Sensi Magazine - Emerald Triangle (June 2019)

EMERALD TRIANGLE

O N T H E R OA D

THE NEW NORMAL

6.2019

#VANLIFE Sisters of the Valley Finding Faith in CBD

Summer of Glamping

{plus} GARDEN PARTY COCKTAILS

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 3

4 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

ISSUE 5 // VOLUME 1 // 6.2019

FEATURES 32 Highly Topical

The benefits of topicals are propelling them into the mainstream.

SP EC IAL R EP OR T

34 Greener Green

The cannabis industry needs to live up to its sustainability potential.

40 Hotcasting

After languishing for two decades, podcasts are having their moment.

20 #VANLIFE Go with the flow

34

WHAT DOES GREEN EVEN MEAN? Understanding Sustainable Cannabis

every issue 07 Editor’s Note 09 The Buzz 12 CrossRoads

THREE MYTHS OF GREEN CANNABIS

16 LifeStyle

A GARDEN PARTY IN A GLASS

18 TasteBuds

RIO DELL RISING

20 AroundTown #VANLIFE

28 TravelWell

SUMMER OF GLAMPING

48 The Scene

SENSI NIGHT EMERALD TRIANGLE

50 HereWeGo

THE CBDS OF SKINCARE

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

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 5

sensi magazine ISSUE 5 / VOLUME 1 / 6.2019

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

Nora Mounce nora.mounce@sensimag.com MANAGING EDITOR, SENSI EMERALD TRIANGLE

Leland Rucker leland.rucker@sensimag.com SENIOR 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 sensimag

DESIGN & LAYOUT

BUSINESS & A D M I N I S T R AT I V E Lelehnia DuBois lelehnia.dubois@sensimag.com PUBLISHER

Tad Sarvinski tad.sarvinski@sensimag.com Shannon Golightly shannon.golightly@sensimag.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Amber Orvik amber.orvik@sensimag.com CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR

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Hector Irizarry distribution@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 6 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

THE GREEN OF SUMMER

ADVISORY BOARD Coldwell Banker Sellers, Sandi DeLuca // REAL ESTATE

Canna-Envy //

DIY CANNABIS

editor’s

NOTE

After months of soggy, gray weather,

summertime is an extra-special season in the Emerald Triangle.

The monochromatic green landscape becomes almost neon,

Forever Found //

EMERALD TRIANGLE CULTURAL EXPERT

and the unique biota of the region welcomes the return of thou-

Genius Products T, Inc. //

sands of species of plants and flowers. In the inland heart, locals

RECREATIONAL CANNABIS PRODUCTS

start worshipping on the banks of the Eel and Trinity rivers, dip-

Heartwood Mountain Sanctuary //

ping toes in cold spring snowmelt. As June warms up, blow up

ECO-RETREAT CENTER

Hendrx Farms // CANNABIS NURSERY Humboldt Patient Resource Center // DISPENSARY

Humboldt Redwood Healing // Humboldt SWAG //

COMMUNITY

BRAND MANAGEMENT

Kathleen Bryson, Attorney // KC Financial Services //

LAW OFFICE

your inflatable unicorn, grab a copy of Sensi, and head out for a summer of adventure.

Glamp much? Take a peek in TravelWell (p28), where health and beauty diva Liz Wilson takes us behind the scenes with Wayward Glamping, a mom-and-pop company that helps you luxuriate in nature. With rental options from simple romance in the redwoods to cannabis-friendly weddings, the glamping experts never forget to pack style on your summer vacation.

If following the killer line-up of NorCal music festivals is on your

ACCOUNTING

summer agenda, check out Emily Beltz’s cover story on living the

The Kingdom Group, Inc. // SECURITY

#vanlife (p20). A wandering yogi at heart, she offers road-tested

Magna Wealth Business Services // BUSINESS MANAGMENT

Mountainwise Farms // Redwood Roots //

TOPICALS

DISTRIBUTION

SoHum Royal // MIXED LIGHT FARMING Southern Humboldt Business & Visitors Bureau // TOURISM Sunnabis //

REGENERATIVE CANNABIS FARMING

Talismans Analytics // ULEVA //

LAB TESTING

HEMP PRODUCTS

Wildseed, LLC. //

CO2 EXTRACTION

tips for finding your flow in 200 square feet and experiencing the stunning beauty of our redwoods and rivers. The story features Humboldt-based artist Shawn Griggs’s painting “El Rojo Ojo,” which was inspired by his love for setting off on a new adventure with his van packed high with surfboards and empty canvases.

As we enjoy sunshine, waves, and music this summer, keeping it green should be on everyone’s mind. On page 9, learn about Mendocino-based Flow Kana’s efforts to support alternative energy and permaculture in Hopland and a new partnership with Dr. Bronner’s. And we were honored to sit down Sister Star, a fearless Humboldt County mother and activist, who lost her voice to find it again through the Sisters of the Valley. A full-length documentary about the CBD sisterhood, Breaking Habits, will premiere at the historic Eureka Theater on June 28. Finally, on page 16, we officially kick off summer with a pair of garden-to-glass cocktails that look too refreshing to wait for the weekend.

