Here Weed Go!

I want to thank my very last Here Weed Go! (At least when it comes to the Arizona Daily Star edition) guest Sean Williams for coming onto the show. Read his story Purple Haze in Harper's Magazine too!

We actually spent most of October and the beginning of November trying to figure out how to make our interview work, because Sean lives full-time down in Australia, and of course, on top of walking around upside down, the Aussies are like 18 hours ahead in the future, or something like that.

But it was great to finally get to sit down and talk with Sean, and hear about what it takes to really get into reporting there, on the spot, on the scene. Not to make a direct comparison to what Sean does, because he has to travel to far away lands into literal war zones or occupied territories, but I’ll be doing a lot of on the spot reporting in my new job.

To start, beginning on January 16, I'll begin my new broadcast television career as a multimedia reporter for KGUN9 here in Tucson. That means pre-recorded stories and live-on-camera look-ins for me. I'll be making my living off the evening news, as Don Henley might say.

So, if you live in the Tucson area and have cable television, you'll actually be seeing a lot more of me. It just won't be all weed, all the time.

And I am OK with that. But I will miss this job, this role, forever. There won't be a day that I won't have some memory of this magical one year and eight months jogged. 

My move to TV of course means that, as of 11:01 p.m. on January 11, 2024 I am no longer an employee of Lee Enterprises or the Arizona Daily Star, and thus no longer the host of Here Weed Go! and curator of TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.

At least, for now, anyways.

While the name "Here Weed Go!" and all the episodes, content and stories I created under that name will forever be the property of Lee Enterprises, I haven't completely closed the door to producing, hosting, editing and distributing an interview-based podcast focused on the cannabis industry on my own.

In fact, I have a few episodes saved I will eventually release, perhaps here under the Here Weed Go! banner or under a new, spiritually related banner.

When I’m ready to establish that new show back in the cannabis space, you’ll know about it. Especially if you follow me on Instagram at @ReporterEddieTravels.

In the meantime, for the next few months, I just need to commit myself to some other moving parts in my new role on television, reporting live and making mini-news-documentaries 3-to-5 nights a week before taking on the podcast mantle again, though I love it dearly.

But to all my friends out there in the Tucson and Phoenix cannabis community, don't worry: I'll still be out at all the AZCannafriends events and vendor fairs that I can, and I will still be looking for a great story to let Tucson know about.

Before I close this out, I want to give a shout out to a few people, the ones who really made this crazy experiment possible.

To my mother (and first real guest!), Samantha Longenbaugh, thank you so much for always being a fan of the show and everything I do. There were many phone calls you told me to keep my head up and spirit high, and they all paid off with, what is up to now, the best job I've ever had. And you were the best guest I ever ended up interviewing.

To Yvanna Cancela, I owe you so much for introducing me to the Las Vegas cannabis community before MJBiz in 2022. You were the first person to really give me the idea to mix my weed and travel stories, and I will forever be grateful for that.

To Chris Law and Pascal Albright, your efforts to edit my rambling question/answer sessions into coherent, cogent interviews will always be appreciated. Especially now that I do all that editing of said rambling myself! The industry is small, so here's to working together again sometime in the future.

And finally, my biggest thanks are reserved for my former editor-in-chief and biggest professional advocate: Jill Jorden Spitz. Jill, thank you so damn much for taking a chance on cannabis content here at The Star, and thank you so much for taking a chance on me.

Before I somehow stumbled into what I once called "The Best Job in The World," I was working the breaking news beat, the very same beat I'll be leaving Thursday.

I had pitched an idea for a pot podcast earlier, but word about development on such a project seemed to have stalled.

Dissatisfied with the role at The Star, I pursued an offer to become a business reporter in Austin, Texas, and was deciding between staying or leaving.

A few hours after being offered the job in Texas, Jill called me to let me know she had approval from corporate to run with the podcast idea. It was all a go, if I wanted it.

Although the pay in Austin would have been higher, and the nightlife more my speed, I knew what my answer was going to be. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to cover cannabis becoming legal in my home sate.

It was going to be the best job in the world.

And it was.

"We're gonna change the world," I told her.

I hope, with this crazy project of mine, I at least changed your world in some way.

If I did, or you want to hear what I'm up to in my new job, you can email me at [email protected]   

And don't forget, keep smoking and proving them wrong. Here Weed Go!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How's it growing folks?! Welcome to yet another pre-holiday episode of Here Weed Go! I'm your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis reporter, for now, with the Arizona Daily Star and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.

