Too Many Hats, One Cane, and a Whole Lot of Love

If you’d told me a year ago that a disabled guy with one working hand, bad hips, a limp, and a cane would be juggling YouTube, journalism, judging a major cannabis cup, and a social calendar that looks like a touring DJ’s… I probably would’ve laughed, winced, and asked you to help me sit down.

Yet here we are.

For those who don’t know me, I’m OG Strain, creator and host of Strain’s Strain Reviews (Talk Cannabis) on YouTube. When New York legalized cannabis, I was literally bedridden. Not “taking it easy,” not “recovering soon” — I mean laid up, limited, and frustrated. Still, I knew one thing for sure: I had to be part of this industry somehow. The plant had done too much for me, and the people around it felt like my kind of people.

So I started a YouTube channel. Simple enough, right?

That was the plan anyway.

What started as “I’ll just do some strain reviews” turned into full-blown community work. Brand spotlights. Product reviews. Event coverage. Shout-outs. Interviews. Support. Promotion. Connecting dots. Showing love. And doing my best to highlight the people who are actually doing this right.

Over the past year, the channel has supported and collaborated with Lazy Day Farm, Higher Beings powered by Hudson Valley Green, Tical, Grassroots, Damn Sam, Upstate Cannabis, The People’s Joint, Electric City Cannabis Company, Cannabis City, Stage One Dispensary, Tokalotapot Seeds, CannaFae, Botanical Gardens, Sticks n Stoned, Catskill Canna Club, Canna Croppers, Cannacrow, Jesssland, Kevin “Big Willey Kev”, Dabbing Granny, OG Granny, and the Empire State Cannabis Cup.

And that’s before we even get into creators and culture — Dope As Yola, Strain Show, Mike Tyson, Snoop Dogg, Seth Rogen, Afroman, my son Jake Strain, and the extended Swaggertown orbit that keeps New York cannabis tied tightly to music and movement.

Each of these names isn’t just a tag or a mention. These are people and platforms I’ve supported, worked with, promoted, visited, or stood beside this year. Sometimes on camera. Sometimes behind the scenes. Always genuinely.

Somewhere along the way, The Plug’s Pages Magazine entered the picture. First, they wrote about Jake touring with Afroman. Then they wrote about my channel. Then conversations turned into collaboration, and collaboration turned into me writing — a lot. These days, I’m proud to say I’m part of the team, contributing weekly and helping tell the stories that matter in this space.

And yes — I’m aware I may be writing more than my fair share. My keyboard might need a union rep.

What makes all of this a little wild is that my body never magically caught up with my workload. I still walk with a cane. I still can’t stay on my feet long. I don’t even have reliable transportation right now and won’t be driving until spring. Yet my weekends are booked with infused dinners, cannabis cups, events, and gatherings — often two or three invites at the same time.

I’ve made it to the Cannabis Cup in Palenville, NY, down to Hudson Valley Green, out to Goats of Glass with Paul Vidal, and I’m headed to the Winter Solstice event in Amsterdam. And as if my plate wasn’t already full, I was just asked to be one of 30 judges for the Empire State Cannabis Cup.

That means roughly 65 strains to evaluate, score, and review — conservatively — with scorecards due by January 27. That’s multiple strains a day, every day, while still producing YouTube content and delivering three to four articles a week for this magazine.

All of this… from a guy who can barely walk some days.

Here’s the part I want to be crystal clear about: I do this because I love it. I love the plant. I love the people. I love this community. I haven’t made real money from this — and that’s not a flex or a sob story. It’s just the truth. At some point, charging for promotion may become necessary, because passion doesn’t pay medical bills. But if you’re doing things the right way — ethically, passionately, correctly — I’ll support you every chance I get.

What we’re building feels bigger than business. It feels like family.

And before I close this out, I need to say this clearly: there are many people who deserve recognition here whose names aren’t attached to a brand, a farm, a dispensary, or a platform — and there are simply too many to list individually. Budtenders, dispensary owners, farm owners, and everyday individuals who show up, spend their money supporting the right people, offer rides, lend a hand, solve problems on the fly, and bring nothing but good energy to every event. Some of you have quite literally helped me get there. You know who you are. Even if I can’t name every single one of you, please know this — your support doesn’t go unnoticed, and on behalf of myself and the businesses and creators you uplift, thank you.

I never had brothers growing up. No MC. No gang. No club. Just a couple close friends over the years. Now? This community feels like a brotherhood — and a sisterhood. Men and women alike. Loyal, genuine, plant-loving people who show up for each other.

And that matters, because let’s be honest — this isn’t just an industry. It’s a fight. Big Alcohol is Goliath. We’re David. And that slingshot only works if we stand together.

So when someone asks me where to get seeds, I send them to Tokalotapot Seeds.
When they ask about RSO, I point them to Adam Hagadone.
For top-tier flower, Higher Beings powered by Hudson Valley Green.
For outdoor done right, Lazy Day Farm.
For events, Damn Sam.
For music and booking, Jake Strain — yes, he can get Afroman, Cassidy, Benny the Butcher, and more.
For infused food that’ll ruin your diet and your willpower, Kevin Big Willey Kev.

I don’t do that for kickbacks. I do it because excellence deserves direction.

So yes — I started the year with too much on my plate. I’m ending it with even more. But somewhere in between, I gained something I didn’t know I was missing: a real cannabis family.

And for that, every hat is worth wearing — even if I have to put them on one-handed.