Puff Puff Press Podcast

This week:

• Re-Reefer Madness: With the new U.S. President and Administration, is reefer madness back? And how can mainstream journalists be less biased when reporting on cannabis? (Jackie Bryant)
• Swiss Smoke: A look at how Switzerland might legalize with its new bill for adult-use weed, which would include government-run stores (Sara Payan)
• First Time Highs: Apparently it's called HIGH school for a reason! A discussion on our first times smoking pot (Rachelle Gordon)
• Bongs: Gravity Bongs, Kasey Musgraves, and much more as we praise the bongs in our life and dub 2025 the Year of the Bongloads! (Ellen Holland)

Navigate This Episode:

1:00 - Reefer Madness is Back (Jackie Bryant)
21:00 - Switzerland's legalization bill (Sara Payan)
30:00 - First Times Smoking (Rachelle Gordon)
45:00 - The Year of The BongLoad (Ellen Holland)

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

It's all about edibles this week!

• Hemp drinks; Rachelle recaps all the hemp drink offerings at last week's Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America Conference in Colorado, and discusses how the Midwest has taken to the mixing of weed and alcohol.
  
  
• THCV gummies; Brit discusses her upcoming edible trial of Bountiful Farms' new THCV gummies, a minor cannabinoid said to boost energy and help with pain and nausea.
  
  
• High-dining; Infused 4-course dinner in the rolling NorCal hills, anyone? Sara tells us about the latest fine dining experience put on by Chef Solomon and Cannescape, including bud, wine, chocolate, and high-end infused meals.
  
  
• Ice cream pairing; And to top it off, Ellen describes her weekend trying top-notch weed and ice cream at a dank dessert pairing event in Sonoma.

Navigate This Episode:
1:00 - Hemp Beverages at WSWA (Rachelle Gordon)
20:00 - THCV gummy experiment (Brit Smith)
28:00 - Cannescapes' infused dinner experience (Sara Payan)
37:30 - Ice cream and weed pairing (Ellen Holland)


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 ask whether recreational legalization was a mistake, how policy can be reformed to set small retailers up for success, and we offer some great weed book recommendations:


Navigate This Episode:

• 10:00 - Cannabis Retail is facing an Extinction Event; Sara covers how policy and tax reform could save the industry, and tells The Vapor Room's cautionary tale of the dangers of selling weed even when it's legal (Sara Payan)
  
  
• 21:30 - Castro Castle and the Fall of Legal Cannabis; Ellen tells us about visiting the former home of San Francisco cannabis advocate Dennis Peron and asking if he was right that recreational legalization was a mistake (Ellen Holland)
  
  
• 34:50 - Best Books on Bud; from cultivation to culture to cooking, Brit offers recommendations on the best print books for learning the science, the state of the industry, and the future of legal weed (Brit Smith)

Donate to Martin Olive's GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/help-martin-olive-heal-after-tragic-shooting

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

Enjoy our Best Bits episode recapping some of our top stories so far:

• 1:20 - How we judge flower competitions, and what to look for in your own buds (Brit Smith)
• 9:30 - Wearing weed; what we love from our cannabis-themed wardrobes (Ellen Holland)
• 24:00 - Supporting small cannabis farmers and the future of our local farms (Sara Payan)
• 30:55 - How brands and products can stand out to us canna-journalists (Rachelle Gordon)
• 43:00 - Preview the San Diego Magazine article profiling SoCal stoners (Jackie Bryant)

We'll be back next week with a new episode!

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 hear about;

• The drug prisoners who did and didn't get presidential pardons before Biden left office
• Why studies suggest weed consumers are more empathetic and compassionate people
• Which states are considering psychedelic reform this year (NV, MO, NY and more!)
• And why it's so hard to find non-THC dominant flower in some legal states

Navigate This Episode
1:20 - Presidential pardons (Jackie Bryant)
13:00 - Studies on empathy (Ellen Holland)
20:00 - Psychedelic reform bills (Rachelle Gordon)
32:00 - Perks of non-THC flower (Brit Smith)


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: 

• Supporting our L.A. cannabis community amid the ongoing wildfires
• Why the DEA's cannabis rescheduling hearing has been canceled
• How we use weed to inspire awe and joy in our lives
• A deep dive into Jamaica's coolest cannabis getaway resort

Donate to Embarc's wildfire relief fund here

Navigate this episode:

1:00 Wildfire Relief Efforts (Sara Payan)
5:00 DEA Rescheduling Hearing Canceled (Brit Smith)
18:00 Consuming Cannabis for Joy (Ellen Holland)
32:00 Honeymoon Getaway in Jamaica's Coral Cove (Rachelle Gordon)


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

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

We're starting 2025 with SoCal's first consumption lounge, a talk about drink culture, a dive into whether Canada could recriminalize, stories of celebrities we've smoked with, and Willie Nelson's infamous memoir of smoking atop Jimmy Carter's White House.

• Big things are coming to SoCal! Jackie Bryant gives us details of San Diego's soon-to-open first consumption lounge, Sessions By The Bay - which will include a full food menu, a dispensary, art installations, music and more. But NO DANCING!
  
  
• After the U.S. Surgeon General warned about the link between alcohol and cancer this week, Brit Smith leads a discussion on cannabis drink culture and whether we can all truly transition from beers to buds.

