Different Leaf: the Podcast

In this episode, host Brit Smith takes a field trip to Liberty Dispensary in Easthampton, Massachusetts, for the East Coast launch of Garcia Hand Picked, a cannabis collaboration between Holistic Industries and Jerry Garcia's family. (That's right, a LIVE event, people!) Brit chats with Jerry's daughter Trixie Garcia, as well as Holistic Industries marketing director Rachel Genderson, - and of cou...

Happy 4/20 to one and all! It's year two celebrating the High Holiday in lockdown, so instead of planning to pass the joint, this episode we're exploring some of the luxurious new ways we can enjoy cannabis this summer without sharing, and without the hangover. Host Brit Smith speaks with David Yusefzadeh, CEO and Founder of Cloud Creamery in Framingham, Mass., which will be selling infused ice-cr...

Most people born from 1945-1965 grew up believing that marijuana was the Devil’s Lettuce. The so-called Baby Boomer generation has since seen decades of major changes around cannabis culture, law, and science. Now, they're the fastest growing demographic of new legal marijuana consumers. So how can the older generations learn about including cannabis in their lives? And how can the cannabis indust...

There are so many decisions to make when purchasing weed at a dispensary, or buying seeds to grow at home. Is it a strain you're familiar with? Does it look gorgeous or scrappy? Smell like diesel or grape-flavored candy? Is it an indica, sativa, or a hybrid? What percentage is THC? CBD? CBG??? As you'll hear from our guest, grower Reginald Stanfield II, factors consumers may not even think of, lik...

It's already been a busy year for marijuana-related bills in several states, including South Carolina, Hawaii, Tennessee, and Alabama. Chances are, you either live in a state that already has medical marijuana laws, or soon will. There's a lot to know about what legal medical cannabis could mean for you. So this episode, our friendly neighborhood cannabis specialist Dr. Peter Grinspoon is answerin...

This episode, Brit gets a roadmap to her body's reactions to marijuana...in the form of a report from GreenWay DNA, a consumer genetic testing company that uses your DNA to make CBD and THC dosage recommendations specific to you. GreenWay DNA geneticist and co-founder Ry Wagner and Chief Development Officer Robert Brown join us to break down the science of human genetics and cannabis, and Brit fac...

Investing in cannabis companies may seem daunting, but it's undoubtedly becoming more popular. Funding for marijuana companies spiked big-time in January 2021 after President Biden was sworn into office and Democrats won control of the Senate. For anyone interested in investing in weed, experts says this is the time to get in on the game. This episode, host Brit Smith talks to the leaders of the A...

A lot has changed over the past four years; we didn’t have adult-use pot shops in Massachusetts for the 2016 inauguration! In fact just a decade ago, recreational weed shops weren’t even a thing in the U.S. Over the span of just a few years, marijuana has gone from a taboo topic and a seedy underground gateway drug, to a luxurious experience developed by top scientists and promoted by our most tru...

With the new year off to a rocky start, we could all do with some tips on how to relax more in 2021. This episode, author and sex coach Ashely Manta joins Brit to talk about her new book with Merry Jane; "The CBD Solution: Sex." Ashley's book is all about how cannabis can enhance our sex lives, whether that's solo or partnered, how it can help us reframe our thoughts about our bodies and shame, an...

Newsflash; 2020 has been a heck of a year! Since Different Leaf the Podcast started just a few weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic began, we've been here to track exactly how this year impacted the world of weed. For our End Of The Year episode, we're checking back in with some amazing guests from our earlier episodes. In episode 4, when the recreational pot shops first closed down in Massachusetts...

Just in time for the holidays Different Leaf's "pot product guru" John Arvanitis joins Brit to talk about some of the goodies he sampled for the Fall 2020 issue (out in stores right now)! Budding novice to OG toker, we've got something for everyone on your list. Find out more about Different Leaf the magazine at DifferentLeaf.com follow us on social media @DifferetLeaf, @Different_Leaf, and @BritT...

