By James Bridges I was done chasing MAC 1. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. I’d found my sweet spot with it years ago, and I’ve kept that as a perfect mental snapshot. The signature creamy citrus punch, the way it hits smooth and steady, never too heavy, never too racy. It was…
Category: James Bridges
Why We Gather – Connection, Legacy, and Intrigue
By James Bridges | Herbage Magazine We show up to remember why the hell we started. We may flex our best buds or hang banners with our logos flapping in the wind, but we show up because this is where we find our people. Small-town pop-ups and even the biggest festivals in the state are…
Legalization doesn’t change who we are. It just stops punishing us for it.
Legalization doesn’t make Oklahomans something new, it just stops punishing us for who we’ve always been: honest, independent, hard-working people who deserve the freedom to choose a plant over a pill.
Cannabis and Guns – The American Contradiction
The Supreme Court will decide whether cannabis users can legally own firearms, a case that could redefine the intersection of personal freedom, gun rights, and cannabis culture in America.
The Truth About “Cannabis Deaths” in Oklahoma: The Numbers Don’t Add Up So Who Benefits?
Oklahoma recorded 179 alcohol-related deaths last year — and zero from cannabis. Yet “cannabis-related” still makes headlines. The truth? The state doesn’t even track THC impairment, and the data that does exist tells a very different story. James Bridges digs into the missing math, the media spin, and the profits behind the fear.
Happiness Has Nothing to Do With Gold
Money buys distractions, not happiness. True peace comes when you give yourself authentically to the people you love.
Burn The Lies
I went all in on cannabis. RSO, flower, edibles—the whole arsenal. I rebuilt my diet, rebuilt my head, rebuilt my body. The same plant that the government spent decades demonizing turned out to be the only remedy that worked.
Cannabis didn’t kill me. It saved my life.
Meet The Steppers: Oklahoma’s Jamgrass Outlaws
The Steppers aren’t just another bluegrass band—they’re three friends from Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, who built their sound on porches, barns, and beer-soaked jam sessions. Mixing tradition with cosmic jamgrass energy, they’ve taken their high-octane acoustic storm from hometown dives to festival stages across the map. Gritty, joyful, and unpredictable—The Steppers are dangerous in all the best ways.
Hidden Gems: Ice Cream Man by Well Rooted Genetics
In a market drowning in mediocrity, I stumbled into Beyond the Pines and found salvation. Ice Cream Man. Sticky as sin. Terps that hit like a gas-soaked berry patch on fire. Proof that real weed still exists.
Dry Standards – The Death of the Cure
Oklahoma cannabis has gone from craft celebration to bone-dry corporate mids. Overregulation, price-chasing, and federal rescheduling pressure are killing the cure and pushing true smokers back to the black market.
Rooted in Fire -The Rise of Fire Mountain Farms
Fire Mountain Farms isn’t chasing hype—it’s building something real, one grow cycle at a time. From backyard beginnings to five flower rooms and a nitrogen-flushed packaging line, their story is equal parts grit, mistakes, and persistence. This is Oklahoma cannabis stripped of glamour, rooted in fire, and rising strong.
Oklahoma SQ 837 Memo – Editorial
Friends, renegades, fellow travelers, and those that are sitting back watching the show, It’s late. I guess it could be early, depending on how twisted your sense of reality has become. The clock screams at me to go back to sleep. Yet, here I am, awake, haunted by visions of what we’ve become and what…
Thunder Walker
Rolling in Diamonds, Power, and Purpose By James Bridges | Herbage Magazine “City Girls isn’t just a pre-roll. It’s a presence.” — Thunder Walker Full-width, high-contrast image of Thunder Walker and her team at a major cannabis event, ideally with City Girls branding visible. THE STORM SHE CREATED You can feel her before she…
Mowdy Magic Reloaded
Mowdy Farms levels up! By James Bridges It was just another bustling afternoon at theBRICK dispensary when the air shifted, literally. The door swung open, and there he was, Brian, with that all-too-familiar swagger, a sly grin, and a duffle bag that I’d bet my bottom dollar was bursting with green gold. Over a year…
SQ 837: The Long Road to Legalization in Oklahoma
By James Bridges More organized, more refined, and backed by a coalition that knows what it’s up against. On March 31st, 2025, the Oklahoma Responsible Cannabis Action (ORCA) officially filed State Question 837, a bold new petition aimed at bringing adult-use cannabis legalization to a vote in our state. This is a strategic, legally-backed, community-powered…
The Glitch
James Bridges – Herbage Magazine A failure of leadership, plain and simple. Not just a technical issue…. The Thentia glitch was a systems breakdown, both digital and human. When an entire industry, one that generates massive state revenue and supports real patients and small businesses, gets sideswiped by a technical failure, the least you’d expect…
Diamond Dust Farms
Pioneers of Pre-packaged Premiums By James Bridges Diamond Dust Farms stands out as a beacon in the cannabis industry, known for its dedication to quality and innovation. As one of the leading cultivators in the state, their operations in Prague, Oklahoma, have set a standard for excellence with a focus on sustainable and efficient growing…
Rooted in the Flood
By James Bridges, Publisher, Herbage Magazine – 420 2025 Issue I want to tell you a story. It begins somewhere in the swelter of the equator. You’d miss it if you blinked. There, tangled in the brackish in-between of saltwater and soil, something wild survives. Not a beast. Not a machine. A tree. But not…
