For a certain kind of Thanksgiving celebration, cannabis — in all its forms — is a key component of the year’s biggest meal.
One of California and the Emerald Triangle’s most ambitious profile cannabis companies faces serious struggles that threaten its survival, even after over $200m in outside investment
In a “Letter From Barcelona,” the Catalan culture capital’s weed-friendly offerings are explored even as the pandemic lingers.
A first-person essay about hiking in the Sonoran Desert to leave water for migrants crossing the borderlands by foot. Was selected for the 2020 Best American Travel Writing anthology, published by HMH Books. 1st Place winner in domestic travel at the 2020 San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards.
Luke Scarmazzo is serving a 22-year-long sentence in federal prison for operating a California state-legal medical cannabis dispensary. He was guaranteed a pardon by the Trump administration and was denied at the last minute without reason. I talk to Scarmazzo and others to find out what might have happened in his controversial case.
San Diego native, ex-NFL star, and current legal cannabis business owner discusses weed’s place in local culture and leaving football.
Canna-business is booming. Why is it so hard to buy decent gear?
Thanks to an intrepid group of growers and an unlikely ally, California’s wine industry, a process to identify quality cannabis according to where it’s grown is finally being formalized.
Fires ravage the Emerald Triangle, the historic home of cannabis cultivation in the United States. I decide that it’s a good time to take a trip to see how legal and illegal cannabis farms are weathering the blaze. Originally published on Cannabitch, republished at Inside the Jar. Selected for the 2021 Best American Travel Writing anthology, published by HMH Books.
It was July 2020 and I was in Jacumba Hot Springs, a high desert town populated with scrub, Live Oak trees and about 500 people. I’d just come from a protest in nearby Campo, where contractors were building a new section of border wall.
Emerald Triangle growers are concerned about alarming price drops for their product and what that means for their future.
The strength of California’s illicit cannabis market has been a significant thorn in the side of legal operators, who pay high licensing fees and taxes in order to stay legit. They’re hoping a civil lawsuit and bolstered criminal enforcement can turn the tide.
The pandemic and a legal battle have slowed down the organizing effort at one of SoCal’s largest, wealthiest and most influential tribal casinos, but it could have major implications for other tribal casinos and workers. The casino has hired a well-known consulting firm to persuade workers to keep the union at bay.
Op-ed about Orwell’s legacy and how it applies to national politics in the United States
Johnny Casali spent 8 years in prison for growing cannabis at his southern Humboldt County home and farm. Now, decades later, he has a tourism license for the same farm, where he now legally grows cannabis.
Anxiety — whether physical, mental, or some combination thereof — is a common unwanted side effect of smoking cannabis. This is a guide to getting around it.
A walk on Spain’s pilgrimage route transforms the pain of a divorce into something like an epiphany. Won 2nd place in Magazines - International travel category at the 2020 San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards.
By many metrics, what is happening on Hawaii island can be considered a natural disaster. But native Hawaiians I spoke to view this period not as one of pure destruction, but rather the logical continuation of their islands’ geological evolution — a time of deep cultural and personal reflection and realignment.
Valle de Guadalupe is Mexico’s wine country. People come here to sip little-known red wine blends and huddle up next to a roaring fire as the air cools and the sun slips behind the desert mountains. Then they return to their hotels, where they run the shower, blissfully unaware that every drop of water they use brings their hosts closer to disaster. Won Third Place in the Daily Reporting and Writing-Food Story category at the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists 2017 Journalism Contest
Exploring the popularity of content about cults (New Religious Movements) in American media.
Franco initiated a grand economic plan designed to achieve self-sufficiency: Spain would pool its resources and centralize production. As part of this policy, quotas were enacted that outlawed milk production under 10,000 liters a day. This made small dairies and cheesemaking productions illegal.
Also republished at Anthony Bourdain: Explore Parts Unknown
One man is intent on saving the vanishing crops that were once part of Mexico's national identity.
Humboldt County is leading the way for the cannabis tourism industry.
Exploring the history and market of cannabis cookbooks.
Chinese immigrants, mostly from present-day Guangzhou, first arrived in Mexicali around 1900, contracted by the Mexican government to build the railroad on both sides of the border. Today, Mexicali has less of a reputation for its vice-laden history and is now known for its particular brand of Chinese cuisine.
This plant-practice pairing has been gaining traction in the yoga community. Here, how THC and CBD can impact your time on the mat.
As cannabis banking legislation continues to stall in congress, businesses are eager to access the national banking system. Rather than wait for the federal government to get on board, though, some owners and operators are increasingly looking to crypto currencies, like Bitcoin and Ethereum, to solve their banking woes.
