Jeremy Lybarger

Hi, this is @jameshosking. I’m a filmmaker + photographer based in San Francisco. Over the next 3 days I’ll explore the city’s booming medical marijuana industry—specifically, the rise of on-demand cannabis and delivery apps. Most sources estimate that somewhere between 30K-50K people use medical marijuana in SF. Although some deride cannabis’s medicinal benefits, the reasons people use it are complex, personal, and often surprising. Here are a few of their stories, as interviewed and recorded by writer Jeremy Lybarger (Twitter @jeremylybarger). Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #landscape

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 18, 2015 at 10:13am PST

This is Visitacion Valley, a working-class neighborhood in the city’s southeast. We’re in the flightpath of SFO; airplanes drone overhead, but the streets are empty. The smells of Asian cooking waft up. Hudson, 29, lives here. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #landscape

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 18, 2015 at 10:40am PST

Hudson’s rooftop garden. His house is entirely solar-powered. In fact, every month he sells power back to the grid. It’s a tranquil place with wooden planters, windchimes, tiki torches, and a view of the Bay. It’s also where he grows his cannabis. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 18, 2015 at 11:17am PST

Hudson grew up in Humboldt County, the stoner promised land. “Behind the redwood curtain, it’s suddenly 20 years ago and there are places with no internet,” he says. His dad has cultivated marijuana since the 70’s. Hudson has smoked it for a decade. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 18, 2015 at 12:24pm PST

“Maybe 45% of marijuana is medicinal; the rest is sacramental,” Hudson says. He’s interested in emerging cannabis markets and how technology could help dispel misinformation about pot smoking. “Weed doesn’t turn you into a vagabond or a degenerate or just give you the munchies. It’s kind of like sex. Just a totally subjective experience.” Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 18, 2015 at 1:56pm PST

How frequently Hudson smokes depends on his mood and errand list for the day. A trained agriculturist, he’s currently developing several proprietary strands that will soothe arthritis, menstrual cramps, and pain from childbirth. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 18, 2015 at 3:29pm PST

It’s off season now, but these soil bins are where Hudson grows his cannabis. He harvests much of it for personal use, but also sells a portion to local dispensaries, at least one of which provides cannabis to a delivery app. Understanding the history and cultivation of marijuana is akin to “driving yourself somewhere versus being driven.” Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 18, 2015 at 3:34pm PST

“Cannabis is part of almost every culture and religious tradition throughout antiquity: Christian, Buddhist, Shinto, Daoist,” Hudson says. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it religious for myself, but there’s definitely a spiritual element.” Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 18, 2015 at 6:45pm PST

“I wouldn’t be able to live here if I didn’t grow weed,” Hudson says. Above us another plane carries strangers somewhere far away. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 18, 2015 at 6:47pm PST

Israel, 35, grew up in the Mission, a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood now undergoing rapid gentrification. His dad drove a city bus. His mom suffered from lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. “My dad started using her Vicodin and fell into prescription drug addiction,” Israel says. Seven years ago, his dad committed suicide by overdosing. The day he died was his 50th birthday. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait #california

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 19, 2015 at 8:48am PST

Israel got his medical marijuana card about 5 years ago, hoping to relieve his depression and insomnia. “I’m scared to relive the past in my mind. Being medicated lets me mellow out,” he says. He generally orders cannabis from a delivery app three times a week and smokes a bowl before bed. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait #california

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 19, 2015 at 8:49am PST

“Every time I think about it it’s hard to know my dad isn’t here,” Israel says. “I’m the oldest sibling, so I don’t want to show weakness around my family or get them down. I got to be strong.” Here he shows us a tattoo of his father playing conga drums. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait #california

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 19, 2015 at 9:26am PST

Before he died, Israel’s father occupied his time doing beadwork. Israel still wears one of his father’s handmade necklaces, along with this crucifix. “I don’t really talk about my dad with anyone. My wife and daughter sometimes, but not my family,” he says. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait #california

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 19, 2015 at 9:27am PST

“I don’t want this to sound like ‘live one day at a time’ bullshit, but there’s always hope,” Israel says. “You can never give up, man. I live by the motto ‘go hard or go home.’ That’s about all you can do.” Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait #california

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 19, 2015 at 9:57am PST

Union Square, downtown San Francisco. We’re here to meet Tom, 53, a marijuana courier who delivers pot via bicycle to clients at 4 drop-off points around the city. He started his own website 16 years ago, going into business after he was busted selling pot on Craigslist. He works 4 hours a day, 7 days a week. “This is the future,” he says about his service. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #landscape #california #unionsquare

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 19, 2015 at 12:33pm PST

Tom moved to San Francisco in 1990 because of the Grateful Dead. He became a licensed nurse, but found cannabis delivery to be more lucrative. Having smoked weed daily for 40 years, he also has an encyclopedic knowledge of his product. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait #california

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 19, 2015 at 12:42pm PST

Tom transports his product in a Tupperware container. He has the twitchy, look-over-your-shoulder demeanor of a veteran weed dealer used to getting hassled. “Pot sets lines of divisions,” he says. “People have a lot of preconceived notions about smokers.” He tells us most of his clients are professionals in their mid-30's. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #california

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 19, 2015 at 1:59pm PST

Tom has more than 1,000 clients. “And they’re loyal,” he says. He charges $55 for 4.3 grams, while cannabis clubs charge $60-$65. “Tourism has had a big effect on my business too.” When I ask how much he makes in an average day, he smiles and says, “I keep bad records.” Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #california

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 19, 2015 at 2:00pm PST

Today we’re in the Sunset, a neighborhood near both Golden Gate Park and the Pacific Ocean. This is where Aerin, 32, lives. She’s from a conservative family in Ohio but began smoking weed at 16. Now she’s a “brand ambassador” for a marijuana delivery app, as well as a daily smoker. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #landscape

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 20, 2015 at 8:44am PST

Aerin does financial and real estate work from home. “I’m very focused all day,” she says, “so smoking shuts off my brain and lets me space out.” Sometimes she uses edibles as well, but the side effects—including paranoia—are more severe. Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 20, 2015 at 10:12am PST

“I was a sleepwalker as a child,” Aerin says. “Even now I think too much and can’t shut my brain off. If I smoke and chill out, maybe watch TV, I can fall asleep around 11. If I don’t smoke, I’ll be up until 2 or 3 in the morning.” Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 20, 2015 at 10:15am PST

Aerin introduced her Amish sister-in-law in Ohio to marijuana. “I don’t trust pharmaceuticals,” she says. “I’d rather use something natural. I think a lot of people feel that way.” Sometimes she smokes before going out and will become quiet and heavy-lidded. “People ask if I’m ok. Yeah, I’m good. I’m in my head.” Photo @jameshosking for #featureshoot #sanfrancisco #sf #documentary #portrait

A photo posted by Feature Shoot (@featureshoot) on Jan 20, 2015 at 10:47am PST