Herbage Magazine-A Regional Powerhouse
A Regional Powerhouse By Brannan Bell Oklahoma grassroots magazine, Herbage Magazine, started in 2018, just before the passing of SQ788. James, the owner of Herbage, envisioned it becoming a leading platform and publication for the region. His goal was to establish something as the foremost platform and publication in a region that he knew well…
NUMBER 60 – Letter From The Publisher
As I sit down to reflect on the remarkable journey that Herbage Magazine has embarked upon, a sense of pride and accomplishment washes over me. This December, we celebrate a significant milestone – the 60th issue of Herbage Magazine, 60 months of continuous publication. This is a testament to our dedication and passion in two…
Skepticism to Understanding: Cannabis Conversatio
Editorial by James Bridges The duality of cannabis as both a medicinal marvel and a regulatory challenge is, to me, the essence of an intellectual paradox. For Oklahoma, and indeed the entire nation, an informed dialogue should be a cornerstone of progress. In this we are lacking. As we engage in this exchange or ‘coming…
The Experience with Thunder Walker
The look on her face was one that seemed to be written in story pages. The story pages that would invite only the most curious to delve deep into the mind of an Oracle, one might say. She was a stopping point on the journey of which I would find myself learning more from within…
Look at You: Greetings from James Bridges
Just as the owl, which is represented on our cover, is associated with keen insight and seeing through darkness, cannabis can be seen as a tool that helps individuals gain new perspectives, enhance creativity, and delve into the depths of their consciousness. The altered state of mind induced by cannabis can lead to introspection, self-reflection,…
420 – Ours to Keep
The name “420” has become synonymous with the cannabis lifestyle and a celebration that occurs every April In many parts of the world, it’s a day when people come together to get high and enjoy cannabis infused foods, drinks and music. But the origins of this cherished date are so complex that it can be…
Dict For V-Day
by James Bridges I broke up with that disgusting and dreadful monster 4-years-ago and I think about her every day. I couldn’t help the temptation. The blissful period when the thoughts stopped swirling in my head was my muse. She was, without a doubt, the one that would always be there to comfort me when…
Pressing For Gold – Wellevate Farms
By James Bridges We pulled into the parking lot of what was obviously a structure built to move heavy machinery and vehicles, I noticed the sign for Wellevate Farms, but I couldn’t help but wonder. I thought to myself, “Why is that large, roughly 75 foot tall, gas rig blocking my parking space?” Then I…
One Tiny Drop
By James Bridges I was at a breaking point on a couple of projects that were nearly finished. My director, at the time, had been going through a ton of personal issues. His loved one had recently passed. This had been someone that he loved dearly. Someone that passed entirely too soon. Many around him…
Let’s Get Mowdy
By James Bridges “We’ve all been in this together. I remember Temple Kush put us on the map. Now look at us. We are rocking and rolling and we can’t stop right now. I keep telling Joe, ‘you got to have a gig and stick with it, try like hell to be the best at…
Happy Father’s Day
By James Bridges I peaked over the top of the couch to see if I could catch what was happening outside. Something was going on that made my sister, mom, and the voices going on in this 8-year-old boy’s little head. I watched as my family’s belongings were taken away. They were stripped away in…
Strain Of The Month – GREAT SPIRITS
By James Bridges I am standing inside of a room and I have a metal suit on. On each side of me there are magnetized walls. That’s what it feels like and it impairs me when I’m anxious. I have a feeling of displacement and cannot begin to start doing anything that has any kind…
The Captain
by James Bridges I have been told by several key individuals throughout my life that I am what some call an empath. So I guess that’s what I am. I tend to see myself through others emotions. I dive deep and it gets weird, but I’ve lived with it my whole life. It’s rather difficult…
Triggers To Success In A Saturated Market White Barn Bud Ranch
Triggers To Success In A Saturated Market White Barn Bud Ranch by James Bridges The Oklahoma cannabis market has openly worn the title “Wild West of Weed” for a few years now. Thousands of prospective entrepreneurs and marijuana advocates alike have rushed to the red dirt plains of this historically boom or bust state to…
Strain Of The Month Grape Biscotti – Mowdy Farms
Strain Of The Month Grape Biscotti – Mowdy Farms By James Bridges I may catch a ton of heat for this statement, but one of my least favorite strains is Girl Scout Cookies. So when I was asked to give a few nuggs a whirl and I noticed that scent we all love or “hate”,…
Big Mike
Big Mike By James Bridges Mike Bennett, AKA Big Mike, served 21 years in the military. 10 years in the Marines, and 11 years in the army to be exact. He himself would tell you that he was “pretty damn good at it”. Big Mike was injured in 2012 while in Afghanistan. He was on…
Down & Dirty with Comanche Compost
Down & Dirty with Comanche Compost By James Bridges I was reminded of the Legendary Comanche Chief, Quahna Parker. The Comanche Chief is forever anchored to the rugged land in both family name and in legend in Parker County, Texas. and found a prop Parker County, TX is the very ground where the Comanche…
Acceptance.