If 2017 was the year “overtourism” entered the dictionary, 2018 looks set to be when the battle lines are drawn.
As more ways to lawfully imbibe cannabis become available, the choices can be confusing
Mutual aid groups—a creation of anarchist ideology—are helping to keep San Diego communities provided for during the pandemic.
To the untrained eye and palate, a ham is just a ham—usually, one entire pig leg or shoulder, sliced into short, rectangular, paper-thin sheets. But with so many types of ham on the market, it can be difficult to know which is the best and why. When it comes to Spanish ham, knowledge is power.
What is it really like to get divorced in your 30s? At an age when everyone is pairing up, not splitting up, Jackie Bryant opens up about starting all over again.
For a growing number of National City families, Olivewood Gardens is where they learned how to cook healthy meals—and help their communities do the same.
Gaviria is the founder of Masienda, a company that acts as a broker and importer for small-scale Mexican farmers of landrace corn.
You don't need to travel to the Spanish region to experience their cuisine. Simply adopt the tapas lifestyle for a day of relaxation.
From thoughtful dialogue to clear consent, how filmmaker Erika Lust is advancing ethical pornography.
To an outsider, Barcelona is an easily peggable city: Perched on the Mediterranean, it’s filled with wide boulevards, dreamy architecture, a lauded food culture, and a live-and-let-live atmosphere that’s noticeable within minutes of landing at El Prat airport. Spend a few days here and it’s easy to see why locals consider it one of the most livable cities on earth. (This piece is the introduction to a 12-part, weeklong guide to the city)
A sloped landscape's design creates function, beauty and more family time outside.
Mexico’s premier wine region is in the midst of a cultural revival, and this time, it’s being driven by native talent rather than outsiders.
As my car drove up a meandering, narrow road through a grove of oak trees near the village of Jabugo, Spain, an hour outside of Seville, I reminded myself to stay alert. It’s not every day you get to observe free-range pigs in their natural habitat, and I was determined not to miss them. I was there visiting one of the top Jamón Ibérico producers in Spain—a company called Cinco Jotas.
What does natural wine mean in Mexico, anyway, and who is making it?
This isn’t some sad pizza topping; these are beautiful preparations of a regional specialty.
Colombian chefs explore their newly tranquil country’s diverse culinary offerings.
"I always respect other winemakers, but if someone asks me my opinion, I tell them, 'Your wine tastes like you got it from your hole. Your asshole.'"
Olot is a town about thirty-six miles inland from the Mediterranean Sea and a two-hour drive from Barcelona; but as far as Fina Puigdevall is concerned, it may as well be on another planet.
One of my favorite things to do when showing visitors around Barcelona is to order them a vermouth. Almost always, they do a double take, with the same line of questioning: “Vermouth? Straight? Why is it dark?”
Today, San Diego is inching back toward its wine heritage thanks to intrepid growers and winemakers determined to restore larger-scale wine production to the region.
If there’s one question Barcelona’s culinary world is tired of hearing, it’s likely something along the lines of “what’s going to be the next El Bulli?” Nobody more so than Albert Adrià, chef and principal of the elBarri restaurant group.
It only makes sense that successful Mexican chefs look north to try and expand their reach, though doing so means learning and navigating the legal and social customs of an entirely different country.
“What are you doing in this lane?” a Customs and Border Patrol agent in at the crossing into Douglas, Arizona, yelled at us from outside the car. This border crossing was not like the others. Won 1st place in the Online Domestic Travel category in the San Diego Press Club 2017 Excellence in Journalism Awards
We know you’ve heard of Tijuana, a city that, up until recently, hasn’t needed an introduction—or, maybe we should say, a reintroduction.
It’s hard to think of a time before burrata. The ultra-creamy Italian cheese made of mozzarella and stracciatella is near-ubiquitous on menus these days: in a caprese salad, on Neapolitan-style pizzas or with peaches or pistachios, to give a few examples.
At a certain point on the road to Long Island’s east end, a stretch of beaches and farms, there’s a sign that reads “Welcome to: Long Island Wine Country.”
Just as the world is starting to take tequila seriously and opening its eyes to mezcal, another agave spirit has burst onto the scene. Raicilla, the newest drink on the block, is an herbal distillate from the Mexican state of Jalisco, an area best known for the tourist hot spot of Puerto Vallarta, and the country’s second-largest city, Guadalajara.
Things move at a different pace here in San Diego. National trends take a long time to reach us, but sometimes, we’re lucky enough to find ourselves at the cutting edge of one -- not because we’re on top of our game per se, but because we’re still enjoying it from its first incarnation. Featured in "Rum: Sailors, Pirates and Prohibition," a 2017 exhibit at the Maritime Museum of San Diego
Rather than head the half mile to the Mediterranean Sea, I drove inland to a town called Siurana, near where my mother-in-law lives, to check out what I was told is some of the best cheese in all of Spain.
