THE HUMBOLDT PREHARVEST DEP REPORT 2023

For many cannabis enthusiasts, the first real wave of the year’s harvest starts with the light-deprivation-style grown cannabis that comes down each June. 

The resulting cannabis is often shortened to deps by industry folks. They’re produced by farmers using various means to control the light cycle to force plants to flower. They started to become prevalent in the mid-2000s. For many years a lot of people just used the early dep harvests to pay their trimmers in the fall when their full-term harvest came down. But the quality of the product saw the prevalence of the cultivation style continues to grow to this day, where many expect solid deps to be a big part of the forthcoming national marketplace. 

When it comes to deps, Humboldt County is one of the best places in the world to find the best representations of various strains grown that way. In the years The Emerald Triangle’s farms weren’t decimated by fire and smoke, it basically seemed impossible to grow better deps than the cream of the crop coming out of Humboldt’s hills annually. 

But as opposed to smoke, this year’s early season saw farmers dealing with a lot of overcast skies as the heavens opened up to pour water on California. The Vesuvio Gardens team told us there was basically no spring this year and that led to many people getting a later start than usual. Vesuvio was a couple of weeks into flower when we chatted with them.

“We’re only about 10 days behind in Honeydew, and in Whitehorn, we’re pretty much on schedule,” Vesuvio’s founder Joe Jacovini told L.A. Weekly. He went on to note the early runs don’t do so well in Humboldt’s valleys, as opposed to the hilltops where they can get a lot of light. 

One of Humboldt’s most prominent dep cultivators is Jason Gellman of Ridgeline Farms. Ridgeline returned to the top of The Emerald Cup podium this year after previously winning back-to-back editions of one of the most coveted prizes in cannabis. With the exception of a few full-sun plants he does for personal use, Gellman is exclusively growing sungrown deps. He does partner at another light-assisted facility in the winter. 

We asked Gellman how the scene up north was looking, as he preps for the 2023 harvest to begin. 

“We know we hear the prices are going up, I hear that a lot, but nobody has herb,” Gellman told L.A. Weekly. “Does that mean it’s going to really go up? Because usually when you get the herb, then where are all the buyers, but I feel like right now, this should be a good year. I know there’s a pretty big drought of good-quality weed right now.”

We asked Gellman if the trophy shelf makes it easier for him to get top dollar against the rest of the harvest. 

“I always hear that a lot of the time and everyone thinks because I got a name and a brand, they think I can get more than X guy and it’s really not the case,” Gellman replied. “I mean you spend so much money packaging and prerolls and everything like that, it’s really hard. The people who wholesale their weed probably make more money than I do at the end of day.” 

Despite the perils of packaging as he listens to the numbers start to fly around the bulk product, he’s excited for the weeks ahead. 

“I think it’s going to be decent. It really depends on the weather. We’ve had unstable weather so far. For this first round. We didn’t have sun for three days straight. And so if we don’t get heat, we got small bud and that’s going to really affect the quality of the whole dep harvest around here on round one. So we’re playing with the weather, and we’re hoping that it’s shifting, it’s a little more scalable, and I think it’s gonna be a good year.”

After going through the struggles of the past few years, 2023 is looking daily upbeat for Ridgeline. 

“I think for the people that have hung in there are gonna get rewarded, be able to make a living and I mean that’s what it’s all about right now. Just trying to stay alive, make a living and keep our jobs,” Gellman said. 

THE 12 STRAINS OF CHRISTMAS 2023

The 12 Strains of Christmas returns for 2023!

As is tradition, with this list we present a holiday-size helping of the heat we’ve found in the past couple of months following the harvest and trips to scope out the marketplaces in Vegas, abroad in the Canary Islands and Thailand. 

The 12 Strains of Christmas also is our most extensive flower list of the year. It’s always a pleasure to highlight some killers so they have one more thing to share with their families during whatever holiday they might enjoy together. 

Here are the strains you should leave out for Santa in 2023. 

