Sensi Magazine - Southern Colorado (September 2018)

A W NORM THE NE AD N COLOR

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y t i l a t i p s o H h Hig the Airbnb The good, the bad,

Colorado

s t c i r t s i D e v i t Crea artistic enclaves Touring the state’s

s u l p { }

SOUTHER

L

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sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 5

6 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

ISSUE 9 // VOLUME 2 // 9.2018

28

GET CREATIVE Colorado’s certified creative districts are all around us and so worth a visit.

FEATURES 34

SP EC IAL R EP OR T

Big Ideas

Are concentrates taking over the marijuana market?

40 So You Want To Be

An Airbnb Host

Plan on getting to know humanity better than you might want to.

every issue 09 Editor’s Note 10 The Buzz 16 CrossRoads

GRASS LANDS

22 TasteBuds

PREP SCHOOL

28 TravelWell

GET CREATIVE

50 HereWeGo

GOLDEN EYE

16

Sensi magazine is published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2018 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 7

sensi magazine ISSUE 9 VOLUME 2 9.2018

EXECUTIVE FOLLOW US

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Tae Darnell tae@sensimag.com PRESIDENT, SENSI MEDIA GROUP

Alex Martinez alex@sensimag.com CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

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EDITORIAL Stephanie Wilson stephanie@sensimag.com EDITOR IN CHIEF

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Jamie Ezra Mark, Rheya Tanner, Wendy Mak Josh Clark, Deb Matlock akers@sensimag.com DESIGN & LAYOUT

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BUSINESS & A D M I N I S T R AT I V E Sarah Hall sarah.hall@sensimag.com PUBLISHER

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Hector Irizarry hector@sensimag.com DISTRIBUTION

M E D I A PA RT N E R S Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy

8 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

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Culture

editor’s

NOTE

So in August, my dad came to town and may or may not have tried cannabis for the first time ever. (Disclaimer: he won’t like that I’m sharing this story, hence the qualifier.) It may or may not have been half of a Wana gummy, which are my favorite.

We picked up the edible at Simply Pure dispensary in LoHi, where the very first issue of Sensi is framed and hanging on the wall, displaying the magnificent cheekbones of Simply Pure’s proprietor Wanda James, our first cover subject. Lots of firsts happening here.

So we go back to my dad’s RV—a 44-foot Winnebago Tour he drives across the country every summer—and have some dinner, some wine, and then his girlfriend and I pop a full 10 milligram serving to my dad’s 5 milligrams. About 45 minutes later, she and I are doubled over on the couch with the giggles, laughing at nothing and everything in that super fun way that getting a little lifted can make you do. My father looked at us with a not-exactly-bemused expression and told us we were faking. He had been told his whole life that cannabis was bad, and even though he’s a proud papa telling strangers he meets across the country that his daughter is the editor of a “weed magazine” (more on that later), he’s been inundated with the negative messages and he was physically unable to allow himself to enjoy trying it.

But he tried it. Baby steps. That’s what we’re seeing across the nation every day: baby steps away from prohibition. We saw it out at Outside Lands in San Francisco last month, where there was a whole Grass Lands section dedicated to cannabis. Sure, you couldn’t buy pot there nor could you consume it—hell, they wouldn’t even allow you to bring alcohol into the area—but it existed. Baby steps.

At Sensi, we’re all about those baby steps, about showcasing what we call the New Normal to an ever-wider audience of curious consumers. And we do so by integrating cannabis-centric pieces into a magazine filled with information about what’s happening around the city and the state, with engaging lifestyle content designed to draw the reader in, give them a moment of respite. This particular issue is, in my opinion, one of the finest examples of that mix to date. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed making it. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it either way.

Happy reading,

Stephanie Wilson E D I TO R I N C H I E F SENSI MAGAZINE

sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 9

THE NEW NORMAL

sensi

buzz

ART

Get Your Own Creative On Get making; it’s good for you. Studies have found that crafting is a stress-relieving, mood-boosting, sadness-busting way to increase happiness—in part because some types of crafting activities are exercises in mindfulness. A survey of knitters published in The British Journal of Occupational Therapy concluded that knitting made people feel happier—even those suffering from clinical depression. Another study, sponsored by the American Home Sewing & Craft Association, found that sewing helps people relax so much, it even lowers heart rates.

The crafting community is alive in Southern Colorado— and for once, we’re not just talking about craft beer. Here are some of the top-rated spots where you can head to bust some stress and learn a new creative outlet.

Cottonwood Center for the Arts, Colorado Springs Classes: No Throw: Clay Handbuilding Mondays, Sept. 3–24

How They Describe It: Before the potters wheel was invented, ancient artisans hand-built both functional and decorative pottery utilizing three main techniques in clay: pinch pots, coil building, and slab construction. This class will be a project-based class where each week we will explore in depth these three ways to make pottery without using the pottery wheel. In addition to the construction techniques, you will also learn how to wedge, fire, and glaze your work. COTTONWOODCENTERFORTHEARTS.COM 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

Textiles West @ Manitou Art Center, Manitou Springs Workshop: Curious About Weaving?

Sept. 5

How They Describe It: Curious about weaving but not ready to invest in your own equipment? This class is just right for experiencing the joy of weaving. With Mary Madison, you will learn the basics of weaving on a rigid heddle loom and at the end of the day take home your very own handwoven scarf. TEXTILESWEST.ORG

Colorado Center for Metal Arts, Pueblo Class: Intro to Lapidary with Ryan Gardner Sept. 22, All Day

How They Describe It: This class will introduce you to the art of stone cutting. Ryan Gardner will show you the ins and outs to cutting cabochons while introducing students to the equipment used in the process. He will show the proper use of slab saws, grinding machines, flat laps, and buffing machines. This class will focus on cutting cabochons from rough material that will be provided. However, students are welcome to bring material they have questions about or –Stephanie Wilson want to try cutting.

COLORADOCENTERFORMETAL ARTS.COM

D R I N K + P L AY

Raise a Glass to Heritage

It’s September, which means it’s…Oktoberfest, obvi. Celebrate the

local ales and flavors at the 4th annual Heritage Brew Festival. On Saturday, Sept. 29, the Heritage Center puts on a fun-filled day, bringing together more than 30 local brewers and a thousand attendees.

There’s live music from Tejon Streetcorner Thieves, the Ruxton Railsplitters, Joe Johnson, and Big Sky, plus it’s sponsored by one of the few recreational dispensaries in the area: Emerald Fields. The outdoor festival opens its gates at noon for VIP guests, 1 p.m. for general admission, and tickets start at $32.50 on EVENTBRITE.COM . You can find more info at MANITOUSPRINGSHERITAGECENTER.ORG.

–SW

Words Matter

“Culture does not make people.

People make culture.”

