Sensi Magazine - Southern Colorado (March 2019)

SOUTHERN COLORADO

‘Gram, Gram DO IT FOR THE

Social Media for Seniors

THE NEW NORMAL

3.2019

Book It

Camping Season is Coming

The Strain Game What’s in a Name?

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6 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

ISSUE 3 // VOLUME 3 // 3.2019

FEATURES 28

SP EC IAL R EP OR T

The Strain Game

When it gets down to it, strains aren’t the best way to let customers know what they’re getting.

36 Insta-Grams

Elders (and relative elders) who want to stay relevant had better get Insta-worthy.

GOTTA GETAWAY? Leave the THC at home.

S’MORE SEASON Book your campsites now.

20

16

every issue 9 Editor’s Note 10 The Buzz 16 AskAngie

VAPES AND A PLANE

20 TravelWell

GOT TO GET AWAY

50 HereWeGo

ARCHIPELAGO Sensi magazine is published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2019 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 7

sensi magazine ISSUE 3 VOLUME 3 3.2019

EXECUTIVE FOLLOW US

Ron Kolb ron@sensimag.com CEO, SENSI MEDIA GROUP

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

Alex Martinez alex@sensimag.com CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

sensimediagroup

EDITORIAL Stephanie Wilson stephanie@sensimag.com EDITOR IN CHIEF

Leland Rucker leland.rucker@sensimag.com SENIOR EDITOR

John Lehndorff ediblecritic@sensimag.com DINING EDITOR

Robyn Griggs Lawrence CONTRIBUTING EDITOR sensimagazine

Dr. Angie McCartney askangie@sensimag.com COLUMNIST

A RT & D E S I G N Jamie Ezra Mark jamie@emagency.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Rheya Tanner, Wendy Mak, Josh Clark em@sensimag.com

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TOTALLY NORMAL

editor’s

NOTE

From the very start, Sensi has been on a mission

of spreading what we like to call “the new normal” in the

post-prohibition age, as cannabis continues its march into the mainstream. The Better Homes & Gardens version of a cannabis mag, if you will. In the almost three years since we published our first issue, we’ve watched the old stigmas be broken, the walls come down, and people’s condemnation turned to curiosity turned in some cases to connoisseur.

No more was this more apparent to me than when I was visiting my dad in northern Florida for the holidays. In Wakulla County, which is south of Tallahassee on the Gulf, he runs a pickleball league—and if you don’t know what that is, you should head to issuu.com/sensimediagroup and read the Denver/Boulder edition from June 2018, or you can just picture a sport that I like to call “tennis for the AARP crowd.”

Most of the participants in the league are in their 60s or 70s. It’s great exercise, socialization, community building—wonderful, really. And what was even more wonderful is that my dad apparently brags to anyone who will listen that he has a daughter working in “weed”. During the three-hour league session, I was approached by a dozen of his contemporaries, one by one, each shyly and quietly whispering their questions about cannabis—especially CBD, which they’ve heard is good for all things that will ail them.

The message is getting through. The stigma is dropping, even in the most conservative parts of the country. And Sensi is very proud of whatever small part its helped play in that roll.

Sensi took home “Publication of the Year” in the 2018 Cannabis Business Awards in Colorado, and this month, the magazine is up for accolades in both the New England Cannabis Awards (Best News/Information Source and Top Cannabis Event categories) and the Las Vegas Cannabis Awards. We’re incredibly honored by the nominations, and we appreciate the support we get from our readers and our communities. Together, we will continue our march until the New Normal is just as normal as can be.

Thank you for joining us on this journey.

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

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 9

Higher Etiquette READING ROOM

Whether you’ve been on the giving or receiving end

The topics covered include everything from basic lin-

of the phrase, “According to Emily Post [insert standard

go to rotation etiquette to pairing parties and “weed-

practice followed by polite society here],” you’ve been

cations.” [Full disclosure: Sensi president Tae Darnell is

subject to her advice—or the advice of her decedents

among the industry experts consulted for the project.]

given through subsequent books, syndicated advice col-

At the heart of the book’s message is the communal

umns, and other teachings of the Emily Post Institute.

spirit of the plant, which is meant to be shared.

The original manners mastermind literally wrote the

The preface answers with the question undoubtedly

book on etiquette, dictating the rules for social conduct

on everyone’s mind when they learn of the book’s exis-

in her 1922 bestseller Etiquette: In Society, In Business, In

tence: What would Emily Post think of it all?

Politics and At Home. While times have changed, many of the principals of good manners she outlined almost a

According to Lizzie Post, the OG of etiquette would support it.

–Stephanie Wilson

century ago are still widely followed today.

Getting excited about etiquette is elevated to high book by Lizzie Post, great-great-granddaughter to gran-

Quick Hits: Upcoming Releases We Can’t Wait to Read

dame of all-things gracious and co-president of her fam-

Stoned Beyond Belief by Action Bronson and Rachel Wharton, Available March 19

ily’s Vermont-based institute. Higher Etiquette: A Guide

The Path Made Clear by Oprah Winfrey, Available March 26

fashion this month with the anticipated release of a new

to the World of Cannabis, from Dispensaries to Dinner Parties (Penguin Random House, available March 26) is the most concrete example to date of just how far we’ve come in removing the stigma surrounding cannabis. When the world’s most respected etiquette brand deems the formerly controversial plant a topic for polite society, it’s a milestone moment.

10 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

A Wonderful Stroke of Luck by Ann Beattie, Available April 2 50 Things That Aren’t My Fault by Cathy Guisewite, Available April 2 Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan, Available April 23 The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates, Available April 23 City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert, Available June 4 The Testaments (The Handmaid’s Tale sequel) by Margaret Atwood, Expected September 10

WISE WORDS

"If we had no winter, spring would not be so pleasant."

