6 minute read
The paradox of pot
JON BECKER FOR MICHIGAN GREEN STATE
Ryan Basore, one of the state’s preeminent marijuana activists, has experienced the full spectrum of the herbs’ highs and lows. A pot paradox, one might say. He’s served prison time because of it but today is the leader of thriving Lansing-based Redemption Cannabis Company that is in serious expansion mode. Grown out of a childhood accident on a family farm that saw him swap herb for Opioids for pain relief, Basore has long championed marijuana’s medicinal properties. Later, that passion for the flower was further stoked when he became one of Lansing’s first medical marijuana patients and caregivers. “I saw a little girl stop having seizures. I saw people beat addiction to pain pills through using marijuana,” Basore says. “I saw a lot of people in pain find relief safely.” He became such a believer that he walked away from a successful and lucrative career in the insurance industry to follow his passion, not his bank account. In 2010, two years after medical marijuana was legalized in Michigan, Basore rolled the dice (and presumably a blunt) and opened Capital City Caregivers— one of the state’s first marijuana dispensaries. “I was all in,” he told Michigan Green State. “I was always appalled that people were going to jail for cannabis. Even today, the government and the medical establishment don’t get it. They consider marijuana worse than Opioids. If you want people to trust in the government, stop lying.” That career move, however, proved to be costly in more ways than one. Marijuana was and still is illegal on the federal level. Basore and his care-giving cannabis cohorts were fully aware of this and went to great lengths to make sure their grow operation was all legal-like. At least that’s what they thought. “We worked with local authorities to make sure we were state compliant,” Basore says. “The prosecutor approved it. We thought we had it all figured out legally, but the local sheriff was upset about it and pushed the DEA. I believed President Obama and Eric Holder when their administration said they wouldn’t pursue criminal charges related to marijuana in states where it was legal. I was a naïve kid.” Despite the feds’ recommendation to not marshal federal resources to target state-compliant cultivators, “I became the first caregiver raided in the state,” he said. “We had a small grow operation, but I had helicopters following me…In late 2010 the DEA, state police, National Guard troops and guys with smoke bombs came calling.” Basore thinks his growing status as a high-profile crusader for marijuana law reform just might have had something to do with his small scale grow operation getting on federal authority’s radar. Basore ended up serving 3 years of a four-year sentence in FCI Morgantown (VA), a minimum security federal correctional institution after pleading guilty to two charges of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana. His six cannabis cohorts, including his future father-in-law and future brother-inlaw, were also indicted for their roles in the Okemos facility. “It was on,” he said of his determination to not let prison break him. “I put myself on a disciplined reading and workout regimen. I studied social media and learned to build websites.” Locked up, Basore also underwent a dramatic physical transformation, dropping 70 pounds through weight training and running. He was benching 340 pounds, squatting 415, dead-lifting 450, and crushing abs for an hour a day, beast-like numbers by any measure. “I was dunking a basketball off 2 feet and running 19:40 5ks,” Basore, who stands 6-3, said. The prison stint is part of Basore’s story, but it’s not The story. Certainly not now. “It’s all over now,” he said, not a trace of bitterness in his voice. “I’m having the time of my life. I get to do what I always wanted to do. I’m a brand. I’m in an office.” These days he’s a leader of a thriving company and a family man. He’s married to Jenna, whom he began dating the day before he was busted. Their relationship grew despite Basore’s legal troubles and she stuck by him when he was imprisoned, regularly visiting him. The couple is expected their first child on November 5. Jenna is a successful businessperson in her own right with her own event and design business. “She works more than I do,” Basore, 44, says. “I’ll work 8 to 5 when the baby comes and be home the rest of the time.” In the meantime, Redemption Cannabis is busy forming new partnerships to expand its
6 | www.MIGREENSTATE.com
Ryan Basore with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel
Basore launched Redemption last May in part through a $50,000 social equity grant from Gage Cannabis Co.
summer 2021| MIGreenState
business footprint. Jackson-based grower Rair Cannabis and Detroit-based Lansing Loud are now on board, having announced plans to bring several new strains to the Michigan cannabis market—exclusively under Redemption’s brand. “There’s a good network in Michigan,” he says. “There is no other market like it. We are developing a national reputation.” Basore, shrewdly, became immersed in politics years ago. It makes sound business sense when you’re attempting to get lawmakers to legitimatize marijuana, personally and professionally. Lobbying for marijuana law reform appeals to his sense of social justice. Basore has worked with some of the state’s most powerful politicians, including Attorney General Dana Nessel, who he campaigned for when she successfully ran for the state’s highest legal office in 2018. “We have influence,” Basore says of the state’s marijuana businesses. “We have an association. Other big companies are coming to Michigan looking to capitalize on this booming industry, but they can’t just buy the top lobbyists. We aren’t getting pushed around anymore.” Redemption’s new strains include Mimosa, Orange Daiquiri, Runtz, Mochi and Gushers. They are said to be among the state’s most potent and of the highest quality. All, Basore said, contain 4 to 7% Terpene, which is “off the charts. We sell pre-packaged and single source. Runtz is our most popular strain.” Frederic-based Driven Grow, a cultivator and processor, just purchased a 30% stake in the Redemption brand, which owes its start, in part, to a $50,000 social equity grant from Gage Cannabis Company. As more investors buy in, Basore sees the company soon expanding its reach to other states. “We needed new partnerships to take us to the next level,” he said. “Ten percent of my revenue goes to Redemption Foundation.” The foundation helps people (including financially and through job training) it says have been wronged by the “War on Cannabis.” Basore recently purchased a beautiful Victorian Building in Old Town Lansing to serve as home to Redemption. “I love history,” he said. “It’s a 1800s building located in my favorite neighborhood in Lansing. The criminals and the cops don’t mess with you.”
Issue 3 | summer 2021
HIGH LEVEL HEALTH
