There are cannabis events, and then there are cannabis events where you walk through the door and somehow five minutes later you’re talking to somebody you’ve never met like you’ve known them for ten years.

That’s the idea behind Canna Mafia Family.

Despite the name and the mobster-style imagery, this isn’t about crime, gangsters, or anybody sleeping with the fishes. Johnny Applekush, CEO of Canna Mafia Family, says the inspiration is much simpler: family, loyalty, community, and looking out for one another.

And once you hear the story behind it, the name starts making a whole lot more sense.

IT STARTED WITH A TABLE

Johnny says the original idea behind Canna Mafia came from watching his vendor friends spend $200–$300 just to get a table at cannabis events.

Then, after paying all that money, they’d walk into an event and discover a whole bunch of other vendors selling similar products—including the event host.

Johnny thought there had to be a better way.

So he decided to create one.

Canna Mafia was built around a different philosophy: the host makes $0 from vendor fees.

Instead, the money goes directly back into the event—covering rent, security, improvements, giveaways, and creating a better experience for everyone who attends.

And when Johnny says giveaways, he isn’t talking about somebody tossing a sticker into a shopping bag and calling it Christmas.

Canna Mafia has given away more than a pound of flower every week.

The mission was never to get rich off the vendors.

It was to build something with them.

That distinction has become one of the foundations of Canna Mafia Family.

WALK IN AS A STRANGER, LEAVE AS FAMILY

For somebody attending Canna Mafia for the first time, Johnny says the welcome starts at the door.

Regulars and first-timers are treated the same.

People walk in, see the variety of products, hear the music, meet the vendors, and start soaking up the atmosphere.

But the goal isn’t simply to make a sale.

Canna Mafia wants people to stay.

Hang out.

Listen to music.

Talk.

Laugh.

Meet new people.

Fellowship with people who share an appreciation for cannabis culture.

That’s an important difference.

Johnny describes Canna Mafia as an event that feels like a family gathering.

And honestly, if you’ve ever been to a family gathering where everybody is actually getting along, you already know that’s an achievement worth bragging about.

EVERYBODY BRINGS SOMETHING TO THE TABLE

One of the biggest pieces of the Canna Mafia philosophy is the vendor community.

Johnny is quick to give credit to everyone who has participated, because he sees every vendor as part of the bigger picture.

From edibles and concentrates to flower, the goal is to have something for different tastes and different budgets.

On Sundaze in Amsterdam, attendees can find vendors including Jolly Appleseed, Tony Toothpicks, Squids, Transcendent, High Supply Society, Taco, Best Budz, Happy Little Trees, Bud Bros, Home Grown Creations, Frost Kings, Green Queen, Nugg Banditz, Scheymour Frost, H420 Labs, Johnny Applekush and more.

But Johnny makes an important point: Canna Mafia isn’t defined only by the people who are there today.

The vendors who helped build it in the beginning matter.

The vendors who came once matter.

The vendors who are there every week matter.

Everybody contributed something.

That makes the word family more than just branding.

THE OPPOSITE OF GATEKEEPING

When asked how vendors are chosen, Johnny’s answer is refreshingly straightforward:

“We’re family. There’s a spot for everyone. All are welcome.”

That attitude carries directly into how Canna Mafia approaches the cannabis event scene.

Johnny says the crew doesn’t view other events as enemies or competitors.

Instead, he believes in collaboration.

He’ll advertise other people’s events. He’ll put their flyers out at Canna Mafia events. If something benefits the cannabis community, he wants to support it.

It’s an old-school philosophy that seems increasingly rare in a world where everybody sometimes feels like they’re fighting over the same slice of pie.

Johnny’s response?

Make the pie bigger.

He wants to bring back what he describes as an old-school hippie mentality: community, love, and people helping each other.

There doesn’t always have to be an enemy.

There doesn’t always have to be a winner and a loser.

Sometimes everybody can eat.

WHEN PEOPLE SEE “MAFIA,” THEY MISS THE POINT

Of course, the name can create assumptions.

Johnny knows that.

The mobster imagery can make people look at Canna Mafia from the outside and immediately start wondering if somebody’s going to arrive wearing a black suit and asking who “made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.”

