Maine Cannabis
C H R O N I C L E
ISSUE 3
ARE WOMEN SUCCEEDING IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY?
Why
What hurdles and opportunities do they face?
Why do some leave?
How can we create an inclusive industry?
We can’t ignore the tough questions about gender equality that exist in many other industries. That’s why Ladyjane Branding and Wolfe Research & Consulting are embarking on an ambitious longitudinal study to answer these questions and more.
Your involvement can help us explore, document, and ultimately support women’s participation in the cannabis industry.
Join us at the National Women of Cannabis Conference in Las Vegas on December 10 as we launch the study to tell women’s stories of their professional experiences in cannabis.
Join us to tell your story or find out more Visit WomenInCannabis.Study
WOLFE Research & Consulting
do women join the cannabis industry?
5 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM 20 52 CONTENTS 08 A Slow Burn
ARTWORK
GEORGIA 10 Showing Up is Half the Battle BY MARK BARNETT PHOTOGRAPHY DAVID BOYER 12 Caregiver Spotlight: Wisely Cannabis BY MARCUS PHOTOGRAPHY JON SECORD 16 Legalization as Justice: An Interview with Shaleen Title BY DIANE RUSSELL PHOTOGRAPHY KRISTEN HIGGINS 18 Ladyjane Branding BY DIANE RUSSELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHELSEA BEAN 20 Chesapeake Bay to Casco Bay BY CHRIS GOLDSTEIN PHOTOGRAPHY CHRIS GOLDSTEIN 23 Unpacking Maine Cannabis Regulations BY LENNY SHARON 27 Maine Product Showcase BY MCC TEAM 30 Faces in the Field: Claire Stretch of All Kind BY DIANE RUSSELL PHOTOGRAPHY ALL KIND 32 Q & A with Danny Camp BY CHRIS BLAKE PHOTOGRAPHY MATTHEW BOURGEOIS 36 Cure Cannabis: A Shop Review BY ALEXANDRA TUCCY PHOTOGRAPHY MCC TEAM 38 Apples to Apples Recipes from Le Kind Kitchen BY MISS JUICY PHOTOGRAPHY BEN FERRI 40 Forever Clean BY THERESA BAKKER PHOTOGRAPHY DIANE RUSSELL 44 Dr. Uma: Educate, Embrace, Empower BY DIANE RUSSELL PHOTOGRAPHY MATTHEW BOURGEOIS 46 Vaping’s Rocky Road BY AUSTIN SORETTE PHOTOGRAPHY MATTHEW BOURGEOIS 48 Maine Product Reviews: Seasonal Depression Edition BY PUFF SESSIONS PHOTOGRAPHY MATTHEW BOURGEOIS 52 Whiplash: The Rollercoaster of Industrial Hemp BY THERESA BAKKER PHOTOGRAPHY MATTHEW BOURGEOIS 56 Roll One Up in Honor of a Historic Vote STAFF REPORT 57 Maine Adult-Use Rulemaking Update STAFF REPORT
BY DAVID BOYER
BY JESSE
PUBLISHER JAMACHRI, LLC FOUNDERS MATTHEW BOURGEOIS & CHRIS BLAKE EDITOR DIANE RUSSELL MANAGING EDITOR DAVID BOYER ART DIRECTOR JESSE GEORGIA PRODUCTION MANAGER SARAH HARTFORD EDITOR AT LARGE KATE LICHTLE COVER PHOTO BY JASON ROTHE / SHUTTERSTOCK DESIGN / LAYOUT BY HI-DUKE DESIGN CONCEPT BY MR. RE 2020 PHOTOGRAPHERS CHELSEA BEAN MATTHEW BOURGEOIS ELENI MARGARONIS JOHN LOGAN JONES KRISTEN HIGGINS / K.H. PHOTOGRAPHY JON SECORD / MAINE CANNABIS MEDIA BEN FERRI Maine Cannabis CHRONICLE MaineCannabisChronicle.com mainecannabischronicle JAMACHRI, LLC’s publication of Maine Cannabis Chronicle features content about cannabis, hemp, CBD, and cannabis-related products and information. In addition, the magazine features articles, political editorials, legal information, and medical news relevant to the cannabis industry. All content within our publication and on our website is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered personal, legal, or medical advice. Both the printed publication and website are intended for those over the age of 21. In the state of Maine, cannabis is intended for use only by those 21 and older, or 18 and older with a medical prescription. If consuming, please keep out of the reach of children. JAMACHRI, LLC assumes no responsibility for the advertisements within this publication. We strive to ensure the accuracy of the information published. JAMACHRI, LLC cannot be held responsible for any consequences that arise due to errors or omissions. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved. 6 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM WHOLESALE INQUIRIES INFO@GELECANNABIS.COM NEW PATIENT INQUIRIES 207.747.4201 GELECANNABIS.COM RHYMES W I TH STELL A FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ADVERTISING PLEASE EMAIL: SALES@MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
BY DIANE RUSSELL DIANE@MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM
On April 20, 2011, I stood in the Maine Room of Portland City Hall before a swath of cameras to announce I was introducing a bill to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis for adult use. At the time, I was the only lawmaker in the country to have introduced a bill, and Colorado and Washington State would not legalize for another year and a half. Standing in the corner with giant dark sunglasses was a woman wearing a hoodie that read “Jail Diane Russell.” The local daily paper’s editorial pages accused me of “getting into mischief,” a gendered accusation and one of many I would face for having the audacity to believe that prohibition had failed.
They said it couldn’t be done.
A couple years later, David Boyer came on board with the Marijuana Policy Project to lead the organizing across the state. And therein, a Bernie Sanders Democrat and a Ron Paul Republican became an unlikely duo in the fight to end the war on drugs here in Maine.
Less than nine years later, the culture has shifted so dramatically that prohibitionists are seen as the ones “getting into mischief’ by stopping the inevitable train. Joe Biden was quickly rebuked with “OK, Boomer” memes for suggesting that marijuana is a gateway drug, and Cory Booker quipped in a debate that Biden “must have been high” to say such a thing.
The idea that it was ever seen as “the devil’s weed” or that people would make credible accusations that cannabis supporters were harming children seem provincial with the benefit of hindsight. But we can’t forget our origins, lest we be doomed to repeat them.
Growing up in Bryant Pond, Maine — the last town in the country with a crank (not rotary) phone — cannabis was readily grown in the dense forests. I saw the nearby mills take a steep decline, as the rural economy quickly took a back seat to the more dynamic economic growth in Southern Maine’s urban areas. While prohibitionists accused me of supporting this as a “liberal Portland lawmaker,” what they failed to realize was that rural Maine has always been my inspiration for legalizing cannabis.
From farming to tourism to small town common sense, it only makes sense that rural Maine would be capable of building a strong cannabis economy — above ground in the regions of the state most heavily hit by economic hardship. To do so in the light of day means mom and pop purveyors can be proud of their profession, not hiding it from the broader community or feeling the stench of shame when explaining it to their kids. Instead of being in the shadows, Maine’s cannabis market now stands as a beacon of hope.
Next March, we will also take our place among the leading states who revolted against the war on drugs, saying “no” to
using cannabis to arrest black Americans and then strip them of their right to vote and “yes” to an inclusive future where cannabis is a medicine available to all adults without a medical recommendation. As we stand on that precipice, it’s an honor to come on board — officially — as the editor of this remarkable magazine. From these pages, I hope to showcase your work, the warriors on the ground, while also educating new consumers and tourists about all that Maine’s craft cannabis industry has to offer — to both patients and adult consumers.
As we build this new industry, we have an opportunity to ensure that women and communities of color have real paths to economic freedom through entrepreneurialism. The black communities who were most harmed by prohibition need not be shut out of the same market now that such companies are state sanctioned.
And, with the passage of the SAFE (Banking) Act through the U.S. House and the MORE Act (removing cannabis from the DEA schedule) through the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, the broader dream of national cannabis legalization is closer than ever. While the proposed USDA regulations (please send them comments!) have some substantive issues we must work through, actually having regulations for hemp is a marker of the changin’ times.
Through this magazine, we aim to share your successes — and even our collective setbacks — as we build a new market with quality medicinal and adult-use cannabis.
~Diane Russell Editor
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 7 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM
PHOTO BY ELENI MARGARONIS
A Slow Burn
BY DAVID BOYER
Despite Maine legalizing cannabis, much work is left to be done at the local level. In 2016, Question 1 was approved at the state level but was rejected by a majority of towns. Although support for legalizing cannabis has increased since then, many voters feel differently when it comes to their own backyards. If the cannabis industry plans to expand out of Maine’s biggest cities, it must refine its messaging and strategy.
I’ve talked with plenty of voters who supported the referendum in 2016 but voted against a local opt-in ordinance. Voters in many Maine towns, especially those that rely on tourists, are worried that allowing cannabis businesses will fundamentally “change the character of the town.” Ironically enough, I have heard this from voters who also consume cannabis. Talk about a cognitive dissonance! Additionally, there seems to be no issue with the local bars and grocery stores that sell a much deadlier and more addictive substance. Our industry must figure out how to quell these fears.
Legalization in Maine narrowly passed during a presidential election, and history shows that cannabis votes are most successful with high voter turnout. Groups looking to pass an opt-in ordinance should consider the timing when launching a local campaign. I predict the November 2020 ballot will be the industry’s next big shot at passing a wave of opt-in ordinances, as we will be voting on the presidential election, a hotly contested statewide U.S. Senate and rural U.S. Congressional race, and perhaps a citizen’s initiative to ban the Central Maine Power corridor.
Towns can approve an opt-in ordinance through the town council/selectboard or through a vote of the people. A referendum can be a successful means to get past town councilors, but it’s not certain the voters will approve for the reasons noted above. Anyone can take out a petition and collect signatures to place an opt-in ordinance on the ballot, and many towns only require a few hundred signatures to place the ordinance on the ballot. Another way to be part of moving cannabis forward is to consider running for local office — often seats go uncontested in many Maine towns. Please reach out if you are interested in running a local campaign; I’d be happy to help.
david@davidwboyer.com.
MUNICIPAL
David Boyer is a cannabis legalization advocate and political consultant. You can reach him at
BRIDGTON
HOLDEN ELIOT ADULT-USE CULTIVATION PASSES OPT-IN ORDINANCE FAILS OPT-IN ORDINANCE FAILS OPT-IN ORDINANCE FAILS ADULT-USE OPT-IN ORDINANCE PASSES 8 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM
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Showing Up is Half the Battle
BY MARK BARNETT PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID BOYER
Many industry folks are losing sleep over the arrival of large players in Maine’s cannabis market, yet understandably have only vague ideas of what to “do about it.” One can’t be blamed for responding by simply putting in more hours in the garden or the shop, but all the same, the coming paradigm shift is undeniable. Before we lose our minds about a takeover, however, let’s take stock of the present moment.
