February 2021 Welcome

By
HeadQuest

It’s February! Normally, that would mean a surge in flower sales and dinner reservations at the Cheesecake Factory, but in a world still wracked by a pandemic, how we’ll choose to observe the Hallmark Holiday this year is really anyone’s guess.  Likely, it’s going to be a lot of “Netflix and chill,” but we’re kind of hoping everyone starts walking around in personal plastic bubbles. Then, we can just pretend it’s a giant Flaming Lips concert and life won’t seem so glum. 

Whatever happens, we’re just going to continue doing our best over here to help keep your spirits up and your mind sharp through the turmoil. This month be sure and check out our rant on why the Republican opposition to the MORE Act was some of the dumbest rhetoric witnessed in the dumbest year on record. Also, don’t forget to check out our Shop of the Month column, where we explain why Gatlinburg’s Tennessee Hemp Care is more than just the O’Doul’s brewery of dispensaries. 

We’ve got all sorts of fun stuff packed in this issue, so strap in, roll a fatty, and enjoy yet another installment of the publication that brings you the information you need to thrive, exactly when you need it. We’ll catch you on the flipside! 

Recent Stories

Recent Articles

2026-08-05_10-11-53
By
Jimmy Wohl
Fragile Markets Need Sturdy Security
You’ve chosen to work in a gray area. You sell products that contain cannabis or cannabis-adjacent substances as well as accessories that can be used to consume it. And while that area has become less gray—you can see rays of sunlight peeking through—the skies are still cloudy. THC remains a Schedule 1 substance, even as medical marijuana has migrated to Schedule 3.
2026-07-30_23-43-05
By
Emily Long
What Retailers Wish They Knew When They Opened Their First Shop
Running a cannabis business is notoriously complicated. For dispensaries, complex compliance burdens permeate every facet of the business, from zoning and licensing to marketing and payments. Whether you’ve been in the cannabis space for mere months or multiple decades, you’ve likely run into drawn-out approval processes, supply chain headaches, or constantly changing regulation that makes compliance challenging, not to mention the other micro and macroeconomic factors that plague all small business owners.
3
By
Joe Reefer
Behind the Scenes: Not Ya Son’s Weed
Blending traditional values with modernized, energetic branding, Not Ya Son’s Weed falls somewhere between the cannabis days of yore and today’s recreational cannabis boom. Not Ya Son’s Weed offers a variety of products—including pre-rolls, exotic flower, and gummies—that provide much-needed relief without being too overbearing.
2026-07-30_20-13-55
By
Matt Weeks
Hawaiian Punch: One man’s fight to keep hemp legal
The officials came for Lance Alyas once before. In 2023, they caught him in a sting, seized his merchandise, and tossed him in jail. But just seven days later, after he invoked Hawaii's version of a Freedom of Information Act request, the whole case fell apart. Alyas was released without bail, allowed to simply walk out the door. Now, he’s advocating for freedom from Hawaii’s state officials once again. Only this time, it’s not just his own freedom. As the owner of Oahu’s top-rated smoke shops, he’s fighting for everyone’s right to sell hemp products in the Aloha State.
2026-07-30_8-12-05
By
Emily Long
Sula Benet and the Ancient History of Cannabis
Born Sara Benetowa in Warsaw, Poland, in 1903, Sula Benet may not be an immediately recognizable name in cannabis spaces today, but she should be. While she primarily studied Polish folk customs, Benet became known for her graduate thesis at the University of Warsaw, titled Hashish in Folk Customs and Beliefs. In the paper, she claims that the plant kaneh bosm—which is referenced throughout the Old Testament and Torah and often translated as “calamus”—actually refers to hemp. Benet’s theory remains both significant and highly controversial today, especially as various religious and evangelical groups continue to demonize the plant.
2026-07-30_8-00-37
By
Matt Weeks
How North Carolina Could Save Us All
If the United States were ever a country based on strict adherence to the law, those days are long past. The modern game lies in devising methods to circumvent laws. It’s how the rich avoid taxes, the powerful avoid jail, and industries of all kinds bypass regulations. The paradox is that, despite its ubiquity, it’s not easy to stay beyond the reach of the long arm of the law. Well-moneyed, influential organizations still sometimes misjudge the political and legal playing field and have to pay up. The Sacklers (the family behind Purdue Pharma) eventually were bankrupted by the courts for their role in the opioid epidemic, and officials hit Meta with a $5 billion fine over privacy concerns.
2026-07-30_7-49-06
By
Karen Maina
The Rise of Wellness Smoke Shops
When you walk into a smoke shop today, you might notice the glass cases that once held rolling papers and blunt wraps now display CBD tinctures, functional mushroom capsules, kava elixirs, and hemp-infused sparkling water. The staff might talk to you about terpene profiles, cortisol levels, and a new vape line.
CBD 3
By
Jimmy Wohl
Lung, Tongue, and Skin
I went home and told my girlfriend, who, after Googling the name of the business I bought it from, told me that, yes, it was technically weed. But it was CBD. She started laughing, telling me I had been ripped off.