Cure Rater
Deep on the Heart of Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, a community heart beats. Vaughn Jefferson, aka The Cure Rater, tackles the ills, both present and historical, inside his neighborhood of Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. Murals, rhymes and deep self discovery paint the colorful picture of healing needed to move this community, ravaged by the war on drugs, forward
Leonard Pickard and 15 million hits of Acid
Ronit Pinto and Sam C. Long interview the legendary William Leonard Pickard on Life, Death and Psychedelic Medicine. Pickard is responsible for manufacturing nearly 90% of the world's LSD. Recently released from prison after 20 years in maximum security, he was a keynote speaker at the Trailblazers conference in Sedona, Arizona (May 2022). During Day 2 of the event, Pickard spoke to Honeysuckle about his most powerful experience with LSD, how psychedelics affect human consciousness, and thoughts on the meaning of life and death.
Delisioso
From king of the world to the nation's longest-serving nonviolent cxnnabis prisoner, to freedom advocate: Richard DeLisi's story is larger than life. The OG legend served 32 years in prison (of a 90-year sentence) for his adventures with the plant. But his post-release journey is even bigger. His tale encompasses some of the culture's major pioneers, including activists, hip hop icons, award-winning actors, creators of the biggest brands in the business, and the fight for all people to have proper justice. At its heart, this is a story of persistence and the love between a father and son, and how their work to rebuild their relationship within a growing community is changing lives everywhere.
Returning citizens
A story with so many layers. In one room 4 people previously incarcerated for nearly a cumulative century. Larry Butter Smith, an exoneree, falsely accused served 26 years; another, sentenced at age 13; two women both served time and spent time in America’s faulty foster care system. Today, each of them heals their communities and other victims of society’s plagues in a plethora of ways.
The two men featured in this video. @larrybuttersmith and @bernardhoward364 talk about some of these issues; as part of a longer story we are working on.
Pat
Meet Pat (Patricia Wright), who learned to survive abuse by cultivating resilience. In a frank exploration of ritual and self-care, the hardworking mom reflects on her strict upbringing, where she was punished for “unladylike” behavior such as whistling. As she goes through her personal meditation, she shares her experiences with being criminalized for cannabis and the pain of seeing history repeat itself with her son. Despite the challenges, she finds respite in appreciating time to breathe.
Taking a more documentary-style approach, this episode delves into the generational traumas of cannabis prohibition. How can we shift family dialogues around cannabis to break the stigmas? When should parents start talking about the plant with their children? Communities of color continue to be negatively impacted by overpolicing around cannabis, based on centuries of systemic racism. How do we rise above? Some of those answers may be in learning our inner strength, as Pat does.
Certz
An exclusive with the boss-man himself Stephan V. CEO and legend at the Certz HQ in midtown. Enter at your own Risk!
Certz is a multimillion dollar brand recognized worldwide for its premium strains, unique merch and fire events at its exclusive Midtown lounge. Owner and creator Steph V also helms the music label Certz Entertainment; his work in hip hop is legendary, as he's produced hits for artists like Jim Jones, The LOX, Lumidee, Yung LB and more. One of the original NYC legacy providers, Steph V opened up about how he's made Certz the go-to brand for creative plant lovers. In this exclusive, he shared with us how he trekked to the top through an arduous journey of survival.
Havoc: Mobb Deep
"My entire career is a beat... I'm never finished with my career." Go inside our 17th issue cover story with @mobbdeephavoc, one of NYC's most iconic hip hop producers and half of pioneering duo @mobbdeepqb. The legend explains his roots in Queens bridge, his inspiration from the music video innovators like @rundmc @officialbigdaddykane and more, plus his creative process which merges positive thinking with the power of the plant. We shot Havoc at @thcnyc in Soho, at the heart of NYC advocacy.