First of all, the nation’s largest cannabis players are already firmly established in Maine — and you, dear reader, aren’t gone yet.
Second, the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy is listening to stakeholders and has, within its ability as a regulator (it does not make the laws), been making good faith efforts to incorporate constructive feedback and criticism to design a more workable and small-business-friendly program.
Third — unpopular opinion alert — the advent of ‘adult-use’ cannabis could really deliver better economic prosperity for our state and ultimately improved health outcomes as well. But that’s possible only if players who value those goals stay in the conversation and, crucially, in the market. And that means that we must defend the viability of our medical program, where patients who need access to more than the hyper-regulated servings of the adult-use world will remain and where many small Maine businesses are beginning to thrive. Whether they
intend to remain serving medical patients or make the leap into the more heavily regulated adult-use world doesn’t matter.
If we can succeed there, the playing field in Maine is not as daunting as some think for smaller businesses. Our state is built and fueled by small enterprise — small businesses dominate the Maine economy across many sectors. Nationally, roughly 20% of all small businesses fail in their first year. In Maine, that figure is closer to 10%. In 2016 — the most recent data available — small businesses employed just fewer than 47% of private sector employees across the U.S,, but in Maine that figure was nearly 57%.
Right now, those figures in Maine’s cannabis space are much, much higher. That will shrink as larger firms enter the marketplace, as has already begun. But the fundamentals that drive small business success in other industries are going to apply to cannabis — that is, if we can help small businesses thrive in a highly regulated market.
An analogy is often made with craft beer, although the craft beer analogy can only go so far — nearly everyone is comfortable with the use of alcohol. Despite the greater risks of abuse and harm from alcohol, the cultures of both hard partying and a more discerning appreciation are celebrated. But many, particularly those from older generations who tend to occupy positions of political power, are still steeped in an
POLITICAL ANALYSIS
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attitude towards cannabis colored by the cultural and economic disaster of the “War on Drugs.” Such wars of disinformation are effective, and the demonization and criminalization of marijuana has lasted for nearly a century. We have it better in Maine compared to other states, yet we’re less different than we think. The problem we face is one of education, and education requires outreach and, most importantly, political involvement.
Politics is so discouraging, so ugly, so confusing, and everyone is “too busy.” All the same, it’s not enough to keep our heads down and hide from the reality of what is upon us; that reality is not going to hide from us. What has been a largely unregulated industry is becoming heavily regulated — yes, the medical market too — and aggressively taxed. The political system now has a real stake in all of this. Remember, all other industries are regulated and taxed. The difference with cannabis is the degree to which it is regulated and taxed. There, we have our work cut out for us, and we’ll need all the support we can get. However, to do that work, we have to show up, and we must reclaim the narrative
When we don’t show up, we are surrendering the narrative. And where is the narrative going? Everyone has heard variations of “caregivers don’t pay taxes,” “only professionals should be trusted to…,” “the grey/black market can’t be trusted to…,”“heavy regulation is necessary to protect…,” “cannabis use is dangerous,” “medical is a threat to the adult-use program....”I expect that while it may morph into new forms, that rhetoric will proliferate as the ‘professionalization’ of the industry grows. The profit potential has shifted from protecting alcohol, boosting sales of traditional pharmaceuticals, and feeding prisons and drug enforcement to full-on commercialization.
There is, I believe, a way to successfully respond: show up and help keep this magnificent plant in the commons.
Some pointers:
• Make yourself known to and talk to your municipal and state representatives, code enforcement officers, city planners, and business licensing departments.
• Educate — share your perspective of what a small Maine cannabis business looks like and what it can look like. There’s no need to reveal all the details of your operations, but if you are on solid footing, then at least consider a site tour or an informational forum with other businesses in your area.
• Don’t be discouraged by resistance. It’s natural, and all big changes take time and resilience in the face of defeat. Persist!
• Share your thoughts with others in the industry, check in, be social — community can be a potent creative instigator.
• Always testify or submit written testimony when state or local government gives you an option to, whether on bills in state committee or on rules processes. Be straightforward, concise, and focus on economic and social implications.
• Anger is your friend until it isn’t: while anger surely motivates many to action, its expression will shut down the listener/reader almost immediately. Be passionate but respectful.
Remember, nearly every other industry in Maine is built out of small businesses. Our industry can be built out of small businesses, too. The more we become aware of the dark side
of corporatism and industrial agriculture, of their environmental costs, and of the growing income inequality these systems accelerate, the more consumers in Maine and tourists alike will value a more local commerce. Let’s capitalize on that growing awareness, and reclaim the narrative.
Show up. If you can’t find a way to fit some personal political outreach or modest investment into your business plan — whether big or small, state house or council chamber, HHS and VLA committees or town planner’s office — then your business plan needs another hard look. The cannabis industry is equal parts operations and political action. In some states, the latter is only possible for the millionaire and billionaire class, but that isn’t true here. Just look at what was accomplished with hemp in 2019!
The pharmaceutical industry and fear-mongers tried to effectively shut down that nascent, fragile economy in our state. In response, with the help of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, Maine passed three new laws that sailed through the legislature and earned the governor’s signature, all because we showed up. Mainers made calls, sent emails, wrote letters, went to hearings, collaborated with people we’d only just met, exchanged ideas and information, and sat down with local representatives. While there are more complex issues at play, I firmly believe we can do the same with ‘marijuana.’ But we have to continue showing up. Operators must recognize that the challenges to their livelihood are equal parts business and politics.
If we don’t show up, the state of Maine is guaranteed to lose in the long run. But politicians are elected, and here in Maine elections are often decided by hundreds if not dozens of votes. We can move the needle.
There’s a line from Margaret Mead that, oft-quoted as it is, still resonates profoundly:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Let’s show up — we will make that small group just a little bit bigger.
And one more thing: read the Adult Use and Medical Use of Marijuana Program rules just as soon as you can.
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Mark Barnett is owner of Higher Grounds in Portland and the founder and chairperson of the Maine Craft Cannabis Association.
CHOOSE WISELY
BY MARCUS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JON SECORD / MAINE CANNABIS MEDIA
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Founded in 2015, as a patient-centered, concentrate and flowerfocused company, Wisely set out to transform and shift the paradigm of how people medicate and has since become one of Maine’s top flower and hash producers. Driven by the belief that patients benefit from chemical-free, clean, full-spectrum cannabis products, Wisely creates single-source hash rosin, high-end boutique flowers, and solventless cannabis oil for patients, cannabis-infused product makers, and manufacturers.
The principles of “patients first, high quality, cleanliness, and community” form the essential pillars of business that are perpetually kept in mind after five years of making affordable medicine in the Pine Tree State. Specializing in individual care and programs for each patient, the staff meticulously inspects each product to ensure the highest quality product is available to patients. Focusing on improving the overall image of the cannabis industry, Wisely donates thousands of dollars to Sanford-area nonprofit organizations that help the community.
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Quietly tucked away off U.S. Route 109 in Sanford, in a corner of a modest warehouse, is the Wisely Hash Factory, the home to Wisely Cannabis and Wisely Hash.
CAREGIVER SPOTLIGHT
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BLACKBERRY CREAM HASH ROSIN
SMOKE.
Constantly on the hunt for new genetics to alleviate an array of ailments, Wisely smoke products are consumed by smoking or vaporizing, which includes hand-trimmed, choice flowers and pre-rolls made using only top quality flowers.
MELT.
This encompasses all of the hash rosin and full-melt products available to the company’s patients. From single-source live rosin and sift rosin to full-melt bubble made using only water, ice, heat, and pressure, the brand aims to push forward the solventless revolution. Wisely intentionally rejects the “if you know, you know” mentality, preferring a “if you don’t know, we’ll teach you” approach that helps introduce patients to all of the benefits of using solventless concentrates without the intimidation and fear of asking questions.
INDULGE.
With the growing trend in the edible consumption of cannabis, Wisely provides solventless, chemical-free, full-spectrum cannabis by oil to some of the state’s top edible manufacturers (Pot & Pan Kitchen and Le Kine Kitchen) to be used in product infusion such as gummies, chocolate bars, drinks, and more. Using the solventless and full-spectrum oil gives the patient the
ability to enjoy great tasting, high-quality edibles that induce a specific effect (such as uplifted or sedated) and result for the patients depending on their needs.
VISIT:
Take a trip to the factory office located right behind Walmart at 81 Industrial Avenue in South Sanford, or their products can also be found in select retailers around the state of Maine. Wisely is currently accepting new patients, both in state and out of state (medical card and proper identification required). Be on the lookout for stores to open around Southern Maine in 2020!
Be sure to check them out at www.wiselycannabis.com or on Instagram as @wiselyhash.
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The company features three different categories of cannabis products: Smoke, Melt, and Indulge
REGULATORY
AFFAIRS
Legalization as Justice: An Interview with Shaleen Title
Shaleen Title didn’t just show up one day on the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission; she earned her seat at the table with many years of exhausting, and often frustrating, advocacy work that led to an overturning by the people of the cannabis prohibition laws in the state.
“I’ve been focused on the same goal since 2002 when I first started in the movement. It was legalization as justice. Justice for the people that have been arrested and incarcerated and in the way it has affected their lives for a generation,” she told MCC in a recent interview. “In 2012 when I was lucky enough to work on the campaign in Colorado that legalized the first time, I observed after that how important it is to be intentional and deliberate in the law and make it a priority that the industry should be inclusive.”
From advocate to business owner to regulator, Shaleen’s trajectory seems natural in hindsight, but at each level she set out to fill her role with intention to legalize cannabis and make the new market inclusive.
“In a couple of different forms, I worked towards that goal,” she explained. “One, practicing marijuana law, which was very frustrating for me as a business lawyer. That’s because it’s very difficult to help a client get a license and navigate all the barriers. So from there, I tried to help remove all the barriers as an activist and make the law fairer here in Mass. I also started a recruiting agency because there is so much talent and cultural insight and vibrancy in communities that have been involved in cannabis before, including those that have been disproportionately harmed by prohibition but involved in the business. I wanted to give an opportunity to those communities to be introduced to the legal business.”
