Against all odds, High Times became an internationally known magazine, now celebrating 45 years of continuous publication with more than 500 issues. There is no question that the publication far exceeded the wildest, most ambitious expectations of the men and women who first introduced it to the world back in the mid-1970s.

High Times was founded in 1974 by the political activist and ace marijuana smuggler Thomas King Forcade. Forcade, it is said, was the first activist to use pieing as an act of protest, back in 1970. He was a brilliant and savvy media mind who co-founded and ran the Underground Press Syndicate, a network of counterculture publications, in the late 1960s. And he kept some of those magazines afloat, just as he later did with High Times during its lean years, with proceeds from his smuggling activities.

When Forcade conceived of High Times, it was, according to legend, intended as a one-off spoof of Playboy, with cannabis standing in for scantily clad women. However, some believe that Forcade’s mission in creating this magazine was no joke—perhaps even a protest against Richard Nixon’s war on weed. Nixon, of course, hated marijuana and, even more so, marijuana smokers (he would have absolutely despised a marijuana magazine being funded by pot-smuggling profits). His Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified cannabis as a Schedule I drug with a high potential for abuse and no medicinal value, and it’s the reason pot is still federally illegal today.

While it’s likely that Forcade would have been excited by the opportunity to create something that would both give a platform to the much-maligned marijuana plant and agitate his foes, it’s hard to believe he could have had any inkling of the almost immediate sensation High Times was about to become. The magazine that was conceived of during a nitrous oxide session was about to rival mainstream titles like Rolling Stone and National Lampoon in sales.

The first issue of High Times debuted in the summer of 1974 and was a massive hit, quickly selling out its initial print run of 10,000 copies. The issue was reprinted twice and sold out each time. The iconic cover of High Times No. 1 had a lot to do with the accomplishment. The image of a young woman tipping her head back in preparation for ingesting a shroom (which, in reality, was a perfectly legal store-bought mushroom) was undeniably eye-catching. As the cover-shoot photographer Robyn Scott explained, it was intended to create the feeling of “Going on a safari, a trip, escape from reality. It was about a journey.” Of course, the content in High Times No. 1 also contributed to the issue’s success. Features touting the medical properties of cannabis and the benefits of hemp were well ahead of their time, and an interview with a “lady dealer” was enough to pique most Stoners’ interest. Clearly, this was content you couldn’t find anywhere else.

On the heels of the success of High Times No. 1, the second issue of HT quickly sold out its 50,000-copy print run. Forcade and his outlaw publication had found an eager audience. Soon, High Times’s circulation would balloon to over half a million.

The 1970s produced some of the most iconic High Times covers, from the bare breast smothered in chocolate (October ’75) to the close-up look at a live cannabis plant (June ’76). Yes, it wasn’t until 1976, the 10th issue of High Times, that a live pot plant appeared on the cover. Cannabis was such a taboo subject at the time that a bare, chocolate-covered breast was considered the safer cover image by staffers. In time, cannabis plants would become a cover-image mainstay for the magazine. As senior cultivation editor Danny Danko puts it, “People love to see what their pot looks like when it’s growing.”

Other notable covers from this period include Andy Warhol with a Coke bottle (August ’77), the bananas cover (September ’78), Dope & Sex (October ’78) and, of course, Bob Marley (September ’76)—you can read more about HTs classic covers on page 54.

The rapid rise of High Times was the “publishing success story of the ’70s,” says former HT contributor Albert Goldman. The magazine was able to showcase celebrities like Marley, Mick Jagger and Peter Tosh as well as important counterculture writers like Charles Bukowski, William S. Burroughs and Terry Southern. According to Goldman, “Forcade would see the circulation double with every issue for years, until at its peak, in 1978, High Times was read by four million people a month [and] grossed five million dollars a year.”

Then, at the height of his success as a publisher, Forcade tragically took his own life in 1978 at the age of 33. His lawyer, Michael Kennedy, would eventually run the company and, indeed, lead High Times during some of its most prosperous years. Kennedy was a fascinating character whose connection to the counterculture was primarily through the clients he ferociously defended, including Huey Newton, Timothy Leary and members of the Weather Underground. While Kennedy would eventually take over as chairman, High Times was put into a trust after Forcade died.

As the magazine continued on without its founder and benefactor, it took a brief detour into hard drugs. Cocaine was often found on the covers and in the centerfolds of the magazine during the early to mid ’80s. Inside, High Times’s famed Trans High Market Quotations (THMQ), which provides readers with pot prices in different locations and has run in every issue of HT, included the going rate for coke, methamphetamines, LSD and more. The king of counterculture magazines was at a crossroads. Would it continue to embrace all drugs, or would High Times kick the habit and stick with cannabis?

Luckily, the magazine’s leadership shifted in the late ’80s, and the editorial team of Steven Hager and John Howell made the wise decision to leave coke and other hard drugs behind, keeping the magazine focused on promoting pot. Around this time, Hager also made the magazine’s first foray into the Dutch cannabis scene, profiling master breeder Nevil Schoenmakers in the March 1987 issue. Hager felt he was on to something in Holland, where, thanks to that nation’s tolerance of cannabis, a robust breeding scene had developed. The following year, 1988, Hager held the first-ever Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam. This was a seminal moment for High Times, as the event would continue to be held for decades, becoming the biggest cannabis competition in the world, and eventually spreading stateside when medical and adult-use legalization laws became a reality in America.

With the magazine back on track, pot remained front and center (along with select celebrities and musicians). Throughout the ’90s and into the new millennium, cultivation articles took on a bigger role in HT along with high-quality cannabis photographs.

However, an insidious DEA investigation nearly brought the company down just as it was hitting its stride. Operation Green Merchant launched in October 1989 in response to the rise in home cultivation at the time. The DEA targeted advertisers in High Times and Sinsemilla Tips magazine, along with Seed Bank of Holland owner Nevil Schoenmakers. The feds tracked shipments of grow equipment sold by these advertisers and busted the recipients in an earnest effort to wipe out the cultivation industry. Green Merchant resulted in over 1,000 arrests and raids of nearly 1,000 indoor grow ops. In the end, Sinsemilla Tips was shuttered and Schoenmakers went on the run. High Times ultimately weathered the storm but the climate of fear and uncertainty created by the operation had a lasting impact. It would be years before the magazine fully recovered.

