There’s a moment in Niontay’s “Thank Allah,” that feels like Sunday Service. Tay repeats, “Wake up in the morning, plot on gwuala, and thank Allah I’m alive.” Relief and tension thicken the song’s atmosphere with each breath. The Brooklyn-Florida emcee understands circumstance and thrives with the cards given. Last year, Tay released two projects: Dontay’s Inferno and Demon Muppy EP. 

While Niontay sounds relaxed, his lyrics often raise caution. On “Bac2highbac2reality,” Tay warns, “You can’t leave the field without taking a hit,” a stark warning and reminder over an uptempo dance bassline. It’s like dancing the pain away. That’s the allure of Niontay’s music: it sounds like the silver lining in a bad situation.

Niontay was originally born in Milwaukee, moving to Florida at 5 years old. He’d go back and forth until his Dad passed when he was 10. “When you were young, you just going with your mama,” he explains. It took him some time to adapt to Florida due to having ten toes down in his Milwaukee roots. Even down to his music taste of Boosie, Juvenile, Cash Money Records. His parents had diverse tastes; Dad was into Juvenile, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Outkast, as well as Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Q-Lazarus. Tay describes his mom’s taste as “all over the place,” depending on how she was feeling. “Mama would be going through some shit, she got on the Jill Scott in the car, she got on the Musiq Soulchild,” he remembers. What would capture Tay the most would be his Grandparents’ influence consisting of artists like The Isley Brothers, The Stylistics, The OJs, and The Ohio Players.

Niontay got into loads of trouble as a kid, taking on writing when grounded in his room. “My mama was the type of mama like, “Stay in your room, read, nigga. I’m going to take the door off the hinges. I’m taking this Xbox, nigga. Whatever in this motherfucker that I bought, I’m taking it,” he reminisces. The first beat he ever rapped on was the Alchemist-produced Jadakiss song “We Gonna Make It”. Tay came to terms early that rapping is his calling. “I had finally started realizing, just coming to terms that hooping not finna work, bro. You like 5’8″. You smoke weed all day, every day. You not finna make it to the league, bro. So I’m like, ‘Damn. All right. Let me fuck with this rapping shit.’”

In a Zoom call, Niontay speaks with High Times about his early beginnings, his relationship with MIKE, and recording “Real Hip-Hop” with Earl Sweatshirt and El Cousteau. 

As a producer, what do you look for in the crates when you’re picking out vinyls for chopping up beats?

I’m definitely looking for some shit that’s not too drum heavy. And it also depends on how I’m feeling. If I’m trying to just make a loop, I’ll use the drums in the sample and chop up that as best as I could. But most of the time, I’m looking for some shit that I could just straight rip the sample and throw my own drums on it. But I really like soul. I like soul shit. I don’t want to give up no sauce or nothing for myself personally, but gospel music be the hardest shit, low-key. 

You’ve previously spoken on how MIKE creatively inspires you. How has MIKE helped you, if any involvement, for the Demon Muppy EP?

Shit, just playing the gang songs. Playing songs for gang and shit. I think that’s a very important part of the process of putting the project together. MIKE is somebody who I really respect their opinion on music, on life in general, but just especially… We talking about music. I’m not going to put a song on a project without playing that for MIKE. Not that he got to approve it because MIKE could be like, oh this is cool, and I love the song and I’ll still put it on there but I’m going to play it for my dog, you feel me? 

When did you first link up with MIKE?

2020. My nigga Sideshow. Shout out to Sideshow, my twin. He was in New York and me and Sideshow had kind of disconnected for a year or two, just fell out a communication type shit. It wasn’t no beef or nothing. I wasn’t on Instagram like that. That nigga wasn’t on Instagram at the time. It was before we was both rapping.

Then he posted in New York and was just like, “Bro, I miss you, nigga. Link up.” Linked up. He like, “Bro, you got to meet this nigga who I know you would be cool as fuck with.” And I wasn’t too hip to who MIKE was. I knew who MIKE was but I ain’t know how hard a nigga was as a rapper, or just like how cool he was as a nigga. So I pulled up. I pulled up on MIKE with Sideshow. And after that, bro, I’ve been with MIKE for like 60% of the time. My life since then, nigga, shit is crazy.

Dontay’s Inferno, the “Thank Allah” video was made via variety of public cameras. It looks like, what, Ring cameras? So what was the inspiration behind?

I ain’t going to lie. I’m glad you asked that because niggas be trying to make think pieces about that video and shit bro. Me and the homie Carlos ain’t have no resources, ain’t had shit. I literally was like, all I had in mind was okay let’s do a Ring camera shot and then he had another Ring camera type thing over his garage. We was at the house in Florida and shit. I’m like, “Okay, those two shots I for sure know I want to do. I’m going to pull them up in the driveway. We going to get this shot and I’ll rap into the doorbell shit.” 