—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 11

THE NEW NORMAL

sensi

buzz

Up for the Challenge?

HIKING

On September 8, the annual Pikes Peak Challenge has what they call “a summit for everyone.”

The body-moving day is put on by the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado, which organizes four ways for people to get involved: there’s a race up to the summit of America’s Mountain, a 13-mile Barr Camp Hike, a two-mile Mainitou Springs

12 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

Walk, or a Virtual Challenge. All of the happenings are designed to inspire people and to raise money to support those living with a brain injury in Colorado.

Get involved, form a team, get out there, and enjoy the local scenery while supporting the people in –SW your community.

PIKESPEAKCHALLENGE.COM

ART

Color Me Happy A recommendation, if you’re the type of person who likes colors or who likes order. Bonus points if you like color AND order. Download “I Love Hue,” available on the App Store and on Google Play. It’s a “gentle journey into color and perception” that involves putting blocks of varying hues into order, and it’s simultaneously calming and addicting. Don’t just take my word for it: Sensi’s creative director downloaded it and sent me this note the next morning: “I love it. I love the soft, quiet music that plays in the background when I’m building a perfect and beautiful screen, and I love the pure satisfaction and sense of joy I feel once I put together the perfect palette…” And she hadn’t even gotten to the level where the app rewards you with compliments, calling you a magnificent unicorn and iridescent moonbeam.

–SW I-LOVE-HUE.COM

Local Lexicon

Fast fact: Words with Friends has added the delightful Colorado term Fourteener to its house dictionary. sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 13

14 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 15

by R I C A R D O B A C A

A summertime music festival learns to embrace cannabis.

16 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

(OPPOSITE PAGE) PHOTOS BY VIRGINIA CORTLAND / ANDREW JORGENSEN

{crossroads}

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SFOUTSIDELANDS.COM / (BELOW) PHOTOS BY JACK GORLIN / (OPPOSITE PAGE) RICARDO BACA

As I continue to document the ever-creeping normalization of legal cannabis in this column each month, the world

first-of-its-kind activation will likely be remembered as an important moment on America’s normalization timeline.

around us continues to hit new milestones in the ways in

Festival organizers Another Planet Entertainment called

which we’re accepting and even embracing this once-slan-

the area Grass Lands, unrelated to the public relations agen-

dered psychoactive plant.

cy I run called Grasslands but a nod to the simple-yet-effec-

A few years ago, a Colorado marijuana business made

tive naming convention that years before brought Outside

headlines when it was announced to be one of the largest do-

Lands festival-goers Beer Lands, Wine Lands, Choco Lands,

nors to a new outdoor amphitheater on Denver’s west side. Of

and other substance-specific retail activations.

course marijuana companies should be sponsoring music

Grass Lands included branded activations from some of Cal-

venues and their efforts in the community—that wasn’t the

ifornia marijuana’s most recognizable names, including Kiva,

newsworthy aspect that garnered the many headlines.

Flow Kana, and Jetty Extracts, yet there were no sales or (legal)

Let’s remember that back in 2015–2016, it was still rare

consumption of the plant at the center of this celebration.

for a music venue of any kind to accept donations from weed

As a sign at Grass Lands’ entrance read: “This is a celebra-

businesses. Because of their federal illegality or the lingering

tory area for the cannabis curious and connoisseur alike.

stigma or their untouchable status, whatever—many can-

While we encourage you to explore and discover, please re-

nabis businesses couldn’t even give their money away in

spect our home in Golden Gate Park, and the park-wide no

those early days.

smoking policy.”

Which brings me to this year’s Outside Lands, the annual

While park rules nixed any opportunity for cannabis con-

large-scale music festival that takes over San Francisco’s

sumption, state laws and regulations prevented retail sales

stately Golden Gate Park each summer. As some friends and

from happening at Grass Lands—making for a somewhat

I planned our four-day getaway to the Bay in August, we

precarious activation of mixed messages. A well-known chef

knew the festival was marking its home state’s first year of

and curator of marijuana-infused dinners was selling unin-

legal adult-use cannabis sales in a

fused meals in Grass Lands, while one of the world’s largest

big way, and sure enough their

edibles brands served up uninfused samples of choco-

sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 17

late-covered blueberries and mints that are normally infused

nicotine while cannabis kills 0 Americans (according to the

with pot.

Center for Disease Control, no less), let’s take a step back and

The Aug. 10 San Francisco Chronicle headline went straight to the core of the perplexing-to-many issue: “Pot at Outside Lands: You can smell, but you can’t buy.”

recognize this for what it is.

Outside Lands draws more than 60,000 people each year, so it’s a massive fest á la Coachella or Jazz Fest. This year’s

And while most people reading this magazine understand

headliners were A-listers Janet Jackson, the Weeknd, and

the ridiculous hypocrisy here, as more than a half a million

Florence + the Machine. And this mainstream event is em-

Americans die each year from alcohol and

bracing marijuana as much as the law will allow them to, less

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(OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM LEFT) PHOTOS BY TOM TOMKINSON / RICARDO BACA / JOSH WITHERS

than eight months after recreational cannabis became the

regulate the cannabis space will more accurately reflect the

law of the land in California.

plant itself, which isn’t without its risks—though those risks

By celebrating weed alongside beer and coffee, cheese and wine, the progressive promoters behind Outside Lands

pale in comparison to those belonging to many other recreational substances.

were telling attendees (and those following along at home

Think about how we’ll all laugh at Outside Lands in 2021 as

on Instagram and YouTube) that cannabis deserves a place at

we think back to the 2018 fest that didn’t allow the consump-

the table, that marijuana deserves a sanctioned place at the

tion or sale of cannabis on-site. Surely the state of California

music festival.

will have figured out some way to permit consumption beyond

And that’s meaningful cultural change, friends.

state fairgrounds by then, and it might also figure out a way for

It’s also a situation of baby steps, a.k.a. having to start

retail sales to happen on festival grounds, too.

somewhere. Marijuana is currently one of the most highly

Just imagine having a package of edibles and a vapor pen

regulated industries in the world, but these often-ridiculous

delivered to you in the VIP section of a future festival, a trans-

regs—the result of decades of government-peddled misin-

action managed effortlessly via Apple Pay. Now that’s a fu-

formation and propaganda—are slowly starting to give way

ture I can get behind.

to experience- and reality-based rules that are more befitting of this still-new industry.

It’s going to take some time, but eventually the rules that

RICARDO BACA is a veteran journalist, thought leade,r and founder of The Cannabist.

His content agency Grasslands works primarily with businesses and individuals in the cannabis and hemp industries on thought leadership, publicity, and marketing projects via thoughtful, personalized content campaigns.

sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 19

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{tastebuds}

by J O H N L E H N D O R F F

22 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

PREP SCHOOL

At age 64, a food writer returns to the kitchen to sauté and ponder.

