Digital Social Hour Episode #1427

Guest: Nader Nevada
Host: Sean Kelly
Date: July 1, 2025

Episode Overview

In this candid and compelling episode of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly sits down with entrepreneur and former high-level cannabis operator Nader Nevada. They trace Nader's experiences with federal investigations, the drastic shifts in the cannabis industry, and the larger implications of evolving laws and social attitudes. The discussion is both unfiltered and insightful, exploring how success, hustle, legal risks, and social media intersect in today's world. Nader provides rare first-hand perspective on "the game," then and now, and what it means to adapt and thrive in ever-changing economic and social climates.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Life Under Federal Supervision

Timestamps: 00:40–03:31

• Nader recounts spending 17 years "either out on bail, under investigation, or on federal supervision" ([01:21]), from 2007 to 2024.
• Expresses relief at finally regaining freedom and the ability to travel again, including getting his passport back.
• Story begins with a state case that garnered police attention due to early posts on social media, later escalating to federal charges involving marijuana.

Quote:

"There hasn't been a day since April of 07 to August of 24 that I haven't been either out on bail, under investigation, or on federal supervision."
— Nader Nevada ([01:21])

2. The Federal Case: Scale, Loyalty, and Outcomes

Timestamps: 01:43–04:41

• Nader details a major federal marijuana case involving "22,000 pounds" (~10,000 kg); describes being caught up due to close association with his best friend (the main target).
• Praises his friend for refusing to cooperate with authorities: "They actually told him, man, we take half the time off you if you tell on him. And he said no." ([02:56])
• Notes their group loyalty was rare: "All the top people where we were at, nobody told on each other. Super rare." ([03:14])
• Federal conviction rate cited at "98%"—emphasizes inevitability of some form of plea deal.

Quote:

"The feds don't come until they already got you. Like, the feds is pretty much open and check case...98% conviction rate."
— Nader Nevada ([03:19], [03:39])

• Despite the scale, his sentence was probation and forfeiture of assets, crediting his friend for "jumping on the grenade."

3. The Rise and Decline of Weed Economics

Timestamps: 04:44–10:36

• Explains massive change in weed's value—once "nothing's depreciated as much as weed" ([05:17]).
• Legalization and overproduction have crashed prices; what was "$5,500 a pound" is now "$1,300" ([05:17]).
• "Very few people have like real strong, strong like top shelf grade A. Everybody else...just good enough weed." ([07:45])
• Discusses differences between weed grown in Nevada vs. California and issues with product freshness (90 days from pick to store is "bad").
• Explains how new markets in states like Oklahoma and Michigan ended California's dominance: "People don't have to come to California to get weed...the market is messed up now." ([08:52])
• Describes past "high-rolling" era ("big chains...everybody had money"), contrasting it with today's riskier, fractured scene.

4. Legal Ironies and Shifting Social Norms

Timestamps: 10:37–13:16, 20:50–22:54

• Reflects on the paradox of people receiving long sentences for an industry now legal in "39 states" ([10:50]).
• "Nobody should be in jail for weed," noting his friend received "108 months in the feds" ([10:56]).
• Calls out double standard: "You meet a guy out here that has three dispensaries...totally legit guy. You talk to somebody like me...and you'd be like, oh, well, you're a drug trafficker." ([20:37])
• Recalls that in Nevada, "a seed was a felony" when he was young, contrasting with open public consumption today ([20:59]).

Quote:

"Nobody should be in jail for weed...I don't feel like I was doing anything wrong."
— Nader Nevada ([11:10])

5. The Fraud and Hype of Online Success Gurus

Timestamps: 15:46–19:19

• Dismisses ostentatious social media "drug dealers" as either fabricators or future felons: "Unless you can back your paperwork up or we can see you went through the process...I don't believe it." ([15:46])
• On motivational coaches: "Do you have successful businesses? ...Or did you just come up and you're balling because you got the subscribers? Like, were you successful prior to this or are you just selling a dream?" ([17:58])
• Predicts many will be "exposed" for lack of real receipts: "I think all that is going to kind of come out and then some people will last..." ([18:25])
• Expresses that he'd rather learn from those with proven track records, not viral personalities.

