Marijuana Scripts For War Vets, Donations To Sex Trafficking Victims, IV Drips, Massages And More

“It’s gonna be bigger,” said a confident voice on the other end of a 15-minute phone call outside of a Los Angeles sushi spot, where I’d abandoned my lady friend to talk cannabizness.

That phone call occurred just before Christmas. While I chatted, I watched through the window as The Lady Friend all but finished a very large Sapporo draft.

I felt impressed, and guilty to be taking the call.

Weedmaps was headed back out to the North Shore.

Let’s recap: Last year, Weedmaps made their introduction into surfing; the first company within the cannabis space to do so. They rented out a magnificent mansion overlooking Sunset Beach. They brought their surf team, Bruce Irons, Joel Tudor, Dustin Barca and Nathan Fletcher (this year they added Koa Rothman), in tow with their skate and moto team.

Koa Rothman taking a break from the Backdoor shootout to fly to a somewhat overhyped swell on Maui. Big boards in tow.

Photography

Tony Brown

With the team houses nestled along the seven mile stretch full of teamriders piled atop each other in beehive fashion, familiar faces all swung by, from Joel Parkinson to Eddie Rothman, Al Knost to Herbie Fletcher to Yago Dora (you can read about that here).

They held nightly dinners and parties, brought doctors in to prescribe free medical marijuana recommendations to Hawaiian citizens, served local, sustainable, nongeneticallymodified food, courtesy of Hawaiian Fresh Farms.

The North Shore experience Weedmaps rolled out last year was a different thing entirely. Hence taking the call. 

I watched through the restaurant window as my lady picked up the bill, and pondered what they meant by “bigger.”

At Pipeline you’re far from the land of pleasant smiles, unless you’re Koa Rothman.

Photography

Brian Bielmann

I’d just been to Hawaii for two weeks, during Vans Triple Crown season. Surf-wise, it was a poor affair. Getting a second chance to surf (or bounce off the reef) at waves like OTW, Sunset, Rocky Point, V-land, Pipe and Backdoor sounded wonderful. And being that I’d only been to the North Shore when it was inundated with every above-average surfer with functioning heart and lungs, not battling the entire QS and CT in the lineup sounded like a tune hummed from the red lips of a wild belle.

For those unfamiliar with what a “Weedmaps” is, think Yelp for weed. If you need a marijuana dispensary, they direct you to one, along with prices of different strains, edibles and customer reviews. With Cannabis’ acceptance at its apex in the US, their place in surf is to show the medical benefits to surfers. (I.e. how CBD, the part of marijuana that doesn’t get you high, is commonly prescribed to cancer and epilepsy patients.)

And to give back to grassroots events such as the Backdoor Shootout, which, this year, they took the role as the Presenting Sponsor. Seeing the word “Weedmaps” in bright green became a norm during their two weeks on the North Shore.

The first step to normalization is familiarity.

Seth Moniz joined the WM for the Backdoor Shootout. It came complete with a sunset rubdown.

Photography

Tony Brown

Right now, in America, the Cannabis industry is flourishing, hence being able to throw money at such new ventures. This year, instead of living out our days in a lux mansion at Sunset Beach, we woke overlooking Pipe, Backdoor, and Off The Wall. Two-story-high windows stood in front of a living room that overlooked the beach just beyond the backyard. The home forced your gaze. 

All the blaze and glory of The Weedmaps Pipe House.

Photography

Blair Alley

By the time I showed up (on the 7th), the sea was swollen. “You brought the weather and the waves,” photographer Brian Bielmann gleamed.

Shortly after, the Da Hui Backdoor Shootout presented by Weedmaps ran over the best two Pipe days of the winter season.

“It wasn’t perfect, easy Pipeline,” Bruce Irons said after the second day of The Shootout. “But, there were perfect waves. Definitely the best it’s been this year.”

Greenthumb compliments to the vets.

Photography

Tony Brown.

The 7am Yoga call.

Photography

Tony Brown

As the Da Hui Backdoor Shootout’s been heavily covered on this site (here, here and here), let’s divulge into the extracurricular activities that surrounded the “Pipe Experience.” I was there to cover surf, but they also held skate and moto demos, morning Yoga and nightly MMA sessions at the Boar’s Nest, open to the public.

They put on two benefit concerts at Republik in Honolulu. The first featured a DJ named Chuckie aka DJ Chuckie. The second, a toe-headed DJ/Producer better known as Diplo. He’s one of the men behind Major Lazer, and has collaborated and produced music for artists like M.I.A, Gwen Stefani, Beyoncé, B-Spears, J-Biebs, Usher, Snoop…. the pop-heavy list goes on. 

Tommy Sandoval on his four wheeler.

Photography

Blair Alley

Tyler Biermann, swirling on a metal rig and two doughnuts.

Photography

Tony Brown

If bang-bang-raw-raw beats are your fancy, these may have been your shows.

For every ticket sold, they donated a portion to the American Renaissance Academy, who build shelters for sex trafficking victims and the homeless. Over the course of the two nights, $2,500 were raised and will go towards construction of shelters.

Rock on?

Photography

Tony Brown

But the charity didn’t end there. In Honolulu, at the Malie Cannabis Clinic, they invited US Veterans to come get their Medical Marijuana Recommendation. While a typical recommendation (technical word for Marijuana prescription) runs around $150-200, Weedmaps fronted the bill. By 8am, more than two-dozen Vets were lined up at the door. In the end, they got 40 people access to the natural medicine they desired.  

More from the house will be pouring out on this channel over the next few months.

Cannabiz is growing, like gorgeous green vines over chainlink fence.

Bruce Irons alongside four wheel maniac, Tommy Sandoval. Yeah, Rock on.

Photography

Blair Alley