Puff Puff Press Podcast

Let's get controversial! This week:

3:50 -- Can weed smokers still get guns? Is that even the queation we should be asking? Former High Times Editor-in-Chief Ellen Holland leads a discussion on gun rights for cannabis consumers and whether the issue is being used to either let more guns into the country or to fight against weed reform.

23:30 -- Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (or scromiting as it's affectionately known) is a real sickness induced by heavy weed consumption. But we don't fully understand it just yet. Greenstate editor Rachelle Gordon covers the latest reporting on whether CHS could be due to genetics, pathogens, or overconsumption.


Follow the show on social media: @puffpuffpresspod
Check out our website: www.puffpuffpresspodcast.com
Email us: [email protected]

Find us on social media:
@rachellethewriter
@jacqbry
@britthebritish
@hollandbuds
@saramitrapayan

Times are tough, and winter is long... so this episode we're covering how weed helps us feel productive at home, and we're spreading the love for those doing good:

1:00 -- In the depths of winter it can be hard to keep the house clean. We discuss the weed that helps us do the chores. All praise Jack Herer!

11:00 -- Cautionary tales of shoveling snow while high.

14:45 -- Ahead of Valentine's Day, we spread the love by shouting out those doing good things in the cannabis industry. There are plenty of people and companies to give our flowers to in the world of weed! 

We'll be back 2/26/26

Follow the show on social media: @puffpuffpresspod
Check out our website: www.puffpuffpresspodcast.com
Email us: [email protected]

Find us on social media:
@rachellethewriter
@jacqbry
@britthebritish
@hollandbuds
@saramitrapayan

We're getting into CBD availability since the federal un-hemping, what bills have been filed for the hemp industry so far this year, and we're shouting out the cannabis media companies we love.

1:00 Checking in amid high tensions in the news, we chat about ways to support Minneapolis.

7:30 Where's the CBD at tho? We discuss local CBD bans and accesibility since the government walked back its 2018 semi-legalization of hemp.

12:30 Speaking of, we talk about two bills that House Reps have filed to try and save the hemp industry from this limbo phase.

17:30 A discussion of dosage limits and what legislation is proposing for drinks and edibles.

23:30 FInally, we shout out some of the best cannabis media companies, writers, jorunalists, and bloggers you should check out if you want other trusted sources for your weed news.


Follow the show on social media: @puffpuffpresspod
Check out our website: www.puffpuffpresspodcast.com
Email us: [email protected]

Find us on social media:
@rachellethewriter
@jacqbry
@britthebritish
@hollandbuds
@saramitrapayan

The world's got a lot going on, so this episode we're winding down with a roundtable chitchat about dry herb vapes, how to make your stash last, and tips for using cannabis to help anxiety.

1:00 -- Dry herb vaping: we talk innovation, our favorite devices, and how it stacks up to smoking.

16:00 -- We're being mindful with our stash this year. We cover where we get our weed, why we're always lowkey in scarcity mode, and how we make the stash last longer (AVB anyone?)

27:00 -- Treating anixety with marijuana can be a delicate balancing act. We discuss methods of consuming with anxiety, how we like to get calm with cannabis, and the best ways to use weed that won't worsen anxiety issues.

Follow the show on social media: @puffpuffpresspod
Check out our website: www.puffpuffpresspodcast.com
Email us: [email protected]

Find us on social media:
@rachellethewriter
@jacqbry
@britthebritish
@hollandbuds
@saramitrapayan

New year, new PR plan!

This episode: how cannabis profesionals can successfully get coverage across all types of media.

Longtime weed writer and SDSU Journalism professor Jackie Bryant walks us through how to best pitch to both cannabis journalists and mainstream outlets -- including where to pitch, how to approach your story, and what not to do.

Greenstate editor Rachelle Gordon discusses how to become a journalist's go-to source for quotes, and how to consider changing your pitch for different media channels.

Podcaster Sara Payan talks about how companies can evolve from canned press releases to authentic media interactions.

And former editor-in-chief of CannabisNow and High Times Magazine Ellen Holland covers the best ways for photographers to get their images into the right hands for online and print coverage. 

Follow the show on social media: @puffpuffpresspod
Check out our website: www.puffpuffpresspodcast.com
Email us: [email protected]

Find us on social media:
@rachellethewriter
@jacqbry
@britthebritish
@hollandbuds
@saramitrapayan

1:00 -- We discuss our experiences at the 2025 MJ BizCon event in Las Vegas -- where Sara won Content Creator of the year and Rachelle won Journalist of the year! We cover what went down at the convention, the after parties, how it compares to other cannabis conventions, and who's sending weed seeds into space?!

25:00 -- Rumors have been swirling (again) that the president may sign an executive order to reschedule weed. We delve into the implications of potential cannabis rescheduling, how stock markets have been reacting, how rescheduling would likely benefit larger businesses over consumers, and how it may all just be a big political distraction.

38:40 -- We cover the NorCal Women in Cannabis events, how women are fostering weedcentric community-building gatherings, the 12 Jays of Christmas, and the importance of personal connections in the industry.

