ElevateNV January 2020 by Elevate Nevada Magazine

2020 VISION Predictions for the New Decade, Tackling Cannabisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Dosing Dilemma, the Rise of Canna-sine in Fine Dining & the Future of Vaping

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Publisher Guy Bertuzzi, guy@elevatenv.com Editor-In-Chief Beth Schwartz, beth@elevatenv.com Creative Director Brooke Bertuzzi, brooke@finetheagency.com Contributing Writers : Justin Alexander, Josh Bell, Guy Bertuzzi, Josh Kasoff, CW Peterson, Shoshanna Silverberg Account Executive:

Mark Damkroeger, mark@elevatenv.com ELEVATION PUBLISHING LLC Chief Financial Officer Cassandra Lupo FINE THE AGENCY Partner Kelli Maruca, kelli@finetheagency.com Graphic Designer James Nigbur, james@finetheagency.com

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If you would have told me at the beginning of this decade that it would end with cannabis being fully legalized for recreational use in the state of Nevada, I would have said you were definitely smokin’ something. To give you some perspective about what was going on in 2010, Congressman John Boehner, R, of Ohio was in the midst of poising himself to become the new Speaker of the House. President Obama officially repealed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy which forbid gays and lesbians from openly serving in the U.S. military. The Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, was signed into law on March 23, 2010. Instagram was introduced to the world on October 6, 2010 making way for the now ubiquitous selfie trend that began in 2013. Justin Bieber released his first studio album, My World 2.0, which unleashed his single “Baby” onto the world. Considered the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history, the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico killing 11 workers. But recreational cannabis didn’t appear to be on the radar of residents in the Silver State at the beginning of the decade in spite of Nevadans being early adopters of medicinal marijuana at the turn of the century. With 65 percent of the vote, the people of Nevada legalized medical cannabis through a ballot measure in 2000. In turn medical use was officially legalized with the June 2001 passage of Assembly Bill 453. With that victory on the books, there were two attempts to legalize recreational marijuana via ballot questions in quick succession (2002 and 2006) but Nevadans didn’t yet have the appetite to make cannabis legal for adult use. It would be another ten years before Nevadans

decided one more vice wouldn’t be all bad for a state that embraced the popular moniker of Sin City for two of its major cities: Las Vegas and Reno. Looking on in 2012 as Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize the recreational use of cannabis, Nevada along with California, Maine, and Massachusetts decided that perhaps enough smoke had cleared, and it was time to give the legalization of marijuana another shot. So, in 2016, the Initiative to Regulate and Tax Marijuana (Question 2) was put before Nevada voters. The measure, which appeared on the November 8, 2016 ballot, sought to legalize possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for adults over the age of 21. Question 2 was approved by a 54–46 margin, making possession and consumption by adults legal on January 1, 2017. In the true can-do spirit of the Battle Born State, sales of recreational cannabis began just six months later on July 1. We ended the decade with a burgeoning cannabis industry that in just a few years has opened 66 dispensaries throughout the state. Additionally, there are 11 testing labs, 134 cultivations and 96 production facilities, according to stats from Nevada’s Dept. of Taxation. Since the industry’s inception in July of 2017 Nevada’s cannabis industry has generated $1.1 billion in sales through September of 2019, according to BDS Analytics. As we begin the 2020s the cannabis industry has much to look forward to: gaining access to banking, federal legalization, consumption lounges, and untold medical discoveries provided by a plant we know very little about due to lack of research. Progress in the world of cannabis can only be elevated from here.

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A HEART-TO-HEART with BILLY HAYES “Midnight Express” author shares exploits during upcoming library series

elevatenv.com | january

By Guy Bertuzzi, publisher of elevate

ou may or may not have heard of Billy Hayes, but you are probably familiar with his story. He is the subject of the movie “Midnight Express” adapted by Oliver Stone in 1978 from Hayes’ 1977 autobiographical book detailing his incarceration in a Turkish prison for smuggling two kilos of hashish out of the country and his subsequent escape five years later. Over the next few months, Hayes will be sharing his story, Tales of Billy Hayes: Cannabis Activist, during several presentations at the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District (January 12, 2 p.m. at West Charleston Library; February 20, 6 p.m. at Sahara West Library; and March 14, 2 p.m., at Windmill Library). Dr. Scott Jacobson, medical director of Wishing Wellness, will also be at the presentations to offer his expertise in the use of cannabis to manage illness, as well a representative from Shango Marijuana Dispensary will be on hand. Hayes has transcended several generations as an author, actor, and director and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to sit down with him to chat about a few of his tales firsthand. Guy Bertuzzi: Let’s begin with a “what if” situation. You have built your entire career as a writer, speaker, and actor based on your imprisonment in Turkey for smuggling hashish and detailing it. If it was possible, would you warn your younger self about smuggling to avoid going to prison, or would you let it play out as it did?

Billy Hayes: Getting sentenced to life in a Turkish prison was the worst and the best thing that ever happened to me. It forced me to grow up and take responsibility for my actions, to learn about strengths and weaknesses, and discover my reason for being. I got my books published and met my wife at Cannes when the movie premiered there in 1978. But looking back, I wouldn’t have listened to any advice from my older, wiser self—I was young and invincible. It was only when the sky fell on my head that the true stupidity and selfishness of my actions became apparent. Not only had I f%$ked up my own life, but I’d put all the people who loved me in jail. Mom went to sleep every night with pain in her heart for her son so far away. Dad had to deal with the public shame and humiliation. This was the worst part of prison for me. GB: Had you ever smuggled hashish out of Turkey before you got caught or was it the first time? BH: I’d made three successful hash smuggling trips prior to getting arrested in October 1970. The first time was April 1969 when I taped two kilos of prime Turkish hash plaques around my leg, wrapped plaster tape around that to form a rough but beautiful white cast, then just clomped through customs in Istanbul and New York. My second trip was October 1969 when I taped two kilos around my body and jumped on the fabled Orient Express train, chugging west across Europe toward Paris. By my third trip in April 1970, I was so confident that I just taped the two kilos under my arms and strolled straight onto the Pan Am jet. Ah, the idiotic boldness of youth. GB: Hindsight is always 20/20, what would you have done differently as you prepared to leave Turkey to travel back to the U.S. prior to that fateful trip? BH: I’d scouted out the Istanbul airport a day prior to my fateful

trip. The PLO had recently blown up some hijacked jets in the Jordanian desert so I thought airport security would be on alert. Since I didn’t see anyone getting body searched at customs, I headed back to meet an English girl studying bellydancing in exotic, erotic Istanbul instead of going up onto the observation deck, as I’d planned, and watching people until they actually boarded the airplane. Once again, a lovely lady leading me astray.

Hayes’ new passport after his escape.

GB: Did your experience in prison turn you off to using cannabis? BH: My prison experience didn’t turn me off to cannabis, but it sharpened to a point for me the political ramifications of the War on Drugs. Especially when the Turkish government responded to Nixon’s pressure to increase their penalties and, instead of going free, I was suddenly retried and sentenced to life in prison. It’s a great satisfaction and joy to see this new cannabis world moving toward legalization and a fuller awareness of the incredible healing potential of this amazing plant. GB: I’ve seen your influence on people who have seen the movie or read the book, they commonly say that your story changed their life. How do you feel knowing your suffering helped others? BH: I’m grateful and humbled that my tale of struggle and eventual triumph has affected so many people, brought them some inspiration and hope. Everyone’s been down in a dark place at some time, struggling to find their light, and if my story helps them then it balances my karmic scale.

