8 minute read
COUNTRY CANNABIS
COUNTRY CANNABIS
Country Cannabis is a brand new retail store that has arrived in the Mat-Su Valley. Located just off of the Trunk Road exit from Parks Highway, Country Cannabis now holds the title of first in, last out for Cannabis in the Valley. Farmer girl, sister owners Sarah Lorimer and Jennifer Johnston have definitely put some of the country back into Cannabis. Aside from their agricultural backgrounds, their store occupies one of the last few remaining barns built back in 1935 during the homestead colony days, making this a truly historic Alaskan space.
REVIEW by JOSHUA STAHLE/ALASKA LEAF PHOTOS by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
PRODUCTS
4/5 With Alaska currently seeing a shortage of flower statewide, it is making it difficult for retailers to keep a vast supply of flower on the shelves. With that said, Country Cannabis is still managing to carry between 15 and 20 strains at any given time. The menu is well balanced with indica and sativa strains, not to mention hybrids out the wazoo. There will be something to tickle anyone’s fancy, carrying cultivators such as Karma Grown Gardens, Worner Brothers, Mercy Tree of Alaska, Sweet Matanuska Green, Freedom 49 and Permafrost. On the concentrates side, you will find products from Cold Creek Extracts, Refine Alaska, Cosmic Seaweed, Fireweed Manufacturing, Herban Extracts, Scorpion Grass and Babylon Company.
BUDTENDERS
5/5 Every single employee at this store has an incredibly strong skillset to be a budtender - open, friendly and an incredible knowledge about Cannabis. In my multiple trips to the store, I have seen the budtenders lean on each other, recognizing their strong suits and sharing information freely. We all have our favorite ways to consume, and they go the extra mile to make sure you are talking to the right person about the right product.
ENVIRONMENT & VIBE
5/5 You honestly can’t help but smile in this store! Between the hand drawn artwork by local artist Tessa Reimer with Goose Studio and Design - which looks absolutely incredible - to the overall aesthetic, you simply have a winner. Add to that the incredibly friendly staff, dedicated ownership and fantastic product selection, Country Cannabis has you covered.
HISTORY
5/5 While Country Cannabis may be new on the scene, their building has been here to see it all. Originally built as a barn back in 1935, this is one of the oldest buildings in the Valley. Sadly, many of these buildings have been lost to the development of both Palmer and Wasilla, and to time as they’ve sat empty and fallen apart. But with these ladies hosting their store inside, I believe this building will now be here to stay for many more folks to enjoy.
2323 S TRUNK RD PALMER, AK (907) 745-4663 COUNTRYCANNABISAK.COM OPEN 8AM-10PM DAILY “THEY GO THE EXTRA MILE TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE TALKING TO THE RIGHT PERSON ABOUT THE RIGHT PRODUCT.”
willsworld_ak@outlook.com @ wills_world_extracts
THE DIFFERENCE IS CLEAR
THIS CLASSIC STRAIN BLENDS A DELICIOUS HERITAGE
FLAVOR WITH A CHILLAXED HAPPY BUZZ THAT IS PERFECT FOR A SUMMERTIME AFTERNOON. O riginally found in the famed coffee shops of Amsterdam, Dutch Treat made a big splash in the early medical Cannabis movement. While many growers today focus on the newest hype strains, we find that classics like Dutch Treat deliver consistent flavor and effects worth returning to time and time again. Featuring deep green, dense buds and a thick mix of red hairs, this Dutch Treat from Matanuska Cannabis Company is topped off with a gentle frosting of trichomes. Popping open a container releases a bright and fresh citrus haze, hiding the creamy-earthy-piney notes in the background, Thick nugs break up easily, burning with a smooth and sweet exhale that leaves zero cough or harshness.
Effects set in quickly, with a happy euphoria that eliminates stress and centers the mind on the moment. Body effects come within the hour, including a physical lightness and an acute sense of the munchies.
Let’s be honest: This is an energetic enough strain to be active on, but it’s truly perfect for a lazy afternoon of snacks and bong rips. Get stoned old school style and try the Dutch Treat for your next adventure, wherever it might lead. 22.95% THC
DUTCH TREAT
GROWN BY MATANUSKA CANNABIS COMPANY
Where Do Women Fit in the Cannabis Industry?