But Johnny says the meaning isn’t about the criminal side of the mafia image.

It’s about the ideas of family and loyalty traditionally associated with it.

Having somebody’s back.

Sticking together.

Sitting at the same table and genuinely wanting to see everybody at that table succeed.

That’s the heart of Canna Mafia Family.

TWO PEOPLE WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR

Perhaps the best part of Johnny’s story is also the funniest.

Canna Mafia didn’t begin with enormous crowds, packed rooms, or instant success.

There was a time when it was essentially Johnny Applekush and Jolly Appleseed vending.

And two people showed up.

Two.

That’s it.

Johnny remembers that moment because, naturally, when you’ve put your time, money, energy, and faith into creating an event and two people walk through the door, your brain may begin suggesting alternative hobbies.

But instead of quitting, they kept going.

Johnny says there were times when he would get on Facebook afterward and announce:

“We had a great time! If you missed it, we’ll be back next week!”

Then they came back the next week.

And did it again.

And again.

And again.

Months passed.

Eventually, people started showing up.

Then they started coming back.

That is where the real lesson of Canna Mafia begins.

A slow beginning doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve built a bad idea.

Sometimes it means you haven’t built the audience yet.

Johnny and his crew believed in what they were creating enough to keep showing up when almost nobody else was.

That persistence eventually turned two vendors and two attendees into something much larger.

COLLABORATION OVER COMPETITION

Johnny’s advice to anyone thinking about starting their own cannabis event is simple:

Leave your ego behind.

Then give yourself a reality check.

Having a location, vendors, and great products doesn’t automatically mean people are going to show up.

That’s something Canna Mafia learned the hard way.

But instead of allowing the early struggles to define them, they kept building.

Their approach to competition follows the same philosophy.

Canna Mafia doesn’t want to spend its energy trying to knock somebody else down.

They’d rather work together.

Promote one another.

Share opportunities.

Connect people.

Open doors.

That philosophy is summed up in four words that have become central to the brand:

One family. One love. One plant.

THE UMBRELLA IS GETTING BIGGER

And Johnny says the future of Canna Mafia Family is much bigger than one location or one weekly event.

Canna Mafia Family is proud to be part of a larger community of events and businesses working to bring people together. You can catch some members of the Canna Mafia Family at High on the Hill and Westside Exotics in Amsterdam, both of which continue to support the local community.

Another event worth recognizing is Cris Exotics and the incredible group of vendors they bring together. We’ve had the opportunity to welcome Blissful Confections and Buddha Bros to our event, and we have a great deal of respect for what they bring to the community.

For us, it has never been about competition—it’s about collaboration, supporting one another, and helping the entire community grow together.

Expansion is the plan.

The crew is branching out into different locations, with more events coming.

They’re also preparing for a new Fridaze show beginning in October.

But the long-term goal goes far beyond expanding a calendar.

Johnny wants Canna Mafia Family to become a worldwide community.

The brand isn’t supposed to belong to one vendor, one person, or one event.

It’s an umbrella.

Under that umbrella are individual vendors and entrepreneurs building their own businesses, developing their own identities, and doing their own thing—while still being part of a family that supports them.

They invite one another to events.

They help one another with products.

They promote one another.

They connect people.

They open doors.

The bigger vision is simple:

Wherever you go, you should have family there.

MORE THAN AN EVENT

That’s ultimately what makes the Canna Mafia story interesting.

It would be easy to look at the name, the imagery, the vendors, and the cannabis culture surrounding the events and assume it’s simply another place to shop.

But Johnny’s vision goes deeper than that.

Canna Mafia Family was built around the idea that cannabis culture doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game.

One vendor doesn’t have to lose for another vendor to win.

One event doesn’t have to fail for another event to succeed.

One person’s success doesn’t have to threaten somebody else’s.

There’s room for everybody.

And if everybody at the table is willing to pull up another chair, there’s room for one more.

THE FAMILY REMEMBERS

Johnny’s final message may be the most important one of all.

He wants to thank every person who has supported Canna Mafia Family.

The vendors who show up every week.

The vendors who came once.

