Wearing Canna-Clothing Isn't a Crime!

Every day I dare myself to interact with a complete stranger, within reason. When someone is wearing canna-friendly unusual fashion, I’ll make a point to ask about it.Just before a shift at Hotbox, someone wearing a Cat in the Hat-esque reefer hat walked past me to the patio. Immediately I burst out laughing and ask him if I may take a couple photos for this very blog post. 

Our bold bud wears this hat all the time whenever he is traveling, just for a fun adventure to meet new people around the world. While visiting New Orleans, he was refused entry into a casino because of his hat. Being aware that the weed symbol was the real issue, he defended himself by making an example of another person gambling and wearing a baseball cap. Obviously there isn’t a “no hat” policy. My buddy joked with me that if his hat had stripes of red, white, and blue with a star on the front, they probably would have offered him free beverages and a V.I.P package! Ain’t that America.

Historically, hemp is a very prominent part of early America and our planet’s history. Just a bit from Emperor Wears No Clothes regarding the importance of hemp as:

“Cannabis hemp is overall, the strongest, most-durable, longest-lasting natural soft-fiber on the planet. It’s leaves and flower tops (marijuana) were- depending on the culture- the first, second, or third most-important and most-used medicines for two-thirds of the world’s people for at least 3,000 years, until the turn of the 20^th century.”

Specifically, in America you could pay your taxes with cannabis hemp for over 200 years, and you could be jailed for not growing cannabis during periods of shortage. Herer describes a few of the many successful opportunities of America’s hemp history:

•        Benjamin Franklin started one of America’s first paper mills with cannabis. This allowed America to have a free colonial press without having to beg or justify the need for paper and books from England. 
•         Plus, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew cannabis on their plantations.

Wear your weed merchandise with pride, because that leaf doesn’t just represent getting high. It’s a simple way to bring attention to a powerful resource and a foolish war. Buttons, t-shirts, key chains, and even hats cannot be illegal for their positive message. Try to open up with friendly strangers, and pass along anti-prohibition information. Pot-entially you could educate and change quite a few minds.

   

   Always look to the bright side of the sun,

   Puffy

Raise Awareness and Expose the Truth!

The message is simple, but the laws are complicated. These are images of me doing my part by distributing fliers for Why Prohibition and End Prohibition at work! 

Ivan wants to end prohibition too!

 Always take the opportunity to learn more! Knowledge is power. 

Always look to the bright side of the sun, 
Puffy

Tons of Fun at the TY Expo!

Although it's been two weeks since the TY Expo, I had such an amazing weekend that I must post my photos from the event! By decorating the vapor lounge, I was granted access to the entire expo all weekend. 



For each table I made little purple and green weed plants with paper, placed those in decorated pots, and added bristol board and coloured markers for everyone to sign. 

The lounge was massive, but my minimal decorations added something special. This is the Medicinal Michelle clothes line I made, complete with t-shirts and fake bud.

Bong Man and I having lots of fun in the vape lounge! 

It's rare that weed and fashion moments happen in public, because people live in fear and choose not to represent cannabis because of threats from government and police. Wearing a t-shirt or a button isn't illegal, so daily I take pride in representing my medicine. At the expo many individuals from all over the world chose to represent their style creatively with a canna-twist! 

A marijuana manicure at Puff Mama's booth.

THC in a teacup!

This friendly stranger rolled this fatty to fit in his ear just for this photo! Originally he was wearing a cigarette, and I told him I would only put it on my blog if it was a joint!

Who's Puff Mama? Just ask! 

Working hard but having more fun with the ladies.

Unprocessed hemp looks exactly like my hair!
I feel like the Goddess of Hemp! 

My medicine, my choice. I choose to be silly and have fun!
A side effect of my medication should not be discrimination.

Bong toke with Tracy right outside the
Toronto Metro Convention Center! Inhaling my medicine feels
empowering when others choose to hide in private.

How can they prove the fine line between recreational and medicinal?
Bong hitting is not a crime!

 Always look to the bright side of the sun, 

Puffy

Fuck the Fashion Police

There is a particular stoner girl fantasy of mine that involves strutting to the end of an actual runway in New York or Paris to take a deep toke off a bong, or a puff of a joint. To smoke my medicine proudly, unlike Kate Moss who chose to accessorize her Louis Vuitton look with a cigarette. 

Tobacco kills 435, 000 Americans per year, and cannabis has only saved lives.

Seems impossible considering I have no modeling experience or connections, but a friend reminds me that the chances of that happening are much greater than prohibition ending. When my dream is to see this resource being used the way that it was intended for, I have no choice but to constantly be dreaming of the impossible. 

Early last Thursday I arrive ten minutes before the second hand shop opened and with the extra time I decide to smoke a joint. Being a soldier in the drug war, I plan to march down the runway and use the many facets of prohibition to empower me. While marching with my burning weapon and listening to Siamese Dream, I begin manifesting this runway fantasy.

After shopping I am about to ride the streetcar, but I notice my metro pass isn’t in my wallet. The only option I have is to backtrack immediately, starting at the store. Without any luck and much frustration, I light up another joint. From a short distance, I notice a police officer on a horse creeping in a bush towards a man sitting on a rock. Without hesitation I put out my doob and shuffle quickly behind the cop. Oddly enough, the horse and cop were heading down the exact same street which I practiced my runway walk and where I was searching for my metro pass.

Before I strutted against this stallion,
I took a photo to remember this surreal moment. 

As a fun game of pretend, I listened to the song zero and strutted alongside that cop just like a proud soldier would. Taking this opportunity to bring some positivity to an unusual situation, I looked right at the police officer, said hello, and wished him a great day. He complimented me on the tights I was wearing, and with bright red bloodshot peepers I looked him fiercely in the eyes and said, “Thank you, they’re green, my favourite colour.” He let me know that he would share this styling with his children, because they always wear that colour green and it looks great with black.