45:00 -- It's 60 years of the Grateful Dead! We discuss The Chambers Project Gallery in Grass Valley -- a NorCal event that celebrated the intersection of psychedelic art and cannabis culture, how men fit into celebrating the Grateful Dead's enduring influence, Phish vs. the Dead, and the growing recognition of psychedelic art in the cannabis community.


See you all in the new year!

Follow the show on social media: @puffpuffpresspod
Check out our website: www.puffpuffpresspodcast.com
Email us: [email protected]

Find us on social media:
@rachellethewriter
@jacqbry
@britthebritish
@hollandbuds
@saramitrapayan

Don't panic - there may be some positives to the federal hemp ban signed into law last week. This episode:

1:00 -- Special guest MaryJane Gibson just wrote the new Rolling Stone article on the government shutting down the hemp industry. She discusses why big hemp players are not freaking out (and may even be happy with the ban,) what consumers may experience, and how businesses are responding.

14:50 -- Rachelle Gordon discusses the Minnesota market as a model for a new drink culture that sits THC and beer side by side,

20:00 -- Why has Republicans' support for cannabis and hemp fallen in the last year? And Mitch McConnell's getting big donations from the alcohol industry.

29:00 -- How the topic of hemp fit in to the Ignite It conference (formerly Benzinga) in DC last week.

34:30 -- Brit Smith covers state-level changes coming to Virginia and Massachusetts after recent elections.

37:50 -- Sara Payan discusses the rise of seniors using cannabis, and how Gen X women are being loud about their weed use for perimenopause and menopause.

Follow the show on social media: @puffpuffpresspod
Check out our website: www.puffpuffpresspodcast.com
Email us: [email protected]

Find us on social media:
@rachellethewriter
@jacqbry
@britthebritish
@hollandbuds
@saramitrapayan

The federal government has passed a funding package to end the shutdown that will also end the hemp industry as we know it. This week:

1:00 -- It's official; the sales of hemp-derived cannabinoids like Delta-8, THCA, CBD and more will be coming to an end in one year. Journalists Brit Smith and Rachelle Gordon discuss the government's agreement, which includes an amendment to the 2018 Farm Bill that pulls the plug on a flourishing $28billion hemp industry. They cover the origins of it all, (ahem Mitch McConnell), which lobbyists may have pushed for the amendment to undo hemp sales, and the future of hemp in the U.S.

16:10 -- Ellen Holland asks the group what it's like to be known as 'the weed person' in their world, including how it impacts being a journalist, educator, and mother.


Follow the show on social media: @puffpuffpresspod
Check out our website: www.puffpuffpresspodcast.com
Email us: [email protected]

Find us on social media:
@rachellethewriter
@jacqbry
@britthebritish
@hollandbuds
@saramitrapayan

1:00 -- Massachusetts and Maine voters are being asked to support attempts to repeal adult-use cannabis. Rachelle Gordon walks us through the reasons for wanting to repeal legalization laws, and likelihood of renewed prohibition in New England.

15:00 -- The Head of California's Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) Nicole Elliot is stepping down from her role. Sara Payan discusses why Elliot is bowing out and who could replace her in the post.

On the show this week:
Greenstate editor Rachelle Gordon
California Leaf editor Jacqui Bryant
Former High Times Editor in Chief and author Ellen Holland
Podcaster and Vice Chair of the CA cannabis advisory board Sara Payan

Follow the show on social media: @puffpuffpresspod
Check out our website: www.puffpuffpresspodcast.com
Email us: [email protected]

Find us on social media:
@rachellethewriter
@jacqbry
@britthebritish
@hollandbuds
@saramitrapayan

The gang's back together! Your five favorite weed journos reunite in this supersize episode to share summer experiences, from the Humboldt Pheno Hunt to the cannabis market in New York and Minnesota to adventures in Iceland and Cape Cod.

3:00 -- Jacqui Bryant (of CannaBitch) discusses her new job teaching the next generation of pot journalists at SDSU, and recaps her time exploring the top pot farms in Eureka, CA.

13:40 -- Ellen Holland (former High Times EIC) discusses her travels pheno-hunting in Humboldt and experiencing weed-laden fog machines and whipped cream in Nevada City.

21:40 -- Sara Payan (of The Planted Podcast) covers her time at MJ Unpacked, Iceland's Hemp for the Future Conference, and Copenhagen's weed scene.

36:30 -- Rachelle Gordon (of Greenstate) reviews her experience at New York City's Revelry and Hall of Flowers events, and covers the news of Minesotta's tribal cannabis companies.

46:00 -- Brit Smith (of DIfferent Leaf) talks about her summer trip to Provincetown, Cape Cod MA gifting flower to jazz musicians, and upcoming trips to Texas and London.



Follow the show on social media: @puffpuffpresspod
Check out our website: www.puffpuffpresspodcast.com
Email us: [email protected]

Find us on social media:
@rachellethewriter
@jacqbry
@britthebritish
@hollandbuds
@saramitrapayan