Red Pop S1 #37 (Riddles) – Royal Key Organics

As with many strains from breeders that offer as extensive a catalog as Exotic Genetix, it can take a couple of years to get the full wind in their sales. Red Pop has had a fantastic 2022. Its offspring, Red Runtz, is entering its own hype wave, but the Red Pop is still elite and 2022 was the first year many had the chance to try it. One of our favorite phenos of anything Red Pop belongs to Royal Key Organics in Humboldt County. In particular, their Red Pop S1 #37 they named Riddles. It smells like buttery popcorn with cherry Kool-Aid sprinkled on top. 

Zkittelz – Alien Labs

The Alien Labs rendition of Zkittlez is tied with IC Collective for the best Z terps we’ve ever seen grown outside of Mendocino County. We got our first peek at it during Las Vegas Heat Quest on MJ Biz Con Eve. As people approached us with their versions of Z throughout the week, nothing else came close. Back home here in California, few can produce Z terps at this level commercially. 

Flowers of Zion – Fidels

Courtesy of Fidels

On the heels of his self-made docuseries and summer win at the Transbay Challenge I threw in L.A. for his KMZ, Flowers of Zion is the next one to keep an eye on from Fidel. The Flowers of Zion brings together Garlic Cocktail with Symbiotic Genetics’s timeless classic Mimosa. With his cultivation site operational, expect to see even more of Fidels Flower throughout the state. 

Seed Junky Official Genetics

Seed Junky and Fidel Buds took top honors at Ego Clash a couple of weeks ago on the eve of The Emerald Cup’s Harvest Ball, thanks to some ultra-elite hash from Simply Adam that topped the uber-competitive contest where many of the world’s best hash makers score each other. The Banana God is a pairing of Wilson and Banana OG. The version that won Ego Clash was a Banana God F2 that was done by @ibean_poppin2much and then grown by Simpleeadam. 

Cap Junky – Capulator x Seed Junky 

Courtesy of Capulator

A collaboration between two Los Angeles heavyweights, Capulator and Seed Junkie’s CapJunky was certainly a favorite for us in 2022. It’s among the gassiest offerings from both breeders and is an absolute ripper. It has limited availability in town, but you can score some at Peace of Green at 1155 East Pico Blvd., in DTLA.

Stardawg x Gelato 41 – Doja Pak  

Ever since we first covered the original RS11 drop in LA a couple of years back, it feels like you’d need one of those NASA cameras that tracks the rockets after launch to keep pace with what they’ve been up to. While strains named after art supplies and animals are dope, we think the Stardawg x Gelato 41 was a pinch underrated during the hype storm this year and wanted to give it some extra love. 

Blackberry Gary – Serge Cannabis x Powerzzzup

Courtesy of Serge Cannabis

Arguably the biggest strain to drop in California this fall, Blackberry Gary has lived up to the hype. The rare collaboration from Powerzzzup is an absolute killer. Most of the Cereal Milk and Gary Crosses out there are from reversals, but Serge was able to work with the real gear and get the Powerzzzup team’s blessings on the final product. It carries on the flavor and impact tradition of the Gary Payton line. 

DEO – 580

Courtesy of DEO

580 is the most underrated strain from Deep East Oakland Farms. Everyone is tripping balls. I’m not saying it’s RS or Zoap, but saying it’s not special is batshit crazy to me. It tastes so much different from the rest of their pack. Now I love me some dessert weed, but the smell of nail polish is one of my favorite things. The freshest batches of 580 have it in abundance. It smashes into your sinuses when you open a bag. 

Red Bullz x Fishscale – High Rhythm Farm

The Santa Cruz-hunted version of the Compound Genetics heater was certainly on the podium for us at The Emerald Cup Harvest Ball. Few things came close in the quality of the terpene or look. The impact was great, too, when we got the chance to try it. We highly recommend keeping an eye out for this one. 

