Frenchy Cannoli (far left) was a true pioneer who undoubtedly left his mark on the cannabis industry.
The cannabis industry lost a true pioneer in July, when the legendary hashishin Frenchy Cannoli died from complications during surgery.
His death sent a social media shockwave throughout the cannabis world — seemingly every person in the industry had a story and a fond memory to share about Frenchy — and even caught the attention of the New York Times and The Economist, which published in-depth obituaries on the “hashish evangelist.”
“Mr. Cannoli — a nom de ganja for the way that he rolled resin like the Italian pastry — blended a true believer’s love of the drug with a connoisseur’s nose for quality and an enthusiast’s zeal for the hashish that comes from cannabis grown in Northern California,” wrote Richard Sandomir in the Times obituary.
Cannoli was born in France in 1956 and traveled the globe learning the traditional art of hash-making in Asia, Mexico and other parts of the world. As legalization progressed in the United States, he became the teacher and was well-known for being incredibly gracious with his time, whether he was posing for photos with admirers and colleagues or sharing the secrets to great cannabis.
“My years of travel in producing countries are the source of many adventures that made me the person I am, and they are the reason for my dedication to the plant and to producing a quality product, and my passion for understanding the science that validates traditional methodology,” he told Marijuana Venture in a 2016 interview.
He died July 18, 2021, in San Francisco at the age of 64.
“His passing was unexpected and leaves his family with a gaping hole of emotion where his smile and energy usually filled us so completely,” his wife, Kimberly Hooks, posted on Instagram.
— Garrett Rudolph