Cheers to summer!

Nora Mounce

M ANAG I NG E D I TO R

SENSI EMERALD TRIANGLE

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 7

LOVE LOYALTY AND EXCELLENCE IN CANNABIS

Full Product Line soon to be in Dispensaries Everywhere

sohumroyal.com

@sohumroyal #sohumroyal

8 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

LCA18-0001962

Flow Kana Makes Friends in Mendocino In April, the Mendocino-based cannabis collective Flow Kana spread its well-endowed message of sustainable cannabis even further with two big moves: First, the Solar Living Center in Hopland announced that Flow Kana will purchase the entire 12-acre campus, including the Real Goods Store and its educational arm, the Solar Living Institute. Founded in 1978 by John Schaeffer, the Solar Living Institute is a national leader in off-the-grid living, permaculture, solar energy, and sustainability education. The Real Goods Store is a 5,000-square-foot passively cooled and heated straw bale showroom, which sits at the center of the beautiful and sustainably landscaped campus.

Schaeffer, who turns 70 this year, writes that he is “thrilled to have found a buyer whose own long-term vision so closely matches his own,” according to Real Good News, the nonprofit’s off-grid blog. Schaeffer adds that Flow Kana CEO Michael Steinmetz “understood the vision of the Solar Living Center–everything from cob houses and biodynamic farming to farm-to-table organics,” and says the purchase is “a perfect

marriage.” Steinmetz promises that all educational programs and operations, including Emerald Pharms on-site cannabis nursery and dispensary, will continue at the world-famous Hopland eco-tourism destination.

In other earth-friendly news, legendary natural soap maker David Bronner announced his company has launched Brother David’s, a nonprofit cannabis company powered by Flow Kana. In its official press release, Brother David’s wrote that it is “dedicated to sourcing expertly cultivated and cured sungrown cannabis products grown under the high-bar ethical and ecological standard, Sun + Earth certification.”

A longtime advocate for sustainable cannabis, Dr. Bronner’s has donated over $5 million to the legalization movement and continues to support the federal lift on prohibition. Brother David’s founder, David Bronner, says he created the new division to “provide an alternative to the chemical and fossil-fuel-intensive industrial ag model being adopted by many corporations in the cannabis industry.” In 2001, Bronner was arrested in Washington, DC, in act of civil disobedience for attempting to harvest hemp on the White House lawn.

In May, Brother David’s was released at select dispensaries across California; all products are sourced from Sun + Earth certified farms, including Briceland Forest Farm and Moon Made Farm in Southern Humboldt and Elysian Fields, Emerald Spirit Botanicals, HappyDay Farms, Herbanology, Polykulture Cannyard, and Waterdog Herb Farm in Mendocino.

–Nora Mounce sensimag.com JUNE 2019 9

A Woman Who Knows The woman’s guide to cannabis.

American families are finally talking about marijuana at the dinner table, but it’s hardly what Richard

good with the support of cannabis (formerly known as “medical marijuana”).

Nixon had in mind. As a country with the worst health-

A bookworm turned independent book store own-

care among high-income nations and an opioid crisis

er, Furrer’s mental and physical health was suffering as

breaking hearts in every state, the potential for im-

she struggled to make ends meet. After sadly closing

provement is vast. Doubling down on systemic woes,

shop, Furrer found herself drawn west by big moun-

even the average “healthy” American is increasingly

tains and open minds, starting over behind the counter

overworked and exhausted, often turning to screens

at a dispensary in Denver. Daily, she met with a color-

and pills for a moment’s relief.

ful cast of characters—including the oft-played tropes

This is the melancholic landscape painted by lawyer,

of soccer moms and grandmas—asking the how and

former bookstore owner, and cannabis advocate Nikki

what of weed. Furrer quickly realized she was missing

Furrer in her 2018 release from Workman Publishing,

her go-to move, a solid recommendation for the right

A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis. Amid this grim snap-

book. So voila, Furrer’s own comprehensive cannabis

shot, Furrer, a Midwesterner who now calls Colorado

guide, customized for the everyday Jane. A Woman’s

home, writes that cannabis offers untapped potential

Guide to Cannabis covers everything a woman—or man

for the radical act of feeling well and good. Not dis-

or non-binary individual—might wonder about weed.

criminating between pain from chronic diseases and

“Men are more than welcome to read this book, too,”

everyday stress, Furrer wants to help everyone feel

she writes. “Cannabis is for everyone.”

10 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

As a NorCal native living in Humboldt County who has written about cannabis from every angle, I was skeptical about what Furrer’s guide could offer me; the endocannabinoid system, entourage effect, and terpenes are rooted in my daily lexicon. But beginning with the pained portrait of a typical American, Furrer stresses that whatever your troubles, cannabis will probably help. “A plant that makes us happier and healthier isn’t wrong,” she writes.

