For Lizzy Jeff, cannabis is not just an herb, it’s a portal. A portal to dive deep within herself. A portal to connect with others. And a portal to the divine.

Jeff, 31, counts herself among the growing number of fierce young women transforming the cannabis industry and, consequently, the reputation of cannabis itself. Particularly in her stomping grounds of Los Angeles, brands are working to replace the stoner stereotype with images of wellness. Cannabis isn’t just about getting high anymore, it’s about—as Jeff says—“elevating.”

She leads by example. Many mornings she’ll get up to roll herself a joint with a fine, organic sativa, incorporating some lavender for relaxation or damiana for sensuality. She never uses a grinder, but her fingers so she can connect with the plant before she smokes it. In the afternoons, she’ll sometimes roll up a CBD strain as a pick me up or something more creative when she hits the studio to write some lyrics with her producer. Some of her favorite products are topicals, which she uses when she’s sore and when she gets out of the shower. The cannabis plant, she says, has infinite potential and it’s just about understanding its applications.

That’s why—in addition to hosting cannabis events and making music—she runs what she calls a medicine bar. She’ll pop up at different locations with not only cannabis, but tinctures, teas, and essential oils. Jeff’s transformed her lifestyle into a platform for education. Herb sat down with her to learn more.

Herb: You make music, you host events, you work with cannabis brands. How do you think of yourself in the cannabis industry?

Lizzy Jeff: I think about that all the time. For me, labels are challenging but I understand that in this society we live in, labels make it easy for people to identify things. So I like to say I’m a medicine woman. And for me, that encompasses all that I do: my music, the events I curate, and what I like to call the magical medicine bar—where I pop up with a really intimate space and teach people about herbs and tinctures.

Herb: You’ve become somewhat of an influencer in the cannabis space in Los Angeles. What does your life look like?

Lizzy Jeff: For me, it’s all about flowing in my creative element so on any given day I can be at the studio recording music or meeting with cannabis brands or vendors. For example, on Sunday I was shooting the music video for my song “Rose Blunts,” which will appear on my mixtape “Westcoast Enchanted” dropping on 4/20. I’m simultaneously planning and curating the next Zen & Kush event which is a bi-monthly experimental art healing show I produce.

The next one is coming up on May 5 and I’m really excited about it. It’s going to be a CBD-infused topless yoga experience. It’s going to be extra sensual. There’s going to be a nap room curated in a beautiful way, there’s going to be a breast massaging station and different types of yoga throughout the night.

Cannabis is a very sacred plant medicine and it’s something that’s a part of my daily ritual.

Herb: What role does cannabis play in all of this?

Lizzy Jeff: You know that’s a beautiful question and I appreciate you asking me that. I have this thing I say: “keep it sacred.” For me, what that means is, in our existence, we are sacred beings. For example, if you come to my apartment, it feels like a sanctuary. I have plants, crystals, and I keep the lighting low. The way I dress, I dress as though I’m royalty, as though I’m an ancient goddess. And for me, cannabis is a very sacred plant medicine and it’s something that’s a part of my daily ritual.

Ritual is something that’s an important part of my daily life even if it’s just about taking 10 minutes in the morning to roll up some fine organic sativa and breathe. I take time to be with the medicine, break it down with my fingers, admire the trichomes, smell the flavor, the terpenes, really connect with the herb. And when it’s ready to smoke, I always like to take a deep breathe and bring myself to the present moment.

I realize that by living my life on purpose, with intention, it has become more abundant and more profound and cannabis really allows me to live a more intentional life.

Herb: How do you use cannabis in your own life?

Lizzy Jeff: Sativas especially spark creative ideas for me. Aside from getting me high, they really allow me to tune into my higher self and that gives me permission to find alignment. And when I find alignment, when I’m tuned in, that’s when all my best ideas and lyrics flow through.

Like yesterday, I had five meetings in different parts of the city so I was on the go and there was a moment where I was starting to feel like “okay, I’m halfway through my day and I need a little boost.” I rolled up a beautiful CBD strain with some tangie.

I also love using organic tinctures. One of my favorites things is topicals. I like to rub my body down with a beautiful avocado-infused CBD topical. I use it on my skin, on my hair and it just makes me glow. Between the tinctures, between the herb, between the topicals, I’m like a ganja empress. It’s just infused into my life.

Between the tinctures, between the herb, between the topicals, I’m like a ganja empress. It’s just infused into my life.