• Special guest MaryJane Gibson tells us about the Canadian politician vying to take over from Justin Trudeau who may want to undo legalization after five years, and what's leading the rise of Reefer Madness 2.0.

• What do Lindsay Lohan, Margaret Cho, and Tommy Chong all have in common? They've all toked with us! Ellen Holland asks everyone to reveal the coolest celebrities we've smoked with over the years.

• And as we say a final farewell to President Jimmy Carter, Sara Payan reads our favorite celeb stoner Willie Nelson's account of smoking a big joint (rumored to have been with Carter's son!) on the roof of the White House during Carter's time in office.

Navigate This Episode:
1:30 - San Diego's first lounge (Jackie Bryant)
11:00 - Canna-Drink culture (Brit Smith)
23:30 - Canada's possible recriminalization (MaryJane Gibson)
34:00 - Celebrities we've smoked with (Ellen Holland)
46:00 - Willie Nelson and Jimmy Carter (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:
@jacqbry
@britthebritish
@hollandbuds
@saramitrapayan
@itsthemayoforme

We're closing the year out with our top slang terms for 'ouid', research on seniors who smoke, a history of Jews and cannabis, and our very own holiday gift guides! This episode:

• Is your kid really 'gardening'?! Ellen Holland leads a discussion on how our language for the plant continues to evolve, and what our favorite slang terms are for the Devil's Lettuce.

• Cool kids aged 50-80 are the fastest growing cohort of Americans now buying legal bud. Jackie Bryant dives into her research on seniors who use marijuana, what they use it for, and how our parents' generation can get their best high.

• Happy High Hannukah! Our own Ashkenazi Anthropologist Brit Smith uncovers historical evidence of the deep connections of cannabis in the Jewish faith, and gets all starry-eyes about enjoying the festival of lights with Grav's menorah pipe!

• 'Tis the gift-giving season. From stocking-stuffer books to gifting homegrown ganja, Rachelle Gordon gives us her rundown of must-try presents for the stoners in your life, and how to introduce new users to the wonders of the plant in a safe way.

• And Sara Payan closes out the year with a discussion of our seasonal intentions and New Years Resolutions as we say goodbye to 2024.

Navigate This Episode:
1:00 - What we're smoking
7:00 - Slang terms (Ellen Holland)
16:00 - Senior stoners (Jackie Bryant)
28:00 - High Hannukah (Brit Smith)
40:00 - Gift guides (Rachelle Gordon)
52:00 - New Years Resolutions (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

Big news from Massachusetts, we talk presidential pardons, seedbanks, MJBiz, and San Diego stoners! This episode:

• Social consumption spaces are finally coming to Massachusetts, with everything from lounges to yoga studios and movie theaters expected; Brit Smith breaks down the new regulations proposed by the MA Cannabis Control Commission, launching mid-2025.
  
  
• President Biden has one month left in office, meaning there could be pardons for select cannabis prisoners on the horizon. Rachelle Gordon gets into the likelihood and the process of presidential pardons for weed prisoners (and shout out to the Last Prisoner Project!)
  
  
• MJBizCon 2024 is officially a wrap, and our very own Sara Payan won Content Creator of the Year! Sara dives into the events, connections, and parties that topped the list in Vegas.
  
  
• Seedbanks are the real reason we're all here. After San Francisco's Terpnami event last week, Ellen Holland has a lot to say about the seeds and strains we're tuning in to. What genetics are we all smoking? Chicken 'n' Waffles, anyone?!
  
  
• And Jackie Bryant gives us a sneak-peak at her upcoming article for the February issue of San Diego Magazine profiling "The Stoner Next Door." Who's in the community? Hint: They roll joints just as well as they roll lumpia.

NavigateThis Episode:

1:00 - Massachusetts Consumption Spaces (Brit Smith)
16:00 - Presidential Pardon Possibilities (Rachelle Gordon)
25:00 - MJBizCon Recap (Sara Payan)
34:00 - Terpnami, Seeds and Strains (Ellen Holland)
48:00 - San Diego Stoner Profiles (Jackie Bryant)

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

Danksgiving is almost upon us! This episode:

• The government's new Farm Bill could get rid of a hemp industry loophole that has allowed THCA to flourish -- Rachelle Gordon explains the likelihood it'll pass, and the impact on hemp farmers if it does.
  
  
• We revisit Jackie Bryant's iconic 2022 Danksgiving article for the New York Times, and dish on how we each partake in the time-honored tradition of 'cousin walks!'
  
  
• Traveling with your weed this holiday? Brit Smith breaks down the safest ways to take MaryJane along for the ride, from roads to trains to planes. But not boats. Don't take it on boats.
  
  
• Conference season is in full swing! Sara Payan breaks down MJUnpacked, MJBizCon, and the best parties Vegas has to offer the cannabis industry this year.
  
  
• And it's High Fashion season! Ellen Holland asks us to ruffle through our Weedrobes to pick the best canna-related fashion items we've seen so far, and name a few top-tier dank designers we have our eyes on.

Navigate this Episode:

• 2:00 - Farm Bill/Hemp update (Rachelle Gordon)
• 15:30 - Danksgiving (Jackie Bryant)
• 26:00 - Traveling with weed (Brit Smith)
• 37:00 - Conference season (Sara Payan)
• 49:00 - Weedrobe fashion (Ellen Holland)

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