—Anne Bradstreet

I N G O O D H E A LT H

Spring Cleaning

Women who work as cleaners or regularly use cleaning sprays or other cleaning products at home appear to experience a greater decline in lung function over time than women who do not clean, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The study followed 6,235 participants for more than 20 years, so this is one of those legit studies that you can cite with certainty when declining to scrub the tub.

–SW

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 11

SPRING Wine Walk CHEERS TO THIS

Where: Mainitou Springs

When: Thursday, March 14, 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

What: The city’s third Wine Walk is being held at three of Manitou Springs’ upscale wine bars and wineries, which will be serving a variety of small pours from Colorado and both Old and New Worlds, including varietals from Europe and Australia.

The tour includes stops at D’Vine Wines, The Mona Lisa, and Swirl Wine Bar for three small pours of premium wines, both red and white, along with light bites. Attendees get a chance to learn from the wine makers, sommeliers, and wine purveyors about the wines they are tasting, as well as a bit of history of the various regions and grapes the walkers will be sampling from. Tickets are $50, and can be found with more details on MANITOUSPRINGS.ORG

12 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

–SW

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LEE STONEHOUSE

MARCH MUST: SELF-PROMOTION

SENSI NIGHT Southern Colorado Where: Briarhurst Manor Estate, Manitou Springs When: March 27, 7 p.m.

What: Sensi Night is a free community event intended to foster conversation and showcase a variety of products and services offered by some of the finest brands in Southern Colorado. Every company has a story to tell and we are very excited to invite YOU to be our guest. Rev up for nonstop fun, great music, live art, and education alongside your favorite local businesses. Last time we threw down in Manitou Springs—last June—the community began lining up to hang out more than an hour before the doors open. It’s a great group of which to be a part. Come hang. Head to our Facebook page for more details and to RSVP for free.

–SW sensimag.com MARCH 2019 13

CRAWFISH Cravings E AT U P

Where: Momma Pearls, Colorado Springs

When: Every Saturday, 11 a.m. through 4 p.m.

What: This Colorado Springs staple gathers the hungry seafood lovers every weekend for a feast of epic proportions. Live crawfish are flown in from Louisiana and boiled fresh upon arrival. With a 3 lb platter going for $30 and a 5 lb portion going for $50, you’ll surely leave filled to the brim on the seasonal delicacy. The cajun critters come with corn on the cob, new potatoes, sausage, and “all the paper towels you can use,” according to the venue. “So get to pinchin’ them tails and suckin’ them heads.” The feast kicks off every Saturday at 11 a.m. and continues until the deliciousness runs out. You can also order crawfish by the pound to take home and prepare for your own shindig.

14 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

–SW

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 15

{askangie }

by D R . A N G I E Mc C A R T N E Y

VAPES AND A PLANE Cannabis Q&A powered by Butterfly CBD.

CBD is everywhere these days. But trustworthy, reliable information about CBD? That’s harder to come by. Scroll your News Feed and you’ll likely be bombarded with posts touting the compound as a miracle fix for whatever ails you. Take CBD and live a better life! You get the message. We all get the message: Take CBD. Hard stop.

That raises all sorts of questions. Such as: how? How much? From where? Is it safe? Is it snake oil? Are you sure?

Smart questions. Finding answers isn’t always easy, but we want to help. Our “ask me anything” columnist Dr. Angie McCartney teamed up with the experts at Butterfly CBD to answer questions submitted by readers looking for trustworthy information about the “it” cannabinoid. Butterfly CBD is a new information resource and product marketplace on an educational mission. [Full disclosure: Sensi Mag and Butterfly CBD are related companies.] This month, we dive into the basics. And we try to take it with us when we go.

“What’s the difference between oil and tincture, and products labeled vape oil?

Which ones are safe to vape?”

around almost as much as the term “full-spectrum,” in-

—Magic Rising

diluents/carriers such as propylene glycol and MCT oil.

That distinction usually has to do with its form of extraction or post-extraction reformulation. A tincture is usually cannabinoids dissolved into an alcohol or lipid-based solvent. Alcohol tinctures are usually more potent, but this is not always the case.

“CBD oil” perhaps most often refers to a distillate and sometimes CO2 extract, but the term “oil” gets thrown

16 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

evitably misconstruing the precise meaning of the term.

Information regarding the nature of the extract should be available on the packaging for more precise discernment.

“Vape oil” is a term that almost always refers to a formulation, which includes CBD distillate or isolate, and can include other products like terpenoids (terpenes) and/or The jury is still out on vape cartridges, but they aren’t strongly recommended. Many formulations are untrustworthy, with heavy molecular constituents that are likely to behave like carcinogenics when vaporized. Also, some cartridges themselves have recently been shown to contain metals that can produce toxin-mediated conditions when heated.

“My brain tumor has returned for the third time, and I cannot control seizures with prescription medication alone.

But taking CBD with THC oil at night works amazingly.

Will it be legal to bring it on my flight back to the UK?” —Up in the Air

combo can’t legally cross state lines, never mind international borders.

If you pack it in your checked luggage, will you get caught, arrested, prosecuted? It’s possible. Is it likely?

No, especially if the packaging is innocuous. But there is a risk. Our lawyers said we can’t advise it. So, there’s that. The safest option is to procure the medicine you need once you reach the UK. On another note, if you are going to Liverpool during your trip to Europe and you are a Beatles fan, be sure to check out The Cavern Club on Mathew Street. Introduce yourself to Jon Keats, co-owner and manager, and tell him I sent you. There is also a very interesting publication called The Guide (you can find it on Facebook), which gives great coverage of what’s on in Liverpool. It’s cer-

Thrilled to hear the cannabinoid combo is working! The

tainly a city of very friendly people with lots of interesting

federal government, however, isn’t on the same page.

and fun places to visit. I hope you have a terrific trip.

While hemp-derived CBD is now legal in the US thanks to the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, THC is derived from the Cannabis sativa plant that remains federally illegal. Which unfortunately means your cannabinoid

DR. ANGIE hosts Teaflix Tuesdays on Facebook (FB.COM/DRANGIEMCCARTNEY ), and has a live radio broadcast on the Pete Price Show out of Liverpool on Saturday nights (RADIOCITY.CO.UK ) and on Richard Oliff’s HFM Drive Show on Wednesday afternoons (HARBOROUGHFM.CO.UK ).

