Cannabis Chronicle April 2021

Cannabis Chronicle CANNABIS CULTURE & NEWS FOR THE BAY AREA & CENTRAL COAST • APRIL 2021

EIGHT CRAZY

Why the cannabis industry is buzzing about Delta-8, the hemp-derivative that gets you high— and may be legal under federal law

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CONTENTS

Editor’s Note T

High Tension The controversy over Delta-8, the cannabis industry’s hottest new product P6

he cannabis industry is still rapidly evolving, and this issue of Cannabis Chronicle digs into some of the underlying issues that have arisen out of the changes spurred by state legalization and regulation, Covid-19,

Small Wonders

increasing industrialization and more.

California’s legal weed market is no longer in its infancy—as of last year, even with the pandemic, it was a $4.4 billion industry—

Have the big dreams of mom

and it’s always looking for the next hot product to keep fueling

and pop growers gone up in

growth. As Dan Mitchell reveals, it has found it in Delta-8, a CBD

smoke? P10

derivative that also happens to get you high. What’s even more interesting is how Delta-8 has set off a debate at the national level, as manufacturers argue that recent federal hemp protections also cover their latest sensation.

Meanwhile, the small growers and distributors who kicked off

Park Web Richmond’s PowerPlant

California’s cannabis revolution back in the day are now feeling

Park is an 18-acre cannabis

pushed out of the market they helped create. Jonah Raskin’s

game-changer P14

story in this issue looks at what the future might hold for these mom and pop operations.

On the flip side of this dynamic is the cannabis goliath that is planned for PowerPlant Park in Richmond. Casey O’Brien writes about how one man’s search for a medical solution for his son eventually let to the planned 818,000-square-foot campus that could reshape the cannabis landscape in Northern California.

Finally, our Spotlight feature is back! If you’re curious about the workings of Silicon Valley weed, let Hugh McCormick reveal

Everything locals and kush

everything Santa Clara County dispensaries have to offer.

tourists need to know about

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR

Cannabis Chronicle 107 Dakota St, Santa Cruz, CA CannabisChronicle.net info@cannabischronicle.net

STAFF PUBLISHER

Dan Pulcrano EDITOR

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408.298.8000 San Jose | 831.458.1100 Santa Cruz 831.761.7300 Monterey Bay area | 707.527.1200 North Bay

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Alisha Green

Spotlight on Santa Clara County Silicon Valley weed P18

CONTRIBUTORS

DESIGNERS

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

ACCOUNTING

Hugh McCormick Dan Mitchell Casey O’Brien Jonah Raskin

Sam Miranda Jackie Mujica Julie Rovegno

Lisa Buckley Gordon Carbone Billy Garcia Ben Grambergu Karen Klaber Kate Kauffman Sue Lamothe Mercedes Murolo Ilana Rauch Packer Tiffani Petrov

Sarah Puckett

DESIGN DIRECTOR

Kara Brown PRODUCTION OPERATIONS MANAGER

Sean George

ADVERTISING DIRECTORS

Lori Lieneke Lisa Santos Debra Whizin

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Shannen Craig OFFICE MANAGER

Kari Mansfeld VICE PRESIDENT

Lee May Cover design by Kara Brown

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Delta Dawn Delta-8 THC is derived from hemp, gets you high and is popping up in products everywhere.

But is it actually legal under federal law?

BY DAN MITCHELL

GUM THING DIFFERENT Gummies are rapidly becoming the most popular product in the fledgling Delta-8 market.

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on the cannabis scene, with companies popping up to sell it because, for the moment, a lot of people consider it to be as legal—federally—as CBD, another component of the pot plant. CBD doesn’t induce a high but has some known curative properties, and might have a whole bunch more that are yet to be proven. CBD is available all over the place: in drugstores, in supermarkets, from online retailers, and even in gas stations.

As long as it’s derived from hemp, it’s perfectly legal, thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, which lifted the legal ban on hemp, a cousin of the marijuana plant that contains only scant amounts of THC.

Eight Everywhere It’s also thanks to the Farm Bill that Delta-8 products—which are made from

hemp—have become widely available, even though they can and do get you high (though the high is less intense than the one caused by the more common Delta-9 THC). The legality of Delta-8 is hotly disputed, and comes down to interpretations of the Farm Bill (which states that derivatives of hemp are legal), the Controlled Substances Act (which bans THC outright) and the policies of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Justice. It’s a big policy mess that will likely be resolved in one of two ways: by state and local jurisdictions banning or regulating Delta-8 specifically—some government agencies are already starting to address the question—or by the federal government legalizing cannabis and thus, most likely, bringing Delta-8 under 8 tight regulatory control.

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PHOTO BY ELSA OLOFSSON

bout four years ago, one of Josh Swider’s clients, a cannabis extractor, made a big mistake.