But we sat down, we edited that shit. I ain’t even have enough clips, for real. If you watch the video, it’s a lot of the same clips repeated. And then most of the video, I’m not even rapping to the song. It is just clips put together, you feel me? So that shit just some real makeshift shit, bro.

One of your most recent records you team up with Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE and El Cousteau for Real Hip-Hop. How that track all came about?

Shit, when we was at… Shout out to Tony. We was in Tony Seltzer’s studio. We had been kicking it for a little bit just in the stu. MIKE could do some. I’d run some. Thebe would run some… We was all just doing shit on our own in the same session type shit. But everybody had the day where they’d work on some shit. It got to the point where I’m like, “All right bro, we all in this motherfucker. There’s no way we finna end this era without a song.” And Thebe don’t even, he don’t live in New York. He don’t be in New York too often, but around that time, that nigga was in New York like a motherfucker. 

I’m like, “All right. Bitch-ass niggas.” I go in the studio. I’m like, “Tony load me up, bro. Punch me in.” I go in there. I spit the first three bars. I’m like, “Let me hear it back.” I heard it back. I’m like, “Oh yeah, I got one.” Punched the rest of that shit in, bro. And then off that, Cousteau… Cousteau is such a workhorse, bro. This nigga Cousteau have a verse he wrote god damn two weeks ago that fit the song perfectly. So he go in there, lay his shit in like 10 minutes, bro. He lay his. I’m like, “Damn, we just torched this motherfucker.” That’s low-key why MIKE got the shortest verse on the song, but low-key one of the hardest on that motherfucker. MIKE dropped his eight bars. Now we just waiting on Thebe. I seen the nigga writing. I know he got something but I think he had stepped outside. He was on FaceTime with his son. Come back inside. Bro, we low-key like impeding on somebody else’s session so we got to finish this shit. Fuck it. They can wait.

I’m low-key like, “Damn nigga, hurry up so we can get out this bitch, get out these niggas’ way.” Thebe is just taking forever, bro. He’s on the phone with his son. So I’m like all right, cool. He get off the phone, he get to writing and shit. Me and Cousteau like, “We finna go to the store real quick.” He still ain’t lay shit yet. I’m like, “Bro, do your verse, nigga.” Nigga finally do his verse. That shit was done, bro. Fiftieth anniversary of hip hop, man.

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In an interview with Taste of Country published on May 24, Grammy Award-nominated country artist Jason “Jelly Roll” DeFord said that he smokes weed to stay away from hard drugs that he’s used in the past—namely opioids and benzodiazepines.

Given his past as an addict and his role in speaking against the use of fentanyl sweeping the country, the interview quickly shifted on the topic of drugs. But Jelly Roll doesn’t see weed the same way as hard drugs which can tear families apart and lead to deadly overdoses.

“I get in trouble for this, all the time, but my stance on marijuana will always be the same: I believe marijuana has helped me in so many regards, with my anxiety,” Jelly Roll told Taste of Country. “This is a hot button topic, but, truly, marijuana has kept me sober.”

The country superstar paused for a moment, then added, “I think a world without weed, Jelly Roll’s drinking codeine and popping Xanax and snorting cocaine again, but a world with weed, I’ll be alright.”

Jelly Roll abandoned hip-hop for a career in country music—which turned out to be a wise and lucrative decision. Jelly Roll’s album Whitsitt Chapel hit number 1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart and number 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums in 2023. In November 2023, he won the award for New Artist of the Year at the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards. He’s won three CMT Music Awards and several other accolades.

TMZ reports that Jelly Roll has been a huge voice against fentanyl use and an example for people dealing with drug addiction. Last January, he appeared in front of Congress to back anti-fentanyl legislation called the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act.

Jelly Roll gave an opening statement at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing about fentanyl awareness and legislative solutions to stop illegal smuggling of fentanyl. “Fentanyl transcends partisanship and ideology…this is a totally different problem,” he started the hearing with in a speech that was described by many as “powerful.”

‘The sad news is that narrative is changing, too, because the statistics say that in all likelihood almost every person in this room has lost a friend, family member of colleague to the disease known as addiction,’ DeFord told the committee chaired by Cleveland Democrat Sherrod Brown. ‘I could sit here and cry for days about the caskets I’ve carried of people I love dearly.’”

His messages about fentanyl and hard drug use, and the potential of replacing them with a less dangerous substance such as pot, have made a lasting impact.

Cannabis for Addiction

Cannabis has been explored for its potential role in fighting addiction of hard drugs. Some studies have focused on CBD for treating addiction disorders, some of which are caused by compulsive cravings, while others focused on THC as well.

While many studies have focused on cannabis to curb opioid use with some looking more broadly at stimulants, new research suggests that it could prove useful for those with crack use disorder (CUD). In fact, the popular non-psychoactive CBD, or cannabidiol, seems to be the key element.

