Different Leaf: the Podcast

You may have heard of the weed strain ChemDog, but you may not know ChemDog is also a person! In this episode, Brit talks to Greg “ChemDog” Krzanowski, the legendary grower behind one of the world's most important cultivars of marijuana. In the early 90s, when Chem's incredibly high-quality flower hit America’s underground market, pot growers across the nation used its genetics to produce less str...

Our spring 2022 season drops Friday April 15th with weekly episodes! Subscribe so you don’t miss any of our incredible guests, including; legendary cannabis grower Greg 'Chemdog' Krzanowski, author and editor-in-chief of High Times Ellen Holland, founders of Seaweed Naturals Phillipe and Ashlan Cousteau, host of The Broccoli Report Lauren Yoshiko, grandson of General George Patton and Chairman of...

For more than 30 years, the world's best marijuana growers have been recognized at their local Cannabis Cup events. And as more states and countries legalize weed, the title of Cannabis Cup winner becomes even more coveted. But Cups are not just about voting for the best bud in town. Recently, Cannabis Cups have become more like mini-festivals where pot enthusiasts can gather, connect with local c...

What is the difference between indica and sativa? What is a terpene? When we get to the dispensary, should we look at THC, CBD, or CBG content? This episode is all about how you can pick your best bud, as we revisit our interview with CEO and head horticulturist of Justin Credible Cultivation, Reginald Stanfield III. Find out more about Reggie at jccultivation.com, and read about him in the fall 2...

Host Brit Smith talks to award-winning Executive Chef Matthew Stockard about how we can incorporate marijuana-infused ingredients into our everyday diet. Chef Matt first experimented with cannabis-infused food as a teenager at a barbecue in Long Beach, California in the early 90s. He went on to study culinary arts internationally, he opened his first solo restaurant in Oklahoma, and he ran several...

Entrepreneurs face high hurdles before they can enter the legal cannabis industry. Especially in Massachusetts, where potential business owners have to get Host Community Agreements with their cities or towns, which include the controversial 'Community Impact Fee.' Lately, more and more company owners say their towns are charging small canna-businesses the maximum amount allowed by law, not becaus...

In this first special episode, Brit talks to the leaders of 3 queer-owned cannabis companies who, along with Different Leaf, have formed The Queer Cannabis Club; a consortium of LGBTQ-owned-and-operated businesses in the cannabis industry. Hear from Alexander Farnsworth, owner of Farnsworth Fine Cannabis in Massachusetts, Jake Bullock, co-founder of California-based marijuana-infused drink company...

We may have high hopes for our New Years Resolutions, but it can be tough to stick to a new exercise routine. This episode, host Brit Smith talks to Colorado-based journalist Josiah Hesse about just how many marathon runners like him have discovered that both THC and CBD can enhance physical activity, and help people find more joy in regular exercise. In his latest book, 'Runner’s High; How a Move...

There were a lot of major changes this year when it comes to legal weed in Massachusetts. We saw a huge increase in licensed cannabis businesses, including the first recreational delivery licenses, a groundbreaking lawsuit that could shape the way the state’s marijuana industry functions, and the reemergence of the conversation around cannabis in sports. Joining Brit to break down all this year's...

Guest Brooke Burgstahler is an actress, cannabis advocate, and reporter for Snoop Dogg's digital media company Merry Jane. You may have seen Brooke in the movie Arizona Summer, or on TV shows like General Hospital, Mad Men, or Blackish. Aside from creating cannabis content for Merry Jane, Brooke also hosts the daily digital show World of Weed news, writes for her cannabis blog Budding Mind, and ho...

Growing up, athlete Rachael Rapinoe thrived off the "built-in rivalry" at home with her twin sister Megan. The Rapinoe twins played collegiate-level soccer for the Portland Pilots, where Rachael sustained a career-changing knee injury. After years of surgeries and overuse of prescription painkillers, Rachael learned just how many elite athletes were tapping into the vast health benefits of CBD, an...

Grab your apron and an eighth, it's time to learn how to bake THC-infused brownies so good they belong at your next dinner party. Cannabis-infused dinners may be gaining in popularity, but they are by no means easy to pull off. Aside from making sure every course tastes great, infused dinners call for preparing your cannabis through a process called decarboxylation, and figuring out how to dose ea...