Admittedly, this is her target audience: Women living in red states whose value systems dictate that cannabis is still cause for shame and skepticism. Reading through heartfelt and info-packed chapters on edibles, inhalants, shopping, and health—and more importantly, why these topics matter—I quickly started thinking of friends to whom I should gift A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis. Deep diving into anxiety, menstruation, and weight loss, Furrer innately understands that the path of womanhood is paved with rocks and hard places. From start to finish, women’s bodies mold, bleed, birth, and hurt, leaving our minds to make sense of all. It’s no walk in the park.

“Now that I’m in my 40s, cannabis makes me feel prettier and more relaxed than I ever was in my 20s or 30s,” writes Furrer. While many women are curious about how cannabis might help them “feel better, look better, and sleep better,” the barriers to safe and clean cannabis products are many. In her guidebook, Furrer breaks down the loopholes to obtaining doctors recommendations, going out of state (don’t come back with your weed, please!), and talking to your therapist/children/partner about cannabis. As she explains, you’re not the only one who might be feeling unsure and overwhelmed. “Medical schools do not teach cannabis medicine, so this is a new subject for doctors, too,” writes Furrer.

Though giving serious attention to legality, adolescent brain development, and dependence, Furrer is conscientious rather than conservative in her approach. “And dose just for fun? Well, that works too!” she writes.

The cannabis plant is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and promotes healthy cell regeneration. If we consider mental, physical, and emotional health as one, it makes sense that treating arthritis or menstrual cramps comes with the fringe benefits of feeling better in every sense of the word.

Though A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis is meticulously detailed, Furrer encourages women to do their own research, using her book as point of departure. TCH or CBD? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, she writes, dedicating an entire chapter to synergistic effects of the two cannabinoids.

She calls THC the Queen Bee and CBD the Valedictorian, “But when they work together, they bring out the best in each other.” Illustrated charts on cannabis strains, terpenes, and minor cannabinoids you’ve never heard of (THCV?) are helpful, even whimsical, guides to keep you motivated during your cannabis education.

Whether a gift for Gram, that certain friend, or yourself, A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis provides insight and a pragmatism from a woman who knows. If you’re considering adding cannabis to your life or changing up your relationship to the plant, Furrer is the unabashed friend you want to bring along on your journey.

–NM sensimag.com JUNE 2019 11

{crossroads}

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

12 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

THREE POPULAR MYTHS AB0UT GREEN CANNABIS An uncomfortable fact: There is significantly more we don’t know about cannabis than what we do know.

MYTH

MYTH

GREEN CANNABIS = ORGANIC CANNABIS

GREEN CANNABIS = MAKE MONEY-MONEY

While the idea of organic cannabis seems like an innocu-

“Money basically grows on marijuana plants, right?” Not

ous concept that should be a legit thing in 2019, it is abso-

quite. It would be impossible to overstate the monolithic diffi-

lutely not. Back in September 2015, I remember getting a call

culty of creating a successful, compliant-with-all-regulations,

from a source deep in the industry that the Colorado Attor-

plant-touching cannabis business. And yet I would argue that

ney General was going after marijuana businesses using or-

most Americans in mid-2019 think these businesses are ba-

ganic or organically grown in their names, websites and mar-

sically printing greenbacks inside their cultivation facilities.

keting materials. The resulting story changed how state-legal cannabis was marketed throughout Colorado and beyond.

As my former colleague David Migoya and I wrote for the Denver Post back then:

But no, a cannabis license is not an automatic gold mine.

To truly see green while holding a plant-touching license to grow, process, or retail marijuana and pot products, while still abiding by some of the most demanding regulations in

“Because marijuana is illegal under federal law, and use

any industry anywhere, an entrepreneur needs exceptional

of the term ‘organic’ is federally regulated, a licensed can-

attention to detail, access to heaps of non-bank-derived

nabis business cannot be certified as organic—no matter

capital, a trustworthy team, and a lot of luck.

its practices. As such, no marijuana business in Colorado

Let’s approach the process of starting a cannabis busi-

can technically use the word in its name or in selling its

ness chronologically. First, you need a license to operate.

product, according to officials and industry insiders. Po-

These licenses are incredibly valuable and rare in most

tential fraud penalties under the Colorado Consumer Pro-

state-regulated markets, which means you need access

tection Act include fines of up to $10,000 per violation.

to capital immediately. Because cannabis is federally ille-

Federal rules say that businesses wrongly selling a prod-

gal, banks won’t lend you that capital as they would if you

uct as organic could face fines of up to $10,000.”

were starting a business in most other industries. So ei-

There are a few non-USDA third-party organizations

ther you have the money or you’re able to borrow the

with certification programs for marijuana—including

money from friends, family, and investors or…you don’t.

Clean Green, Certified Kind and the Cannabis Certification

And if you don’t have the capital, you’re already out.

Council—but until cannabis is legal federally, the word organic will continue to be treacherous territory.