High Times faced its next challenge in 2004, when new leadership made the decision to remove marijuana altogether from the pages of the magazine. The idea, as best as anyone can tell, was to turn HT into a literary/counterculture/political magazine. And while it might have seemed wise on paper, it did not work in practice as readers were alienated by the new HT. Fortunately, the company realized the mistake and, in 2005, brought cannabis back to High Times with a triumphant cover announcing that “The Buds Are Back!” over a backdrop of Strawberry Cough nugs. Immediately, the magazine regained its audience, and cannabis has been the focal point of High Times ever since.

As High Times heads into a new decade, navigating a digital world, the focus remains fixed on pot. And we hope you, loyal reader, will continue to enjoy the marijuana journalism, photography and cultivation tips you find in the pages of this magazine.

Read the full issue here.

The post From the Archives: A Brief History of High Times (2019) appeared first on High Times.

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Recién había terminado la universidad cuando Seba “Don Cupón” Rojas respiró hondo y se dijo a sí mismo: “No va más”. Le había pegado un bajón, una especie de “depre”: tenía una crisis de identidad. Recibido de Diseñador Industrial en la Universidad Diego Portales, una de las más prestigiosas de Chile, Don Cupón quiso dar un vuelco a su vida y se metió de lleno a la música. Sin nunca antes haberse relacionado con ella.

Los zambullones en profundidad son así: o llegás a la orilla como podés, o te acostumbrás a las olas, o te ahogás en el camino. “Doncu”, como le dicen habitualmente, sabía que lo siguiente en su vida sería duro pero, también, ¿qué más daba? Peor debía ser quedarse con la duda.

Contenido relacionado: El Mundo de Soulfía: de Chile al Infinito, Porro en Mano

Y no sólo se acostumbró a las olas, sino que –de puro callejear- forjó un carácter, una identidad sonora junto a Sondelvalle, la banda que armó junto a unos amigos.

Con un tendal de kilómetros sobre sus espaldas, con conciertos en buses, plazas, bares, calles y quién sabe dónde más, Sondelvalle se convirtió en una de las sorpresas de la nueva escena chilena.

“En la calle aprendimos cómo funciona el arte, lo aprendimos fuerte”, dice Doncu en exclusiva para El Planteo.

El oro del arte

Después de entrometerse de lleno en esta nueva forma de vida, Doncu y Sondelvalle encararon la sinuosa tarea de grabar un disco. “Puedo decir que ahí me dediqué oficialmente a la música”, sigue.

Así, con apenas dos años de ruedo, Sondelvalle se animó a meter una larga gira por Europa. Y, a pesar de advertir los movimientos de la industria y de coquetear con algunas disqueras, decidieron seguir por el camino de la independencia.

“Ahí entendimos que los ratos donde estamos componiendo son el oro del arte. En las conversaciones están las temáticas. En la vida que llevemos están las cosas para sembrar”.

Contenido relacionado: Polimá Westcoast: Actos de Fe, Mundos de Ficción y Revolución Multicultural

Por estos días, llevan ocho años de girar y girar, de tocar y tocar, de hacerse –en sus palabras- “medianamente conocidos”.

“Con la banda full tocando, nos convertimos en una empresa. Y uno aprende empujando. Necesitábamos facturas. Pero, ¿cómo se hacen? Todo eso fue un proceso hermoso, de mucho aprendizaje”.

El orden lógico (o el enfocado trabajo del compositor)

Hasta el momento, Sondelvalle lleva publicados dos discos y un EP. Y, entre sus máximos orgullos, está haber ganado un Premio Pulsar, uno de los más destacados de su país, a “Mejor Artista Tropical”.

“Fue en pandemia, no tuvimos alfombra roja”, bromea Doncu.

Por lo demás, fue durante los años pandémicos en los que Doncu aprendió un segundo oficio: el de diseñador de arte. Una nueva skill que terminó aplicando al resto de su vida.

“Aprendí a desarrollar el ojo, a ordenarlo para poder repetirlo. Y ese ojo lo apliqué a todo. A veces sólo compongo y canalizo. Pero, en un momento, si la musa no llega… sorry, tengo que seguir trabajando. No me puedo desaparecer mucho en la droga y en la fiesta porque desaparecés muy rápido”, cuenta.

Con esta metodología, con esta “mirada de diseñador”, se obliga a componer: sabe que –ese proceso- es su principal trabajo. Y que, indefectiblemente, necesita de algunos pasos.

“Compongo con estructura, con orden lógico. Cómo traigo las palabras a mí. Traigo ideas, ordeno eso, armo estructuras y pongo conceptos en la cabeza hasta que, de repente, consigo armar una canción”.

Y sigue: “No es lo mismo llevar un dolorcito y ponerlo en el papel que esos días en los que estás re plano. Cuando entendí lo que era ‘un producto’, cuando me di cuenta qué hacían los directores creativos, cayó la pandemia”.

Que venga lo que tenga que venir

Aprovechando ese envión, y ante la falta de shows en vivo, Doncu montó una agencia de producción y dirección de arte. Allí filmó videoclips, publicidades y comerciales.

En paralelo, formó otra banda, DM, junto a un amigo del mundo del hip hop. Al toque, grabaron un EP romántico con puras colaboraciones de chicas. Confinados en casa, filmaron “Yera”, con un videoclip flasherísimo en la tónica de “OLA MINA XD” de Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso.

Contenido relacionado: Ouke: Esteban Lamothe Cuenta la Anécdota detrás del Tema de Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso

Además, junto a Sondelvalle se la rebuscaron para hacer una grabación hermosísima en el Museo de Ciencia y Tecnología (MUCYTEC) de Santiago. “La plata que ganamos se la dimos al museo”.

“Nunca tengo idea de lo que voy a hacer mañana”, confiesa.

Con la pandemia en fade out, recibió una oferta para hacer dirección de arte para una serie de Netflix. Dijo “sí” y se encargó del departamento de arte gráfico de Cromosoma 21, una de las grandes apuestas chilenas de la plataforma norteamericana. “Nunca supe qué era ‘departamento de arte gráfico’. ¿Por qué me metí en esa huevada? No volví a dormir en meses”, tira en chiste.

Energía positiva y una mente sana

Con Sondelvalle, su principal proyecto artístico, siguen tocando y, en la actualidad, se están juntando para escribir sus próximas canciones. “Nuestra banda tiene una particularidad: escucharnos bien es escucharnos en vivo”.

