7 minute read
HIGHLY LIKELY
Highly Likely highlights Cannabis pioneers who paved the way to greater herbal acceptance.
14 ONE OF THE WORST WAYS THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS RESTRICTED THE CIVIL LIBERTIES OF ITS CITIZENS IS THROUGH THE FAILED AND SADISTIC OPERATION BEGUN BY RONALD REAGAN IN THE 1980S - AND CONTINUING THROUGH TODAY - KNOWN AS THE WAR ON DRUGS. Roughly 40 years after his official declaration in 1982, we know that the war on drugs isn’t just a war WANDA JAMES The subject of our column this month is Wanda James, the CEO of Simply Pure, a Colorado based dispensary and brand that prides itself on quality products and social justice. And James has a spectacular story. Along with her husband, Scott Durrah, James became the first Black American to >> on your ability to take liberties with your body and own and operate a Cannabis storefront, mind, but that it is also a racist war. That’s because the cultivation facility and an edible company. war on drugs has disproportionately affected people James is a former lieutenant in the of color since its inception. It is what has helped to US Navy, who also served on President create the privatized prison-industrial complex that has Barack Obama’s 2008 National Finance wrought pain and terror on our society. It is truly an evil Committee. After her brother was thing, created and maintained by those in power, and it given a 10-year sentence for Cannabis is high time that it is ended for good. possession, she became inspired to help
After her brother was given a 10-year sentence for Cannabis possession, James became inspired to help right the wrongs of the United States’ failed drug war.
right the wrongs of the United States’ failed drug war. She has also worked to get jail sentences commuted for people imprisoned for similar Cannabis related crimes. She has been an ambassador for the legalization of Cannabis ever since.
She’s highly regarded in the industry when it comes to intelligently thinking about operating a business in this burgeoning marketplace. When asked by Cannabis Dispensary Magazine about whether the Cannabis industry instills the same sort of discipline and goal of serving the public interest as her time in the military and politics, James replied, “No, I don’t think that the industry instills it at all. I think that it’s really vital that you’ve got a good sense of values before you come into this industry, because this industry will rip and will tear at those - and will challenge you at every turn.”
Today, Wanda James continues to fight for equity and equality in the Cannabis industry. In June, she worked to get Colorado House Bill #1424 passed, which creates a social equity license. This allows someone who might not otherwise qualify for a business license to work with a mentor - an established business willing to be a partner and adviser - through the licensing and operational processes. The bill signing ceremony by Colorado Governor Jared Polis was held at James’ Simply Pure dispensary. At the ceremony, James said it best: “Social Equity is about righting the wrongs of the drug war and giving diversity a strong foothold in the developing industry.”
TOPICALS * TINCTURES * HONEY
* BODY LOTIONS * BATH BOMBS * SHOWER GEL
BUBBLE BATH * BATH SOAPS * CARAMELS * TAFFY * TOFFEE * GUMMIES
AK Slow Burn Hollyweed 907 Uncle Herbs, Anchorage Uncle Herbs, Homer Ulmer’s Drug & Hardware Useful Things Alaskan Sweet Vapes High Bush Buds Lucky Raven Cannabis Corner Alaska Fireweed Alaskan Kush Company Bristol Bay Bud Company Denali Grass Co. Alaskan Grower East Rip Enlighten Alaska Fat Tops Great Northern Cannabis, 4th Ave. Great Northern Cannabis, Dimond Ave. Hillside Natural Wellness House of Green Kenai River Cannabis Red Run Cannabis Company Majestic Garden Matanuska Cannabis Company Releaf Alaska Nome Grown Pine Street Cannabis Co., Sterling Pine Street Cannabis Co., Soldotna Secret Garden Cannabis The 420 The Green Room AK The Herbal Cache The Mason Jar Tundra Herb Company Pipe & Leaf Alaska’s Green Light District Arctic Herbery Country Cannabis Cold Smoke Denali Dispensaries Green Raven King Street Cannabis Co. Mary Janes Cannabis Emporium Scorpion Grass Company The Tufted Puffin Alaskan Cannabis Outfitters
Linsey Cullen
ALASKA LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH
GREEN DEGREE 0492, 2301 S KNIK-GOOSE BAY, WASILLA (907) 376-3155 GM@GREENDEGREE.NET NEWSITE.GREENDEGREE.NET
SO, HAS IT BEEN A LIFELONG DREAM TO BE NAMED BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH FOR ALASKA LEAF? (Laughs) You know, I’m really happy about it! I’ve never been chosen for anything like this, but I’m pleasantly surprised.
WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES A QUALITY BUDTENDER? It’s the way you connect with people. I’m always trying to find the right fit for their needs. I like to have a conversation with them and get to know them on a personal level, rather than treating them with the ‘get them in and out’ mentality.
WHAT ARE YOU HITTING ON THESE DAYS? My absolute favorite is DJ Short Blueberry. It’s a flower grown by Frontier Farmers.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD SOMEONE COME THROUGH THE DOOR WHO HAS NEVER TRIED CANNABIS BEFORE? Yes, all the time! I absolutely love when that happens. I try to find something fun for them that’s not going to scare them off and just kind of go from there. People can be intimidated, so there’s a level of trust that I take seriously. Then they come back and ask me what they should be trying next and I know the advice was valid. It’s important to make sure their first experience is a positive one.
SARAH PALIN IS FROM WASILLA. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN HER AROUND TOWN ROCKING A MOOSE HAT? I have seen her around a couple times when I was younger. It would be cool if she popped into Green Degree at some point.
DO YOU OWN A MOOSE HAT? I own a bear hat, actually.
A REAL BEAR? No, it’s like a stuffed animal bear head that I got at some tourist spot. They’ve got some pretty cool tourist stuff around here.
ARE YOU GLAD THERE AREN’T A LOT OF NEBRASKANS ASKING WHERE THE NEAREST BATHROOM IS THIS YEAR? I know there are some places struggling because of the lack of tourism and that sucks, but on a personal level, having some extra space is very nice.
Q&A MoMo ' s Bakery
Maureen Eberhard | Founder
MOMO'S BAKERY
2917 Spenard Road #102 Anchorage, Alaska Instagram @MoMosBakery
TELL ME ABOUT THE GENESIS OF MOMO’S BAKERY - HOW DID YOU START IT AND WITH WHAT IDEOLOGY? Well, we just thought it would be a fun thing to start making edibles, because they are so delicious. Then, as legalization came, we wanted to open a small bakery with a little storefront, so people could swing in as if they were buying a doughnut. And my nephew had always called me Auntie Momo, as well as some friends. So we figured that would be a catchy name and we went with it. In 2015, we started working on everything.
DID YOU INVENT NEW RECIPES, OR DID YOU GO WITH THE TRIED AND TRUE ONES RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE? Most of the recipes are older. A number of them were my grandmother’s recipe, we have a couple from my mom and a couple are mine. We just played around with them and came up with what we’ve got now. You should have some, they are delicious.
BRING IT! And it was just the natural thing to go into for business because I love baking and Cannabis.
NOW THAT WE’RE WELL INTO LEGALIZATION, WHERE DO YOU SEE THE MARKET GOING? Up! When we started, we got overwhelmed with trying to fill orders because we were only one of two companies doing edibles in the market. The other company did some terrible things and got shut down, and we weren’t expecting that, so the beginning was very stressful. But then once more people started opening businesses - which created more competition with more choices - we saw it as a benefit for the general public and for us as a company. We always saw ourselves as a small boutique company with quality baked goods. We don’t care about opening five operations across the state, we just want to have a nice life and make good products to make people happy.
WHEN ALL THE TASTY TREATS ARE CREATED AND PACKAGED ON THE SHELVES, WHAT DOES MAUREEN DO FOR FUN? I like to bike ride all over Anchorage on my Fat Tire. And yoga has really helped me through the process of developing the business, because it can be stressful. Yoga totally centers me.
YOU’RE A RENAISSANCE WOMAN. (Laughs) Oh, really? (Laughs again) I don’t know.
NO? No.