The people who helped build the event in the beginning but no longer vend with them.

They’re still family.

They’re still welcome.

Because Johnny hasn’t forgotten where Canna Mafia came from.

Two vendors.

Two people through the door.

A willingness to keep showing up.

And a belief that the idea was worth building.

Somewhere along the way, it stopped being just an event.

It became a family.

And maybe that’s the real story behind the name.

Not the suits.

Not the mobster imagery.

Not the tough-guy reputation.

The family.

The loyalty.

The collaboration.

The belief that when one person succeeds, everybody should have a reason to celebrate.

So if you’re looking for a cannabis gathering where you can meet vendors, discover new products, listen to music, laugh, hang out, and possibly walk away feeling like you just spent the afternoon with people you’ve known forever, Canna Mafia Family might be worth putting on your radar.

Just remember: if Johnny asks you to sit at the table, you might want to bring an appetite.

Because around here, the goal isn’t just to get a seat.

It’s to make sure everybody eats.

ONE FAMILY.

ONE LOVE.

ONE PLANT.

CANNA MAFIA FAMILY

Do you have what it takes to be called family?

Link: https://linktr.ee/JohnnyApplekush

Sometimes You Have to Clean House to See Who Was Really Standing Beside You

There’s something funny happening in the cannabis community right now.

Maybe it’s happening in your circle, too.

People who have been doing this long enough are starting to look around and ask some uncomfortable questions:

Who are my friends? Who actually supports me? Who is genuine? And who has been standing beside me with a smile while secretly hoping I fall?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because, strangely enough, I keep seeing other people in the community going through the exact same thing.

Different people. Different situations. Different parts of the industry.

But somehow…the same story.

People are reevaluating their friendships. They’re examining their followers. They’re questioning people they once trusted. They’re realizing that having a huge audience doesn’t necessarily mean having a great audience.

And honestly?

I get it.

Because I’m doing the same thing.

I’m cleaning house.

Not because I suddenly hate people.

Not because I think everybody is against me.

And definitely not because this is about one particular person.

It isn’t.

There are simply too many people out there who seem to thrive on drama, negativity, jealousy, division and sabotage. Some people seem to have made spreading bad energy into a full-time job.

And I’ve finally reached the point where I’m asking myself:

Why am I allowing these people into my space?

I DON’T NEED ANOTHER FOLLOWER

For years, we’ve been taught that numbers matter.

More followers.

More friends.

More likes.

More views.

More people on your list.

But I’m starting to look at that completely differently.

I don’t care about having thousands of people following me if half of them are carrying negative energy into my world.

What good is a massive following if you have to constantly wonder who is secretly rooting against you?

Anybody can accept everybody.

Anybody can build a giant friend list.

Anybody can chase numbers.

But building a quality community?

That’s different.

I would rather have 500 real ones than 50,000 people who are watching just to wait for me to screw up.

The people I want around me are the people who are genuinely happy when somebody else succeeds.

They celebrate another person’s accomplishments instead of becoming jealous.

They support instead of sabotage.

They encourage instead of criticize.

They help instead of hinder.

They understand that somebody else’s success doesn’t take anything away from their own.

Those are my people.

Those are the people I want beside me.

MISERY REALLY DOES LOVE COMPANY

There’s an old saying:

Misery loves company.

The older I get, the more truth I see in it.

Some people are so unhappy with their own lives that somebody else’s happiness actually bothers them.

Think about that.

You can be doing absolutely nothing to them, minding your own business, working on your goals, building your brand, helping other people and enjoying your life—and somehow your happiness becomes offensive to somebody.

They don’t want to see you succeed.

They don’t want to see you grow.

They don’t want to see you surrounded by good people.

They want you frustrated.

They want you angry.

They want you distracted.

And sometimes, they want to see you fail.

That’s when you have to recognize what you’re dealing with.

Because a person who spends their time spreading negativity isn’t taking something away from you.

They are revealing something about themselves.

THE WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

One of the hardest lessons to learn is that not everybody who smiles at you is your friend.

Some people are incredibly good at pretending.

They’ll tell you they support you.

They’ll like your posts.

They’ll comment.

They’ll shake your hand.