Prism OZ – Cipher Genetics

Courtesy of Cipher Genetics

An offering from the newest company on The 12 Strains of Christmas, Cipher Genetics is the latest project from Compound Genetics founder Chris Lynch. Our favorite offering from the launch drop is looking to be the Prism OZ. While we haven’t seen the finished product yet, we’re very excited for the recipe of SFV OG x ( Zkittelz x (Zkittelz x Gelato 41)). We’re convinced it’ll be a heater, much like a lot of Lynch’s past classics. 

OZ Kush BX1 – 3rd Gen Family

Courtesy of 3rd Gen Family

Numerous companies in the cannabis space got their start with a pack of 3rd Gen Family’s Dying Breed Seeds, and one of the strains that launched the most or helped take things to a new level was OZ Kush. It brought together the Eddy OG and Zkittelz and the first packs sold five years ago. As I look at their current lineup, if I’m a cannabis company desperate for an epic house flavor to help me stay afloat in the darkest times ever for the marketplace, I’m buying as many packs of OZ Kush Bx1 seeds as I can and finding myself a little bit of hope. 

Double Dawg – Dr. Dope Bangkok

On our recent adventure to Thailand alongside High Times and High Rise TV, we went to a ton of spots and looked at a bunch of Thai weed. With the exception of the 100 Hands at Phandee in Japan Village in Bangkok, none of it could compare to what Dr. Dope was doing. I would say thanks to Dr. Dope’s Double Dawg, the best weed I’ve seen grown in Thailand is better than the best weed I saw grown in Las Vegas during MJ Bizcon last month. 

We hope you enjoyed The 12 Strains of Christmas.

NORTHERN NIGHTS BRINGS BEATS AND HEAT TO REDWOODS

We headed north to the redwoods for the latest installment of the original cannabis-friendly music festival, Northern Nights.

The festival’s geography plays a significant role in its place in the history of cannabis progress. The venue, Cook’s Campground, sits in the heart of the Emerald Triangle stretching across the county line separating Mendocino and Humboldt. In addition to all the fine local cannabis, attendees spend their weekend enjoying up-and-coming EDM acts across numerous stages, and floating on the river.   

This past weekend we got the chance to sit down with many of Northern Nights’ co-founders as they celebrated the festival’s 10th anniversary, including Andrew Blap, Peter Huson, Matty “Worldfamous” Roberts and Emily Wilson. 

The festival has long been associated with legal cannabis sales after hosting the state’s first at music festival in the wake of Prop 64’s implementation. Following Northern Nights’ lead, major festivals around the country jumped on board with the idea, including EDC Las Vegas and Dirtybird Campout. In past years, those sales were confined to specific areas — last year even featuring two stageside dispensaries and a main cannabis activation area. This year the entire cannabis footprint was integrated into the heart of the festival, a short walk from the mainstage under the shade of the region’s massive trees.

We asked the Northern Nights team what it was like pushing that further integration this year.

“I think the big thing in working in two counties is first and foremost the context of where you are putting things,” Huson told L.A. Weekly. “When it comes to the history of cannabis events here, it’s the local jurisdiction, you have to start there. Mendocino passed their ordinance and we could bring a couple of dispensaries into Mendo.”

Courtesy of @y.s.a

But there was a lot of separation between those dispensaries. 

“And ultimately, I think the premise of boundaries, aka fencing, has been a big thing in terms of limiting the number of sales,” Huson said of the caged-in areas. “I think the different places that we were putting the dispensaries if you wanted to get them, for example, all the way out to the river, it’s a lot of overhead.” 

A big part for the team was making sure those local sponsors from the cannabis industry felt right. Huson notes there have been a few folks in the space doing these events for a while, but the brands taking part fund the progress to prove what can be done.

Courtesy of @anthonysvendsen

Matty Roberts added pushing boundaries is in line with the general ethos of the festival over the years. 

“We’re booking cutting-edge shit, which makes our lineups very eclectic. We pick all this cool music because we’re kind of in a sweet spot. We’re not a big event. We don’t have a ton of money behind us, so we have to get scrappy and find a lot of new stuff.”

Roberts laughed, noting people look at the old posters from over the decade and act like the performers back in the day were bigger, but they didn’t actually know who a lot of those now big-name acts were when Northern Nights booked them. 