Y en sus letras no hay garabatos, ni culos, ni tetas. Hay, sí, una buena onda ungida en sonidos de “rap guachaca” y “cumbia reflexiva” (así lo asumen, así se llama, incluso, uno de sus discos: Rap Guachaca & Cumbia Reflexiva).

Contenido relacionado: Humor, Feminismo y Estados Alterados según Alexis de Anda, Comediante Mexicana

“Eso lo aprendimos en la calle. Cuando cantábamos en la calle, el abuelo se iba si hablábamos de culo y tetas. Aprendimos eso, a traer dinero. No le deseamos mal a alguien, le deseamos el bien. Ese nos daba más dinero. Componer desde esa búsqueda me hizo tener una mirada más positiva”.

De esta manera fueron desarrollando un estilo propio y, también, esos años de callejeo se volvieron muy simbólicos para el ADN de la banda. Fueron años de tocar con Los Pericos, con Damas Gratis, con Cultura Profética. De brindar shows ante 40.000 personas. “Llenamos locales todos los fines de semana”.

Claro que todo este ruido, todo este movimiento, lo pone feliz: después de sus conciertos, su público se les acerca a hablar, a tirarle la buena, a reconocerle que sus canciones los ayudaron en tal o cual situación.

¿La que más pegó? Una cumbia fatto in casa llamada “Maracuyá con Mango”, que –curiosamente- no es la favorita de Doncu. Sin embargo, fue la que generó un fanbase, sonó muchísimo en la radio y hasta se convirtió en cortina de distintos programas de fútbol.

Don Cupón, una máquina de ‘hacer y hacer’

Hoy, Doncu se dedica cotidianamente a la dirección de arte, es juez de batalla de freestyle y, obviamente, le queda mucho combustible como para seguir experimentando y buscando aventuras con la música.

Siempre movedizo, montó una exposición itinerante sobre la compositora Violeta Parra en la Universidad Católica de Chile, se hizo cargo de un documental sobre la historia del hip hop local, grabó junto a Sondelvalle un “Comida para llevar” (un novedoso formato de música y animación creado por artistas venezolanos), colaboró con diversos artistas chilenos, metió dirección creativa de algunas cápsulas comerciales (como esta gemita para la marca deportiva Fila) y, cerrando la pandemia (“Algunos nos demoramos más que otros”), está volviendo a su vida cotidiana.

“Tenemos que sacar un disco a como dé lugar. Se nos va a vivir a España nuestro bajista y productor. Hay que sacar un disco antes. Tengo ganas de moverme, también. De llevarme amigos y empezar con nuevas aventuras”.

La generación del porro

Si bien es raro verlo a Doncu rolando un blunt, su vida social se construyó en torno al cannabis. “Mi círculo consume mucha weed”, asegura.

En ese sentido, destaca el trabajo de En Volá, uno de los medios especializados más interesantes de Sudamérica. “Están construyendo una industria, una comunidad”.

Contenido relacionado: Porros, Viajes y Buen Contenido: Conocé a En Volá, la Plataforma Cannábica Chilena

¿Y qué mirada tiene sobre el porro? “Encuentro que es parte del cotidiano de mi generación. No creo que alguien tenga algún conflicto ético o moral. Yo tengo mis plantitas, las riego y les doy amor. Crecimos en casas donde la marihuana está en nuestros patios, en nuestros balcones, en nuestras penas, en nuestras conversaciones”.

“Soy parte de una generación que está cambiando la realidad cannábica”, cierra.

Fotos cortesía de Don Cupón.

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• Snow Tha Product: Bizarrap, Persistencia, Weed y el Camino al Éxito

The post Cómo Hicieron Don Cupón y Sondelvalle para Convertirse en Una de las Grandes Sorpresas de la Nueva Escena Musical Chilena appeared first on High Times.

Being a party reporter is one of the most daunting gigs in media, maybe only second to having a weekly column. Brock Colyar straddles both roles, and they’ve become one of the most exciting and downright funny culture writers over the past few years. 

With their weekly nightlife dispatch “Are U Coming?” for New York Magazine, Colyar shadows a medley of socialites, niche micro-influencers, and undeniable legends (Candace Bushell, hello!) as they embark on a memorable night out in New York City. Brock then chronicles their misadventures in a diary-style format, with time-stamped blurbs/vignettes summarizing their activities (alongside some delicious commentary) from the first cocktail of the night through the wee hours.  

Choice cuts include a Diplo DJ set at a Midtown megaclub, an Easter orgy, a Columbia frat party​​, an insanely cringe socialist literary party, plus an evening (or two) with Caroline Calloway. And don’t forget Brock’s cover story on partying during the pandemic, which will go down in history as one of the best time capsules of life in New York during the height of lockdown. 

I’ve gotta give Brock some serious props — it takes a true mix of guts and self-discipline to helm a gig like this. It’s a tricky balance: being loose enough to talk to strangers, or riding the same chemical wave as one of your subjects, while remaining lucid and journalistically sharp. Further, a different writer might feel tempted to be overly fawning about certain events and gatekeepers, or be compelled to roast the more oblivious characters they cross paths with. Brock, however, doesn’t front. They are authentic about what they like and don’t like, bitchy when appropriate, and yet rarely punch below the belt. 

Brock is also one of my favorite people to share a joint and shoot the shit with at an overstimulating social function. It’s always a treat when we hang, and the writer’s 420 Recs for Cash Only are just as delightful. In our interview below, Brock talks about writing sober but editing stoned, their ethics regarding consuming drugs with a subject, and how weed has recently infiltrated fashion parties. Big ups to NYC’s top party chronicler, we love ya!

Can you tell me about the first time you smoked weed?

Brock Colyar: Oh my god, the first time I smoked was at the music festival Bonnaroo. There was a jam band playing and my cousin passed me a joint and that’s all I remember, besides the fact that I didn’t get high. It was one of those classic first time experiences where it doesn’t work and you don’t get high at all. I was 16, maybe? A late weed bloomer.

The first time I really remember getting high was my first week in college. I made a stoner writer smoker friend from Iowa and we went out to Lake Michigan together at night and got super high by the water. It was like two months before the 2016 elections, and I was such a neoliberal Hillary Clinton-supporting fuck at the time. We got stoned and then my new friend and I got into a fight about Bernie Sanders. But then we made up by going to get milkshakes.  

How has your relationship with weed evolved since then? What’s your consumption like today? 