They’ll tell you how much they love what you’re doing.

But underneath that surface can be jealousy, resentment, competition or an agenda you never saw coming.

That’s what makes these situations so frustrating.

You want to believe people are good.

I’ve always believed that people deserve the opportunity to show me who they are for themselves.

But I’m changing my approach.

Trust is no longer automatic.

Trust has to be earned.

And once somebody demonstrates that they can’t be trusted, I’m not going to keep giving them opportunity after opportunity to prove it again.

Life is too short.

NEGATIVITY IS CONTAGIOUS

Here’s something else I’ve had to admit to myself:

These people have been affecting me.

And I don’t like that.

I can tell myself all day long that I shouldn’t care.

I can say, “Ignore them.”

I can say, “Don’t let them get under your skin.”

But when you repeatedly encounter negativity, eventually some of it starts sticking to you.

And that’s exactly what I want to stop.

I don’t want somebody else’s miserable attitude changing my mood.

I don’t want jealous people occupying space in my head.

I don’t want drama interfering with my creativity.

I don’t want anonymous reports, negativity, personal attacks or attempts at sabotage becoming distractions from the things I’m actually trying to accomplish.

Why give somebody that kind of power?

They don’t deserve it.

SO I’M CLEANING HOUSE

Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going through my accounts.

And yes, people are going to disappear.

Some will be deleted.

Some will be blocked.

And some may eventually wonder what happened.

The answer is simple:

I’m protecting my peace.

This isn’t about follower counts anymore.

This isn’t about trying to make everybody happy.

This isn’t about keeping somebody around because deleting them might cost me a follower.

If someone brings nothing but negativity into my world, why would I keep giving them a front-row seat?

I’m not running a popularity contest.

I’m building a community.

And there’s a difference.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

I want the people around me to understand something:

When you support another person, you don’t become smaller.

When somebody else gets a win, you haven’t lost.

When another creator gets attention, it doesn’t mean there isn’t enough attention left for you.

When another business succeeds, it doesn’t mean yours can’t succeed too.

There is room for all of us.

That’s the mentality I want in my circle.

I want people who understand that we are stronger together.

People who share opportunities.

People who promote each other.

People who recommend each other.

People who celebrate each other’s victories.

People who can look at somebody else’s success and say:

“Hell yeah! Good for them!”

Those are the real ones.

And those are the people I’m surrounding myself with.

AND IF YOU’RE STILL HERE…

So here’s the funny part.

When this great cleanout is finished, some people will still be here.

And if you are one of them?

Congratulations.

You made the cut.

😂

If you’re still on my Facebook after I’ve gone through everything, you can take that as a pretty good sign that I consider you one of the people who brings something positive to the table.

You’re not there because I need another number.

You’re there because I believe you’re genuine.

You’re there because I see you supporting people.

You’re there because you understand what this community is supposed to be about.

And if somebody gets deleted or blocked?

Well…

Maybe that’s an opportunity for some self-reflection.

Instead of getting angry about being removed from somebody’s social media, maybe ask yourself why you were removed.

Maybe the problem isn’t always everybody else.

Sometimes we have to look in the mirror.

THIS IS BIGGER THAN ME

And that’s ultimately why I wanted to write about this.

Because I don’t think I’m the only person feeling this way.

I think a lot of people are reaching a breaking point.

Creators.

Business owners.

Growers.

Reviewers.

Vendors.

Community members.

People who have spent years building something they care about are finally realizing that protecting what they’ve built is just as important as building it.

And sometimes protecting your community means making difficult decisions about who gets access to it.

That doesn’t make you cruel.

It doesn’t make you arrogant.

It doesn’t mean you’ve forgotten where you came from.

Sometimes it simply means you’ve finally learned that your peace has value.

KEEP SMILING

So to the real ones:

Keep smiling.

Keep creating.

Keep supporting.

Keep helping each other.

Keep celebrating the victories.

Keep lifting people up.

Keep enjoying your life.

Because one of the best ways to defeat negativity is refusing to become negative yourself.

Don’t let somebody else’s bitterness turn you bitter.

Don’t let their jealousy make you jealous.