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 17

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{travelwell }

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

GOT TO GET AWAY It’s time to start planning your spring and summer camping adventures.

20 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

You’re not slowly going mad while you’re going nowhere in

sea of tailights clogging I-25 and all around on I-70 are

rush hour—whether that’s rush hour on your way back from

emblematic reminders why so many people want to be

the slopes on a Sunday evening, which is straight torture, or

here. This coming spring and summer, get away from the

the typical stuck-in-traffic-while-trying-to-do-the-nine-to-

grind and immerse yourself in Colorado’s splendor.

five grind. Colorado is indeed more crowded than it used to

Getting away from the city is good for you on a ton of

be. In the decade since the last census, the population of the

different levels. Research has shown that people who live

state is estimated to have grown exponentially, with some

in cities may suffer more psychological stress than people

researchers putting that growth above 8 percent.

who live in rural areas, with a higher risk for anxiety and

Colorado’s car culture can be a drag, especially when

mood disorders. But don’t let that news stress you out—

you’re trying to get anywhere during the oxymoronic

you don’t need to move to the middle of nowhere Iowa

“rush hour,” but the mountain views to the west of the

for the sake of your health. There’s an all-natural antidote

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 21

22 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

NATURE PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN HUMAN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, AND CONNECTING WITH IT INCREASES LIFE SATISFACTION, VITALITY AND HAPPINESS.

cally, if you spend some time in a forest, you may emerge a tree hugger. (Just ask so many of the transplants who move to Colorado from coastal cities and become hikers just like that.) And that’s the best kind of hugger there is.

and it’s within easy reach—especially in Colorado. Connect with nature.

Around here, you’ve got all sorts of trees to hug. I prefer the deciduous ones, but you do you. Just make sure you do

Study after study has indicated that nature plays a vital

it as often as you can. Use your vacation days. Fewer Amer-

role in human health and well-being, and connecting with

icans left unused vacation days on the table in 2018 than in

it increases life satisfaction, vitality, and happiness—and

previous ears, but more than half of workers still did.

it reduces stress. Technology, however, increasingly dis-

Much like connecting with nature, taking a vacation has

connects us from it, and that’s not just bad for us; it’s bad

been scientifically shown to have a ton of health bene-

for the environment.

fits, from stress reduction and heart disease prevention to

An analysis of scientific research reviewed by San Diego

better sleep schedules. And that’s just any vacation. Imag-

State University’s Dr. Sara Unsworth found that contact with

ine how good a vacation in the great outdoors is for your

nature fosters not only individual happiness and well-being,

mind, body, and soul.

it leads to environmentally responsible behavior. (Which can

So basically you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you

help combat our car culture.) When you’re surrounded by

didn’t go camping this spring and/or summer. And now is

nature, you see the importance of it, of protecting it. Basi-

the time to plan a getaway—before it’s too late. sensimag.com MARCH 2019 23

24 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

There are more than 3,900 campsites and 50 cabins and yurts located in Colorado State Parks alone. Campground amenities at many parks include restrooms, full electrical hookups, and shower facilities, and many parks offer campsites or cabins for large groups. Almost 300 campsites are ADA accessible, and the cabins and yurts offer comfortable alternatives to traditional camping all year round.

Not to mention, the national parks, state forests, private campgrounds, and other properties where you’re welcome to sleep in a tent, RV, or under the stars.

Start your search at

HIPCAMP.COM

(sorta like the

Airbnb of campsites), which empowers people to share their land with campers. The site unlocks access to ranches, nature preserves, farms, vineyards, tipis, and public campgrounds across the US. You can book tent camping, treehouses, cabins, more yurts, Airstreams, tiny houses, RV-friendly spots, glamping tents, and more. The options are nearly as endless as the wilderness is wild.

Just wherever you go, go green. When it comes to travel, camping has one of the lightest ecological impacts, especially if you keep your consumerism in check and don’t go purchase a new everything before you head out into the woods. Consider renting gear from the likes of REI if you don’t already have all the tents, flashlights, and sleeping bags you need to stay comfortable. (I mean, do you really need to buy the solar-powered coffee grinder to ensure your ethically sourced beans are as fresh as possible when they go into your french press? Tree hugger.) Whatever you do, just be sure to follow those “leave no trace” principles and take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.

Now the only question to ask yourself is what kind of setting do you want to be in those pictures? Car camp by Grand

BASICALLY, YOU’RE DOING YOURSELF A DISSERVICE IF YOU DON’T GO CAMPING THIS SEASON. NOW IS THE TIME TO GET AWAY— BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.

Lake or in Rocky Mountain National Park. Rent a tipi in Colorado’s wine country on the Western Slope. Head out into the state forest to find a dispersed camping site near Crested Butte during wild flower season. Or drive along the mountain roads near Telluride until you find the perfect perch to park your teardrop trailer. (Check out GOLITTLEGUY.COM for the perfect little guy to go.)

While some of the best spots in Colorado book up fast, this is a big state, and the wilderness is vast. And it’s calling.

So start planning and get out there. sensimag.com MARCH 2019 25

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When it gets down to it, strains aren’t the best way to let customers know what they’re getting.

by L E L A N D R U C K E R

28 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

A CURIOUS CONSUMER ENTERS A DISPENSARY LOOKING FOR

just the right strain

TO EASE BACK PAIN AND GET SOME SLEEP AT NIGHT. “WELL,” SAYS THE BUDTENDER, “WE’VE GOT CAT PISS, PURPLE MONKEY BALLS, AND GREEN CRACK.” WELL, THAT HELPS.