The study, published recently in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, utilized a double-blind randomized clinical trial comparing CBD to three drugs commonly used to treat CUD: fluoxetine, valproic acid and clonazepam. Authors represent a number of Brazilian academic and official institutions, comprising various departments at the University of Brasília, the Brazilian Federal District’s secretary of health and forensic institute and the Federal University of São Paulo.

The research ultimately found that participants who took CBD had better health outcomes and fewer adverse effects compared to those who underwent traditional pharmaceutical options.

In another study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, researchers found that cannabis is not only widely used to manage stimulant cravings but that it may be an effective strategy to reduce stimulant use.

To further analyze how cannabis use may affect people using stimulant drugs, researchers collected data from three cohorts in Vancouver, Canada: the At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS), the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study (VIDUS) and the AIDS Care Cohort to Evaluate Exposure to Survival Services (ACCESS).

Researchers used a cross-sectional questionnaire alongside logistic regression models to analyze the relationship between cannabis use to manage stimulant cravings as well as self-reported changes in the frequency of stimulant use. 

Many others say cannabis replaced their daily alcohol use.

The studies seem to back up some of the claims about cannabis and sobriety. Jelly Roll, like country outlaw Willie Nelson, are helping to spread the good word on cannabis to the country music world.

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Monday was not a good day for billionaire Sean “Diddy” Combs—once one of the most highly respected producers in hip-hop and one of the most successful Black entrepreneurs to enter the game—as feds from multiple agencies raided two of his homes in Los Angeles and Miami. 

Two of Diddy’s homes were raided as part of a federal investigation led by the Southern District of New York into alleged human trafficking. Homeland Security officers from at least three locations took part in the raid, as well as other law enforcement members.

“Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners,” the spokesperson said. “We will provide further information as it becomes available.”

Diddy’s lavish $40 million dollar home in Holmby Hills in Los Angeles was raided. Aerial footage from KTLA in Los Angeles showed multiple SWAT vehicles descending on his house. It boasts 17,000 square feet and has a 3,000 square-foot guesthouse, and Los Angeles Times reported that it has a theater, a gym, a wine room, and an underwater swimming tunnel connecting to an underground grotto.

His other home—Emilio and Gloria Estefan’s former home on Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida, worth $35 million—was also raided. Combs, 54, was in the Miami area when the raids were taking place, according to law enforcement agents who obtained a warrant for his arrest Investigators seized the phones of Combs, as he was scheduled to depart for a vacay to the Bahamas. 

In December 2023, a lawsuit was filed against Combs by a Canadian woman identified only as Jane Doe, who says she was sex-trafficked and gang raped in 2003 when she was 17 and in the 11th grade. She says two of her associates were also victims, and she is accusing him of running a “sex trafficking scheme.” 

The lawsuit names Combs, former Bad Boy Entertainment president Harve Pierre and an unnamed third defendant, claiming Pierre and the third unnamed defendant approached the girl at a lounge in Detroit, Michigan, where Pierre allegedly told her he was “best friends” with Combs and dialed him up.

With photographic evidence, the lawsuit alleges Pierre and the unnamed defendant convinced the girl to take a private jet to Combs’s studio in New York City, where she alleges she was drugged up, and gang raped by all three defendants.

Jane Doe is the fourth person to file a lawsuit accusing Combs of sexual assault. An earlier complaint, for instance was made on Nov. 16, 2023, when the producer’s former girlfriend, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, filed a lawsuit against Combs, accusing him of sex trafficking and sexual assault.

Since the allegations, Diddy has stepped down as chairman of Revolt, a music-oriented digital cable television network founded by the rapper and producer, which he founded about 10 years ago.

Combs took to social media on Dec. 6, 2023, to denounce the allegations against him and defend himself, writing in a post on IG and Twitter, “Enough is enough.”

“Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday,” he said. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

Who is Diddy?

Diddy’s downfall is epic, given his prior successes. As founder of Bad Boy Records, which peaked at $100 million in value, Combs is best known for discovering and transforming The Notorious B.I.G., Usher, Mary J. Blige, rapper-turned-preacher Ma$e, and many other prolific artists. He won three of 13 Grammy Award nominations. He moved into fashion in 1998, and was brand ambassador for Cîroc vodka up until last year when his legal troubles caught up with him.

Changing his name numerous times, including Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and other names, Combs had multiple no. 1 albums and singles as an artist or featured artist. His ode to Notorious B.I.G. sampling Sting, “I’ll Be Missing You,” spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2022, Combs planned to launch what was billed as the world’s largest Black-owned cannabis brand with the $185 million purchase of existing licensed cannabis operations in three states, but the deal collapsed in 2023.