Media coverage depicting Hayes’ new-found freedom.

GB: When comparing your autobiography and the movie, what are some of the main discrepancies that should be clarified? BH: Writer Oliver Stone and director Alan Parker took some artistic liberties with my book. The escape in the film was rather simplistic, with me killing a guard (which I didn’t do)

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GB: I recall you receiving a hash pipe in prison. What was consumption like in a Turkish prison? BH: Prison is literally a captive market, and everyone is looking for some form of escape. The demand for hash was met by various prison gangs in coordination with the appropriate guards. And while the demand was always there, the supply varied radically, depending upon the season, the political winds, and factors beyond the ken of lowly prisoners. There could be a flood of great hash or a drought. And it certainly took the edge off your high, knowing that the little piece of hash in your pocket could lead to more legal penalties and a nasty trip to the cellar for a beating with the falaka stick. But I did learn how to make a hash pipe from a chicken bone and you never know when that might come in handy.

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Actor Brad Davis (left) played the role of Billy Hayes (right) in “Midnight Express.”

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and skipping out the door. In actuality, I escaped off an island prison in a storm, rowed 17 miles to the shore of Asia Minor, and spent the next three days running through Turkey. I dyed my hair in an Istanbul hotel room, and finally swam across the Maritas river into Greece and freedom. It was an escape seemingly made for Hollywood, but they didn’t do it. My main problem though is with the courtroom scene, where my character curses out the nation of Turkey and vows to f$%k all their sons and daughters. What I actually said to the court was that I couldn’t agree with them, all I could do was forgive them. Film is an incredibly powerful medium, and that scene inflamed worldwide audiences against the Turks and, of course, the Turks against the character they saw on the screen. Turkey issued an Interpol warrant for my arrest that stood for the next 20 years. GB: Remakes and reboots are very much a part of our current culture in cinema. Would you like to see them remake the movie? BH: There have been discussions about a remake for years. We’re now talking with some people about a 5-part 10-hour mini-series starting in the late ‘60s with the first three trips, then the bust on the fourth trip, prison, and the real escape. And while prison was strange, coming home into a media storm and becoming a minor celebrity was really bizarre. We shall see… GB: Who would you like to see play you? BH: I don’t know who would play me, but Aaron Paul is amazing. GB: After your experience in Turkey, do you feel any inclination to become an advocate for cannabis either in the US or Turkey? Or did you decide it was just better to leave it all there? BH: I’ve done thousands of TV, radio, and newspaper interviews and speeches at colleges and high schools over the years, each one yet another chance to propound on the insanity and hypocrisy of the monumentally failed War on Drugs and demand an end to putting our kids in prison for pot. Legalization is an idea whose time has come, both here and around the world.

GB: You eventually returned to Turkey. Why did you want to go back? BH: Going back to Istanbul in 2007 was the fulfillment of a dream I’d had about closing the circle and finding peace with the Turkish people. It was an amazing experience, all documented in “Midnight Return—the Story of Billy Hayes and Turkey.” GB: Were your aspirations always to have a career in the entertainment industry as an actor/director or did that happen as a result of a movie being made about you? BH: I’d always wanted to be a writer and studied journalism at Marquette University in the ‘60s. A large part of my smuggling motivation was the sheer adventure of it all—I wanted to experience life to the fullest so I could write about it. Well, surprise, surprise, be careful what you wish for. All the media interaction upon returning home led me into acting, where I met a brilliantly mad teacher, Eric Morris, whose work became the therapy I so desperately needed.

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GB: You followed up your autobiography with the sequel books “Midnight Return (Escaping Midnight Express)” and “The Midnight Express Letters - from a Turkish Prison, 19701975.” Do you prefer writing over acting? BH: I’ve always loved words and the magical agony of the writing process. But it’s lonely and the feedback loop is slow in coming. Acting, especially on stage, is immediate feedback and a desperate high wire act that thrills me.

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GB: Tell us a little bit about what audiences should expect from your talk, Tales of Billy Hayes: Cannabis Activist, being presented at the Library District over the next several months. BH: This will be a discussion about cannabis, from prohibition to wellness. I’ll discuss the prohibition part and Dr. Scott Jacobson, an expert in cannabis healing, will talk about the wellness part. We look forward to a Q&A with the audience and sharing stories and information about this amazing plant. I wish my Dad was still around, the look on his face would be priceless.

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GB: After what you went through trying to smuggle hashish, how do you feel about living in Las Vegas now that all forms of cannabis are legal and readily available if you are 21 or over? BH: Well, it’s about f$%king time! Truth is I always thought I’d see this day, but it’s been such a long time coming and there are hundreds of thousands of cannabis prisoners and their suffering families still behind bars as I write these words. And I hope I never get used to walking into a dispensary and having my mind blown by the very idea of a cannabis store, much less the plants all whispering to me: Billy, Billy…

elevatenv.com | december

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new star rising high in the world of fine dining by Josh Kasoff

Photography by Shannon Dorn

january | elevatenv.com 11

ONLY THE FINEST CANNA-SINE

elevatenv.com | january

ith the arrival of French culinary masters Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon to town— who toted and touted the preciousness of black truffles and caviar along with them—Las Vegas began its trajectory as a fine-dining destination in the 2000s. These world-renowned chefs were in good company as Thomas Keller, José Andrés, Pierre Gagnaire and Nobu observed the ascent and brought their culinary outposts to the desert town-turned-foodie-loving paradise. Now staples of the Las Vegas dining scene, gourmet ingredients truffle and caviar have taken a backseat as another highly desired consumable begins making its way into chefs’ kitchens. Although the ingredient is still illegal to consume publicly, seasoned chefs who have direct experience working in some of the finest restaurants in Las Vegas have begun hosting private dinners with menus as exquisite and extravagant as their previous employers’ that revolve around a psychoactive plant that most clientele of Michelin-starred restaurants would likely look down their nose at. With its adult-use legalization in 2017, it’s not surprising that cannabis’ inclusion into fine dining would occur, much less to the degree and expertise that it has. Among the cuisines that span the world, cannabis-infused fine dining is gaining quite a following among consumers with a taste for the finer things in life. “I think of cannabis in fine dining as a truffle,” offers chef Jesse Garza, “it’s something that everyone wants to get their hands on. I think some chefs are skeptical about using it, but it’s an herb. It’s like rosemary or thyme—something that elevates the food.” Garza is a local chef who is embracing cannabis as an ingredient that lends a certain heady mystique to his menus. Garza’s entry into the culinary space is as unlikely as the prediction that a few decades ago cannabis would become a coveted commodity in the world of gourmet dining. “I never thought in a million years that I would be a chef,” recalls Garza, “it was sort of something I fell into.” Similar to his mother who worked her way up the restaurant service food chain, Garza’s culinary journey had humble beginnings in high school, where he was employed at the universally loved California-based burger chain In-N-Out. After moving to Las Vegas, Garza worked in food service for many different institutions, including UNLV and Southern Nevada hospitals, Centennial Hills and Sunrise. However, the Farmersville, California native’s ambitions were aimed toward more sophisticated opportunities in the culinary arts. With those aspirations in mind, Garza secured employment at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa where he worked for a number of restaurants ranging from sports bar Yard House to upscale surf ‘n’ turf hotspot T-Bones Chophouse. With an undying passion for gourmet cooking,

