{"id":3166,"date":"2021-12-20T20:55:20","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T20:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=187689"},"modified":"2021-12-20T20:55:20","modified_gmt":"2021-12-20T20:55:20","slug":"cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=3166","title":{"rendered":"Cypress Hill\u2019s new album breaks down the highs and lows of the legal weed game"},"content":{"rendered":"
Cypress Hill’s new album breaks down the highs and lows of the legal weed game – Leafly<\/title> <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. 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You’re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<h3 id=\"h-founding-member-sen-dog-explains-why-free-ya-mind-calls-for-an-instant-end-to-prohibition\">Founding member Sen Dog explains why \u2018Free Ya Mind\u2019 calls for an instant end to prohibition<\/h3>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Since their self-titled debut dropped in 1991, Cypress Hill has waived the stoner flag as high and proud as any mainstream artist, past or present.<\/p>\n<p>Many pot culture icons offer occasional odes and imagery that normalize the plant, but Cypress took destigmatization to new heights throughout the 1990s and 2000s, both on record and in real life.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not just their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/cypress-hill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Billboard success<\/a>, including three top 10 albums and six Hot 100 hits. Their triple OG status was earned by over three decades of work destigmatizing that helped pave the way to legalization. They even have proprietary strains like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/strains\/dr-greenthumbs-em-dog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Greenthumb\u2019s Em-Dog<\/a>, plus five <a href=\"https:\/\/dgtworldwide.com\/\">fully-licensed dispensaries<\/a> across California.<\/p>\n<p>Their latest album, <em>Open Ya Mind<\/em>, channels their decades of weed wisdom toward the inequities that exist across the industry. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img width=\"800\" height=\"800\" alt=\"Cypress Hill's new album cover shows a Monopoly-style game board with lyrics about the state of the industry.\" class=\"wp-image-188245 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>The cover of Cypress Hill\u2019s new album cover invites listeners to \u201cSmoke some,\u201d and \u201copen ya mind,\u201d to the realities of \u201cthe cannabis game.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The album cover depicts a mock-Monopoly board that illustrates the current state of the weed game. The artwork and title track include lyrics dedicated to legacy growers, sellers, and buyers who continue to feed the legal industry\u2019s rapid growth. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know that states might say one thing, but the Feds can always step in and change shit around,\u201d said founding member Sen Dog on a call with Leafly.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cThe Monopoly thing, you can basically see it happening if you\u2019re out on the street and you have dispensaries in your area. And for the longest, the country\u2019s always been against monopolies and whatnot.\u201d \u2014Sen Dog<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Leafly asked Sen to break down the new project and his group\u2019s history of rising above stigmas and leading the struggle against prohibition.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" alt class=\"wp-image-188217 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-1.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-1.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-1.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-1.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Sen Dog and Cypress Hill have been opening minds to marijuana for over three decades. Their latest project reminds everyone in the game: It\u2019s not a game. \u201cThe struggle continues\u201d for a fair industry. (Photo by Eitan Miskevich)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Leafly: What are you smoking right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Sen Dog:<\/strong> Right now as I\u2019m speaking to you, I\u2019m smoking on some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/strains\/og-kush\">OG Kush<\/a>. That has been my favorite strain for years. But I will say that I do like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/strains\/runtz\">Runtz<\/a>. I got turned onto that recently, that (one) I like a lot. And the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/strains\/bubba-kush\">Bubba Kush<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/strains\/white-widow\">White Widow<\/a>, those are some of my favorites right there.<\/p>\n<p id=\"h-overcoming-the-early-stigmas-that-come-with-being-known-as-the-weed-band\"><strong>Leafly: How did you overcome the early stigmas that come with being known as \u2018the weed band?\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD:<\/strong> When we first came out, being an outright open stoner was kinda taboo. People didn\u2019t really talk about that. You had some artists that mention taking a puff here or there. But it wasn\u2019t really widely talked about it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Leafly: What price did you guys have to pay as pioneers?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD:<\/strong> When we took our (pro-cannabis) stance, I kind of felt like opportunities that were being given to other bands were maybe not given to us because of our stance on marijuana. <\/p>\n<p>Some opportunities we would have been good for maybe, people looked past us because they weren\u2019t ready to deal with that other side of us that took that stance: \u2018we\u2019re activists.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>Leafly: Now that it\u2019s become legal and commercialized, the industry looks a lot like hip-hop did when you guys debuted.