Since I was maybe 19, I have smoked on a daily basis, but I’ve always been a nighttime smoker. Every night, maybe two hours before bed, I smoke a bowl because I can’t roll a joint and I’m a baby. It’s really sad because I’ve watched a million YouTube videos on how to roll, but I can’t do it, so you’ll have to teach me. 

Anyway, I’ll smoke and, on a good night, I’ll use those two hours as my thinking time. I’ll write down ideas and I often edit my work when I’m high. I become more vicious as an editor, and I’ll cut things that aren’t funny or aren’t working. I also think I become slightly bitchier after smoking. So I edit my writing high, and then I joke that the next morning my desk is always littered in Post-It notes with things I scribbled while stoned — story ideas, little sentences I like, unfortunately there’s usually a few musings about the state of my dating life, etc. Nine out of ten of them are really, really, really bad, but then I usually feel that one out of ten ideas is good and makes it worth it. So yeah, I write completely sober, and then everything is edited while I’m stoned.

Lately, my relationship with weed has been changing, though. I recently went to this weed shop in the East Village that I really like, and I bought my first pen. I’ve never smoked out of a pen prior. I’m practicing becoming a more social smoker, so now I always have this pen with me. And I’m trying to use it when I’m out during the week more because I end up drinking less if I’m high. 

I don’t know the name of the pen, and it shows that I’m such a n00b. I’ve smoked nearly every day for the last five years of my life, but I can’t tell you the difference between any strain. I just always smoke a sativa; I hate smoking indicas. Always sativa, even at night. I like my mind to be going. Indica can make me lethargic and I can’t move. I accidentally bought an indica a couple weeks ago, and when I smoke it, I just lay down in my bed and start watching shitty YouTube videos for hours without moving. And I’ll stay up way later than I wanted to.

What’s the weed shop in the East Village like?

It’s on East 10th near 1st Avenue, close to that crystal shop. My friend lives nearby, and it’s also near a bar that I like to go to for cheap martinis. The shop was selling weed before weed shops sprung up seemingly everywhere, so I became loyal to it. And I buy my flower from a delivery service called Hotline Green. 

I’m curious about using weed while you’re out reporting for your party column. Does New York Magazine have a policy about smoking while on the job? When do you decide it’s OK to smoke with an interview subject?

So my general rule when I’m reporting is that I try not to do any substances that the people around me aren’t doing. I want the nightlife experience to be as authentic as possible to the people around me and the people I’m covering. So I usually don’t smoke unless I’m offered or the subject is smoking. 

But then again, I recently started carrying around this pen. And I have to be loosened up to talk to people when I’m out party reporting. Drinking is a little more dangerous for me because I’ll end up going home too early, so I’ve been using the pen more to loosen the gears and force myself to talk to people. 

So if a subject is consuming x, y, or z, you’ll mirror the behavior to get on the same wave?

Yes.

Is that encouraged by your editors? 

Not necessarily. I think that’s a tricky ethical question I’m always thinking about — my own substance use while out on the job. Obviously, using substances while reporting can cause some problems. But I’ve also found that it can be, well, helpful. If I’m out with a subject who is drinking or smoking or whatever, and I do it too, I think it creates a mutual vulnerability between us. We’re both taking a risk. And I think by doing so I’m able to write about nightlife as authentically as possible. I approach it all on a case-by-case basis, though, and try to be as smart as possible. Of course, there have been times where I fucked up a little, meaning I drank or smoked too much and went home earlier than I should have. I like to see a party from beginning to end. I hate it when I take myself home before the end of the night (or, worse, let someone else lure me home…)

I have offered weed to a subject once. I offered it to Candace Bushnell because she was desperate for something other than a Cosmo. I happened to have my pen on me, so we got super stoned together. She told me she couldn’t get high off THC, but then she got totally stoned [laughs]. 

Were there any other “Are U Coming?” subjects who smoked a lot?

I feel like weed has become more popular recently at fashion parties and fashion-adjacent parties. They’ll have free joints available. Like our friends from Medly were giving out weed at the Laquan Smith afterparty for the Met Gala, and also last year at a Pornhub party at Nublu during fashion week. The NSFW, which is a sex club in Soho I recently wrote about, advertises itself as a cannabis-friendly space. And when I wrote about the psychedelics scene, I smoked during the comedown. Oh, and when I wrote about some Euro sorority girls at Columbia going to a frat party! I think they could’ve outsmoked any of my subjects. And they rolled their joints in these beautiful pink and black papers, with gold filters. Very chic.

I love it when there are free joints at a party, though. Because my favorite thing to do at the end of the night is to get really stoned on my walk back to the train. If I smoke, I enjoy my train ride back — I’m playing music, I’m having a good time, and I won’t pay for an Uber. 

What activity do you like to do after you’ve gotten really stoned?

I like to watch a lot of reality TV. If I’m done brainstorming, then I’ll put on The Real Housewives. I crave two things when I’m high: drama and food. So I’ll watch a lot of reality TV and a lot of YouTube cooking videos. I don’t cook at all; I’m a Trader Joe’s frozen meal person, but me and Allison Roman spend time together every night. Oh, I also like to chainsmoke when I’m stoned. Love a cigarette, or five, after I’m high. 

What sort of snacks do you like to eat while you’re high?

I like trail mix, Chex Mix, and the little sesame sticks from Trader Joe’s. I also love fruit — orange, grapefruit, really any type of citrus, oh my god! If I don’t have this stuff, I’m going to the 24-hour deli that just opened near my place and buying a pint of ice cream. That can mean trouble because I know there’s always a place I can get snacks at the end of a night. 

What do you like to listen to when you’re stoned on that late night train back home? 

It’s all Stevie Nicks. I’m a classic rock girl. ‘70s music. Stevie Nicks, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, maybe a little Joni Mitchell – music that makes me feel romantic and flirty and floaty. Music that makes me want to twirl around in a shawl.

Can you recommend something to read once stoned? 

I usually don’t read while I’m high, but if I do, I’m reading something I’ve read before, like my comfort literature. This sounds so cheesy, but I keep a book of Adrienne Rich poetry by my bed. If I’m high, I may pick it up and read a poem out loud. Or even an old Joan Didion book of essays that I’ve read a thousand times. That’s actually interesting: If I read while I’m high, I’m reading out loud and really focusing on the sentences and words. If I’m not doing that, I’m not taking any of it in. It’s an interesting literary exercise to read something out loud. I’m also working on becoming a better public speaker, so this helps with that.