But let’s say you get that capital and are lucky enough to land a license. Congratulations! But because no governsensimag.com JUNE 2019 13

Shelter Cove

VISIT SOUTHERN HUMBOLDT

AMERICA’S CANNABIS HEARTLAND TM

THE MAGIC

www.elevatethemagic.com

14 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

ment had ever regulated cannabis before 2009, they’re new at this, too, and they’re still figuring out their own best practices for licensing, zoning, and beyond. When you open up shop, you’re most likely operating in a highly competitive marketplace. Wholesale prices are down. The number of competitors is up. And profit margins are slimming.

But you make it through the first couple months of business, and when it comes time to pay taxes on your new endeavour, you’re suddenly gobsmacked when you find yourself paying an effective tax rate of up to 70 percent—compared to the 30ish percent any other nonplant-touching business is paying. Yes, IRS code 280E is the federal government’s reality check for these entrepreneurs, a constant and (yes) taxing reminder that their cho-

IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERSTATE THE MONOLITHIC DIFFICULTY OF CREATING A SUCCESSFUL, COMPLIANT CANNABIS BUSINESS.

sen commodity remains illegal at the federal level.

So next time you hear someone waxing eloquently about the thoughtless profitability of the green rush, mention these barriers to entry, the lack of consistent and traditional banking services, the heated and sometimes reckless

Those lights that burn so bright also burn so hot, requiring a

competitive environments, and the IRS’s unfair continua-

carefully calibrated suite of machinery and technology to

tion of America’s war on marijuana to set them straight.

offset the lights’ heat—including systems that fully ventilate, dehumidify, and cool these indoor cultivation facilities.

As Think Progress reported, “Cannabis cultivation annu-

MYTH

ally consumes one percent of the United States’ total electrical output, which for a single industry growing a single crop, is a lot—roughly the equivalent of the electricity used by 1.7 million homes.”

While states like California, Oregon, and Washington allow

GREEN CANNABIS = ECO-FRIENDLY

outdoor cultivation—allowing growers the opportunity to get away from much of the energy consumed by these lights, humidifiers, and air conditioners—growing cannabis outdoors can also have a negative impact on the environment.

When we think green, we think eco-friendly—and can-

When marijuana is cultivated outdoors responsibly, the

nabis would seem to fall under that umbrella at first look.

plants still consume nearly twice as much water as wine

It’s a plant that allegedly “grows like a weed,” right?

grapes, according to one University of California, Berkeley

Yes and no. Cannabis is a plant, but as I mentioned ear-

study. When it’s cultivated outdoors irresponsibly, the environ-

lier, it’s one of the most tightly regulated plants in the

mental impact can be even worse, as poorly managed outdoor

world. And because we’re still emerging from nearly a

marijuana cultivations can degrade land and erode soil.

century of prohibition, this plant is grown indoors more

So while this plant-based industry inevitably has a

than it is outdoors in these modern regulated environ-

more sustainable and profitable future ahead of it, the

ments, requiring high-intensity lights that mirror the sun’s

hangover of prohibition is real.

powerful rays and fuel the plant’s growth and maturation.

While these lights are extremely energy intensive, they’re only part of legal marijuana’s concerning resource problem.

RICARDO BACA is a veteran journalist, thought leader 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 JUNE 2019 15

{lifestyle }

by N O R A M O U N C E

A GARDEN PARTY IN A GLASS Stay cool with summer cocktails.

The stormy weather has finally yielded on the redwood coast, and summer can’t arrive soon enough.

By June, gardeners throughout the Emerald Triangle are harvesting a variety of colors begging to be peeled, chopped, sautéed, and positively muddled.

To welcome these gifts of early summer, put on your flippy-floppies and whip up this pair of garden-toglass cocktails. In the sweet and simple Strawberry Basil Lemonade, ruby red strawberries and aromatic basil team up with Humboldt Distillery’s organic vodka. In the verdant Green Gardens, the drink

Green Gardens • 1¾ oz Humboldt’s Finest vodka • ¼ oz green Chartreuse • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz simple syrup • 1 heaping tbsp yellow bell pepper, chopped • 3 leaves fresh oregano, slightly smashed with fingers • Oregano stem for garnish Add chopped yellow pepper to shaker; muddle well. Add oregano leaves, Humboldt’s Finest, green Chartreuse, lime, and simple syrup. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with oregano sprig and pepper wedge.

16 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

leans on the herbaceous medley of Humboldt Distillery’s hemp-infused vodka, yellow bell pepper, and oregano.

In the Eel River Valley farm town of Fortuna, Humboldt Distillery distills and bottles a fun line-up of organic spirits, including spiced rum, a new organic whiskey, and Humboldt’s Finest, a hemp-infused vodka. Humboldt Distillery was founded by Humboldt native Abe Stevens in 2012. After earning a degree in chemistry from University of Chicago and working in the pharmaceutical industry, Stevens returned to home to follow his passion for the science of spirits.

When using Humboldt’s Finest, Stevens recommends swapping the aromatic hemp-infused vodka for gin in your favorite drinks. The spirit has a nose of a fresh bowl of sticky icky, which partners smartly with vegetal sweetness of green Chartreuse and lime, accented by the yellow pepper and oregano.