Diddy’s allegations come amid the fanfare of Quiet on Set on Max, a documentary exposing the dark underside of Nickelodeon, with allegations of multiple sex crimes involving the cast of All That and other shows on the network.

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Vice President Kamala Harris is hosting a White House meeting to discuss drug policy reform that will feature guests including hip hop artist Fat Joe and others who have benefitted from the cannabis pardons granted by the Biden administration. The Friday meeting will also include Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a leading proponent of cannabis legalization in his state, and other advocates for ending the criminal prohibition of marijuana. 

In October 2022, President Joseph Biden issued an executive order pardoning thousands of people with federal convictions for marijuana possession, saying, “No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana.” In December 2023, the president went further by expanding the pool of people eligible for a pardon for marijuana convictions under federal or Washington, D.C. law. 

“President Biden and I have been clear: We must continue to change our nation’s approach to marijuana and reform the criminal justice system,” the vice president said in a statement in December. As I have declared many times before, no one should be in prison simply for smoking weed. That is why we continue to call on Governors to join us in this long-overdue work.”

White House Meeting Features Pot Policy Reform Advocates

Friday’s meeting at the West Wing of the White House to discuss the Biden administration’s cannabis policy reforms will include guests such as Beshear and five-time Grammy award nominee Fat Joe, who is one of thousands of people to be pardoned by the president. 

“Friday’s engagement will build on the Vice President’s efforts to uplift the historic actions the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to ensure everyone has access to opportunity, including by making the criminal justice system more just. This will continue in the weeks and months to come,” a White House official said, according to a report from NBC News.

Another pardon recipient, cannabis activist Chris Goldstein, a regional coordinator with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), will also attend. In 2014, he was convicted of a federal marijuana possession charge for smoking marijuana during a protest in an outdoor area of Independence Hall National Historic Park in Philadelphia. 

“These Presidential pardons are a powerful and meaningful action,” Goldstein said in a statement from NORML. “They carry a tremendous power of goodwill — not just to those of us who received them, but for the entire country. These pardons are seen by people everywhere as tangible signs of the White House taking action on marijuana policy.”

Goldstein said that he plans to use the time with Harris at Friday’s meeting to bring further awareness to the presidential pardon process. He also hopes to stress the need for further federal action on cannabis reform, including the descheduling of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act.

“Three of us will discuss the real-world impact of our federal marijuana convictions and the relief provided by these Presidential pardons,” said Goldstein. “Thousands of people are still eligible, and this event should help raise awareness for more people to apply.”

“We will help represent tens of millions of Americans who have been arrested for marijuana in nearly a century of prohibition,” he added.

Reform Advocates Call For More Than Words

The news of this week’s White House roundtable discussion on cannabis policy reform was welcomed by justice advocates and members of the cannabis industry. Sarah Gersten, executive director and general counsel at the Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit working to secure the release of all cannabis prisoners, said that she hopes the meeting results in action from the president.

“Clearly, the administration understands that taking action to repair the harms of cannabis criminalization will help energize voters who overwhelmingly believe marijuana should be legal,” Gersten said in a statement on Wednesday. “But the general public also believes no one should be incarcerated for cannabis, and Biden has failed to keep that campaign promise. Biden could free the over 3,000 federal cannabis prisoners with the stroke of a pen. If he truly wants to tout his actions on cannabis reform, bolder action needs to be taken.”

Jeffrey M. Zucker, co-founder and president of Denver-based cannabis consultants firm Green Lion Partners, also called for the Biden administration to make meaningful progress on federal cannabis reform.

“From this meeting, I hope to see a shift toward comprehensive drug law reform that acknowledges the disproportionate impact of current policies on communities of color,” Zucker said in a statement to High Times. “Reforms prioritizing social justice, harm reduction and economic empowerment would reflect genuine progress.”

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Future’s cannabis brand Evol is now available in Nevada in partnership with cultivator Redwood Cultivation, a Sept. 22 announcement reads. After first being announced last April, then conquering California, Nevada marks the next strategic step in expanding Evol to the next state on the list.

As of last Friday, adults in Nevada can purchase eighths of premium pre-packaged Monster Kush, the first product to roll out, with more products from Evol by Future and Redwood Cultivation that will follow in the months ahead.

“Millions of people regard Future as one of the most influential artists of this generation. So we’re thrilled to collaborate with Future and Carma HoldCo to introduce his suite of premium EVOL by Future THC products,” said Paul Schloss, president and CEO of Redwood Cultivation.

“We can’t wait for Q4 of this year when Future’s top-shelf blunts, pre-rolls, and concentrates will be available here in Las Vegas,” said Schloss.

After proving themselves and winning with powerful crosses in the past, and numerous partnerships, Redwood Cultivation will take over Evol’s Nevada operations with new strains to drop soon.