The extractor had produced a batch of oil comprising the wrong kind of THC, which is the molecule of the pot plant that gets you high. The batch was based on Delta-8 THC, rather than the more potent Delta-9 that dominates both the cannabis plant and the cannabis industry.

“Back then, only a few years ago, most people considered Delta-8 to be garbage,” says Swider, CEO of Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs, a cannabis-testing company based in San Diego. According to Swider, the client destroyed the batch, writing it off as waste, and started over.

“Nobody would buy it,” he says.

Times have changed: Rather suddenly, Delta-8 has become the hot new product

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PHOTO BY ELSA OLOFSSON

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ROLLING WITH DELTA-8 Dried cannabis flower buds are broken up in an aluminum grinder, releasing kief psychoactive THC pollen to mix and roll into a Delta-8 pre-rolled retail joint.

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In the meantime, though, 6 companies are selling Delta-8 left and right, and not just, or even primarily, in cannabis shops. You can buy it online, for example. Often, labels on Delta-8 products do not mention THC at all.

CBD Conversion Discussions of hemp often include a misleading bit of shorthand: that hemp is legal because it “contains no THC.” In fact, hemp contains a tiny bit of THC. The legal standard under the Farm Bill is that, to be legal, the amount of THC in hemp must be less than 0.3%, which is well below the amount needed to cause noticeable psychoactive effects. THC, though, can be extracted from hemp to create products that themselves go beyond the legal limit. However, the Farm Bill specifies that the limit applies to Delta-9 specifically. That’s the loophole Delta-8 retailers rely on.

Another complication: Delta-8 can be converted from CBD. That’s another reason producers say it’s legal. This, like all arguments for the legality of the substance, amounts to a “misconception,” says Dr. Ethan Russo, CEO and founder of Credo Science, a cannabis-research company.

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“It’s all illegal,” he says. And even beyond that, he adds, Delta-8 is often marketed unethically. Many companies don’t note on the label that the substance is psychoactive. Kids can buy it, even though they could never enter a legal cannabis shop.

“Consumers need to know it’s psychoactive, and they need to know what’s in it,” says Russo.

There are no guidelines for marketing Delta-8, as there are for marketing other cannabis products in states where cannabis is legal. Usually, there’s no way to know how much THC is in a given product, or what else it might contain.

Delta-8 appears to be substantially less intoxicating than Delta-9. And there’s anecdotal evidence that it doesn’t cause the anxiety and paranoia that many people experience with Delta-9.

“That could be true, but it hasn’t been scientifically demonstrated yet,” Russo says.

If it is true, though, it’s possible that Delta-8 could end up becoming a legitimate cannabis product—sold in dispensaries, regulated, and marketed to people who like the high they get from pot, but don’t like dealing with the anxiety that often accompanies it.

Or it could prove to be a useful medical

product. Some research indicates that, for some applications, CBD works best in concert with THC—the so-called “entourage effect.” It’s easy to imagine medical-cannabis concoctions made from CBD and Delta-8 that don’t get users high, or get them only mildly high, but are still effective the same way CBD/Delta-9 products are effective.

Not much research has been conducted on Delta-8 specifically, but a small study in Israel in the 1990s found that it seemed to relieve the nausea caused by chemotherapy in all 10 of the pediatric cancer patients it was tried on. It might even be more effective than the medical cannabis products made with Delta-9.

“What we need are a lot more studies, controlled in a lab,” Russo says.

For now, “it’s hard to tell what’s hype and what’s real potential,” says Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School who studies cannabis. “All the claims for Delta-8 are based on anecdotes.”

As with so many of the problems associated with cannabis, this one stems from our bifurcated legal system, where many states have legalized pot for recreational or medical use while the federal government still considers it a felony. Federal legalization would go a long way toward clearing up the confusion, and ensuring that Delta-8

UNDERSTANDING EIGHT Delta-8 THC and its acid precursor are considered as THC and THC acid artifacts, respectively.

The 8,9 double-bond position is thermodynamically more stable than the 9,10 position.

products are safe, says Grinspoon. “If it were just all legal, we could research it, and we could make sure it’s safe. What we need is a regulatory framework.”

But what we have, for the moment, is the Wild West.

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FIRST FARMERS Cameron and Shannon Hattan were the first licensed cannabis growers in Sonoma County, focusing primarily on CBD-dominant strains.

Green Legacy

BY JONAH RASKIN

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obody knows the wacky world of the cannabis dispensary better than big, bearded, jovial Cameron Hattan, though he hasn’t ever owned or operated a dispensary—and doesn’t want to. For years, he was a pioneering cannabis farmer. Now he’s a cannabis salesman extraordinaire who works with rural farmers in the North Bay and brings their products to urban markets in the South Bay and beyond.

“Getting weed on the shelves of a dispensary is one of the most difficult things in the world,” Cameron tells me.

“The cannabis industry is like no other.

You can’t use banks or credit cards.

Everything has to be in cash.”