Chef Jesse Garza

Garza began traversing the Strip, handing his resume into any restaurant kitchen that would accept it. After working many unpaid hours, more commonly known in kitchens as being a stagiaire, Garza, at the age of only 21, received a careerdefining opportunity—employment at the Vegas location of the hotel chain with the reality television star-turned Commanderin-Chief’s name emblazoned in lights. During his eight-year tenure at Trump International Hotel, Garza mastered all facets of food service in the approximately 1,300-suite hotel. Working banquets of all shapes and sizes, room service, and managing an employee dining room where over 600 employees were fed daily, he rose to the position of sous chef at the hotel’s steakhouse, DJT, all by the age of 28. Yet, an artist existed within The Art Institutes grad. Garza viewed food as a truly malleable artform. “The consistency of the chefs and what they were creating was art on a plate. I’m not good at drawing, but I like creating. When I have it in my head and when I break down a produce or a protein, I can picture it before it hits the plate. Playing with food is like my canvas,” explains Garza, whose lack of complete creative control at DJT—from a dish’s creation to cooking methods— hamstringed his personal ambitions leading to his departure. After leaving Trump Las Vegas in February 2019, Garza went into partnership with LA-based chef Joseph Joudi Saady, nicknamed GrandMaster Chef JoJo. The duo opened Blume, a venture in Henderson where Garza could truly demonstrate his creativity and passion for fine dining while holding that coveted creative control over menu items. Which brings us back to the ingredient that has pushed other delicacies aside and is seemingly enjoying its day in the sun. Using it as a staple in several of his signature dishes, Garza has become increasingly interested in incorporating cannabis into his cooking. This has led to another collaboration,

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this time with Las Vegas-based cannabis fine dining group Dope Dining. While not a chef in the professional sense, native Nevadan and photographer Shannon Dorn always had a passion for quality cuisine, describing herself as a foodie capturing cannabis on film. When starting Dope Dining in 2017, she saw the dining club as an opportunity to combine her most passionate lifelong interests: high-grade cannabis and top-notch food photography. During the club’s existence, the overarching themes of events thrown by Dorn and her team of culinary professionals have varied. For Valentine’s Day and as their inaugural event, Dope Dining hosted the appropriately named “High on Love” dinner featuring an infused lamb chop entree created using locally grown flower. In collaboration with chef Garza, Dorn and her staff hosted a springtime extravaganza that consisted of a fivecourse dinner infused with City Trees’ agave tinctures, a dinner at which Dorn fondly recalls scallops as being the menu’s standout dish. Using cannabis infusion techniques, chef Garza works with a variety of cuisines from Ethiopian to Mexican—even infusing American classics like s’mores and hamburgers, albeit all to a much higher caliber than one would cook in their back yard. Garza uses the highly coveted ingredient in a variety of fashions: as a garnish, a tincture to infuse dishes like tacos and elote, for infusing condiments, or even infused dipped bacon. “It’s a regular herb, it’s a regular flower. You break it down and add a lot of essence and aroma to your plate,” says Garza. “It’s beyond brownies or gummies. It’s adding your own twist to it while covering up the hard flower taste. People think it’s something scary to use, but it’s not.” As for what lies ahead for cannabis and fine dining, both Dorn and chef Garza are optimistic. Garza believes that since the culinary arts is an everchanging artform, the potential ways to infuse cannabis in the most elegant of cuisine will continuously evolve. Currently, a large regulatory obstacle in the way of infused dinners is lack of public consumption lounges in Nevada. Once the public consumption of cannabis is legally and commercially available, Dorn believes that fine dining with cannabis infusions, whether at a private event in the same vein as Dope Dining or even possibly in a restaurant space, will become an activity almost as mainstream as a visit to The Capital Grille steakhouse. An activity that, with the addition of CBD culinary infusions whose popularity is running parallel to THC infusions, may also enjoy the surprisingly large clientele that traditional fine dining does. Concludes Dorn, “Once consumption lounges and event permits allow, the sky will be the limit.”

elevatenv.com | january

january | elevatenv.com 15

DO S I N G D ILE MMA

elevatenv.com | january

Will 2020 be the year dosing finds its due in the cannabis industry?

By CW Peterson

Suppose you want to get the benefits of cannabis—whether it’s for pain, insomnia or something else—but feeling the psychoactive elements of marijuana isn’t high on your priority list. You want to enjoy the party, not be the life of it. Experts from your neighborhood budtender to medical professionals will tell you to start low and go slow. But what is starting low? And how slow is slow? In the world of edibles, a serving with 10 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is often used as a baseline portion. However, far lower levels of THC can be beneficial. A 2018 report in the European Journal of Internal Medicine said Sativex, a cannabis-based medicine with 2.7 mg THC and 2.5 mg CBD, meets the pharmaceutical standards for helping treat multiple sclerosis. And what about the most popular form of cannabis consumption—smoking? That presents challenges to medical professionals. Our lungs are designed to process air and doctors recommend that pollutants like marijuana smoke ought to be avoided. Another challenge is that it can be impossible to regulate the amount of THC consumed when smoking a joint or hitting a bong. Besides, a lot of THC simply goes up in smoke, literally. A third method of administering cannabis is through the use of topical treatments. Lotions and creams containing THC (and cannabidiol, or CBD) can offer localized relief for aches and pains, but there’s limited research in that area. A fourth method of administering cannabis is through vaporization. That delivery method has come under scrutiny after nearly three dozen deaths attributed to vaping

products procured primarily on the black market. The good news is that stringent testing is a part of the rigorously regulated legal industry. Experts can help you determine the amount of THC that you might want to consume in a single hit, said Dr. Howard Rubin. Once you know about the makeup of a particular plant, “then you can make some reasonable judgements about what to use,” he explained. “And then, in terms of how much, nobody knows, so you start off at a very low quantity and then you increase it as needed.” dosist is one company producing vape pens that offer highly regulated doses of THC. Based in Los Angeles, Calif., its dose-controlled pen was introduced into the Nevada market in November. According to CEO Gunner Winston, dosist’s products adhere to the strictest testing standards in the world and they offer products that are specifically designed to provide low, consistent doses of THC. “The idea is how do you take the guesswork out of the cannabis experience and give someone a repeatable experience?” asked Winston. “We’ve established the lowest dose that provides the maximum formula benefit for a consumer to achieve a therapeutic cannabis experience. Our dose pen delivers a 2.25 mg dose and the latest innovation in dose-controlled cannabis.” Winston’s company recently launched a second product, available only in California, called the dose dial which delivers a 3.7 mg peppermint-flavored dissolvable tablet that is a precise blend of THC and CBD. “Each delivery mechanism will be optimized at its lowest dose for the maximum therapeutic

