Lead photo by Snake God, courtesy of Riley Nixon

Pornstars love weed. It’s not a universal truth in the adult film industry, but it’s certainly a stereotype many will get behind. After all, when you’re having sex on camera for money, breaking a taboo like doing (all-natural, medicinal) "drugs" must feel like going to Sunday school in comparison.

There are many adult actresses who are open cannabis enthusiasts, from Jenna Haze and Sativa Rose, to girls with less pun-y names like Rachel Roxxx and Madison Ivy. Though few smoke on camera in their NSFW videos, many will admit that they partake before filming, thanks to cannabis’s beneficial effects when it comes to sex. Riley Nixon is one such pornstar. The 22-year-old with the shaved head has been in the industry for less than two years, but she’s already been nominated for a number of AVN awards (including hottest newcomer), and was recently featured on the cover of Penthouse’s “dope issue.” She’s even starred in a scene that opens with her smoking a vape and simultaneously peeing outside (for what that’s worth).

Nixon is a regular cannabis user, and her charming Instagram posts often feature the model crushing a joint while walking her adorable French bulldog, as well as the types of risque photos you'd expect a pornstar to upload. MERRY JANE hopped on the phone with the up-and-comer to discuss weed use in the porn industry, as well as how she keeps her buzz going in more ways than one.

Merry Jane: You’re based in LA now, right?
Riley Nixon: Yeah, I’m in LA. I’ve been in LA, um, technically about a year. But I lived in a van for a couple months here last year. I was super broke and I didn’t have modeling [as a source of income yet], so I didn’t have an actual job. And the gigs that I was getting were so cheap, like, not…yeah.

How did you make the jump from living in a van and modeling here and there to all the sudden entering the adult industry?
Well all the modeling I did was all nude so I was constantly getting naked in front of a camera. And then I was doing more fetish-y type modeling that would sometimes include video. Then I did a scene for Exploited College Girls about six months before I actually started doing porn. I had a Model Mayhem account, and the first agent I had found me through that website. Things took off from there, but I’ve since hired a new agent.

Does it feel like you have a more stable, consistent career now?
Yeah. I have a house now. I share rent with my boyfriend. I feel so stable, even though the work is not guaranteed. Sometimes I go, like, two weeks without working, which kind of sucks, but I can still make it work.

So this is your career for the time being?
Mhm…at least another year, probably a little more. I started performing last January, so it’s been a bit over a year in the industry.

Yeah, and a year later you’re on the cover of Penthouse. That’s crazy.
Yeah! It’s my third time shooting for them. I’ve been in the magazine twice before. It’s pretty exciting. I got one of my photoshoots for Penthouse through my first agent. One of his other girls got on the cover, and I was like, “Fuck, I want to get on the cover.” He was like, “No, they won’t put you on it.” And then I got a new agent and I got on the cover [laughs].

So, tell me about the first time you smoked up. Everyone’s got their own funny story.
I think I was like… 16 I think. Maybe 15. I was with my boyfriend and his friend and we were in a graveyard in this little town in San Diego that I lived in. They had this black skull pipe. Maybe I got a little buzz, but it didn’t really work. But I kept smoking with them the next few months, and I got the hang of it. The first time was pretty anticlimactic, but that was mid high-school. During the rest of school, I was so secretive about smoking cause, ya know, your parents freak out. My mom would have probably started crying [if she caught me]. She knows now that I smoke, but then she would have clumped it together with all of the drugs… I hate people who hate weed. It makes no sense.

What kind of smoker are you today? Like, do you smoke casually, or do you consider yourself a “stoner,” so to speak?
I definitely smoke every single day, but usually not during the daytime. If I start smoking in the morning then I won’t do anything. Lately, I’ve been eating candies. I have these watermelon gummies I really like. The brand’s called Infused Creations and each piece is only ten milligrams of THC, so I can really easily dose them, which I really like. Sometimes I’ll get candy that says they’re 25mg, but it feels like fucking 50mg and then I’m fucked up. Also, I only started drinking in the last year. I have wine every night now, but I typically [prefer cannabis].

You’re in California. Do you have a medical marijuana license? How do you get cannabis?
Yes, I use a dispensary, for sure. I just went there today. It’s called California Caregivers Alliance. I love them so much. And they let me bring my dog, so I love that. They get mad when he’s not with me! It’s also all girls who work there, which is super cool. I definitely use a delivery services here, too, called Kushfly.

Do you pick up just edible stuff, or do you pick up flower too?
I pick up flower, too. On Tuesdays my dispensary has Two Joint Tuesday’s, where they give you free joints. I bought seven grams of a strain called The Hammer, and got two complimentary joints.

There’s a stereotype that pornstars always love weed. Have you found that to be true? Do a lot of people in the industry smoke?
Oh yeah… I think it has something to do with the people who go into the porn industry. They’re pretty open and experimental already, so weed smoking is a very basic taboo to break. I mean, not everyone smokes weed, but I’d guess like 80 percent of us do. It’s so normal. And then a lot of people do a lot more than that, too. The amount of money we make can be really dangerous if in the wrong hands…

In general though, do people smoke on set? Does it help with sex at all?
Mhm. A lot of the time when I’m on set, they take a video of you and they’re like, “Are you under the influence of any drugs or alcohol? Were you forced to do anything today?” Da da da da. So, no, I’m not on any drugs or alcohol. But I don’t think weed falls into that. Yeah, but there is weed smoking on set. Not a ton of [joints or bongs] in my experience, but I’ve smoked with a tiny, little disposable vape pen on camera, though. I was peeing in a school yard while I smoked my vape pen, and then I got too high and missed my lines [laughs].

