Album: (tie) A Beautiful Time by Willie Nelson; From Seed to Sale by Berner
Willie Nelson's Grammy nominated Best Country Album and Berner's Top 20 sensation.
Athlete: (tie) Al Harrington; Aaron Rodgers
Former NBA star Al Harrington whose Denver-based company Viola Brands has been expanding and The Packers' Super Bowl winning QB Aaron Rodgers, who opened up about several trips to Costa Rica and Peru where he participated in ayahuasca ceremonies.
Book: (tie) Just Dope; Me and Paul
Lawyer Allison Margolin offers a mix of political diatribe and personal memoir in Just Dope and Willie Nelson recalls his high times with running partner and band drummer Paul English in Me and Paul.
Brand: Cookies
Co-founded by Berner, Cookies has become one of the most popular cannabis brands with more than 50 stores in 10 legal states.
Honorable Mention: B NOBLE, Highsman, Houseplant, Tyson 2.0
Bust: Brittney Griner
WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was busted in Russia for a few vape carts in February, was part of a high-stakes game between Russia and the U.S. with Russia convicting Griner and sending her to a penal colony. Too bad for her this all happened with tensions already high over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But finally wass released in a prisoner swap on Dec. 8.
CelebStoner: Berner
It was a big year for Berner and his brand Cookies. The rapper/entrepreneur upped his game with high-profile appearances at MJBizCon and Clio Cannabis and on the cover of Forbes magazine. On top of that, he had a Top 20 album.
Honorable Mention: Jim Belushi; Brittney Griner; Woody Harrelson; Wiz Khalifa
Dispensary: The Woods
In May, Woody Harrelson, with backing from CelebStoner Bill Maher, opened The Woods in West Hollywood. It's among the first pot shops to have a consumption lounge and drew coverage in the New York Times.
Honorable Mention: Blues Traveler drummer Brendan Hill's Paper & Leaf shop in Washington State
Documentary: Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain
Estevan Oriol's 89-minute inside look at hip-hop's highest band ever, Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain debuted on Showtime and now is also available at other streaming services. Look for commentaries by CelebStoner's Steve Bloom.
Honable mention: Box of Rain; High Landz
Edible: Infiused Seltzers
For the second year in a row, carbonated cannabis drinks continue to grow with CelebStoners like Chelsea Handler partnering with Leisuretown. Plus, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosario Dawson have invested in Cann.
Event: MJBizCon
MJBizCon has become the SXSW of the industy. Every fall, thousands of cannabistas and hundreds of companies converge on Las Vegas for this mammoth marijuana spectacle in the desert, complete with exhibitors, speakers and not-to-miss parties.
Movie: Good Mourning
Machine Gun Kelly and rapper Mod Sun teamed up on this stoner flick set in Los Angeles. Pete Davidson and CelebStoner Megan Fox also have supporting roles in Good Mourning.
Honorable Mention: Babylon
News Story: (tie) President Biden's Pardon; Three More States Legalize Adult Use
Biden pardoned 6,500 people in October, signaling a new federal approach to cannabis policy, and Maryland, Missouri and Rhode Island joined 18 other legal states.
Passings: (tie) Olivia Newton John; Peter Gorman
Singer Olivia Newton-John suffered from breast cancer and advocated fpor medical-cannabis. Veteran journalist Peter Gorman got his started at High Times and spent much of his life in Peru reporting on shamans, ayahuasca and other jungle hallucinogens.
Podcast: The Young Jurks
Hosted by Michael Crawford in Boston, The Young Jerks broke the story about Lorna McMurrey, the Trulieve employee who died in January from cannabis dust in the workplace.
Honorable Mention: Psychoactive hosted by Ethan Nadelmann
Popular Post: 311 Fans Blast Band Drummer
A controversy within the band 311 and its fans boiled over when drummer Chad Sexton was charged with supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine and opposing the Black Lives Matter movement. Bassist P-Nut announced he would be leaving the group.
Product: Flower Mill
The revolutionary Flower Mill disc-style grinder design should phase out teeth in the near future.
Worst: Mike Bites
Psychedelic: Psilocybin Mushrooms
You've heard of the "shroom boom"? Well, it's underway. People are microdosing and macrodosing, consuming it in chocolates and coffee or just the old fashioned way. Therapeutic use is the buzz-term for fungi now.
RELATED: 21 Shroom Scenes in Movies
Song: "From The D to The LBC" by Eminem and Snoop Dogg
This terrific animated video features powerhouse rappers Eminem and CelebStoner Snoop Dogg playing off each other. With this song Eminem kind of comes out of the cannabis closet.
Strain: (tie) Forbidden Fruit; Forbidden Muffin
Herb lists Forbidden Fruit, a breezy sativa, in their Top 5 of '22. Leafly has Forbidden Muffin, a cross of Forbidden Fruit and Blueberry Muffin, in their Top 12. "Buy some Tangie, add some Blueberry Muffin and toss together a salad bowl of Forbidden Muffin to call your own," Leafly suggesst.
Trend: Graphic Novels
Every rock band is doing one. We've already reviewed several of these illustrated books about Cypress Hill and Cheech & Chong. There are also ones devoted to Sublime, Pantera, Blondie, Joan Jett and many more.
TV Show: Growing Belushi
Jim Belushi has brought his star power to the cannabis world with Belushi's Farm and the Blues Brothers brands. Two seasons of Growing Belushi on Discovery has shined a bright light on the comedian turned cultivator. Season 3 is expected to air in 2023.
This article was updated on Dec. 8.
