BLACKLIGHT: Iconography of the Gentrified Stoner

A Blacklight investigation into how celebrity cannabis branding has warped the meaning of icon and overshadowed the activists, caregivers, and families who carried the plant through criminalization. This feature exposes the cultural amnesia that elevates market-friendly faces while burying the movement’s real architects and the sacrifices that made modern legalization possible.

Reefer Report Card: The Week in Weed, Rated Vol. 21 — October 25 to November 1, 2025

This week, the global cannabis movement faced storms, setbacks, and scattered progress. Jamaica’s farmers reeled from Hurricane Melissa, U.S. politicians revived outdated fears about senior stoners, and Florida tangled its medical system in red tape. South Africa finally legalized personal use, while Congress kept banking reform buried. A chaotic week graded

The Ones Who Built It: Chris Simunek and the Lost Soul of Cannabis Journalism

In Part Two of our exclusive interview with former High Times Magazine Editor-in-Chief Chris Simunek, the conversation turns raw. From outlaw growers and underground legends to lost friends and a culture gutted by greed, Simunek reflects on the rise and fall of cannabis journalism. This is not nostalgia. This is what the movement lost when legalization cashed in.

Texas Governor’s Executive Order on Hemp THC is Power, Not Protection

Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA 56 hands Texas alcohol regulators control over hemp THC, framing it as “protection” while consolidating power. The $5 billion hemp market now faces child-resistant packaging rules, ID checks, and compliance costs that favor big players. This is not about kids or health; it is about control, consolidation, and outlaw culture under fire.

Pete Davidson’s Weakness Is Not Weed’s Problem

Pete Davidson’s claim that weed is “too strong” isn’t just a personal meltdown, it’s ammunition for prohibitionists eager to push THC caps and bad laws. Cannabis culture has fought for decades to kill myths and lies, and we won’t let one unstable celebrity hand our enemies the soundbite they’ve been waiting for.

Cheech Made Chicano Art a Force

Cheech Marin turned weed money into a monument. The Cheech isn’t just a museum, it’s a cultural counterpunch, a stoned out cathedral built for the artists the art world ignored. No permission, no filter, no apologies. This is the untold story of how one rebel flipped the script, lit the fuse, and made Chicano art impossible to erase.

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