Redwood Cultivation

Redwood Cultivation is led by Schloss, and the company has a 20,000 sq. ft., state of the art cultivation facility that’s primed with automated fertilization, drip irrigation, HVAC, lighting, and a Co2 system. It was originally founded by Harris Rittoff and Cherry Development in 2014. In 2016, Redwood was chosen to be the exclusive distributor in Nevada for Willie’s Reserve, the cannabis company run by Willie Nelson. They’ve also done partnerships with Cheech Marin’s cannabis company.

You can look at Redwood Cultivation’s work in the past to see how the Evol deal will play out. Check out recent strains that Redwood Cultivation dropped prior to Evol, including Scoops ( Gelato x Cookies & Cream x Tina) or Chem Sorbet (GMO x Sherbcrasher). Redwood also sells products like Stacked Decks, packs of pre-rolls designed to sell.

“Future’s influence is second to none. Evol by Future will resonate with millions of cannabis enthusiasts as his music has millions of listeners, and we can’t wait to share Future’s exceptional strains in Nevada with Redwood Cultivation,” said Adam Wilks, CEO of Carma HoldCo.

Why no lineage is immediately available, Monster Kush is typically a hybrid with 20 percent indica-leaning genetics and 80 percent sativa genetics. It has an impressive genetic lineage and spawned from the crossbreeding of Mexican, Colombian, and Thai genetics, along with G13 Hash Plant genetics for power.

Future and the Launch of Evol

High Times caught up with Future last April 20 to discuss Evol and the overall plan to expand.

“Evol was about timing,” Future told High Times last April 20. “I’ve had offers before. But this is different. Evol is about longevity, consistency, hard work, and having a quality product to share with the culture. And it’s got to feel natural. And I’m having fun with it too. And it’s a blessing to be here.”

The company also acknowledged to High Times the hurdles that celebrity-endorsed cannabis brands face, and that consumers want to know who is growing the cannabis.

“Consumers are smart,” said President and Chairman of Carma HoldCo, Chad Bronstein. “They know when someone as hardworking, consistent, influential and selective as Future puts his name on something, it will deliver. And that’s exciting for everyone, his fans, our customers, and the industry at large.”

The partnership with Carma HoldCo is the result of a carefully conceived plan. “As an artist, I strive to enlighten the world with different perspectives and experiences, whether through my lyrics, live performances, or other creative endeavors. With Carma HoldCo, I can apply that creativity to build a new cannabis lifestyle brand that resonates within my community and delivers a high-quality product to my fans and a much wider audience,” Future said in a statement when first announcing Evol.

The company plans to roll out more THC, CBD, and Delta 8/9 THC products to its Nevada operations. But it’s more than just a venture, it’s a plant that is prohibited around the world with laws that have impacted Future directly.

Future’s DJ, Cisco, fought out the hard way that cannabis isn’t tolerated in the Middle East. Cisco shared an experience to MTV in 2015 about his ordeal when he was locked up in jail in Abu Dubai for possessing cannabis. Airport security found weed in his luggage, a familiar scenario for Americans traveling outside of the country. Cisco ended up spending 56 days in a Dubai jail, along with a Taliban member. Officials from the U.S. embassy got involved, but it took them weeks to sort things out.

Check Evol’s finder tool to find out existing locations that carry Future’s cannabis products.

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In an interview with Book Club Chicago, Vic Mensa described the details of his Books Before Bars program, which aims to supply prisoners with books that can transform their lives. Mensa also mentioned his Books Before Bars program to High Times in 2022.

Currently, tens of thousands of prisoners are currently locked up on federal and state cannabis-related charges, which is one of the reasons why some cannabis brands and the leaders behind them aim to change that.

Mensa is one of the rappers trying to do that. He explained that Books Before Bars can trace its story back nearly a decade ago. Mensa gave a copy of Huey P. Newton’s autobiography Revolutionary Suicide, 1973, to an incarcerated friend.

The book tells the story of how Newton, co-founder of the Black Panthers, “mastered his memories and, essentially, transported himself mentally beyond the walls of a prison” during his own time behind bars in the ’60s.

“I’ve seen how the right book at the right time can be a seed which, if watered and natured, can grow an internal freedom even within the walls of a modern-day plantation,” Mensa said. “I started [Books Before Bars] with the cannabis company because I wanted to provide a freedom.”

According to data from the Illinois Department of Corrections, in 2019, the department banned hundreds of books including many about race and racism, before being forced to change its policy after public outcry.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Illinois has the third-highest racial disparity in cannabis possession arrests, with Black people 7.5 times more likely to be arrested than white people despite consuming cannabis at similar rates.

Some of the other books include The Autobiography of Gucci Mane by the Atlanta, Georgia-based rapper to Sister Outsider—a collection of essays and poems by Audre Lorde. Mensa told Book Club Chicago that he buys the books in bulk from the Black-woman-owned bookstore Semicolon which is in the Wicker Park area of Chicago. 