The 2018 report also offered additional tips that can help a person figure out how much cannabis to consume: • For people who want to regulate their intake while smoking, the study suggests starting with one inhalation and waiting 15 minutes, repeating by one inhalation every 15–30 minutes until the desired symptom control has been reached. Side effects such as fatigue and dizziness can be avoided when starting low and going slow. • Slow upward dose titration promotes tolerance to psychoactive sequelae of THC, which is smoking or ingesting enough cannabis to feel the euphoric effects is not required to attain symptom control. • Work with your doctor. Physicians must clearly communicate the potential risks and safety of cannabis, no differently than with any psychoactive medication. Patients should keep a “symptom inventory” or journal indicating the effect of each cannabis product for each symptom as an aid for your doctor. A final tip comes from dosist’s Winston, who said it is essential “to empower people to naturally manage their health and happiness, the key word being natural. Cannabis is a very powerful tool. The key will be how to get people to trust it.”

january | elevatenv.com 17

benefit to ensure a safe, consistent and repeatable experience,” Winston said of dose dial. While dosist created the first dose-controlled pen back in 2016, other cannabis companies are slowly starting to move into the dosing space. Cannavative is a Reno-based company that produces a variety of flowers and extractions and just introduced RSO by Cannavative into the market in November. It comes in a dispenser called Jupiter Klik that offers users precise amounts of either a 1:1 CBD-to-THC ratio or high-THC formula. “We moved to this new dispenser for its ease of use and cleanliness. They are small, discreet, and fit in your pocket without even feeling it,” said Cannavative Master of Extractions Chris Reddin of the Jupiter Klik. “Each click dispenses a medium to large size dose equivalent to the grain-of-rice recommendation that is so commonly referred to in the industry. I believe that it is crucial to have a system in place to dispense equal amounts for consistency when dosing yourself.” In spite of new dosing products making their way to the market, there’s still a long learning curve with cannabis. According to the report in the European Journal of Internal Medicine, a U.S. study found that only 35.3 percent of resident physicians and fellows surveyed felt ready to answer cannabis questions. As some users seek to regulate their THC intake in more precise ways, more companies are working to meet demand.

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LEADERS IN NEVADA’S CANNABIS INDUSTRY MAKE PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEW DECADE

elevatenv.com | january

“Cannabis will no longer remain federally illegal. We will see an explosive growth lead by waves of new distribution points that include major national retail chains like 7-11, Circle K, and CVS as well as the birth of onsite consumption. Cannabis beverages will be served behind the bar alongside alcohol before the end of the 2020s.” —Kellen O’Keefe, Chief Strategy Officer, Flower One “Cultivators and dispensaries would love to embrace hemp and CBD products but it seems as if the regulations are handcuffing MEs and the hemp industry from tapping the market to its full potential by not allowing cultivators to grow hemp and by not allowing dispensaries to sell CBD products derived from hemp. A more concerted effort between cannabis and hemp regulations will provide a path forward that better fills the needs of the consumers.” —Dr. Chao-Hsiung Tung, G3 Labs “In Nevada, we’re going to see the majority of the new dispensaries open as well as approximately 500,000 plus square feet of new indoor/greenhouse cultivation space which should make prices more competitive for the end consumer.” —Paul Schloss, Redwood Cultivation “We’re optimistic that we’ll see something in the near term in D.C. around the STATES Act that will alleviate the issues between the federal and state conflict. A huge first step was the passing of the SAFE Banking Act in the House. We still believe cannabis is a “when” not “if” thesis, and we believe legalization at the federal level will occur in the ‘20s.” —Ed Gehres, President, Curaleaf Nevada

“We can look to Canada for a peek into the future—cultivation and extraction facilities will centralize their operations and focus on building economies of scale. In the near term, dispensaries will continue to be the primary retail outlets. As the cannabis market grows and normalizes, the role of the dispensary will diminish as cannabis is treated like other CPG (consumer packaged goods) products like alcohol, tobacco, and OTC medication.” —Brandon Wiegand, Regional General Manager, The+Source “Nevada will reclaim its title as the gold standard for cannabis regulation.” —Riana Durrett, Esq., Executive Director, Nevada Dispensary Association “There are nearly 70 pieces of cannabis related legislation pending within our federal government right now. We anticipate that many of these bills will begin to work their way through the House of Representatives, however, as we have seen lately—get blocked in the Senate. We need to focus our efforts on finding allies within the Senate. We are hoping to see Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez-Masto support legislation to protect veterans, workers and other consumers as they did with the SAFE Banking Act.” —Madisen Saglibene, Executive Director, Las Vegas & Nevada NORML “I’m a strong believer that we’ll start to get real clarification on some 280E specific issues and will probably see some sort of direction (and hopefully relief) on certain deductibility prior to the next election cycle.” —Mitch Bitten, CEO, THRIVE Cannabis Marketplace

Since July of 2017, when adult-use sales began in the state, Nevada dispensaries have generated $1.1 billion in sales through September of 2019. With adult-use sales contributing 84 percent of revenues. –BDS Analytics, published 11/26/19 In Nevada, pre-rolls comprise 14 percent of all cannabis sales. By comparison, the pre-roll slice of the pie is 6 percent in Colorado, 7 percent in Oregon, and 9 percent in California. –BDS Analytics, published 11/26/19 The average price for a gram of flower this year through September was $9.09, which is roughly similar to California’s gram price. In Colorado, the average gram price through September of this year was $4.23. In Oregon a gram of flower sells for $4.10. –BDS Analytics, published 11/26/19 On average Nevadans spend more on each dispensary visit ($77) than the adult-use average of $68. They also walk away with an average of three items per dispensary visit, rather than the average of two in other states. –BDS Analytics, published 11/26/19

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elevatenv.com | january

WELCOME TO

NEVADA’S CANNABIS COMPANIES USHER INNOVATION INTO MARKETPLACE WITH INTRODUCTION OF NEW PRODUCTS By Justin Alexander

n January 1 both a new year and new decade arrive with fanfare worthy of fireworks up and down the Las Vegas Strip. So, welcome to the ‘20s where the new year will ring in with it an innovative marketplace courtesy of Nevada’s cannabis industry. From resins and sophisticated strains to concentrates and applicators, the creativity of cannabis’ cultivators and producers provide many options for both patients and recreational consumers. Cheers to the industry for looking ahead with an eye toward a 2020 vision that recasts the way we think about and consume cannabis.

MEDIZIN’S SFV VAPE CARTRIDGE, PLANET 13 Live resin terpene extraction paired with the popular SFV OG strain make a Medizin vape one of the hottest products for 2020. Brand Ambassador Mychal Davis says live resin terpene extraction “ensures that the natural oils from the plant stay true to the chemical composition of when it was first harvested. This ensures great flavor, effects and consistency. Users can even see these

Medizin cartridges being made directly in front of them at Planet 13’s customer-facing production facility.” “SFV OG originated in California and has been a consistent heavy hitter in the cannabis marketplace,” says Davis, who notes its terpene profile includes high levels of myrcene, linalool, pinene, and caryophyllene. “These together create a very desirable high from users.” SFV OG will knock you over with its effects—all at once you will feel a wave of creativity that envelopes you into a relaxing body high. This cartridge is a smooth hitter when inhaled and Davis says it is a high concentration of all-natural cannabis driven oils and no other additives with test results consistently being some of the highest in the market.

