Cannabis connoisseur Mary Jane Gibson joins Madison Margolin for a conversation on the balance between industry and psychedelics.
Mary Jane Gibson is a prominent female voice in cannabis media. The former culture editor at High Times, Mary Jane has been tracking the legalization of medical marijuana, adult-use cannabis and CBD with integral public figures, brands and personalities since 2007. She wrote for High Times for over a decade, and now writes for a number of outlets including Rolling Stone and Vox covering cannabis culture, entertainment, news, and cutting-edge trends. She co-hosts the top-rated Weed + Grub podcast with comedian Mike Glazer. Mary Jane is also an award-winning actor and playwright, and a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada. She’s dedicated to covering the people and communities that have given rise to the legal cannabis industry; her work also spans psychedelics, arts and culture, and comedy. Stay in touch with Mary Jane on Instagram.
High Times in NYC
Mary Jane Gibson studied acting and landed in NYC to pursue a career. Along the way she met the staff of High Times magazine, who she describes as a ragamuffin crew who loved each other and loved cannabis. High Times is a very popular magazine that has been the #1 resource for cannabis news, culture, brands, and marijuana legalization laws since 1974. This chance meeting propelled Mary Jane into a career as an editor and writer. Now, cannabis has transformed from a culture into an industry. Madison worries that this loss of culture is not necessarily a good thing, despite the leaps that the cannabis industry has made medically, recreationally, etc.
For another episode of Set and Setting about cannabis, capitalism, and industry, check out: California Sober w/ Andrew DeAngelo
Intentions, Settings & Psychedelics (18:55)
Having the right intention and setting when using psychedelics is important. As the cannabis industry grows, psychedelics have also become more mainstream and accessible. Many people look to psychedelics for answers or therapeutic journeys, but some use them with only the intention of recreation. Mary Jane describes the trauma of witnessing her friend’s death and using cannabis medicinally to cope afterward. Later, she also took a mushroom trip in the desert as a powerful method of healing. Whatever reason you have for using psychedelics, be sure to find a comfortable setting and remember that every experience will be unique.
“One of the things I’ve discovered about mushrooms is how different each mushroom is. Sometimes it will be a very introspective, healing, quiet, meditative experience. Sometimes I will be howling around a bonfire with friends, laughing and seeing Ruth Bader Ginsberg in the moon”. – Mary Jane Gibson
Integrating Psychedelics // Taking A Break(29:25)
After a psychedelic experience, we may be more aware of what needs in our life are not being met. We may have a practice or new frame of mind we need to integrate into our reality. Coming back down to earth after a powerful trip takes some time and integration. If we want long-standing positive effects we can not leave behind what we have learned in our psychedelic experience. Madison and Mary Jane tell us that taking a break from the grind of industry and capitalism is okay. It is important to give ourselves the space to heal, integrate, and replenish ourselves.
“What psychedelics have done for me is put me so much more in touch with my basic humanity, my basic nature. I think when people do mushrooms and go running around in the forest they’re really elementally more aware than our daily lives when we’re just in this grind.” – Madison Margolin