Before I introduce my guest for this episode, I want to remind you all to follow Here Weed Go! on all the social media pages, which I've left links for in this episode's description, found anywhere you stream or download Here Weed Go! from.

I've also included some links to some of my personal pages and content, which will make more sense in two weeks when I make my big announcement.

Anyway, back to this episode: A few months ago (yes, this is another of my interviews from my "lost summer") when Twitter (or 'X' as it's known now) was making a bit of a splash by allowing cannabis and cannabis-adjacent companies advertise on the platform.

Well, after finding out what set Twitter apart at the time, I figured I might as well dive into the outrageous online world of cannabis advertising.

To help me get a toke of what's up, I turned to Brendan Duane, co-founder and chief technology officer of Rank Really High.

Rank Really High bills itself as the number one Cannabis Dispensary Ecommerce Website and Digital Marketing provider, and it helps companies and brands with everything from building out their websites to optimizing their search engine optimization presence.

In our conversation, Duane and I touch on how he got into the cannabis industry, where the idea for Rank Really High came from, and just what needs to happen in order for weed to truly make it online...

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How's it growing folks?! Welcome to another of my MJBizCon2024 Here Weed Go! episodes. I'm your host of this crazy cannabis podcast, Eddie Celaya.

Before I introduce my guest for this episode, I want to remind you all to follow the Here Weed Go! social media pages for a ton of upcoming exclusive content. I also want to let you sign up for the Here Weed Go! (now weekly, again) newsletter.

And I'll even add some links to my personal social media if you're interested in seeing my traveling antics around the globe, with my next stops being Mexico City, Cincinnati, Ohio and Phoenix, Arizona.

Now, for this episode, I wanted to get a little update on the cannabis testing and regulation industry, and how the year has gone for the sector as a whole.

To do that, I got in touch with Tyler Williams, the CEO of ASI Food Safety and founder of Cannabis Safety and Quality.

In our conversation, Williams and I talk about the niche that he developed Cannabis Quality and Safety in, what the company looks at when auditing a lab or cannabis grow and how his background in food safety, pharmaceuticals and other industries has helped him in looking at the fast developing cannabis world.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How's it growing folks?! Welcome to another one of my podcast-episode-a-day editions of Here Weed Go!

I'm your host Eddie Celaya, the cannabis, marijuana and hemp reporter out here at TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com and the Arizona Daily Star.

Tonight my guest is Nick Guarino, the CEO of Naturae, a brand that's beginning to make waves out in the New York market.

In our conversation, Guarino and I touch on a wide range of topics, from New York's less than ideal rollout of its recreational cannabis program, to the potential pitfalls and positives of federal legalization, to how Guarino's family's background in managing livestock has helped him in the cannabis industry.

MORE INFO

More on Nick Guarino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-guarino-43939b103/

More on Naturae: https://naturaenewyork.com/

More Here Weed Go! podcasts: https://omny.fm/shows/here-weed-go

More Here Weed Go! and Tucson Marijuana Guide content: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How's it growing folks?! Welcome to what's about to be a whirlwind of Here Weed Go! episodes before the New Year. I've set an early resolution to get this backlog of episodes out, and the goal is one episode released a day from now until January 11.

The significance of that date will make sense as I get closer and closer to it, and there will be a few announcement's made before the New Year, if all goes to plan.

To meet that goal, many of these new episodes will have minimal guest introductions and outros, with the focus being back on the interviews themselves.  

Anyway, before I get into this episode, I want to let you know you can keep following me, your host Eddie Celaya, on Instagram and keep following Here Weed Go! and it's page there as well. Any big announcements about the future of the podcast, newsletter and my career will be posted there first.

Oh, and don't forget to like, share and subscribe to Here Weed Go! wherever it is you stream it from. 

I've provided links to everything Here Weed Go! related, so be sure to click it and subscribe!

This episode features my interview with Red Clover managing director Jen L'Estrange. 

As a veteran of large, corporate human resource firms, L'Estrange decided to go another route and now works with small-to-medium sized companies in rapidly developing industries.

"Rapidly developing" is certainly one way to characterize the cannabis industry, and Red Clover specializes in helping businesses within the space become more nimble and ready for employment in an increasingly regulated environment.

Our conversation begins with with L'Estrange explaining just what Red Clover is and does...