Acceptance. By James Bridges I had no idea of the extremely high speeds in which this vessel would achieve. I strapped in and looked forward to what I assumed would be one of the most important rides of my existence. “All aboard!” Comes from a faint voice in the distance. There’s a tunnel of sorts….
Southern Hospitality: About The February Cover
Southern Hospitality About The Cover By James Bridges One could swim in the essence of cozy satisfaction felt in the room. It was late and I needed to experience something ‘different’. I found my way into a smoke lounge in Norman. While admiring the room as I settled into the oversized velvet sofa I was…
Strain of Month – Dear James
Dear James, It’s me from the future. Before you go on a wild goose chase for some of the best medicine, please consider the possibility of me communicating in this very unusual fashion. About two weeks ago you were on a mission to find seeds for a fellow enthusiast. While on this journey you picked…
Take Me To The Candy Shop
Take Me To The Candy Shop By James Bridges “It feels like a dream. It’s honestly something I would have never expected.” If you have ever had the opportunity to visit one of my personal favorite shops in town, Sage Wellness in Oklahoma city, then you must have experienced the smile that comes from the…
Rose: January 2022 Cover
Rose by James Bridges It was late and I needed to go to sleep. I couldn’t allow my mind to settle, so I scrolled… Sticking out for me to push play was a look of passion as someone was recording themselves while driving. “I don’t know if this is weird, but it’s really impromptu.” I…
Translation – (Strain of the Month)
Translation – (Strain of the Month) By James Bridges Clanging of mind monkeys play in the background. I wanted to focus on what was in front of me. Clang’, clang’ away monkeys… In an instant my perspective on life had changed the night before. The level of balance achieved could not be verbally explained without…
Progressively Growing
Progressively Growing By James Bridges A true vertical grow with family orientation. That’s what I had set out to go visit. I wanted nothing more than to feel as if I were around close families during the holidays. I believe I got my wish. Brian Goodwin was practicing pharmacy in Ada, OK with…
Nice To Catch Up
Nice To Catch Up By James Bridges Growing up I often had a lot of “cool” friends. One of my best was considered somewhat of a catch to the many qualified individuals standing in line to be his next girlfriend. I found out the other day that he is now growing cannabis commercially here in…
Take My Arm
Take My Arm By James Bridges If you’ve ever had a spider bite you know the discomfort feeling. It’s somewhere between the itch of a mosquito bite and the deep tingling of an open wound. It’s rather irritating and strange. I discovered such a bite on my arm a couple of weeks ago. Instantly I…
Going Bananas
Going Bananas By James Bridges Everyone noticed. Having a thought is one thing. Acting upon that thought is a completely different experience. Once you are in it, you are in it. The experience… I told her to sit next to me as we rode around on the bus. I wanted to talk about what had…
Thanks to Charles
Thanks to Charles by James Bridges I met Charles in a weird spot. We were both 19-years- old and both completely out of our element. I had just made a move away from Oklahoma into a world of unknown possibilities and he was the same. It just so happened that his family was from…
The Hermetic Way
The Hermetic Way By James Bridges I had the opportunity to meet another man one day that completely and utterly inspired me to learn more about what I was doing with my life. I thank the universe I did. I hadn’t heard much about this person. I assumed he was just another grower of the…
Open Up
Open Up By James Bridges “There’s a door right up here. I know I keep it here, but no one else can.” She tapped her head as she spoke. Quietly I was aroused by the fact that I was invited into a realm of opportunity to see a person’s soul. She spoke with a gentle…
From My Heart To My Fingertips
By James Bridges I sailed through the complexity of the day. I woke up thinking about cannabis and what it has done for me and my friends. I usually go to sleep thinking of damn near the same thing. Hopefully by the end, some of those benefits would have kicked in. One would say I…
It Takes A Village
It Takes A Village by James Bridges This edition of Herbage Magazine is very special to me as a publisher and a proud member of my community. I am personally very thankful that I have the opportunity to be a part of something that is larger than one scoop. I would much prefer diving into…