From there, Shaleen was introduced to people in the Massachusetts state government, in particular, then city councilor, and now U.S. Congresswoman, Aryanna Presley, who has been focused on making sure the Boston industry would be equitable. In 2017, Shaleen was asked to apply to
be a commissioner. “There are five commissioners, and we are focused on public safety, public health, government regulation, business, and social justice.”
One of the areas where Shaleen has earned significant support is her work to ensure equity in this new market.
“I’ve been really lucky in Mass. that, not only the public supported this goal, but also all the legislators, commissioners, and everyone in my agency,” she continued. “It was a united effort to ensure that people of color and people in disproportionately harmed communities were included. Even with all that buy-in, though, it’s very complex and challenging. You have to include it in every choice you make. It can’t just be some second-thought equity program that might match another state.”
In the end, they created an equity program based on outreach and technical support for disproportionately harmed communities. They voted to set aside lower capital licenses specifically for these communities, including for delivery services and social consumption. The last step is to make sure they are properly capitalized, which is what the legislature is working on to ensure success.
One of the benefits of creating a new industry from scratch is that we have a chance to build an industry that is diverse in color and gender, to create seats at the table for disproportionately harmed communities, people of color, and women to ensure an equal opportunity to build a business. Aside from that, empowering traditionally marginalized individuals to understand their worth and value can be difficult, even for people who are seen as successful. Shaleen doesn’t just sit on the Commission and empathize, she herself has been faced with the question of value.
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BY DIANE RUSSELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY KRISTEN HIGGINS
“Around 10 years ago, I was part of an organization where my closest peer was making 20 percent more than me. I told them you can either match my salary to them or I’m out,” she recounted. “I ended up leaving, but we’re on good terms now, and I think they feel bad it ended that way, and that they just couldn’t pay me. That taught me that you have to make it clear what your worth is. No one is going to look and evaluate you and say, ‘She’s worthy, so let’s reach her goals for her.’ So that was the turning point for me. It’s very important to stand up for yourself, be loud, and make sure you’re connecting to everyone out there who agrees with you. Not just in marijuana policy but also in the common struggle.”
As Maine works to catch up on two missed years under LePage, Massachusetts has moved forward in creating a commercial market for adult cannabis and has demonstrated a clear case study in how to build in equity through licensing size, capital requirements, and types of licenses available. Shaleen’s example shows, though, that such progress might not have been possible were there not a strong activist with a real seat at the negotiating and regulatory table to shepherd it through the process.
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Who Are You?
Branding Your Company
BY PATRICIA WASHBURN PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHELSEA BEAN
Are you a Teacher? An Activist? A Best Friend?
For many small cannabis companies, marketing may just be a matter of putting the labels on straight. Jennifer Whetzel is out to change that.
When pharmaceutical companies roll out a new product, they have squadrons of marketing people who choose the poll-tested name, design the packaging, and write press releases and advertising copy. More than that, they build a brand – the central personality and message they want that product to convey.
Whetzel is a branding pro, having worked in retail merchandising, advertising, and market research and strategy. (She describes one past job as “talking about cow medications, Hallmark, and rum on the same day.”) More importantly, she also has a background in working with regulatory professionals to make sure products are marketed without illegal medical claims. “I’ve made my way around all of the different disciplines that would fall under marketing and branding,” she says.
When she needed to reinvent her life a few years ago due to experiencing a number of medical issues, she knew she needed to move to a state where cannabis was medically legal. “I went out and got my medical card and started figuring out how to heal myself with cannabis.”
During her healing process, which included a bout with post-traumatic stress disorder after a series of unfortunate life events, she learned a lot about cannabis products and services.
“I’m a dedicated consumer! I’m taking myself through the entire discovery process that consumers go through, learning about different kinds of flower, spectrum of product. The PTSD is gone, my food sensitivities are gone. I did that by finding how cannabis could work for me.”
Whetzel realized that her background and skills could benefit entrepreneurs in the cannabis sector, many of whom have more expertise in cultivation and cooking than in building customer relationships. So she began her own research. “I spent a lot of my time at my caregiver’s, talking with different people and really diving into the industry.”
Now, she and graphic designer Glen Hawkins have joined forces as Ladyjane, working to bring the sophisticated marketing tools of other industries to bear on cannabis products, both as consultants and researchers. Ladyjane offers a starter product, a free online questionnaire aimed at helping entrepreneurs and their teams get a better sense of their brand personality, with brand “makeovers” available to further develop that personality into everything from labels to store décor.
She starts you off with a quiz, which anyone can take for free at www.ladyjane.com. Based on your answers, she presents you with an archetype that answers the question, “If your brand were a person, who would it be?”
Once the archetype is chosen, Ladyjane can recommend everything from color schemes to store displays and ways to connect with customers. Depending on their budgets and needs, companies can get a little consulting help or a fullscale brand makeover, complete with graphic design and follow-up coaching.
Case study: Trella
Trella Technologies, based in Bourne, Massachusetts, makes an automated horizontal plant trainer that allows home and small-scale growers to increase yield in small spaces. CEO Aja N. Atwood filled out the questionnaire, discovering that her company’s archetype was “Magician.”
Working with Ladyjane, Atwood got to know her archetype, built out her brand strategy, and involved the rest of her team in understanding and implementing the company’s identity. “She leapfrogged herself!” Whetzel exclaims. “We just took her strategy and gave her guidance in terms of how to provide her team the right direction.” Trella’s product launched this fall.
Case study: Friend Jen
Friend Jen, a grower and dispensary in Richmond, Maine, is owned by four partners. When they took the archetype quiz, they all got different answers. Whetzel went through their results and chose the one she thought best reflected the company’s mission – “Best Friend.” “They said ‘Yes, we’re that!’” With agreement on an archetype, the four of them were able to better work together on consistent branding decisions.
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Research: Women in cannabis
While Ladyjane works with all kinds of customers, womenowned businesses are becoming a bit of a specialty. “The need is that women often have fewer resources in terms of network or financing to be able to spend on something like branding. It’s really critical,” says Whetzel. “I think that sometimes women have an easier time of sitting down and thinking about the questions I ask them about their personal brand. There are so many women who have great ideas! I want to be able to help good ideas, regardless of where they come from.”
Working with sociologist Laura Wolfe of Wolfe Consulting, Ladyjane is sponsoring the Women of Cannabis Conference in December in Las Vegas. That gives Whetzel and Wolfe the opportunity to work on oral histories of women in the cannabis industry as part of a longer-term study.
Because survey responses are also valuable market data, Whetzel is inviting companies to sponsor one or more questions, which gives the company the right to use the answers in their own marketing.
“We’re going to do a longitudinal study of women to find out what happens to women in the industry,” she explains. Themes of the study will include sexual harassment, access to capital, and leadership opportunities. “It will be a quantitative study, but also capture women’s stories. This way, we’ll have a record of how women are experiencing their time in the cannabis industry.”
Why this research in particular? “We’re losing women,” Whetzel says. An MJBiz study shows that female executives
are becoming less prevalent as the industry expands, and, anecdotally, many women report sexism in the form of criticism of their dress or having questions redirected to male colleagues. Whetzel and Wolfe seek to document women’s experience and learn more about encouraging and supporting gender balance in the industry.
And good research is the basis for better marketing and better entrepreneurial outcomes.
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Chesapeake Bay to Casco Bay: A Catamaran Adventure with Cannabis
BY CHRIS GOLDSTEIN
Nine days aboard the catamaran sailboat had seen us nearly 700 miles from the Chesapeake Bay. One real estate broker turned into a happy captain, and two writers had transformed into crew. We bonded over an adventurous passage; dancing with dolphins off Cape May, navigating by radar through dense fog in New York City, then dodging thunderstorms up the Long Island Sound.
Fresh haddock, caught that afternoon using THC tincture on the clams (no kidding), was the dinner plan. A sumptuous, golden-orange afterglow of the long, summer sunset hovered above. Paradise.
Captain Randy made final preparations for the summer dock. This included a review of our stash. All that remained were some sad-looking roaches and a few crumbles of buds.
“No more joints, only use the one-hitter,” came the harsh order.
Voters in Maine passed a full legalization bill in 2016. But, due to some expert buffoonery by former Governor Paul LePage, regulated retail stores still aren’t open yet.
Back in Pennsylvania, Captain Randy is a registered medical marijuana patient. But, like most seriously ill residents in the Mid-Atlantic, he’s been forced into a corporate cannabis cattle queue.
An exclusive cartel of mega-conglomerate owners have bought up limited medical marijuana grow permits from New York to Maryland. They run their operations directly from the playbook of Big Pharma, including the price model. Captain Randy is used to paying $480/ounce for flower and nearly $100/gram for concentrates. No edibles can be sold, and just
a handful of dispensaries serve the entire city of Philadelphia with its five million+ residents.
A few states are beginning to offer reciprocity. Maine was the forerunner, allowing card-carrying residents from other states to access the local network.
We stepped on land for the first time in a week, got a ride from the marina staff, and set off to complete our three major errands: propane, groceries, and cannabis.
Dan, the newspaper reporter, was the greenhorn. We warned him (too fast) about “land legs” — seasickness on terra firma after a long run at sea. He was already looking greenish at U-Haul. We should have done the food run next.
Instead, we got dropped off at a local caregiver’s office, located in a funky 1920s era office building that felt very film noir. After opening the door, we tumbled into a terpene utopia. Two dozen strains of perfectly cured buds lined antique, cherry wood shelves.
Curated hash oils and concentrates were lined up like fine jewelry. Lollipops, candies, bottles of topicals. This was craft cannabis at its finest. It put the expensive, fast-foodstyle corporate dispensaries of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to deep shame.
Having been starved for so long, we loaded up on the full menu: Chocolate bars, infused honey, concentrates, and a truly spectacular selection of flower. Captain Randy left the THC suppositories on the shelf.
The finest garden products were just over $200 per ounce. Randy was floored. His gratitude was effusive, and the staff were tickled by his reaction. Just after we each took a healthy dab of some sweet Tangie, the Captain was rushing out to fulfill item three on our shoreland quest: food.
People who live in Maine drive like Mad Max after three double lattes. The Trader Joe’s parking lot was the Thunderdome. Dodging a fleet of Subaru Foresters, we managed to chainsaw out a space.
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Portland, Maine is the Atlantis of America...with weed. Stretched across elegant peninsulas and islands with soaring cliffs, the steadfast beams of two lighthouses welcome the traveler.
Randy and Dan went to the wine section, and I went to the dried fruit.
