STONER OWNER

JACKSON M C CORMACK NATURAL WONDERS

As the owner of Natural Wonders, a Southeast Portland spot that predates the OLCC-regulated recreational market, Jackson McCormack is, in the parlance of our times, an Oregon OG. We connected with McCormack in May to discuss his history with the Cannabis plant and to get his take on the industry and some of the products he’s been digging lately.

WHAT INITIALLY DREW YOU TO THE CANNABIS PLANT? I had a lot of different experiences with Cannabis growing up, but I really became drawn to the plant while in Ashland attending Southern Oregon University. This was the first time I regularly consumed, the first time I saw a Cannabis plant and where I first rolled both a blunt and a joint. I had a good friend at school get involved with the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, and it wasn’t long until I was a caregiver and grower for registered patients of my own. The medical usage of Cannabis was fascinating to me, as was the cultivation. Ashland is the perfect place to learn about the plant, and I took my new passion home when I moved back to Portland and continued working with OMMP patients.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU FACE WORKING IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY? I would say the biggest general obstacles have been banking and taxes. Retail is one of the most impacted Cannabis businesses when it comes to draconian codes like 280e, where businesses like ours aren’t able to deduct normal expenses. The extreme effective tax rates are compounded by banking options that are littered with fees, overzealous reporting and inspection requirements - and limited overall. Oregon also presents some unique challenges because it has an unlimited investment pool, allowing out of state and even foreign investors into a market that can only sell products to people physically in Oregon. Large groups have spent millions acquiring smaller, locally owned businesses and saturating the market with low grade offerings that drive down the value of similar, high quality options that are only related in name.

“ALL OF OUR GROWERS ACTUALLY STARTED OUT GROWING FOR MEDICAL PATIENTS, AND I THINK THESE COMMON ROOTS SHOW THROUGH.”

WHAT TYPES OF PRODUCTS DO YOU CONSUME MOST FREQUENTLY? ANY FAVORITES? Flower and dabbable products are my preferred consumption methods, and honestly, Eugreen has been on a tear. Consistently showcasing a broad range of flower profiles that range from offensive to effervescent. Speaking of offensive, I’ve been especially enjoying their Donny Burger - my current batch reeks like body odor and burns like hash, which sounds as great to some as it does terrible to others. For dabs, like flower, we only work with a few companies. I’m usually digging into whatever I can convince Echo Electuary to put into an OMMP ‘bucket’ (3-5g in one container), and when it comes to live resin, currently a Garlic Poop collaboration with Gadsden Gardens. On the solventless side I can’t help but try just about every new offering by Bo’s Nose Knows or Happy Cabbage, and we were spoiled enough to get a drop of the single source Elephant Ears by Eastwood Gardens and Terp Herder. The award winning Purple Petals 6* hash rosin batter by Happy Cabbage is currently on my table. Next project is getting some of these options into buckets.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MOST IMPORTANT KEYS TO SUCCESS IN THE CANNABIS RETAIL GAME? Building relationships. Relationships with vendors, relationships with consumers, and relationships between the two of them. We’ve worked with many of our vendors for years. Green Source Gardens, who we hold up as the standard for sustainable cultivation in Cannabis, has been a farm we’ve worked with since this industry was for medical patients only. All of our growers actually started out growing for medical patients, and I think these common roots show through. Echo Electuary and Dirty Arm Farms were only in a few stores when they started dropping live resin off to us, and they’re still the ones we rely on to fill that shelf space. Deschutes Growery, who released the MAC 1 exclusively at our shop in early 2018 has blessed us with exclusive clone releases this year. Honestly, the list of ways our vendors have helped us build success is wildly extensive.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PEOPLE LOOKING TO GET INTO THIS INDUSTRY? Get organized. That probably should be listed under the keys to success right alongside building relationships. If we didn’t have my business partner (and wife) Hannah building organizational tools, we would be lost. The life of an entrepreneur in an emerging industry that’s treated like the mafia is relentless, and the workload will grow exponentially without some foundational organization.

