ile Mike Wittenberg sat in a Dominican Republic prison, a thought occurred to him. “I could appreciate flushing the toilet,” he said. “When you’re in a third-world jail without running water 23.5 hours a day, you learn to appreciate the little things.”

Women in Cannabis

When Adelia Carrillo (Fakhri) and Parisa Rad first sat down for brunch in Phoenix, AZ, with a few other women in the cannabis industry, they had no idea how that moment would change the trajectory of their lives. “The energy in that room was transformative,” Adelia says.
For Asia Cannario, the War on Drugs is especially personal. Like many people, she started using cannabis as a teenager and got into selling cannabis in her 20s in Baltimore, Maryland, long before any legalization efforts grew teeth.
The cannabis industry is evolving fast, but its most powerful force is not a new product or policy. It is the women leading the charge.
For Sammie Pyle, cannabis has been a life-changing medicine, and she wants everyone to know about it. A registered nurse with a background in critical care and travel nursing, Sammie became a frontline healthcare worker in 2020, working in COVID ICUs across the country. As a result of that work, she was diagnosed with PTSD, survivor’s guilt, and insomnia. “The doctor wanted to give me a lot of prescriptions, but I already felt numb,” she says. “I needed something to bring me back to myself. So I chose a different path: the cannabis route.”
HQ-Podcast-Dark-Trans

Heads of Industry

Cannabis and comedy go hand-in-hand. After all, who hasn’t smoked a joint and immediately caught a case of the giggles? Who hasn’t taken a huge bong rip, only to have your best smoking buddy crack a joke as soon as you inhale?
How Aaron Pavloff made Field Tryp an exclusive luxury event for big-time buyers and vendors.
How Marcos Hurtado continues a legacy of service with Lambo Industries
Explore the mission of NORMLS in the ongoing cannabis reform. Learn why the fight for legalization is far from over.
  • CannaAid and Peak: Something new for everyone.

Quest for the Best

The Best Products from HQ Wholesalers
ile Mike Wittenberg sat in a Dominican Republic prison, a thought occurred to him. “I could appreciate flushing the toilet,” he said. “When you’re in a third-world jail without running water 23.5 hours a day, you learn to appreciate the little things.”
When it comes to marketing, cannabis is different from every other consumer good available today. If sales start to dip in traditional retail, you can simply increase ad spending. However, with companies like Google, Meta, and even traditional broadcasters placing strict bans or severe limitations on cannabis advertising, the standard “pay-to-play” system just doesn’t work.
It feels impossible sometimes to escape the more ridiculousness aspects of pop culture—like pickleball, whatever a Labubu is, and the inevitable media frenzy surrounding Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's upcoming wedding. Thankfully, there’s at least one trend that’s still on the rise that I can get behind, which is kratom.
On its face, it makes sense: an anti-establishment asset in a counterculture shop. But the ethical ramifications of cryptocurrency ATMs have divided smoke shop owners, who are increasingly asked to host them.
This year, it’s time to try something different. Too many businesses focus on chasing the latest thing. But this year, why not make your resolution an addition by subtraction? Here’s a list of 10 bad habits you should strive to break in 2026.
These days, everything comes down to good marketing. While most shop owners didn’t get into the business to make ads, effective promotion has become integral to modern business. Unfortunately, it also requires a separate skill set.

Industry Associations

United we stand

Several weeks ago, the death of Jamie Garcia—a worker at a state-licensed cannabis cultivation site in Los Angeles—during an ICE raid sent shockwaves through the medical cannabis community.
The medical-industrial complex loves its FDA-approved gums and patches, yet real-world evidence shows vaping annihilates traditional nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in smoking cessation efficacy.
The rise of nicotine vaping as an alternative to traditional smoking has sparked never-ending complaints about its safety, with propylene glycol (PG), a common ingredient in e-liquids, often targeted as a health concern.
While a few may have held some hope for Cannabis into Trump's 2nd term, campaign talk doesn’t mean action. However Trump's focus is quite clearly elsewhere.
The anti-vaping crusade was dealt another serious blow following the retraction of a study in May claiming nicotine “plays a critical role” in the progression of breast cancer.
It’s not a coincidence that the company’s name is Servd Distribution. The entire operation rests on the concept of customer service.
One Bad Sign: Mike Wittenberg Reflects on his 18 Months in a Foreign Jail for Cannabis Crimes
Giving Them the Accolades They Deserve 
Are We Saturated Yet? Mapping the Industry’s Growth Ceiling: How Close Are We—And What’s Beyond?
What Will 2025 Kill? 10 Smoke Shop Trends That Need to Die Already
The Doob Abides | Doob Tubes: Reintroducing an Industry Legend