Strains are all the currency in legal cannabis today. Before legalization, you mostly just bought pot, in a plastic bag, with no name attached. (Well, maybe, “This is some good shit, man.”) Legendary strains like Acapulco Gold, Panama Red, and Colombian were sometimes around, but those names resided mostly in popular songs and conspiracy theories about cigarette companies taking over the cannabis business.

Today it’s a whole different ballgame. A popular website for information is Wikileaf, whose Strain Library includes thousands of names—Arcata Trainwreck, Orange Creamsickle, 707 Headband, Afghan Cow, Afghan Diesel, Afghan Haze, Afghan Kush, Afghan Skunk, Afghani, Afgooey, Willie Nelson, and Willie Wonka among them— catalogued according to their popularity, common uses and effects, time of use, and percentages of THC and CBD. But does Green Crack, for instance, affect you like, well, environmentally sound cocaine that you smoke from a glass pipe? What does Cat Piss smell like when you burn it?

And the Purple Monkey Balls… Do we even want to go there?

“There’s a strain called Grandma’s Breath,” says Dave Malone, breeder and co-owner of Green Dot Labs, a top Colorado-based extract brand. “The culture finds this fascinating and will embrace that,” he says. “But to the mainstream, they see something like Green Crack and say, ‘I don’t want this.’”

Strain summaries are pretty general and anecdotal in nature. Arcata Trainwreck “is particularly effective against pain, migraine, and nausea.” Green Crack gets its name from cannabis aficionado Snoop Dogg. “Although some still prefer the name Cush to sidestep any unwanted cannabis stigma, the love for this fruity and earthy strain is unanimous.” Cat Piss has a “pungent stench” and consumers either “love it or they’re not fond of it at all.” (There’s even an indica called “Sensi Star” that is 20 percent THC that “smells of a coniferous forest and a citrus lemon” and has been called a ‘one-hit quitter’ and recommended for those with a high tolerance that caught my interest.)

Though it doesn’t track particular strains, consumer trends and marketing firm BDS Analytics collects and studies data around cannabis legalization. As sales of flower cannabis have lost market share to concentrates, edibles, and vape products, cultivators, brands, and dissensimag.com MARCH 2019 29

30 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

pensaries are increasingly naming new strains to try and

va or indica. (Ruderalis, or hemp, is the same plant bred

differentiate and brand themselves. The company has

for minuscule amounts of THC.) Sativa plants are gen-

seen an explosion in the number of named strains avail-

erally considered tall and skinny and known for their

able. Its database contains more than 41,000 strain names.

seed, fiber, and flowers. Sativas are generally associated

Those numbers, say Greg Shoenfeld, VP of Operations

with activity and creativity, while indicas are thought to

and BDS’s lead analyst, tend to imply that custom names

be bushier, smaller plants and related to relaxing, couch-

could be assigned to strains regardless of genetics, and

lock, sedating effects. And most plants these days are

that, in fact, many of the strain names are of the same or

hybrids, or mixtures of various cannabinoids, especially

similar genetics. “Whether those strains are unique or

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, and CBD, or cannabidiol.

not is a valid question,” he says.

Wait, isn’t cannabis just cannabis?

Researchers have identified more than 100 different chemical compounds known as cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, but the only ones that have been studied ex-

Though nobody knows for sure, most historians date

tensively are THC and CBD—the first identified and most

cannabis and its cultivation back to central Asia at least

prevalent substances in cannabis plants. But cannabis also

6,000 years, and the plant has migrated around the world

produces about 100 terpenoids, or terpenes, which are bred

along with humans over the centuries. It is mentioned

for the fragrances they produce, and we’re just starting to

in every culture, and used as an industrial agricultural

learn how cannabinoids and terpenes work together. But

product for fiber, medicines, and food as well as in reli-

the emphasis today remains mostly on how THC and CBD

gious ceremonies.

perform in combinations together and separately—high

Humans have been cultivating and breeding plants for certain characteristics, and with cannabis, different strains

THC/low CBD, low THC/high CBD and equal mixtures—but nothing for all those other compounds in the plant.

were developed in different geographic areas, climates,

Complicating this is the fact that cannabis, for the

and altitudes. Cannabis spread to western and southern

most part, has been illegal, and grown illicitly, without

Asia and the Balkan and Caucasus mountains, and these

much regard for keeping track of ancestry or lineage,

strains, the result of escaped, or feral, cultivars (plants

and you’re left with a lot of confusion.

grown by selective breeding) were domesticated and bred to survive in local conditions, some for their psychoactive qualities and others for their hemp fiber and seed.

Dispensaries generally define cannabis as either sati-

What’s in a name?

Back in the early days of Napa Valley’s wine industry, legendary vintner Robert Mondavi was producing an sensimag.com MARCH 2019 31

32 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

incredible sauvignon blanc at his Napa estate. A world-

rietal difference that would objectively suggest how a

class wine, he was sure, but at the time, sauvignon blanc

strain might react. “A high abundance compound in a

was about as popular as merlot is now. Meaning, it was

plant, such as THC or CBD, isn’t necessarily responsible

totally unpopular. No one would buy a sauv blanc. So he

for the unique medicinal effects of certain strains,” says

called it a Fumé Blanc, and voila! Everyone would drink it.

Elizabeth Mudge, one of the authors. “Understanding the

There’s some of that going on in the marketing of canna-

presence of the low-abundance cannabinoids could pro-

bis today. Every grower, business, and dispensary is trying

vide valuable information to the medical cannabis com-

to distinguish their products from everyone else’s. There’s

munity. It’s a high-profile, complex plant.”

plenty of competition out there. “It’s a completely arbitrary

Botto says that consumers are already figuring this out as

marketing ploy to give consumers brand equity into that

we wait on more research and information. “Nailing down

strain,” says Malone about how strains are marketed. “Peo-

all those differences is what is happening,” says Botto. “It’s

ple find additional value because they can associate it with

hugely important to be able to map terpenes to systems.”

the memory of music or an image that will trigger that product. It’s a lifestyle, and people gravitate towards that.”

