Stoner

[Tao Lin](https://twitter.com/tao_lin) is is the author of the novel [_Taipei_](https://www.amazon.com/Taipei-Vintage-Contemporaries-Tao-Lin/dp/0307950174) and a forthcoming book _Beyond Existentialism_ about Terence McKenna and psychedelics.

We talked about:

🌱 why Tao documents both his own thoughts and his caffeine and cannabis consumption in a giant .RTF document

🌱 having empathy for your parents

🌱 how pesticides block endocannabinoid receptors and steal humanity's natural stonedness

Amanda Chicago Lewis returns to the show to discuss her new GQ story "The Great Pot Monopoly Mystery" about a shadowy business group that is trying to patent marijuana strains.

[Ian Vanek](https://twitter.com/Japanther) spent 13 years in the art project duo Japanther. He's currently touring the country by himself on a dirt bike as part of his new project [Howardian](http://ianvanek.com/).

We talked about the challenges of solo motorcycle touring, frosted weed milkshakes, and why Japanther called itself an art project instead of a band.

[Matt Haughey](https://twitter.com/mathowie) never touched weed as a teen, despite being a competitive BMX rider in Southern California. He didn't smoke any weed in his 20s either, busy founding [Metafilter](http://www.metafilter.com/) one of the internet's first collections of "cool shit people find on the internet." By the time he was in 30s, Matt was curious to try marijuana but didn't know anyone who had any. Finally, a decade later, legalization came to the West Coast and he set off for Washington State to acquire some weed so he could smoke his first joint, age 42.

We talked about the lack of beginner's weed-smoking information on the internet, touring elementary schools and churches performing in a D.A.R.E. BMX show, and why he gave Metafilter away after 16 years.

Samantha Miller does research that informs the formulation of the special vape pens that hmbldt makes branded not by strain but effect: sleep, bliss, calm, relief. Prior to becoming HMBLDT's in-house scientist, Miller founded Pure Analytics, one of the first cannabis testing labs in the country. We talked about the value of anecdotal evidence in testing, getting feedback from a seniors group, and why she grew well before it became her job.

Max Temkin is a co-founder of Cards Against Humanity, a "party game for horrible people," and Chicago comedians Joanna Feldman and Julia Weiss are its head writers. After a successful Kickstarter in 2011, Cards Against Humanity was released independently, reaching #1 in Amazon's Games section and spawning numerous expansion packs and copycats. We discuss flying while stoned, what makes a card work in the Cards Against Humanity writers' room, and why Max was dreading coming on the show.

In 1973, Digby traveled from England to Morocco seeking out villages that practiced traditional hashmaking. Forty-six years later, he's still there.

[Benny Blanco](https://twitter.com/itsbennyblanco) has produced twenty-six #1 hits and his records have sold over 100 million copies (or so Wikipedia tells me.) His writing credits include Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream,' Rihanna's 'Diamonds,' Justin Bieber's 'Love Yourself,' and Maroon 5's 'Moves Like Jagger.' He was nominated for the 2017 Producer of the Year Grammy.

Benny is only 29 and keeps a relatively low profile. We talked about growing up music-obsessed in suburban VA, why the secret sauce to the '90s hip-hop sound may have been "dogshit weed," and recording Ed Sheeran on a transcontinental cruise ship.

[Dope Girls Zine](http://www.dopegirlszine.org/)'s editor [Beca Grimm](https://twitter.com/becagrimm) and art director [Rachel Hortman](https://twitter.com/rachel_hortman) discuss why they made a zine for women who "can still get shit done while getting high," living in Atlanta during a rap golden age, and Beca's monthly weed dinner parties.

### [Sebastián Silva](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2928364/) is a filmmaker and grew up in Chile. He directed [Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7nInvUzAI8) about a group of Chileans and Americans on a road trip seeking the mescaline-bearing San Pedro cactus. He also has directed [Nasty Baby](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3121332/), and [The Maid](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/la_nana/) and lives in New York.