Stoned for the Holidays: Fat Nug Magazine’s 2022 Gift Guide
Written By Melanie Rizzo
Here at Fat Nugs Magazine, we created a cannabis gift guide for the stoners on your holiday shopping list. Our readers hail from all over the United States and abroad, so we’ve stuck to tried-and-true accessories that can add value to any sesh, anywhere.
We’ve scoured the internet, social media, and our contributor Slack channel to uncover some of the latest and greatest gift items for weed lovers – from lockable stash boxes to cannabis art, mugs, and more.
We hope to highlight industry artisans and makers that move to the beat of their own drums, create quality, unique merchandise, and embrace the cannabis community with arms wide open. On our list, you’ll find products from small businesses, side hustles, and one-woman shows, but what they all have in common is this: they love weed and the culture that grows along with it.
“seasons greenings!” ivan moody announces launch of new cannabis line ’greenings’
Press Release for “Greenings” By Moody’s Medicinals
“For years, I've had a very public struggle with alcohol addiction, and being prescribed an excessive amount of medication for my imbalances felt overwhelming and completely non-conducive to recovery," said Moody.
"I wanted something natural that wouldn't leave me poisoned with sluggish side effects that countered my life on the road. Greenings was born as a result of the emotional and physical relief I found through cannabis”
From Red to Pink - Part VIII: Hot Pink mess
Written By Lindsey Gunter
Listen up people: You can be a big, bad whatever, but if you put two types of weed in the bag, you’re doing bad business. Period. It’s unacceptable. I could not believe the blatant illegality of this, outside of the poor planning and product development. Such shamefully low regard for the consumer. There is only one C.O.A. for good reason, and besides, people have eyes and can clearly see a difference.
'Red would never have done something like that' I remembered thinking to myself. What a shame it felt like at times, everyone from the teams I worked with running dispensaries were scattered all over the place by now, and couldn't likely come in to see what all that I learned from them could make.
For some, after the amount of drama that had so far unfolded, they were starting to feel embarrassed about even being associated with the place. I wondered what my own late business owning mother would say about Pink as I watched ownership and the owner's assistant show family around the dispensary around holiday time.
Schedule 1 Status Hurts Patients Like My Dad
Written By Melanie Rizzo
At first, my dad was wholly against trying any cannabis products. However, his pain continued, as did his refusal to take any narcotic pain relievers. He started low and slow and worked his way up to a full 10mg. His mood lifted, and best of all, he was eating and sleeping soundly.
This progress came to a screeching halt when he was hospitalized for the treatment of his leukemia. A broken, overregulated system prevents patients from receiving their medical cannabis as part of their treatment regimen at most hospitals. Doctors can be prosecuted for prescribing cannabis to their patients because of the plant’s Schedule 1 status.
The possibility for cannabis to aid those suffering from a multitude of ills is still not fully understood, but when our loved ones are benefiting from the use of a harmless, natural herb like cannabis, it’s nearly unfathomable to believe that this plant has been cursed by our government for nearly 100 years.
How on earth is it possible that we regularly ingest toxic substances in our food, in our water, and in our pharmaceuticals, but a friendly green plant is vilified? It makes you wonder – how many nefarious things are going on behind the scenes, unbeknownst to the majority of us?
My Journey Into Cannabis -Part 4: Get Your Grow On
Written By Jason Bird
After getting arrested twice in 2 years over my fondness for The Herb, I was forced to take a timeout and regroup. I spent a year and a half on probation and then got permission to move to Oregon, so I packed up and left the East Coast in the summer of 1996 and headed west.
Best road trip ever!
I witnessed some epic music events that summer on my journey. At the tail end of the adventure and concert psychedelia, I picked up 2 friends and moved almost 3,000 miles to Oregon to begin my adventures in cultivation. I enrolled in a 2 year Horticulture Degree program and began taking classes in the campus greenhouse. After transferring my probation, I was released from active supervision after 3 months.
Not long after that I started growing my first cannabis plants indoors. It was a strain called “The Cough.” It was the original Northern Lights #5 x Haze. What. A. Strain.
From Red to Pink - Part VII: Pink & Red Flags
Written By Lindsey Gunter
Unsurprisingly, there were a few hurdles up front. Aren’t there always? Namely, construction ran behind and, oh yeah, a pandemic was beginning to unfold, followed by one of the greatest movements for civil rights in recent U.S. history. Then there was the racism - yes, I used that word, and it won’t be the last time I mention it, either.
We still set a goal for a soft opening to culminate into a hard opening day celebration on 4/20/2020. And once I got my team together operationally, the store seemed closer to opening than ever. But it also seemed more and more clear that no one would be having a 4/20/2020.
It is my sincere hope April 20th someday becomes a nationally recognized holiday for the USA, marking cannabis’ debutante moment of acceptance, to at least make up for this sacred moment, snatched away by fate.