Since there are no real testing standards in place yet, many facilities are only looking for certain compounds,

But research indicates that these terminologies might not

like THC or CBD, which means the results can be unreli-

be as accurate or helpful as we might think. “A lot of people

able. “What they say about a strain is not necessarily true,”

talk about indica and sativa,” says Paul Botto, CEO of Lucid

says Vergara. This is really problematic for medical pa-

Green, an app that lets

tients, she adds, since

consumers

ex-

they rely upon accurate

actly what compounds

know

information to get the

are in their cannabis.

results they need.

“But they are too broadly characterized: sativa as uppity, indica as couch lock. But some indicas with certain terpenes behave like a sativa.”

Dr. Daniela Vergara is an evolutionary biologist

“If you’re in a bad

“Our end ocannab inoid sys different tems are . It’s incu mbent o find wha n you to t makes you feel better.”

—Dave M alone, c

researching cannabis ge-

o-owner of Green Dot Labs

mood,

cannabis

can

make it worse. If you just won the lottery, it will make you feel so much goddam better,” says Malone. “It’s the subjective

nature

of

everything. Our endo-

nomics at the University

cannabinoid

of Colorado and founder/

are different. It’s incum-

director of the nonprofit

bent on you to find what

Agricultural

makes you feel better.”

Genomics

systems

Foundation. She says that the current method of determining

Vergara suggests that consumers need to demand

how people might react to a strain is the best we have right

better information. “Don’t be guided by what people tell

now. But her research suggests that just because a cannabis

you,” Vergara says. “Tell them, ‘Show me the terpenoids.

strain in different dispensaries has the same name—Blue

Show me the cannabinoids.’”

Dream, for instance, is a popular strain in Colorado—it doesn’t

As consumers become more informed and begin to de-

necessarily mean they are related. And she has found that

mand better information about terpenes and the way they

the characteristics we generally distinguish as indica or sati-

react with cannabinoids, says Schoenfeld, “It is likely that

va don’t necessarily apply to all plants.

they will be less discerning about the strain name and

She points to “The Genetic Structure of Marijuana and Hemp,” a 2015 Canadian study that found “a moderate

more interested in the cannabinoid and terpene profile of a particular batch and how it might benefit them.”

correlation between the genetic structure of marijuana

That might make that trip to the dispensary a lot differ-

strains and their reported sativa and indica ancestry

ent when you stop in looking for something to relax after a

and show that marijuana strain names often do not re-

long day of work. “We have a special today on a flower bud

flect a meaningful genetic identity.”

with limonene-plus and touches of myrcene and caryo-

A 2017 study at the University of British Columbia also suggests that there really isn’t that much of a va-

phyllene.” Not as exciting as those Monkey Balls, perhaps, but all in all, probably a more satisfying experience. sensimag.com MARCH 2019 33

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34 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 35

INSTA-G

36 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

GRAMS Elders (and relative elders) wanting to stay relevant had better get Insta-worthy.

by R O BY N G R I G G S L AW R E N C E

This year Facebook, THE SOCIAL MEDIA ELDER, TURNS 15—A RIPE OLD AGE IN DIGITAL

YEARS—AND HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN TAKEN OVER BY BABY BOOMERS, WHO HAVE QUICKLY STEPPED IN TO FILL THE VOID AS GEN YS AND GEN ZS (ALONG WITH MILLENNIALS, TO AN EXTENT) DITCH THEIR PARENTS’ PLATFORM FOR FRESHER, BRIGHTER REALMS LIKE INSTAGRAM AND SNAPCHAT. THE OVER-55 USERS POSTING GRANDKID PICS AND RANTING ABOUT TRUMP ARE FACEBOOK’S SECOND-LARGEST, FASTEST-GROWING DEMOGRAPHIC. Facebook stopped being cool as soon as Mom and Grand-

10 times higher than Facebook, according to Forrester.

ma could—and did—comment on your posts and friend re-

More than 25 million companies are already building (or

quest your friends. Worse, they turned it political, which

attempting to build) loyal followings on the platform.

means sour, and those negative vibes aren’t what millennials

“When you talk about millennials, you are talking about

like 29-year-old Caitlin Moakley want to see on their phones.

Instagram by default. If you want to reach a young audi-

“I don’t find hope on Facebook,” Moakley says. “I find

ence, you have to be on Instagram,” says 54-year-old Zoe

that’s where thoughts go to die. Facebook is kind of like

Helene, founder of educational advocacy group Cosmic

the retirement home for social media.”

Sister (COSMICSISTER.COM ). Helene contracted Moak-

Instagram, on the other hand—the no-longer-upstart

ley’s company Soil and Spirit (SOILANDSPIRIT.NET ), which

platform which Facebook bought when it was a year old

helps small businesses in the natural products, canna-

in 2012, let’s not forget—grew from 500 million to 1 billion

bis, and psychedelic communities create digital content,

active monthly users last year (one user for every dol-

to help build an Instagram presence for Cosmic Sister

lar Mark Zuckerberg spent to acquire it). That’s still less

and one of its major campaigns, #psychedelicfeminism.

than half the number of Facebook users, but here’s the

Helene is at the bottom of the wide boomer arc that

big difference: 90 percent of Instagram users are young-

tops out at 67- and 68-year-olds, and she’s among a first

er than 35, according to Brandwatch. Half of these young

wave to see Instagram’s potential for connection, pro-

consumers follow brands on Instagram, where engage-

motion, and community building. The last couple years

ment, as measured by likes, shares, and comments, is

have seen the debut of what the New York Times calls sensimag.com MARCH 2019 37

38 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

New Rules

It’s hard to win if you don’t know how to play. Here are a few things no one tells you about Instagram.

strategy and vision for her feed, but needed someone with innate Instagram sensibility and experienced thumbs. “My millennial thumbs haven’t downloaded yet,” she says.