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD:<\/strong> As hip-hop has gotten more popular and bigger and more powerful, you see these companies that were not stepping to hip-hop artists (before), now use hip-hop artists for everything. But now that things are a little bit different, we\u2019re seeing a change. <\/p>\n<p>Not that we\u2019re complaining about opportunities. It\u2019s always good to get more here and there. We\u2019re working with beer companies and things like that (now). So I think the stigma of it is not as great as it once was back in the days.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"Cypress Hill members B-Real and Sen Dog pose for an early 1990s photograph in front of a burning trashcan.\" class=\"wp-image-188207 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game.tiff,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game.tiff,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game.tiff,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game.tiff,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Cypress Hill MCs B-Real and Sen Dog circa their 1991 debut album. <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/356939\/support-legal-marijuana-holds-record-high.aspx\"><span>Gallup polls<\/span><\/a> show that cannabis acceptance has gone from about 25% to 68% since Cypress Hill debuted. (Courtesy of Sony Music) (Courtesy of Sony Music)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Leafly: The record shows that you were in the earliest class of hip-hop artists to take ownership of the plant, and all that came with it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD:<\/strong> We\u2019re very proud that we were the ones to take that chance and dedicate a whole band to marijuana, more or less. But we don\u2019t take all the credit for it. It had to be somebody to take that stance, and other people run with it and do their thing too.<\/p>\n<p>Without jocking ourselves or patting ourselves on the back or whatever, we know that Cypress Hill rocked, and what we did to change the perceptions and views of marijuana.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s not something that we go bragging about or anything like that. Like, \u2018Cypress, we did it first!\u2019 It\u2019s ain\u2019t even like that. The fact is what it is, but it wasn\u2019t like we shut the door behind us. We left that door wide open.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img width=\"750\" height=\"898\" alt=\"Cypress Hill covers the March 1992 issue of High Times magazine, a year before their 1993 album Black Sunday debuted at number one on the charts. \" class=\"wp-image-29390 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game.png,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game.png,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game.png,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game.png,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Cypress Hill covers the March 1992 issue of <em>High Times<\/em> magazine, a year before their 1993 album <em>Black Sunday<\/em> debuted at number one on the charts. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cThat right there is what I\u2019m most proud of. That we got people to stop being closet stoners and be open with it [laughs].\u201d \u2013 Sen Dog<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Leafly:<\/strong> <strong>The beautiful thing about the plant and music is they will always grow with and belong to the people.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD: <\/strong>So many people around the world enjoy marijuana. How could you actually just say Cypress is the only ones that could do this?<\/p>\n<p>Nah. We left that door wide open for anyone who wanted to do it and join us in the struggle. And people responded. But there\u2019s other rock bands that came out and said these guys are right, let\u2019s get behind this movement.<\/p>\n<p>Without being too bold or bragging about it, it ain\u2019t about that. It\u2019s just about furthering the community and making it bigger and better.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" alt=\"Cypress Hill is still standing tall for the plant over three decades after their debut.\" class=\"wp-image-188215 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-2.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-2.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-2.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-2.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Over three decades in, Cypress Hill is still standing tall for the plant. And they\u2019re reaping the rewards of seeds they sowed when it was still prohibited in all 50 states. (Eitan Miskevich)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Leafly: But as artists, you do realize the impact your music had on society slowly normalizing the plant, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD:<\/strong> We do recognize that we had a very vital role in the legalizing and normalizing of marijuana and where it\u2019s gotten to now.<\/p>\n<p>When we would smoke with all those other groups of that time, they really were all like, \u2018Why didn\u2019t we think of really (rapping about weed)?\u2019 But they were all (happy) with (our success). Everybody was cool, and everybody was friends and supporting one another. Right there, we made some friends for life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Leafly: Were there any other artists back then who could survive a hot box with you guys?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD: <\/strong>People would come in and hang out, take a rip here or a rip there. But back in those days, we came out smoking heavy, and it wasn\u2019t too many people that could hang with us in a room for a period of time and get stoned with us, you know? <\/p>\n<p>As far as like other guys we used to hang around really tight with, A Tribe Called Quest, and Leaders of the New School, and Busta Rhymes. All those guys from them days. We were all blunted up and zooted up.