A Stoner Owner is a Cannabis business owner who has a relationship with the plant. We want to buy and smoke Cannabis from companies that care about their products, employees and the plant. You wouldn’t buy food from a restaurant where the cooks don’t eat in the kitchen, so why buy corporate weed grown by a company only concerned with profits? Stoner Owner approval means a company cares, and we love weed grown with care. Look for the Stoner Owner stamp when purchasing fine Cannabis, and let’s retake our culture and reshape a stigma by honoring those who grow, process and sell the best Cannabis possible.

Hunter Cullen OREGON LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH

GRASSLANDS DISPENSARY is situated just a few blocks from the heart of Eugene’s colorful Whiteaker neighborhood. Inside of the vibrant exterior walls sits an intimate bud room with compassionately-priced products. Everything is neatly organized behind a small, L-shaped counter, and while the shop is currently only accepting curbside pickup, staff like Hunter Cullen are there to provide attentive service and smokin’ deals.

“I’M AN EAST COAST KID THAT MADE IT MY GOAL TO SURROUND MYSELF WITH THE BEST MEDICINAL QUALITY CANNABIS

POSSIBLE OVER THE LAST DECADE OR SO.” HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BUDTENDING AND HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INTO THE INDUSTRY? Grasslands was my first legal weed job and I’ve been budtending here for a little over two years now. I’m an East Coast kid that made it my goal to surround myself with the best medicinal quality Cannabis possible over the last decade or so. I visited a few different recreational states and Oregon was hands down my favorite. Moving to Eugene and joining the industry here was a no brainer for me! WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCERS AND WHAT PRODUCTS DO YOU ENJOY IN PARTICULAR? Eugreen No-Till, Tao Gardens, Nelson & Company, Bo’s Nose Knows, Echo Electuary. Any product that is small batch is usually extra dank and a little more enjoyable. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF MORE OF A MEDICAL OR RECREATIONAL CONSUMER? WHY? I started smoking Cannabis to deal with back and knee pain from playing sports. It quickly became a sleep enhancer, appetite stimulator and mood stabilizer. I honestly don’t think I could function without it now. I’ll always consider myself a medical consumer. WHAT MAKES A GOOD BUDTENDER? Someone that has vast knowledge about the products and strains you have on the shelf, but also will take the time to talk to a customer and find out what they’re really looking for in a certain strain or product. Sometimes a little patience goes a long way. WHAT MAKES GRASSLANDS DIFFERENT? WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT WORKING THERE? We consistently have the most compassionate prices in the state, while only trying to focus on having quality products on the shelf. We truly care about the customer’s experience and the value they receive. I love the staff at Grasslands - it’s fun being surrounded by like-minded people who are just as crazy about weed as you are. WHAT PROTOCOLS HAVE YOUR SHOP ADOPTED DURING THE PANDEMIC? (DELIVERY, CURBSIDE, LIMITED CUSTOMERS, ETC.) HOW HAS IT CHANGED YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH PATRONS? We have strictly been doing curbside delivery during the pandemic to limit the exposure for both our patrons and employees. If anything, I would say our relationship with patrons has only gotten stronger - it’s awesome how appreciative and supportive some of them have been during these trying times. AS SOMEONE THAT SERVES THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN A (RELATIVELY) YOUNG INDUSTRY, THERE’S BOUND TO BE SOME MISINFORMATION. ARE THERE ANY MISCONCEPTIONS THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SEE THE CANNABIS COMMUNITY DO AWAY WITH? The thing that frustrates me the most is the emphasis on THC testing versus the lack of interest in terpenes that most consumers have. At Grasslands we do our best to educate everyone about the role that terpenes and other cannabinoids play, and that it’s not all about the THC percentage. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BUDTENDING AT GRASSLANDS? I love getting to interact with other stoners all day, haha. Smelling several different types of strains a day also never gets old for me. The other budtenders catch me with my nose in the jar quite a few times throughout the day. WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED METHOD OF CONSUMPTION? I enjoy every method of consuming and they all have their own individual benefits, but I think smoking flower will always be my favorite. Something about the nostalgia that takes me back to 2010 when my love for Cannabis started. GRASSLANDS 154 LAWRENCE STREET EUGENE, OREGON (541) 505-9209 GRASSLANDSDISPENSARY.COM