Semicolon is scheduled to be closed until August as it converts into a nonprofit model, however Mensa bought books in bulk before the store closed. 

Books Before Bars program is an initiative funded through Mensa’s cannabis line 93 Boyz. Mensa said he launched 93 Boyz to “address prison reform and equity in the cannabis space.” Books Before Bars is a big step towards that goal. “Cannabis has been used to snatch freedom from so many families,” Mensa said. “I felt it was imperative to provide freedom in whatever ways I could. It wouldn’t be responsibly aligned with my values to not have that socially minded angle within the larger framework of the cannabis business.”

A year ago, Mensa explained to High Times how he’d be launching a project with Books Before Bars, which was in the early stages at the time.

“Our first project that we’re launching […] with the release of our full strain portfolio is a project called Books Before Bars,” Mensa told High Times in the October 2022 issue. “We’re putting over one-thousand books into Illinois jails and prisons. This is an idea I had from my own experience sending literature to people in prison and seeing how their entire life experience can be—and has been—shifted by reading the right books. If you can’t attain freedom yet in the physical, you can get it in the mental while you’re still in the cage.”

93 Boyz is Chicago’s first Black-owned cannabis brand. Mensa co-founded the brand with rapper Towkio about a year ago. The brand sells eighths of flower, pre-rolls, and vape pens, and you can find strains like Jet Fuel, Gelonade, Gary Payton OG, Rainbow Belts, or The Lotto.

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Hip-hop artist and cannabis community icon Afroman announced over the weekend that he is running for president of the United States in 2024. Afroman, who became a hero of the weed crowd with his song “Because I Got High” in 2000, announced his bid for the White House on Sunday during a concert performance at the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, according to a report from TMZ. Two days later, he took to social media to spread his message to a broader audience.

“My Fellow Americans, there comes a time in the course of human events when change must be affected,” Afroman wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. “That time is now. Americans are suffering, and the status quo is no longer acceptable. Inflation is out of control. The economy is in shambles. The housing market is staggering. Politicians are corrupt. Bad apples are allowed to remain in law enforcement, amongst our noble and brave officers.”

“It is my immense honor and pleasure to formally announce Afroman as an independent candidate for President of the United States of America,” he added.

Afroman, aka Joseph Edgar Foreman, was born in Los Angeles in 1974 and got an early start in the music business by recording songs and selling them to his classmates by the time he was in eighth grade. He released his first album in 1998 before relocating to Mississippi, where he made contacts in the music business who would eventually produce and perform on “Because I Got High.” The song, which detailed how marijuana could interfere with the chores of modern life, became a hit in 2001, the year the track was featured in films including Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Afroman released his latest album, Lemon Pound Cake, in September.

Afroman Pledges To Be ‘Cannabis Commander in Chief’

Referring to himself as the “Cannabis Commander in Chief” and the “Pot Head of State” in his social media post, Afroman promised to make cannabis reform and other issues a priority of his campaign for president.

“Medicinal plants are criminalized, while pharmaceutical companies enrich themselves on chemicals with unknown side effects,” he wrote. “The media sows the seeds of hatred 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. They attempt to divide based on race, religion, gender, sexual preference, and every other category that they can think of.”

In a separate post on Instagram, Afroman outlined eight priorities for his 2024 presidential campaign. First and foremost was decriminalizing cannabis and “other substances with low harm profiles.” He noted that federal law still classifies marijuana as a Schedule I substance, the strictest classification under the nation’s drug laws. He promised change, saying he would deschedule and decriminalize cannabis and launch a public service ad campaign to publicize the benefits of the plant.

Afroman also pledged to make criminal justice reforms, noting that more than 40,000 people are incarcerated for cannabis at any given time, at a cost of more than $1.5 billion per year. He committed to commuting the sentences of all nonviolent federal cannabis prisoners and said he would “work hard to right the wrongs of the past, in all areas where Americans have been failed within the criminal justice system.”

He also called for law enforcement reforms, an end to all foreign aid, and reparations for African Americans. Other priorities of the campaign include tax breaks for professional athletes to encourage celebratory displays, the legalization of prostitution, and the “promotion of unity, peace, and love.”

“We need a candidate that is truly elected by the people, and for the people. We need a man that can step up and lead with a firm hand,” wrote Afroman. “The people are starved for a Commander in Chief, that leads from a place of love and not hate. In these dark times, we need a leader that truly embodies the American dream.”

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This April, a massive 420 event, packed with an impressive lineup of hip-hop and rap musicians, is heading to Southern California.

The Smoker’s Club Festival is an 18+ event will be held at the Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California, on Saturday, April 30—a destination that has been popularly chosen as the location for many other cannabis-related events in the past. If you’ve been looking for a sign to get out there and celebrate 420 in the sun, rather than in your living room, this is it. The Smoker’s Club announced the good news on January 20. “WE’RE BACK. APRIL 30. SO CAL,” The Smoker’s Club wrote on social media.