It is 7:01 a.m. on a summer Friday as I clock into the

This isn’t how my particular American Dream was sup-

Front Range catering kitchen lit by fluorescent lights. I am

posed to be progressing at the age of 64. I haven’t worked

in uniform: an all-black outfit, a pristine white apron. I set

in a commercial kitchen since I cooked in Boulder restau-

up a cutting board at my station—a stainless-steel ta-

rants during the first Reagan administration in the early

ble—and pull out my knives.

1980s. I used to have post-kitchen nightmares about be-

“John, ignore the prep list. We need 58 lunch boxes set up stat.”

ing chained to a fryer making onion rings for eternity.

It’s a last-minute lunch order. It means grabbing 58 flat

Back then, I burned my greasy cooking clothes on a front

boxes and setting them up on stainless-steel counters,

stoop hibachi and swore I’d never cook again.

with 58 paper liners, 58 forks, 58 individually bagged pick-

I won’t bore you with the life circumstances that brought

les, chips, cookies, and various California club and grilled

me here, but I found myself between a rock and an even

vegetable sandwiches on ciabatta rolls. They get closed,

harder financial place. I couldn’t make enough as a writer

taped, labeled, stacked, and wrapped on sheet pans.

to pay the bills. I realized that the only non-writing skill I

Now I can move on to the prep list, a sheet of culinary

had to sell was cooking. I e-mailed a large catering compa-

tasks I need to accomplish today. I will be on my feet until

ny. I wasn’t even sure that I would hire me: an old, slow, big

5 p.m., working continually except for a restroom break. I

guy with an aversion to authority figures and recipes.

hate standing all day.

My selling points were that I had a food encyclopedia in

First task on the prep list: pack up Caesar salad compo-

my head and already knew the peculiar language and lex-

nents for 40 people. That involves separating 32 eggs to

icon of the working kitchen. Compared to the 25-year-old

emulsify into Caesar dressing using a “hand” mixer the

me, I’m an on-time professional who is dependable and

size of a small outboard motor, weighing out 4 pounds of

used to working extra-long days, albeit sitting down. My

anchovies, shredding blocks of Parmesan cheese, and

final selling point was my salary requirements. “I want to

squeezing a quart of fresh lemon juice. Next step: cutting

make whatever you are paying,” I said.

large focaccia loaves into cubes and toasting them into

Honestly, I never thought I’d last two weeks, never mind

croutons as well as trimming, chopping, and washing ro-

five months. I’ve got some gimpy 64-year-old conditions

maine lettuce then drying it in a giant salad spinner.

including arthritis, worn knees, neuropathy, old rotator sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 23

cuff and elbow injuries, and a year-old hernia that make standing up all day and lifting heavy things seem like a bad idea.

To my surprise, I have found that I can stand up, chop, fry, and sauté for eight or more hours, but not without significant discomfort and pain. Thank goodness for NSAIDS and CBD. I’m grateful the company gave me a chance, and the owners are happy because people willing to work in food service are hard to come by these days. Why peel potatoes when you can make $3 more an hour trimming buds for a dispensary?

Next prep list item: 5 pounds of fruit salad. That means hauling watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, and strawberries from the bedroom-sized walk-in cooler to my table. I stand and peel, scoop, and cut the fruit in semi-identical small cubes, then add grapes and blueberries. Pack it all into clear 1 quart plastic containers, labeled, dated, and color coded. Then I clean up for the umpteenth time this day. I make a delicious fruit salad.

The quantities are just staggering. We’ll make 150 tomato-basil-mozzarella skewers, 200 bacon-wrapped figs, or 100 spring rolls. It’s like Groundhog Day all over again as the tasks repeat.

That means hauling watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, and strawberries from the bedroom-sized walk-in cooler to my table.

As I chop, I’m enveloped by the aroma of the 30 pounds of bacon on parchment paper-covered pans in the oven behind me. It’s sweltering. I hate being hot, but the cacophony distracts me. The background roar of the overhead hood is joined by the syncopated pounding of chicken breasts with a metal hammer on a stainless steel table to make 150 rollatini for a seated dinner.

A funny thing happened to me on the way to making $11 an hour as a prep cook. I started enjoying it. I love working with food, learning about food, tasting food, and talking about it. I’m also in the best shape I’ve been in years. I tell folks that I have a personal trainer who drives me relentlessly 8 to 10 hours a day, three days a week. A 5-gallon bucket of pickle spears in brine is a major walking deadlift from the walk-in to the kitchen.

This kitchen is a friggin’ dietary gauntlet but wearing bright blue gloves makes it all seem rather clinical. I have lost 15-plus pounds, which makes my feet hurt less.

I work a nose-length from the pastry chefs making bars, tarts, cakes, cookies, and buttery biscuits almost every day. M&M’s, bags of white, milk and dark chocolate, bins of every kind of nut and dried fruit fill the pantry. I try to ignore it all.

After working as a journalist alone at my home desk, it’s nice to have coworkers. Many are young enough to be my kids, and they all work incredibly hard. I’m happy that the banter is much less sexist than it was 30 years ago and that the staff includes many women. I enjoy my kitchen role as know-it-all 24 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

music historian. I have also learned more about Mexican ranchera music and operatic heavy metal than I ever expected.

I am the oldest cook in the kitchen, but I’m not the oldest worker. Our chief dishwasher, a rock star who faces down soul-crushing piles of dishes and pots each week, just turned 68. He also has a second dishwashing job. Cooks have come and gone in my short time here, and even the chef who hired me has moved on.

One of the nice things about the job is that a staff meal is served to everyone. One day, it was steak and eggs. Literally. Other days, there have been excellent pulled pork tacos and salad. There were pancakes and bacon one Saturday morning, served on china plates with metal utensils.

There’s only one catch: Nobody in the kitchen sits down to eat. You eat on the run at your station.

I bring my unprofessional knives from home because this job involves working ingredients from scratch. If you need 10 pounds of shredded carrots, you don’t open a nag. You peel carrots and push them by hand through a Japanese steel mandolin slicer. I have shed considerable blood using it and visit the first aid box often.

Kitchens are dangerous places. I’ve cut and bruised myself more times than I can count on my oft-singed fingers. People have expertly sharp knives in their hands all day long. “The line” is a wall of ovens, grills, and stoves pouring out heat. Boiling soups get splashed.

That’s why you hear a steady patter of shouts all day long. “Corner!”

“Hot!” “Knife!” “Caliente!” “Behind!” And the ever-popular “Hot! Behind!”

Cooks compare scars and burns like soldiers bragging about past battles. “Want to see my blisters?” asked one cook, almost cheerful. Injuries that would send most people screaming to urgent care merely get shrugged off. You bandage up and get back to making quinoa salad for a vegan wedding.