PACKWOODS’ INFUSED PRE ROLLED BLUNT

CAMP’S ORANGEADE, PEACH NUT, ANIMAL FACE AND THE MATRIX, THE+SOURCE CAMP broke onto the cannabis scene in 2019 with a heavy buzz around its lifestyleforward packaging and marketing. Proffering a product with rare genetics, harvested in small-batches, terpene-rich, picked and trimmed by hand, the quality of its strains back it up. Four must-tries are Orangeade, Peach Nut, Animal Face and The Matrix. Orangeade is an indica-dominant strain with strong citrus, floral, fruity notes. It’s taste and smell satisfy any hunger with a few whiffs, leaving an overall satiated feeling to linger. Expect a boost of happiness, little to no anxiety and lots of productivity. The Matrix is a hybrid with aromas of lemon and pine with a dose of skunk and fuel. This is a strong and fast acting high that is smooth and rich. Expect both a head and body high but overall relaxation of every muscle in the body. This is perfect to use before bed as a sleepy time strain. Animal Face, a blend of Face Off OG and Animal

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“We focus on innovation and pushing the envelope while maintaining the highest quality,” says Packwoods’ Director of Sales Chris Adams. “With our 2g infused pre-roll our aim was to take the purest hemp we could find and infuse it and color it with natural flavors to get it to mimic a tobacco blunt wrap. “Along with our custom formulated hemp wraps, we have a proprietary infusion process that produces a more quality experience than just lining a preroll with concentrate,” Adams says, who notes Packwoods collaborates with a lot of brands from Cookies to Sherbinskis in L.A. Start a conversation by lighting up an infused preroll from Packwoods, which typically burns for 15-20 minutes, and when you are done talking it will mostly still be burning. Packwoods provides a long-lasting experience without breaking the bank. “Our engineered glass tips, selection of strains, and proprietary production process make it a pleasure to smoke,” says Adams. “We wanted it to be a celebratory item that can be enjoyed in groups.”

Mints, is a sativa-dominant strain that numbs the mind and the body. Expect a sugary yet earthy taste and a nose of pine and gas. A few hits take away all negative thoughts and you will be overcome by a rush of euphoria. Once the mind goes, the body follows and expect effects that increase appetite and relieve chronic pain. Peach Nut is a sativa-dominant hybrid that is strong and flavorful with both earthy and fruity notes. Providing keen focus, well-balanced with happiness and relaxation vibes, this is also the perfect strain to indulge in after a big meal as a palate cleanser.

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Curaleaf is an industry leader in providing a safe and healthy vaping experience. First, Curaleaf uses supercritical Co2 extraction to separate THC from the flower. Made by nug-run extraction only, the oil extracted from dried and cured cannabis plants results in juice that is both potent and rich in terpene flavors. Additionally, pharmaceutical grade winterization separates fats from THC and Curaleaf uses spinning band distillation, characterized by high vacuum and low temperature. Finally, there is no BHO or hazardous solvent used in the production process. The Forbidden Fruit cartridge is a sweet indicaleaning hybrid. A cross between the delicious Tangie and Cherry Pie strains, this is a mouth-watering experience that is citrus and pine forward in its flavors. It is a highly euphoric smoke and will delight everyone from novices to experts with an average THC level of 24.

REMEDY’S SKY RESINS They may look, taste and smoke like live resins, but Sky Resins are crafted using cured material. “Our proprietary process removes chlorophyll, fats and lipids from the plant material to create a concentrate that is cleaner and more flavorful, setting the new standard for concentrates across the valley,” says Remedy’s Justin Van Dyck. “These molecules mask, or even dictate, the look as well as the flavor of the product. Removing as many of the

non-cannabinoid or non-terpene profiles from a concentrate makes [a better] cured resin,” explains Van Dyck. Remedy’s Sky Resin strains—Clemonhead Kush, Clemonade and King Kong—have strong lineage producing dynamic effects. A cross between Clementine, 707 Headband and SFV OG Kush, Clemonhead Kush is a great tasting concentrate that gives you a heady high with energetic effects and an overall relaxed feeling that trails off in a pleasant way. Clemonade, a cross between Clementine and Lemonade Dream, mentally stimulates with a warm body high and a smooth finish. It smells and tastes like a lemon drop hard tact candy. King Kong, a four-way cross between King Louis, GG#4, Bio-Jesus and Deadhead, is a well-rounded hybrid with balanced effects. Sweet smelling and tasting, the head high floats down to the rest of the body.

Kabunky spent the majority of 2019 dialing in the process of its concentrates and searching out the best collaborators. Now in 2020, it is showtime. “We’ve been making concentrates for more than three years. In that time, we’ve seen a steady increase in quality,” says Nevada MMJ’s Josh Ranck. “We offer three different tiers, all of which are clean and potent. The major differences come down to the starting material as well as the aesthetic of the final product. These factors include color and texture, scent and flavor profiles, as well as final lab results.” The product line is classified into three tiers–premium, quality and value–with something for everyone in terms of taste and euphoria level. “Premium tier is our Kabunky Live Resin, which is strictly nug-run. We never use trim or shake to make our live resins. Plump buds are frozen immediately upon harvest, allowing our production team to extract the full spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes. Our live resins are incredibly flavorful and the most potent concentrates we make,” Ranck says, who notes the Premium line is available in crumble, shatter, badder, and sugar, and are made in collaboration with cultivators that include Virtue, Reina, Kush Co. and Nature’s Chemistry. The Quality line is made using house flower, as well as sourcing product from established cultivations, a win-win for consumers looking to try new strains and concentrate types. “Quality tier is our Kabunky line of concentrates.

january | elevatenv.com 25

KABUNKY CONCENTRATES, NEVADA MMJ

Available in krumble, shatter, budder, and badder, this is our go-to house line of concentrates. Made from various starting materials, these concentrates are some of our bestsellers,” Ranck says. “The only reason we grade them as quality tier 2 is because they’re not live resins. These are made from dried and cured flowers, and specifically high testing trim.” The Value tier is Kabunky’s Farm Direct line. “These products are lab-tested clean and can test as high as our other Quality tiers. The main reasons products wind up in this tier is because the final color, texture, or flavor didn’t meet Kabunky line standards. These are our most affordable concentrates, offering quite the bang for your buck,” Ranck says, noting they are available as a shatter, crumble and badder.