Steven Van Zandt may be best known as the legendary founding guitarist from Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street band, or perhaps as Silvio Dante from The Sopranos. Now, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer "Little Stevie" is diving into the world of weed, with a focus on wellness. As Van Zandt tells host Brit Smith, unlike other celebrities who have put their names on THC-focused cannabis lines, Little Stevie's n...

US cannabis culture has its roots deeply planted in reggae music. "Rockers" is the quintessential cult movie credited with introducing reggae music, Rastafarianism, and ganja to young American audiences in the 1970s. Before his death in 2015, the film's director Ted Bafaloukos penned an autobiography about his discovery of reggae in New York, and his experience shooting "Rockers" in Jamaica. In th...

Weed-infused edibles have come a long way. Far from the home-baked hash brownies of our teenager years, we’re now the first generation of adults who can go to a store and buy organic infused weed gummies, crackers, drinks, and even THC-ice cream. We’ve also learned a lot in recent years about the science of ingesting cannabis, which can help us pick the kinds of products we might want to try. This...

Back in March of 2016, anthropologist Caroline Melly had just received tenure at Smith College, and was mother to a healthy five month-old baby boy, Lionel. Then one morning, Lionel had a series of seizures in Caroline’s arms – and she knew everything about her family’s life would change. Racked with seizures daily, Lionel was diagnosed with a catastrophic form of epilepsy called infantile spasms....

Ted Dobson is one of the East Coast's most legendary old-school, outdoor marijuana farmers. More than 30 years ago, he was selling pot on the underground market to major league baseball players, rock and rollers, and upscale NYC chefs. Today, he's the farmer-in-chief and public face of Equinox Farm in Sheffield, Massachusetts. Brit chats with Ted about organic, sun-grown bud and what the future mi...

In much of the so-called Bible Belt cannabis is still completely illegal, and medical marijuana programs are minimal at best. But folks in the South are still accessing marijuana products in droves on the underground legacy market, which is mostly funneled from the west coast where it's legal. This episode Brit talks to CeCe, a weed dealer in College Park, Atlanta, to learn how Georgia's illicit m...

Brit talks to iconic burlesque dancer and longtime marijuana advocate, the legendary Bambi Jones. A native of Holyoke, Massachusetts, Jones started touring internationally as a burlesque dancer in the late 1940's, when she witnessed the harsh impact of drug laws on her fellow dancers and friends. Jones talks about her experiences with cannabis in the mid-1900's, how the culture of weed has changed...

Unlike most other states with legal weed, Maine has long allowed its certified cannabis caregivers to essentially set up shop and care or all medical patients in the state. This episode, Brit talks to Mark Barnett of Higher Grounds cannabis+coffee in Portland, Maine, to learn how Maine allowed its legal marijuana program to be run by the little guys over big corporations. They also discuss the foc...

This week Brit goes to Westhampton, Massachusetts to visit the home studio of acclaimed glassblower David Colton, whose pipes and bongs resemble graffiti more than smoking paraphernalia. David is the first cannabis pipe maker to have his work in an art museum's permanent collection at the Corning Museum of Glass in NYC. Go to DifferentLeaf.com for all the issues of our quarterly cannabis journal,...

For Pride Month, we're going inside the experiences of three cannabis community members who identify as LGBTQ+, and taking a look at how the cannabis industry can better include and meet the needs of people of different sexual orientations and gender identities. Ian Hackett is a marketing and technology executive at the California-based cannabis branding company, Napa Valley Fumé. Elias Diestler i...

This episode, Massachusetts Army National Guard combat veteran and Uxbridge Selectman Sgt. Stephen Mandile joins Brit to discuss how cannabis helped him ditch dozens of pharmaceutical drugs from the VA, how he almost lost his benefits because of his advocacy for marijuana, and to discuss the latest news on his two bills that would expand access to medical marijuana for military veterans in Massach...

How is it that humans have receptors for cannabinoids in our brains? What’s the real difference between the effects of indicas and sativas? What’s happening when you build up such a tolerance that you no longer feel high? For the answers to these, and more about the amazing ways cannabis interacts with the human body, we're turning to cannabis educator Emma Chasen. CEO of Eminent, a cannabis consu...

Despite major alleged corruption at the local level in Massachusetts' blooming cannabis industry, Vanessa Jean-Baptiste made history last month when she became the first Black woman to open a licensed cannabis dispensary on the east coast. Vanessa is a first generation Haitian-American who recently launched Legal Greens dispensary in her hometown of Brockton, Mass. Now, she plans to show the large...