Cameron and I and his wife Shannon are sitting outdoors on a chilly, overcast day. After a rain, the hillsides are bright green again, and that makes all three of us happy. Cameron, who is a natural-born talker, gazes into the distance.

“For years, I knocked on a dozen California dispensary doors a day. I’ve been to hundreds of them,” he says. “In the early days, many kids who worked behind the counter had no retail experience, though they had smoked dope.”

Cameron pauses a moment 12 and catches his breath. “Prior

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PHOTO BY JONAH RASKIN

The first licensed cannabis growers in Sonoma County reflect on the ups and downs of a rapidly shifting industry CANNABIS CHRONICLE APRIL 2021

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PHOTO BY JONAH RASKIN

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weed he grows in hoop houses on a windy hillside west of Petaluma in Sonoma County.

Mechanics of Growing

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Jonah Raskin is the author of “Marijuanaland: Dispatches from an American War.” He writes the cannabis column for the North Bay Bohemian and the Pacific Sun.

PHOTO BY JONAH RASKIN

I visited Drips soon after St. Patrick’s Day, when he was getting ready to plant 13,000 seeds on his 300-acre farm.

Along with Zac, his partner, he was fixing a tractor so he could till the soil. To be a successful pot farmer these days, it helps to be a mechanic.

While Drips and his partner tinkered with the tractor, a Latino field worker who spoke far more Spanish than English spread compost GROWING PAINS David Drips grows 300 acres of cannabis on with a shovel. For a farm near Petaluma—and has a hard time making it profitable. decades, the land had been home to roving herds of cattle, which meant that the soil was already rich in nutrients.

10 to the passage of Prop. 64 in 2016, Why does Drips go on growing weed dispensaries were poorly marked and hard if he isn’t making big money? Is he to find," he says. “After Prop 64, purchasing insane? No—in fact, I don’t know many shelf space became the norm. If you didn’t folks saner than he, as I’ve learned by pay, your products weren’t carried or were talking to him about the last presidential stacked in a dark corner.” election, the pandemic and local pot For nearly a decade, Cameron and politics. Also, Drips has a dream. He loves Shannon cultivated marijuana for the weed and he loves working outdoors. A medical cannabis market ushered in veteran who did three tours of duty—in

by Prop. 215, which California voters Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq—he doesn’t approved in 1996. The Hattans were give up. Not without a fight. the first licensed cannabis growers in Drips and the Hattans are doing Sonoma County, focusing primarily what small and medium-sized growers on CBD-dominant strains. When their and distributors are doing all over business expanded, they partnered California—banding together, pooling with other “legacy” growers and grew resources and information. It may be the a portfolio under the Fiddler’s Greens only way to survive the onslaught from brand that they created. Fiddler’s Greens corporate cannabis and big money. is thriving, as is their distribution Another grower, who has won tons of company High Tide. But given the awards for the best weed at the Emerald vagaries of the market, sometimes it Cup, told me, “The corporate cannabis feels like low tide. guys push and shove in places where a Shannon looks me squarely in the little stoner/grower can’t push or shove eye. “Nobody in the industry up here is very much if at all. It goes to show that, making money,” she says. with the right people at the right time David Drips, a neighbor, echoes and right place, you can sell anything, Shannon’s comment, though he’s happy including shit weed.” that High Tide distributes the primo

Shannon Hattan never signed up for a tour of duty or went to war. But she has been around the block several times and has a wealth of experience, plus heaps of savvy about human beings. Shannon grew up in Texas and went to college at Texas A&M. In the mid-1990s, for a class project, she did research on cannabis, which led her down a rabbit hole and into the marijuana wonderland. She met Cameron in the Virgin Islands, where he worked as a bartender after a stint with the Marines. Cameron and Drips both have marijuana and the military in common, though there’s not much of the military about them anymore.

A long and windy road brought the Hattans from the Virgin Islands to the hillside in Northern California, where they cultivated cannabis for their own health and wellness. They are a rare breed, indeed, who transitioned from the illicit to the regulated market, with taxes and a bureaucracy, that decimated a thriving community of cannabis farmers. Like the Hattans, Drips refuses to go under.

While he tills, ploughs, plants seeds and harvests, the Hattans spend much of their time educating the public—and employees at dispensaries—about a plant they’ve come to love and respect.

Their compassion makes them ideal educators. You can’t go wrong if you try Fiddler’s Greens weed, which is available through 7 Stars in Richmond and through QualiCann, a cannabis delivery service based in Oakland. If your local dispensary doesn’t carry products from Fiddler’s Greens, ask for them and tell them the Hattans sent you.

When I visited Drips at his farm, right after St. Patrick’s Day, he had just put down his beloved canine, who went by the name Hound Dog. Drips dug a grave, laid Hound Dog in the ground and covered him with earth. That morning, right before I left his wind-swept hillside, he used his own weed to roll a bodacious joint. He handed me the fatty and said, “You can lick it.” We still weren’t taking risks. Drips handed me his lighter. I fired up the joint, and took a puff, just enough to take the edge off. Drips went back to work. I drove home a sober and happy camper. A morning with a cannabis farmer always elevates my mood.

