Summer 2019
Cannabis manufacturing opens up new genre of art The Central Coast’s newest source for all things Cannabis
In this issue:
Power of Flower August 10th, Farmer Max, Mio Kamstra-Brown, Megan Souza 1
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INSIDE
Chronicle is a free publication distributed quarterly and published by Metro Publishing in conjunction with the Pajaronian, South County Newspapers, Paso Robles Press and Atascadero News.
Artist Profile - MIO ~ page 5 Power of Flower ~ page 6 Farmer Max ~ page 9 California Cannabis Award ~ page 10
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Megan Souza CBD shop ~ page 11
EDITORIAL Tony Nuñez, Editor 831.761.7353 tnunez@register-pajaronian.com
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Cover art by Mio Kamstra-Brown
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s one might expect for an artist who designs cannabis-themed products, M i o K a m s t ra - B ro w n s a i d h i s inspiration comes from the plant itself. “Bong hits are usually my goto, with the occasional dab or joint,” Kamstra-Brown said. “If I have the particular strain available to me during the design process, that’s always a plus. It allows me to visually draw inspiration from the characteristics of the buds or extract, as well as the smell and flavor from the terpenes.” Kamstra-Brown has been working with Santa Cruz-based Crème De Canna since early 2018. Formed in 2010, the lifestyle brand designs a variety of apparel for men and women. “I love that I have the opportunity to implement the variety of skills I have to help build and grow the brand,” he said. “I enjoy being able to work on multiple types of projects from creating drone
video showcasing our farm, to the individual strain designs, or getting up close with a macro lens for the trichome photos.” Kamstra-Brown was born and raised in Santa Cruz, and has been involved in the cannabis industry for a little more than a decade. He got his start by photographing cannabis farms, and has evolved his work through a variety of positions including budtending, dispensary management, hydrocarbon extraction, silicone product design (Nail Crown from Cruz Culture), social media management, graphic design and website development, as well as branding and marketing. “I wear a lot of hats,” he said. Photography and design has been a lifelong interest for KamstraBrown. “My interest in traditional graphic design and computer graphics really started in high school where I had my first hands-on training with professional equipment,” he
recalled. “I worked as a tattoo artist shortly after high school, which helped develop a wider array of drawing techniques for myself. Two years after high school I went to college in Arizona and obtained my AA in Digital Media Production.” Kamstra-Brown said his experience as a tattoo artist has complemented his artwork well, featuring “bold outlines and vibrant color.” “My work, for obvious reasons, is all cannabis-related, but it fits perfect for me, because my personal art is primarily cannabis, aliens and sacred geometry,” he said. “I want my artwork to excite people. I think of when I would go into the skateboard shop as a kid and see the wall of skateboard decks with all the different artwork, and you notice that one that just pops and calls your name.” To see more of Kamstra-Brown’s designs, visitcremesociety.com orartsmak.com.
On his designs: “A lot of the designs start with an initial chat with the team about some ideas or visuals that we want to incorporate. The Cherry OG was the first strain design I did for Crème De Canna, and I wanted to showcase the juicy sweet characteristics of the buds into the design. They were big chunky sweet buds that had a strong cherry smell. The natural shape of the cherries inspired me to utilize them as the letters for ‘OG.’ I enjoy when aspects of a design can be implemented into the name of the strain. More recently I did a Banana OG design and took inspiration for the barrel of bananas from a favorite childhood game, Donkey Kong.”
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Ozomatli, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band,
George Porter & Runnin’ Pardners, Space Heater and Diego’s Umbrella will all rock the stage, at the Power of Flower Music & Cannabis Festival August 10th at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds
Santa Cruz Fairgrounds welcomes first-of-its-kind festival
C
olin Disheroon would like to “change the story around cannabis” in any way he
can. As the CEO and founder of Santa Cruz Naturals, a dispensary with locations in Aptos and Pajaro, he’s tried to push away the thick, cloudy stigma that comes with using cannabis — for medicinal purposes or recreational. “I want people to feel like they don’t have to hide it,” Disheroon
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said. “I don’t want people to feel like they’re doing something wrong when they’re enjoying the product.” That journey to change the perception of cannabis pushed Disheroon and Co. into one of their most ambitious projects. The Power of Flower festival will unite music and cannabis for one night at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds on Aug. 10. Organizers say the event will support small, local and legal craft cannabis brands, as well as allow cannabis to have a legal, fun and safe presence in a music festival setting.