Final prep item: 10 pounds of tortilla chips. First, get 13 or 14 pounds of corn tortillas and cut them into sixths. Grab some kosher salt and hotel pans. You can’t get too casual when you are leaning over two vats of boiling vegetable oil, filling baskets with corn triangles and eventually pulling up chips neither underdone nor too brown that are salted while still warm.

Listen: I know a modern kitchen is no country for old men. At the end of a 9-hour chop-a-thon, I feel like I’ve been mugged. However, I persist. If

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another job comes along and I have to leave the kitchen, I’ll miss it and need to replace what it does for me…well, except for the pain part.

On this Labor Day, I think about all the folks in kitchens all over the nation, sweating over our dinner. They do honorable work. The next time you eat out, tip the kitchen or buy a round of drinks for the prep cooks. Trust

@RMEXTRACTS

me: they deserve it.

RMEXTRACTS.COM

JOHN LEHNDORFF’s favorite cooking moments were catering a Boulder party and serving his chicken cacciatore to Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs.

INFO@RMEXTRACTS.COM sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 25

26 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 27

{travelwell}

by C A I T L I N D AV I E S

Colorado’s certified creative districts are all around us and so worth a visit.

28 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

(Top) Downtown Telluride (Bottom Left) Golfing in Telluride (Bottom Right) Cave of the Winds

There’s something inspiring about the mountains, isn’t there? The stunning scenery, the fresh air, the open-minded citizens who voted to make the state of Colorado the first to legalize cannabis for adult use…the Centennial State is certainly a source of inspiration for artists of all types. And those artists are a boon

are promising: $1 billion in creative industry earnings; a cre-

for the state’s economy.

ative workforce of 13,098; and 2.8 million visitors to the var-

PHOTOS BY MATT INDEN

So much so that the Colorado Office

ious districts. Not too shabby.

of Economic Development (COED) went

So what is it, exactly, that makes an artsy neighborhood

ahead and started the Colorado Creative

an official creative district, you ask? Well, a Creative District—

District program earlier this decade.

proper noun—has to be a “contiguous area” that includes a

Since 2012, the Colorado Creative In-

mix of uses within its boundaries; it’s got to be walkable, and

dustries division of COED has created

distinguished by physical, artistic, and cultural resources. It

21 official Creative Districts across the

has to have a concentration of arts and cultural organizations

state with three distinct purposes: cre-

and creative enterprises. It’s got to have a mix of non-arts-

ate hubs and clusters of economic ac-

centric businesses such as restaurants, retail, housing, or

tivity; promote a community’s unique

lodging. And then it, of course, has to have vigorous arts and

identity; and enhance areas as appeal-

cultural activity: arts walks, festivals, concerts, community

ing places to live, conduct business, and

gatherings—all the sorts of things you visit the arts neigh-

attract visitors.

borhoods to experience.

These official districts are divided into what the organiza-

One of the newest districts to be certified in 2018 is Man-

tion describes as 6 creative economy enterprise subgroups:

itou Springs, which launched with a tag line that lets the

design; film and media; literary and publishing; performing

world know that just because the designation is new doesn’t

arts; and visual arts and crafts. The division has tracked the

mean the creativity flowing through its central business cor-

numbers since the inception of the program, and the results

ridor is: “Always Was. Always Will Be.” sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 29

The first big project in the works for the new district is a bigger and brighter holiday lighting plan, with a different aspect of the city being highlighted each year.

There’s also a city-wide Creek Walk in the works through Plan Manitou. The Creative District is supporting the effort through grant-writing and involvement in the design process. The vision is for a multi-themed outdoor experience that incorporates nature, health and wellness, and artistic elements to provide an alternative way to navigate the community. There’s also a much-needed broadband initiative push coordinated by the creative industries, which recognizes the economic benefit potential that high-speed internet access will bring to the area.

The town of Crested Butte was certified as a Creative District in June 2016, along with Breckenridge, Carbondale, Fort Collins, Golden Triangle, and Mancos. The charming mountain town has long called to the creative type, earning a reputation as a gathering place for artists of all mediums—and for art admirers as well, who flock to the small community throughout the year. Mother Nature uses the area as a canvas, blanketing the rolling landscape with a dizzying array of wildflowers during the summer months and with foot after foot of blinding-white powder throughout the winter. Now, there’s a new heart for the creative district in the works: the Center for the Arts Crested Butte, a 31-year-old organization, is in the midst of constructing a new $12.5 million, 18,000-square-foot building that will house a theater, two dance studios, an art studio, gallery space, and a kitchen for culinary demos by top local chefs. It’s slated to be completed in January 2019, so you can take advantage of the new offerings during a winter ski trip or a visit during next year’s annual Wild30 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

MAIN PHOTOS BY MATT INDEN / ADDITIONAL PHOTOS (CENTER) COURTESY OF COLORADOCREATIVEINDUSTRIES.ORG

Crested Butte

flower Festival, which takes place every July. Tip: best Airbnb’s

but not estimated to be completed entirely until 2024, is set

book up quickly, so it’s worth staking a spot now.

to host museum-quality exhibitions, a screening room/per-

In Telluride, one of the first and by far one of the most ro-

forming arts/lecture hall, with plenty of gathering space to

bust of the state’s Creative Districts, another new center for

boot. It’s going to be able to host up to four concurrent events,

the arts is emerging right in the heart of the town. The Tellu-

mixing public and private affairs with local and tourist-driven

ride Transfer Warehouse, a 1906 sandstone structure that’s

happenings, just as Telluride manages to serve the two

been roofless and deteriorating since 1978, is undergoing

seemingly disparate groups without friction during its ongo-

transformation into what’s being billed as a world-class

ing, annual happenings that bring people to the most pictur-

home for the arts, thanks to an undertaking by the Telluride

esque of Colorado’s mountain towns, or as one friend de-

Arts organization. The new space, under construction now

scribes it: “My favorite cul-de-sac.”