Don’t let their hatred make you hateful.

And whatever you do…

Don’t let the people who want to see you fail become the reason you stop succeeding.

Let them talk.

Let them complain.

Let them watch.

Let them wonder.

You keep moving.

Because while they’re busy trying to tear people down, we’re going to keep building.

And that’s the difference between us.

I’m not interested in collecting people anymore.

I’m interested in surrounding myself with real ones.

So if you’re one of those people who genuinely wants to see others win, congratulations.

You’re exactly where you belong.

And if you’re somebody who spends your days spreading negativity, creating drama, sabotaging other people’s work, or pretending to support people while secretly hoping they fail…

Well, you might want to enjoy the view while you still have it.

The great cleanout has officially begun.

And this time, I’m choosing quality over quantity.

Real recognizes real.

And the rest?

Can find the door.

If the world is watching our cannabis community, what are we showing them?

I was born eight years too late.

Not too late for disco. Not too late for the mullet. And thankfully, not too late to avoid having to explain to my children why I ever thought certain fashion choices were a good idea.

I was born eight years too late for Woodstock.

The original Woodstock in 1969 has become almost mythical. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered together for music, freedom, self-expression, and a whole lot of marijuana and other substances.

But when you watch the footage and listen to the stories from that historic weekend, one thing seems to stand out above everything else:

Love and peace.

People were packed together by the thousands, yet somehow the idea was that everyone was there together.

Different people. Different backgrounds. Different opinions.

One community.

Now fast-forward thirty years.

Woodstock ’99 was supposed to be a celebration of music and culture—a modern continuation of the original spirit.

Instead, the festival in Rome, New York became infamous for violence, destruction, sexual assaults, fires and chaos.

By the end, parts of the festival grounds were literally burning.

That’s quite a departure from peace and love.

And lately, I can’t help but wonder:

Are we watching a smaller version of that transformation happen inside our own cannabis community?

Before anybody gets defensive, hear me out.

I’m not talking about one person.

I’m not writing this because of one argument, one disagreement, one bad interaction, or one individual who pissed me off.

If this were about one person, this wouldn’t be an article.

This is about a pattern I’ve seen often enough, involving enough people, that I believe it’s worth stopping and talking about.

I’m talking about a large enough percentage of our community displaying enough negativity, hostility, personal attacks, jealousy, arguing and disrespect that it deserves our attention.

And I want to be very clear about something else:

I’m not saying this is the majority.

Not even close.

There are some absolutely incredible people in this community.

People with huge hearts.

People who genuinely care about other people.

People who help without expecting anything in return.

People who celebrate somebody else’s success instead of becoming jealous of it.

People who reach out when somebody is struggling.

People who donate their time, their money, their products and their energy because they genuinely believe in this plant and the people surrounding it.

Those people are the reason I’m still here.

They’re the reason I continue writing.

They’re the reason I continue creating.

They’re the reason I continue putting my own time and money into this community.

And they’re the reason I don’t plan on quitting.

But I’m going to be honest with you.

Lately, I’m scared.

I’ve spent the last couple of years becoming invested in this community. I’ve met people I genuinely care about. I’ve made friendships I never expected to make. I’ve discovered incredible growers, breeders, artists, entrepreneurs, advocates and patients.

I’ve also seen something I wasn’t expecting.

A level of nastiness, hostility, personal attacks, jealousy, arguing and downright disrespect that has made me stop and ask myself:

What the hell are we doing?

At one point, I honestly believed that the overwhelming majority of people involved in this community were good-hearted people.

Ninety-something percent.

Maybe I’m naïve.

Maybe I was wearing cannabis-colored glasses.

But lately, I’m not so sure.

And again, I’m not talking about one person.

I’m talking about enough people and enough behavior that it has actually made me question whether I want to continue participating.

That’s a scary thought for me because I love this community.

And that’s exactly why I’m writing this.

Because if I didn’t care, I’d just leave.

I’d shut down the keyboard, put away the camera, stop writing for The Plug’s Pages, and say, “Good luck, everybody. I’m going home.”

But I’m not doing that.

At least not yet.

Because there are still too many good people here worth fighting for.