Helene often gets into conversations with fellow boom-

You better be present. One in three Instagram users will go to a competitor if they’re ignored, Sprout Social found.

ers about their fear of this youth-oriented platform. “You

Quality matters. Save text images, jokes, and random screenshots for Facebook. Your followers expect thoughtful posts. It’s easy to stop following if you waste their time.

can’t ignore it,” she tells them. “That’s a surefire way of being perceived as irrelevant.” If they’re feeling intimidated,

Pace yourself. Experts recommend not posting more than every six hours, and most agree the sweet spot is about one or two posts per day.

spect them, and respect their knowledge.”

Tone down the hard sell. Sprout Social found that 57 percent of users unfollow overly promotional brands.

Refresh your bio. It’s the only place you can post a live link; don’t let it get stale. Change it to reflect your current status.

Engage your followers. Offer clickable incentives like discounts and prizes.

Get good at video. Social video generates 1,200 percent more shares than text and images combines, according to Wordstream. Video is more effective and encourage more interaction and engagement than any other content.

There are apps for that. There’s no shortage of apps to help you navigate Instagram efficiently. Hootsuite and Buffer let you schedule and distribute content, Pic Stitch edits photos, and Captiona makes great captions. And of course, there are plenty of programs that promis to grow your following.

she advises, “hire a wicked smart millennial, pay them, reMoakley, who has been using social media since she was in high school and Instagram since college, knows the platform like her thumbs know the phone in her hand. She finds it intuitive and user-friendly, but she empathizes with older people who haven’t grown up as digital natives. “I mean, cutting and pasting, spacing out your lines,” she says. “Who would have known this stuff? It’s not just laid out for you.”

Aside from the technicalities of posting, hashtagging, building audience, knowing who to follow, and creating stories and videos, there’s etiquette to Instagram that boomers who cut their teeth in the militant, factional Facebook trenches might not get. Following someone but never liking or commenting on their posts makes you a “ghost follower.” After you post, you’re expected to reply to people’s comments within the hour—and Instagram will show it to more followers if you do (creepy).

Apparently, Big Sista Insta (the no-less-powerful younger sibling of Big Brother Facebook) is always watching. You can make her happy by making use of all she has to offer, creating content for IGTV (an app for watching long-form, vertical video), carefully curating your favorite stories, and engaging your followers via story polls. She doesn’t like it when you edit your post’s caption or location tag in the first 24 hours (no one can say why).

the “glamorous grandmas of Instagram,” stylish elders who are asserting their presence in part to subvert “shopworn notions of what ‘old’ looks and feels like.”

These women are hip, irreverent, and not afraid to say what’s on their minds. They’re strutting it, winning big, and projecting confidence in aging well. Their attitude could per-

“I don’t find hope on Facebook.

I find that’s where thoughts go to die. Facebook is kind of like the retirement home for social media.”

—Caitlin Moakley

haps be best summed up by 71-year-old Australian knitwear designer Jenny Kee, @JennyKeeoz, who told the Times, “If

In return, she’ll give you data like you’ve never had it be-

we are going to be in a nursing home, we’ll be there with our

fore. For Helene, who sold digital insight tools like the ones

marijuana, our health foods, and our great sense of style.”

available for free with an Instagram business account to

Big Sista Insta’s Always Watching You

Fortune 100 companies for hundreds of thousands of dollars back in the early 1990s, this is nothing short of mi-

Helene hired Soil and Spirit because she believes that

raculous. “Instantaneously, I know I have by far the most

“for older women to work properly on Instagram, they need

followers in New York and LA and that 46 percent of them

to work with younger women.” She continues to set overall

are aged 25 to 34,” she says. “I have a pie chart here that’s sensimag.com MARCH 2019 39

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40 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

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changing in real time. When I post a ton of goddess-y stuff,

This isn’t narcissism, says the author of the book on

my male percentage goes down—and I’m fine with that.

narcissism, but a basic need to find validation to feel good

Our #MaleAllies are welcome, but I suspect some of those

about ourselves. “We’re all existing in a culture that has

followers were probably there to pick up chicks anyway.”

turned self-worth into a competitive, measurable unit that

Embrace and Heal Your Inner Dork

gets displayed to the world,” Campbell said. “To be successful today, you often have to have your own brand and

Instagram is about images and image, curated and filtered,

a network of connections and followers, so of course you’re

elegantly presented. It’s one reason we take more pictures

going to be invested in yourself; of course, you’re going to

every two minutes than we took during the entire nineteenth

do what you can for the likes and comments and followers,

century (according to fStoppers) and why we’re willing to

even if that means having a persona.”

fork over four figures for a superior camera in our phones.

And yet. Campbell and fellow academic Jean Twenge

Creating an Insta avatar who stays on brand, only wins, and

found that narcissistic personality traits have risen as fast as

spreads love to her band of followers is tempting #goals.

obesity since the 1980s, with a particularly marked spike in

Image through collaboration and community—very pre-

women and a rapid uptick since the turn of the century, ac-

cisely chosen and developed community—is everything

cording to the Guardian. In 2017, a LendEDU study crunched

here. It’s not about mutual “friendships” like Facebook. You

the data and declared Instagram users narcissistic atten-

can follow and unfollow anyone you like (as long as they

tion-seekers in need of constant validation and ego boosts.

have a public account), and no one has to follow anyone

Just as you can’t blame the substance for substance abuse,

back. You will be judged by how many followers you have

Instagram is not the culprit in our increasingly self-absorbed

and how many you follow—and who they are. They’re as

culture. It is simply a reflection. We’ve been given this mirror

much a part of the image you’re building as the content

to tweak our images and put our best faces forward, but we’ll

you post. If it sounds a lot like a junior high popularity con-

inevitably fail if we try to be something we’re not.

test, well…you might have to embrace and heal your inner dork if you want to play big on Instagram.