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt=\"An early 1990s photo captures members DJ Muggs, B-Real, and Sen Dogg sharing a smoke.\" class=\"wp-image-188208 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-1.tiff,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-1.tiff,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-1.tiff,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-1.tiff,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Few 90s artists could survive a session with Cypress Hill. (Courtesy of Sony Music)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Leafly: What\u2019s the most legendary session you can remember taking part in back then?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD: <\/strong>\u201cI can tell you that Gang Starr (DJ Premier and the late, great, Guru) was real heavy into the whole smoking thing. I remember our first few times in New York, we went to hang with them. They were hanging at some famous jazz dude\u2019s house. And we had this smoke out and party session that lasted like all night long.<\/p>\n<p>These guys did not stop smoking. I always gave Gang Starr props because Guru was always down to chief out with us.<\/p>\n<p>Those days in New York, I remember Tribe was there, and Leaders, and Gang Starr was always hanging around. Back in those days, didn\u2019t nobody really smoke like us and how we did it. Except the Gang Starr dudes, (they) were all about it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" alt class=\"wp-image-188228 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-3.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-3.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-3.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-3.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Cypress Hill remains grounded as OGs of one of the world\u2019s fastest-growing industries. \u201cWe just felt like we wanted to come out and talk intelligently about the matter and not make it a party song or anything like that,\u201d says Sen Dog (far right). \u201cJust something to get in people\u2019s minds and raise that question mark if it\u2019s not there already.\u201d (Eitan Miskevich)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Leafly: What was the research and writing process for \u2018Open Ya Mind\u2019 like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD: <\/strong>There was research done, but we stay up on the changes and the laws and what\u2019s going on from state to state. This is something that we talk about daily. Especially when we\u2019re on tour. <\/p>\n<p>So we already knew what was going on. We researched some things in different states. But we kind of knew what was going on and we just needed to talk about it and put it out there.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201c<em>Got me stressin\u2019, it\u2019s depressin\u2019, couple miles away at the dispensary they selling weed everyday.<\/em>\u201d \u2013 B-Real, \u201cOpen Ya Mind\u201d (2021)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>SD:<\/strong> That line and others like it are a nod to the independent weed dealer that is still trying to exist in this world of legalized cannabis. It\u2019s about the stress of having legalized cannabis in your area.<\/p>\n<p>It used to be something that you did, now people can bypass you and go to a spot and buy weed legal, and get more of a selection.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot of things in the way of good people just enjoying a smoke. There\u2019s more to it than just, \u2018It\u2019s legal now.\u2019 There\u2019s a lot of high taxes and fees and what not. And people are still being imprisoned for cannabis that I feel are wrongly in prison.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Leafly: There are still a lot of dues to be paid by the industry to legacy advocates and entrepreneurs.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD: <\/strong>As far as helping out brothers that are incarcerated behind cannabis, I think that\u2019s a great thing to do. I know people that are still in that situation, and they\u2019re hoping one day soon to be released. We have to raise awareness about that, actually not just raise awareness about it.<\/p>\n<p>But raise (awareness) all the way to where these laws get changed concerning that kind of thing. Because these are non-violent offenders and I think prison should be for violent offenders. That\u2019s just my opinion. But I actually agree with that movement, I think that\u2019s a good thing to do, it will help a lot of families.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s people that commit way more violent crimes and whatnot. And there\u2019s just a whole thing there to explore, to open up your mind to, if you choose to be that way. You can choose to ignore your what we\u2019re saying and just go about your business.<\/p>\n<p>Nowadays, it\u2019s becoming a corporate thing, which I like to call \u201cBig Pot,\u201d like Big Tobacco. People are getting squeezed out, and it is what it is.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Leafly: Is it possible to stop \u2018Big Pot\u2019 from becoming the new \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/05\/03\/opinion\/vaping-juul.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span>Big Tobacco<\/span><\/a>?\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD: <\/strong>The thing about it being legal and everybody can take part in it is, for the most part, a lot of street guys have been squeezed out. But there are guys that got incredibly fire shit, that no matter what they got in the stores, you\u2019ll still go to that old school connection for that incredible fire. <\/p>\n<p>But it is a fact that the little guy is getting squeezed out. And that was never a thing with marijuana. It was always, anybody could grow it, anybody could sell it.<\/p>\n<p>For people dependent on making some money on the side, it has become an issue. When you take something away form somebody that they\u2019ve had for years and years, and they\u2019ve gotta figure something else out, it becomes an issue.