And if even half of this community—or something close to it—is made up of decent, caring, genuine people who actually want to see one another succeed, then we still have something worth saving.

We’re Representing More Than Ourselves

Here’s something I think every person involved in cannabis needs to remember:

The world is watching us.

Not just cannabis consumers.

Everybody.

Our posts are public.

Our arguments are public.

Our comments are public.

Our behavior is public.

And whether we like it or not, people who aren’t part of this community are forming opinions about cannabis by watching the people who use it.

That’s a pretty big responsibility.

We’ve spent decades trying to convince society that cannabis doesn’t turn people into lazy, irresponsible, unproductive stereotypes.

We’ve fought for legalization.

We’ve fought for medical access.

We’ve fought for criminal justice reform.

We’ve fought to prove that cannabis users can be successful business owners, parents, professionals, artists, caregivers, entrepreneurs and productive members of society.

We’ve said that cannabis can help people.

So let’s show them.

If someone takes a peek inside the cannabis community and the first thing they see is people screaming at each other, tearing each other down, spreading negativity and publicly fighting over every little disagreement, what exactly do you think they’re going to conclude?

They’re probably not going to say:

“Wow! What a warm and welcoming community. I want to be part of that!”

They’re more likely going to say:

“Holy crap. Maybe Reefer Madness had a sequel.”

And that’s the problem.

We cannot complain about stereotypes while simultaneously giving people ammunition to reinforce them.

We Don’t Have to Like Everybody

Here’s another revolutionary concept:

You don’t have to like everybody.

Seriously.

You don’t.

There are people in this community I probably wouldn’t invite over for Thanksgiving.

And that’s okay.

There are people who annoy me.

There are people who disagree with me.

There are people whose opinions make me want to stare at my phone for five minutes wondering, “Did this person really just type that?”

But disagreement doesn’t have to become war.

We can disagree without becoming enemies.

We can compete without trying to destroy one another.

We can criticize something without attacking the person behind it.

And we can simply decide:

“You know what? I don’t really care for that person.”

Then keep scrolling.

It’s free.

Facebook doesn’t charge extra for it.

The Domino Effect

One of the biggest things we don’t think about enough is the ripple effect of our words.

Let’s say somebody posts something you don’t like.

You leave a nasty comment.

Maybe you think it’s funny.

Maybe you think it’s justified.

Maybe you hit “Post” and forget about it thirty seconds later.

But the person on the other side of that screen may not forget.

Maybe they’re already having a horrible day.

Maybe they’re dealing with problems at home.

Maybe they’re struggling financially.

Maybe they’re questioning themselves.

Maybe they’re simply exhausted.

Now your comment becomes one more negative thing they have to carry.

They get angry.

They take that anger home.

They snap at their spouse.

Their spouse gets angry.

Now they’re arguing.

The kids hear it.

Someone goes to bed upset.

And all of it started with a comment from a stranger on Facebook.

That’s the domino effect.

You may never know what your words set in motion.

But here’s the beautiful part:

The domino effect works in the other direction too.

Maybe somebody is having the worst day they’ve had in months.

And then they open Facebook.

They see your comment.

“Hey, hope you’re doing okay. Keep your head up.”

Maybe somebody sends them a funny meme.

Maybe someone compliments their work.

Maybe somebody simply says:

“Great post!”

That tiny moment of kindness might be exactly what they needed.

Maybe it changes their entire day.

Maybe it gives them enough encouragement to keep going.

Maybe they go home and treat their family better because somebody treated them better.

You may never know.

That’s the crazy thing about kindness.

You don’t always get to see where it goes.

And Yes… I’m Guilty Too

Before anybody starts thinking OG Strain is standing on some imaginary cannabis-community mountaintop handing out commandments:

Nope.

I’m guilty too.

I’ve said things I shouldn’t have said.

I’ve reacted when I should have ignored something.

I’ve allowed frustration to influence my words.

I’ve made mistakes.

I’m human.

And that’s actually part of the point.

This isn’t an article telling everyone else how they need to behave.

It’s a reminder to all of us—including me.

Before we hit send…

Before we hit post…

Before we leave that comment…

Maybe we should take five seconds and ask ourselves:

“Do I really need to say this?”

