For years, getting into the cannabis industry was a high-stakes game reserved for the well-capitalized. Entrepreneurs shelled out millions for real estate, lawyers, and license applications thick enough to stop a door. Some waited months—or years—only to be denied a license altogether. Now, the tables have turned. A new wave of cannabis businesses is hitting
As gravity dictates, whatever goes up must come down. During parties, we expose our bodies to an avalanche of stimuli that, once everything fades, leaves a mark not just on the body but on our state of consciousness. After that whirlwind comes a sort of “depersonalization” or “derealization” of the soul: a struggle to return
By the time John Backer lights up, you already know the vibe. The Los Angeles native behind the band We Knew Nothing speaks fast, laughs easily, and treats creative choices like sacred oaths. He rolls blunts in the studio because it settles the mind, then chases songs that feel true in his bones. If he
As cannabis becomes a booming global industry, America is stuck on the sidelines. While countries like Canada, Portugal and Colombia ship products around the world, U.S. federal laws block companies from exporting — and that delay could be costing up to $10 billion a year in lost trade, jobs and influence. When I first asked
After weeks of judging across two coasts, the MJBowl has revealed the 2025 MVPs. These first-place winners represent the top performers in every major product category in California and New York, reflecting the finest craftsmanship, freshest ideas and most expressive regional styles shaping the market right now. This year’s list highlights standout entries across both
Step aside, ice water hash, the pendulum is swinging toward extracts purified by the power of electricity in the mid-2020s. Hash connoisseurs and the mainstream that follows them have made a type of kief purified by static electricity all the rage. Clumps of hash heads, by Wolverinedabs. Photo by Marvin Lee – @surfacearea999 Coming out
There’s an argument to be made that people in counter-culture are actually the normal ones—the ones who “keep it real” in a world obsessed with conformity. Naturally, when something real gets too loud or too loved, the corporate world finds a way to cash in on it—both for profit and, sometimes, for sport. Remember when
Two new peer-reviewed studies are inviting people to rethink how cannabis interacts with aging, health and everyday behavior. One study reports that older adults with a history of cannabis use perform better on several cognitive tests than non-users. Another finds that adults who live close to licensed cannabis retailers are less likely to engage in
When DOPE Magazine first appeared on coffee tables and dispensary counters, it stood for more than a four-letter slang word. The name was an acronym: Defending Our Plant Everywhere. It was a promise that cannabis media could be stylish, funny and beautiful while still grounded in a simple idea: we owe something back to the
As cannabis becomes a regulated global commodity—spanning pharma, exports and healthcare—the U.S. risks falling behind. While other regions advance professionalized, regulated markets, federal inaction and investor hesitation threaten America’s role in the industry it once led. Call it what you want—emerging, evolving, exploding—the global cannabis market is no longer a curiosity. In late 2025, the