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PHOTO BY JONAH RASKIN

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READY, SET, GROW Craft growers and cannabis brands can lease directly from PowerPlant Park and avoid a years-long government permitting process.

Power Player Why NorCal’s new PowerPlant Park is an 18-acre cannabis revolution BY CASEY O’BRIEN

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ike most parents, Richard Trieber is willing to try anything to do what’s right for his children. Unlike most parents, that led him to a career in cannabis—and running the first cannabis facility of its type in California.

When Trieber’s son was a young teen, he started displaying issues at school.

He couldn’t focus, and he sometimes distracted other students.

“He wasn’t a bad kid, he wasn’t a mean kid. He was just very distracted, and he couldn’t behave in class the way he needed to behave,” says Trieber.

Doctors all recommended ADHD medications like Ritalin. Trieber agreed, but the more research he did into the medicine, the more concerned he became. He worried about the long-term effects of stimulants on his son. He wanted to find an alternative.

In his research, Trieber stumbled

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upon early evidence that cannabis was an effective treatment for ADHD in kids, and was fascinated. He wasn’t even a consumer of cannabis himself at the time, but the data was compelling. It took some convincing to get his son’s mother onboard, but eventually Trieber decided to try cannabis as a treatment for his son.

Trieber began giving very small doses of cannabis to his teenager—and found it much more effective than the prescription medications he had been given. Trieber’s son became one of the youngest people in California to receive a doctor’s recommendation for cannabis, and Trieber was hooked on the power of cannabis as medicine.

Trieber’s experience working with his son to manage his ADHD and succeed in school eventually led him to work in the cannabis industry. A serial entrepreneur, he had founded mission-driven startups like Local Heroes, a software that allows

people to receive discounts at local businesses and donate the difference to charity. He took his experience in business and his lifelong connections in the Bay Area—his family has been in the area for generations, and his grandfather was San Francisco’s police chief in the 1920s—to develop PowerPlant Park, a massive campus of marijuana growers and product creators that will be the first legal development of its kind in the state.

PowerPlant Park is an 18-acre, 818,000-square-foot campus along the San Francisco Bay in Richmond, which has been approved for seven different types of cannabis licenses. Craft growers and cannabis brands can lease directly from PowerPlant Park and avoid a years-long process to be approved by the municipality. “We are the first type of facility like this in the state and very possibly the entire country, and because of that we just have unfettered opportunity,” says Trieber.

PowerPlant Park reflects changes in the cannabis industry as a whole. Since cannabis was legalized in California for recreational use in 2016, it’s become much more mainstream, and the science of creating cannabis products has developed in record time. “It’s all changed in such a short amount of time, because we have more intelligence now about things like lighting 16

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DESIGNS ON SUCCESS The full vision for PowerPlant Park’s 18 acres.

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spectrum during the bloom cycle, all the nuances that we are learning about this plant as it becomes more mainstream,” says Trieber. He hopes PowerPlant Park will be at the cutting edge of cannabis science—and at the heart of the fastgrowing industry in the state.

PowerPlant Park will be developed in stages, but construction is already underway for the first phase, and 80% of the leases for Phase 1 have been rented.

The facility will be open in July. When it’s fully operational, PowerPlant Park is expected to bring about 500 jobs to the city of Richmond. This would make it one of the city’s largest employers, second only to Chevron.

PowerPlant Park will include greenhouses, facilities with state of the art machinery for creating tinctures, pre-rolls, edibles and other products, cannabis delivery services and even a drive-through purchase site where people can come directly to the campus to pick up their orders. It will include Trieber’s own in-house brand, Transparency, as well as other craft marijuana brands from around the state. Trieber says he will only sell to or involve distributors, retailers and growers he personally knows to be responsible members of the industry.

The development of PowerPlant Park is a remarkable feat, especially considering how difficult it is to get cannabis-related

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projects approved. “All of these people in the industry looked at this and said, ‘You’re out of your mind,’” says Trieber. “They told me you have a 2%, maybe 5% chance of getting this developed. And those were guys who really knew the industry.”

Trieber didn’t expect the project to succeed. At first, he was just looking for a single building to rent. “I would have been happy with 8,000 square feet. There was just nothing left to rent,” he says. When he couldn’t find anyone to lease to him for a cannabis project, Trieber began to think about building a campus of his own. He knew it would be an uphill battle, and it took a great deal of time and money.

But after four years of negotiating, and about $4 million sourced from investors and his own funds, Trieber was able to get PowerPlant Park approved and make it a reality. For Trieber, it was almost unbelievable.