The 2022 event headliners include Kid Cudi, A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Schoolboy Q (performing hits off his album Oxymoron), Wiz Khalifa (performing songs off his mixtape Kush & Orange Juice), 2 Chainz and so many more. Kid Cudi was busy in 2021, not only because he headlined Rolling Loud LA, but he also hinted that he’s got two albums in the works for 2022. Likewise A$AP Rocky headlined Rolling Loud Miami and ComplexCon 2021 last year and teased in a GQ interview that his new album, tentatively called All Smiles, would be released in the future.

This lineup has a lot in common with The Smoker’s Club Festival in 2018, which was held in Long Beach, California. Among its headliners were also Kid Cudi, Wiz Khalifa and Schoolboy Q, as well as Rashad, Ty Dolla $ign, Dom Kennedy, Lil Skies and Mac Miller prior to his passing.

This year’s The Smoker’s Club Festival is also jam-packed with over 65 artists in the lineup—the poster advertisement contains so many individual acts that they can barely fit all of them on one page. Joey Bada$$, Danny Brown, Rico Nasty, SahBabii, Clams Casino, The Cool Kids, Asher Roth, Kreayshawn—it’s an epic setup that you’re not likely to find anywhere else. It has been a rough few years for musicians who rely on touring and in-person performances, so seeing some of these great groups and individuals in one place is a joyous occasion. Given the vast amount of entertainment contained in this one-of-a-kind event, tickets are priced at $222.99 for general admission, $408.99 for VIP access and $429.00 and up for hotel packages.

The Smoker’s Club is a famous New York City-based lifestyle brand founded by Jonnyshipes, Smoke DZA and Shiest Bubz. The trio first came up with the name in early 2010 at a humble smoke session. By March 2010, they had managed to put together the first The Smoker’s Club show at SXSW. Back then, it gathered artists such as Currensy, Smoke DZA, Kendrick Lamar, Devin The Dude, Big K.R.I.T., Schoolboy Q, JayRock and many more. According to the founders, people everywhere began requesting The Smoker’s Club shows in their home cities, and “so the legend of the Smokers Club was born.” Since then, the event has been held in over 100 cities and 20 different countries across the globe.

Twelve years following that first event, The Smoker’s Club brand now offers high-end streetwear and accessories. Some of their best sellers are oversized hoodies with and premium cotton T-shirts, and the brand also offers a wide variety of beanies, ashtrays, stickers, pins and other accessories as well.

Not to mention that The Smoker’s Club also offers three “connoisseur cannabis” flowers that are all described as hybrid/indica-dominant. Donuts is described as a smooth and robust smoke that has a strange but pleasant “creaminess” at the end of the exhale. Critterz smells of guava and chocolate, with a “gassy essence” but a fruit-cream-like flavor when exhaling. Lastly, Jobstopper brings a heavy fuel profile, but still offers sweet flavors such as vanilla cake, cream cheese frosting and whipped cream.

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Victor Kwesi Mensah, 28, was arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport on Saturday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered a stash of psychedelic narcotics in his baggage including psilocybin and LSD. Mensah is better known by his stage name as a rapper, Vic Mensa.

According to a CBP press release, Mensah arrived on board a flight from Ghana early on Saturday morning. For reasons unexplained, his baggage was examined a second time. During a secondary baggage examination, CBP officers discovered about 41 grams of liquid lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), about 124 grams of psilocybin capsules, 178 grams of psilocybin gummies, and six grams of psilocybin mushrooms concealed inside Mensah’s luggage.

Mensah’s father and extended family are from Ghana, and the artist frequently zig-zags between Africa and Chicago, among other places.

Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) Police officers were alerted and charged Mensah with felony narcotics possession charges. MWAA officers took custody of Mensah and seized the drugs.

CBP leaders urged flyers to throw away their drugs before entering the airport. “Travelers can save themselves time and potential criminal charges during their international arrivals inspection if they took a few minutes to ensure that their luggage is drug free,” said Daniel Escobedo, who serves as Area Port Director for CBP’s Area Port of Washington, D.C. “Narcotics interdiction remains a Customs and Border Protection enforcement priority and we remain committed to working closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure that those who transport illegal narcotics into the United States are investigated and prosecuted.”

While traveling with cannabis on domestic flights is one thing—carrying any sort of drugs on an international flight is a more serious matter. Let it be known, however, that the Psilo psilocybin mushroom cubes found in Mensah’s stash contain only microdoses of psilocybin with 0.14g of psilocybin per piece—which isn’t exactly enough to send a person into a trip. At that small of doses, the psilocybin gummies probably cause no more than a mood change. The other products he was in possession also come in microdoses.

