a q&a with founder and editor-in-chief of Broccoli
in an interview, Anja Charbonneau discussed the mission of the female-centered cannabis magazine and the future of weed
Happy almost holidays, gardeners! This week’s newsletter will feature a Q&A with founder and editor-in-chief of Broccoli magazine Anja Charbonneau, who founded the the “by women, for women” retro cannabis publication three years ago. And, if you’re looking to buy weed-themed gifts, I got you covered too.
Meet Anja
Broccoli Magazine is a distinctly woman-centered publication focused on presenting cannabis in a new light. It's described as "playful, informed, eclectic, and thoughtful," encouraging "the discovery and intelligent appreciation of cannabis through explorations of art, culture, and fashion.”
How do you think cannabis culture has evolved throughout the past few decades, if at all, especially with regard to marginalized groups? How does Broccoli aim to cater to this cultural shift and what other changes would you like to see in the cannabis space?
When we launched Broccoli magazine in 2017, the only cannabis publications and media companies were hyper-focused on the mechanics of the industry and were almost exclusively staffed by men. While we have an all-women team, Broccoli is a space for people of any gender who appreciate what we’re creating, and we’ve made a space for weed lovers to feel seen and represented.
Cannabis, like pretty much everything, has been hidden behind the veil of the patriarchy, where only white men are allowed to get away with using it. That’s where the biggest shift is happening, at least from a cultural standpoint. Now, we have very visible proof that all kinds of people enjoy weed, and Broccoli hopes to help that process of normalization by making spaces to discuss weed in thoughtful, creative ways. The increase in states and countries with legal weed is a big part of this increased visibility, because when it’s illegal, it forces people to hide it because it puts them at risk, whether that’s on a personal level like hiding it from your family, or on a professional level like cultivating weed for sale before it’s legal.
Legal or not, the cannabis playing field isn’t equal, and Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities are constantly being harassed, arrested, incarcerated, or left out of the legal industry due to lack of resources or past charges. The increased openness and sense of community that’s becoming more accessible plays a big role in making change: we hold each other accountable, we ask for more, we take up space, and we spread the word when good work is being done. Everyone can play a part in shifting the culture and laws forward in an equitable way.
How did you come into the industry? Can you tell me a little bit about your journey toward founding Broccoli?
I’ve been a weed lover for a really long time, since my late teenage years, and I used to work at another magazine, where I fell in love with print publishing. As I saw people becoming more open about cannabis, and experienced the legal market in Oregon, it was obvious that there were a lot of stories to tell, but no place to explore them. I would go into a thoughtfully-designed dispensary, but they still had the same old cannabis industry magazines on the table. So, my publishing experience merged with the need to share a different perspective on what it means to be a person who enjoys weed, and Broccoli was born!
Can you elaborate on what cannabis means to you? What do you hope your publication will convey to your audience?
I have a lot of happy memories that include weed, like smoking with my closest friends and making each other laugh until our sides ache. Since starting Broccoli, weed has facilitated so many incredible connections to people all over the world, it has allowed me to build a business and create opportunity for other people to earn money doing work they love, and it’s taught me so much.
One of the exciting things about cannabis is that there is a lot left to learn, and even the experts are quick to admit that we have barely cracked the surface of this plant’s potential. It’s hard to dive in when you feel like you don’t know anything about a subject, but with weed I’ve found that there’s a lot of openness. We’re all learning together. I’m sure there are some major weed snobs out there, but it’s not too hard to find people who are willing to share what they know so far.
How do you feel about the status of nationwide legalization in the future? Do you think we're on the dawn of a new era and that people are ready to take weed seriously?
I absolutely think that people are willing to take weed seriously, but unfortunately when it comes to our lawmakers, I think most of them see dollar signs above all else. Money is the reason they’ll legalize weed, not because they care about the plant. When you think about the ways that the government treats corporations now, it’s disheartening to think about cannabis being treated the same way. Do we really want to see the uprising of a Jeff Bezos-style cannabis billionaire? I definitely don’t, but I think that’s very likely to happen.
If you look at Canada’s federally legal weed, you’ll see examples of this in action. The barrier to entry into the industry is so, so high, that only massive corporate entities with huge financial backing can make it in. I dare you to try to find more than a couple weed CEO’s in Canada that aren’t white men. I worry that this is what will happen in America with federally legal weed, too. One of my big fears for federal legalization would be for existing operators in legal states to lose their licenses because they’ll have to be re-licensed according to new federal laws that might not align with their existing state laws. It’s going to be so messy.
On the flip side, I absolutely want adults to be able to safely access cannabis when and where they want to, I want to see cannabis research be made possible in America, and I want to see people who are currently incarcerated for weed go free, and be given a clean slate from those drug charges. Anytime I start to feel hopeless about the future of legal, corporate weed, I try to remember the indie entrepreneurs who make it work in their own industries right now. There are national chain restaurants, and then there are the family-owned restaurants in your neighborhood. We have to support the individuals that we believe in, and that’s true for weed and pretty much everything else, too.
Some fun stuff for your enjoyment
As you can see, Twitter was particularly excellent this week.
Tag yourself — I’m the paranoid bitch who occasionally forgets things.
This weed iced latte that I can’t stop thinking about
Hello, California (arguably the birthplace of the iced latte), I’m going to need you to keep up.
‘Tis the season for gifting weed (to yourself)
From Bitch Media, “6 Weed-y Gifts For Chill Holidays” that includes everything from a cookbook to a facial serum
And this notebook that demands to be used while high that I’m openly hoping someone gets me for Christmas, which also happens to be three days away from my birthday.
And now, a song to light up to
Further reading
I think this is the best thing I’ve read in a while: “I Got High and Made Croissants Like Meryl Streep” — Vulture
“To Be Blunt: I just think that women” — by yours truly for the Daily Trojan, about the gendered usage and consumption of cannabis
One last thing
Make sure to like this post and share “the garden” if you enjoyed this content!
your bud, Natalie