elevatenv.com | january 26

Photo credit: Keene Dadian

VERT CBD APPLICATOR, THE GROVE

Dab it, vape it, apply it, infuse it—no matter your preferred method of consumption, the Vert Applicator can accommodate it. Emphasizing the versatility of the product, Margaux Hansberry, sales manager of TGIG, LLC, offers myriad suggestions on how to best use the product. “Dabbed at low temperatures, our CBD Applicators have the characteristic taste of sweet cherries and provide instant relief. Used to make coconut oil suppositories, the 1:1 Vert Applicators provide a targeted full body effect that may be helpful in treating symptoms of local cancers such as prostate cancer,” says Hansberry. “If consumers need ‘stronger for longer’ effects, they may choose to make edibles using our preactivated oil, saving a lot of stress determining potency. Others enjoy the effects of our 1:1 CBD Applicators when added to flower to increase the entourage effect of CBD, other cannabinoids and terpenes. Our 1:1 Applicators have been used to increase the terpene content of THCA diamonds leftover from an old sauce or dry crumble in need of sap. Some people use our Applicators to make their own moonrocks, adding a smidge to the middle of a bowl with kief. For those who want fast effects, putting a matchstick head size dot under the tongue kicks in in about 15 minutes for the ultimate relaxation enhancement.” Changing the game was the goal during the development of its CBD-enhanced strain-specific oil that can be used for anything and everything. “Often times, the way a traditional RSO is made, there’s very little terpene

content that makes it through,” Hansberry says. “There’s a gap in the marketplace for CBD ratio oils that lean in a specific indica or sativa dominance. We developed the 1:1 CBD Applicators for a true 1:1 ratio that has all the terpene content necessary to provide a full entourage effect. We also wanted to make 1:1 options more attainable with a full-on cannabinoid spectrum.” Applicators of this type are recommended for anyone with OCD, high anxiety, pain, or inflammation who want to maintain a high functioning lifestyle. “Consumers range from people who use the applicator recreationally to line a joint/blunt to someone using it medicinally to make their own treatment for skin cancer,” Hansberry says.

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“All of our new genetics for 2020 are pheno-hunted in house,” says Redwood Cultivation’s Mike Tsairis. “Pheno-hunting is selecting the best genetic representation of a cross from its seed stock. In simpler terms, we grow out a bunch of seeds of a strain and pick the best one to keep reproducing. This practice is very labor intensive and takes up a sizable portion of our garden. We sacrifice our profits to ensure that we are putting out some of the most unique and highest quality varieties.” Resulting from this pheno-hunting process are strains Grape Cake, Octane Mine Sorbet and the Guice. Grape Cake is pungent and sweet with an earthy, creamy gas that immediately hits the nose when opening the container. The taste is the essence of “deep purple”—strong and languid, sending you away on a voyage to the great beyond. “This strain was created by @seedjunkyjbeezy aka Seed Junky Genetics,” says Tsairis. “He is an extremely popular breeder and cannabis influencer who produces some of the latest and greatest gear out there. We have started to focus our genetic lineup towards the connoisseur crowd. In this industry, unlike others, the majority of consumers want something different all the time.” Since Grape Cake has been selected from seed stock, it takes about 8-10 months to bring it to market. “This is very expensive and time consuming,” Tsairi says of the indicadominant strain that is a cross between Wedding Pie and Triangle Mints. Perfect for evening, this is the strain to reach for when it’s time to call it a day and while its potency dictates that it is primarily for experienced patients, anyone can partake. Expect to feel relaxed, calm and hungry.

Lift Me Up

Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch shares passion for CBD with launch of Moody’s Medicinals

A by Josh Bell

few years ago, it looked like Ivan Moody’s tenure as the frontman for Las Vegas-based hard rock band Five Finger Death Punch might be coming to an end. Moody was publicly feuding with his bandmates onstage, and had announced his impending departure following the band’s 2017 tour. Replacement vocalists filled in as rumors swirled about who might take over. Eventually, Moody headed to rehab to deal with his alcohol addiction issues, and these days FFDP is stronger than ever, set to release a new album (titled F8) on February 28, and currently on the European leg of their massive world tour, before returning to the U.S. in April. One of the major factors in Moody getting his life and career back on track was his use of cannabidiol (CBD), and he’s been inspired to share that health strategy by starting his Moody’s Medicinals line of CBD products, which is available in Vegas at The Grove dispensary. “It was

a matter of something that I’ve utilized and used, especially in my recovery, as a replacement for prescription drugs,” Moody explains. “I found myself looking at a medicine cabinet full of stuff that just was unnecessary, in my opinion. I’m no doctor, but at the end of the day, it just got a little overwhelming.” Moody’s Medicinals started with products that the singer would use onstage, including CBD-infused throat spray and CBD water. “My throat spray I use in the mornings, because it absorbs faster through the glands in your mouth,” Moody says. “I drink water throughout a show, and to have the CBD oil implemented, it keeps me at a smooth and even keel, rather than going through the rollercoaster.” At a launch event at The Grove in early November, just as the band kicked off its current tour with two shows at the Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel, Moody’s Medicinals debuted additional products, including CBD shots (one

designed for mornings, one for evenings) and CBD diffuser pens. Although the original members of FFDP (including Moody and guitarist Zoltan Bathory) first came together in LA in 2005, the band started making Vegas its home base in 2008, when Bathory moved to town, and these days all five members call Vegas home, with strong ties to the local community. They work closely with Vegas-based producer Kevin Churko, who’s overseen every FFDP album since 2009’s War Is the Answer, and was behind the boards again for F8. For Moody, making Vegas the first market for Moody’s Medicinals was an obvious choice. “This is home, man,” he says simply. “Where else?” At a time when hard rock’s popularity has been waning in the mainstream, FFDP is one of the few bands to come along in the past decade that has graduated to performing in arenas, putting them on the same level with hard

january | elevatenv.com 29

rock icons like Metallica, Iron Maiden or Guns N’ Roses. That success has come thanks to a strong work ethic, and even as the band has undergone lineup changes and inner turmoil, they’ve continued to tour steadily and release new music, always putting their fans first. Rock radio, continually hungry for new acts whose songs can stand alongside the classics, has embraced FFDP since the release of the band’s 2007 debut single “The Bleeding.” Since then, FFDP has scored 22 top 10 hits on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock charts, along with six top 10 placements on the overall Billboard 200 album charts. Chart-topping singles including “Coming Down,” “Lift Me Up,” “Battle Born” and “Wash It All Away” have become arena-rock staples, and the band has also had major success with covers including Bad Company’s “Bad Company,” blues standard “House of the Rising Sun,” The Offspring’s “Gone Away,” and Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s “Blue on Black” (featuring Shepherd himself, along with Brian May of Queen and country star Brantley Gilbert). With Moody’s ongoing sobriety, the band (which also includes guitarist Jason Hook, bassist Chris Kael and drummer Charlie Engen) is more stable and secure than it’s been in years. “You hear this a lot, but it’s so true that it’s a family,” Moody says. “We know more about each other and have seen more together than our own families have—in the last 10, 12 years—than we’ll ever be able to talk about.” Moody and his bandmates channeled all of that emotion into songwriting for F8, which Bathory called “our most important album to date” in the official announcement, adding, “We didn’t just weather the storm but came out on the other side better than ever.” For Moody, cannabis is a key component in that stability, and he plans to continue promoting and expanding Moody’s Medicinals as FFDP heads into its next phase. “This is something that’s a long time coming, and as far as I’m concerned has been overlooked for far too long,” he says of cannabis’ growing acceptance. “Growing up in Colorado, I’ve been exposed to it since God knows when, so to see the rest of the country finally catching on is pretty cool for me.” Moody is looking at Colorado as well as Montana, Alaska and California as potential future markets for Moody’s Medicinals, in addition to the development of THC products. As much as FFDP’s music, Moody’s Medicinals is a passion project for Moody, and he puts all of his personal experience into developing the products. “This is something that I put out there for myself, and I see so many other people doing it to cash in on something that they think is a hot item,” he says. “For me, this is a product that I put in my own body.”