“Now you look back, our lineup from eight years ago looks like a $2 million lineup,” Roberts said. 

Roberts spoke of coming from the Midwest where a stem on your shirt would land you in jail. He’s thrilled to help facilitate a good time for a younger generation that never has to know those horrors. 

Emily Wilson went on to speak that filling the void that Reggae on The River left in the hills is an honor.

“But there is a lot of responsibility as well. That means, we have to do the due diligence in finding new and up-and-coming music, working with local cannabis businesses and producers who have been working in the community a long time and supporting it through these transitions.”

@y.s.a

Wilson argued sometimes that means bringing in both the little guys and the big guys. She said that is a responsibility you can see they take seriously across the festival with not just cannabis but local wineries and breweries, too. 

“Every single facet that we can, and where we’re able, we want to support local and present the best that Northern California has to offer. We’ve got Humboldt Bay Oysters fresh from the docks,” Wilson said. 

One of the things Wilson said she enjoys the most is those people that have stuck with them since year one. Through all the trials and tribulations of being a small independent festival and the learning curve that came with it, they kept coming back, and that meant a lot to her.  

The actual cannabis section itself was really well done. As in years past, it provided a shady reprieve from the Northern California sun that hit 94 degrees Saturday in what felt like 1,000% humidity. One of my favorite parts of the festival was the morning sound bath in the cannabis zone. You would see people tiptoeing around all the people laid out, to get to the ATM for their weed money. Everyone was really respectful, but even then, the visual was hilarious. 

This year’s switch to delivery was a good move. While it took five minutes longer, it allowed for the entire Northern Nights cannabis experience to be more streamlined than had there been fences everywhere to facilitate a temporary retail site. 

The actual weed people were buying was no slouch. Some cannabis activations over the past couple of years have gotten a bit midsy. Sometimes you’d see these brands that can’t even get dispensary shelf space taking a lead at festivals — gross. Thankfully, Northern Nights did not have this problem. I would argue that The Lantz from Ridgeline Farms is the nicest weed for the price I’ve ever seen at any festival. Eighths were only $35! I bought seven over the weekend. 

Hopefully, other festivals trying to get into the cannabis game will take note of how well Northern Nights did it. 

Photo: Andy Feliciotti

ADVOCATES WANT CANNABIS DESCHEDULED NOT RESCHEDULED

Last week’s leaked letter from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommending that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance under federal law was lacking for advocates who want to see it descheduled. 

All of the OG cannabis reformers are weighing in. Congressman Earl Blumenauer has been involved in cannabis reform for 50 years. He founded the Congressional Cannabis Caucus in 2017. 

“This is a step in the right direction, but it is not sufficient. I hope it is followed by more significant reforms,” Blumenauer said. “This is long overdue.”

Blumenauer noted he pushed the Biden Administration to deschedule marijuana last December. Later in the spring, he called for more transparency in the wider Controlled Substances Act scheduling process. 

NORML, the nation’s oldest marijuana reform organization, noted the DEA said as recently as 2016, cannabis had no current accepted medical use regardless of all the babies with Dravet’s Syndrome that started the CBD explosion making national headlines for years at that point. The DEA will have the final say in all of this; we know how it went the last four times. 

NORML’s deputy director and longtime policy ninja, Paul Armentano, weighed in on the letter.

“It will be very interesting to see how DEA responds to this recommendation, given the agency’s historic opposition to any potential change in cannabis’ categorization under federal law,”  Armentano said. “Further, for decades, the agency has utilized its own five-factor criteria for assessing cannabis’ placement in the CSA — criteria that as recently as 2016, the agency claimed that cannabis failed to meet. Since the agency has final say over any rescheduling decision, it is safe to say that this process still remains far from over.”

Like Blumenauer, NORML has been calling for cannabis to be removed from the Controlled Substances Act for years. They recommend doing it in a manner that’s similar to liquor and tobacco. 