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt class=\"wp-image-188220 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-4.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-4.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-4.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-4.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>\u201cThere\u2019s just an imbalance that needs to be figured out,\u201d says Sen Dog (far left) of the legal cannabis industry. \u201cAnd that\u2019s all the stuff we tried to cover in this song (\u2018Open Ya Mind\u2019).\u201d (Eitan Miskevich)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Leafly: As an OG, how do you envision an ideal industry looking?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD:<\/strong> I think anybody should be able to grow it and sell it no matter what state. But at the same time I don\u2019t work for governments and I don\u2019t make the laws and shit like that.<\/p>\n<p>If you get a group of growers together, or businessmen together, it makes more sense for them, but not so much for the consumer. Because now we\u2019d be paying commercial prices for something we used to grow in our backyard.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s the whole monopoly issue when it comes into play. The fees and licenses \u2014the average person could never open a dispensary because it takes millions and millions of dollars.<\/p>\n<p>And make it more of a corporate structure situation. So it just depends on what state and who\u2019s the governor.<\/p>\n<p>And we\u2019re not talking about one person. We\u2019re talking about the whole cannabis community as a whole being involved in knowing their rights and what the government tries to do from day to day to get more money out of the situation, or just shut it down period, you dig?<\/p>\n<p>So there\u2019s a lot there that needs to be discussed, and hopefully maybe even change a few things.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt class=\"wp-image-188205 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-2.tiff,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-2.tiff,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-2.tiff,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-2.tiff,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Cypress Hill\u2019s debut album lasted 102 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, proving there was steady appetite for cannabis-friendly content at a time when many smoker\u2019s were afraid to represent. (Courtesy of Sony Music)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Leafly: Do you think the industry will follow a trajectory of alcohol after prohibition? Or will it have a more powerful impact on society?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SD: <\/strong>Legalized marijuana is here to stay, so I can only see it getting more powerful and stronger and more commercial like alcohol. At the same time, I also see it being more of an important role in the every day person that needs to medicate just to function better through life.<\/p>\n<p>So I see a bigger commercialization of it on one hand, and on the other side, I see the positivity aspect of hopefully there could be more mom and pop dispensary situations. Where it ain\u2019t all about just corporate marijuana. It\u2019s also the married couple that are trying to get ahead. So they can open a dispensary. And it\u2019s made affordable to them. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not where they have to go find investors and mortgage their house and hardly eat or whatever. Nah man, make it to where anybody that wants it or thinks they can do it can handle it like a liquor store.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img alt class=\"wp-image-188214 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-3.tiff,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-3.tiff,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-3.tiff,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cypress-hills-new-album-breaks-down-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-legal-weed-game-3.tiff,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>\u201cTo the whole cannabis community, the struggle continues. Don\u2019t put your guard down. Keep supporting your stores, keep supporting your bands and keep supporting your homeboys.\u201d says Sen Dog (left), pictured with fellow Cypress Hill member B-Real (right). The 30-year veterans of the War on Cannabis show no signs of abandoning the many seeds they\u2019ve planted across pop culture. (Courtesy of Sony Music)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Leafly: Is it possible to build a balanced industry in America where the people truly have equity<\/strong>?<\/p>\n<p>I see that imbalance of the future of cannabis, and what we\u2019re trying to attempt in this country. I kind of see it blowing up into a major thing, bigger than it is now.<\/p>\n<p>And hopefully my feelings are right about the average person being able to own more of a say in the ownership of these businesses instead of just contributing to these businesses by going and buying their product. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a fine line I talk about, I know. But somewhere, sometime, I think that needs to happen. To where the people get more of a stake in the success of the growing legalization of cannabis and hemp.<\/p>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly’s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --> <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-12-20 19:03:03 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cypress Hill’s new album breaks down the highs and lows of the legal weed game – Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You’re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Founding member Sen Dog explains why \u2018Free Ya Mind\u2019 calls for an instant end to prohibition Since their self-titled debut dropped in 1991, Cypress Hill has waived the stoner flag as… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}