Crested Butte

COLORADO CERTIFIED CREATIVE DISTRICTS _____________________________

40 West Arts District, Lakewood Breckenridge Arts District Carbondale Creative District Colorado Springs Creative District Corazon de Trinidad Creative District Crested Butte Creative District Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe Fort Collins Creative District Golden Triangle Creative District Grand Lake Creative District Greeley Creative District Longmont Arts & Entertainment District Mancos Creative District North Fork Valley Creative District Pueblo Creative Corridor Ridgway Creative District RiNo Art District Denver Salida Creative District Steamboat Springs Arts District Telluride Arts District Westwood Creative District

sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 31

32 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 33

BGI SPECIAL REPORT

Are concentrates taking over the marijuana market? The popularity of vaporizers and concentrates have created new products and delivery methods for users. As we move ahead, will we be passing the joint or heating the pipe?

by L E L A N D R U CK E R

34 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

DEAS AS THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO GROW AND MA-

TURE, SALES OF LOOSE FLOWER, OR BUD MARIJUANA, contin-

ue to decline ,

WHILE PRODUCTS MADE WITH CANNABIS

OIL ARE ON THE RISE. AND THAT HAS LED TO DISCUSSIONS AND SOME DEBATE ABOUT WHETHER CONCENTRATES WILL ULTIMATELY

supplant flower/bud

AS THE MAJOR DELIV-

ERY METHOD FOR CANNABIS USERS. It’s an interesting discussion because it has to do with what products will drive marijuana sales in the future. For many erstwhile American cannabis users, flower marijuana, crushed and usually smoked through a pipe, is the accepted, and for many years, pretty much the only way to ingest and enjoy cannabis.

Today that’s completely changed. Technically, a cannabis concentrate is any product made from cannabis oil extracted from the plant with solvents like butane, CO2, and ethanol. This includes a wide array of products. Vaporizers that

turn oil into vapor instead of smoke, especially the portable ones, have really caught on. Edible candies, gummies, and chocolates are infused with cannabis oil, as well as the growing number of tinctures, salves, ointments, sublinguals, and suppositories that many medical patients are finding useful.

But when most people talk about concentrates, they are referring to the high-potency substances derived from hash oil—budder, shatter, wax, rosin, hash, live resin, kief, etc.—that are extracted by using butane and are more commonly known as dabs. Shatter and wax dabbing products can test at up to 90–95 percent THC, while most flower products these days range from 15 to 30 percent THC. Dabbing gives the user a powerful, concentrated dosage and requires special preparation and equipment for proper use. Some dabbers use torches to heat special glass pipes, while others incorporate e-nails, powered by electricity or batteries, to get the desired consistency and temperature. A proper dab rig can cost hundreds of dollars. sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 35

That cannabis-oil products in general, especially vaporiz-

“Marijuana was so often the means of introduction, and

ers, are becoming more popular is without question. “There

there is a certain intimacy that I think fuels that commu-

is no doubt that concentrate sales have been on a tear, thanks

nity thing, the sharing of a joint with a person you don’t

in large part to the popularity of vape products and the prolif-

know,” says attorney Judd Golden, a longtime user and for-

eration of competitors and choices in the category,” explains

mer member of NORML. “It has lots of social reinforce-

Greg Shoenfeld, vice president of operations for BDS Analyt-

ment, and I think it helped make the experience of that

ics, which follows cannabis sales and trends in legal states.

In January 2014, when BDS began tracking sales at Colorado dispensaries, 70 percent of combined revenues across adult-use and medical dispensaries were contributed by loose flower/bud. Concentrates, the second largest category, commanded only a 15 percent share of the market. Since 2014, the concentrates share of the market has doubled as vape products have enjoyed hearty growth. Over the same time frame, flower sales have grown at a slower rate—in June 2018, flower’s share of Colorado sales was

generation, it helped fuel that spirit.”

Since 2014, the concentrates share of the market has doubled as vape products have enjoyed hearty growth.

Over the same time frame, flower sales have grown at a slower rate.

down to 43 percent.

Besides, flower marijuana just has an interesting quality, says Tyler Manning, hemp educator with Steve’s Goods, a wholesale seller of full-spectrum hempoil products. “People always enjoy breaking it down, the smell of the flower, enjoying the herb,” he says. “There is an addiction to rolling joints, and there will always be that desire.”

The number of products made from cannabis oil continues to expand. “Everybody loves flower,” says Chris Driessen, president of cannabis distributor Organa Brands, whose cannabis oil is used for O.penVAPE cartridges,

Bakked

cannabis

ex-

Data for California didn’t start becoming available until

tracts, and District Edibles. “But infused products can

March 2017, but the same trends are holding. In June of this

take on a thousand different forms and cast a much

year, flower’s share of California sales was even lower than in

wider net. Some people don’t like to smoke. Now you

Colorado, just 38 percent vs. concentrates share of 30 percent.

don’t have to. There is such a wide spectrum of uses. A

There are plenty of reasons vaporizers have become so

lot of people like to dab. Older people use topicals. They

popular, but discretion is the foremost. Currently, no state

offer much more appeal to a wider audience.”

allows public marijuana consumption, and portable va-

All cannabis use comes with some risks, but the jury is

porizers have the advantage that they emit vapor, not

still out on whether smoking bud or concentrates is safer.

smoke, making vaping an inconspicuous way to consume,

Shawn Honaker, who owns Colorado-based Yeti Farms

a must for many tourists in legal states these days.

and has been making concentrates for more than a de-

But it’s not like passing the pipe. Humans have been

cade, says that in his experience they are by far the best

smoking flower for a long time, and it’s part of the culture

way of ingestion. “It’s the safest way,” he says. “You can

that surrounds the plant, especially among the generation

take a small dab and fill your endocannabinoid system.

of Americans who grew up using it even though the US

As far as I’m concerned, they are far safer, followed by ed-

government was hell-bent on stopping us. The passing of

ibles and suppositories. I’ll smoke concentrate all day

the joint and the community that entailed has been, and

long. You don’t need the carcinogens. Plant material is not

still is, an integral part of the experience.

necessarily good for you.”

36 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

Mimi Friedman has been using cannabis to treat a va-

itive information out there on treating chronic pain with

riety of conditions, but primarily for digestive issues. After

cannabis,” he explains. “It’s not taught in medical schools,

moving to Colorado, she started using flower cannabis, but

and patients have been getting information from bud-

it wasn’t until she began dabbing concentrates that she

tenders. This is a remarkable medicine, and few people

was able to control the symptoms. She’s been using it now

know how to use it appropriately.”

for six years. “It’s allowed me to eat adult portions of solid food,” she says.

Though he recommends and advises patients on using tinctures, ointments, and vaporizers to control pain, after

Steve’s Goods owner Steven Schultheis says the sky’s

seeing younger patients dabbing concentrates, he’s

the limit for products made with THC and CBD cannabis

sounding the alarm. “The problem is that all people I

oils, and that things will only get better for consumers as

meet who dab do it all the time. They do it multiple times

we learn more about the science. “They will let us pinpoint

a day,” he says. “There is a higher risk in brains that are

what we want,” he says. “A few years from now, medicine

still developing until the mid-20s, and the people who

will be custom formulated. That’s when it will take over.”

seem to be most interested are in that age group.”

Not everybody is as enthusiastic about concentrates. Dr.