Who’s in your dream blunt rotation?

OK, OK. Definitely Stevie Nicks. She’s my fairy godmother of everything. She doesn’t drink anymore, but I have a secret feeling that she still gets stoned. I’d want to listen to her music with her and just talk about everything. Talk all the shit. Do I get to have other guests? Might as well invite Joan and Eve Babitz too, as cliché as that is. Make it a whole LA party girl thing.

Follow Brock Colyar on Socials:
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‘Are U Coming?’ Newsletter

The post Cash Only’s 420 Recs: Brock Colyar, Nightlife Reporter appeared first on High Times.

The way we smoke weed has gone through some pretty rapid changes over the past few decades—dabs, pre-rolls, vape pens, and plenty of USB-C charged devices that will instantly vaporize your favorite flower or concentrate. So why are you still mixing tobacco into your joints?

Weed is too good to fuck up with a heavy sprinkle of American Spirit and you’re lying to yourself with every attempt to justify the outdated blend. It’s time to move beyond spliffs. 

People have been smoking spliffs—joints rolled with a mix of cannabis and tobacco—since the first documented instance of weed being rolled in Guadalajara, Mexico circa 1856. The tradition continued across the globe, with hash frequently mixed with tobacco and rolled for easy consumption. These days, spliffs are still popular across the U.S. Sure, it’s more prevalent in some places than others, but I know heavy stoners from New York to L.A. and plenty in between who keep a pack of cigs or pouch of loose leaf in their smoking kits at all times.

Times change though, and as we barrel headfirst into 2023, the excuses left for spliffing your weed are growing thinner than a king size rice paper. 

The most common reason I get when I ask people why they still add tobacco to their weed is that it “burns better,” and to that, I say this: learn how to roll better joints. If your joints are burning unevenly without tobacco, that’s a you problem, not a weed problem. Try packing it a little tighter, try pulling on it a little lighter, roll practice joints over and over until your fingers turn green and every single one looks, lights, and burns perfectly—it will be worth it, I promise. 

Next, spliff smokers will say that tobacco helps save them weed and therefore money. But weed is cheaper than it’s ever been and only getting cheaper while tobacco is only getting more expensive, with many cities and states adding higher and higher taxes for cigarettes and loose leaf. It might make some slight economic sense, but unless you’re spliffing top-shelf flower (we’ll get to that) you can probably afford to roll without tobacco; try buying shake or pre-ground weed if you need to make your bag stretch. If you’re really looking to make your favorite strain last, mix in some shake or mids with your exotics—just think of it as spliffing your joint with more weed.

What about the argument that adding tobacco to your weed gets you higher? First, I don’t believe that smoking less of the plant that does get you high and replacing it with the plant that doesn’t get you high will result in you getting higher. You know what will definitely get you higher? More weed. Don’t trust my back of the napkin math? Here’s a peer-reviewed study that says the same thing. 

Funny enough, I have also heard the opposite explanation, that weed alone is simply too intoxicating, and that tobacco helps to ease the effects. In that instance, I simply recommend smoking less weed.

Most importantly though, stop spliffing your weed because it completely changes the flavor of your flower. 

Decades of arduous, focused, illegal cannabis breeding have created a plant that is potent and flavorful with a constantly evolving menu of unique varieties. Tobacco and weed mixed just fine in the flavorless days of brick weed and densely packed black hash, but the way weed smells, tastes, and smokes in 2023? It’s a thing of art. Why dilute that experience?

I have slightly more patience for blunts, mainly because they do not disguise the presence of tobacco like a spliff does, and because they don’t ruin the flavor of the weed quite as much, but at the end of the day, sacrificing any amount of terp profile for the sake of a nicotine buzz is still kind of a bummer in my book. 

I’m not here to judge your tobacco consumption, smoke 10 cigarettes right before we smoke a joint and another half a pack after, all good, I’m just here to defend weed. 

You might need tobacco, but weed doesn’t. 

The post Put Down the Tobacco—We Have Surpassed the Need for Spliffs appeared first on High Times.

The bill, which Ford unveiled on the opening day of the new legislative session in Illinois, would create a regulated psychedelic therapy program that would be overseen by an advisory committee. The measure, which has been designated as House Bill 1 (HB1), also removes the criminal penalties for the personal use of psilocybin, a provision Ford said in a statement was needed to protect patients and providers. Ford noted that while existing criminal prohibitions on the drugs are rarely enforced, “formally removing them ensures that patients won’t be turned into criminals simply for seeking health, healing and wellness.”

“I’ve been seeing more and more legitimate scientific evidence, including information coming from the FDA, showing that psychedelic therapy is not only safe, but also very effective, particularly for the toughest patients for whom other treatments have not worked,” Ford said in a press release about the legislation. “At the same time, I am also hearing from patients and from their medical providers, that Illinoisans should have access to these exciting new treatment options.”

HB 1 Legalizes Psychedelic Therapies in Illinois

Under the legislation, adults aged 18 and up will be permitted to seek supervised psychedelic therapy from trained facilitators. Psychedelic compounds used under the program must be produced and tested at licensed facilities. Ford stressed that while the measure legalizes possession of psychedelics, it does not authorize any type of commercial sales of entheogenic compounds.

“I want to be clear that this is a health measure. My proposal does not allow retail sales of psilocybin outside of a regulated therapeutic setting and ensures that medicines purchased for therapeutic use at a service center must be used under medical supervision, and cannot be taken home,” said Ford. “Only licensed facilitators will be allowed to provide treatment at closely regulated and licensed healing centers, approved health care facilities, in hospice, or at a pre-approved patient residence.”

Ford noted in his statement that a growing body of research into entheogenic plants and fungi such as psilocybin is showing that the drugs have the potential to treat a wide range of mental health conditions, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety. Psychedelics may also be effective treatments for neurological conditions such as cluster headaches, migraines, cancer, and phantom limbs. Psychedelic-assisted therapy is so promising that psilocybin has been given “breakthrough treatment” status designation by the FDA.

Bill Marks A New Step In Psychedelics Policy Reform Efforts

Although the bill is focused on naturally occurring psychedelic compounds, Joshua Kappel, founding partner of the cannabis and psychedelic law firm Vicente Sederberg LLP, notes that the bill’s provisions are not limited to traditionally cultivated or foraged entheogens. The difference marks a significant evolution of psychedelics policy reform efforts, which so far have resulted in two states legalizing psilocybin for therapeutic use.