“It was a really emotional thing. When we first went out there and saw the construction underway for the first time, thinking through everything we had been through in four years of blood and tears, it was just an extraordinary feeling. Like, ‘Wow, we are really doing something here,’” he says.

PowerPlant Park could be a significant boon to Richmond’s economy since Trieber’s team has agreed to donate 5% of their profits back to the city. It’s expected that Phase 1 of PowerPlant Park

alone will bring in $4 million directly to the city of Richmond.

Involving members of the community directly in the project is important to Trieber. He has worked with the city of Richmond to develop a diversion program for nonviolent offenders of color, especially those with marijuana-related infractions to be trained at PowerPlant Park as certified cannabis experts. Once trained, the students in PowerPlant Park’s program can work as cultivators or other roles and be paid a starting wage of $27.50 an hour. Their convictions will also be overturned.

“White people might commit the same crime, some kind of drug offense or marijuana offense, but they aren’t punished for it. But Black and brown folks are punished so severely in this messed-up system,” says Trieber.

The cannabis industry in California— and in other states—skews white. It’s estimated that about 80% of owners in the cannabis industry are white, while people of color make up nearly half of marijuana possession arrests nationally, according to the Drug Policy Alliance.

Trieber’s hope is that programs like his will begin to tip the balance. “If you want to run a cannabis operation, you need to be hiring minority people in your business,” says Trieber.

Trieber hopes that his plans for PowerPlant Park—both his approach to community investment and his model of multiple cannabis licenses in one place— will eventually be adopted elsewhere.

“Why wouldn’t we franchise?” he asks.

“It would be very easy for us to move the project up and down the state and maybe even all over the country.”

Eventually, he hopes other cities around the country will want to establish cannabis production parks of their own.

Trieber sees cannabis as a job engine and a tool to lift up entire communities, not just a recreational drug.

But the truth is, even one location is a dream come true for Trieber. “People looked at me like, ‘Get ahold of yourself, Richard. Where are you gonna get the money?’ But one story led to another.

A little money there, a little here, some family money, my wife put in some money she came into unexpectedly.

And now, here we are, four years later, and we are building the park. I was an unlikely person for this to happen for, but I worked my tail off. And now the floodgates are open.”

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Spotlight

on Santa Clara County Dispensaries

BY HUGH MCCORMICK

A

t Cannabis Chronicle, we pride ourselves on knowing the ins and outs of the Northern California cannabis scene, and in every issue we’ll be spotlighting a different county. Last issue, we featured Santa Cruz County; this time, we’ll give you a tour of Santa Clara County dispensaries. Whether you’re a local or looking to do some cannabis tourism, here are the dispensaries you need to know.

Airfield Supply Company 1190 Coleman Ave., San Jose, 408-320-0230, airfieldsupplyco.com Known throughout San Jose for its vast selection of the finest medicinal strains, edibles and concentrates, Airfield Supply Company is the place to go for a comfortable and stress-free cannabis shopping experience. Airfield is a full-service cannabis dispensary, striving to provide a retail experience that excels with professionalism, quality and compassion. The dispensary’s knowledgeable budtenders work tirelessly to provide a healing solution, guiding customers new

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AIRFIELD SUPPLY COMPANY

CA Collective 210 Phelan Ave., San Jose, 408-809-4301, ca-collective.com

and old on their unique cannabis journeys. Operating as a boutique-style collective, Airfield also offers a delivery service that is free for orders over $150. Try “Treez Pay,” the dispensary’s new secure one-click mobile prepayment solution for pickup and delivery, and receive a $5 Airfield credit.

Hours: 9am-9pm every day; delivery 7:30am-9pm every day.

Ordering: In-store, online, curbside pickup, and delivery (free for orders over $150).

Deals, Steals and Specials: 5% off first online order; 20% select flower, edibles and concentrates for happy hour (Mondays and Wednesday 2-4pm); 20% off entire order for veterans every Monday; 20% off all day for “Jetfuel Fridays;” 5% off for seniors.

For over seven years, the folks at CA Collective have happily served the San Jose community—offering its customers a bountiful selection of carefully curated brands from across California. The owners of the collective, with 20 years of experience in the cannabis industry, are longtime experts on all things cannabis. This is perfectly evident the first time you walk into their shop. From its spot-on customer service to its High Times-award-winning strains of flower, CA Collective is leading the charge in positive dispensary experiences. One-on-one interactions with budtenders is the norm here, and the highly educated staff will provide tailored recommendations based on guests’ requirements.

They’ll work hard to ensure that you leave the shop with a smile and peace of mind. The varied, yet curated selection of cannabis products that line the store’s shelves are designed to suit a wide variety of adult-use experiences. You’ll find brands like Kanha and Kiva and a multitude of award-winning strains of flower. CA Collective has a long-standing relationship with Santa Cruz Labs to keep its cannabis as clean as possible.

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Spotlight on Santa Clara County Dispensaries « CA COLLECTIVE

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9am-9pm; Sunday, 11am-6pm.