“The goal of any federal cannabis policy reform ought to be to address the existing, untenable chasm between federal marijuana policy and the cannabis laws of the majority of US states,” Armentano said. “Rescheduling the cannabis plant to Schedule III of the US Controlled Substances Act fails to adequately address this conflict, as existing state legalization laws — both adult use and medical — will continue to be in conflict with federal regulations, thereby perpetuating the existing divide between state and federal marijuana policies.”

Armentano closed, noting it’s the same level of intellectual dishonesty to categorize cannabis next to anabolic steroids as it is in its current situation on the list next to heroin.

With the US recreational cannabis market worth more than ever, it would seem something is going to have to be done to remedy the situation. Last week, California announced it had taken in just over $5 billion since the legal market kicked off in 2018, New York City’s first shop did $12 million in its first six months, and there are about 50 more data points off the top of my head why states aren’t going to let this fly. 

In the end, descheduling is likely. But the road is going to be a bit longer. And you can expect it to be the result of a future Congress and White House taking some kind of mandated action that the DEA won’t have a say in. 

FIG FARMS DOUBLES UP AT SOCAL CANNABIS CUP

Fig Farms continued its 2023 run of excellence by winning two out of three flower categories at the High Times SoCal Cannabis Cup.

The victories came in the Indica and Hybrid categories. Animal Face won in the hybrid category after winning best indoor flower at the 2022 Emerald Cup. Blue Face won the Indica category a few months after winning both best indoor flower and best indoor at this year’s Emerald Cup. This is just further validation for the work Keith and Chloe Healy are doing with their team of monster growers in Oakland. 

The Blue Face took home two top prizes this year and is absolute rockstar cannabis. Fig Farms describes the aroma as a combination of acetone, tree bark and pickled ginger. The Animal Face that took home the top hybrid is absolute gas and fuel terps. I judged the hybrid category it won. I saved the Animal Face for last to see if anything would top it. Nothing did, but the same could be said for the 20 Emerald Cup flower judges who didn’t see a strain or farm when they picked Blue Face, just the heat in the jar and a number. Regardless of mine being labeled, we came to the same conclusion on Fig’s different flavors. 

Animal Face

Fig Farms finds itself among a small group of people who have been holding strong in certain contests for the last few years. It raises the question from others as to whether these contests are even worth it. Do they matter?

“They do for sure. We got offered space in Oakland the next day after we won the Cannabis Cup,” Keith Healy, Fig Farms founder and CEO, told L.A. Weekly.

They were negotiating on an Oakland location and one in Sacramento. 

“The day after winning we got offered the Oakland space,” Healy said. “I wouldn’t have been as confident to perform. I wouldn’t have been as confident to pull it off.”

Fig has been selective in the contests it has entered in the years since that win. But after winning The Emerald Cup earlier this year, it returned to the Cannabis Cup for the first time since that 2017 victory that changed everything. Fig was certainly thrilled with the results of its comeback. 

“To win two out of three was just mind-blowing and honestly confusing since, like you win the Emerald Cup and High Times, trying to explain to somebody like a stranger that these things aren’t easy,” Healy said emphasizing he doesn’t have the confidence of being some egomaniac. 

The catch-22 of that lack of confidence Healy claims is that he only enters his absolute flame. By the time he’s convinced it’s fire, it probably is, as opposed to someone that needs that new hype strain to keep their thing going. So it’s easy to understand why everything they entered this year, in everything, did so well.

Blue Face

We asked Healy which of the accolades the farm has received in recent years meant the most to him.

“I think being on stage with Chloe while she was pregnant at the Emerald Cup win in 2022 was pretty incredible because that was the first time that I’ve been able to share a stage with her,” he replied. 

Healy went on to note that another thing that has made each win special was the timing. Just like the 2017 win got him into that new space, these other wins have each meant something in the moment.  

“Every single one has come at a time when I needed it,” Healy said. “That kind of time where it’s like the confidence to push forward on the next task, whether that’s building out more space or it’s just the confidence to keep doing what I’m doing.