Source

elevatenv.com | january

VAPING...WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? When news reports of acute vaping-related lung injuries started surfacing in August and continued into the fall it wasn’t clear what was causing the epidemic, but The Grove dispensary took immediate action. “When these problems came to light, I decided to take all vape products, other than those containing only naturally derived terpenes, off of our shelves,” said Demetri Kouretas, CEO of The Grove. The state also became proactive on the issue. Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services and Attorney General’s Office have requested $1.7 million in funding from the legislature’s Interim Finance Committee (IFC) to host a vaping summit in fall 2020. The committee approved $125,000 in funding for the summit and another $400,000 “to investigate the impacts of cannabis and the cases of illness associated with vaping and e-cigarette use.” As the vape crisis has continued to play out elevate queried leaders in Nevada’s cannabis industry about vaping. It was of universal consensus that the federal legalization of cannabis is the answer to consumer safety on the vaping front. “I believe that we need to legalize cannabis across the country in the name of consumer protection and public safety. All of the issues with vaping are either directly tied to the black market or flavored e-cigs/nicotine vaping. No illnesses or deaths have ever been traced backed to any legal cannabis products. Period,” stressed Kellen O’Keefe, Chief Strategy Officer at Flower One. “Legal cannabis products are tested to assure that no dangerous additives or cutting agents are used and are therefore much safer to consume.” Cannabis testing in Nevada is particularly stringent. “In Nevada we are required to test all of our products for safety and efficacy–these testing standards insulated the legal cannabis industry in Nevada from the vaping issues that

popped up last year. There were no cases in Nevada tied to legal cannabis purchases. The solution is to legalize and regulate cannabis so that consumers have an alternative to the dangerous and unregulated black-market products that caused these health issues,” said Brandon Wiegand, regional general manager of The+Source. Lab owner Dr. Chao-Hsiung Tung of G3 Labs believes not only in Nevada’s testing standards, but he is also a proponent of better education for consumers. “Diluents should be limited to those known to be safe. Any recipe for vaping production should be developed with consumer safety in mind. Since cannabis is a highly regulated industry, those recipes should be pre-approved for safety. Testing is only the last resort of checking the products,” he said. “Educating the consumer is of high priority to avoid buying/ using non-regulated knockoffs.” Redwood Cultivation’s Paul Schloss is also a proponent of educating consumers. “It comes down to education and quality control. The truth is anything, whether smoke or vape, comes with risk and people under 21 are more susceptible to these risks. The nicotine vape products need to be regulated like legal cannabis products are. Out of the five cases reported in Nevada to date, three were under the age of 20. They didn’t buy those products at the dispensaries whether it was nicotine or cannabis.” Until federal prohibition of cannabis is lifted Mitch Bitten, CEO of THRIVE Cannabis Marketplace, has another option. “We only carry 100% pure cannabis extract vape products and don’t allow anything with cutting agents to hit the shelves of our locations. If all stores across the country would mandate the same quality, the only place you’d find tainted vape products would be on the black market.”

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New law prohibits employers from hiring prospective employees based on marijuana presence in drug tests Dear Shoshanna, I recently read that on January 1st, Nevada will be the first state in the country to make it unlawful for Nevada employers to refuse to hire someone based on the presence of marijuana in pre-employment drug screenings. I’m the HR manager at a small company and am not sure how to interpret this new law. What are the new rules in Nevada with regard to hiring and drug testing? Once the new law has taken effect, what are we allowed to test for versus not allowed to test for and when? For instance, if we suspect an employee, once already hired, is using marijuana, can we still test them? And if they do test positive for marijuana, is this an offense that can be cause for termination? I am hoping you can clarify this new law for me! In compliance we trust, Becky in HR Dear Becky, Thanks for raising this question, which is sure to be top-ofmind for Nevada employers right now. As you mentioned, AB 132, which passed on May 24, 2019 and goes into effect January 1, 2020, makes it illegal for an employer to refuse to hire someone solely based on the presence of marijuana in a drug screening. (Note: this statute only applies to marijuana, and does not apply to the presence of methamphetamines, opioids, or other drugs. And, the change in law does not say the presence of THC in a drug test can’t be a factor in decisions related to hiring or firing, it just can’t be the only one.) So, while you can still test employees for all kinds of substances before and during employment, AB 132 provides that you can’t decide not to hire someone simply because they have THC in their system. There has to be another reason, such as insufficient qualifications, a performance failure of some kind, or, perhaps, the presence of another type of drug. Straightforward as this may seem, along with AB 132 comes no shortage of exceptions and open questions. What have become known in several other states as “safety-sensitive” positions (i.e. firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and certain motor vehicle operators) are exempt from the law, as is any job that’s funded by the federal government and/or subject to federal contracts or certain collective bargaining agreements. While the answers to most of your questions have to do with

what kind of organization you’re working at and the type of positions it employs, your questions also get to the heart of what constitutes grounds to refrain from hiring someone, versus firing them once they are already an employee. For example, are we talking about a small team of emergency medical technicians? If yes, you can decline to hire someone for that job if they fire someone for having marijuana present in their drug screening. Although, per AB 132, employees who fail a test administered within the first 30 days of employment are permitted to take another test, at their own expense, which employers must accept. If we’re talking about a business like an independent coffee shop, however, you’ll have a hard time making a case that the presence of marijuana in your barista’s bloodstream “could adversely affect the safety of others.” You’d have to have other reasons not to hire this person. As for your company’s employment policies, the questions you raise apply even more strenuously to the difference between being intoxicated on the job and someone just testing positive for THC in general. Testing positive for THC does not mean that someone is intoxicated at the time they’ve been tested. It simply means they’ve consumed cannabis at some point in the previous weeks. This is addressed by SB 132 on the front end of hiringrelated statutes, but is again, not fully addressed when it comes to assessing the rights of employees after they’ve been hired. What this means is that in some professions, there may be a stronger argument for instituting what we would call a zero-tolerance policy. Firefighters are a perfect example as are emergency medical professionals. Yet, the gray area here persists. We’ll have to see what kind of fact-dependent cases emerge and see how these are addressed by the courts. However, for now, let it suffice to say that if your company operates in a sector that is not specifically mentioned in Nevada’s legislation, you have to have more than a positive drug test result in order to deny someone employment. Should you have a question or ethical conundrum you have been struggling with, please drop Shoshanna a line at info@elevatenv.com so she can offer her sage and practical counsel.

elevatenv.com | january

DISPENSARY MAP A Guide to Cannabis in Southern Nevada 1. Acres Cannabis acrescannabis.com 2320 Western Ave Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.399.4200

8c. Essence Cannabis Dispensary essencevegas.com 5765 W Tropicana Ave Las Vegas, NV 89103 702.500.1714

16. NuLeaf www.nuleafnv.com 430 E Twain Ave Las Vegas, NV 89169 702.297.5323

23b. The Grove TheGroveNV.com 4647 Swenson St Las Vegas, NV 89119 702.463.5777

2. Apothecarium apothecariumlv.com 7885 W Sahara Ave Las Vegas, NV 89117 702.778.7987

9. Inyo Fine Cannabis Dispensary inyolasvegas.com 2520 S Maryland Pkwy Ste #2 Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.707.8888

17a. NuWu Cannabis Marketplace Nuwucannabis.com 1235 Paiute Circle Las Vegas, NV 89106 702.844.2707

