Weedland and Flowerhead Founder John Gold is a musician, third-generation Angeleno, and the self-described “Sisyphus of the weed industry.” His mission: to create a space where people who appreciate high-quality cannabis can learn more about the products they love. In this Q & A—the first in a series that will feature our Best Buds in the world of weed—John reveals why he started this site, his current go-to band out of Brooklyn, and the highest amount of THC he’s ever taken in one sitting (spoiler: he ended up crawling on all fours).

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‍WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Los Angeles, CA

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WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW?

Still here but way east at the moment.

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WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN?

It's the little things that make me happy these days. Family, a walk to this little Main Street area near me, connecting with friends.

I like to try rare weed and listen to/make music - in that order 😎

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‍WHAT ARE YOU INTO LATELY? CAN BE ANYTHING:

Way into getting Weedland out there right now.

I like this cast iron skillet I recently acquired.

Making up songs just because.

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WHAT DO YOU DO FOR WORK?

Self-elected Mayor of Weedland, Ambassador of Flowerhead.

Also the Sisyphus of the weed industry. At the end of the day I'm trying to make something useful and entertaining in a very mediocre landscape. And I say that as a customer and lover of the plant, so it's always been to create something that's useful and brings back the fun in discovering weed products. I am a bit of a nerd about it.

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DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME YOU TRIED CANNABIS? WHAT WAS IT LIKE?

8th grade at my friend Mike's house. I remember smoking outside and then going in to grab like a soft-serve ice cream from the freezer and then just tossing the empty box on the kitchen floor. As a fairly well-mannered kid it wasn't the worst thing haha but I just remember thinking that this is what smoking weed was. Didn't really try it again for a few years after that.

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WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO CONSUME NOW?

I've been a fan of joints for a long time. So much to love about that method. I like a dog walker most - who in this day and age likes to have a stinky half jay laying around? Maybe I'm alone in that but I just enjoy starting fresh each time I smoke. On that note, this summer I was gifted a Cookies Preroll with a glass tip and I think I’ve graduated. I picked out a few that I’d like to try here [enter link to a collection]

But I'm surprised recently at how much I have gravitated towards - and I'm not just saying this - these incredible products from HØJ. The smoothest pipe I have ever encountered. And the grinder is something you need to experience yourself if smoking is your preferred method.

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WHAT WAS YOUR BEST HIGH-DEA?

You're looking at it right now.

But I have more up my sleeve that I'll be trickling out as we go.

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WHAT WAS YOUR WORST HIGH-DEA?

I don't know but I had a very bad pre-high-dea of eating a 75mg candy a while back. Ill-advised when 5-10mg is plenty.

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FAVORITE ACTIVITY TO DO WHILE HIGH?

A hike or anything to do with music.

I also like to go to a nice restaurant while enjoying some form of cannabis.

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WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SESSION SONG RIGHT NOW?

There's this band from NYC called GEESE - in heavy rotation.

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WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE WHILE GETTING STONED?

Home Sweet Home.

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WHAT IS THE MOST PROFOUND EXPERIENCE YOU’VE EVER HAD WHILE HIGH?

So back to that 75mg candy... I had a (very loud) symphony playing in my mind and was seeing fractals and such. Didn't know that THC could get me there! I also couldn't move and had to crawl to get a drink of water - I was exceptionally thirsty.  

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WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU’RE MOST GRATEFUL FOR?

Health, good food, a peaceful place to live, songs and singing and my bass guitar (I don’t know shit about gear but I do love my 1978 Fender Precision that I’ve had since ‘91).

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Current List

HØJ

MOON MADE FARMS

SESSION

SONOMA HILLS FARM

SUMMERLAND

VESSEL

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WHY DO YOU SUGGEST THESE SELECTED PRODUCTS/BRANDS?:

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BEED - I'll be straight up with you: when I first saw this thing I laughed it off. Weeks later I went to a friend's house who randomly had one and I loved it - mostly on account of how gosh darn FRESH it was. See, Nespresso helped build this machine and the vacuum sealed pods that come separately. They are also doing some cool collabos with grows/farms. I tried a THC design preroll - it was fragrant and potent and I ended up exceptionally high - and went to a nice dinner. Great nite!

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HØJ - It's pronounced 'hoy' btw, and I think it means 'high' in Danish. Or maybe I'm just high and making that up. Listen I don't want to overdo it and start in again on how much I love my HØJ pipe and grinder (see above)... I'll just say is that you'll know what I mean when you try yours. So enjoyable and truly breakthrough. The packaging is really nice. Also, who doesn't love magnets? Get yours and report back - I need a witness here.

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MOON MADE FARMS - When I first met Tina of MMF over the phone I remember her saying "Hi John I'm Tina and I love weed! How bout you?" (I agreed and also could tell that I have a lot to learn from her… mainly owning enthusiasm for great cannabis). She is a force: not just a cool person on a mission to spread knowledge about sungrown flower in general, but she also delivers the most unique flavor/aroma profiles (aka terps) I've ever encountered. If you don't know about full spectrum flower, I'm excited for you to utilize Flowerhead and Weedland as a great way to find out! Don't miss the whole cola ounce [link to product page] that's coming in December.

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SESSION - This was the first bong hit in years, and back then my bong was just like a classic semi-creepy glass bong from a head shop. I didn't even keep it in view. Anyway, session has figured out a way to keep smokeware fairly low profile. I have a family who is not especially into weed (one of them is three years old), so it's not like I keep it on the coffee table, but whenever I feel like being very high, this thing is clean (and easy to clean) and feels good in the hand.

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SONOMA HILLS FARM - Talk about terps, woo! I love their approach and can't wait to visit someday for one of their dinner events. I love talking with these good people - Mike is the main guy there - about their craft -  they are so into it it’s infectious. They really have a good thing going: organic, sungrown, gourmet. Check out their preroll packs, too. Can’t go wrong.

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SUMMERLAND - I've been admiring SUMMERLAND from afar for a while. There are many products I'd like to try - especially The Caretaker. I treated myself to one of their long sleeve hemp tees (the tan colored) and I have to say it's my favorite shirt. Get one!

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VESSEL - I also love this company. Lately I've been using my Helix and I'll tell you what this thing actually does cool down the smoke. It also feels heavy like a serious piece. Their ashtrays are really nice and not stoner-y at all. High quality stuff.

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