Judson Hill is the Georgia Market President for Fine Fettle, a premier cannabis retailer with medical and adult-use dispensary locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and most recently, the Peach State. Growing up in Atlanta, Judson has lived most of his adult life bouncing across the country, from New York to Chicago, finally settling in Los Angeles for the majority of the last decade.
Who Is Judson Hill? A Journey In Fashion And Cannabis
His journey was originally due to a career in fashion that pivoted to cannabis as he found himself living in Southern California in the early 2010s when the industry was coming out of the underground to a more mainstream career path. This evolution of cannabis seemed to mirror the fashion world that Judson knew, with emerging brands and retail locations constantly popping up.
The natural transition point for Judson was to launch a cannabis brand in the California medical market which he assisted a friend with, creating the first branded pack of pre-rolls. Higgs lives on and has expanded into new states and Canada over the last seven years since its inception.
From there, a series of opportunities presented themselves as Judson studied the emerging, chaotic industry and looked to always skate to where the puck was headed. He worked with Casa Verde Capital, Snoop Dogg’s venture capital firm based in L.A., which invested in ancillary companies such as seed-to-sale software and one of the first lenders to work with cannabis companies.
Having learned the intricacies of financing and fundraising in a federally illegal industry, Judson had the unique opportunity to finance over $1B in cannabis transactions and raised over $100M in capital from 2019-2023. While this skill and POV was definitely useful, his eye was always on the expansion of legal cannabis and ultimately looking to the time when his home state of Georgia would finally come around.
Judson Hill Returns To Georgia With Fine Fettle
In 2024, that opportunity finally manifested into a reality as Judson was tapped by Fine Fettle to be the President of the Georgia Market after they won one of the six vertically integrated licenses in the state. He moved back to Atlanta earlier last year to lead up operations, opened three dispensaries over a six-week run last summer, and now is focused on lobbying to advance the program with the help of his father, former Georgia Senator Judson Hill Sr. This is clearly more than a job for Judson; it’s the culmination of a lifelong dream to destigmatize cannabis in the Deep South!
Judson Hill's "Stemming From The South" Weedsday Playlist
For his Weedsday Playlist, Judson Hill selected songs that are emblematic of his nuanced yet rooted journey through creativity and the plant. He shares, “Soulful music and cannabis have always been deeply intertwined growing up in the South and two of my greatest passions in life. My love for music started at a young age listening to my parents’ favorites: Billy Joel, Allman Brothers, and the [Grateful] Dead for my mom; Kool & The Gang, Earth Wind and Fire, and worship music for my dad; Elton John, a shared favorite for us all. This was long before cannabis was on my radar and I was simply a kid enjoying the joy, emotion, and storytelling of these artists as we belted songs out in the car.
But growing up in Atlanta in the 90s quickly led me deep into the emerging Southern hip hop scene…and then came the weed naturally. Outkast was the first group that told me and the world that “the South’s got something to say!” and from there my city took the music world by storm… Jeezy, TI, Future, 2chainz, Young Thug, Migos, lil baby… I could go on! The underdog stories and braggadocio style of these hip hop artists was the soundtrack to my formative years, giving me the determination and confidence to go after my goals and have fun while doing it.
As I’ve matured/gotten older, my taste has moved away from the rap lyrics as they can often be hard to support and recently I’ve gone down the other Southern road… country. This short playlist is a diverse mix encapsulating the range of music that’s shaped my life and the melting pot of a city that raised me. Having moved back to Atlanta earlier [last] year after a decade in SoCal, it’s been rewarding to be at the ground level of the legal cannabis industry in Georgia: home to some of the most soulful music and a deep underground cannabis culture which go together like shrimp and grits!”
OutKast - "ATLiens"
This song is the anthem of Atlanta hip hop and for me personally on many levels… the fact they shout [out] the neighborhood of Decatur during the intro, which is where one of our first Fine Fettle dispensaries is located, makes my heart happy. That’s manifestation at its finest! The poetic lyrics combined with the old school Southern beat create a laid-back but thought-provoking vibe that is perfect for a smoke sesh.