• 1 ¹⁄₂ oz Humboldt Distillery organic vodka • 5 basil leaves • 3 large hulled strawberries • 3 oz lemonade • Club soda In a glass, muddle 2 strawberries and 4 basil leaves. Fill with ice and set aside. Add vodka and lemonade to a shaker and fill with fresh ice.

Shake and strain into the prepared glass. Top with a splash of club soda and garnish with remaining strawberry and a basil leaf.

RECIPES AND IMAGES COURTESY OF HUMBOLDT DISTILLERY

Cheers to green drinks and summer living!

Strawberry Basil Lemonade

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 17

{tastebuds }

by O C E A N M A L A N D R A

RIO DELL RISING Waffles take root in Humboldt’s iconic timber town.

I’ve been hanging around Humboldt long enough to remember when there was little reason to stop in Rio Dell, a small community on the Eel River in Southern Humboldt. Along with what a boom-and-bust economy looks like after the honey-

crafted with local products like Mad River Farms blackber-

moon is over. But change is afoot in the town people used to

ry jam, which pairs with a whipped cream cheese filling

jokingly call Real Dull. Art galleries and cafes are popping up

in the Blackout, the shop’s most popular waffle. Keeping

along the main drag of Wildwood Avenue as Rio Dell transi-

the coffee bar local as well, Negrete sources beans from

tions into a key player in the new legal cannabis economy.

Muddy Waters and uses Angie’s Chai from Arcata.

“Cannabis is already bringing a lot of people in from all

In addition to sweet numbers like the Blackout and Ba-

over,” says Keana Negrete, manager of Wildwood Waffles,

nanas & Buds (sliced bananas topped with peanut but-

a new eatery tucked inside Rio Dell’s Root 101 nursery. “It’s

ter and/or Nutella), the cafe also serves savory waffles.

nice because when they do come in to stock up on garden

Somewhere between a wrap and a breakfast sandwich,

supplies, they get hungry too. We’re here to feed them.”

savory waffles like the Wildwood are folded and stuffed

Open weekdays from 6:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 3

with sausage, eggs, and cheese. Served with a side of

p.m. on weekends, Wildwood Waffles serves drive-through

decadent house-made maple syrup butter, the Wildwood

customers and shoppers who can grab a table with a view

is meant to power folks through a work day on the hill.

of Rio Dell’s redwood-covered bluffs. With a second shop in

Businesses like Wildwood Waffles are a sign of positive

Garberville, Root 101 primarily caters to farmers, but Negrete

things to come in Rio Dell as the community continues to

says many people have been coming in just for the waffles.

emerge as a hotspot for the legal cannabis economy. The city

“Our butter is organic, and so is the milk, eggs, and ev-

is busy building a new cannabis business park, and just down

erything down to the vanilla,” says Negrete. Many of the

the road, Scotia has plans to welcome the cannabis industry

restaurant’s made-from-scratch waffle creations are

with renovations in progress.

18 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

RESTAURANT PHOTOS COURTESY OF WILDWOOD WAFFLES

its sister city of Scotia, the pair of quiet timber towns embody

“There are a lot of businesses now on Wildwood Avenue in Rio Dell,” says Negrete. In Scotia, the former company town is promoting the sale of renovated employee housing and has rolled out initiatives like a community forest with frisbee golf and Eel River beach access. Negrete has noticed many more families in the area in past two years, as well as an uptick in resident artists.

“Adam Diaz is a local artist who does all our signage,” Negrete says, pointing out the custom magnets and peace signs. “We’re really an eclectic little town.”

Finally overcoming the fallout from the timber era, Rio Dell is now one of the coolest places in Humboldt to enjoy both natural beauty and bohemian culture.

By supporting small businesses and the cannabis industry, Rio Dell is blazing the trail in the new age of legally regulated cannabis. Stop by and check it out for yourself—it’s hard to leave without a waffle.

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 19

{aroundtown }

#VANLIFE Living small and simple can be a ticket to freedom.

Van life, or #vanlife if you’re on Instagram, is right out-

I met my fiancé, James, three years ago when we bond-

side your front door in the Emerald Triangle. It’s a lifestyle

ed over our love of travel. He had been backpacking all

full of adventure, freedom, and good vibes, but it takes a

over the world and landed in Humboldt County looking for

certain kind of flow to make it work.

seasonal work. Eventually, he upgraded from his backpack

20 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

EL ROJO OJO PAINTING BY SHAWN GRIGGS

by E M I LY B E LT Z

HPRC

"Cultivating Well Being Since 1999"

Humboldt County's Longest Operating Cannabis Dispensary

In House Product Lines Exceptional Staff Service Oriented HPRC Arcata 980 6th St. Arcata, CA

to a Honda Odyssey minivan that became his temporary “home.” After settling down in a rental house together, the minivan became our road trip and festival vehicle. We took a lot of memorable trips but always found it bittersweet when we had to turn around and head home. I had been following #vanlife on social for a while, and James and I often talked about building out a Sprinter van and hitting the road—for good.