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Ordering: In-store, online, delivery (free same-day).

Deals and Steals: “Caliva List”—sign up online for $20 off your first order of $50 or more; 20% discount on your first delivery or in-store purchase with code LEAFLY20. Mention to a budtender, or visit caliva.com to redeem at checkout.

Hours: 9am-9pm every day.

Ordering: In-store, online (through Weedmaps).

Cash only, with ATM on site.

Deals and Steals: 10% discount for veterans; 10% discount for seniors; 10% discount for first-time customers.

CALIVA

CANNA CULTURE COLLECTIVE

Canna Culture Collective 3591 Charter Park Drive, San Jose, 408-264-7877, cannaculturecollective.com

Caliva 1695 S 7th St., San Jose, 888-688-0303, caliva.com Caliva is a massive marijuana machine. With over 600 employees, it is one of the largest indoor cultivation and manufacturing facilities in California, producing over 11,000 pounds of cannabis each year. And it’s way more than just a pretty-looking dispensary. Caliva’s owners started their business in California with the intention of bringing the power of their beautiful plants to their community.

The team at Caliva is fueled by a singular passion for plant-based solutions, and seeks to deliver sustainable, natural wellness options throughout the state. Over 200 dispensaries, including the company’s own flagship stores in San Jose and Bellflower, carry Caliva’s products. The ethos at Caliva is the belief that the positive energy they put into their work and plant is essential to creating amazing products—every Wednesday, a shaman enters Caliva’s sprawling facilities and dispensaries to bless the company’s plants. You can find a bevy of Caliva products at their San Jose dispensary, but also pick up cannabis accoutrements from other companies that fit into the company’s overall mission and values.

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For eight years, Canna Culture Collective has been one of the most trusted brands in the Bay Area.

Loyal customers love the full spectrum of lab-tested THC and CBD products showcased in a clean, safe and comfortable environment. The folks at Canna Culture strive to give their customers a sense of calm and relief, and to create a memorable shopping experience from the second they walk in to the second they depart. One of Canna Culture’s claims to fame is that it is the only dispensary in Silicon Valley that has never closed or relocated since 2011. For almost a decade, it has provided its customers with a relaxing and inviting park-like setting. Budtenders at Canna Culture—referred to as “Cannabis Gurus”— will take the time to get to know you and happily answer your canna-queries. You’ll get exactly what you came for, even if you didn’t know yourself.

Hours: 9am-9pm every day.

Ordering: In-store, curbside, delivery (free and same day, 9am-9pm).

Deals and Steals: VIP Rewards Program: 2% back for every dollar spent; bring family or friend and receive a $2 pre-roll.

Deli By Caliva 92 Pullman Way, San Jose, 888-688-0303, delibycaliva.com With a space made to look like an old-school delicatessen, DELI by Caliva caters to a public clamoring for fresh, quality cannabis products at

neighborhood-friendly prices. The flower at DELI

by Caliva, cultivated and packaged by its parent company Caliva, is grown with love, diligence and a tireless attention to detail. DELI feels like a casual corner store—clean, inviting and brightly lit— complete with L7 cash wraps and lit glass counters.

Customers can come to DELI by Caliva to pick up hundreds of different cannabis products, and also learn about the latest happenings in cannabis culture. They’re invited to make the cozy 700-foot space their own—sitting on stools as they browse the DELI menu on iPads mounted directly inside smoothly edged deli countertops. Those who can’t make it to their neighborhood DELI can utilize their new delivery service. But try to check this place out if you can. It’s just cool.

Hours: 9am-9pm daily (9am- 10am is seniors and veterans only).

Ordering: In-store, curbside pickup, online and delivery.

ELEMENTAL WELLNESS

Elemental Wellness 985 Timothy Drive, San Jose, 408-433-3344, elementalwellnesscenter.com With a spa-like atmosphere and some of the best customer service in the industry, Elemental Wellness offers an array of cannabis products that differentiates it from other collectives in the area.

Nestled in the heart of San Jose, the award-winning dispensary operates in the spirit of Prop. 215, while also keeping up to date with the current demands of Prop. 64. The crew at Elemental have first-hand experience of the health and wellness benefits of cannabis—and know that it can be

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Spotlight on Santa Clara County Dispensaries « transformative for those suffering from debilitating conditions. They believe that all adults should have the right to purchase affordable and quality cannabis in a comfortable and welcoming environment.

Hours: 9am-9pm every day.

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curbside 10am-6pm every day.

Ordering: In-store, curbside pickup, delivery (10am7pm every day).

Deals and Steals: 15% discount for veterans; 15% discount for seniors; rewards program.

Ordering: In-store, online, delivery (same day before 10am).