Given that he was caught with the drugs in microdoses, it’s quite possible he was using psychedelics for medical reasons. In one study published months ago in the journal Nature, people who microdosed psilocybin exhibited lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress across gender. As it turns out, Mensah himself opened up about his battles with depression and drug addiction in his 2018 song “10K Problems.” 

Mensah recently branched out from his hip-hop roots to form a punk rock and rap band named 93Punx, which released an ICE protest song as well as another single with Travis Barker. The price tag from his recent legal woes might hit his pocket soon. But recently, he enlisted Chance the Rapper and Wyclef Jean for the track “Shelter.”

Don’t test the CBP when it comes to drugs, especially if it’s an international flight.

CBP officers processed more than 650,000 travelers on average last year, who arrived at airports, seaports and land border crossings. CBP officers and agents arrested an average of 25 wanted criminals every day at ports of entry located across the U.S. See what else CBP accomplished during a typical day in 2021.

Visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about what types of items were seized by CBP’s Office of Field Operations.

Psilocybin is legal for medical use decriminalized in the state of Oregon—the first state to legalize the psychedelic for medical purposes when voters approved Measure 109 in 2020. Cities in an additional six other states decriminalized psilocybin mushrooms at the city level.

Decriminalization efforts going on around the country would also decriminalize LSD and other psychedelics. Several major cities across the U.S. have moved forward already. California Senate Bill 519, for instance, would decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms and LSD—as well as DMT, mescaline and MDMA.

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Cannabis point-of-sale platform Flowhub announced on Tuesday the closing of a $19 million round of strategic funding, including significant participation from venture capital firms Headline and Poseiden as well as a personal investment from entrepreneur and hip-hop billionaire Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. 

The new round of funding for Flowhub brings the total amount of capital raised for the company to $50 million with a valuation of $200 million, according to a statement from the cannabis dispensary payment transactions processor.

“We are thrilled to announce this capital raise,” said Kyle Sherman, founder and CEO of Flowhub. “Headline is an incredible, Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, Poseidon is a pioneer investor in the cannabis industry, and Jay-Z is a cultural and creative global force no matter the industry he is involved in.”

“I couldn’t think of a better group to be working with as we take this company to the next stage,” Sherman added. “This funding not only underscores the significant value that Flowhub provides to our customers, but also the maturation of the cannabis industry at large. We remain committed to developing innovative products that help our retail customers run better businesses.”

Flowhub processes in excess of $3 billion in cannabis transactions annually, providing more than 1,000 marijuana dispensaries a retail sales platform to serve their customers while maintaining compliance with strict regulations. The company will use the new round of funding to accelerate its expansion into emerging cannabis markets while developing new products for its expanding line of services.

Supporting Cannabis Social Equity

The company also plans to use the new funding to support and grow its social equity program, which was launched by Flowhub in June to invest in communities adversely impacted by the War on Drugs. 

Through the program, eligible social equity cannabis business owners can receive Flowhub’s POS retail management and compliance software for only $4.20 per year, which represents a reduction of 99.97 percent over regular pricing. The discount is available for up to three years at the social equity owner’s first cannabis dispensary business location.

The Flowhub social equity program also provides participating cannabis retailers with the company’s Stash inventory management and Greet customer check-in mobile apps, as well as the View mobile analytics app and free implementation of the technology. 

To date, Flowhub has awarded more than $1 million worth of software products to eligible cannabis entrepreneurs participating in the program. More information about the Flowhub cannabis social equity program is available online.

Software Allows Debit Transactions at Cannabis Dispensaries

Because of the continued illegality of cannabis at the federal level, most banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions do not offer traditional banking services to cannabis businesses, even those operating legally under state law. As a result, most dispensaries are forced to conduct transactions with their customers and suppliers via cash.

“We’re still a cash industry, and it’s 2021,” Sherman told Forbes. “It’s hard to believe when we barely have cards in our pocket anymore with Apple Pay.”

Flowhub’s POS software addresses the cash issue by allowing customers to use their debit cards to make sales transactions at cannabis dispensaries. But instead of being processed as a debit card sale, the transaction is technically an ATM withdrawal.

“It’s not really debit, but it feels like it,” Sherman said.

Jay-Z and Cannabis

Jay-Z’s stake in Flowhub isn’t his first foray into the cannabis industry. In 2019, he became the brand strategist for Caliva, where he developed his signature high-end cannabis brand Monogram. The following year, Caliva, Monogram and Left Coast Ventures were acquired through a SPAC deal that produced the Parent Company, where Jay-Z heads the social equity venture fund.

“When Jay says, ‘I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man,’ it’s true,” said Sherman, recalling a sample of Jay-Z’s well-known lyrics. “He’s got incredible business acumen—he really knows how to surround himself with brilliant people and build great companies.”

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