And if the answer is no?

Congratulations.

You just saved yourself an argument.

You’re welcome.

Forgiveness Isn’t Weakness

I’m probably in the minority in this community when it comes to how openly I talk about my Christian beliefs.

But there’s something from my faith that I believe could solve a whole lot of problems around here:

Love.

And I’m not talking about the Hallmark-card version of love.

Real love is difficult.

Real love means forgiveness.

It means giving somebody another chance.

It means trying to understand that someone may be going through something you know absolutely nothing about.

It means recognizing that a person who hurt you may not be proud of what they did.

And sometimes, love means accepting an apology.

On the other side of that coin, if you are the one who screwed up, there’s nothing wrong with saying:

“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

Those three words can be incredibly difficult to say.

Our pride gets in the way.

We convince ourselves that apologizing makes us weak.

It doesn’t.

Sometimes the strongest thing a person can do is admit they screwed up.

And if you believe, as I do, that pride can become destructive, then maybe we should stop treating pride like it’s some kind of superpower.

Being too proud to apologize isn’t strength.

Sometimes it’s simply a refusal to grow.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

I don’t want to leave this community.

I don’t want to stop writing.

I don’t want to stop creating.

I don’t want to stop supporting the people who are doing incredible things.

And I certainly don’t want to abandon the people I’ve come to genuinely love and respect.

Because those people matter to me.

You matter to me.

If you’re one of the people who shows up for others…

If you’re the person who congratulates somebody instead of competing with them…

If you’re the person who helps somebody who is struggling…

If you’re the person who chooses kindness when negativity would be easier…

Thank you.

You’re the reason people like me keep fighting for this community.

But we need more of you.

And maybe that’s where we all come in.

Let’s think about what we say.

Let’s think about what we post.

Let’s think about the people on the other side of the screen.

Let’s remember that every person we interact with is carrying something we may know absolutely nothing about.

Let’s stop treating every disagreement like we’re entering the final round of the Cannabis Community Super Bowl.

Let’s stop tearing each other down.

Let’s stop assuming the worst about one another.

Let’s forgive more.

Let’s apologize more.

Let’s encourage more.

Let’s laugh more.

Let’s help more.

Let’s remember why we’re here in the first place.

Because despite all of our differences, there’s something that brought us together:

We love this plant.

We believe in its potential.

We believe in its benefits.

We believe people should be able to use it responsibly without being treated like criminals or stereotyped as worthless stoners.

But if that’s what we believe, then we have to prove it.

Not with arguments.

With our actions.

The cannabis community shouldn’t be known for who can yell the loudest.

It shouldn’t be known for who can destroy somebody’s reputation the fastest.

It shouldn’t be known for jealousy, bullying, infighting and endless online drama.

It should be known for compassion.

Creativity.

Entrepreneurship.

Healing.

Friendship.

Community.

And yes…

Love and peace.

Because maybe that’s the greatest thing we can do for cannabis itself.

Show the world that people who use this plant aren’t the stereotypes they’ve been told to fear.

Show them that we can build businesses.

Create art.

Raise families.

Help our neighbors.

Support one another.

Laugh together.

Disagree respectfully.

Forgive each other.

And still get shit done.

We are the cannabis community.

Whether we like it or not, we’re also part of cannabis’s public face.

So the next time you’re about to fire off that nasty comment…

Pause.

Take a breath.

Ask yourself whether it’s really worth it.

Because you never know what kind of domino you’re about to knock over.

And you never know what kind of domino you could knock over by doing the opposite.

Maybe instead of being the person who starts the next fire…

Be the person who puts one out.

Maybe instead of adding fuel…

Be the person who brings the water.

I was born eight years too late for Woodstock ’69.

But maybe we don’t have to be too late to bring back what it represented.

Maybe we can still choose love.

Maybe we can still choose peace.

Maybe we can still choose community.

Because at the end of the day, the world isn’t going to judge our cannabis community by what we say cannabis does for us.

They’re going to judge us by what they see us do.

So let’s give them something worth seeing.

Let the next thing this community catches fire for be LOVE—not each other.