Field Guide

Weekend’s Best: 420’s biggest events, the Ultimate Las Vegas trip, and Far Cry 5

420 pick: Defonce Chocolate collaborates with artist James Jean this month.
420 pick: Defonce Chocolate collaborates with artist James Jean this month.

Good afternoon!

It’s Thursday, April 5th, you’re finishing your taxes, or on Spring Break, or thinking about 4/20, or hopefully tending your new garden. Here at GreenState, we’re on your wavelength.

We’re seeing taxes punish small recreational farmers and reward the black market. We’re seeing Spring Break in full swing in Venice Beach. And our own little garden is popping up and thriving.

Now that we’re so close to 4/20, we can also see what our priorities are going to be. What’s clear is that America is going to 420 harder this year than ever before. So we’ve got the best events, and the best food, movie, music, fashion and gear pairings. And we’ve been digging into the history of 420 for a definitive account.

Keep GreenState.com bookmarked for the latest, and share our Field Guide sign-up link (on home page) with like-minded friends. Here’s what’s trending in cannabis this week.  — David Downs

WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT

The 4/20 Events Guide we whipped up for you readers. There is way too much stuff happening around America to list it all, so we focused on the best of the best. Good luck out there.

MONEY | POWER | FAME

SPARC CEO and founder Erich Pearson opines in the San Francisco Chronicle why a proposed Assembly bill could level the playing field for black market operators trying to go legit: “AB3157 would reduce state tax on the growing and selling of cannabis for at least three years to give our emerging industry a chance at success.”

The latest episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians joined Kris Jenner at a medical dispensary filing a recommendation for her and her mother, only to remember that she already purchased medicated gummy bears.

The talk show host turned cannabis entrepreneur Chelsea Handler posted a cheeky tweet about the White House’s announcement to open their grounds to the public: “Kudos to the first person who plants marijuana in the garden.”

Fighting the stigma against females who partake, model to watch Emily Ratajkowski (“Blurred Lines” video, the film ‘Gone Girl’, the TV show ‘Entourage’) finished off a shoot for her new swimsuit line, Inamorata, with a pretty sizeable blunt. “When in Rome” she captioned.

FASHION | ART | DESIGN

The high-end medicated confectioners at Defonce Chocolates have released a candy bar featuring custom packaging based on the artwork of James Jean, and contains white chocolate splashed with rosé Champagne and showered with pistachios and strawberries.

Apple Store copycats MedMen will bring their chic upscale cannabis retail ethos to midtown Manhattan with a new store slated to open — when else? — 4/20.

VIRAL

In one of the better April Fool’s jokes in recent times, comedian Seth Rogen signed off on a lifetime deal giving Netflix full ownership of his personal autonomy: “If it worked for Adam Sandler, it’ll work for me, I guess. Let’s do this thing.”

WELLNESS | HEALTH

Two studies recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found reduced use of prescription opioids in states that provide legal access to medical cannabis, and an even greater reduction in states that allow recreational use. Via Forbes.

Vogue reports how women such as Girls star Lena Dunham are turning to cannabis to treat pain stemming from endometriosis: “… as awareness about endometriosis grows, more women are seeking promising new therapies for their pain and the medical community is responding to their call.”

PICKS OF THE WEEK

STRAIN: Get all your daytime chores and errands out of the way with the help of some Original Sour Diesel, available at Strawberry Fields shops throughout Colorado . . .  EDIBLE: California-based Mondo Meds’ dissolving cannabis powder allows for precision dosing on any of your favorite treats and dishes. They’re finishing up a CBD version, too  . . . HARDWARE: Beautiful Burns rolling papers are perfect for those seeking a visual nuance to their smoke sesh.

REVIEW

Long-time THC enthusiast and Cannabis Now senior editor Ellen Holland explains how she learned to stop hating CBD on the latest episode of the Hash podcast hosted by Max Savage Levenson.

We took a trip down to Venice Beach to shop at the closest recreational retailer to the boardwalk. Green Goddess Collective mirrors the funky neighborhood character of Venice, and that can be a good or bad thing, depending on your taste.

And we road-tested this CBD mouth spray from H. Hemp Co., noting “We won’t call it Xanax in a bottle. But you might.”

FOOD | TRAVEL

GreenState’s Ed Murrieta explains how to pull of the ultimate Las Vegas cannabis weekend: “For all its permissive excess, Las Vegas lacks one key amenity: cannabis lounges. So plan on being clandestine or creative.”

The San Francisco-based tour guide company Magic Bus is now offering a weed-themed tour of the city aptly titled The Magic CannaBus. Although tourists won’t be given cannabis outright, “expect a clip or two from Reefer Madness, psychedelic light shows, munchies and more,” the tour promises.

NEWS

California faces a rough transition towards new recreational cannabis laws, with critics citing burdensome and costly regulations for operators. Via Wall Street Journal.

GreenState’s Carolyne Zinko examines San Francisco’s cannabis growers as they switch to renewable energy methods: “The practices help them put on a good face to the community, and but can be strategically important as well.”

HIGHLY DUBIOUS

NYPD sergeant Tracy Gittens, who once blamed the results of a positive drug test on a hair weave, now claims that she got high by accident. Via NY Post.

READ THIS

A poll by YouGov found most people think Girl Scouts should be able to sell cookies wherever they dang well please, including near cannabis retailers.

Also, readers wanted to know if they could use commercial labs to test their new homegrown crop for potency and mold and fungus. We contacted the leading labs and explained how it’s done.

WATCH | PLAY | LISTEN

Watch: Weedmaps short documentary The Exit Drug investigates how cannabis can help end America’s opioid epidemic. . . .  Play: Open-world shooter Far Cry 5 is wowing gamers with aerial dogfights, co-operative online play, and your own pet bear. . . . Listen: Learn the Australian definition of a “bong quest” from our podcast, The Hash.  

FOLLOW

@indacreations offers accessories and tools designed to amplify your journey towards wellness.

@snodgrassfamilygenetics are Oregon-based cultivators responsible for the popular strain Green Dragon.

@kushcandles makes terpene-infused soy candles hand-poured in Colorado. Mmmm!

Best wishes for a relaxing, rewarding weekend, dd + oscar pascual