High & Low Maintenance (w/ Ben Sinclair)

High & Low Maintenance (w/ Ben Sinclair)

Author: David Bienenstock April 8, 2026 Duration: 51:12
Writer, actor and director Ben Sinclair is best known as co-creator and star of the HBO series High Maintenance. A recent New York Times headline asked: “What happens when TV’s favorite weed dealer tries to quit?” The article centered around Low Maintenance, Ben’s new Substack column, where he “delves into his complicated relationship with marijuana." I've known Ben a little bit, for a long time, and wanted to take this opportunity to hear more about his current journey with(out) weed, and also to have an open discussion about intentional use and conscious uncoupling when it comes to cannabis.

Great Moments in Weed History delves deep into humanity's 10,000+ year relationship with cannabis (a.k.a. marijuana) to explore the humor, heart, and historical importance of the planet's most revered and maligned plant. Hosted by David Bienenstock.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Great Moments in Weed History
Podcast Episodes
Weed History in the Middle East [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:37
In a fertile band stretching from North Africa to Southeast Asia, cannabis cultivation and hashish production dates back countless centuries. From the ancient history of the plant throughout the Middle East to the evolut…
Can Hemp Really Save the World? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:49
Cannabis and hemp are the same plant put to different uses. One varietal gets you lit, one helps you through chemo, while others make incredibly strong rope or highly nutritious food. Our guest, author Doug Fine has writ…
The History of Hip Hop is Lit (feat. Busy Bee) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:06
Since 1977, legendary MC Busy Bee has been rocking crowds and smoking loud as one of the true originators of hip hop music, style and culture. He was there for the earliest rap battles and the arrival of blunt smoking, s…
How Underground Comix Spread Outlaw Weed Culture [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:01
Getting high featured prominently in the work of many underground comix artists of the 1970s, from R. Crumb's "Mr. Natural" and "Stoned Again" to Kim Deitch's "Sunshine Girl" and Gilbert Shelton's indomitable Fabulous Fu…
Let's Nerd Out About Weed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:15
From terpenes to THC, the biochemistry of the cannabis plant is endlessly fascinating. So get yourself rolled up and ready to delve into "the weeds" with someone who's seen and smoked as much cannabis as anyone on Earth.…
Meet the Brains Behind the OG Guide to Growing Weed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:23
In 1970, Bill Drake wrote the first modern guide to growing cannabis. Despite an FBI campaign to suppress this groundbreaking book, The Cultivator's Handbook of Marijuana would change the game forever by teaching million…
The Year in Weed 2022 + Trippin' Balls w/ Santa Claus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:36
It's been a wild year in the world of weed, and we're ready to get lit and reflect on the highs and lows. Starting with an in-depth look at the most shocking and impactful cannabis news story of 2022. Plus: This episode…
Rush Guitarist Alex Lifeson: "We Only Stop for the Best" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:23
A confirmed cannabis connoisseur since the 1960s, Alex Lifeson reveals how smoking weed fuels his creative process, helps him heal the aches and pains of five decades out on the road with a hall-of-fame rock band, and go…
"Keep Pot Weird" with Reggie Watts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:52
Cannabis fuels the creative journey of comedian, musician, and improviser Reggie Watts, as he explains in this highly insightful interview that starts with a how-to guide for using THC to help access an "optimal observer…
Celebrating Legal Weed's 10th Anniversary! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:22
In November 2012, voters in Colorado and Washington State legalized cannabis for all adults, lighting a grassfire of weedy liberation that's been blazing through the country and around the world ever since. Including in…