My hands were on candied ginger when the pair suddenly appeared at my elbow. Dan was pale white, barely conscious, and leaning on Randy’s shoulder. Their two hand-baskets were spilling out gourmet chocolate bars onto the floor.
“We gotta get him outta here.”
I put my right arm around our crewman’s waist and took his left hand in mine.
“I need like step-by-step instructions,” was his rather cogent reply.
“Ok. No problem. Forward then left…”
We swam through the rain to the courtesy car, and I flopped Dan into the back seat. Captain Randy came out with a few bravely salvaged essentials.
Dan said he was going to pass out — again. I gave him the only quick sustenance on hand — some cold milk and an energy bar. It was only 10 minutes to the marina. Two minutes into the ride, Dan spoke up, “Guys, I’m not going to make it...we need to pull over.”
“Now?”
(For the record, the answer is always, “YES, FUCKING NOW” when a grown man has dabbed too much.)
We veered into a school parking lot and watched our dab greenhorn bend over like an 18-year old coming from his first frat party. Back into the (formerly clean) courtesy car, we beelined it to the marina. At the end of the long, wobbly walk down the dock, we stashed Dan in his bunk, cutting him off from dabs for life.
Finding solace around the citronella candle on the back deck, Randy poured his Halloween stash on the table. He stuffed his nose into packs of buds, deeply inhaling the wonderful scents and laughing at how little he’d spent.
And there we sat, mired in citronella, lemon kush, and some blueberry chocolate bar concoction made by God Herself, plotting tomorrow’s trip to Jewell Island in Casco Bay. Needless to say, the Captain will flying north even in the winter months to procure the best cannabis on the Atlantic Coast.
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Unpacking Maine Cannabis Regulations
BY LENNY SHARON
In the past two years, regulations for medical cannabis, hemp, and adult-use businesses in Maine have undergone unprecedented change. Lawmakers have enacted hundreds of pages of legislation governing cannabis businesses, and state regulatory agencies have produced even greater volumes of new rules governing cultivation, manufacturing, testing, and sales, with more regulations in the works.
Three years after voters approved the referendum to regulate and tax marijuana like alcohol, commercial distribution of cannabis for adult use is finally on the horizon.
Applications for licenses are already in process, and the first active adult-use licenses are likely to be issued in early spring 2020.
Small business owners are seeking to participate in this new market, but many face hurdles when it comes to complying with the wide variety of evolving rules for a product that will be taxed and regulated far more stringently than alcohol. Increased opportunities for cannabis businesses to scale up and serve more people have been paired with significantly expanded regulatory requirements.
Local control of medical and adult-use cannabis businesses has significantly expanded in the past year, resulting in what the late great grower Dave Chasse called “the Balkanization of cannabis.” Rules for cannabis businesses vary widely from town to town, and what is permitted for businesses in one locality may be prohibited in a neighboring town. Hundreds of Maine municipalities have enacted ordinances governing medical cannabis businesses, with a wide variety of requirements for set-backs, zoning, licensing standards, and permitting requirements.
As of this writing, only two dozen municipalities have enacted local regulations for adult-use cannabis businesses. Unless Maine lawmakers approve legislation to allow tax revenue sharing with towns that host adult-use businesses, it’s unlikely that many more municipalities will choose to opt in soon. A number of hopeful cannabis business owners have made costly investments in warehouses and retail spaces that turn out to be unusable due to changing municipal regulations. Increased state requirements for tracking, record-keeping, packaging, labeling, advertising, security, and tax compliance
can significantly increase the cost of business. Something as simple as investing in a non-compliant brand design, inadequate packaging, or printing non-compliant labels can result in thousands of dollars in otherwise avoidable expenses. However, failure to comply with the new requirements can be far more expensive, resulting in fines and the loss of ability to continue to run a business in the cannabis industry.
Unlike regular businesses, most of these business expenses can’t be written off, making them extra costly. The IRS has been giving extra scrutiny to businesses involved with sale of cannabis, and multiple recent tax court rulings have not favored cannabis business operators who took questionable deductions.
These regulations are all going into effect at a time when cannabis remains a Schedule I controlled substance, and interstate distribution of cannabis remains illegal. Failure to comply with local and state rules can place a business owner, as well as their employees and investors, at risk of criminal charges.
For business owners seeking stability and wanting to plan for the future, changing laws create significant uncertainty. Relying on social media and word-of-mouth to stay informed about complex law changes can result in costly business decisions. The line between what is protected by state law and what could result in loss of licensing or even be considered a criminal act is complex and evolving.
In addition to investing in quality equipment and great plants, it is more important than ever to invest in quality professional guidance when developing plans for your cannabis venture.
Take the time to find trusted professional advisors who have the experience necessary to help you navigate Maine’s changing regulatory landscape and ensure you possess the knowledge required for your business to thrive in a time of uncertainty.
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LEGAL
it ’ s what ’ s inside that counts
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Black Dog Kush live rosin, live diamonds, and Candyland live rosin by Paul’s Boutique Nursery LitreACola grown by Gele / bred by Bungledutch SHOWCASE 27 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM MAINE SHOWCASE HIGHLIGHTING MAINE’S BEST CANNABIS PRODUCTS THINK YOUR PRODUCT BELONGS IN HERE? SEND AN EMAIL TO SALES@MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM AND LET US KNOW.
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Floruit luminosa grown by Gele extraction by Royal River Botanicals
220 μm
25-73
Headbanger live diamonds grown by Gele extraction by Friendly Phire
160 -
KK
MAC / Tres Star and
120
-
160
μm Tropicana Strawberry Angel Food solventless hash by Best Friend Farms
μm Diesel Band vaulted temple ball
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Tropicana Lemons live resin diamonds from Best Friend Farms W.B O’Shaughnessy’s Phinest Kind with 25mg of CBD by Limitless Earth Thank you Mr. X Medicated Yerba Mate with 25mg of CBD by Limitless Earth
1500mg
CBD Pain Pal tincture from Mindful Earth
Killin’ it - with Kindness
BY DIANE RUSSELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALL KIND
When you walk into All Kind for the first time, the first thing you notice is the warm, earthy smile from Claire Stretch who always greets her clients personally and ensures they feel welcome. She quickly becomes more than a purveyor of cannabis products; she becomes the friend you didn’t realize you needed.
Prior to creating All Kind, she spent more than a decade coming up in Portland’s food scene, helping turn restaurateurs into rock stars. Cannabis has always been part of her life, but as the medical industry began to emerge, she recognized an opportunity to put her restaurant experience to work bringing cannabis to people who had not traditionally consumed it.
In addition to flower, her shop is filled with chocolate bars, tinctures, rosin, dabs, and even CBD or THC honey from beehives she and her husband raise on their small hemp and cannabis farm. (Hint: Try the Boda Bar…)
“Our motivation was to make accurately dosed edibles. We wanted to fix some of the problems people were having in the marketplace. Edibles can be wildly unpredictable,” she said in a recent interview. “When done correctly, they can be just the thing to make your day better. I was very fortunate to
graduate from the University of Montana and live on the west coast when some of the cannabis strains were coming of age. They poured out of Seattle I-90 from the Pacific Northwest before I moved to Maine.”
It didn’t all begin in the food industry, though. In fact, Claire came to Maine to become a wooden boat builder.
“After I finished the apprentice program at The Carpenter’s Boatshop, I found myself living in the Maine woods with a bunch of dudes. With winter coming, I realized I should move to Portland and find some female friends, so that’s what I did. I thought I’d break into the boat building scene and work for a boat builder. But, it’s an old boys’ network, and they didn’t want anything to do with a young 24-year-old woman. So, I moved to Portland and became a waitress.”
After working the lunch counter at Norm’s for some time, she became friends with a guy who came in daily, Dave, having no idea he was a boat builder.
“He finally wore his shirt, and I found out he was Bullhouse Boat Works, a former instructor at the Landing School, and a specialist in Fish Class wooden boats. He said he should hire
FACES IN THE FIELD
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me. It took him a year to call me back. He called me back and asked if I could start the next day, and so I did!”
It turns out he was the only boat builder certified by the MIT Herreshoff Museum. For 10 years, she expanded her craft, building Herreshoff designs and doing wooden boat restoration. She would build boats and do varnish work by day in Kennebunkport and then drive to Portland to bartend at night.
In 2015, Claire became a registered caregiver. “Our flagship product is the dark chocolate bar,” she said. “We created it because we had a patient that needed accurately dosed edibles to help with his cancer. He was the longest survivor that Maine Med had ever seen with his diagnosis, living four years longer than he should have.”
In 2017, she and her husband, Jay, left their jobs to build All Kind full time. “We could cultivate and grow somewhere in a safe place and extract enough for our chocolate,” she explained. It was a slow operation and very grassroots. We try to make products that are real with nothing added or unnecessary. It’s simple but complicated.”
At the end of the day, Claire’s focus has been on building a sustainable company she can be proud of — from highquality product, grown by All Kind or from caregivers she trusts, to a strong cadre of women employees who keep the operation running
“We provide a full line of meds including boutique flower strains. We produce a full line of edibles in our commercial kitchen, including chocolate, honey, caramels, and jams. We started with the chocolate line and expanded into infusions. Infusions really grab at a new demographic of patients who don’t know cannabis. They don’t want to smoke and are searching for something that isn’t going to be complicated. Being a caregiver is really about being able to provide a full line of meds, including extracts. We have a full menu, including concentrated cannabis forms like shatter, diamonds, and a variety of sauce strains.”
books cannabinoid therapy sessions for people looking for better care, providing treatment plans tailored to individual needs and offering opportunities to ask questions about the wide world of weed. Variety is the spice of life, and you’ll definitely find it at All Kind. True to its name, you’ll also find a warm, welcoming environment where you can ask any question without judgment and find the CBD or THC products that fit your needs.
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Claire
Q and A with Danny Camp
INTERVIEWED BY CHRIS BLAKE PHOTOGRAPHED BY MATT BOURGEOIS
MCC: It’s like near Saratoga, right?
Danny: Yeah, two exits north of Saratoga.
MCC: Let’s start off with some basic bio stuff. So first off, how old are you, Danny?
Danny: I am 33 years old.
MCC: Nice.
Danny: It’s my boro (borosilicate) year, so they say.
MCC: What does that mean?
Danny: Thirty-three refers to the expansion of the sea of glass, and the glass we use is a 33 COE rating. I’ve heard it before. I remember when MTP turned 33, that was the first time I heard it. Boro year. What’s cool is this lathe I got is 33 years old, and now I have to do something interesting in my 33rd year.
