The Cole Memo

Conversations for Change

Start Here: The Cole Memo

This page brings together a sample of my best work — from expert interviews to deep dives into cannabis history, culture, and policy. You’ll also find documentaries, archives, and special projects here. Whether you’re a longtime follower or a first-time visitor, this page is designed to help you dive in at your own pace. Explore below.

Table of Contents

  1. Listen/Watch Now
  2. Guest Index
  3. Guests from Higher Education
  4. The History of Cannabis in Illinois
    1. Mini Doc
    2. Hash Wednesday at University of Illinois
      1. Newspaper/Photographic Archive
  5. Legal Sex Industry in America
  6. Support

Listen/Watch Now

You can watch The Cole Memo Podcast on Spotify, X(formerly Twitter), and Youtube.

You can listen on Apple Podcast, Spotify, TuneInRadio, and most streaming platforms. You can also subscribe directly to the RSS feed here.

Release Schedule

New content is released semi-weekly.

Typically, new content is released on Patreon first. You can become a member here. After the content premieres on Patreon, it is released on all platforms for free streaming.

Click here to listen to podcast now.

You can listen to the latest episodes of the podcast below.

Six Years of Illinois Cannabis: A Conversation with Chicago Tribune Reporter Robert McCoppin | E301 – The Cole Memo

For more than six years, Chicago Tribune reporter Robert McCoppin has documented the evolution of Illinois' cannabis industry, from the earliest legalization debates to today's fights over home grow, market concentration, ownership transparency, hemp, and continued criminalization. In this episode, Robert joins me to reflect on the stories behind the headlines and what he's learned covering one of the state's most consequential policy changes. We discuss campaign contributions during legalization, limited licensing, why Illinois remains one of the nation's most expensive cannabis markets, the ongoing debate over home cultivation, cannabis seed sales, public access to ownership records, management agreements, hemp regulation, and whether Illinois has lived up to its promises of social equity. If you've followed Illinois cannabis over the past six years, this conversation offers an inside look at how one of the state's leading reporters has covered it all. Watch video version and read full show notes here: https://thecolememo.com/2026/07/21/e301/
  1. Six Years of Illinois Cannabis: A Conversation with Chicago Tribune Reporter Robert McCoppin | E301
  2. Illinois Has More Cannabis Brands Than Ever. Fewer Companies Own Them. | E300
  3. Oregon's Legal Psilocybin Experiment Faces a Major Test | E299
  4. #298 – Illinois Signs Major Cannabis Overhaul, Plus Q&A With Brad Spirrison
  5. #297 – Illinois Homegrow: Can Medical Patients Actually Buy Cannabis Seeds?

Guest Index

The Guest Index highlights the diverse professionals who’ve joined The Cole Memo Podcast — from regulators and lawmakers to journalists, scholars, and advocates. Explore the conversations shaping cannabis, psychedelics, and policy today. View the guest index by clicking here.

Guests from Higher Education

Conversations with faculty, researchers, and administrators from universities across the country. These guests bring a scholarly lens to questions of drug policy, public health, and the social impacts of cannabis reform. Whether it’s analyzing data, contextualizing history, or exploring the cultural role of cannabis on campuses, these episodes connect policy debates with academic insight. Watch the episodes by clicking here.

The History of Cannabis in Illinois

Illinois has a complicated relationship with cannabis — from early criminalization and uneven enforcement to the launch of a tightly regulated legal market. This section collects reporting, interviews, and research into the key moments, court cases, and community efforts that shaped the state’s path. If you want to understand where things stand today, you need to know how we got here. Click here to learn more.

Mini Doc

A short documentary exploring the first two years of legalization in Illinois. Featuring voices from advocates, patients, and industry insiders, this project captures the growing pains of a new market and the ongoing need for reform. Tune in here.

Hash Wednesday at University of Illinois

Hash Wednesday began on the University of Illinois Quad in 1977 as a student-led call for marijuana law reform. This series revisits the tradition through stories and interviews with those who were there. Tune in and learn more here.

Newspaper/Photographic Archive

A curated collection of original reporting, archival photos, and scanned documents that help tell the untold history of cannabis and protest culture in Illinois. This archive brings together rare material from newspapers, student publications, and photographers who captured the movement as it unfolded. View the archive for free here.

The professional lives of sex workers have long been discussed through politics, media, and public debate, but rarely in their own words. This series features conversations with sex workers from a variety of backgrounds, exploring their experiences, perspectives, and the realities of their work. Through interviews and on-the-ground reporting, this series explores how legality shapes labor, safety, stigma, and the economics of sex work.

You can view the multi-part series examining Nevada’s licensed brothels and the broader legal sex industry in America here.

Support

You can support The Cole Memo with a one-time, monthly, or yearly contribution of your choice at ColeMemo.com/Support.

One of the best ways to support is completely free — subscribe to the podcast on your preferred platform, leave a positive rating, and share it with friends. Every bit of engagement helps the show reach more people and keeps this work going.

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Cole Preston

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