24a. The Source thesourcenv.com 2550 S Rainbow Blvd Ste #8 Las Vegas, NV 89146 702.708.2000

3. Blackjack Collective blackjackcollective.com 1736 S Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89104 702.545.0026

10. Jardin jardincannabis.com 2900 E Desert Inn Rd Ste #102 Las Vegas, NV 89121 702.331.6511

17b. NuWu North nuwu.vegas 1157 Nu-Wav Kaiv Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89124 702.844.2438

24b. The Source thesourcenv.com 9480 S Eastern Ave Ste #185 Henderson, NV 89123 702.708.2222

4a. Blüm LetsBlum.com 3650 S Decatur Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89103 702.627.2586

11a. Jenny’s Dispensary Jennysdispensary.com 5530 N Decatur Blvd North Las Vegas, NV 89030 702.718.0420

18. Planet 13 planet13lasvegas.com 2548 W Desert Inn Rd Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.206.1313

25a. Thrive Cannabis Marketplace thrivenevada.com 2755 W Cheyenne Ave Ste #103 North Las Vegas, NV 89032 702.776.4144

4b. Blüm LetsBlum.com 1130 E Desert Inn Rd Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.536.2586

11b. Jenny’s Dispensary Jennysdispensary.com 10420 S Eastern Ave Henderson, NV 89052 702.718.0420

19a. Reef Dispensaries reefdispensaries.com 3400 Western Ave Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.475.6520

25b.Thrive Cannabis Marketplace thrivenevada.com 3500 W Sahara Ave Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.776.4144

5. Cultivate Las Vegas cultivatelv.com 3615 Spring Mountain Rd Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.778.1173

12. Las Vegas ReLeaf lasvegasreleaf.com 2244 Paradise Rd Las Vegas, NV 89104 702.209.2400

19b. Reef Dispensaries reefdispensaries.com 1366 W Cheyenne Ave North Las Vegas, NV 89030 702.410.8032

25c.Thrive Cannabis Marketplace thrivenevada.com 1112 S Commerce St Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.776.4144

6. Deep Roots Harvest deeprootsharvest.com 195 Willis Carrier Canyon Mesquite, NV 89034 702.345.2854

13. MMJ America mmjamerica.com 4660 S Decatur Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.565.9333

20. ShowGrow showgrowlv.com 4850 S Fort Apache Rd Ste #100 Las Vegas, NV 89147 702.227.0511

26. Top Notch THC topnotchthc.com 5630 Stephanie St Las Vegas, NV 89122 702.418.0420

7. Euphoria Wellness euphoriawellnessnv.com 7780 S Jones Blvd Ste #105 Las Vegas, NV 89139 702.960.7200

14a. Nevada Made Marijuana nevadamademarijuana.com 3195 St. Rose Pkwy Ste #212 Henderson, NV 89052 702.737.7777

21. Silver Sage Wellness sswlv.com 4626 W Charleston Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.802.3757

8a.Essence Cannabis Dispensary essencevegas.com 2307 S Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89104 702.978.7591

14b. Nevada Made Marijuana nevadamademarijuana.com 1975 S Casino Dr Laughlin, NV 89029 702.737.7777

22. The Apothecary Shoppe theapothecaryshoppe.com 4240 W Flamingo Rd Ste #100 Las Vegas, NV 89103 702.740.4372

8b.Essence Cannabis Dispensary essencevegas.com 4300 E Sunset Rd Ste #A3 Henderson, NV 89014 702.978.7687

15. Nevada Wellness Center nevadawellnesscenters.com 3200 S Valley View Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.470.2077

23a. The Grove TheGroveNV.com 1541 E Basin Ave Pahrump, NV 89048 775.556.0100

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Elevating the Conversation

with Gunner Winston, CEO, dosist

elevatenv.com | january

unner Winston brings a 15-year background in finance to dosist, a brand known for shifting the cannabis paradigm with its health-centric, therapeutic approach that capitalizes on dosing. Assuming the role of CEO in May 2017, Winston shares his vision of positioning dosist as “a global aspirational consumer goods company through a narrative of targeted formulas and precise dosages.” The brand introduced its signature dose pen, which delivers precise 2.25 mg doses ensuring a reliable and consistent experience, to the Nevada market in November.

What was so attractive about cannabis to woo you out of retirement? In 2016, most of the brands were focused very much around pure intoxication, which is why the normal people associated with the brands were Cheech and Chong, Snoop Dogg, and Willie’s Reserve, which serves a very big part of the population. But what intrigued me was the potential beyond the existing hardcore cannabis consumer. That’s really where I came into contact with dosist, and the narrative of empowering people to naturally manage their health and happiness. Dosing, so far, has been elusive in the cannabis industry. Why? The biggest concern a consumer has is: how much do I take. I use this example often. If I said to my son, who’s eight years old, ‘Hey buddy, I know you’re sick. Take this bottle of Benadryl and swig it.’ He might take too much or might not take enough, and so what’s interesting is we want people to find their own dose. But that consumer isn’t always the one who’s in the category today looking for Durban Poison and looking for Pineapple Trainwreck. Our consumer hasn’t been serviced yet. We’re one of the first brands to bring the consumer in who wants to manage the intoxication. They might like a little high, but they don’t want to be stoned. Who is the dosist consumer? We want to get the consumer who doesn’t even know they’re our consumer yet. That takes more marketing dollars, and it takes more innovation. The person who buys our brand doesn’t want to feel connected to stoner culture. We have to be remarkably disciplined. We say ‘no’ more than we say ‘yes.’ A lot of these [dispensary] accounts say: ‘Wow. Who cares about a wellness product?’ We believe the consumer of the future does. Regarding the vaping crisis, what has dosist done to address it? I think the key for us is not what we’re doing now, but what we did before the crisis even happened. From the beginning we were very focused on making sure we created a replicable

product, but also at the same quality standards. We will always test at the highest standards possible. We were already using products that we knew would stand up to any lab testing. So, there was no vitamin E acetate, no additives. We only use CBD, THC, and botanical terpenes. Even our dose-controlled product has a narrative of: ‘Don’t vape all the time.’ Now it’s just about educating and reinforcing that all vaporization is not created equal. Tell readers about dose dial, dosist’s latest product. As an innovative company, the idea was to find what fits within the confines of our mission to empower people to manage their health naturally. We worked for 18 months to get our tablet right. There were a lot of them on the market but what we also created, in addition to a really great tablet, is a device that’s child-resistant. You have to press down with your thumb, rotate it, and it requires multiple points of dispensing so a child can’t get into it. We think the next concern is going to be around kids eating too many edibles. We don’t do gummies—instead we have a peppermint flavored, low-dose dissolvable tablet in a child-resistant device. It’s the first one on the market because we’re going to protect the consumer not just for their kids, but also to make sure you don’t take too many. What’s one thing the cannabis industry needs to address in 2020? Safety standards. We have to stop focusing on how much money everyone can make as quickly as possible in this green rush and focus on protecting consumers. I think certain states, including Nevada and California, have done a really good job. The industry needs to be a little more disciplined because every time you make irrational decisions or certain decisions, you’re only hurting one group of people. The consumers. Plain and simple. To read the entire interview with Gunner Winston, visit elevatenv.com/Elevating_the_Conversation.