MCC: That’s cool, I like that. I’m a numbers person, it’s like your golden birthday.
Danny: Yeah, yeah!
MCC: Yeah and where are you from?
Danny: I grew up in Hudson Falls, New York. It was a nice little town, village, houses all around. I grew up in town riding bikes. It is right next to Glen Falls, which is how I probably got into learning how to blow glass. Tammy Baller and Glass Manifest were around at that time.
MCC: So how long have you been up here?
Danny: I moved up around 2010. We moved right into Portland on Deering Street for four years, until 2014. We moved to the west side when we bought our first house. We lived there for four years and then moved to Freeport. We’ve been here nine years, going on 10. It was a great move. I didn’t expect anything besides possibly a driveway and more grass.
MCC: It’s funny to hear that everyone is leaving.
Danny: We both grew up in upstate New York but both worked in the city. I was like a third- generation tile, marble mechanic, and we did a lot of high rises, pools, and a lot of stuff in the city. In 2010, basically all the work dried up. The work pretty much stopped. I think that was the depression, recession, or whatever. Work slowed down, and Beth was like, “Let’s do more things with beach options or a parking space.” Beth had some friends here who were going through medical school. We visited in July, and it was perfect. From where we lived in New York City, it was about four hours from where we grew up. It’s about the same distance from our hometowns.
MCC: Where did you start working when you got to Maine?
Danny: The Royal River. I know it’s kinda a weird connection
MCC sat down with Danny Camp at his Freeport home studio to talk glass.
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but we were interested in Portland because Beth had some friends here but also we were attending the Easy Street glass shows in Brooklyn.
MCC: I remember those actually.
Danny: And that was the coolest thing I’ve seen because I was into glass, and I never really saw it in a gallery. And we met Dough and Nicky from Hitman, and they told us about up here. They were like you should definitely work at the Royal River. Here’s Ukiah’s phone number. So when we moved here, we made it a point to stop in and say hi to them.
MCC: Looking back at it now, is there any collab or favorite artists or a couple of people you liked working with?
Danny: Yeah, Brian KGB, it’s cool he’s nearby. That makes it fun. Also, nowadays you want to make sure there’s some interest in it. I’m really motivated to use my time wisely, and I don’t have a lot of time to just explore and make things for fun. It has to have an end destination. It sucks because it holds you back, but I’m so motivated to have something to sell at the end of the day or end of the week. It’s too bad but it’s also really nice that our collabs sell well together. People like them; they come together nicely. If it’s a donut inside a coffee cup or a donut inside a bong or whatever we’ve done. They always sorta made sense. People have been really excited about them, and they sell. That’s the other half of the fun part is being able to collect and pay your bills.
MCC: Do you do a lot of glass shows?
Danny: Yeah, so about the glass shows, I tried to back out of them. Because I don’t feel like I have the time to really dedicate to them. My time is just being a dad and maintaining the house and all those things. So when it comes down to blow glass, I always feel like I need to make the shit that I have to sell. What was the question again? Favorite person?
L E A D E R S H I P D E V E L O P M E N T & S T R A T E G I C P L A N N I N G F O R Y O U R G R O W I N G B U S I N E S S I N F O @ E L E N I M A R G A R O N I S C O N S U L T I N G C O M 2 0 7 9 0 7 9 3 1
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Danny: A fantasy collab would be JAG, Coil I’ve always really looked up to Coil. You know, Banjo, it would just be a masterpiece of some sort. I think with those people it would just be a cool vision where I could really contribute to it. Sometimes I’m less of an idea person and more of the silhouette. Like if I can think of something, or a sculpture, I can think of it and try to bring it to life, but a masterpiece, I’m not there yet.
Danny: The Ballout Shelter. I moved from the Royal River to down the corner because Bardbury had a studio there. I think I just had a little more freedom there, and also Steve Bates had a lathe there, so I was just really drawn to that. That was just a short-lived studio, and by then I was in the building I am at now. The Robes Gallery, that clothing place, moved out of the corner. The corner spot opened up. Before I moved to Maine, I had my own little studio spot. It wasn’t very big. So I wasn’t afraid to have my own lease and try it on my own.
I was like, I can do this. I’ve had my own studio. I started with Stephany from Exhale. She expressed interest in it, and together we had enough money to start it. Originally I was like, let’s just do this, and it’ll be the two of us. We had a nice big long bench, and it was just open and clear. After a year, I think the bills were way more than we paid before. It just made sense to try and get some help. To even it out a bit.
I honestly think Pauly T was the first person to move in. It started as a temporary thing, and that was more or less once you’re in there you’re free to stay. I couldn’t force anyone to leave. It would have to get real bad or if they didn’t pay.
Chandler (Purdy) is someone I always wanted to blow more glass with, and he moved back this way (to Maine). He slept at my house for a week or two, I think, before he started staying somewhere, might have been the Inn at Saint John’s Street. I told him to come on in. Then Beak, Dave Buechner, always wanted to come to be part of the gang, and it was the right time for him to leave the Royal River.
Bradly was a friend of Chandler and was new to the area, so it was good for him to move in. It just grew from there, and I think it was Chandler who named us. It just sort of happened. I think we need to talk about it more often and promote each other more often.
With the Ballout Shelter, I’m the dad of the group. If partying gets out of hand, they hide it from me or try to clean it up.
Hopefully, I’m putting the semi-professional vibe out there to make sure it doesn’t get wrecked.
MCC: How do you like working at your new studio, where we are now?
Danny: So I feel like when I go into town, when there’s people there and a bit of cleaning to do. We are all sharing kiln space - I brought my kiln home. If I don’t enter with some structure of what I want to make in the day, sometimes I get really distracted in town. It really is just me, and I can be really focused on an assembly line and much more productive. Hopefully, I come up with new ideas.
MCC: When you say assembly line, do you mean apprentice or someone working under you?
Danny: Yeah, I can see the potential for that because I don’t have time to put everything together. If a ton of parts were made, that would be cool. I just come in and assemble things but no, not really. I’m still going to be the one to assemble everything. As far as an assembly line goes, I have enough table space where I can be like, “I’ll get a dozen mouthpieces done” and a dozen joints or whatever. As long as I stay busy and get things done, if I’m making 10 or 20 of them and
MCC: Just the people you like to collaborate with?
MCC: So talk to us about the Ballout Shelter and what that is.
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then being productive. It’s moving me ahead. There’s less conversations here, and it’s just me. I typically come in and play DJ and just chill. Not many lyrics going on, just try to plan the day. If I can motivate myself to write down what I want to do, and if it’s a full day’s work, a lot of times I surprise myself and do it.
MCC:
How did you
come up with Casco Bay Bongs?
Danny: Casco Bay Bongs. It seems that in the glass industry a lot of it is how popular or how put together your online presence is. I think Casco Bay Bongs just sounds official. I can imagine it on a car dealership sign or something. I think I spoke to someone once about separating yourself with product lines and driving them to be popular and maybe not because it’s made by you. I had the idea, so I just started the Instagram. With buoys, I’ve always liked buoys. I’ve done some buoy pendants and stuff like that. It’s just an obvious bong. I was trying to tie it into Maine. I thought that buoy bongs by Danny Camp would be more universal. If I take this to a trade show, do I want to call them Casco Bay Bongs? So I’m not sure if it was the best idea. Maybe not the greatest decision.
MCC: Alright, who is your favorite grower?
Danny: Van’s weed. Spruce Hill Farm. I’m throwing that one out there because it’s been my favorite ever since I moved here. I don’t get it that often anymore, since I started to grow outdoors to be as cheap as possible. I just smoke my own scraggly outdoor all year or whatever.
MCC: What strains did you like from those guys?
Danny: From Van - Trainwreck was one he always had but I don’t think it was a favorite. What other strains did he have? I think the ChemAfgani was one he did. Sour Diesel I think is probably my favorite weed. I don’t really see Sour Diesel that much nowadays. Nick Dude was the Sour Diesel guy.
MCC: So what do you normally smoke? Hash or flower or a mixture?
Danny: I went to dabs about a month ago because I ran out of my homegrown weed. I had some dabs that were kicked down or some that I processed. It was like shatter from two years ago. It was great because I could just peel it or snap it and handle it with my fingers. I had a little tiny sand art rig I was using for that. But mostly it’s just weed. The dabs I really cut back on. With the dabs, I don’t have much energy for the end of the day, and by the time dinner time comes around. I have no motivation to continue and work. Now I’m onto the flower. It’s either a oney or like it’s now just a bong. It’s one or the other. Mostly a oney if I’m traveling.
About the vape, I really don’t like to vape, and I’m not about it anymore. My favorite vape is your vape, the vape that I didn’t have to buy.
Danny: I’m totally in the learning, learning stages. My season went well, and the plants probably grew too tall. I had one plant that I actually tied down like they say you’re supposed to tie them to the ground. That one was my favorite. It didn’t get over three or four feet tall. There wasn’t any bud rot; it was like a little bush.
They were just so big, maybe I cut down some of them too
early. I was afraid they were becoming too rotted. It’s like what the shit? But I really enjoyed it. I love that I’m not breaking the law. I do it privately, so my neighbors aren’t involved. I don’t hide it from my child, she knows they’re around, but she doesn’t know what it is. I tell her it’s flowers, and we dry them out to save or sell.
MCC: Did you have anything you really wanted to talk about?
Danny: I don’t want to get into that. I do but I don’t because I feel like that’s where the art struggles. So I have to pay so many bills. I feel like I don’t have time to just experiment like I would love to. My head moves on from one thing. I’ll be doing the buoy for one month and go to the next thing, which is like a blessing and a curse. It’s nice to want to do other things but you have to stick with things in order for it to become a product. It looks like that now with the buoy bongs. Everyone loves them.
MCC: You said you were growing a little bit. How did your season go?
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Cure Cannabis Company
BY ALEXANDRA TUCCY
The smell of fresh buds beckoned as we entered Cure Cannabis Company in Auburn. The dispensary feels modern, clean, and easy to navigate. Chelsea, our budtender, was all smiles as she happily walked us through Cure’s wide assortment of products neatly arranged under glass. The many treats caught our eye, and we drooled over sourdough pretzel bites and peanut butter whoopie pies (a refreshing change from the usual gummies and chocolate!).
We chose some spicy jerky, a mango drink, and french macarons that absolutely blew us away, all ranging from 100-200 mg per package and reasonably priced. We were tempted to ask for one of everything!