Ivker points me to a study published from Portland

Rav Ivker has a holistic practice in Boulder, Colorado, where

State University researchers that found that dabbing re-

he treats patients, mostly for respiratory problems, asthma,

sults in the production of toxic products that may cause

and allergies. Most of the patients he treats experience

significant harm to users. A University of Colorado

chronic pain, and after using it on himself after a severe

study of dabbing’s effects on young people is planned

case of shingles, he recommends cannabis for his patients.

but doesn’t have the necessary funding in place yet.

His book, Cannabis for Chronic Pain: A Proven Prescription

“We know that THC releases dopamine in your brain,”

for Using Marijuana to Relieve You Pain and Heal Your Life,

Ivker says. “Anything that affects the reward system in

was recently published by Touchstone Press.

the brain and affects dopamine can be addicting—sex, TV,

“I became a fervent believer in the healing power of

food—because they impact our reward system. It’s not as

cannabis, especially for pain, and there’s very little defin-

addicting as heroin, and it has more to do with the person

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sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 37

using the drug than the drug itself. It’s an educated guess,

prices fall, bud might regain some share. “While concen-

but at higher concentrations, it’s got to be more addicting.”

trate/vape sales continue to rise, and as the category gets

One thing that will have to improve is the rig you need to

larger,” he says, “the rate of growth slows, and we can an-

ingest concentrates properly. When I first encountered a

ticipate the angles of the trend lines straighten out further

dab rig, my first thought was that I would never use a blow-

over time.”

torch to use cannabis. “The torch is definitely what turns a lot of people off,” says Honaker. “There’s a crack connotation,

something

negative

when they think about a torch.”

Manning says it took him a while to get his mother to try a dab. To old-schoolers, rigs are expensive and harder to use than just sitting down and firing up some bud. “Even as it becomes easier to dab,” he says, “there’s still gonna be that desire to roll that joint and sit back.”

BDS’s Schoenfeld says that if trends continue, it would be reasonable to assume that concentrates will overtake

Technology will improve and easi-

[if] trends continue, it would be reasonable to assume that concentrates will overtake flower sales sometime in the near future, although questions remain around pricing and how that might impact sales.

flower sales sometime in the near fu-

er-to-use rigs will make it more acceptable and give users a standard dosage.

“People under 21 shouldn’t be doing it,” says Driessen. “And they should always be done in moderation. Because they are so potent, you should take a much smaller dose. Today the word ‘dab’ has been stretched out to mean a glob.”

Honaker says anyone curious about dabbing should educate themselves first. Find someone at a consumption party who’s making dabs for guests.

“Go to a dab session,” he says. “Find somebody that you trust, and learn from them. You will see this entire industry move to concentrates. I still

ture, although he says questions remain around pricing

love to roll and smoke a joint. But it’s going to be a little

and how that might impact sales. In California, as flower

farther from the mainstream.”

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So you want to be an Airbnb host Plan on getting to know humanity—and yourself—better than you might want to.

by ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

40 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

I’M RIDING THE TAIL OF THE SLOWPOKE IN FRONT OF ME, AND I’VE JUST STARTED GESTURING FOR THEM TO PULL OVER SO I CAN PASS, THE WAY WE DO ON THIS TWO-LANE CANYON ROAD— THOUGH NOT EVERYONE IS AS OBNOXIOUS AS I CAN BE ABOUT IT, I’LL ADMIT—WHEN I NOTICE THEIR UTAH LICENSE PLATE. SHIT. OH, SHIT. IT’S MY SWEET AIRBNB GUESTS. I PUT A RESPECTFUL DISTANCE BETWEEN MY TRUCK AND THEIR CAR AND SETTLE IN FOR A SLOW RIDE HOME, HOPING THEY COULDN’T TELL IT WAS ME.

I’ve rented my Airstream, whom we affectionately call

I’m a Superhost, a status I will do almost anything to

Sallie, on Airbnb for two summers. I do feel a little guilty

maintain because potential guests can filter for it. I’m

about pimping out my girl to pay for her time on the road,

embarrassingly proud of the little Superhost badge on

but she hasn’t really complained. Guests adore her, and

my profile, even though it can’t be all that special—there

she gets a thorough cleaning every couple of days by a

are literally hundreds of Superhosts in my oversaturated

host obsessed with maintaining all five-star reviews.

market. Still, I’m as attached to it as I once was to my

For the most part, really, this Airbnb thing has been

Premier status on United.

amazing. It pays for Sallie and me to spend winters in

I smile and say it’s okay when people show up with

warmer climes, and it brings a lot of delightful, interest-

kids, even though my listing clearly states no kids (and,

ing people with vacay energy to our spot in the canyon.

wouldn’t you know, they end up being some of the clean-

We’ve had a wedding/elopement, two marriage propos-

est, most respectful guests we’ve had).

als, and a string of people on a new thing I didn’t know

I smile and clean up the mess when a guest puts a pa-

about called a “babymoon,” one last romantic trip cou-

per towel down the toilet, despite little reminders every-

ples take while pregnant with their first child. One guest

where about the sensitive plumbing, posted after abso-

gave us coffee he roasted in Austin; another left a mixed-

lutely no one seemed to read the directions, digital or

pack from a trendy local brewery.

printed, about some of the quirks of staying in an Air-

My listing states that Sallie is 420-friendly, and I nev-

stream (including using only the toilet paper provided).

er want for cannabis and pipes, left behind by out-of-

Most guests don’t get that we will eventually see every.

staters who can’t take them. A couple people have left

single. thing they put down the toilet. (I’m talking to you,

really nice vape pens with full cartridges, and I’ve

people who brought the pink toilet paper.)

scored a few THC-infused chocolate bars with one

I give the lady from a certain large Southern state an

10-milligram square eaten (one couple left two!) — indi-

immediate refund for a four-day stay (ouch!) when the

cating that maybe cannabis-infused food wasn’t their

temperature inside the Airstream won’t get cooler than

thing, but I love that they followed instructions and

70 degrees during the peak heat of a 95-degree day.

didn’t pull a Maureen Dowd in my Airstream.

I was the editor of a green-living magazine for eleven

Sometimes I see guests’ receipts when I’m sorting the

years, and the AC thing hurts my heart. It’s torture for me

recycling, and it’s truly astonishing how much money

to hear Sallie’s air conditioners working like dogs to cool

people spend to get high for a couple days—almost as

empty space while my guests are out hiking all day.

much and sometimes more than they pay to stay in Sallie. I’m pretty certain that’s another reason they love staying here so much.

Eco-Nazi or Superhost: You Can’t Be Both Being an Airbnb host has taught me a lot about humanity—and, most of all, myself.

I’ve learned to let that shit go. You don’t get to be an eco-nazi and a Superhost at the same time.

Clueless to Criminal, Persnickety to Predatory In the Airbnb world (as observed through Reddit), climate-control entitlement is a huge thing. Posts about fights between guests and hosts over air condisensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 41

tioning are among the most frequent—and virulent.