Over the cannabis season, we put our scissor hands on full drive, motivated by dreams of an endless road trip. After months of hard work, we found ourselves able to afford a fabulous 2006 Sprinter van, naming her

www.HPRCHumboldt.com A12-18-000025TEMP sensimag.com JUNE 2019 21

Marsha. We even had leftover money to start renovations (so we thought!).

The buildout took a lot more time and money than we had anticipated, but nearly a year later, we had a cozy home to sleep, cook, and shower wherever we found ourselves.

The Emerald Triangle is one of the best places in the country to live in a van. People are open and friendly, and the attitude towards van dwellers and travelers is accepting and positive. The cannabis industry plays a big

THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY plays a big role in fostering NON-MAINSTREAM LIFESTYLES, welcoming those tired of the rat race who still want to WORK HARD AND PLAY HARD.

22 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

#VANLIFE GONE #VINTAGE Humboldt County’s Rent a Vintage VW offers hourly or daily rentals of their 1967 green VW bus, Hula. Adventure through the redwoods, cruise to your wedding, or have a beach day, driver included!

RENTAVINTAGEVW.COM // FB.COM/RENTAVINTAGEVW

SUNNABIS FARMER’S RESERVE PREMIUM EIGHTHS AND PRE-ROLLS Collaborating with Seed2Soul distribution to bring only the best craft cannabis from our farm to you.

role in fostering non-mainstream lifestyles, welcoming those tired of the rat race who still want to work hard and play hard. Some farms and employers even prefer van-lifers due to their self-sufficiency—no employee housing required! The day-to-day of van life is a lot of fun. Some days we’re camping, some days we sleep over in a friend’s driveway, and when it’s time to go to work, our home is right there with us. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to set off on a trip with all the comforts that Marsha provides. Last year alone, we traveled to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver Island. Wherever we go, we’re able to find places off the beaten path that we might have never found

We believe that only cannabis grown with conscious choices results in superior product. Our multi-generational small family farm cultivates energetically dynamic plants utilizing regenerative agriculture practices so the flower that comes from fl our farm is of exceptional quality as well as maintaining minimal environmental impact. (Basically we care about our planet and our product so you can feel good about loving our flower!)

without Marsha’s freedom and mobility. Everything feels like an adventure, even breaking down on the side of the highway or getting stuck in the mud. The challenges of #vanlife are many, but I’ve found that taking my home on the road is a priceless journey.

Follow our adventures with Marsha on IG @OM_WITH_EM

www.sunnabis.com Instagram: @HumboldtsFullSunFarms sensimag.com JUNE 2019 23

{highprofile }

by N O R A M O U N C E

SISTERS OF THE VALLEY Finding faith in sisterhood and CBD.

On July 31, 2015, Star Pahl woke up to darkness in the

a million pounds, like I was pulling lead from the core of the

early hours of the morning in her Fieldbrook home. She

earth,” remembers Star. Inspired by her will, Star’s friends

soon realized something wasn’t right; she couldn’t open

contacted Amber French, a renowned healer from Chico, and

her eyes or feel her right hand. Terrified, she began rock-

brought her to see Star in rehab. After French gave her a mas-

ing back and forth to wake herself up and make sense of

sage using holistic nerve oil, Star’s ocular migraines—the only

what was happening. At 38 years old, Pahl had suffered

symptom preceding her stroke—have never returned. “I felt

a massive stroke. As she blindly stumbled to her phone,

like a baby who had never been touched,” remembers Star. “I

Pahl was able to call a friend and get out one word, “Help.”

was able to reconnect to myself and feel in my body.”

year old son was asleep in the next room.

Star grew up in a Jehovah’s Witness family in Trinity County. At the age of 7 she was kidnapped, drugged, and

After surviving “the bowels of hell” in a hospital in Red-

sexually assaulted. The pain and severity of her early child-

ding, followed by weeks of rehabilitation—she had re-

hood trauma has been incredibly difficult to overcome, and

learn how to eat, stand, walk, and speak—Pahl believes

Star correlates her early abuse to her midlife health crisis. “I

a greater power has given her a second chance at life. But

was raised in a very controlled, manipulative, and abusive

this time around, she’s Sister Star.

religion,” explains Star. “People weren’t allowed to educate

Though Star often dresses in the flowing white habit

themselves, especially women.”

of a nun, her vision of spirituality looks nothing like the

Today, in addition to her work with the Sisters of the Val-

masculine or Biblical notion of “God.” Instead, Star and her

ley, Star is dedicated to exposing deep-rooted pedophilia

sisterhood of nuns, known as Sisters of the Valley, are

and widespread sexual abuse in the church. Locally, Star has

wholeheartedly devoted to cannabis.