Cure’s variety of concentrates is also impressive. From pens, shatter, and rosin to THC diamonds, if you want it, they’ve got it. Chelsea easily answered all of our questions about the products and helped us choose the THC diamonds.
The last and largest case held their selection of flower. Chelsea pulled out a few jars for us to savor each individual aroma. She explained that they had a new crop being trimmed that would be available for purchase soon. Owner John came out to give us a friendly welcome and a Cure t-shirt! After completing our purchase, we made sure to sign up to get alerts for their daily deals and savings. We left confident we had received quality medicine and compassionate care.
Cure is conveniently located at two locations, in Lewiston and Auburn.
SHOP REVIEW
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APPLES TO APPLES
Recipes from Le Kind Kitchen
BY MISS JUICY OF LE KIND KITCHEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN FERRI
Yankee Apple Crisp
5 Ramekins // 4 oz each
*Pre-heat oven to 325º F*
Topping Ingredients
Golden Delicious apples, peeled & sliced 10 ea
Quick cooking oats 4.5 oz
Flour (wheat) 2 oz.
Dark brown sugar .5 lb Butter (cubed, chilled) 3 oz Almonds 1 oz Nutmeg ½ tsp
Filling Ingredients
Butter, cubed 2 oz
Light brown sugar 6 oz
Cinnamon 1 tsp. Salt ¼ tsp Ginger, fresh grated ¼ tsp Lemon juice As needed
Cannabis oil As desired
The Crumb
1. Combine all ingredients except butter. Mix well. Then rub butter into mixture until it resembles coarse meal and is evenly distributed.
2. Spread topping mixture on parchment in a baking pan, and bake at 325º F until golden brown – around 15 – 20 minutes.
3. Remove and set aside to cool.
The Filling
1. In a saucepan, sweat apples with butter and cannabis oil, until apples begin to soften. Add sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Let cook 5 minutes. Add lemon juice to taste.
2. Divide apple mix (filling) evenly among the ramekins.
3. Top with the topping mix.
4. Bake at 375º F for 15 minutes.
5. Remove and serve warm – top with whipped or ice cream.
*Adapted from “Baking & Pastries: Mastering the Art & Craft”
38 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM RECIPES
Apple Crisp Petit Gâteau
Crunchy Feuilletine Base
1. Line a sheet-pan with parchment.
2. In a bowl, fold feuilletine flakes into 5 oz of melted white chocolate.
3. Spread onto parchment. Lay another piece of parchment over the top of the mixture and roll flat with rolling pin to about ¼ inch thickness. Cut out circles to match the size of the largest dome.
White Chocolate Mousse
1. Bloom 5 g of gelatin in ice bath until malleable, about 1 – 2 minutes. Remove gelatin and squeeze out excess water.
2. Whip 240 g of heavy cream to soft peaks and reserve in refrigerator.
3. In a heavy bottom saucepan, bring the remaining heavy cream and vanilla bean to a boil.
4. Pour hot heavy cream over 95 g of chopped white chocolate and gelatin, allow to sit for 1 minute.
5. With a paddle, starting from the center, stir in outward motion moving to the outside of the bowl. Mix until smooth.
6. Add 38 g of sugar and water, creating a sand-like texture in a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil without stirring until it reaches 250º F / 120º C.
Ingredients
Golden Delicious apple, diced 1 ea.
Sugar 60 g
Cinnamon To Taste Lemon juice To Taste Gelatin sheets 31 g
½ Vanilla bean, split
Heavy cream 320 mL White chocolate, chopped 95 g Sugar 38 g Egg whites 57 g Apple puree 90 mL
Glucose syrup 26 g Butter, chilled & cubed 70 g Chocolate, melted, tempered 5 oz
Feuilletine 4 oz
Cannabis oil As desired
Apple Filling
1. Sweat apples in 25 g of butter and cannabis oil for about 5 minutes. Then add 60 g sugar, cinnamon and cook until tender. Add lemon juice and salt to taste.
2. Portion into the smallest dome molds. Freeze for 3 hours.
7. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer, whip egg whites on high. When the sugar reaches the desired temperature, lower the speed to medium and pour the hot syrup into the egg whites in a fine stream. Beat the meringue until completely cooled.
8. Gently add meringue into the white chocolate mixture, one third at a time.
9. Gently fold whipped cream into the meringue / chocolate mixture, one third at a time – thoroughly incorporate.
10. Immediately pipe into prepared silicone molds.
11. Place frozen apple domes in the center and top with feuilletine flake circles, smooth over.
12. Freeze for at least 6 hours.
Mirror Glaze
1. Bloom 26 g of gelatin in ice water bath, about 1 minute.
2. Heat gelatin with apple puree. Add glucose syrup. Cool to 70ºF before pouring over domes.
Garnish
1. Apple, dried & sliced
2. White chocolate tuile
3. Crumb, as needed (see Yankee Recipe)
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UNEXPECTEDLY CBD: THE FOREVER CLEAN STORY
BY THERESA BAKKER
Sisters Terry Hiltz and Cindy Scott, along with their friend Susan Tuthill, never imagined that their casual exploration of the art of soapmaking in retirement would turn into a fullfledged and highly successful business.
The three women met in the gym and bonded over their early-morning workouts and, later, their love of travel. As they showered and dressed for work, they would frequently compare notes on the soaps they were using, and when they traveled — often together — they would find and share handmade soaps and other personal care products from all over. On these trips, the partners also began discussing their plans for retirement. When they retired (Terry and Susan from education and Cindy from restaurant management), they decided to learn how to make their own soaps. “We just bought a book and started learning.”
Initially, the only goal was to learn something fun and new and to produce some soaps that they and their families could enjoy. As they acquired more knowledge and improved their techniques, however, the partners realized that they were producing a high-quality product and wanted to share it with the world. Forever Clean was the result, and its product line grew to include soap, bath bombs, shower bursts, and body butters.
The decision to manufacture CBD products came about a year ago. Terry fielded an online inquiry from a hemp producer who asked if Forever Clean would be interested in using his hemp extract to produce a line of soaps, which he would then sell. The hemp producer’s name sounded familiar to Terry, and she quickly realized why – the man had been her pupil in nursery school! They had a good laugh about that, then she heard him out. While Terry was unfamiliar with CBD, she promised to bring the idea to her partners for consideration.
Terry initially worried that the idea of CBD products wouldn’t be accepted. Forever Clean was, after all, made up of “three older, rather conservative ladies” who primarily sold their wares on the craft fair circuit. Hemp was stigmatized and often conflated with marijuana. It was associated with hippies. What would her partners think? What would their customers think? Would their families worry that they were becoming hippies?
Terry presented the idea to her partners, and to her surprise they were open to it. They researched the matter thoroughly, studying not just the benefits of CBD but also the legalities of selling products containing the extract. They also wanted to be sure to promote CBD in such a way that explained the possible health benefits without making unfounded claims. After consulting with an attorney and their insurance agent,
40 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM LOCAL PRODUCTS
they formulated an informational package insert that they include with all their CBD products, stating, “CBD oil has been studied for its potential role in treating anxiety, depression, acne, eczema, heart disease, inflammation, arthritic and other pain, as well as cancer-related symptoms. There is a great deal of research out there for these and other health benefits and we encourage you to do your homework before making your decision…”
Family and friends were shocked and amused by the new product line, but they were also encouraging. Terry found an especially avid supporter in her son: when she called him in Seattle to tell him about their new venture, he simply said, “I’m very proud of you, Mom.”
Forever Clean’s customer base loved the new products, too. The partners were surprised at how quickly their CBD items would sell out at craft fairs. Another surprise: the bulk of Forever Clean’s CBD business comes from elderly customers. When Terry sent samples to her mother, she too found that it relieved her aches and pains. When word of this natural source of pain relief spread through the nursing home, Forever Clean gained even more loyal customers.
While Forever Clean is thriving and profitable, there are no plans to hire employees or expand the business beyond its current home-based form. Profits are mostly reinvested in the business, and the partners are enjoying mixing business with pleasure, indulging their love of travel while continuing to expand their knowledge at professional meetings such as the recent Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild Conference in Dallas, Texas. They also travel extensively on the craft fair circuit.
41 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM Nature delivers. Contact Taj Wholesale Manager 412.609.4734 We offer: Bulk and pre-packaged Quality Flower PAX Era and Pods Unique Edibles Sales and Production Support Your Maine marketplace for all things cannabis Never run out of stock. Wholesale cannabis and partnership opportunities.
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and at craft fairs. For details, please visit www.forevercleansoap.com.
Hey hey hey I’m Georgia aka lil G and I’m a doggo. I got 4 years old. I work at Gele with my owner Matt Bayliss. We listen to good Phish music that I like. My favorite food is whatever is on the griller. Food. I’m a aqua doggo. Love running on the beach and in the woods and kayak adventures, snuggles and sleeping, mlem. Am I a good boy?
42 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM SHOP DOG
43 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM S M A LL B ATC H • L I V I NG S O I L • M A I N E G R O W N E A S T A N D E Y E .C O M E A S T A N D E Y E CA N N A B I S CO. EAST& EYE NOW (M C 3) CLEAN CANNABIS CE R T I FIED B Y MO FG A
IMAGE CREATION SOIL GROWN WITH ORGANIC AMENDMENTS ON L Y
PHOTO BY JARED MCKENNA
DR. UMA:
EDUCATE, EMBRACE, EMPOWER
BY DIANE RUSSELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW BOURGEOIS
When you first meet Dr. Uma Dhanabalan, or Dr. Uma, it’s hard to believe anyone could be so positively radiant, so a skeptic’s defenses go up almost immediately. But then you come to realize that she’s genuinely just that radiant, just that joyful, and just that committed to serving others. Her conviction in the plant’s healing powers long ago gave her the courage to defy gravity - and the traditional medical establishment - to openly practice cannabis medicine. Once deemed a fringe sector of medicine, physicians like Dr. Uma are pioneering new treatments for their patients - all while forging a path for future providers.
Like many medical providers, Dr. Uma did not start out intending to include cannabis in her medical practice. It was not until her mother pointed out a television show talking about cannabis being used as a medicine in Israel, about three years prior to her 2012 passing. She said, “They’re using ganja!”
Following her mother’s death, Dr. Uma started viewing the world a little differently. “I started to say, ‘I have a choice in what I do or don’t do.’ I started writing recommendations. In fact, July 20 marked seven years ago that I started to write the first recommendations for medical marijuana in the state of Washington.”
