High Points: The Best Narratively Weed Stories
From growers to smugglers, peddlers to churchgoers, here are some of our greatest 'hits,' starring mankind's most controversial psychoactive plant.
This week, Narratively kicked off Cannabis Country: The New Normal, a collaborative series produced in partnership with Cannabis Wire, a unique publication exploring issues of regulation, technology, law, criminal justice, and individual liberties at the intersection of this booming billion-dollar industry. Here's a look back at some of our best Narratively stories about the wild world of weed:
1. The Man Who Got America High By Jeff Maysh
Illustration by Naomi Elliot Alfred Dellentesh was once known for his private jet-leasing business, serving the likes of the Stones, the Dead and KISS. But it turns out he was also secretly saddled up with Pablo Escobar and New York's infamous Gambino crime family. 2. My Mother the Ganja Dealer By Alia Volz
Image courtesy of the author Find out how this Narratively contributor's mom maintained a quarter-century career selling pot, helping to provide for her growing family. 3. The Pedal Pusher By Kenneth R. Rosen
Illustration by Sam Spina Meet "Joseph," a Brooklynite who spends his evenings riding a Bianchi bike, darting around New York City and delivering everything from psychotropics to painkillers, marijuana to mushrooms. 4. My Dreamy, Dangerous Season with the Weed Harvesters of California Cannabis Country By Lennon Bergland
Photo by Lennon Bergland This writer learned first-hand that Cannabis, California could be the new Wild West, complete with big trucks, big dogs, big plants, big money, big risk and sometimes, big snakes. 5. How the First Church of Cannabis Got Serious By Emily Byrd
Photo by Carly Secrest Already one of our most popular stories of 2016, find out how the congregation of the First Church of Cannabis is getting along, one year after its historic founding.
Check out our new series so far, and stay tuned to Narratively for more untold cannabis tales.