spearheaded the STAR Network (Sexual Trafficking Aware-

“Cannabis has given me my life back. It has given me

ness Response), which collaborates with other agencies to

my words back,” says Star. After her stroke, Star’s recov-

increase safety and transparency around children’s safety at

ery was fraught the pain and ambiguity of navigating the

the state and national level. One of STAR’s current projects

American healthcare system. She was prescribed a med-

is working to pass SB360, a state bill that would require reli-

ley of narcotics, anti-depressants, and blood pressure

gious leaders to be mandated reporters for sexual assault and

medications. In particular, Star gets emotional remem-

abuse against youth. “Part of my mission with the sisterhood

bering the painful injections of a blood thinner that was

is lobbying to change laws that protect children,” explains Star.

administered intravenously. After 17 days in the hospital,

After her experience in the hospital with French, Star

Star was told that her right arm would be paralyzed forev-

found the empowerment she needed to take control of her

er; she didn’t take the news well.

own health. Back home in Humboldt, a friend gave her an

“The next day, I pulled my arm up and shook it. It felt like 24 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

oral CBD spray from Care by Design; it was the only deliv-

PHOTO BY JAMES ADAM TAYLOR

She had recently separated from her husband, and her 7

Pull-Quotes: “I lost my voice to find my voice.” -Sister Star “Cannabis has given me my life back.”-Sister Star “We are very humble farm women who make medicine and give it to the people.”

Sister Kate “Everyone’s really starving for something to connect to spiritually.” Sister Kate

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 25

BooneyAcres@gmail.com www.BooneyAcres.com LCA18-0002181

26 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

late leader, Sister Kate is on a mission to grow and share hemp CBD medicine, provide women with economic opportunities, and bring prosperity into her impoverished Central Valley community.

“I’m a self-declared, self-empowered, anarchist-activist nun,” says Sister Kate in an interview recorded in the recently released documentary about the sisterhood, Breaking Habits. In the film, director Rob Ryan tells the long and harrowing tale of Sister Kate’s journey from divorce to homelessness to defending her first crop with gunfire to running a world-famous CBD cannabis farm and new-age religion.

“Everyone’s really starving for something to connect to spiritually, but they’re rejecting everything that’s come before,” explains Sister Kate in the documentary.

Sister Kate is very clear that her sisterhood doesn’t ery system she could manage with one hand. Within five

follow Christian principles, but models itself after the Be-

minutes of using the spray, Star “found her words” and

guines, a spiritual order of pious women active in 13-16th

communicated clearly with her children for the first time

century Europe. “Our number one belief is organizing our

since her stroke. After discovering the positive impact of

life by the cycles of the moon and quarters of the year,”

CBD, Star found land to start her garden so she could be

says Sister Kate. “Our second belief is being compassion-

sure nothing toxic finds its way into her medicine. Con-

ate with other people on the planet.”

tinuing to build her strength and convictions following her

Often called the “weed nuns,” the Sisters of the Valley have

stroke, she has made cannabis a central part of her life. “I

been featured in major news outlets worldwide as their val-

have my joints in my pocket and oil in my purse,” explains

ues and products resonate with more and more souls. Thanks

Star, who uses topicals, oils, and flower daily as medicine.

to the efforts of Sister Star and the Humboldt-Del Norte Film

Star took her vows with the Sisters of the Valley last

Commission, the tell-all documentary will premier in Hum-

year—on 4/20, a divine coincidence—officially joining

boldt County at the historic Eureka Theater on June 28. Buy

the new-world order spearheaded by Christine Meeusen,

a ticket early to catch Breaking Habits on the big screen and

widely known as Sister Kate, in 2011. A fiery and articu-

learn how a weed habit might change your life.

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 27

by L I Z W I L S O N

SUMMER OF GLAMPING Style for your outdoor adventure.

28 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

PHOTO BY LEON VILLAGOMEZ

{travelwell }

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WAYWARD GLAMPING

WAYWARD GLAMPING BRINGS LUXURY CAMPING TO HUMBOLDT, MENDOCINO, AND BEYOND. Three years ago, Emily and Toni Fair invested in two canvas bell-tents to use for their wedding. Today, the couple operates Wayward Glamping, an Emerald Triangle-based luxury glamping business that now offers up to fifteen rental tents with all the trimmings.

“Wayward Glamping creates a modern style and offers comfortable accommodations outdoors,” says Emily. She describes it as a way to be in nature without roughing it.

Clad in unique decor that is often handmade or vintage, an entire bedroom or lounge awaits you at your campsite of

of nature without the inconvenience. Flying with camping

choice. Beds, Bluetooth speakers, and additions like s’mo-

gear is difficult, and purchasing one-time-use equipment

res kits, firewood, and an entire glamp kitchen can be set up

far too costly. And setting up a camp site can be daunting

and customized for each glamper.

for people who aren’t outdoorsy. By doing all the heavy lift-

In addition to large events and weddings, Wayward accommodates smaller parties looking to enjoy the beauty

ing—and more—Wayward eliminates all the obstacles to being in nature by making camping relaxing and luxurious. sensimag.com JUNE 2019 29

the walls of a hotel. As a local, Emily says, “Being able to host people and show them the beauty of our area is so rewarding.” Many Humboldt and Mendocino area event venues are so rural and remote they require buses or vans to shuttle guests back and forth to hotel rooms. This can be costly and inconvenient, and it’s not very environmentally friendly. While glamping has a smaller environmental footprint than hotels and shuttles, the Fairs do even more to keep Wayward as sustainable as possible. Only solar or rechargeable accessories are used in their tents; battery packs, lanterns, and Bluetooth speakers are charged on the Fairs’ home solar panel system.