Herb: There are so many cannabis products out there these days. How do you find good ones?

Lizzy Jeff: Even since before regulations happened in LA, there was this idea of the green rush so all this stuff started coming to the market. For me, I’m finding that there is a lot of B.S. out there and I’m on a mission to find the cleanest, most organic, tested products available.

It’s about the companies and the people behind the products. It’s about the people who are operating with integrity. People like FORIA and BOSM, which does a really amazing breast massage oil. It’s a classy bottle with a gold top which reminds you of one of those old-school perfume bottles. Loki lotion, I don’t know if you know about it, but it’s made by these two amazing women who were struggling with addiction and they found their healing through cannabis and now they’re making this beautiful product.

But the point is that I’m a representative for these products because these stories matter and when I get to share this avocado oil or talk about it, I also get to share and talk about these women and their stories. People want to be able to connect to a brand and connect with those stories. I’m here to provide them with the platform to do that.

It’s the same with edibles, I love edibles. It’s not something I do all the time. For edibles, there’s one brand that I love, they’re called THC healthcare and they make gluten-free, organic, vegan products and that’s a one-man operation in LA. He’s just one man who works really hard. One of the little guys. And they matter because what’s happening is these little guys are being forgotten about with the high cost of getting permits.

Cannabis really allows me to live a more intentional life.

Herb: Tell me more about the Zen & Kush events you host.

Lizzy Jeff: I love explaining them cause they create such a beautiful vibration. It’s one of those experiences that you definitely have to experience to understand fully. But it’s basically a space curated with the highest intentions to bring people together from different backgrounds and inspire creativity. It’s a community.

You don’t have to stand in a line outside, it’s not about how you look, you can be 75 years old and come. And at the end of the day, it’s not even about cannabis. It’s about community and, for me, cannabis is the gateway to the healing we need.

Herb: What’s the vibe?

Lizzy Jeff: You walk in. The lighting is low and sexy. Usually, it’s red lighting and you get to choose your own healing experience. Over to your left, you might have a chef with some raw vegan foods and over to your right, you’ll have a Reiki healing station. Then you have someone upstairs serving vegan tacos and someone is on the floor with pillows all around her doing sound healing, there’s a massage station. There’s a jazz band playing. It’s an alcohol-free experience. There’s live art happening in multiple places all at once.

Every time an event happens the theme changes so in January the theme was “Queens: A Dedication To The Divine Feminine.” For that, it was as if you were stepping into ancient Egypt. We had this photo booth with this big throne. You could get styled by this woman who makes these beautiful headdresses and just makes you feel like a goddess. Or you could sit at the tea bar and get served different kinds of tea and learn about tea.

We had someone else walking around and just talking to you about different oils. And we had these beautiful men walking around serving organic fruit to the women. The following event in March was a dedication to the divine masculine. This one was all about the men. Beautiful women dressed like goddesses serving organic fruit and chocolates.

Herb: Wow. That sounds incredible. What would you recommend to people who live in states where cannabis is illegal and don’t yet have access to these sorts of experiences?

Lizzy Jeff: For me, I travel to states where I host the medicine bar and cannabis is not legal so I just don’t include cannabis. The idea of me doing that is to provide education around other herbs, other ways to tap into this vibration that cannabis can provide. So for example, my favorite blend, I call it the self-love blend, is a sprinkle of rose, a dash of lavender, a pinch of passion flower, and a bundle of mullein. Rose gives it a sweet taste and aroma and mullein is really good for cleansing your lungs and passion flower helps people quit smoking cigarettes.

Even if cannabis is not available and legal, I say teach yourself about it.

I put damiana in all the herbal joints I roll, it makes you feel so sexy. It’s considered an aphrodisiac herb, and women love it cause you really tune into your sensual frequency. When it comes to ritual, damiana is also something that’s used to call in love and relationships.

If cannabis is not there, my job is to teach people about alternatives until it is. Mullein if you are going to smoke an herb, it’s one of the most beneficial herbs to smoke. And also tinctures, explore tinctures. Man, there’s so many beautiful things. Like maca. Maca is beautiful cause it gives you this boost of energy minus the crash. It’s also an aphrodisiac.

And even if cannabis is not available and legal, I say teach yourself about it. Learn the difference between indica, sativa, and hybrid, and CBD. If you can experiment, experiment and see what works for you, but, for me, the number one thing is education.