Her background had been in occupational medicine, specifically in examining how toxic chemicals can lead to different types of illnesses in the long run, thus putting her on the path to preventative medicine. In the late 90s, she traveled all over the Asia Pacific doing employee drug tests for the company she worked for.
“That was my world, and for the last seven years, my life has been about making sure everyone does test positive. I flipped a 180. I really believe that people that do test positive for THC should be given a credit on their health insurance.”
Dr. Uma gives a lot of credit to her parents, particularly her mother, saying, “When I see myself, I sometimes think it’s my mother speaking through me. She was amazing. My mother herself was the first woman in Southern India in 1959 to get her Masters in Statistics. It took 12 years for the next woman to get her masters. She was a pioneer and encouraged me to study medicine.”
Dr. Uma continues, “She was amazing. She should’ve been a doctor. I think that’s why when people didn’t encourage women and said why don’t you become a wife and a house
maker. They never supported a woman doctor. I was very much supported by my mom and dad. I started med school four times in my life. When I started for the fourth time, my son was a year and a half, and my husband was in India, and I was working part-time doing research and going to med school.”
“As a student, we didn’t have health care. It was a basic need, and it’s always been important. As far as the cannabis world, it’s become a part of my life now for the last seven years. It has grown as a foundation. I created my company Global Health and Hygiene Solutions in 2006, and my mission has been to promote wellness and prevent illness, and I had no clue that cannabis would become part of my toolkit to use for so many people. I love what I do.”
Her practice has recently expanded to include pediatrics, a complicated area for practicing medical professionals where cannabis is concerned.
“It seems frustrating to me that doctors can write massive scripts for opioids. But if it’s cannabis, it’s stopped. Nowadays,
44 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM MEDICAL SPOTLIGHT
we expect medical professionals not to be chastised, but a decade ago someone could lose their entire license - just for having the audacity to speak the truth.”
The extra hoops practicing providers must go through frustrate parents and physicians alike. “The system has made it very difficult for pediatric care,” Dr. Uma explains. “You need two other signatures besides the doctor that ordered it.” As someone who trains other doctors, she continually makes the point that her signature should be enough, but there remains work to be done in pediatrics on this front.
And as medical practice develops in the cannabis field, Dr. Uma laments the lack of education available to incoming and long-minted physicians. She says, “I am not your typical doctor. At least, I’ve had many, many years of education beyond my MD, and even with all my years of education, I was never taught about the endocannabinoid system. Right now, only 15 percent of medical schools teach it. So we aren’t there yet.”
While India may not be on the front lines of womens’ advancement and empowerment, Dr. Uma has become a pioneer, applying both to medicine. She is quick to remind us that traditional Indian “Ayurvedic” medicine has included cannabis in its practice for millennia. “Cannabis was listed as a sacred plant in this knowledge of medicine, thousands of years ago. In 1833, Dr. William Oshuanse first learned about this plant from the Doctors Kolkata in India.”
Her life’s work stems from this blend of ancient holistic medicine with modern western advancements, and she centers her practice around three keywords that sum up that nexus: educate, embrace, empower.
From that center, she has brought health and healing to her patients, utilizing cannabis to treat a wide swath of ailments and aches. While most people’s facial expressions turn dour when speaking about the opioid crisis, Dr. Uma’s lights up like a preacher just about to bring a Revival sermon. Her work has helped patients move from deadly opioid pharmaceuticals to the pain relief of cannabis. It’s not just the physical pain she is treating, but an emotional and often spiritual pain.
“Cannabis is not an entrance drug,” says Dr. Uma, in sharp contrast to the “gateway drug” paranoia pushed by prohibitionists. “Cannabis is an exit drug from pharmaceuticals and narcotics.”
And like a Revival preacher, Dr. Uma is bringing joy and light to her work, lifting up her patients and rooms of people with her hope, her determination, and real science.
If you’d like to learn more about Dr. Uma, visit www.UpliftingHealthandWellness.com.
Max Salunek contributed to this article.
45 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM
Vaping’s Rocky Road
BY AUSTIN SORETTE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW BOURGEOIS
For the past several years, tobacco smokers and cannabis consumers have been utilizing vape pens to avoid the toxic lung tar that is created with the combustion largely associated with tobacco cigarettes. For some cannabis consumers, vape pens are easier on the lungs (cough, cough), while for tobacco consumers, they can consume their nicotine in a healthier delivery mechanism that fits in with their lifestyle better than chewing gum or nicotine patches.
But then, stories began rolling out of a deadly vape illness affecting the lungs that was harming and even killing people — mainly young people — at an alarming rate. Nearly 2,300 patients have been diagnosed with what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is calling “electronic vaping associated lung injury (EVALI).”
In direct response to the CDC’s warnings and the news stories, Massachusetts lawmakers voted to ban all vape pens, and Maine and Vermont are both considering bans on all vaping products.
The hope was that further testing on e-cigarettes and vapes would allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC to determine the cause of these illnesses. Now that the CDC has largely identified the source of the issue, it remains to be seen what normalizing response politicians will take for future regulation.
Fact: People have died from vaping-related illnesses. The CDC reported in late August 2019 that there have been at least 215 acute or severe respiratory distress cases across 25 states. As of November, there have been 47 deaths. These lung-related illnesses include various types of pneumonia, blood and tissue oxygenation issues, and hemorrhaging.
Maine currently has five cases of vaping-related illnesses through Cumberland, York, and Aroostook Counties. Of the five cases, four were adults and one was a minor. No deaths have been reported yet.
Myth: A THC compound is partially to blame. A report published in the New England Journal of Medicine discussed possible findings to the source of the trouble.
When discussing the harmful effects of vaping, the study found that most e-cigarette fluids “contain at least six groups of potentially toxic compounds,” including nicotine, carbonyls, volatile organic compounds such as benzene and toluene, particles, trace elements according to flavor, and bacterial endotoxins and fungal glucans.
However, the Journal reported that the effect of adding ingredients such as THC or CBD to the mix needs to be
investigated,
Fact: Users who have sustained injury have used vapes to ingest marijuana.
The New England Journal of Medicine reported that about 80% of the persons who vaped and became ill reported having used both nicotine and THC or CBD products. The CDC, however, says that no specific e-cigarette product or substance is linked to all cases.
Like most other states, most of Maine’s patients reported a history of using e-cigarettes or smoking materials with THC. Other patients reported using both THC and nicotine vapes, and a third group reported using e-cigarettes containing only nicotine.
On the surface, this can seem misleading. But just like getting food poisoning after a trip to Golden Corral buffet, you can’t really pinpoint what made you sick after you put a lot of different stuff in your body.
Question: Are the contents the problem?
The contents of the fluids themselves are, rightfully, under fire, but there is an added dimension that might contribute to the health risks.
To make cannabis a vapable product, it needs to be fused into an oil solution that “often also includes chemicals to alter the flavor or consistency of the mixture.” Users then burn those chemicals and inhale the contents, creating a potentially dangerous combustion.
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alleging that the problems stem from the products’ contents before any marijuana compound has been introduced.
In early November, the CDC announced a “breakthrough” whereby they noted that vitamin E acetate — long suspected as a culprit — had indeed been present in each case of EVALI. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, said, “there is direct evidence of vitamin E acetate at the primary site of injury within the lungs.”
Research continues to see if it is the only culprit, but essentially the oil used for beauty products and creams was never meant to be inhaled into one’s lungs.
“Identifying a collection of information that points to vitamin E acetate as a concern for lung pathology doesn’t mean that there are not other components causing lung harm,” Schuchat added.
The illicit market
While the research into the chemical source of EVALI continues, a general consensus has formed that most of the problem vapes are coming from the illicit market. This could explain why three-quarters of the cases reported to the CDC are from people under the age of 35. Many have been underage consumers who would have little choice but to source their product from the underground market. Others may have sourced cheaper products or may have been illeducated on quality brands. A recent explosion in counterfeit vape pens has added to the confusion as people purchase one vape thinking it’s a quality brand, only to be buying a cheaper brand in practice.
Herein lies where some have argued that regulating vapes for quality, both in terms of the contents and the cartridge delivery system itself, could help make those illicit market and counterfeit vape pens a thing of the past.
And, hopefully with it, EVALI.
Where do we go from here?
Steps are being taken by the Maine state government to move forward with a ban on vaping. Spearheaded by Senator Rebecca Millett, a ban on vape products will tentatively be introduced. In an article with the Portland Press Herald, the senator said she believes the ban should be in place until the FDA can determine whether vaping products are safe to use. We reached out to her, but did not hear back before press time.
The issue, however, is that if the ban applies to marijuana vapes, then either national marijuana policy really needs to start changing soon or these smoking devices will just disappear from the regulated markets. No federal decisions can apply to marijuana or THC-based devices, which are still illegal and unregulated on the federal level.
Like the recent explosion of CBD products, the paranoia surrounding how we should handle vapes could get mixed up in the conflicting views of local and national government. The laws fold in on themselves, like having your foot stuck firmly in your mouth followed then by shoving your head deep into your own ass.
For now, just stick to bud and edibles. Use the money you would have spent on cartridges to start buying cologne again so grandma won’t be able to smell the weed at the Christmas party this year. If people continue to die, even after the federal government bans flavored tobacco products, vape pens are going to catch every inch of the public eye.
47 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM
OUR WEBSITE IS UP AND RUNNING! CHECK IT OUT. WWW.MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM Maine Cannabis C H R O N I C L E
Maine Product Reviews
SEASONAL DEPRESSION EDITION
BY PUFF SESSIONS PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW BOURGEOIS
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PRODUCT REVIEW
Sherb Breath (Paul’s Boutique Nursery); Lost Coast OG (Paul’s Boutique Nursery); Tree Spirit (Skyfall Cannapy); Angel in the Tropics (Best Friend Farms); Diesel Band Hash (<Best Friend Farms>)
Sherb Breath // A tasty cross between the summery Sherbert (candy, carnival lights) and the tangy Mendo. After dinner I washed dishes with my headphones on, watching the moon through newly naked trees and running the usual dark patterns and never-ending to dos: live, laugh, love. Wash, rinse, repeat. Puff, puff, pass.
Lost Coast OG // This mind-based buzz lifted my spirits and chased away chills. Maybe it’s the time change — days disappearing, another year slipping away — but as the sun settled down in the early afternoon, I stacked blankets until my legs were driftwood.
Hash (Diesel Band 25-73m) // Does everything have to be hard? What’s still on the table, lifewise? Do dreams, by definition, all die? What if — not today: another anxiety spiral unplugged with a sweet kiss from the hash pipe. Slowly it cackles like a goddamn brûlée, and then...where was I?
