I’ve had bongs aplenty over the years; tall ones, short ones, glass ones, plastic ones, fancy, utilitarian, you name it. One of the more memorable was made of solid brass. Another was crafted from a single stalk of bamboo. I never knew — or particularly cared — where they came from, and I certainly didn’t think about who made them.

That was until I spent a few hours watching glass artisan Hector Gonzales use his breath and considerable skill to transform molten glass into a sturdy beaker bong. Now, every time I see a waterpipe out in the wild, I can’t help but wonder about where it came from and who made it.

Canna Jefas have not only destigmatizing perceptions society have of Latinas in cannabis by taking space where typically canna bros manspread but also show up in diverse backgrounds such as multi-Cannapreneur Susie Plascencia who has been a strong voice for Latinas in cannabis.

Three years ago, Latinas in Cannabis spearheaded International Latinas in Cannabis Day on Sept. 30, marking the midpoint of Hispanic Heritage Month. This year, they hosted the inaugural Latinas in Cannabis Summit, gathering cannabis enthusiasts in the backlot of a soon-to-be Echo Park dispensary.

Latina in Cannabis Susie Plascencia Makes Bold Moves

There are many cannabis brands out there, but how many have the flavor, intensity, spice, and passion of Latino culture? Meet HUMO, (smoke in English), a cannabis brand born from a collaboration between Susie Placencia, Latina activist and entrepreneur, and POSIBL, a Salinas-based cannabis powerhouse.

In this exclusive conversation with Benzinga, Placencia shares her thoughts on Latino communities, the relationship between women and marijuana and how to run an efficient cannabis brand.

Susie Plascencia sought to create a brand of cannabis that could bring positive representation of Mexican-American culture to the industry and help eliminate the stigma surrounding cannabis in the Latino community.

“By la raza, pa’ la raza.” That is how Humo’s Jesus Burrola and Susie Plascencia like to define their new cannabis brand: by the Latinx community, for the Latinx community.

Susie Plascencia is a tour de force in the cannabis world, making a full career's worth of moves by the age of 30. She's starred as the stoner vixen in a B-Real video, called out cultural appropriation in cannabis on the front page of the LA Times, and — most recently — co-founded Mota Glass, the first minority-owned glass brand with an emphasis on supporting local glass blowers and minorities in cannabis. But Plascencia's journey to the top of pot began unexpectedly.