The teenagers of 2020 are growing up in a very different world of weed than any generation that came before. Today, young people who want to try marijuana can get ahold of much higher-potency bud than ever had before. They can buy ready-made infused brownies or gummies, they can dab 90% THC concentrates, and they can take a few sublingual drops without anyone knowing. In the coming years, they wil...

The election is finally over! The people have spoken, and with every single cannabis ballot initiative approved across the nation, there seems to be a least one thing we can all agree on; we should definitely be allowed to toke some good bud at the end of a long, hard day. We may now have medical marijuana in 35 states plus D.C., and recreational weed in 15 states plus D.C., but at the same time,...

Unsurprisingly, legal marijuana sales have been rising all over the map ever since May. Several states have reported month after month of record breaking sales numbers for adult-use and medical, including Illinois, Oregon, Colorado, and Washington state. This week, Brit talks to Dr. Marion McNabb from the Cannabis Center of Excellence, who has partnered with the University of Massachusetts Dartmou...

This Election Day, voters in Mississippi and South Dakota will get to choose whether or not to legalize medical marijuana, and voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota will get to say yay or nay to legalizing recreational marijuana. In Oregon, where the weed already flows like wine, voters will see a ballot question on legalizing the use of psilocybin; the psychedelic chemical in m...

From the devastating wildfires on the west coast, to the unexpected early snow days in Colorado, the effects of climate change are only just starting to impact marijuana industry supply chains. While outdoor cannabis cultivators are trying to figure out the best way to navigate the ever-changing elements, many are resigning themselves to the idea that moving their operations inside may be best for...

Levels of anxiety and depression have been increasing dramatically during COVID-19. On top of the pandemic, the west coast is on fire, there's a major social justice movement, and the U.S. has an incredibly contentious general election about 40 days away. Needless to say, we could all do with a safe and healthy way to chill out. Enter: Cannabis! This episode Dr. Peter Grinspoon gives us a little m...

Here at Different Leaf, we're missing the days of passing the dutch, plus opportunities for learning, connecting, and sharing the love at cannabis events. Lucky for us, this week's guest is here to help us stay engaged with the cannabis community online and get us psyched for the return of live events to come. Ann Brum is the entrepreneur behind Joint Venture and Co, a business development agency...

From the people you’d expect like Snoop Dogg or Cheech and Chong, to the more surprising names like Martha Stewart or the famously-sober Gene Simmons, there are a lot of famous people trying to sell us cannabis-related products right now. But is there actually any substance to that star-power? How do we know who is promoting good products, and who is just in it for the money? And are social media...

American canna-food culture has gone way beyond the pot brownies of the past; now we can wake up to sinsemilla-syrup on our pancakes, dress our salads with pot-infused oil, and even sprinkle a little THC on our ice cream sundaes. Not to mention the option of attending three-course marijuana-infused meals. Making marijuana edibles is no longer about melting your stash in some butter and hoping for...

In states with “legal cannabusinesses” the job market is looking a little brighter. This episode we learn what it takes to get a job in legal weed, even if you have a record that you think might hold you back. Success Centers has been working with marginalized community members in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 40 years. They provide employment, education and art services and support to perso...

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...

This week's guest Alia Volz is the author of the new book "Home Baked - My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco." Alia’s mother Meridy was known to countless people around the Bay City during the 1970’s as “the Brownie Lady.” Meridy eventually ran the largest underground pot brownie business of the time. Sticky Fingers Brownies started out as a great way to make money... and ended up b...

In this episode, host Brit Smith is joined by Niambe McIntosh - activist, former Boston public school teacher, and daughter of famed reggae musician Peter Tosh. As Niambe knows first hand, a lot of Black people had to endure harsh and unfair treatment by police to get us to this point where cannabis is semi-legal. Niambe and Brit discuss how law enforcement has been disproportionately focused on c...

Will drive-thru weed shops become the future? Could legalizing pot be the solution to the post-pandemic economic depression? Or will cannabis companies fail to even survive? Host Brit Smith talks to Alex Halperin, the editor of WeedWeek.net and the author of The Cannabis Dictionary, about what the legal cannabis marketplace could look like after the pandemic.