I think there should be an adult entertainment company that’s exclusively weed-focused or weed-centric. I could see that filling an open niche.
I do, too. But a lot of companies are like “We’re not shooting in California,” even though they are. So with the weed thing, it’d have to be legal where they’re filming… there’d be little things you’d have to get around.

Photo by Snake God

On top of the adult film stuff, you’re a doula too, right?
I’m certified, but I’m not practicing [right now]. I don’t know. I’m definitely going to be going back to it when I’m done with porn. Some moms who will have no idea who I am, which is great. Or, if they do, they’ll be super cool about it. But then there’s a thing where the wife is just not comfortable with me around her husband, know what I mean? I just really don’t want to have that sexual side of me brought to this job. I’m worried about that. Even if I do wait until I’m out of porn [to start working as a doula again], people still might know me. I would be extremely picky about who I work with. And couples should be extremely picky about who they choose as their doula. Right now, I’m definitely not going to be practicing while I’m working in porn.

So for the time being, porn is the only thing you’re working on.
Yeah, I’m just doing porn right now. I’m working on launching my website and hoping to get some residual income coming in. It will have different things for sale. I’ll have Skype sessions, I’ll have signed magazines you can buy, there will be stuff that I’ve worn in different scenes for sale, like lingerie or some shoes. People like worn shoes and dirty underwear, so I can make some good money off that stuff [laughs]. People can even send gifts.

Do fans ever send you weed-related stuff?
I’ve never gotten anything weed related.

Holy shit. This is your chance to get fans to send you weed gifts.
Yes please. There’s this dab rig that I keep seeing on the internet and it has crystals all over it — like actual crystals. It’s so pretty. Any bong or dab ring or anything that has crystals on it is amazing, and I don’t have anything like that. Anything other than chocolate edibles would be fantastic. I don’t like chocolate edibles or pot brownies.

At this point do you feel generally comfortable talking about your job? Does your mom now know?
That’s funny. My parents have known that I’ve nude modeled for the past year and a half. And that’s whatever; they deal with it. But I’ve never told them that I do porn. But then my mom was flying back up to Canada a couple weeks ago [after visiting], and she texted me and was like, “I just saw you on the cover of Penthouse at the airport.” I’m like, “Hehe, don’t open it…” One of the [pull] quotes [in the piece] was like, “I just want to get DP’ed, I just want to get stuffed full…” So yeah, please don’t open it mom. I’m still not sure she really understands [the extent of my work]. She seemed happy for me but was also like, “You should probably text your dad and give him a heads up.” I don’t think I’ll be talking about my work with my family in detail. They just need to know that I’m safe, healthy, and that I’m not being forced to do anything that I don’t want to do.

How competitive is it to be a performer in the industry?
There’s so many girls in the industry. Everyone tells me like, “Oh, your hair must get you so much more work.” I’m like, what are you talking about? It’s so hard for me to…I have a list of like thirty companies that refuse to shoot me [because of my hair]. But at the same time I’m really noticeable and I do shoot for really big companies. The hair does help me get more work, but at the same time it doesn’t…

How else are you different from other porn stars besides your look?
I’m extremely easy going. There are a lot of easy going people in the industry, but, like I said, some people are in it just for the money, and they kind of abuse their money, or the don’t love what they do. You can tell when someone is on set and they’re excited to be there, or if they’re just there for the paycheck. I really love what I do. And I like making friends with directors and performers. I don’t know, I’m just an easy-going person, which is kind of rare.

Do you think that type of vibe translates to being on camera?
I feel like I’m not acting when I have sex. I’m being really genuine. Even though 99 percent of us fake some of our orgasms, that doesn’t mean we’re not enjoying it. I laugh when I have sex. I’m not fake… I feel like when you watch a video of me having sex, that’s pretty much what it’s like having sex with me normally. I am more comfortable in a sexual situation than a non-sexual situation. I’m not putting on a show [in my scenes]… except for the occasional fake orgasm.

Photo by Snake God

We talked earlier about how you want to have children one day. I’m curious about your stance on pregnant women smoking weed to aide symptoms.
I think it’s great. I don’t see anything wrong with it. There are probably better ways than just straight smoking out of a bong, like vaping. There are so many other mainstream things for pregnant women to use or be prescribed, and some of those things could be even more harmful than consuming cannabis.

Alright, my last question: any type of things you’d like to film in the future, be it a sexual situation or even a vibe, environment, or any fantasy thing you’d like to do?
Wow, now I’d like to do a weed smoking things on camera. That’d be cool. But other than smoking, I just shot my first double penetration scene, so that’s off the checklist. And I have one next week, and another the next week. The first one was really good. The penis sizes were very different, so it was fine, but I’d prefer them the same size. Cause they keep switching, like one will be in the vagina then one in the butt, then they switch and it’s like WHOA! But it was really cool. I’d never, ever, ever done it before — on or off camera.

Did you have to prepare for it?
Yeah, I mean, same with anal scenes. I stop eating by like five at the latest the night before. I try not to eat any meat beforehand because that takes a long time to get through your bowels. And then in the morning I shit as much as I can. Then I may use an enema once or twice before I leave, and then again on set. I used to have a set of dilators for my butt, but I need to get a new set because my dog chewed all of them [laughs].

For more on Riley Nixon, visit her website and Instagram. See more of Snake God's photos on his IG.