Puff Puff Press Podcast

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

A deep dive this week on what makes 'good' cannabis with journalists Ellen Holland, Rachelle Gordan, and Brit Smith.

00:30 -- What is 'top shelf'? And can we make objective criteria to judge flower? (Including Ed Rosenthal and Caleb Chen's solid judging advice)
5:00 -- The nose knows, squeezing for the cure, experienced effects, and environmental impacts
13:00 -- The worst buds we've had, too much THC, and are strains over?
18:00 -- The most popular bud in America, and can anything overtake the Z-terps?
22:00 -- Our predicitons for the future of best-selling marijuana; will fruity bud always reign supreme or could garlic and gas make a comeback?

1:00 -- The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has a new boss, and he doesn't seem too keen on rescheduling a dang thing. Brit Smith, Ellen Holland and Rachelle Gordon discuss the likelihood of cannabis being rescheduled at the federal level, and ask why wouldn't Trump want to distract us all with some legal adult-use weed?!

8:15 -- Things aren't looking much better at the state level; Texas is going back and forth on potential THC bans, while NYC has ordered over 150 dispensaries to move over... just a couple of feet!

11:45 -- Do we really write high and edit sober? As 3 longtime cannabis journalists, we dive into our individual writing processes from the weed news outlets, magazines, and books we've been fortunate enough to pen.

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

Phew! What a week! On our first mini episode:

1:00 - Amid ongoing ICE raids, Ellen asks whether legal weed could be the key to police reform.
5:30 - We get a little review of SF's hash week, and ask why aren't we playing more stoned mini golf?!
7:00 - And a quick check in on what we're all doing for our mental health as the tough times keep rolling in.

Take good care of yourselves, and each other :) We'll be back next week in full force.

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

This episode we dive into:

• 1:00 -- Big alcohol companies are reporting dropping sales, in part due to the growing popularity of legal pot. Rachelle Gordon asks; are THC drinks taking over? And will big alcohol eventually own the marijuana drink market?
• 14:30 -- When it coems to social consumption spaces, Ellen Holland wonders; can alcohol and weed drinks coexist in liquor stores and bars like we see in the south and midwest? And do vineyards have any plans to start growing a danker crop?
• 19:45 -- Sometimes, we gotta take a smoke break. A long one. Brit Smith gets into her experience using cannabis to quit harder drugs, and discusses her latest attempt to quit weed as she starts IVF.

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

This week:

1:00 -- Is designer weed and the obsession with THC in the legal market incentivizing reduced biodiversity in the plant, causing a ‘Bottlenecking Of Cannabis Genetics'? A new study found that while humans have selectively bred cannabis for thousands of years, breeders in the “post-prohibition” era are optimizing plants for a handful of desirable traits... which sounds great for us now, but is it putting barriers up for future products? Are we getting too into individual cannabinoids?

22:00 - Allowing and banning certain cannabinoids from hemp isn't going well. States like CA and TX are trying to reform the so-called hemp loopholes from the 2018 Farm Bill, because isolated cannabinoids (that have been legally sold for 7 years) are now scaring politicians, like CBD and THCA. Should hemp and cannabis be on the same side politically? Should hemp be available at dispensaries, or more open places like farmers markets? And what will states do when it comes to restricting access to these hemp products?

28:30 - It's been a stressful first half of the 2025 -- making it the perfect time to reflect on what we're doing for our mental health, and how weed plays into it. We talk about smoking and walking in nature, exploring historical buildings, celebrating Pride in the streets, listening to music, high karaoke, yoga, using CBD lotion, and meditating outside.

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

This episode, we discuss:

1:00 -- Judging cannabis competitions is never easy work, but somebody's gotta do it. Ellen, Jackie, Brit and Sara discuss what cups and categories they're judging this year, what they look for in an entry, and Ellen has a top judging tip from growing mentor Ed Rosenthal.

18:00 -- Looks like Kacey Musgraves has officially picked back up her gravity bong! Celebrity stoners often sway public opinion on weed. Jackie Bryant leads a conversation about how country singer Kacey Musgraves has gone from bedside gravity bongs to self-stigmatizing lyrics to announcing total abstinence and back again, and why celeb consumption matters for the progress of the culture.

34:00 -- And growing season is upon us! A quick check-in on who's growing their own plants at home this year, and how dedicated they're aiming to be. Or not. Whatever.


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

This episode:

1:00 -- Minnesota lawmakers have gotten rid of an old law that made bong water illegal?! Ellen Holland expands on why it was ever written into policy.

7:50 -- Parents know kids can be a lot of work. Caretakers who toke are doing the only sane thing to get through it all! Brit Smith and Jackie Bryant discuss the relief a small smoke can bring once the kids go to bed.

12:00 -- Texas lawmakers have passed a bill to ban all THC, even from hemp, kneecapping a huge $8bn state industry and upsetting veterans and farmers. It'll go into effect in September unless Governor Abbott vetoes the legislation. But Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had a reefer madness meltdown at a press conference this week, decrying hemp as a deadly drug and urging the governor to pass the law to ban it. The fight is on!

19:40 -- Texans are also about to get an expanded medical cannabis program, thanks to another bill that just passed both Houses -- so wait, is valuable THC medicine or a dangerous drug? And is it possible that a Multi-State Operator (MSO) is trying to get rid of Texas hemp so the medical market can take over? We discuss!


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

Summer's just around the corner, time to make new friends and enjoy some summer events! This week:

• 1:00 -- GreenState Media is launching its first Consumer Choice Awards, and so far the South is showin out!! GreenState editor Rachelle Gordon tells us what people are voting for so far, and how to nominate and give love to your favorite weed brands across the U.S. (Special mentions: Franny's Farm in Asheville NC, and Mary Jae's dispensary in Austin TX.)
  
  
• 14:30 -- A friend with weed is a friend indeed! Ellen Holland asks us how cannabis has helped us create friendships and communities in new places, and tells us about her new adventures making homies who also love to toke.
  
  
• 25:00 -- Are we in for a 4th wave of canna-culture? Jackie Bryant discusses a thought-provoking newsletter that came out last week by freelancer Lauren Yoshiko, describing the new chapter of cannabis we seem to be moving towards; what she calls a 4th wave of tech, law, and culture.
  
  
• 34:00 -- And summer's right around the corner! Brit Smith covers the new policy in New York state that will allow outdoor farmer's market-style events where people can more closely interact with the plant and growers, and an upcoming outdoor market in Detroit, MI that's happening in partnership with the world-famous Movement music festival.

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