Right, a sun-freckled traveler, biking clumsily, his whole life ahead.
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Tree Spirit // Most years my self-care erodes all autumn until I hobble into “the holidays” just begging to gain weight and get pissed off — the perfect set-up for drastic resolutions and a miserable March. But this seemingly wise strain makes it easy to slow down and indulge, prompting juicy, head-clearing yawns, introspective visitors, an infusion of life.
in the Tropics // Everything’s “robust” these days, but this sativa dominant hybrid is truly jacked, with the horses to lift plans into motion and kick slugs into shape. A spring in your step, as winter descends.
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Angel
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Whiplash: The Rollercoaster of Industrial Hemp
BY THERESA BAKKER PHOTOGRAPHED BY MATTHEW BOURGEOIS
Commercial hemp production in Maine has been legal since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, and the State of Maine has been happily collecting application and licensing fees from farmers ($100 application fee, $500 license fee, plus $50 per acre planted), pursuant to 7 MSRA §2231 since 2015.
Taryn and Ben Marcus of Whitefield saw no reason not to climb aboard the hemp bandwagon. Experienced farmers, they had been in operation as Sheepscot General Farm on 180 acres since 2011, so they knew all about compliance with state laws and regulations. They followed all the rules, completed their application, and made payments to the State of Maine for licensing and to Acadia Insurance for their usual coverages on their home, a general store, and farm. They were also granted a loan from Camden National Bank for a produce cooler for their new crop.
Despite having done everything by the book, the Marcuses were in for a rude awakening when they began advertising their pick-your-own hemp operation: Camden National called the $12,000 loan for the cooler and closed all their accounts. Likewise, Acadia Insurance abruptly dropped their coverage, not just on their 180-acre farm, but also on their store and residence.
How could Sheepscot General Farm run so terribly afoul of their insurance company and bank when their operation was duly licensed and regulated by the state? The unfortunate truth is that despite having state laws and regulations in place, Maine farmers are still stymied by legislative and regulatory foot-dragging at the USDA and in Congress.
Battle #1: Absence of USDA Regulations
The 2018 Farm Bill (also known as the 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act), tasked the USDA with drafting regulations for commercial hemp farming. Specifically, Subtitle G, 297D(a) (1)(A) states, “The Secretary shall promulgate regulations and guidelines to implement this subtitle as expeditiously as practicable,” [emphasis mine] and under Subtitle G, 297D(a) (2), “The Secretary shall annually submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report containing updates on the implementation of this subtitle.”
According to a July 2019 update to the USDA website, “It is USDA’s intention to have regulations in effect by the Fall of 2019 to accommodate the 2020 planting season. Should a state or tribal nation submit a plan before that time, USDA will not review or approve such plans until regulations are implemented.”
52 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM HEMP
The USDA’s “as expeditiously as practicable” has now stretched from December 20, 2018, the date the Farm Bill was signed into law, until very recently. On October 29, 2019, the USDA held a press conference during which they announced that interim final rules for cultivation of hemp had been drafted and would take effect upon publication in the Federal Register, which they estimated would take place on October 31, 2019. The 2020 growing season will be a “test drive” season for the rules, after which revisions will be made and final rules published.
Now that the USDA has drafted its interim final rules, the State of Maine can now begin work on its own guidelines. While the legislature has already enacted Legislative Document 1749, which took effect December 1, 2019, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry rules must now be reviewed and revised as needed to ensure that they are not in any way less restrictive than the federal rules. It is unclear whether the necessary reviews will take place and regulations brought into compliance in time for the 2020 growing season.
While recent developments at the USDA constitute progress in the right direction, Maine hemp farmers are fighting on yet another front: the fight to be able to purchase insurance and to have access to banking services.
Battle #2: Banking and Insurance
In Congress, H.R. 1595, the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act (SAFE Banking Act), is another bill that brings the hemp and cannabis industries one step closer to being able to conduct their legal business in Maine. The SAFE Act, which passed 321-103 in the House of Representatives on September 25, 2019, is designed “to increase public safety by ensuring access to financial services to cannabis-related legitimate businesses and service providers and reducing the amount of cash at such businesses.”
The SAFE Banking Act was also introduced in the Senate as S. 1200 on April 11, 2019, sponsored by Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and cosponsored by Angus King (I-ME). The bill was referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, but no action has been recorded since. Unfortunately, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has not allowed the SAFE Banking Act to reach the Senate floor for a vote.
We reached out via phone and email to both Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) to follow up on the progress of the SAFE Banking Act and request specifics of what they had done to bring the legislation to the Senate floor for a vote.
The response from Annie Clark, Sen. Collins’ communications director, sounded a lot like those voicemail recordings that say, “Your call is very important to us.” She stated, “Sen. Collins supports efforts to change federal banking laws so that financial institutions in Maine and other states that have legalized state-licensed cannabis businesses are not penalized for providing banking services to them. It is dangerous in those states for those involved to be forced to have a cashonly business for paying their employees and bills because they cannot use banks and credit unions.” When asked for specifics on what Sen. Collins has done to help bring this bill to the floor, there was no response.
Conversely, Sen. King sent a proactive letter in early November to U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the Committee, urging consideration of the House-passed SAFE Banking Act.
Specifically citing the Marcus family in the letter, King said, “People like Taryn and Ben Marcus, who own Sheepscot General Farm in Whitefield, Maine, have suffered due to the lack of hemp banking regulation. Taryn and Ben are hemp farmers who have done everything right.”
He went on to say, “Hemp businesses in Maine face banking access issues that threaten the viability of their operations. They need our help. I urge you to mark up the House-passed SAFE Banking Act (H.R.1595) and report this important legislation out of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs speedily so that our hemp businesses can obtain the financial services they require.”
If you’d like to contact your senators to let them know how important the SAFE Banking Act is to you, please call Sen. King at 202-224-5344 or reach him on the web at https://www.king.senate.gov/. Sen. Collins can be reached at 202- 224-2523 or at https://www.collins.senate.gov/.
53 MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM
Roll One Up in Honor of a Historic Vote STAFF REPORT
After more than 80 years of Prohibition, and four decades of the War on Drugs, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee did something novel: it passed a bill to deschedule cannabis. Don’t get too excited - the MORE Act (Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act) still has a long road ahead of it, but this was a solid start. Rep. Jerry Nadler’s MORE Act would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and impose a minor excise tax on the legal cannabis industry to pay for the expungement of criminal records, among other changes. It passed with a bipartisan vote of 24 to 10, which, while great, means there are still 10 fun suckers sitting on the Judiciary Committee still “just saying no” whilst baked on their Reefer Madness propaganda.
This bill is a refreshingly simple bill: Remove cannabis from the DEA Schedule, and then tax it just enough to pay for the courts to expunge records - which would give people their lives back in many ways. Remember, a drug conviction will prevent one from accessing federal student loans or housing - for life. By expunging the records of people who were convicted for “crimes” that would now be considered legal conduct, hundreds of thousands of Americans could go to college or even get off the street. And many more will have
their voting rights restored, which means we can finally band together and “Just Say No” to Prohibition politicians outright.
Once the U.S. House passes this legislation - and we all expect it to pass - it must then go to the Senate, which is also sitting on the SAFE Act (which would open up the banking laws for cannabis businesses). While Mitch McConnell is renowned for letting House bills die in the Senate, we would not have industrial hemp without him because Kentucky farmers are all about their hemp. If he gets enough pressure, McConnell could decide to bring the SAFE Act to the floor. If that passes, there’s a good chance the MORE Act will follow suit.
And, with conservatives like former House Speaker John Boehner lobbying up a storm in support of cannabis, there’s a real chance conservatives could move on this. Further, after the Kavanaugh vote and speech, McConnell owes Collins a few favors. Now would be a very good time to call her office and demand the MORE and SAFE Acts be brought to the floor in the Senate.
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Maine Adult-Use Rulemaking Update
STAFF REPORT
The Office of Marijuana Policy (OMP) completed emergency rulemaking related to the licensure of adult use marijuana testing facilities. Completion of this important work establishes the administrative regulations by which these facilities will be governed and licensed by OMP.
The rules were emergency adopted and are effective until February 20, 2020. OMP intends to complete routine technical rulemaking that will make these rules permanent. A public hearing is scheduled for December 23, 2019 at 9 a.m. at Deering Building, 90 Blossom Lane, Room 101, Augusta.
The administrative rules establish the regulatory framework governing the licensing, compliance, enforcement, and oversight of the forthcoming adult-use marijuana industry in Maine and took effect in early December. OMP will now shift its attention to the application and licensing processes required of prospective adult-use licensees.
“The goal of OMP has been to put forth the best rules and regulations possible, and our work benefited significantly from the valuable input provided by stakeholders through this process,” said OMP Director Erik Gundersen.
Governor
License applications are now live on the OMP website (https://www.maine.gov/dafs/omp/adult-use/applicationsforms).
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Janet Mills initiated the OMP shortly after taking office, following two years of stopping progress by Governor LePage because of his opposition to the passage of the adultuse referendum.
LEGAL UPDATE
INDUSTRY
THE MAINE CANNABIS INDUSTRY LOVES GETTING TOGETHER. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT UPCOMING EVENTS. MAYBE YOU’LL SEE YOURSELF IN AN UPCOMING ISSUE!
PHOTOGRAPHED BY THE MCC TEAM
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A VIEW OF ROYAL RIVER BOTANICAL’S OUTDOOR CBD HEMP FLOWER FROM ABOVE. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN LOGAN JONES
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KEITH CHECKING THE THE PLANTS AT WOLF POND FARMS. PHOTOGRAPH BY MATTHEW BOURGEOIS
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Explore The Feeling
There’s no mistaking the flower You’ll find it growing freely In fields and attics and gardens Imprinted on socks and souls.
Herb roots reach far and wide Digging deeper in me everyday Stoking flames alleviating pain Exploring untapped humility.
Plant a seed nurture a tree Tie a knot scrub yourself clean Roll it up or make a cream Addiction has got ahold of me.
Schools teach opioids on a tablet The kind of talk that should be criminal Illegible note pads tell one tall tale What kind of rock are you cooking up?
My neighbor has two plants flowering Another drying with pumpkins And apple cider on the front porch A colorful harvest is in the air.
Some nights you need a lift Some days some settling down A moment to explore the feeling Nurturing us from the ground.
POEM BY NATHAN BERGERON PHOTOGRAPH BY MATTHEW BOURGEOIS