Episode 96 - The Son of God
Salvador Santana, the son of Carlos, is out with a socially-conscious cannabis lifestyle brand called VAYA. In this episode he talks about the pressures of filling his famous father's shoes and his determination to create something more than just another "celebrity-backed cannabis product."
It can be difficult being the son of a legend, let alone being the son of a god. Salvador Santana, son of rock legend Carlos Santana, is well aware of that and he was gracious enough to come on the podcast knowing that I was going to explore that often difficult dynamic. His other motivation of course, was to talk about Vaya, his “socially-conscious lifestyle cannabis flower brand, which takes an all-natural, spiritual feminist tone driven from African (Yoruba) and Mexican indigenous roots.”
It may sound woo-woo in this age of multinational tech-driven consumer branding that is becoming the cannabis “industry,” but it’s also refreshing to find an advocate who wants to rekindle the ways the plant has been used to heal and to expand consciousness and compassion across the globe. In this podcast Santana talks about the ritual ways of consuming that he has gleaned from his own Black and Chicano roots, as well as a relationship one can build with the plant. I’m no stranger to this way of thinking. Over my own life cannabis has served as a guide, a friend, a teacher and, at times, an antagonist and even an enemy. Like most important relationships you commit to, my relationship with cannabis isn’t one that I can completely control, but I have continually learned from every up and down.
What you’ll hear running through this podcast is Salvador’s humility. He says he has no intention of being just another “celebrity backed cannabis brand” that commodifies spirituality, plant medicine and non-white heritage.” Ambitious and noble goals -- who would expect less from the son of a god?