In one case, Airbnb required the host to have an HVAC technician come out when the AC couldn’t keep up with

The number of posts about racist guests who freak out when they arrive and realize they’re in a neighborhood with people of color makes me lose faith in humanity.

106-degree temperatures in the Northeast; he found nothing wrong except that it was too hot for any air con-

Cat Dabs, Babysitting, Sex, and Shrek

ditioner to keep up. In another, Airbnb gave a partial re-

Probably the thing that stands out most about humani-

fund to guests because the temperature wouldn’t go be-

ty on the Airbnb subReddit is the sheer number of air-

low 76. So, I did the right thing giving that lady her refund

heads out there. One guest wanted compensation for a

and not risking a bad review. (No one wanted her around,

parking ticket she was warned about in the instructions

anyway. She was a yeller.)

she didn’t read because they were “too long” (sigh); one

Both guests and hosts can post on the Airbnb subRed-

walked for two hours and through two villages even

dit, and it makes for enlightening and highly entertain-

though the directions said the house was 200 yards from

ing reading. I’ve learned a ton about what to do—and

the bus stop. I was super concerned about a young woman

what not to do—to keep my coveted Superhost status,

who posted that guests “poisoned” her cat until I read that

diminished as it is by what one post described as the

she advertised her shared space as 420-friendly and left

“Uber effect, where anything less than five stars is a

her highly allergic cat out all night with “scary” guests

failure, when five should mean exceptional.”

who burned the carpet, blasted the TV until 4 a.m., and

Hosts tell horror stories about guests ranging from

blew dabs into the cat’s face. I still feel bad for the cat.

clueless (by far the most prevalent) to criminal. Guests

Or they’re entitled. There was a mother who wanted

tell of hosts who are overly persnickety and sometimes

to drop off her 15-year-old son to stay for a week while

predatory. (I don’t completely get this shared economy

he attended hockey camp, which may have been less

thing, I guess, but I wouldn’t let my twenty-year-old

annoying than the older couple who asked the hosts for

daughter rent bedrooms to strangers, and I wouldn’t do

help with everything from downloading Uber to getting

it myself. There are some pretty creepy stories.)

out the ice cube tray and claimed their key didn’t work

How to Be a Superhost NO. 1 RULE: THE GUEST IS ALWAYS RIGHT. If you can’t deal with that, don’t do this. Never let anyone break your rules or do anything that makes you uncomfortable, but you can’t treat guests like they are your roommates or your children. You’re running a business, and customer service is everything.

OVER-COMMUNICATE. Welcome guests when they book, send clear directions and information a couple days before their stay, welcome them when they arrive, check in the first morning to make sure they have everything they need, then determine what level of communication they’d like to have throughout their stay. You may never hear from some guests again until checkout—or even ever. Everybody’s communication style is different, and having good instincts about that—as well as tolerance for people whose style isn’t like yours—is crucial. It’s not worth getting frantic about a guest who’s not responding to you only to find out he doesn’t know how to use the Airbnb app.

CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS. Have a thorough cleaning checklist for yourself or your cleaner. Accept that you’ll constantly need to buy new sheets and towels to replace stained ones (it’s a business expense). Cleaning up hair, especially when it’s wet, is gross. Get good at it. Guests will ding you if they find someone else’s hair in their shower or sheets—and I would, too.

DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD DO UNTO YOURSELF. As long as we’re pulling out old sayings…this seems obvious, but provide guests with the essentials for a relaxing first night and morning. There is seriously nothing worse than staying in an Airbnb with no means of making coffee (I’m an addict, and it’s happened twice), and Superhosts also provide creamers, sweeteners, and possibly granola and yogurt. If they’re over 21 and you’re in a legal state, leaving a couple beers from a local craft brewer or a small taste from a local cannabis store also goes a long way with weary travelers.

MAKE THINGS EASY. If your place is tricky to find, provide detailed directions with landmarks. Label drawers and cupboards with what’s inside and leave instructions for operating the TV and appliances next to them. Clearly label trash and recycling bins.

STAY IN YOUR PLACE. Try out the sheets, use the towels, figure out what little touches and conveniences would make it five-star.

42 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

so the hosts had to let them in and chat about their every move. Another older couple showed up with a wet, dirty service dog despite the host’s no-pets rule. (There’s no shortage of comments about what a pain in the ass older guests can be—largely because they don’t understand the platform and think they’re staying in a hotel— and I won’t comment because I don’t want to piss off all my wonderful boomer guests and Sensi readers. I will say that any time I’ve had the slightest problem, the person has been over fifty.)

Or they’re smelly. There was a guest who never showered during a three-week stay and left massive sweat stains on the mattress. One host complained that a guy hauled in his camp stove and fried a pound of bacon in his bedroom; another left a bad review for a guest because he left an epic stink bomb in her bathroom.

The real fun starts when people post about sex— which is rampant. I read about a sixty-something European man who walked around a young woman’s house in teeny tiny underwear and a “brother and sister” who woke everyone up in the middle of the night with their sexual ecstasy. People had gobs of

How to Be a Superguest COMPLETE YOUR PROFILE and include a photo. It’s reassuring for hosts to learn a little bit about you. Do not post a photo of your dog or a shadow of you doing a handstand against a sunset.

Hosts want to see who you are.

DON’T GHOST YOUR HOST. Let them know why you’re visiting, when you plan to arrive, when you’ve checked in, when you plan to check out, and when you’ve checked out. Acknowledge their messages.

LET YOUR HOST KNOW if you need anything or something isn’t to your liking. Do not say nothing and then give them a bad review.

Everyone deserves a chance to make things right.

FOLLOW THE RULES (read them first) and clean up after yourself.

Most people do. The ones who don’t really suck.

fun talking about the “drunken nympho” who slept

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sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 43

with one guest, gave hand and blow jobs to two oth-

Nothing like those horror stories has happened to me

ers, and tried to get it on with contractors working in

(knock on wood). I honestly enjoy sharing Sallie and a

the bathroom—until the host pointed out that she

spectacular part of the world with people who have the

was too drunk to be having consensual sex and he

time of their lives. I love hearing their laughter ring

was liable. There was a post from a woman who acci-

through the canyon as they enjoy a sunset on the patio

dentally turned on the VCR and started playing Shrek

and hearing about the concerts they go to. A lot of them

in the shared living room where she was watching a

say they have the best vacation of their lives.

couple get it on through a security camera. They never noticed.

Their appreciation is contagious. That may be the greatest gift I get from this Airbnb thing.

For the most part, really, this Airbnb thing has been amazing. It pays for Sallie and me to spend winters in warmer climes, and it brings a lot of delightful, interesting people with vacay energy to our spot in the canyon.

