Latest posts by Zack Ruskin

On Thursday night, no one mistook Libby Cooper for Dallas Mavericks owner (and Shark Tank investor) Mark Cuban. Quick to ask insightful questions of those pitching their cannabis businesses, the former Creative Director of Eaze and current Co-CEO of Space Coyote was a far cry from the stern, suited figures who often populate the ABC […]

There are many accolades that describe the work of beloved San Francisco drag queen Peaches Christ. Over the years, her drag-infused takes on cinematic treasures have delivered with equal measures of brilliance and revulsion. Now she’s pushing things even further with a show that combines the 1996 Bette Midler comedy The First Wives Club with […]

Harry wasn’t the only cat at Aster Farms. In fact, the Lake County property (north of Napa, east of Mendocino) was home to a number of cats and dogs — although Aster Farms CEO and Director of Business Strategy Julia Jacobson confesses that everyone was partial to Harry. “He was one of our favorites,” she […]

On Saturday night, San Francisco’s Swedish American Hall served as a pulpit for the future of music. As the charts continue to converge into an indistinguishable glut of algorithm-approved, hashtag-complaint tedium, songs and artists that break the mold have become akin to an endangered species. However, for at least one evening, there was refuge from […]

There aren’t any “buyer beware” signs to be found at Bay Area dispensaries, but perhaps there should be. After all, despite regulatory efforts to ensure the safety of cannabis products, question marks abound when it comes to the label on a jar of flower matching the contents within. That’s where LeafWorks hopes to make a […]

Most of us can recall a time we purchased too much produce at the grocery store only to watch as it decayed on our kitchen tables. For Laura Jane Grace, the parallels between this everyday scenario and the latest batch of songs she’d written was simply too much to ignore. “Sometimes, if you don’t eat […]

During the height of holiday shopping, several cannabis brands last December decided to get in on the fun. Dosist packaged its vaporizer pens with candles scented like the company’s oil formulas. Francis Ford Coppola jumped in with a curated selection of buds housed inside a hollow replica of a wine bottle. Like a stoned Santa […]

What do Don McLean, Pink Floyd, and U2 all have in common? In the mind of Westworld actor (and notably skilled singer) Evan Rachael Wood, they all fall under a common theme. Early in her Wednesday night set at the Independent, Wood explained that she and guitarist Zane Carney enjoyed playing shows centered on a […]

When East Bay native Kevin Ahaesy decided to open a dispensary, it didn’t mean helping just one business get off the ground, but eight. While ECO Cannabis may be the only business that Ahaesy is chiefly responsible for, part of his efforts to improve his chances at receiving a general license involved incubating other businesses […]

District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman readily admits that the development and implementation of cannabis regulations in San Francisco has been a bit of an adventure so far. “We’re in a brave new world here,” Mandelman says. “We’re making new laws and figuring stuff out as we go along.” The latest edict on Mandelman’s agenda is […]