Click here to play on Spotify!
Allman Brothers - "Ramblin' Man"
Another Georgian classic that has deep personal and business ties for me. The Allman Brothers hail from Macon, GA which is also home to our Fine Fettle cultivation and production facility. I think they’d be proud we are growing some of the state’s first legal weed right in their hometown. This song sums up my interesting career following one passion to the next, moving from ATL to NYC to LA in pursuit of a career in fashion only to find myself in the midst of the burgeoning legal cannabis industry in 2016. Just to end up back in Macon, GA… Lord, I was born a ramblin' man!
Click here to play on Spotify!
Snoop Dogg - "Gin And Juice"
You can’t have a hip hop and cannabis playlist without Snoop. Another artist that I’ve loved since I was a kid bumping “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and has since become a central figure to my work and personal life as I got involved in the cannabis industry working with Snoop’s VC firm, Casa Verde Capital, then bought my first home in Long Beach. Gotta show some love to the doggfather and the LBC!
Click here to play on Spotify!
*Editor's Note: Did you know? Culinary and Cannabis founder Tamara Anderson chose Snoop Dogg's "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" for her Weedsday Playlist. Cannabis infusion master Chef Matt chose Snoop and Wiz Khalifa's "OG," featuring Curren$y, for his Weedsday Playlist. DJ Shambala chose Klypso's "Low Rider (No Lighter)" featuring Snoop Dogg, Doggface, and War for his Weedsday Playlist.
Elton John - "Rocket Man"
While Sir Elton hails from England, a lesser known fact is that he made Atlanta his U.S. primary residence for most of his older adult/post sobriety life. Outside of that personal bias, this song is obviously a classic! A story of a man searching for meaning on a seemingly lonely journey where he feels misunderstood and gets high as a Rocket Man to deal with the weight of it all.
Click here to play on Spotify!
Lil Wayne - "The Sky Is The Limit"
“They told me don’t get high and I should try to make a livin/ I told ‘em I’m a hustler and I’d rather make a killin’!” I don’t think my younger self would forgive me if I made a cannabis influenced playlist without adding mixtape Weezy. At his peak, Wayne’s constant stream of new music was the soundtrack of my life and he created the modern concept of non-stop music drops for our insatiable appetites that came with the streaming era. Lil Wayne’s lyrics and metaphors are unmatched. He taught me to blaze my own path, “I’m probably in the sky, flyin’ with fishes. Or maybe in the ocean, swimmin’ with the pigeons.”
*Editor's Note: Did you know? Designer and Wondermore founder Alex Cochran chose Lil Wayne's "Kush" for his Weedsday Playlist. For more on Lil Wayne, including cover stories of our print editions, check out interviews like this one.
Bonus Track
Jelly Roll Featuring Wiz Khalifa - "Higher Than Heaven"
As I mentioned, recently my music taste has been transitioning away from rap as the message can sometimes be hard to support. Jelly Roll is one of my favorite artists currently who embodies the trend happening across the music industry moving from hip hop to country. He also is a fellow Southern and epic storyteller who wears his heart on his sleeve. I really appreciate the positive messages he shares about redemption, salvation, and struggles in between. Everyone loves a comeback story and that’s Jelly!
Click here to play on Spotify!
*Editor's Note: Did you know? Brandon Gomes, star of MTV's SIESTA KEY and CEO of Siesta G, chose Wiz Khalifa's "Mezmorized" for his Weedsday Playlist.
Wiz Khalifa was on the cover of our MAGIC issue. Click here to read the cover story! And click here to get your copy of the print edition!
For more about Fine Fettle, visit finefettle.com.
What are your favorite Weedsday tracks? Tell us about them - reach out at @honeysucklemagazine on Instagram!
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Featured image: Judson Hill, Georgia Market President of Fine Fettle, at the 2023 Revelry in New York City. (C) On The Revel @ontherevel