Ozomatli, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, George Porter & Runnin’ Pardners, Space Heater and Diego’s Umbrella will all rock the stage, while cannabis companies such as Santa Cruz Roots, Skunk Feather, Santa Cruz Mountain Tops and Legion of Bloom will hold exhibitions throughout the night. Mattia Pizza, Santa Cruz Poke, Saucey’z, Rouge Pye and Tacos El Chuy will be selling food, and an “artist grove,” featuring everything from chocolate and yoga, to clothing and photography, will also be present at the fairgrounds. Watsonville Taiko will kick off the
festival. “We have such a great mix of different performers and bands,” Disheroon said. “We saw an opportunity to really promote some great local music in a cool, fun setting where cannabis is the showcase.” Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. All of the proceeds from the festival will go to local nonprofits. “That was one of our goals: to give back to the community,” Disheroon said. Disheroon said he believes Power of Flower is the first music
festival in the state to have an “open smoke” policy, which allows attendees to enjoy cannabis in all forms — drinks, dry herb, edibles, etc. — throughout the fairgrounds. However, there will be only one cannabis vending site. Power of Flower will be the first cannabis-related event in the fairgrounds this year, and only the second-ever in the venue’s recent history. The first, Dreamsesh, flooded the fairgrounds with thousands of cannabis aficionados last April. That event happened before the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to allow cannabis-related events at the fairgrounds, and prior to the Fairgrounds Board of Directors’ decision to limit the events to four per year. Fairgrounds manager Dave Kegebein called Dreamsesh “unorganized” and a teachable moment. “That was a mistake that we don’t want to repeat,” Kegebein said. Disheroon said that event caused a “big rift” between the cannabis industry and county officials that he does not want to reopen. Kegebein said Disheroon has been easy to work with, and that he has followed every guideline put in place. “I think it’s a matter of finding
the right organizer and working with them,” Kegebein said. “That’s what I really liked about Colin, he cares about his reputation in the community…I think he’s in it for the long haul.” Kegebein said the fairgrounds will also host Hempcon Halloweed later this year, and is open to other cannabis-related events. “Our job at the fairgrounds is to serve the community and we have a big, broad, diverse community,” Kegebein said. “I’m always looking for new, unique events.” Disheroon said the event was something the company toyed with earlier in the year, but did not fully commit to until mid-May. There was a bit of hesitation from his staff when he first pitched the idea. “I went around the room and asked everyone what they thought,” he said. “Everyone looked at me and said, ‘it’s gonna be crazy, but let’s do it.’” Disheroon said he’d like to make Power of Flower a yearly event at the fairgrounds. He’d also like to take the event on the road to other neighboring communities that have burgeoning cannabis industries. “We’d like to keep the same model, too,” Disheroon said. “Promote local music and give back to the communities we set up in.”
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Summer 2019 •
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Farmer Max a full-service cannabis business
Max Cain checks on a grow house. Tarmo
W
Hannula/Chronicle
Max and Kristi Cain inspect cannabis products at Farmer Max in Watsonville off of Green Valley Road. Tarmo Hannula/Chronicle
making it a destination for cannabis connoisseurs, with a tasting room similar to those of wineries. For now, they stay busy growing several strains of marijuana plants, including Koko Puffs, Milk and Cookies and the popular Kosher Tangie. These they provide to dispensaries such as Santa Cruz Naturals, Tree House and Kind People’s Collective. They also package and process the plant for other growers and manufacture products such as prerolled “joints.” In addition, the business designs and creates packages and labels for their clients’ products. The indoor grow operation features hundreds of plants in various stages of growth, nurtured by an elaborate hydroponic system that pumps nutrientrich water through the roots. A self-described escapee from the L.A. film industry, Max is a native New Yorker who returned to Santa Cruz with a former girlfriend who left him Cannabis-infused oils are ready for shipping at Farmer on the day he started Max. Tarmo Hannula/Chronicle atsonville-based Farmer Max got its start in 2012 when Max Cain purchased the 15-acre property on Green Valley Road. It is now a successful small-scale family-owned cannabis cultivation, production and distribution business, which he runs with his wife Kristi. Max started by growing shishito peppers and strawberries, both of which garnered praise locally for their quality. But his vision for his business was always to grow cannabis. The couple’s dreams for the property include
Cabrillo College’s agriculture program. she said, is to help usher the cannabis Chapter two of this story began industry out of the shadows where it on the same day when he sat next lingered before being legalized in 2016. to Kristi, “the prettiest girl in class.” The “We’re trying to bridge this gap two married on the Green Valley Road between the local cannabis grower property earlier this year. and the community, and remove that While he had long known he stigma,” she said. “We want people wanted to be a farmer, Max’s interest to know the grower and to know the in cannabis was piqued when, at 16, quality and care we put into producing he visited his brother at college and a high-quality product.” saw an illicit dorm-based grow run by a Max said he sees the business as chemistry major roommate. an antidote-of-sorts for the increasing That set him on a lifelong path numbers of large-scale businesses of acquiring agriculture knowledge, hoping to cash in on the burgeoning aimed at an eventual career in cannabis industry, which he said cannabis. inevitably leads to a quantity-overThis included a stint growing fruits quality culture. and vegetables with his father. “We see a lot of corporate influence “I thought it was the coolest going on, and a lot of reduction in thing ever,” he said. “I went back and quality,” he said. “Corporate influence concocted a hobby to prepare myself it’s not suited to agriculture. It doesn’t for this. In the back of my head, I was reward risk-taking, and it is a problem.” training myself.” “We see ourselves as the other side, Based in the outskirts of Watsonville, concentrating on interesting strains Farmer Max is located on a property that are unique to us,” he added. “We that in the 1950s served as a stopover really concentrate on going slow, doing for Barnum and Bailey Circus, Max said. it perfect, making sure everything we “There are pictures of elephants in release, someone will be happy to buy.” the barn,” he said. ••• Kristi studied agriculture at For information, visit California Polytechnic Institute and www.farmermax.com. began her career in the winery business. 9 Part of the business’ mission, Summer 2019 •
