says. “Other than that I still grow for personal pleasure and attraction, I love the landrace, old school sativa strains so I’m always going to have those genetics in my cultivar designs.”
Luckily, Dos Rios Farms has so far continued to succeed, albeit not without a struggle. Thies regrets that they will “never again be growers; only farmers,” but finds it worthwhile to live for the cause of cultivating incredible cannabis for the people of California.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to know and love Thies and Hines and their herb. I’ve spoken out for years against big corporate cannabis and their lobby and it is my dearest hope that against all odds we will continue to enjoy their product and their presence for many years to come.
This story was originally published in the October 2023 issue of High Times Magazine.
Arik “Moonhawk” Roper has been essential in helping define a visual style for countless bands and projects that use the word “stoner” in their description. His instantly recognizable illustrations look like a cross between something from an old pulp fiction novel and Heavy Metal magazine. The wild, sci-fi fantasy feelings that Roper’s work evokes have made him a household name in both the music and design world.
A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Roper’s lettering and art have helped forge an artistic schema for the genres of stoner metal and stoner rock. If music dedicated to weed had a Sistine Chapel, its hallways would be painted by him.
High Times Magazine, October 2023
In April, Strange Attractor Press in London released Roper’s book, Vision of the Hawk, which is a retrospective of the last 20 years of the artist’s vast career. It’s a collection of sketches, illustrations, and more, that tell the story of a talented individual who carved out his own place in pop culture, providing imagery for Ozzy Osborne, the Grateful Dead, Mishka’s Sesame Street collab, a Thundercats cartoon, and his own book on exotic mushrooms.
Alongside the drawings and stories in Vision of the Hawk is part of the history of how Roper came up with all three editions of the art for the band Sleep’s highly revered second album. Countless examples of Roper’s work have become widely recognized, but perhaps none have gone on to create such an impression as the final album artwork for Sleep’s Dopesmoker.
Since the recording’s initial release as a bootleg in the ’90s, the album is considered to be a masterpiece by critics, musicians, and record collectors alike. The New York Times referred to it as “one of the most formidable recordings of the last 20 years.” Together with the music, the art Roper developed for the 2012 version has endured 10 different vinyl pressings on at least 14 different types of wax, some with foil covers, etched vinyl, even pressed with actual cannabis leaves, (during that process, Doghouse Farms said the presses got so gummed up with resin that they had to stop every few copies to clean the plates).
Courtesy Third Man Records
The Weedians
“Follow the smoke to the riff-filed land… caravan migrates through the deep sandscape… procession of the weed priests to cross the sands.”
These are some of the opening lyrics to the title track “Dopesmoker.” The cover depicts a single-file line of robed figures crossing red-sanded dunes. Their faces obscured by hoods, these figures hold strange breathing tubes connected to tanks on their back. Leading a herd of alien pack animals across the sand, an alien ship hangs in the clear blue sky behind them. The song itself speaks of a journey to deliver bales of weed to a sacred location, and a grow-room temple where the air is thick with sacramental smoke and the chanting of “drop out of life with bong in hand.” These mystic figures walk an endless sandy sea in search of the divine.
They’ve been called Weedians, Lungsmen, Weed Priests, Herbsmen, and Creedsmen. They’ve adorned bumper stickers, toys, patches, T-shirts, posters, skateboards, keychains, costumes, tattoo designs, countless memes, and an ocean of bootleg merchandise. Their likeness has gone on to become a symbol. When asked for the official moniker, Roper said that despite having multiple names between him and the band, “just to keep it simple, I call them Weedians.”
While at first taken aback at how far the impact crater of these pot pilgrims stretches, now he feels thankful that the image has taken on a life of its own.
“It’s like the Keep on Truckin’ thing [by Robert] Crumb,” Roper said. “How it just got bootlegged forever until it became an icon for a certain scene. Now, when people make variations of the art, I feel like that’s just helping it to keep defining a piece of pop culture.”
Now over 10 years old, Roper’s Dopesmoker album cover has become beloved by fans who started listening to the band in the ’90s and whose children are now doing the same thing.
Cover art for Sleep’s Dopesmoker album / Illustration by Arik Roper
Decades of Sleep
It all began in 1994. As an avid music fan, Roper was drawing designs for T-shirts and fliers for local bands. He went to see the English rock band Hawkwind perform with Sleep, a “stoner metal” band which had released its first album Sleep’s Holy Mountain just two years earlier. Roper was introduced to the band members and immediately offered them his services as an illustrator.
“I basically told them what Keith Moon said when he met The Who,” he said laughing, “Sort of, ‘You need me as your drummer.’ I said ‘You guys need me to do artwork for you because I get it and there’s no better candidate.’”
They exchanged phone numbers but didn’t start working together until four years later. Finally, Roper was contacted to make the cover for Sleep’s anticipated marijuana opus. Dopesmoker, which at the time consisted of just one song that was over an hour long. Through multiple sessions, the band labored to record and release the album under their new label, London Records. However, the company had no idea what to do with the unorthodox album and shelved it without a release date. In an answer of defiance, the band turned a blind eye to the release of a bootleg version and Roper was tasked with illustrating without any prompt from the band.
“I had the cassette tape that I had received a few years before when they first made the album,” Roper said. “It was a mixing board copy a friend of mine had given me so I was really familiar with the music already.”
