We fell in love with House of Puff as soon as we saw the page! House of Puff is the embodiment of class, luxury girl-boss vibes: aesthetic for days + functional beauty.
CEO & founder of House of Puff, artist, activist, and mom, Kristina Adduci is breaking canna-stigmas every day, all while supporting women in the canna-space and working towards legalization!
Kristina started using cannabis medicinally for anxiety. She found that smoking was the most effective consumption method to alleviate her symptoms and find relief. Kristina realized that there was a gap in the smoking accessory market when she couldn't find any chic accessories that fit her lifestyle and decided to bridge the gap.
"For House of Puff, we wanted to have more options when it came to luxury smoking accessories that appeal to women.”
Kristina is working towards normalizing canna-consumption with her brand and personal life. "I’m a woman, a mom, and Latina, so I’m used to uphill battles. The cannabis stigma continues, especially for women, a lot of whom are still in the cannabis closet. But because cannabis has always been a medical issue for me, I don’t feel that stigma so much. I’m more about normalizing cannabis for other women by setting an example of just how high functioning a working mom who uses cannabis can be."
Normalization is a huge part of breaking-stigma and changing the stereotypical view on members of the canna-community. In Kristina's words, "Because of the way that cannabis was demonized in the US for political purposes, people who are perfectly comfortable with responsible alcohol consumption can still have a hard time understanding that marijuana can be consumed just as responsibly—whether for medicinal or recreational purposes."
Kristina is walking the walk and getting involved with normalization and legalization with the brand. "We’re part of The Floret Coalition, an anti-racist collective of small businesses in the cannabis and cannabis-adjacent space that supports and funds equity-oriented actions via monthly donations and social campaigns. When it’s safe to gather again in large groups, we also intend to re-up the fundraiser we were planning to hold last spring for NORML NY at Victori + Mo Gallery’s gorgeous Chelsea space."
As a New York-based company, a state that has not legalized recreational usage, House of Puff faces a unique set of challenges. "It's exciting yet difficult. Limited advertising/payment processing options are difficulties that all cannabis-related businesses face under federal prohibition.
But things are changing. At the beginning of 2020, we had high hopes for adult-use marijuana legalization in New York. But at the last minute, Gov. Cuomo’s proposal was left out of the budget. Considering how hard COVID was hitting New York at the time, that’s not surprising.
There’s strong evidence, though, that public opinion in the Northeast is driving lawmakers in the right direction. After the legislature failed last year to pass a bill on it, marijuana legalization in New Jersey is on the ballot this year as a referendum. Polls show that 65% of New Jerseyans are in favor of recreational adult use. If recreational use passes this year just across the river, we hope New York will follow suit in 2021."
Kristina pointed out that it is just as important that legislators start talking more about the negative impacts of the War on Drugs. "We have to make sure that minority communities with individuals who’ve been negatively and disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition will benefit from the newly legal industry."
Along with being excited about the future of federal legalization, she looks forward to a "cannabis connoisseur culture that’s akin to wine culture." It is exactly that elevated culture that is represented by the House of Puff products. A place where beautiful minimalistic designs and function meet, from the out of this world Galactic hemp rolling papers, or the organic and slow-burning L’aperitif mini pre-rolled cones we are adding them all to our stoned Christmas list.
Kristina's own personal favorites are their very first product, the ceramic one-hitter. "Le Pipe was designed by a talented artist. At the time, we developed it because I couldn’t find a pink pipe that would fit in my purse or pocket. I remember receiving the first batch and tears running down my face. It was my realization that 'Holy shit, I’m actually going to start a cannabis accessories company.' I still have the first pipe we made, I keep her in a drawer near my bedside for the occasional late-night puff."
Kristina keeps it simple when it comes to her personal canna-consumption. "For me, there’s nothing better than a joint. I love the ritual of it. My favorite moments are laying by my pool or in bed and lighting up one of our mini pre-rolled cones. They’re great for one or two hits, and then I’ll just save it for later."
And as a true kindred spirit to us at SoStonedCo, she has an everchanging strain preference depending on her mood, " Right now, I’m very into Queen Mother Goji. It’s a fruity, yet spicy strain that helps me relax after a long day of chasing my twins around. It also really helps with cramps."
We are incredibly inspired by Kristina and the way she is able to juggle being a GirlBoss, stigma-breaker, businesswoman, mother of twins, and beyond! She is a shining example of living your best "stoner" life. We are looking forward to seeing what is next for Kristina and House of Puff. To learn more about House of Puff visit https://houseofpuff.com/ and follow them on Instagram@thehouseofpuff.
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