“It builds off Colorado and Oregon in a very thoughtful and progressive way, including permitting synthetic varieties of the natural medicines permitted in Colorado,” Kappel writes in an email to High Times, “which is key development from a sustainability perspective.”

House Bill 1 has already gained the support of a broad coalition of medical and mental health professionals, researchers, patients, and grassroots psychedelic reform activists. Many have joined forces to form Entheo IL to lead the psychedelics policy reform efforts in Illinois.

“The push for legal access to entheogenic medicines is broad at the state level, such as in Oregon and Colorado, as well as at the federal level,” Jean Lacy, the executive director of the new group, said in a statement. “This legislation will ensure Illinois is a leader in developing the infrastructure needed for this work.” 

The post Illinois Lawmaker Introduces Psychedelics Legalization Bill appeared first on High Times.

The bill “cleared the first of what may be up to a dozen committee hurdles when the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee approved” the measure “by a voice vote Wednesday and sent it to the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee,” the Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services department reported.

The bill would legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older, and would establish the regulatory framework for legal marijuana sales that would begin within months of the measure’s passage. 

It was introduced by Democrats in the Minnesota House of Representatives last week.

“Cannabis should not be illegal in Minnesota,” Democratic state House Rep. Zack Stephenson, one of the bill’s authors, said at a press conference announcing the legislation at the state capitol last week. “Minnesotans deserve the freedom and respect to make responsible decisions about cannabis themselves. Our current laws are doing more harm than good. State and local governments are spending millions enforcing laws that aren’t helping anyone.”

Stephenson and his fellow Democrats in St. Paul have long been eager to bring cannabis legalization to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but they have until now been stymied by Republican lawmakers.

But that changed after November’s elections, when Minnesota Democrats regained control of the state Senate and retained their majority in the state House of Representatives. 

The state’s Democratic governor, Tim Walz, also won re-election this past fall, and has been a vocal advocate for marijuana legalization in Minnesota.

“It’s time to legalize adult-use cannabis and expunge cannabis convictions in Minnesota. I’m ready to sign it into law,” Walz said in a tweet after Democrats introduced the legalization bill earlier this month.

At the committee meeting on Wednesday, Stephenson expressed confidence that the bill, buttressed by public support, would ultimately make it to Walz’s desk.

The news service recapped amendments that were considered at the committee meeting on Wednesday:

“The subject of local control — or lack thereof — was the subject of an amendment unsuccessfully offered by Rep. Kurt Daudt (R-Crown). It would have given cities or towns options to enact local ordinances regulating cannabis business licenses that could differ from those proposed statewide. Two other Republican amendments were adopted. One offered by Rep. Anne Neu Brindley (R-North Branch) would add a health warning for pregnant or breastfeeding women on cannabis products. And an amendment from Rep. Jeff Dotseth (R-Kettle River) would require the Office of Cannabis Management to study the health effects of secondhand cannabis smoke. Stephenson said the Dotseth amendment was a good idea, but noted his bill already would prohibit smoking cannabis in places where smoking is not allowed under the Clean Indoor Air Act.”

Polls have shown that Minnesota voters are ready to enter a post-prohibition era. 

The moves by state Democrats were foreshadowed by one of Minnesota’s best-known politicians, former Gov. Jesse Ventura, who said after the November elections that Walz had called him directly to say that legalization would get done.

“The sticking point for cannabis in Minnesota were Republicans in the (Senate),” Ventura said at the time. “Well, they lost it now, and the governor reassured me that one of the first items that will be passed — Minnesota, get ready — cannabis is going to have its prohibition lifted. That’s the news I got today.”

The post Minnesota Adult-Use Legalization Bill Clears First Hurdle appeared first on High Times.

According to Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone, a detention officer was arrested for attempting to bring methamphetamine and fentanyl into the Lower Buckeye Jail in Phoenix, Arizona.

Fox 10 reports that detention officer Andres Salazar faces several drug-related felony counts. A money exchange took place in the parking lot of the jail before Salazar attempted to bring a package containing about 100 pills into the jail.

“This was an ongoing investigation,” Penzone said at a press conference on Jan. 11. “This detention officer was hired in October 2019, recently worked with inmates and some folks on the outside, and attempted to bring fentanyl and methamphetamine into the jail.”

Salazar apparently wasn’t very good at it, a regrettable choice that will impact his future. “We have strong reason to believe this was his first attempt,” the sheriff said.

“This young man, whatever led him to make this decision, will now not only lose his career, but most likely the future that he has for himself is definitely going to be hindered in an adverse way,” Penzone said.

The drug problem is bad: In Maricopa County jails in 2022, 172 inmates were taken to the hospital for overdose or drug-related incidents; 17 in-custody deaths were caused by an overdose, or drugs were a major contributing factor to the deaths; 194 inmates tested positive for some type of drug through a urine sample; and 114 of those inmates tested positive for fentanyl specifically.

The County says that 150 inmate postcards were intercepted in the mailroom that tested positive for being soaked in fentanyl and/or methamphetamine. “Since October 2022, 1,503 detention officers, sergeants and lieutenants were trained to deploy Narcan,” the sheriff said.

A Pattern in the U.S. Criminal Justice System

This kind of thing isn’t unheard of in the criminal justice system: In 2021, Marc Antrim, a former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, was sentenced for orchestrating a fake drug raid, stealing over half a ton of cannabis and $600,000 in cash from a warehouse. 

Three South Carolina prison guards were arrested in 2018 for smuggling drugs and other contraband into two different correctional institutions. In one of those incidents, a guard attempted to smuggle in 143 grams, or about five ounces of pot into a detention center.

Think that drugs are out of reach in the prison and jail systems? Think again: According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, there are “high” rates of substance use within the criminal justice system. Specifically, some research shows that an estimated 65% percent of the United States prison population has an “active substance abuse disorder,” and they have to get those drugs from somewhere. It’s one of the best arguments to say that drugs won the War on Drugs.

Maricopa County, however, is tackling the problem with some new changes.

Maricopa County Fights Drugs, Corruption in Jail

Penzone is now taking action proactively to prevent incidents like this from happening again under his watch. KTAR News reports that the sheriff announced scanning machines will soon be installed at jailhouses to detect drugs and other contraband entering and exiting the facilities, authorities announced Wednesday.