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How's it growing folks!? Welcome to the first of many MJBizCon2023 Here Weed Go! episodes! 

MJBizCon is billed as the world's largest cannabis conference, and it's a perfect opportunity to network, check out the latest technology and score some of the best interviews of the industry's biggest movers and shakers.

But, in order to get the very best sound quality for my first interview, I decided to record this one over zoom a few days before the event.

And since I wanted to go big for Las Vegas, I figured starting with a celebrity interview would be best.

So I reached out to the PR agency connected to two of the biggest names in cannabis podcasting right now: Xzibit and Tammy the Cannabis Cutie.

If you grew up with 90s and 2000s hip-hop or were a fan of Pimp My Ride, you are probably familiar with Mr. X to the Z, and if you’re active on social media and wanting to stay up to date on just about anything cannabis related, you’ve definitely crossed Tammy’s digital path as well.

Along with both being prominent within the cannabis community individually, the two are the hosts of the new cannabis-infused podcast “Lasagna Ganja.” The show highlights and explores the growing industry that is cannabis along with owners/operators, growers, celebrities/influencers, and lawmakers who shape the world within the cannabis space.

Our wide ranging conversation touches on both X's and Tammy's love for cannabis, why Tammy believes decriminalization of cannabis is preferable to re-scheduling, Xzibit's cannabis line Napalm, and what listeners can expect from a show like Lasagna Ganja.

The interview begins with both recounting their first time trying cannabis...

MORE INFO

For more about the Lasagna Ganja podcast: https://www.dcpofficial.com/lasagnaganja

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How’s it growing folks?! Welcome to the first of a few Thanksgiving Week episodes of Here Weed Go! I’m, your host Eddie Celaya, the cannabis reporter with TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com.

Before I get going I want to remind you all that Here Weed Go! is more than a podcast: it’s print and online content, videos and a twice-monthly newsletter filled with tons of exclusive content.

If you want access to all that and Here Weed Go! (and my own) social media pages, I’ve included a link in this podcast episodes description, which you can click on wherever you stream or download Here Weed Go! from.

For this episode I decided to take a look at a side of the cannabis media that’s close to my heart: the podcast industry!

As someone who literally does EVERYTHING to make this show happen, I wanted to let you all know what goes into making a podcast really work.

While I’m pretty happy with how well Here Weed Go! has done over 72 episodes, I wanted to reach out and speak with someone who has an even more established show.

Enter David Mantey, Editorial Director of Digital Media at Industrial Media and host of the Cannabis Equipment New Podcast.

Without stealing too much of the following interview's thunder, Mantey, who comes from a background of business-to-business trade publications, began covering cannabis the same way he approached the manufacturing industry.

However, during the pandemic, interviews that he began to record over Zoom eventually morphed into a podcast (the aforementioned Cannabis Equipment News Podcast, in fact) and video series that now has over 120 episodes to its name.

Clearly, he’s found an approach that works, even in a prohibitionist state like Wisconsin.

In our conversation, Mantey and I touch on how his sister’s experience battling cancer by using cannabis-based medicine helped shape his view on the plant, how he and his partners ended up starting Industrial Media, and what it takes to produce a podcast that stands out in the crowded field of cannabis media.

Our conversation begins with Mantey talking about his first experiences with cannabis…

MORE INFO

For more info on Industrial Media: https://www.ien.com/

For more on Cannabis Equipment New Podcast: https://www.cannabisequipmentnews.com/podcast

For more Here Weed Go! content, including links for all podcast episodes, TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com stories and to sign up for the twice monthly Here Weed Go! newsletter: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How’s it growing folks! Welcome back again to Here Weed Go! my friends. It’s the national podcast hoping to shed light on some of the forgotten issues surrounding cannabis, the country’s fastest growing cash crop.

I’m your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis reporter at TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com, and before I get into the heart of this very important episode, I want to remind you all that if you enjoy Here Weed Go!, please leave a review, a like or comment wherever it is you stream or download the podcast from, and be sure to subscribe to the podcast and my twice monthly Here Weed Go! newsletter.

I’ve left links to all that and more in this episodes description, so check it all out and feel free to reach out to me on my social media or at [email protected].

So, today’s episode is personal for my guest, Alicia Deals. You might remember that I had Alicia on the podcast about a year and a half ago to talk a little about winning one of the state of Arizona’s social equity recreational retail cannabis licenses.