Deals and Steals: $15 credit on first visit when you spend $30; 10% weekdays for 4pm-6pm happy hour; 15% veteran and active military discount; 10% Senior (55+) discount; 15% off CBD products for “CBD Sundays;” 10% all cartridge and oil extracts for “Melty Mondays;” 15% off all Edibles for “Tasty Tuesdays;” 10% Off Pre-rolls for “Roll Up Wednesdays;” 10% off all drinks for “Thirsty Thursdays.”

HARBORSIDE

Harborside 1365 N. 10th St., San Jose, 888-994-2776, shopharborside.com/san-jose Harborside is one of the oldest, largest and mostrespected cannabis retailers in the world. Playing an instrumental role in making cannabis accessible and safe for California residents, the institution is known for having the top-curated selection of award-winning flower, edibles, concentrates and more in the Bay Area. Open, airy, and always clean, the dispensary’s sprawling space is perfect for casual browsing. A team of ultra-smart and experienced cannabis consultants are always available to help you find exactly what you are looking for. The members of the Harborside crew each have a deep connection to the cannabis plant as a way for people to find wellness and balance. Founded in 2006, Harborside was the first dispensary in the country to demand rigorous testing for its products to ensure they contain verifiable potency of THC and are free of pesticides and other impurities. Today, Harborside continues to lead the way, setting the bar for cannabis compliance. On Jan. 1, 2018, industry activist and Harborside founder Steve DeAngelo sold the first gram of legal cannabis to an adult in California. The historic event marked the end of prohibition statewide, and the birth of the cannabis industry as we know it today. Harborside is an industry leader and a cannabis institution known for many milestones, including being the first to offer CBD-rich cannabis products.

Hours: In-store: 10am-8pm every day;

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HERB’S COLLECTIVE

HAZE

Haze Dispensary 1761 Smith Ave., San Jose, 408-266-HAZE (4293), haze420.com HAZE is on a mission to provide the people of Silicon Valley with high-grade cannabis products, top-shelf customer service, and always-competitive prices. HAZE was founded in 2011, and its team of cannabis cultivators have been routinely recognized in publications and conventions for procuring ultrapotent, award-winning strains. In addition to carrying and marketing its own line of products, the dispensary also sells designer cannabis products from leading cannabis vendors including Bloom Farms and Kiva.

The atmosphere at HAZE is inviting and welcoming, and customers are encouraged to browse at their leisure or ask the staff any and all questions. In 2012, there were over 200 cannabis clubs in San Jose, and HAZE was one of them. The dispensary moved to its current location on Smith Avenue in 2015, and became one of just 16 clubs allowed to continue to operate in the city. HAZE is fully stocked with employees who are passionate about what they do, and the marijuana industry at a whole. They are happy to assist their clients find the most effective marijuana products, and personalize every experience.

Hours: 9am- 9pm every day.

Ordering: In-store, delivery, express pickup (online).

Deals and Steals: $10 off $30 purchase of select items on first visit; 20% one product of your choice for Happy Hour every Tuesday from 12pm-4pm (two products on the last Tuesday of the month); 25% off one regularly priced cartridge every Wednesday (two on the last Wednesday of the month); 15% off regularly priced edibles every Thursday; 20% off regularly priced pre-rolls every Saturday.

Herb’s Collective 543 Parrott St., San Jose, 408-297-0543, herbscollective.com

While not as large an operation as some, Herb’s Collective boasts an amazing selection of all things cannabis. Herb’s makes up the difference in size by providing warm, top-notch customer service.

Budtenders are always welcoming and friendly, and whether you’re a first timer or an Herb’s vet will treat you with compassion and respect. Inside and out, the dispensary is clean, with a feeling of safety thanks to the ever-courteous security presence. Herb’s carries carefully designed and curated lines of products that check all the major boxes—flower, topicals, concentrates, edibles, and more. Since 2013, it has offered some of the most affordable prices in Silicon Valley. Zoning changes forced Herb’s to move, and it now serves customers in a new location, right between Costco and the San Jose fairgrounds. The team at Herb’s refer to their shop as a “hidden gem,” which indeed it is.

Hours: 12pm-6pm every day.

Ordering: In-store or online.

Deals and Steals: 10% new customer discount.

Lux 1859 Little Orchard St., San Jose; 408-385-9600, luxmjco.com Take advantage of the extensive list of daily deals and say hello to one of the ridiculously friendly budtenders at LUX—a grassroots, communitycentered cannabis dispensary. Conveniently located off the 101, 87, and 280 highways, LUX is committed to providing a safe and clean environment for cannabis users to shop for top-of-the-line marijuana products. LUX has taken a spot at the helm in the always-evolving cannabis marketplace, and carries a wide variety of world-class CBD and cannabis brands. With over 115 different chemicals, there’s a lot going on in those little green nuggets.

Budtenders at LUX understand the complexities of cannabis and encourage patrons to try different dosages and forms to gauge which product (and product type) is best suited for their needs. The dispensary lab tests their constantly evolving menu to identify cannabinoid profiles as well as potency.