You build community with hashtags, which were intro-

“If you’re going to be on Instagram, the most important thing is that you be authentic,” Moakley says. “So much out there is not very authentic right now.”

duced by Twitter but came into their own on Instagram. You

Authentic, but preferably with sunsets, surfboards, and

can figure out what matters to your audience by checking

silhouettes of lithe bodies in bikinis, if you follow the stats

out what hashtags they use and follow, and you can start in-

on what gets the most likes. If that doesn’t make a lot of

teracting with the top hashtags in your niche to get noticed.

sense to you, you’re probably over 50.

Instagram lets you have 30 hashtags on a post and 10 on a

ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE is a “relative elder” on Instagram @cannabis_kitchen.

story, and you can experiment with using a lot or a few, broad or narrow. As Helene is quick to point out, “It’s all a game.”

“You’re putting forth the highlight reel of your life, and when you tap through your Instagram story or scroll through your Facebook profile at the end of the day, you’re reliving the best moments of it,” Keith Campbell, PhD, author of The Narcissism Epidemic, told Marie Claire. “The stress is stripped down, you’re looking at yourself in the way you want other people to see you, and your brain says, ‘Hey, I had a good day, and I’m a decent person.’”

In a study titled “Elastic Generation,” J. Walter Thompson found that 73 PERCENT OF SENIORS hate the way their generation is patronized when it comes to technology, and six out of 10 find high-tech fascinating. Many are more competent than their grandkids at using it.

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 41

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44 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

THIRD DAY APOTHECARY

9-11 Survivor Now Rolls Out Quality Cannabis VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS STAYING TRUE TO THE “MOM-AND-POP” EXPERIENCE.

When master grower Demetrios Karagiannis took

is the cool thing about being a little guy and having

over Third Day Apothecary in mid-2018, he decided

everything co-located,” Karagiannis says. “I have the

that he wanted to make it more like the dispensaries

freedom to make homemade stuff, using my mom’s

he remembered growing up.

old Greek recipes to make baklava, for example. That

“When I was in my 20s and went out to California for

seems like what a dispensary should be—more going

the first time, I was overwhelmed by the market,” Kara-

back to the style of a caregiver and getting people to

giannis says. “I remember people making fresh edibles

eat and have a good time.”

and fresh candies. just things for the patients to make it a little special using organic products,” he says.

Third Day makes all of its own concentrates and edibles in-house, including chocolate truffles, lollipops,

The veteran-owned and -operated dispensary has

and cookies. And the products are starting to catch

five employees, including a manager, an assistant

on with the local community—Third Day got its first

grower (a disabled retired vet), and an extractor who

wholesale order for truffles recently, a big deal for this

is also a chemistry major, and professional chef. “This

small, but growing business.

place is near and dear to my heart because I get to be

Karagiannis says he doesn’t want to be the “Star-

around veterans in this city, and help them out with

bucks of weed,” but he is ready to expand. “I really

whatever issues they have,” Karagiannis says.

want to take our extractions and edibles to the next

He worked for the missile defense agency for 20-

level through Irie, and I think that will help Third Day

plus years as an engineer “locked up in a lab” at the

grow,” he says. “I just want it to be a good place to get

Pentagon before deciding to get involved in the can-

a bite to eat and some really good kush, and treat it

nabis business. “I found cannabis medicine after 9-11

like a good mom-and-pop store.”

because I was a survivor of the Pentagon attack,” the disabled veteran says. “Doctors put me on all of these different pills. But in the end, all I needed was marijuana to go to bed at night.”

Find us on Instagram and Facebook:

@THIRDDAYAPOTH

The cannabis business in Colorado Springs has been a bit unforgiving, but he says that when he got into the market, the worst had already transpired. “I never had to survive at $400 an ounce and then drop it down to $99 an ounce. I started off skinny.”

Growing space is around 2,000 square feet, with three flower rooms and one large veg/propagation room. Irie Extracts, the Third Day extraction lab, is right next door, making all three licenses—for the grow, the extraction, and the store—near each other. “That

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 45

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MAGGIE’S FARM

A Purist Uses Family Roots to Create Better Cannabis MAGGIE’S FARM’S CLEAN CROPS LET THE TRUE, UNFILTERED TASTE OF CANNABIS SHINE.

Bill Conkling, a third-generation farmer and owner of

Maggie’s Farm is actually a craft brand now, he says,

Maggie’s Farm, remembers the smells of the soil when

and in addition to top-quality, naturally grown flower,

his mom was cultivating an organic vegetable garden

the company is looking to do its own concentrates.

back before organic vegetables were cool. “There were

“From what I have seen in the test results, we have the

jars of soil concoctions, with things like egg shells and

best cannabis profile flower out there as a result of be-

water and funny smelling jars around the house, be-

ing cultivated in unfiltered sunlight,” he says. “So it does

cause my mom didn’t like the soil in Colorado. She was

make it the best possibility for quality concentrates.”

from Minnesota,” Conkling says. “I think that ingrained

The farms recycle their spring water and use predator

in me the necessity of having good soils for growing

insects that they either breed or buy for pest mitiga-

crops.”

tion. “I believe that being in a non-temperate climate

In 2009, Conkling started attending seminars about

also helps mitigate pests as well as growing in open air,”

cannabis after friends told him they thought he was

Conkling says. “Even greenhouses have pests because

missing a great opportunity with the arrival of the legal-

they have stagnant temperate climate corners where

ization of medical cannabis. The next year he went to a

pests breed.”

farm that he already owned from the mid-90s—which

Being a purist is key. “As a purist cultivator, we try to

he determined had good soil for growing—and cultivat-

deliver a very pure marijuana effect that doesn’t have

ed his first legal cannabis crop.

other effects that mask what the effects of marijuana

With the money from the sale of that crop, he opened

should be,” he says.

his first store in Colorado Springs in January 2011. There

Conkling says that he doesn’t necessarily want to ex-

are now two cultivation farms and eight Maggie’s Farm

pand right now and possibly lose control to others, but

retail stores in southern Colorado with medical and

instead concentrate on growing organically both in cul-

recreational sales. Conkling employs almost 200 peo-

tivation efforts and business. “Those opportunities will

ple throughout the farm and retail locations—half are at

come with our brand instead of forcing something and

two farms and the balance at the corporate offices and

going out and looking,” he says. “If we stay on track and

stores, he says. “I manage the farms,” he says. “I have a

develop the brand we started, those people will come

director of cultivation who follows my lead plus a cou-

to us.”

ple of consultants that I have taken on over the years.”