California Cannabis Awards voting opens Voting for the 2019 California Cannabis Awards recently opened to the public. Cannabis enthusiasts can choose from more than 835 nominees spanning 18 award categories to determine this year’s winners. Awards include: Brand, Dispensary, Delivery, Distributors, Cultivators, Influencer, CBD, Innovative Product, Breakout Company, Activist, Community Organization, Technology, Testing Lab and Media Outlet. Voting is live at californiacannabisawards.com until 11:59 p.m. Sept. 20. Winners will be announced the following day in the California Cannabis Awards ceremony at the Novo Theater in downtown Los Angeles. The red carpet for the ceremony begins at 4 p.m. The ceremony is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start. A VIP Decision Maker Dinner
with food from Wolfgang Puck will get underway at 5 p.m. A portion of the proceeds from the festivities will be donated to two charities that “shine a light on issues relating to or are affected by cannabis,” according to the California Cannabis Awards website. “With California now online with recreational marijuana and licensing structures in place, we realized this is the right time to recognize our industry leaders in the state,” the website states. “Featuring 18 award categories, the CCA’s are focused on segments that make up this wonderful industry. The California Cannabis Awards are a great place to enjoy networking with cannabis entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and brands in the heart of Los Angeles.” For information or to buy tickets visit californiacannabisawards.com.
Cannabis Tax generates millions First Quarter of 2019
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SACRAMENTO – California’s cannabis industry generated more than $100 million in tax revenue during the first quarter of 2019, according to the The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA). The cannabis excise tax generated $61.4 million, the cultivation tax hauled in $16.8 million and sale tax from cannabis businesses totaled roughly $38.4 million. This does not include tax revenue collected by each jurisdiction, according to CDTFA. Previously reported revenue for the fourth quarter 2018 returns was revised to $111.9 million, which included $55.6 million in excise tax, $17.2 million in cultivation tax and $39.1 million in sales tax. Revisions to quarterly data
are the result of amended and late returns and other tax return adjustments. In November 2016, California voters approved Proposition 64, the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act. Beginning on January 1 of last year, two new cannabis taxes went into effect: a cultivation tax on all harvested cannabis that enters the commercial market and a 15 percent excise tax upon purchasers of cannabis and cannabis products. In addition, retail sales of cannabis and cannabis products are subject to state and local sales tax. To learn more, visit the Tax Guide for Cannabis Businesses on the CDTFA website.
CBD shop on the way to Atascadero
BY CAMAS FRANK
ATASCADERO — Until recently Megan Souza, of Megan’s Organic Market, was able to deliver cannabis countywide in a legal mobile dispensary business, but as rules changed with California’s Proposition 96 she turned to brick and mortar. Originally going to great lengths in hopes of becoming one of the two licensees allowed to operate a cannabis dispensary in the City of Morro Bay, an expensive process she says cost nearly $100,000, their original location will soon be vacated she said. “I was shocked, we didn’t get the Morro Bay permit after all of that,” she said, wondering aloud why a large Sacramento-based concern was given more consideration than established locals. Not to stay hung up on sour grapes, or temporary setbacks, the market is expanding and diversifying. Souza said they’re staying in the field by turning from only selling the cannabis plants — which they’re able to grow locally and legally at two farms along Los Osos Valley — to hemp derived CBD products or hemp-based cannabidiol. With only trace elements of the psychoactive THC, the CBD products have been regulated differently under state law, and have been popping up in coffee shops and store shelves with great frequency since 2018. To keep a presence in Morro Bay until another dispensary permit may be considered, Megan’s Organic Market opened a small shop on Morro Bay Boulevard, an easier retail location for foot traffic than on Quintana Road. Earlier this year, they had hoped
to finalize an expansion northward to Atascadero on Palma Street near Traffic Way but some remodeling is still required. “We’re looking at the second week of July right now,” Souza explained, noting that while they may not have gotten their Morro Bay location, they were selected by the City of San Luis Obispo and have firm plans in place for a cannabis dispensary there in 2020. “The Atascadero shop is hemp CBD only though,” Souza said. “Atascadero hasn’t allowed any dispensaries, but we’re happy to be there in this form.” The parlance “adult-use” has replaced the term recreational for most non-medical dispensaries, she said, because ironically, many people who are buying marijuana for personal use legally are doing so to treat medical complaints, they’re just not going to a doctor for paperwork. The Atascadero location will not be adult-use, but one of the allures of CBD has been an association with health practices. The shops resemble health food markets with tinctures and topicals on display. “We’re expecting the farm bill in 2020 to address edibles and CBD,” she said, “but we’re not allowed to sell food with CBD in it directly right now either.” Stores had been for a time selling items for direct consumption, but that has been deemed unsafe until further regulated. For the moment, people must buy their own CBD products then decide what manner they want to ingest them. To get an idea of the current style of CBD products on sale, visit www.meganscbdmarket.com.
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