“I’m at a stage now where I think it’s not only important but appropriate that we purchase scanning machines so that every individual who enters our jail—whether it be staff/volunteers—anybody and everyone who enters into the secured population will be checked to determine if we can mitigate and intercept any potential contraband coming into the jail,” Penzone said.

“If we need to upgrade the entire system in the entire jail system, I’m willing to do that,” Penzone said. “But we’re going to find the one that is the most effective and put it in play in all of our jails as soon as possible.”

Drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine rank high in the danger level.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat facing this nation. “In 2021, a record number of Americans—107,622—died from a drug poisoning or overdose,” the DEA release reads. “Sixty-six percent of those deaths can be attributed to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.”

The post Arizona Jail Detention Officer Arrested for Dealing Meth, Fentanyl appeared first on High Times.

First up was DeVaughn Ward, MPP’s Senior Legislative Counsel, who started the conference by speaking about the importance of introducing successful legislation as soon as possible. “Marijuana prohibition has caused immeasurable harm to our communities, particularly communities of color,” said Ward. “Cannabis legalization is an opportunity to stop the harm to our residents and the waste of limited public safety resources.”

Next, Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii’s Nikos Leverenz described upcoming cannabis legislation as a “critical opportunity” for legislators to address the needs of those affected by the War on Drugs. “Hawaii’s cannabis policy should center the needs of those damaged by the continued criminalization of cannabis and draconian drug law enforcement,” said Leverenz. “At the same time, a properly regulated adult-use market will create many quality jobs and business opportunities across the state, including those related to cannabis tourism, craft cannabis, and cannabis science.”

He also noted that in his official statement to the press, he asked that if the red state of Missouri can legalize cannabis, what’s stopping Hawaii from moving forward. He explained that cannabis plants would thrive in Hawaii, especially if they brought in craft cannabis growers, the industry could contribute to a strong tourism sector for the state. “Hawaii has a rare opportunity this year to move forward and to protect public health and to create quality jobs and economic opportunity across the state, including our neighbor island communities,” he concluded.

George Cordero from ACLU Hawaii spoke on the inhumane conditions of confinement in overpopulated Hawaii prisons due to low-level cannabis convictions, and the long-term effects of having cannabis on a personal record. “Having a marijuana conviction on your record can make it extremely difficult to get employment, apply for a credit card, secure housing, for work the rest of your life,” Cordero said. “This is why clearing people’s marijuana convictions is a necessary condition to this legalization measure.”

Kapela took the stage. “We all know, and Hawaii’s people know, that it is high time to legalize recreational cannabis use for adults in Hawaii. This year we stand on the precipice of history,” she explained. “Following the recommendations of a task force devoted to addressing cannabis policy, we now have a roadmap for legalizing recreational cannabis in our islands,” Kapela said, referring to a report published by the Hawaii Department of Health cannabis task force in December 2022.

Kapela did not specify a timeline for when her bill would be proposed, but explained a few key points, including helping the state’s mass incarceration dilemma by issuing a mass expungement program. “Social equity. People. That is what forms the heart of our proposal,” she explained.

Previously in March 2021, the Hawaii Senate approved two cannabis reform bills that ultimately did not move forward.

Former Hawaii Gov. David Ige was not a stark supporter of cannabis legalization, and often stated his hesitancy because of its federally illegal status. However, he did allow a bill to be passed without his signature in January 2020, which decriminalized cannabis in the state.
However, newly elected Gov. Josh Green said in November 2022 that he would sign a legalization bill. “I think that people already have moved past that culturally as a concern,” Green said during a debate in October 2022. “But here’s what I would do. First of all, if marijuana is legalized, it should be very carefully monitored, and only done like cigarettes, or I’ve been very careful to regulate tobacco over the years. We should take the $30 to $40 million of taxes we would get from that and invest in the development and recreation of our mental healthcare system for the good of all.”

The post Hawaii Representative Announces Plan To Legalize Pot in 2023 appeared first on High Times.

Whether you’re looking for a legal alternative to psilocybin or simply wanna start dabbling in psychadelics, Galaxy Treats Amanita Mushroom Gummies were made for you!

Keep reading to learn all about this hot, new product from Galaxy Treats and find out how to save 15% off your order at the bottom of this article!

What are Amanita Mushrooms and How Do They Work?

Amanita mushrooms are scientifically known as Amanita muscaria but are commonly referred to within the industry as fly agaric mushrooms. 

Featuring soft, white bodies and iconic red caps with white spots, amanita mushrooms are easily recognizable from other mushrooms and are quite impressive to look at!

Amanita mushrooms grow natively in multiple regions throughout the Northern Hemisphere. However, the spores of these fungi have managed to spread to other areas below the equator and now grow freely in multiple places, especially near conifers and birch trees.

Throughout history, amanita mushrooms have been used as entheogens due to their mildly hallucinogenic properties. The mushrooms contain the two psychoactive alkaloids muscarine and ibotenic acid, which converts into muscimol either in the body or through a decarboxylation process when heated. 

While these agents may have hallucinogenic properties at high doses, these compounds interact with different receptors than typical psychedelic agents like psilocybin. Psilocybin interacts with neural transmitters like serotonin; however, muscimol (the primary active ingredient in Amanita muscaria) interacts with GABA receptors.

In addition, amanita extracts have the potential to offer a list of different effects and benefits due to how the active alkaloids work. Some researchers have pointed out that the extracts are highly antioxidant, may have neuroprotective properties, and may be good options for certain psychiatric conditions.

How Will Galaxy Treats’ Amanita Gummies Make You Feel?

Galaxy Treats’ Amanita Mushroom Gummies are made with an amanita extract that contains the two active ingredients—muscimol and ibotenic acid. Packed with 350mg of amanita extract in each gummy, these gummies offer a mildly psychedelic experience that has been referred to as “chill” and “relaxing.”

It’s important to note that Amanita extracts aren’t nearly as potent as psilocybin, and the active ingredients don’t produce quite the same effects.

For those starting off with a minimal dose (½ to 1 gummy), the initial effect would be relaxation and a better overall sleep quality; however, at higher doses (2-3 gummies), users may experience mildly hallucinogenic effects.

Some people report experiencing a dream-like state in which they remain conscious, but their mind wanders a bit more freely. Others claim of a relaxing out-of-body experience where their mind wanders, they experience auditory hallucinations, and often engage in existential conversations with themselves.

Effects typically take 30-90 minutes to kick in and may last up to 6 hours.

