Welcome to August. The fact that we have survived over half of 2020 already is in itself, a miracle and arguably cause for celebration. Thus far, we’ve weathered a pandemic, averted navigated mass chaos, and if the memes on Facebook are true, just missed a plague of murder hornets. If by December, we haven’t been nearly grazed by a comet, we should all be at least a little surprised.  

 

But don’t let all of the signs of the apocalypse distract you from the good things happening this year. Like, for instance, the fact that HQ and SSE are teaming up to create the ultimate smoke shop trade show experience. No, we’re not suggesting that spending a few days checking out amazing products with amazing people can make up for the calamity we’ve seen this year, but you have to start somewhere, right? Start here with us—and read all about it

Recent Articles

“Winter rain Now tell me why Summers fade And roses die.” – Bob Weir, “Weather Report Suite”
For years, Jennifer Mansour felt them coming. “You can’t stop one,” she said. “As soon as I’d notice that the lights felt a little too bright, I knew I was done for. I’d tell my boss, and then I’d get in the car and pop on my sunglasses because I could feel another one coming on, and I couldn’t do a thing to stop it.”
We love a good music festival here at HQ Magazine. Now that the major music festivals in the U.S. are starting to release their initial lineups, we figured it would be a great time to review some of the best 2026 music festivals in cannabis-friendly states.
An old adage tells us not to judge a book by its cover, but A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis: Using Marijuana to Feel Better, Look Better, Sleep Better–and Get High Like a Lady makes a powerful statement about the role of beauty and femininity in the cannabis industry before you even read the first page.
Sometimes, it’s good to be obsessed. In an industry heavy with similar products, it’s often the little things on the margins that separate great products from good ones.
Even without the representation and recognition they deserve, women have always been at the center of the cannabis movement.
There are objects Americans buy because they need them, and objects Americans buy because they let them be a certain kind of person. A perfectly functional version exists, usually for a fraction of the price. But the other version comes with a name, a story, and a reason to pay extra.
Walk into any warehouse rave, desert gathering, or rooftop after-hours in 2026, and you’ll feel it: the psychedelic underground is back, louder, weirder, and far more self-aware than its ‘60s predecessor ever imagined.