From Red to Pink - Part VI: The Pink Era Begins
Written By Lindsey Gunter
My layoff date approached, red jackets began to appear in thrift store windows around town (ouch), and I found myself sitting in a dark, shabby room covered in concrete dust - clearly the only habitable place in the general sea of construction going on inside. I was interviewing for a new dispensary’s ownership that got my resume from The Blacklist. “Gold” someone had called it. We knew some of the same people, shared some brand-building opinions and a desire for an open, feminine, inclusive ideal for the dispensary. I shook hands and agreed to an hourly rate until opening, upon which time a salary for myself and the people I brought into other key positions would go into effect. I walked out and just about danced all the way home.
Do you ever wish you could just go back in time, not to prevent anything from happening necessarily, but to warn yourself? I probably would’ve just tapped myself on the shoulder and simply said, “Don’t dance yet.”
But alas, as I danced down the street, “Finally,” I thought, “this is my chance to put a real dent in the binary!”
My Journey into Cannabis - Part III : More Fun Than The Law Allows
Written By Jason Bird
Most of New England was a fairly conservative place back then. Seeing that my love for weed and the desire to have access to the best of it was growing inside me, I knew that I would eventually have to leave the East Coast in search of places that were more relaxed in their attitude toward The Herb. I was seeking knowledge and understanding of the cannabis plant itself, and hoping to find people who shared that interest and could help me find the knowledge that I was seeking.
The West Coast was a totally different weed scene compared to the East Coast. Night and day. The relaxed setting made it a different type of experience. Like there was nothing to get in the way of it.
I had decided that I would be moving to the West Coast to pursue my desire for knowledge about cannabis and how to grow “The Kind Bud.” I had been planning to leave in the summer of 1995, anticipating that I would just follow the Grateful Dead tour out to the West Coast and find a place to live once I got out there.
It didn’t quite go as planned…
My Journey Into Cannabis - Part 2 : Road Trippin’
Written By Jason Bird
It’s a glorious thing when the lights go down and everyone lights up. There’s nothing like the smell and taste of fresh lit fully cured herb. It was around this time that 4:20 became more widely popularized and was adopted as the unofficial stoner holiday.
There were so many good vibes surrounding that Cali adventure in the Bay Area, sitting in Golden Gate Park. On a friend's farm in Santa Cruz. Secret spots in Big Sur and Ben Lohman. All throughout the hills of Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity Counties… The Kind Bud revolution was underway.
It still seems surreal to me now, years later, but you have those moments in your life where you transcend everything you know, or thought you knew, about something, and I was certainly having mine with The Kind at that time.
An Interview and Weeding Announcement with Penny Lane
Written By Mike Robinson
November is Epilepsy Awareness Month, and thus a great time to talk about how our beautiful fat nugs get used by patients and people in the cannabis industry that use the plant to stop seizures. The world went nuts with the Weed Series on CNN that featured kids battling through the grips of this complex neurological issue that's known for taking 50,000 lives a year. Many don't consider the adults in the World of Purple as they paint their faces and hair that color this month to celebrate their continued life, their will, and their ability to overcome.
Penny Lane is one of those adults. Let's talk with Penny Lane about her Mary Jane and how it changed her life.
Americans for Safe Access Launch “Air Shred For ASA” Challenge Calling for Cannabis Brands to Participate
Written By Bri Smith
The Air Shred for ASA Challenge models after the ALS ice bucket challenge, but thankfully you won’t have to be doused in freezing water to participate. To take part in the challenge, participants are asked to post a video of themselves “air shredding” in whatever creative way they come up with. Some choose to air shred their invisible guitars to music, others shred paper with stigmatized messages on them, while some shred cheese - because why not? There’s no limit to the creative application of the term shred. Then, share the video through social media, tagging #ASAChallenge and #AirShredforASA, before nominating several friends or colleagues to join in the challenge.
48 Hours in Utah: I Want to Be SedatedPart II - Good Morning Salt Lake City and Donut Falls!
Written By Grant Mitchell
Cruising the train back towards the airport, facing forward, gratitude struck my heart for the whole gift, realizing the value of the ability to travel medically. I jotted a profound note: Impermanence makes me philosophize on how valuable, unique, and special all the fleeting moments are. In a way, we’re all simply passengers on the ride of life and should pause to cherish the preciousness in all our experience snapshots.
48 Hours in Utah: I Want to Be Sedated Part I - Cannabis at the Crossroads
Written By Grant Mitchell
‘Twas a solid 12 years since meeting up with my ol’ buddy, M.W. After a few formalities were exchanged on LinkedIn, we decided that a rendezvous in late July around the proverbial “Crossroads of the West'' was long overdue. Whilst getting my regular items in order, you know, I began to ponder over the new Medical Marijuana laws in Utah. On November 6, 2018, Utah legalized medical marijuana and, nowadays, for holders of a license from some states, reciprocity would honor my Nevada card.