Sweet-smelling baked goods and delectable chocolates are available if you have a wicked sugar craving. And for the more advanced cannabis consumer, so are designer dabs by 24

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Spotlight on Santa Clara County Dispensaries « LUX

vendors like TerpX. LUX carries a bounty of awardwinning strains from cultivars like Silver Haze and Cordero Kush, and a variety of vape cartridges by Bloom Farms and Liquid Dreams.

Hours: 10am-8pm every day.

Order: In-store, online, delivery (drivers carry no change).

Deals and Steals: First-time customers can buy any three items and get the item of lesser value for $1; Munchie Monday Happy Hour: 10% all edibles from 1pm-4pm on Mondays; 10% off vapes, disposables, and concentrates from 1pm-4pm on Wednesdays; 10% off flower and pre-rolls from 1pm-4pm on Thursdays; 10% off CBD or CBD+THC products from 1pm-4pm on Fridays.

with the potentially magical green plant. They succeeded beyond measure. Today, MedMen has dispensaries and cultivation facilities in Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, and of course, California. Bierman and Modlin founded their burgeoning company with the vision of destigmatizing cannabis by providing a welcoming and accessible shopping environment. The pair work to ensure that each of their stores provides high-quality, fully tested products with education, curation, and transparency. MedMen has become one of the most trusted names in cannabis, and its San Jose dispensary provides the shopping experience the company is known for.

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Ordering: Online, in-store, phone orders, and delivery (next day with $50 minimum).

Deals and Steals: 15% discount for seniors 65+ (with ID); 15% off all products for veterans (with ID); 10% discount for disability; 5% student discount (with ID).

THERALEAF RELIEF

Deals and Steals: “Buds” rewards program: Earn 200 points for $5 reward.

PURPLE LOTUS

Theraleaf Relief 1014 Timothy Drive, San Jose, 408-849-3706, facebook.com/Theraleaf Relief

752 Commercial St., San Jose, 408-456-0420, plpsanjose.com

MedMen is sort of like the Starbucks of the cannabis industry. Its popular San Jose location, boasting now-iconic red and white signage, is one of 32 retail stores owned and operated by the Culver City parent company. Nobody is bigger than MedMen; its chain of dispensaries and cultivation facilities boasts over 1,000 employees, and its stock is actively traded on both Canadian and American financial exchanges. The growing company was co-founded by Adam Bierman and Andrew Modlin in 2010. The pair say that they saw a unique business opportunity in the emerging cannabis industry, and a chance to redefine the country’s relationship

Hours: 9am-9pm every day.

Ordering: In-store, curbside pickup and delivery (12pm-8pm every day).

Purple Lotus

1075 N. 10th St., San Jose, 408-298-8837, medmen.com

cornucopia of cannabis products for all budgets— and its commitment to quality and customer service.

Hours: 9am-9pm every day.

MEDMEN

Medmen San Jose – Central

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One of San Jose’s largest and most popular dispensaries, Purple Lotus carries over 50 strains of the Bay Area’s most exotic cannabis, and hundreds of other products from the best brands in the game.

The space is huge, with 20 rotating budtenders working in a very-purple 10,000-square-foot canna-arena. Purple Lotus’ goal is to provide quality service, a comfortable atmosphere, and cannabis goods for every budget. The founders of Purple Lotus were medical marijuana patients long before legalized adult use. They say their numerous trips to dispensaries throughout San Jose and the rest of the state were largely disappointing—they experienced inconsistent, poor-grade cannabis that was both overrated and overpriced. Years of frustration led the team to open Purple Lotus in 2009, with the hope of offering a wide array of top-quality products and services to assist in the treatment of a variety of conditions. Fast forward a decade, and Purple Lotus is flourishing in the age of legalized recreational use. This dispensary is known for its selection—a

Theraleaf Relief stocks only high-quality cannabis products from vetted industry leading vendors like Korova, Monkey Meds and Pure Rations. All of its products undergo rigorous lab testing to ensure quality and potency. Recreational users in San Jose can indulge themselves with top-shelf strains that include Sherbet and Lemonade, and a vast collection of concentrates and CBD products. Disposable vape pens and designer vape cartridges are popular options, as are pre-rolls in Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid options. The small-but-mighty dispensary has everything you’ll need on your cannabis journey, from flowers to accessories like dab tools and blunt wraps.

The store has enough to satisfy even the pickiest sweet tooth, and carries a full line of baked goods, chocolates and candies (CBD and THC). Located right where Yard Center and Timothy Drive meet, Theraleaf welcomes both medicinal and recreational users from throughout the Bay Area.

Hours: 9am-9pm every day.

Ordering: In-store or online (through Weedmaps).

Cash only.

Deals and Steals: Gift for first-time customers: 2 grams of pre-selected flower or 1/2 gram Shatter; gift for friend referrals: free 1/8 of pre-selected flower or full gram of Shatter.

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