Long story short, Alicia found a partner in Cookies, the dispensary chain brand headquartered out of San Francisco, California, and opened the first and so far only Cookies branded dispensary in Arizona in June.

We touch a bit on how things have gone in getting the shop up and running, but the focus of our interview is on Alicia’s father, Robert Deals, who is currently in his 10th year (of an 18-year sentence) of incarceration in Yuma, Arizona on cannabis-related charges.

But, there is hope.

First, Deals will be before the court soon to appeal his sentence, with a chance that he could be released. And second, from a Change.org petition that Alicia started and that you can sign as a show of support for Robert and others who have been wrongly and unjustly incarcerated for cannabis related offences.

The online petition calls upon lawmakers, policy makers, and criminal justice advocates to take immediate action to reform marijuana laws, address racial disparities within the criminal justice system, provide proper support for incarcerated victims with PTSD, and review sentencing guidelines – especially given the dynamic changes in marijuana laws and court cases from 2010 to 2023 and the racial disparities widely prevalent in such cases.

My conversation with Alicia begins with her updating everyone about how crazy the last year has been, from opening a new recreational pot shop, to advocating at the state and national level for common sense cannabis reform.

MORE INFO

For more about Alicia Deals and her story opening Arizona's only Cookies Dispensary: https://blackcannabismagazine.com/alicia-deals-berner-open-cookies-in-tempe-arizona/

To visit Alicia's Cookies Dispensary in Tempe, Arizona: https://cookies.co/stores/cookies_tempe

To sign the petition in support of freeing Robert Deals: https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-robert-deals-highlighting-injustices-in-marijuana-laws-and-court-cases?source_location=search

For more Here Weed Go! podcast episodes, online TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com content, videos and access to subscribe to the twice-monthly Here Weed Go! newsletter: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How’s it growing folks? Welcome back to Here Weed Go! I’m your Host Eddie Celaya, and I’m back to bring you some of the hardest hitting, relevant and fun conversations and interviews centered around cannabis, the country’s fastest growing cash crop.

In this episode, I have a very special guest: Hirsh Jain, the Founder of Ananda Strategy, a consultancy that advises various cannabis businesses, brands and others in the industry across North America and Western Europe. Hirsh also wears some other hats woth mentioning: he is the Vice Chair of the California Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of Directors of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) in California.

Because he has such a diverse background, this episode hits on nearly every big story happening in cannabis at the state level right now: from the state of California’s precarious recreational market, to what smaller states like New Mexico, Missouri and others can teach more established markets and others poised to make the recreational leap (like Ohio just voted to do!)

Of course, there’s also huge things happening at the national level, and our discussion attempts to shed some light and clear the smoke around what’s happening in D.C. when it comes to rescheduling cannabis from schedule 1 to 3 and if congress will ever get its act together and clear up SAFER banking and other issues they helped create.

But our conversation begins with a little bit of the personal, with Hirsh recounting what sort of impact his first time trying cannabis had on him…

MORE INFO

More on Hirsh Jain: https://twitter.com/anandastrategy

More on Ananda Strategy: https://anandastrategy.com/

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How’s it growing folks?! Welcome again to Here Weed Go!, the podcast focused on covering the latest news, cutting edge science and breaking business deals in the world of cannabis, the nations fastest growing cash crop.

For this week’s podcast, we’re sparking up the joint on the new dispensary chain in town, Story Cannabis.

Although the brand itself was originally born in Maryland, since May when it entered the Arizona market, it’s gone from 3 to 11 retail dispensary locations in the state, with one being the sole shop in Bisbee, one of the great Bohemian small towns in America.

And from all indications, Story is not done growing in Arizona.

To learn more about the new kid in town, I spoke with Story CEO Jason Vedadi. Vedadi has deep ties to both Arizona and the national cannabis industry.

He’s been in the industry in some capacity since 2008 and is a true industry veteran. He spent a number of years as an executive at Harvest and is the creator of the cannabis-flower brand Modern Flower, which is now owned by Trulieve after it bought Harvest nearly two years ago.

In our interview, Vedadi talks about his time establishing himself within the industry, how Story Cannabis came to Arizona, and what it’s plans are for its 11 shops in Arizona and its plans in other, developing state-markets like Maryland, Ohio and soon, New Jersey.

MORE INFO

For more Story Cannabis info, including locations: https://storycannabis.com/

For more Here Weed Go! and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com content, including podcast episodes, links to social media and a link to sign up for the Here Weed Go! twice-monthly newsletter: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.