Latest posts by Zack Ruskin

There’s a clock that’s been ticking since 1996. It started when California voters decided to legalize medical cannabis. From that moment forward — as more and more states joined the party, with medical and later recreational cannabis — some have wondered just how long it would be before Big Tobacco took an active interest in […]

When it comes to Shannon Shaw’s voice, words simply fail to do it justice. Over the course of her decade-long career as the frontwoman of the Oakland outfit Shannon and the Clams, many people have tried to capture the essence of Shaw’s vocals, but comparisons to doo-wop divas of the past and pop-star powerhouses of […]

If you’ve been on Muni lately, you may have noticed a new type of ad that’s taken residence on our city’s buses. “Truth or Nah?” is the brainchild of San Francisco’s Department of Public Health and reflects its desire to ensure San Francisco’s youth have the facts about cannabis. Clearly intended to target teenagers in […]

Ali Jamalian knows a thing or two about cannabis. For one, it’s his business. With his partner, Dr. Sarah Rodriguez, Jamalian developed a line of cannabis-infused organic spirulina flakes. For another, it’s his social life. As a big fan of cooking, Jamalian counts Nopa’s Austin Thompson and Cannaisseur Series creator Coreen Carroll as friends. They’ve […]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is human garbage. His reign of terror has lasted decades, but someday his tenure will blessedly end. When it does, we will look back at his time in office as a master class in undermining the will of the American public, full of obstructionism, a casual erosion of norms […]

  Long before Alicia Rose was ever discussing soft tissue absorption or describing the potency of cannabis-fueled orgasms, she was shopping at Bay Area dispensaries and leaving disappointed. One item she bought — marketed as a topical intended to stimulate sensuality and arousal — resulted in yet another eventual letdown. “I bought it,” Rose says, […]

On the same day the Rolling Stones will announce a 2019 tour of North America — a trek that will find the aging rockers playing tunes that stretch back 50 years or more — Minus the Bear guitarist Dave Knudson is explaining why his band is calling it quits after nearly two decades together. “I […]

If Mara Gordon made herself available to sit down and speak with everyone who harbored doubts about the viability of medicinal cannabis, the issue might cease to exist. To say that Gordon, an activist and local cannabis manufacturer, is a compelling speaker is a bit of an understatement. Her passion and belief in her mission […]

For most people, directing cinematic masterpieces like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now would serve as a sufficient legacy. In the case of Bay Area resident Francis Ford Coppola, making movies was just the beginning.  In addition to his largely impeccable filmography, Coppola has co-founded his own movie company, restored Napa’s Uptown Theater, opened the San […]

Last Tuesday, San Franciscans made it clear that they support a new city tax on recreational cannabis sales. After 65.8 percent voted in favor of Proposition D, the measure will levy a gross receipts tax on pot sellers that make over $500,000 annually at a rate between 1 and 5 percent (dependent on whether the […]