6. Adapting to the "Social Media Era"

Timestamps: 19:19–20:50

• Nader underscores the importance of adapting:

  "I feel like if you're not getting money with the Internet and you're not part of this, you are going to get left behind." ([19:26], repeated from [00:40])

• Contrasts his history of discretion ("all the pictures I got, they were just either by myself...") with the new era of digital exposure ([19:51]).
• Reveals plans for a two-part documentary: Part 1 on state case, Part 2 on fed case.

  "We're not trying to glorify being criminals...just saying be a product of your environment. If you see a niche that you can make some money, do it." ([20:09])

7. Perspectives on New Drug Markets

Timestamps: 11:28–13:16

• Skeptical mushrooms will ever match weed's volume: "You could smoke an ounce of weed. If you consumed the ounce of mushrooms, you're probably pretty up and like, you couldn't do it." ([11:33])
• Price point much lower; people "microdose," but not as much overall usage.

8. Experiences with Law Enforcement and Legal Loopholes

Timestamps: 12:19–15:18

• Shares story of being raided for wax ("manufacturing drugs"), but beating case over technical definition:

"On the search warrant it said marijuana, cocaine, guns, whatever, but marijuana was only flour...Law changed in 2014. In 2015, they tested it. 2016, they came with the indictment." ([12:19])

• Credits late attorney John Mammon with finding last-minute legal avenue:

"He ended up beating that case for me." ([12:52])

• Describes old police tactics: trash surveillance, seizing cars for trace amounts ([14:09]–[15:22]).

9. Cannabis Culture, Consumption, and Social Shifts

Timestamps: 21:28–24:14

• Finds cannabis consumption lounges underwhelming compared to alcohol-based venues: "I'd rather sell alcohol than weed." ([21:30])
• Weed is an "accessory thing," not the main event:

"It just makes everything a little bit better...It's kind of an accessory to everything." ([22:31])

• Shares story of getting extremely high with Snoop Dogg on a Palms balcony—a full-night smoke session ([23:00–23:30]).
• Describes how carrying loud weed at conventions was a social icebreaker, especially with women.

Quote:

"Me and Snoop sat on the balcony and just smoked until sun came up. It was pretty tight, I ain't gonna lie."
— Nader Nevada ([23:03])

Notable Moments & Quotes

• On Federal Reach:
  “The feds don’t come until they already got you.” ([03:19])

• On “Viral” Hustlers:
  “Anybody can just come up on some money. You can get rich once...You do it twice, three times. Ok, you might have a hustle to you.” ([17:01])

• On Changing Times:
  “It’s not like when we were kids and the only successful people...were actors and athletes. Now, you can get some money. You just gotta know where to look for it.” ([19:26])

Segment Timestamps Guide

• Learning freedom after 17 years: 00:40–03:31
• High-stakes marijuana cases and group loyalty: 01:43–04:41
• Weed market economics and legalization fallout: 04:44–10:36
• Legal contradictions and social perception shifts: 10:37–13:16, 20:50–22:54
• Calling out fake social media gurus: 15:46–19:19
• Surviving and adapting in the internet era: 19:19–20:50
• Legal battle details and loopholes: 12:19–15:18
• Cannabis culture anecdotes and Snoop Dogg story: 21:28–24:14

Closing Notes

Nader closes by sharing his social media (@nader_nevada) and reiterates his philosophy: if you move with authenticity, hustle, and adaptability, you can always “shake a hand, make a friend.” The episode is a raw look at the rise and fall of underground entrepreneurship, the absurdities of federal and state cannabis law, and the new frontiers (and fakes) of hustle in the social media age.