WE’VE ALL READ THE ARTICLES AND LISTENED TO PODCASTS ABOUT THE UPHILL BATTLES WOMEN FACE IN THE CANNABIS ARENA, RANGING EVERYWHERE FROM INVESTMENTS AND OWNERSHIP TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT.
I could give you data from a 2020 UCLA study about how women working in dispensaries report significantly greater levels of sexual harassment and unwanted sexual attention than men. Or we could talk about how multiple studies confirm a correlation between traditional masculine gender norms and increased Cannabis use. However, none of the data or anecdotes will change the minds of some. Many people think they understand sexism in Cannabis as just that - regular sexism - without diving into the history behind it.
To really get an understanding of how the Cannabis industry got to this point, we need to go back to the illicit black market days, before legalization. With the trap came the risks, especially for women. Women were typically kept away from positions of ownership or authority since most of the underground game was tough and masculine, both as a culture and as a means of actual physical security. Because of this, women involved in the illicit Cannabis markets were either drug mules or, more commonly, intimately involved with someone along the supply chain.
Now that the industry has shifted into the light, a lot of the same key players remain on top - breeders, cultivators, suppliers, you name it. A lot of those staple figures are heterosexual men that spent a long time in the same market honing their craft and waiting for legalization. An inherent problem with that, however, is that a lot of the same attitudes and ideas shifted to the legal market at the same time. And why wouldn’t they if they worked so well underground? The reason a variety of these issues remain the same is because the culture never changed from the underground to the legal market.
At the same time, white collar investment companies and large overseas firms began to sink their teeth into the Cannabis space. There’s no need to dive into sexism and discrimination in corporate companies because it’s already well researched and discussed, but the need to highlight its presence in Cannabis is important.
Between the two ultra-masculine powerhouses of the illicit and corporate worlds, women have been historically held back from real engagement and involvement. Now that we’ve taken a look at how men have
“W O M E N S H O U L D B E P R I M A R I LY R E S P E CT E D F O R T H E I R K N O W L E D G E O N C U LT I VAT I O N , G E N E T I C S , R E TA I L M A N AG E M E N T A N D B U S I N E S S I N V E S T M E N T S - N OT J U S T H O W P R E T T Y T H E Y LO O K SMOKING WEED ON INSTAGRAM.”
influenced Cannabis, it’s time to shift toward the other end of the spectrum: the perpetuation of sexist stereotypes by other women.
There’s been a push over the years to make space for women by showcasing stereotypical traits - like vibrant pink colors, manicures, jewelry and other traditional behaviors.
When looking at ‘normal’ events that aren’t geared to any gender (which is debatable), Cannabis is the focus with top-shelf flower, high quality hash, heady glass and equipment dominating discussions. At women-forward events, there seems to be a focus on femininity and aesthetics more than the Cannabis, or the real ways in which women are involved with it.
CBD products are heavily marketed toward women at these events, like eye creams and moisturizers, in lieu of cannagars or specialty blunts that are featured at several other non-gendered events. Commonly, women are marketed to by companies and other women by using femininity to sell products instead of actual quality.
Being feminine is not inherently bad and does a lot of meaningful good by proving that anyone can be ‘girly’ and consume Cannabis. Women should be primarily respected for their knowledge on cultivation, genetics, retail management and business investments - not just how pretty they look smoking weed on Instagram.
Between the underground market players becoming legitimate, the corporate world wedging itself at the top of major chain networks, and companies playing off traditional gender norms, women are fighting obstacles at multiple angles. Old school players from the black market need to realize their roles in perpetuating harmful stereotypes of sexualizing women or by keeping the top positions a ‘boys club’ only.
Corporate Cannabis needs to understand that women are more than just pretty faces to greet customers to boost sales, and deserve the same pay as their male coworkers for the same work.
Women need to understand that women also love quality products and not just stereotypically traditional services and events - we’re more than eye creams and jewelry. Sexism will never be completely eradicated from the field, but the best we can do is try to understand it and learn from it, progressing toward a better future in Cannabis.
SOUR SLURRICANE #1
HARAMBE
