Folio Weed

Words by Shelton Hull   Much of the explosive growth that initially characterized the country’s cannabis market has certainly cooled off a bit, but that’s inevitable in any industry. Better a slow, consistent burn than a white-hot, inconsistent flame. Still, though, the industry continues to grow, here and elsewhere, and a big factor in that growth has been the involvement of celebrities. As we’ve seen with the liquor industry, celebrities have been enthusiastic about lending their names and images to the product in exchange for a steady, reliable source of pocket money, and who can blame them? Likewise, in a …

Words by Shelton Hull   Valentine’s Day is either right before or right after you read this, so it seems a good time to look briefly at how cannabis can enhance the reader’s romantic life. As always, our (possibly deliberate) failure to get the plant fully legalized here puts some limits on the options available, but online readers in more advanced states can take advantage of the full spectrum.  Gentle reader, be forewarned that we’ll be talking about sex here today. It’s a natural thing, practiced by all animal species around the world throughout history, including the most dangerous animal …

Folio Weed Words by Shelton Hull   Last year was an election year, so you may have seen people collecting petitions for all types of causes here and there. We still have local elections in March, but all the statewide and national action is over until 2024, which promises a Superelection that promises plenty of violence and results that are unlikely to satisfy anyone but the extremists on either side of the aisle. Until then, the only petitions being collected are to fully legalize cannabis in Florida.    We’ve been around this block before, like stray dogs with OCD, constantly …

Folio Weed  Trees, Under Your Tree Words by Shelton Hull   The holidays are now upon us, whether you like it or not. By the time you read this, you will have hopefully finished all your holiday shopping already. If not, well, thoughts and prayers for your wallets and your sanity. If you’re not a regular fan of cannabis products, you might find yourself having a strong urge to partake by the time you’ve checked all the items off your shopping list. Between the crowds at the malls, and the supply chain issues at your local big box store, not …

Folio Weed: Session Obsession  Words by Shelton Hull What is an “influencer”? It means nothing, in my opinion, but also everything. No matter who you are or what you do, everyone has some type of platform, and everyone has an audience of some size. Social media has broken down a lot of the walls that once separated people based on race, politics and particularly economic status. The concept of “celebrity” is now so amorphous that the line between you and the creators you enjoy is so thin, it’s positively diaphanous.  Andy Warhol was exactly right, as usual, when he predicted …

Words by Shelton Hull   Richard Bruce Borders died in his sleep sometime on Sept. 6, 2022. A wellness check revealed a complete and total absence of wellness, and that was some of the harshest news to come this way in this entire tragic year. Our friends at the Jacksonville Music Experience (a fantastic platform run by WJCT) carried a very nice obituary written by Daniel A. Brown, who in a previous role as <Folio>’s Arts and Entertainment editor also wrote an exceptional cover feature on Borders back in 2017.   Borders (1948-2022) was found dead in bed by our …

Click here to read about Florida’s flood tide fishing, Alleyway Kustoms, how the IRA will reach Florida communities and the rules and regulations of service animals!

Last month’s column was all about my recommendations for people to vote for in the Aug. 23 Florida primaries with an eye toward our shared goal of continuing to build the state’s medical marijuana industry, hopefully even allowing for full recreational use, eventually. Well, let’s just say that pretty much all those people lost, meaning any ambitions we had along those lines are officially out the door, maybe forever. We had 29% turnout in Duval County, and mostly Republican, in a majority Democratic county, where Dems had much more on the line—utterly disgraceful, but we are pathologically incapable of shame. …

Jacksonville’s top water hogs, Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery, the sheriff’s race, the affordable housing crisis, local cafe being uprooted and some other good stuff. Click here to read the issue!

It’s been a summer of anniversaries, large and small, for people and institutions across Northeast Florida, as you may have noticed. It’s the 200th anniversary of the city itself (which was founded on a Saturday, very on-brand), the 100th anniversary of the Garden Club, the 50th anniversary of WJCT, the 25th for iconic local DJ Wes Reed and so much else. The same is true for Folio, celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. This past July 8 marked the 25th anniversary of my own debut in this illustrious local rag, some seven editors and maybe a million words ago. A …