Using the Verdamper in my green tights!

Always look to the bright side of the sun, 
Puffy

What Creates an Activist?

Today During The Mernahuana Show, Matt and I were discussing upcoming events in the Toronto pot community. Lots of focus on the TY Expo, which is in less than two weeks, and a sudden potential opportunity will allow me to be involved in the expo’s huge vapor lounge. Matt says people have been wondering why I am on the show, and I explained that I am creative. When I do get to decorate the lounge, I will be accomplishing a dream of mine: a weedy visual display. This is similar, but on a much larger scale. The Stash Box Barbie was another creative dream I accomplished by working every couple days on the costume for months. Even if others didn’t understand the concept, it is visual awareness in the most memorable form, a well executed homemade costume of a childhood classic. My dream is to be a creative activist, because it makes me happy.

Having fun and getting stoned is what we're all about! 
From this exact moment, in my province of Ontario, there is 
46 days, 13 hours, 1 minute, 12 seconds before 
marijuana is to become legal.  

What creates an activist? Within our community, being at the right place at the right time goes a long way. Meriam Webster’s dictionary describes Activism as a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue. By opening my heart to doing as much as I could to learn more about cannabis, interesting changes started happening. It wasn’t until I read Emperor Wears No Clothes that I became so frustrated with how everything seems to be moving backwards. Criminals out of people involved in the healthiest and best resource on earth which is only harmful because of it's prohibition? As if. Matt Mernagh, my fellow productive pothead is changing history for us, and with the show, my Stash Box Barbie costume and rally participation, plus recently starting work at Clandestiny and Hot Box Café, I feel impressed with accomplished dreams. 

I am not a grower, a medible baker, or even licensed. As of yet, Until then, I am just a female stoner who has been chronic for a little over two years, and everyday I learn something amazing about cannabis, and something else which disgusts me about the drug war. How can you not support the truth?

As I grow like a planted seed, I will find my place within the cannabis community, because productive potheads make a difference!


Always look to the bright side of the sun, 
Puffy

Friendly Stranger Style

Immediately after smoking a joint, I jump on the subway to head to Village Vapor Lounge. On my adventure, I run into this young fellow covered in stripes and sativa! Rarely do I chat with complete strangers, but this Crooks and Castles hoodie made me double take. This FS told me his dad purchased Emperor Wears No Clothes for him as a Christmas gift, and I gave him a Vancouver Seed Bank rolling tray as a token after I told him to continue fighting the good fight! 

2011 Global Marijuana March: Stash Box Barbie’s Big Weekend

Easily, this past weekend could have been one of the best in my life. After last year’s protest festivities at Toronto Freedom Festival and Global Marijuana March, I promised myself that I wanted to learn about activism against prohibition and help the people who ran these events. A few months later, I walked into Vapor Central alone for the first time, sat beside a complete stranger Madd Chronic, and explained how I was passionate to get involved. This weekend marks a period in my life where things have really come full circle.

This has been an incredible year, ever since I met
 Madd Chronic and discovered the importance of activism.   

My plan for Friday was to prepare for the march by finishing my Stash Box Barbie costume, packing up the Barbie bong, and pre-rolling doobies. When HotBox Café called me while I was canna-crafting fake bud, and wanted me to stop in that afternoon as their new hemployee, I knew it was only the beginning of a great weekend.

After the adventure around Kensington Market, I found myself baked wandering town. Lately, whenever I’m in in the crosshairs of boredom, I will flip a coin to choose my next destination. Immediately after this flip, I ran into Budd Cannabis and real-life hero Matt Mernagh who happened to be tokin’ with visitors from B.C like Jodie Emery, Dana Larsen, and Jeremiah Vandermeer.


Trust yourself and that coin will flip on the proper side, and eventually you’ll end up sitting beside your very own mentors. Too shy to say very much, I just let my smile communicate for me. These are people I really believe in, and potentially they could believe in me.

Chatting with Dana Larsen as he checks out the box.
Being on the inside, it's a little difficult trying to sesh with others!

May 7^th starts very early at 6 a.m because I wanted to be a prepared soldier in this drug war with hot pink Bristol board armor, my threatening smile, and potent marijuana smoke. Butterfly is at my house for 11 a.m, and next thing I know I am inside my own personal hotbox unable to walk because of everyone wanting to snap my photo.

Bong Man, the perticular fellow who inspired me
to create my costume.

Dressing as Stash Box Barbie, my goal was to finish the entire march in my bud heels to make a loud statement regarding cannabis and prohibition. With the box, I was able to have 4 protest signs opposed to one, with “Believe in Hemp!”, “I’m not a criminal!”, and “Think outside the box” on each of the sides.

Posing with two heros of mine: Matt Mernagh and Cannabis. In less than 60 days, if the medical marijuana program doesn't significantly improve then marijuana will be legal in Ontario thanks to Merngah! 

Sunday afternoon, while at Vapor Central, I am reflecting on the historic outcome of the GMM. Just as I was hoping that I could have found the courage to ask for a picture with Jodie Emery, she walks in the door. The timing couldn't have been perfect, and I knew I had to take a toke, a deep breath and make my way on over to her table. In no time Jodie's passing me joints while Jeremiah is complimenting me on my unusual pill-popper barrette, and I am eating my munchies as if this is any normal sesh with stoner friends.  

Peace & Pot, let's end this drug war! 

This weekend I received more than a surreal smoke sesh on cloud nine with the Cannabis Culture crew. Realizing the lesson of trusting yourself and following your heart is the greatest high, even if it is illegal. 

Look to the bright side of the sun, 

-Puffy