Maggie’s Farm stores offer a wide variety of products, flower, pre-rolls, tinctures, and topicals. “A large percentage of our sales is flower, and we have always been

For more information, visit:

MAGGIESFARMMARIJUANA.COM

at the top of that,” Conkling says. “We sell a larger percentage of flower than any of our competitors, based on the data we gathered from the state sites.”

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 47

48 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

CANYON

Old-School Candy-Making Creates Artisan Cannabis Confections ATTENTION TO SMALL BATCHES, AND HAND PROCESSING ARE KEY TO CANYON’S CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. Canyon Cultivation (now just Canyon) began in 2009

hard candies, gummies, beverages, and capsules sent

by a husband-wife team led by CEO and owner Mor-

to Colorado dispensaries from Canyon’s 6,000-square-

gan Iwersen (her husband Andrew joined her in 2014)

foot facility that features 23 employees. The extraction

creating edibles and tinctures in her kitchen for a fam-

process is done in a 1,000-square-foot lab, run by two

ily friend going through stage-four cancer treatments.

“extraction wizards,” McMurray says. All products are

Iwersen saw the benefits of what the tincture did for

sent to Agricor Labs for third-party testing.

end-of-life care, so she decided to get into the canna-

“We consider ourselves an artisan confection kitch-

bis industry. “Like most medical marijuana ventures

en,” he says. “We do everything in small batches, like

early on, the business sort of chugged along over the

old-school candy making.” Everything is hand-poured,

years, trying out new things,” Tim McMurray, Canyon

hand-spread, and hand-counted before being put in a

COO, says. “When the state went recreational, the med-

package. “That kind of oversight and quality to us is re-

ical and recreational business exploded, and we grew

ally important,” McMurray says. “Just having a machine

from there. We experienced big growth the first few

package stuff doesn’t work because we think the qual-

years of recreational.”

ity is not there. We want to make sure each piece looks

Iwersen expected the company to be a cultivator as well, but she changed direction in order to control the

good and weighs properly, because that is how you get that accurate dose.”

extraction and infusion process, he says. Canyon sourc-

McMurray says that the industry has been moving at

es trim from old-school, long-term connections, and

light speed, which is good and bad. As a result, he says,

does its own CO2 extractions to manufacture edibles.

“every day is a new day,” even as the Colorado market

There are 20 different products, including tinctures,

begins to stabilize in terms of testing and other critical business details. But the company had to weather some challenges along the way in distribution and packaging. “We spent $60,000 on retooling to meet packaging regulations,” he says.

Canyon is looking to get into new markets. There have been recent conversations with a group in New Jersey and talks with another interested party on the West Coast for about a year and half. “I think our growth will be slow and steady,” McMurray says. “We are picking people to go into business with that we are basically marrying, so the vetting process to get there we don’t take lightly.”

For more information, visit:

CANYONTHC.COM

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 49

{HereWeGo }

by S E N S I S TA F F

ARCHIPELAGO Leave Boston for paradise because polar vortexes (and other reasons).

Given the recent polar vortex stealing your will to live, we thought it best to fill this final page with some snapshots of paradise. One of the 40 low-lying coral islands that make up the godly string of Aquaman archipelagos in the Turks and Caicos, our focus is on Providenciales (or “Provo”)–the heavenly island with one of the best beaches in the world (Grace Bay) and the softest sand you’re likely to find this side of Willy Wonka’s overlooked “powdered sugar beach.”

Behold: A quick once-over for why to go, where to go when you get there, and exactly how much fresh conch caught and carved out of the sea one can consume before turning into a shell-based ocean life form themselves.

(The answer doesn’t exist, by the way; the stuff has a litashrimp can be prepared.) Let’s begin: 1. Get There: You’d be surprised the deals on Kayak and other flash flight sites. Caveat: once you’re there, everything is expensive. Think $40 for a 12 pack of Dos Equis.

2. Find lodging: We stayed at the luxurious Villa Camilla (VILLA-CAMILLA.COM), a private rental that looks like it was designed at the height of the Miami Vice color palate craze (with a splendid dash of local Haitian art and rooms leading to the pool) with architectural touches of the Fibonacci Sequence kind, sleeps up to 13 people across two different houses sitting on 6 acres of lush, protected ecological reserve fauna. Bonus: 300 feet of private dune paths lead right to the number one-rated Grace Bay Beach and all the sunsets that suggests. See: Powdered sugar, sand.

3. Get out on the island: Maybe it’s a jaunt to Turks Kebab for one of the best gyro sandwiches ever or Bugaloo’s Conch Crawl (BUGALOOSTCI.COM) surrounded by stunning views of the aquamarine shimmering south coast, right on one of 50 MARCH 2019 Southern Colorado

the island’s original three settlements. Or maybe just scoot over to the local fisheries and pick up some fresh spiny-tail lobster for the grill before nude night swimming and Bluetooth beats (#casualhedonism).

4. Find a boat: We found JT, a local captain of the Southern Cross charter yacht (and AirBNB on the water), who gave us a blazing sunset cruise just before we left. Don’t sleep on the snorkeling, though.

5. Embrace the breezy luxe sheen of the island: You’ll often find yourself rum punch in hand beachside, upending glass after glass while shoulder to shoulder with a guy who looks like Tom Hanks just before being rescued in Castaway, only to find he’s a billionaire who’s been living the good island life for the last 20 years. And Keith Richards. He’s around too, if you can spot him amongst the other weathered, wildly content faces.

6. Remember to go home: There’s a good chance you won’t want to.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KERRI LYN WALSH AND EDWIN DIAZ

ny of uses befitting a Bubbaesque rattling off all the ways