The High Times win meant a lot to Fig because it was so different from the win at The Emerald Cup. High Times is essentially people’s choice compared to the expert panel The Emerald Cup brings in for judging. We joked with Healy about how many cup kits he bought, he laughed and noted just one to try the other flavors. 

Despite their continued dominance, Animal Face and Blue Face need to keep an eye on their shoulders. Fig recently worked with Zeclair and their whole catalog. We got to check out the pheno hunt a few weeks before it was chopped down. Everything was absolute heat and you can expect some crazy Z terps from Fig Farms soon. 

Art courtesy of The Freak Brothers

THE FREAK BROTHERS TEAM UP WITH WEEDMAPS FOR SEASON 2

Former LA Weekly cover boys, The Freak Brothers, are teaming up with Weedmaps for in-episode integrations for cannabis enthusiasts, starting with the launch of Season 2 today. 

The Freak Brothers have been getting laughs out of cannabis enthusiasts the world over for 55 years. Thanks to WTG Enterprises, the producer of The Freak Brothers and Fox’s streaming platform Tubi, more people than ever have access to the trio’s cannabis-fueled adventures alongside their talking cat. 

The production value of the first season was way beyond most cartoons. In addition to great animation, the voice cast featured Woody Harrelson, John Goodman, Pete Davidson, Tiffany Haddish, Adam Devine, Blake Anderson, Andrea Savage, La La Anthony and ScHoolboy Q. All of those big names are returning and they’ll be adding Joe Sikora to the mix for a special guest appearance.

Weedmaps, one of the most recognizable names in cannabis, is obviously hyped to be in this effort to help further cannabis into the mainstream. The announcement noted the actual partnership itself will consist of in-episode integrations in the new season, as well as exclusive “Smoke & Screen” events throughout the U.S., bringing together industry influencers and tastemakers at the intersection of cannabis and entertainment.

“We know comedy has the power to influence culture, and we are excited to partner with The Freak Brothers to amplify our message that weed is something to be celebrated,” said Randa McMinn, chief marketing officer at Weedmaps. “Since our company’s founding, Weedmaps has been committed to elevating stoner culture everywhere, challenging outdated stereotypes and bringing the plant to the forefront of mainstream conversations. Now, 15 years later, to see the Freak Brothers’ characters themselves embrace Weedmaps as their ‘go to’ for weed in the series is indicative of society’s broader acceptance of the plant and the industry at large.” 

The team that brought Gilbert Shelton’s creation to the small screen has no qualms about the brothers using Weedmaps to get their hands on their next score. 

“Embracing the essence of stoner culture before it was mainstream, Freak Brothers and Weedmaps are united in blazing the trail toward a more inclusive and enlightened cannabis landscape” said Greg Goldner, chief  brand & strategy officer of The Freak Brothers. “We’re excited about this partnership as it’s a convergence of the psychedelic past and the digital present, where entertainment meets connection through a shared love for cannabis, while helping shape a future where cannabis culture thrives unapologetically.” 

The antics for Season 2 look to be right on par with The Freak Brothers’ previous adventures in adapting to the modern era following a 50-year nap in San Francisco. The creators noted when announcing the deal that this season will include The Freak Brothers hitting their high school reunion, a match of wits with Mark Zuckerberg, settling old scores with Mitch McConnell, and battling Seth Rogen in a Pot Brownie Bake-Off contest.

WTG develops media across multiple platforms from its Beverly Hills office. WTG was founded by studio executives and Hollywood producers Courtney Solomon and Mark Canton and led alongside veteran entertainment executive Greg Goldner.

Back before the rights were secured, Solomon spent months trying to find Gilbert Shelton. After six months of searching for Shelton, Solomon was able to track down Shelton to the outskirts of Paris thanks to his lawyer of 47 years. “Super nice guy named Manfred, and he set up the meeting and I flew out to Paris and spent a couple of days with Gilbert,” Solomon told L.A. Weekly in 2020.

The Freak Brothers Season 2 is free to watch on Tubi. And be sure to keep an eye out for special offers from WeedMaps during the episode.