Interview: Cannabis Influencer, Lunita

If you’ve looked up cannabis content anywhere on Instagram, chances are you’ve stumbled upon Lunita’s page. She’s not only a content creator, but an activist and overall legend, in our eyes. Learn about Lunita and her commitment to destigmatizing mental health and cannabis by reading our interview with her.

High Herstory: When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you see any of your dreams adapt and manifest into your current life?

Lunita: What did I want to be when I grow up? That’s a tough one because growing never really stops when you think about it.

I feel like this question is one that gets asked of us so many times when we’re children, then we squeeze our great, big, creative imaginations into boxes and use our best ability to think of what societal or sensible role we fit in – the honest answer is that I just wanted to be my little queer self. I never had dreams of being a scientist, astronaut or even a content creator, but I wanted to grow up and simply gain what I feel everyone deserves – a loyal community and ultimately, a family of my own.

As I reflect on who I am now, I do believe I put the work into my own version of a vision and made it come true. I found a way to curate an entire community of individuals who see me – raw – and support my eclectic interests. My platform is so much more than a career, it’s manifested into my calling. I’ve proudly grown into becoming a healing-holistic healer, mental health advocate, wisdom seeker, style curator, and strategic content creator who has specialized in my industry for over a decade now. I’m deeply passionate about how I get to organically engage and collaborate with people and brand partners in digital and physical spaces – especially those seeking lifestyle guidance or herbal methods to assist them through mental health issues and everyday stresses, understanding themselves and their world, and healing the mind, body, and spirit.

High Herstory: Tell us a bit about your daily rituals with cannabis.

Lunita: I’m a student of the plant, so I typically start and end my days with cannabis in some way, shape or form. Whenever it comes to holistic healing, I also have to stress how important it is to be researched and intentional about what/how you consume – even at leisure.

Waking up in the mornings can be a struggle for me on some days so when I’m feeling groggy but need to get stuff done, I’ll lean into medicating with some CBD flower or tincture, or a sativa-based strain like Strawberry Tangie that won’t slow down my productivity. Fresh tonic drinks are great ways to get by as well. Afternoons are when I take business calls, respond to emails and might even end up on an IG-live or two, so I’ll find myself rolling up a mellow hybrid-strain to keep me cruising. If you catch me in one of my IG live sessions, you’ll usually see me sample some of my favorite strains, pass the virtual blunt, soundtrack a vibe, and introduce cool new canna-friendly devices while diving into real-world topics. When I want to treat myself as I wind down into the evening, I may enjoy a warm ritual bath with a CBD balm or massage with infused-oils from OM. Then, to battle my insomnia in bed, I love having one of my G-Pen products loaded with an indica-dominat strain on stand-by to help me drift off into the night.

High Herstory: Do you feel a connection between cannabis and spirituality?

Lunita: I definitely feel a connection between cannabis and spirituality – but rightfully so, since the most ancient intentions for the plant were rooted in Black + Brown + Indegenous spiritual practice. I was originally immersed into the world of holistic healing and herbal remedies by my great-grandparents who always taught me about the universal relationship between everything. When I medicate with purpose, I can shift the mood of my spirit, better understand something that once confused me, or even come up with a divine idea. In the same way that certain mixtures can heal ailments, cannabis – when intentionally used – can be a gateway to calm, clarity and consciousness.

High Herstory: How do you see cannabis bringing meaningful change to our most at-risk communities?

Lunita: I can see cannabis bringing meaningful future change to at-risk communities in the forms of affordable healthcare, mental health aid and positive prevention. While we’re still fighting to decriminalize the plant and overturn countless wrongful jail convictions, I genuinely believe that widespread legalization could offer an abundance of beneficial opportunities. There’s currently a gaping hole in the healthcare system where millions of Black + Brown + Indegenous families fall into the uninsured void, but access to cannabis has proven to aid in circumstances like pre-existing conditions, cancer, endometriosis, childhood leukemia, PTSD, anxiety, depression, therapeutic relief plus more.

High Herstory: You recently partnered with Airgraft to offer Black, Brown, and Indigenous folx with over 200 free therapy memberships to Ethel’s Club. Tell us a bit about that incredible partnership!

Yes! My Airgraft x Ethel’s Club collaboration was a majorly heart-felt project, and it was activated in honor of my dear friend – J.C. – who was like a younger brother and had recently passed away. He struggled with some mental health issues, like many of us do, and I wanted this initiative to pay homage to his life’s legacy. As I mentioned before, I deeply believe cannabis can support the spirit, mind and body so this partnership ultimately was for him – and an example of my demonstrating cannabis’ community healing power in-action.

Why did I do it? Because herbs heal. It’s really that simple when I think or talk about it. I had the pleasure of meeting Mary Jane when I was in my younger years, and she’s helped me overcome some of life’s most difficult times without causing added harm since. However, 2020 in general presented a huge hurdle for me. As a Black + Brown queer femme who was transparently facing life losses with mental health battles intertwined, I joined Ethel’s Club as a sponsored member during the COVID-19 pandemic and it was transformative. The club itself, is the first Black-owned social and wellness community designed to celebrate people of color online and in real life. Offering engaging virtual sessions, mental health tips, online marketplaces and an expanding global digital platform, Ethel’s Club is made to heal, spark inspiration, hold space and create connections. I was grateful to be part of something and thought, how could I share this feeling with others in a way that’s still true to me? How do I extend this feeling of there being a safe space amongst so much trauma in the world?

When I was asked to lead Airgraft’s #TokeTalk campaign coupled with making a $1K charitable donation of my choice, the timing was tied to the peak of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and I wanted to benefit my collective Black + Brown + Indigenous community more than helping just one single corporation. It was then that I decided to pay my experience forward by positively impacting other folxs who were in dire need of mental health and financial mutual-aid with (1) month sponsored Ethel’s Club access. I thought of the trauma we were all carrying, the heaviness, and immediately thought of J.C. and wished he had an outlet or a space where he felt like he could resort to, so I dedicated my Summer working to help impact as many Black + Brown + Indigenous minds as possible. Upon launching, we saw millions of impressions, countless shares, thousands engage and hundreds of lives be positively impacted. I was most proud to have several members of the community reach out and asked to donate to this initiative, which officially helped us to sponsor 200 more memberships – 140 more than originally anticipated!

High Herstory: Feel free to plug anything else you’re working on and tell our audience how to best support you right now!

Lunita: Of course! Best ways to show me love are by following me on Instagram @_lunita, turning my post notifications on, sharing my content, engaging in comments, keeping up with my lives, asking questions, purchasing my partner products and coming with good energy!

I’m the coupon queen with a brand for everything, so I’m always down to refer someone somewhere. I’ve got a few new cannabis projects up my sleeve with Herb and Ardent, and my latest mental health partner is with BetterHelp so stay tuned for what’s coming. If you’d like to collaborate or financially support any of my future creative endeavors, please reach out for more information via email or feel free to bless either my Cashapp or Venmo: blamethemoon.