Due to the top-secret nature of M.W. 's history, I can’t go into the details too much about how I know this person - even writing what I did might be too much. But let’s just say, they are the agent with all the information. So, M.W. constructed a grand plan to reconnect the day after I landed, which was perfect for an outing to report on the current state of affairs in at least two cities. It seemed I was set to spend about 48 hours in Utah, licensed by the state to get sedated.
Women Are Now Networking Over Blunts & Brunch: Next stop - Vegas!
Written By Lindsey Gunter
Would you know if a woman smoked cannabis by looking at her? This is what’s hard for brands and companies to connect with in cannabis when it comes to marketing toward women.
What better way to begin building awareness as well as connection to this vast and unfamiliar assortment of women than a woman-focused event? One with “activations” and more, within which women can explore and converse! Cannabis is still a very male-dominated industry, women sticking together in cannabis will inspire women to stand together more in general - Events are a great way to accomplish this.
When it comes to this niche, Adelia Carrillo (CMO/Co-Founder of “EventHi”) and “The Marijuana Momma” Parisa Mansouri-Rad’s “Blunt Brunch” has grown to become one of the nation’s best places for women in cannabis to network and empower one another. 2022 has been a great year, as Blunt Brunch has successfully put on events in multiple cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, and, coming up - Las Vegas!
Where Do All The Delta-8 Nugs Grow?
Written By Mike Robinson
By no means did the U.S. Congress create a bill for farmers so people in labs could convert cannabinoids under a loophole to market powerful quasi-cannabis items to people in states that have yet to legalize them. There are concerns far beyond the marketing to vulnerable consumers when it comes to semi-synthetic or completely synthetic creations made in labs to vie with the THC-focused cannabis market.
One of these lab conversions is known as Delta-8 THC, and it has hit the nation hard with so many different hemp companies finding a way to stay afloat by commercializing this new type of THC. Now consumers are exposed to modern, trendy marketing for products that are beyond misleading.
Sure, it's a great thing to see the hemp industry stay alive during a harsh economic time, but is it that great of an item if the hemp-derived cannabinoids within them were lab created? Is it great that these products are put on shelves for consumers far faster than researchers could possibly study both efficacy and safety?
Medical Cannabis in the Hemp State? No Relief in Sight
Written By Dan Isenstein
Kentucky is one of just 13 states that still criminalize all marijuana use and possession. During the spring 2022 Kentucky legislative session, House Bill (HB) 136 was passed by Kentucky's lower house with bi-partisan support (59-34). Once again, however, Kentucky’s Republican controlled Senate blocked the bill to the floor for a vote.
In response to the continued Senatorial inaction in the legislature, Governor Beshear formed the Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee. Less than a week after the Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Advisory Report was released, President Joe Biden announced that he was issuing pardons for all federal marijuana convictions.
So what does that mean to the average Kentuckian looking to consume cannabis legally?
The Seven Cannabis Factions - Part III
Written By Trent Hancock & Shayney Norick
Many in the cannabis community are going to disagree with Pharmaceuticals having a spot in the industry. Most of us choose cannabis because we believe in a more natural route. That being said, there is a large population of people with health conditions that trust the pharmaceutical process.
It is not too much to ask that the government free people who had minor charges so that they can support and be with their families. Requesting that people are no longer imprisoned for a small-time cannabis distribution conviction or specific homegrow quantities would resonate with the majority of the public, and could potentially free the majority of cannabis felons.
The Seven Cannabis Factions - Part II
Written By Trent Hancock & Shayney Norick
In our humble opinion, The MSOs that have ownership in dozens of craft businesses, while still allowing the companies to be independent, will have the strongest foundation.
The suggestions for amendments to state laws in this article are written to provide a pathway for everyone to focus on the model they believe in. Investors need to see a clear focus claimed by businesses based on the aspects of cannabis they want to invest in.
The future of cannabis investing should and will hopefully be more diversified between Small Businesses, MSOs, and Pharmaceuticals.
The Seven Cannabis Factions - Part I
Written By Trent Hancock & Shayney Norick
If you look closely enough at the groups with interest in the future of cannabis, they can be broken down into seven factions. They all have a different vision, and none of them are going anywhere. Instead of the situation boiling over politically, the best course of action is for all factions to negotiate a future that is best for everyone. Each cannabis faction’s concerns need to be addressed via amendments written to update current state cannabis laws.
Cannabis Advocates and Professionals react to President Biden’s Statements Regarding Federal Marijuana Reform
Written By Bri Smith
The dust is settling from the news of last week’s announcement from President Biden regarding federal marijuana reform. For many Americans - especially cannabis advocates - it was a historic moment. However, his announcement fell short of what so many felt could have been truly beneficial for so many Americans still serving unfair sentences for nonviolent cannabis charges.
As could be expected, cannabis industry professionals and advocates had a lot to say about the statements. Some celebrated the effort, while others met it with harsh criticism for not being impactful enough. We’ve collected the statements and reactions, ranging from joy to frustration, of 30 cannabis industry professionals.