44 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

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PROMOTIONAL FE ATURE

NACHER APOTHECARY

An Apothecary Transforms Itself with CBD THE MEDICAL VALUE OF CBD CAUGHT THE INTEREST OF A SKIN-CARE FACILITY.

A business that began as a well-established modern

The company does not do a lot of e-commerce, he says,

apothecary four years ago is now a cannabis formulator

with most of its sales and all distribution coming from its

and retailer with an assortment of CBD-infused products.

brick-and-mortar facility in north Colorado Springs.

“We chose functionality over novelty in the sense that

They sell some wholesale to integrative practi-

our target market was for people who needed function-

tioners, with approximately 80 percent of their retail

al products with no irritants in it, who were using skin

sales coming from their facility.

care for eczema and herbal preparations for anxiety,”

Park says that naCher doesn’t do much advertising—“we

Jordan Park, owner of naCHer Apothecary, says. “From

are very grassroots”—but relies mostly on word-of-mouth.

the very beginning, we have worked with physicians. If

That’s worked well, he says, especially in states like Texas.

you see one of our products, it will most likely be found

“For some reason we are blowing up in Texas,” Park says.

in a chiropractor’s office, or the offices of certified nutri-

“And we are looking into opening a second brick-and-mor-

tionists or doctor of osteopathic medicine.”

tar facility there soon—maybe 3,000 square feet—because

NaCHer Apothecary brought CBD into its operation

we have gotten so much traction there.”

about 2 and a half years ago, Park says, and applied the

A result of its apothecary beginnings, he says, is that

same methodology they had been using as an apothe-

naCher just added CBD to its already solid foundation.

cary, by approaching it from a purely functional per-

“CBD is a massive focus for us. But when we got into

spective as an arm of the foundation they had already

CBD, we had good cash flow already and weren’t rush-

built. They saw the medical value of CBD and thought it

ing to put out product that would fly off the shelves,”

would be a good idea to weave it into their product line.

he explains. “We were not focused on novelty or trends,

The company’s current 1,500-square-foot facility

but how we could best utilize this molecule and for-

manned by 12 employees is basically a laboratory with

mulate it. It might be slower growth, but it’s sustain-

a commercial storefront that they hope to double in

able. We are just doing what we do, and allow the

size soon.

quality of our product to do the talking.”

NaCher now has approximately 50 accounts with physicians, chiropractors, yoga studios, masseuses and sports trainers. “There are not a whole lot of other companies in this industry in this niche,” Park says.

The company offers CBD sublinguals, tinctures and salves, and is now working on producing infused ginger and turmeric tea products with hemp flower CBD. “We are talking to chemists to possibly develop a transdermal patch or nebulizing inhaler,” Park says.

46 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

For more info, visit

NACHERCBD.COM

Facebook: The Pat Pen

Check out our full product line at w w w.patpenproducts.com

Instagram: ThePatPen

Twitter: @thepatpen

For wholesale inquiries, contact sales@patpenproducts.com

sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 47

PROMOTIONAL FE ATURE

DRO

Hip-Hop Heavyweight Fires Up the Luxury Bud Party A POPULAR STREETWEAR COMPANY GETS INTO THE CANNABIS GROW BUSINESS. A hip-hop streetwear sales company, DRO, found

All employees come from a sports nutrition compa-

success in Los Angeles and is now involved in one of

ny, MusclePharm, which sponsored Tiger Woods, the

the biggest cannabis grows in the US.

UFC, and some NFL and NBA players.

DRO—a name adopted from the nickname given to

Rabon’s partner, Jamar Brown, who played for Colora-

hydroponically grown cannabis—using some proprietary

do State University-Pueblo and more recently for some

genetics and methods of growing in a hydroponic cli-

international basketball teams, has one of the familiar sto-

mate-controlled greenhouse facility powered by both

ries of high-level athletes that come to the cannabis in-

natural sunlight and LED lights, will soon be delivering

dustry—he was injured, and found cannabis. That discov-

20 different strains of high-end luxury flower. “We have a

ery changed his life and led to his involvement in DRO.

50,000-square-foot grow facility right now, but we are

Brown’s connections with pro athletes, and the other

going to expand massively by next year,” Witt Rabon, one

DRO employees with sports nutrition, apparel manufac-

of the partners in DRO, says. “It is going to be insane.”

turing, and cannabis industry connections, have really

Monte Fiore, the grow group DRO works with, has its own water supply along with one of the most scientifically engineered and sustainable facilities in Colorado.

helped launch the business.

“These buds we are seeing are massive,” Rabon says. “A lot of the sales in other states are medicinal focused, but

Everything about DRO—all streetwear and its e-com-

we are here to party,” he says. “Most of us started experi-

merce website—are designed by the company. No out-

menting with cannabis during high school and college,

side contractors needed. DRO sells its streetwear—hats,

and we want people to have the same enjoyable experi-

hoodies, t-shirts, and skateboard decks—all over the

ence we had partying with our friends. Cannabis to us is

country, and its wholesale cannabis comes online in

like champagne to Louis Vuitton.”

Colorado sometime in September.

For more info, visit

DROLIFE.COM 48 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

sensimag.com SEPTEMBER 2018 49

{HereWeGo}

by S T E P H A N I E W I L S O N

Golden Eye 3

Tips to turn your fall photos into wall-worthy works of art.

If you’re getting out of town this season to see some

Add a human element. It gives life to an image. Docu-

fall foliage, your natural instinct may be to try to see as

menting a person going about their everyday life in a

much as you can—so much so, you forget what you saw.

beautiful setting results in an uncanny voyeuristic look at

While snapping a quick photo may seem like a good way

to create a visual reminder, most of the time, you’re just adding to your own visual clutter. Instead, slow down and try to capture one that you’d be willing to hang on your wall…or at least set as your lock screen. Here are five quick tips to help you, no matter your device of choice.

1 2

(Unless you’ve got a flip phone. Then, you’re on your own.)

Include a sign. For example, a “No Trespassing” posting helps provide perspective and a sense of place.

Capture the experience, not the destination. What do

you see, hear, smell? Trace those objects to their origins; you’re more likely to get a perspective for your photo not every other shutter bug is capturing.

50 SEPTEMBER 2018 Southern Colorado

4

an otherwise still image.

Avoid the landmarks. If you want a fantastic photo of the Maroon Bells in all their golden glory, buy a postcard.

There are so many other fantastic scenic routes you can take through the mountains where there’s an arresting image just waiting for you to capture it around almost every wind in the road. The key is to be open and to find the beauty in what surrounds you wherever you are. (That photo tip also doubles as a key to life, so you’re welcome

5

for the 2-for-1.)

Shift your perspective. Climb a tree, lay on the ground, get a so-close-you-can-see-the-veins-in-the-leaf shot of the trees. Don’t just stand back and snap a landscape shot. You can do better.