With the lifting of marijuana prohibition in California, San Diegans are facing a lot of firsts. But whether it’s someone’s first or thousandth time in a dispensary, it’s always a good idea to be in the know.
Hana is a geographically isolated town under the Haleakala volcano on Maui's eastern shore, where food is essential to keeping the sense of community alive.
Based in Marshall, California, Hog Island has become not only a day-trip destination for bivalve-loving bon vivants and a dining institution in San Francisco, but more importantly, a beacon of aquaculture sustainability.
If you go, you’ll find pristine, near-empty beaches; understated eco resorts; a varied and delicious homegrown cuisine with priority on sustainable foods; and a laid-back people who recognize you could’ve gone elsewhere, and who appreciate your efforts.
Too often, the discussion of Baja’s culinary revolution skips over the Valle de Guadalupe’s sleepier little sister, the port city of Ensenada. Flanked by desert mountains, facing the stark blue Pacific Ocean and bestowed with one of the most pleasant climates on earth, Ensenada is just 90 miles south of downtown San Diego, making it the ideal destination for a day trip.
If you’re into bubbles or Italian wines, you’re probably already well-versed in prosecco and Lambrusco. Well, there’s another Italian sparkling wine we’re geeking out over right now: Franciacorta.
“Oh, yes. We have Under the Counter,” the waiter responded as the entire table erupted in laughter and looked towards me. He turned and sped off, presumably to grab the hooch.
Americans overlook this alpine region pocked with freshwater -- aside, maybe, from the famous Lake Como. But around Italy (and pretty much the rest of Europe) vacationers know and love these lakes between Verona and Milan, each with a distinct scene, whether that be sailing, celebrity, or simply being hidden.
It was during that low tourism period that Tijuanenses seized on opportunity and reintroduced Tijuana on their own terms, ushering in a golden age of food, drink, design and art to sustain the city. That effort has paid off; Tijuana has been rediscovered. Won 1st place in the Online International Travel category in the San Diego Press Club 2017 Excellence in Journalism Awards
Even after decades of accolades, including three Michelin stars and repeat appearances at number one on the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list, the three Roca brothers at the helm of El Celler de Can Roca place family at the heart of what they do. Won Third Place in the Profiles category at the 2016 San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards.
After chatting with people and getting through the requisite rounds of “Congratulations on your new president!”—which was funny, but also not funny—I sought out an apfelwein tavern to drink off the jet lag.
Your challenge: you have one day and night in Mexico's emerging Valle de Guadalupe, located two hours south of San Diego—known for its wine, boutique hotels, and farm-to-table Baja Med cuisine.
It must be said that as Mexico's most northwestern state and one of its youngest, Baja has a newer food culture and it has only crystallized in the last 15 years or so. Though Baja’s cuisine was previously undefined, what is for sure is that there are certain dishes— some of which are taking the food world by storm right now (um, tostadas, anyone?) — that are undeniably “Baja.”
Since early October, when Hurricane Matthew devastated an already limping Haiti, refugees have been fleeing the island, with many ending up in Brazil. From there, they take buses towards the United States, where their journeys often end in Tijuana.
There’s usually one way to wake up in Baja California's Valle de Guadalupe during a normal weekender: head pounding, eyes squinting, smelling like last night’s bonfire, and desperately groping for a water bottle. But add an organized festival to those regular festivities—a festival where winemakers, chefs, and hoteliers are ready to party—and you have an entire region in full-on revelry.
If you've been paying attention at all, you'll know that Oaxaca is on the top of everyone's must-visit list these days. This southern Mexican state has made a name for itself, thanks to a strong indigenous culture, and its most famous exports are the the impressive food traditions and colorful folk art.
Wellness vacations are a dime a dozen these days, but Cabo San Lucas’s Resort at Pedregal has gone a step beyond the usual suite of treatments. The resort’s spa offers an experience that not only gets guests back in touch with themselves, but also allows them to connect more deeply with the roots of the local culture with ancient Mexican traditions.
Do you like tequila, tacos, and fun? Congratulations! You must be a human. Are you also a human residing in America who's curious about crossing the border into Tijuana to experience said tequila, tacos, and fun? Well, you'll want to read this before you go.
Even in daylight, candles are necessary at Café No Se. The bar is a bit of a vortex: a dingy-yet-charming cave with no natural light in Antigua, Guatemala. Following the path of Café No Se’s several windowless rooms and through a crawlspace door will eventually deposit the adventurer at yet another bar, where they serve only mezcal.