Without any input he started on the design, drawing what he thought the music sounded like. He described it as “a vast desert landscape kind of thing, related to marijuana cults and with this religious theme. Which is really similar to what we ended up coming back to for the version most people are familiar with.”
The bootleg album credits Roper simply as “Moonhawk” and sonically, had issues that still bothered the band after its release. Later in 2009, after a 12-year hiatus, the band reformed and Roper was asked to draw the official release of Dopesmoker by Tee Pee Records founder Tony Presedo. Previously, he had been doing work for Tee Pee Records since 2006. Though at the time he was in contact with the band, it was actually the visuals guy who handed him the vision board for the album.
“They had this guy named Doug who would project massive live footage behind them, I guess you’d call him the visual engineer. He sent me a couple pictures of a coconut bong,” Roper said “Again I elaborated on what I felt the music was telling me, which was this narrative about a hash cult roaming through the desert.”
What came out was a smoke-filled scene gatefold cover that depicted the iconic group of holy men characters around a smoking chalice. Rising above the smoke, a strange deity rides a multi-faced horse, wielding a sword in one hand and snakes in the other.
“I think I nailed something about the vibe of the album with that artwork,” he explained. “I was into religion and drugs at the time—reading a lot about the Arc of the Covenant, the Ethiopian Coptic Church, drugs, and even the Old Testament. It was this combination of things I was really interested in reading about but I also felt fit very well with the music. It was another step in reaching the place we’d finally end up.”
Art for instrumental psychedelic band, Earthless / Illustration by Arik Roper
The Science Fiction Supply Chain
That place would finally come into view when, in 2012, Southern Lord Records approached Sleep to release a definitive version of Dopesmoker—one where the band has total control over the look and sound of the album. Arik has been in regular contact with Sleep members Matt Pike and Al Cisneros, and had been working on art for Pike’s other band, High On Fire. Since that 2002 cover, Arik had done a few Sleep posters but mostly he and Cisneros had talked about artistic influences and bootleg records.
This is where we get the origin story of this strange and mesmerizing world from the album art. Cisneros and Roper got together to discuss the concept.
“There was a list of imagery we wanted to include but Al was pretty open,” Roper said. “He didn’t have anything specific, it was left to me to come up with some ideas and see if he liked them.”
Roper remembers that they landed upon the final idea rather quickly.
“The first thing I came up with was this idea of druid-like characters wandering the desert, breathing THC instead of oxygen and making their way on a pilgrimage towards a sort of mecca,” Roper said.
Driven by the lyrics, which he’d been studying since 1998, he says the choice was pretty easy from the start.
“If I remember correctly, I didn’t do any other concepts before this,” Roper said. “Once I came up with that sketch and we refined it a little bit, the band was like, yeah this is it.”
Together with Cisneros, Roper began fleshing out part of this world. The ship on the horizon that appears on the back cover, for example, is intended to represent a way station, the place where the weed comes down from a cultivation satellite orbiting the planet, ferried to the surface, and lowered on ropes to the Weedian’s pack animals.
A concert poster for the band The Black Crowes / Illustration by Arik Roper
Over the years, the band has continued to develop this unique story in their posters and merchandise, showing fans what’s happening all over this strange corner of the galaxy, and even revealing other key characters like the Aquarian, Antarctican, and Cultivator. Though Roper says whether or not they all share the same planetary system is a question for the band.
Having already created two other versions of its cover, I asked Roper what he borrowed for inspiration for the third time around. He mentioned how Frank Herbert’s book Dune provided some of the ideas for the look of the Weedians and their world.
“Both Al and I really love the aesthetics of that novel,” he said. “Something about the smoke made me picture this scuba tank they’d need to survive—kind of like the spice in Dune that lets them see and exist beyond this reality. A lot of people guess Star Wars but it was Dune.”
When asked if he or the band had any sense of how legendary the 2012 version would become, Roper admitted that they knew it would sell quickly due to the large following for the band and the album but added, “the band’s career skyrocketed and the artwork really went along with them for the ride.”
“I feel like a whole new generation of people discovered Sleep at that point and this image became the visual identity for them,” he said. “It’s kind of defined an era in time or this mindset of dedicated stoner lifestyle and music.”
Roper noticed that, as the latest version of the LP grows older, and stoner lifestyle becomes more of a broad definition.
“People who aren’t typically into stoner metal now seem to appreciate it—something about this earnest dedication to their vision and their sound and this world and even if it’s just a novelty for someone, they respond to it and see something here that’s really cool,” he said. “I have people who tell me they remember the artwork from when they were a kid. It’s cool how there’s a new generation that sees this as almost like classic rock.”
The widely recognized version of Dopesmoker has evolved from a piece of music into something that’s part of the cultural consciousness. It’s hard to realize that our stoner culture has evolved so far from where it started that even the “modern-day” marijuana movements of the ’90s are flagstones of the past. As we wrapped up our conversation, I asked Roper if he’s spent any time since 2012 imagining what else the world of the Weedian holds. He revealed that he’s been drafting out a sort of graphic novel in his head, fleshing out what grows and dies out in this seemingly desolate world.
“Believe me I’d like to expand on it,” he revealed. “I’d love to do a full graphic novel but we’ll just have to see if there’s a story that we can all agree on.”
Like countless other stoners out there, this reporter will be watching the horizon for the next chapter of the Weedian pilgrimage. Ready to drop out, bong in hand.
This story was originally published in the October 2023 issue of High Times Magazine.
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Courtesy Imperial Extraction
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