As a legal psychedelic that can effect how you normally function, you should, of course, use this product responsibly in a setting where you are safe and not required to engage in your typical activities.

Are Amanita Mushroom Gummies Legal in the United States?

Currently, Amanita mushroom gummies and other products containing amanita extracts are federally legal as they are not yet fully regulated.

Since these mushrooms do not contain psilocybin, they have not been called out specifically by the Controlled Substances list. However, some states have taken steps to prevent the distribution of amanita mushrooms because of their hallucinogenic properties, one of which is the state of Louisiana.

How Many Gummies Should I Take?

If it’s your first time taking psychedelics, you should start with a minimal dose, like half a gummy (175mg) or a single gummy (350mg).

The effects can vary depending on the person and how receptive you are to the active alkaloids. Therefore, it is a good idea to start with a lower dose and make sure that the dose is comfortable by waiting and evaluating your experience before taking more. 

Each jar of Moon Shrooms contains three gummies, so even after your first taste of the gummy, you’ll still have an opportunity to adjust the dosage on your next try.

Get Trippy with Galaxy Treats’ Amanita Mushroom Gummies

Looking to experiment with Amanita Mushrooms? Galaxy Treats has you covered! 

Order a 3-count jar of Amanita Mushrooms in Mango or Watermelon (or both!) and get ready to enjoy a new, psychedelic experience!

Shop online at GalaxyTreats.com and save 15% off with code “HTSHROOMS”

The post Get Trippy with Galaxy Treats’ New Amanita Mushroom Gummies appeared first on High Times.

The classic Volcano has been around since 2000 and people still rave about it to this day. I have admittedly never used one because anytime I have $400 to spare I usually blow it on hash within minutes. I’ve long admired the way the bag system works and always meant to try one but it just never came up. I’ve tried about 100 other various flower vaporizers and hated every single one of them. They all tasted like burnt ass popcorn and I never felt like I was getting high enough.

When the Volcano Hybrid arrived at my house I wanted to leave my reaction completely up to science so I bought two eighths: one was super midsy on purpose and the other was some of the new Bad Apple from Connected (the single best eighth in the dispensary that day). I bought those two specific eighths so I could approach this from the perspectives and palettes of both an average consumer and myself.

Unpacking the Volcano Hybrid was a bit overwhelming. There’s a lot of tubes, bags and different attachments that can be confusing if you don’t read the instructions so definitely read the little quick start manual that comes with it before using.

There’s essentially two ways to use it: the classic method of filling up a pre-made bag with vapor and then inhaling from the mouthpiece attached to the bag, or you can attach a tube directly to the unit itself and inhale as you please. I tried the Bad Apple using the bag first and it took a few tries to get it right but it was a super clean and relatively flavorful hit compared to other flower vaporizers I’ve tried. In my opinion, the same flower still tasted better out of a clean bong but it actually got me higher out of the Volcano because it made more efficient use of the flower than I imagine a lighter would have. I also tend to only hit a bowl once because after the lighter touches the flower, anything remaining usually tastes charred after the first hit but each hit out of the Volcano bag had a consistent, smooth flavor.

I wanted to try two distinctly different qualities of weed because in the past, all flower tasted the exact same out of any flower vaporizer I’ve tried. To my absolute delight, not only did the good flower taste significantly better than the lower quality flower, but the midsy stuff smoked much more smoothly for me than it would have out of a pipe or a bong. I truly cannot stand to smoke mid and it was very tolerable in the Volcano Hybrid. That alone should be a testament to its effectiveness.

It’s also worth noting that I caught a bit of a cold the day after the Volcano arrived so it was very nice to have a smoking option around the house that was easier on my throat. Ultimately, I still needed a couple dabs to get where I wanted to be but my throat was appreciative nonetheless because normally I dab like a loon from sunup to sundown.

Now let’s get to the features. I compared the Volcano Hybrid to dabbing because you can choose your own experience every single time. When I’m dabbing in the morning I let my nail cool down for 82 seconds exactly but later in the afternoon when I want to get punched in the face a little bit I hit it at 75 seconds or so. The Volcano Hybrid gets me extremely wet in this regard because it has an app that lets you fully automate and customize your smoking experience with regard to temperature and air. I can set it to heat up my flower for two minutes at 190 degrees Celcius, blow air and vapor into the bag for five seconds, then heat up an additional five degrees, then blow air for ten seconds and so on. The possibilities are truly endless. The app is only available for Android at the moment but there’s a web browser version for iPhone users.

I didn’t notice much of a difference using the tube versus the bags so I mostly stuck to using the bags because frankly, it looks cool as hell. But it is nice to have the tube option when you just want to lay in bed in the morning and get super high without moving at all or waking up sleeping people with the noise from the bag.

Now comes the big question of “Is it worth the money?”

Well, it retails for about $699 and I would argue that even though I personally would not spend that money on it, I advocate that others should and here’s why:

I’m a writer and writers aren’t typically swimming in disposable income, for one. But in all seriousness I just don’t care about flower much in the first place and I have an extremely high tolerance that does not beget the smoother, less aggressive experience you get with the Volcano Hybrid compared to more traditional methods of smoking. 

However, I am not most people. The overwhelming majority of consumers I talk to just want to get high without losing a lung, not to mention the extremely high number of medical cannabis patients that need to consume weed but can’t smoke it without risking lung infection or something equally as ghastly. The Volcano Hybrid is worth the money for those people. It’s the ultimate experience for people who value the cilia lining their throat cavity and want to use cannabis with minimal damage to their body. 

I’d suggest patience with this machine because flower vaporization is not instant and if you want it to taste good, “low and slow” is your new motto. Let it cook for a few minutes longer at a cooler temp rather than speed up your hit by five minutes. With midsy stuff that rule goes double because it already tastes bad, you don’t need to make it taste worse. 

Another tip I have is to spend the time to figure out what temperature your flower will burn best at because I promise you it will vary from strain to strain and even from microclimate to microclimate so any temperature or time suggestions I have won’t be super helpful. 190 degrees Celcius is the recommended max temp but if you don’t care as much about flavor you can ramp that up to about 206 and get a solid bagful within two or three minutes without sacrificing too much flavor.

Overall, this thing is super slick and worth the extra money over the Volcano Classic in my opinion. It won’t be a daily driver for me because I’m a hash head at heart, but this thing will definitely be getting a lot of use in my house. 

The post Product Review: The New Volcano Hybrid is Slick as Hell appeared first on High Times.