30 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

PHOTOS (TOP TO BOTTOM) BY EMILY + TONY AND LEON VILLAGOMEZ

The Fairs are passionate about experiencing the Emerald Triangle outside

PHOTO (RIGHT) COURTESY OF WAYWARD GLAMPING

As a business that celebrates the rugged beauty of the Emerald Triangle, Wayward is cannabis-friendly. Open flame is not permitted inside tents, so the Fairs create custom smoking lounges styled with tables and floor pillows. This summer, Wayward Glamping will travel to Hopland for a cannabis-themed wedding, and Emily says the company is hosting more events in Humboldt at farms and cannabis-friendly venues.

“We work with a campground in Westport where you can glamp on the beach and a private venue outside of Willits that has its own lake,” says Emily. Their most memorable experience was in Oregon for the solar eclipse, where they glamped “in the path of totality.”

As a small boutique company, Wayward is able to customize every detail for each customer. To accommodate large events, the Fairs enjoy collaborating with other glamping companies to provide a unique experience no matter how rural the location.

Bringing luxury glamping to Humboldt, Mendocino, and beyond, Wayward Glamping will never forget to pack the style for all your summer adventures. sensimag.com JUNE 2019 31

Highly Topical The bodypleasing benefits of cannabisinfused topicals are propelling them into the mainstream.

KIM FRAZIER, A COLORADO-BASED HEALTH COACH AND MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENT, USES MEDICAL CANNABIS FOR ONGOING PAIN FROM TWO HERNIATED DISKS IN HER LUMBAR SPINE AND PINCHED NERVES AND OSTEOPOROSIS IN HER NECK. A FEW YEARS AGO, SHE DISCOVERED THAT APPLYING CANNABIS-INFUSED TOPICAL OINTMENTS

eased her pain without fogging her mind.

So she began buying topicals at dispensaries and making

An up-and-coming segment of the medical cannabis in-

her own at home. Last year, Frazier had her first massage

dustry, “topicals” include cannabis-infused balms, lotions,

with cannabis-infused oil and felt a “noticeable and profound

oils, alcohol solutions, and transdermal patches that pen-

relaxation response” that lasted four days. Weekly CBD oil

etrate the skin to deliver cannabinoids, including THC and

massages are now an important part of her health protocol.

CBD. Cannabinoids are specialized signaling chemicals

“It’s just logical,” Frazier says. “The skin is our largest or-

in cannabis that bind with CB receptors in our bodies and

gan. Topicals are a great way to get cannabis into the sys-

skin, influencing and regulating appetite, pain sensation,

tem and still be functional. They’re also a great way to in-

inflammation, temperature regulation, muscle control,

troduce ‘newbies’ to cannabis, and even longtime smokers

metabolism, stress response, mood, and memory. Because

find benefits.” After applying cannabis-infused oil for three

cannabinoids don’t reach the brain or central nervous sys-

days, Frazier says, her husband’s eczema cleared up, and

tem through topical delivery, most medical researchers

he was able to stop using steroidal creams.

don’t believe they can deliver psychoactive effects.

32 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

Denver-based Adam Stone, who developed and sells cannabis-infused SweetStone Candy Luscious Lemondrop Lotion, believes that’s the biggest benefit of using topicals.

“They won’t get users high,” he says. “There definitely seems to be a body buzz, but they are a gentler way to medicate, which opens the door for many patients who would like to experiment using cannabis treatment but would prefer not to ingest it or experience any kind of mental high.”

Medicine hunter Chris Kilham, a Massachusetts-based ethnobotanist and medical marijuana patient, points out that “it’s entirely possible that some people taking transdermal THC-based lotion might get quite high.” His preferred method for a painful shoulder issue is a cannabis-based

Make Your Own Topical Kim Frazier’s homemade edible topical is made with 1 oz cannabis and 1 cup food-grade oil. Her favorites are coconut, avocado, flax, hemp, and macadamia, which penetrate skin and offer their own array of nutrients.

Here’s what you do:

lotion from his local dispensary. Kilham learned of cannabis’s ability to relieve pain when he began smoking and eating it after a car crash many years ago. He discovered topicals when he applied tamanu oil to treat residual nerve damage from the accident. “It’s actually quite miraculous,” he says. “We’re in the early stages of what’s likely to be a pretty exciting category in the cannabis industry.”

Graham Sorkin, director of business development for Mary’s Medicinals, which sells topical compounds in Colorado, Washington, California, Oregon, Vermont, and Arizona, says more patients—particularly older ones—are willing to try topicals because they carry less stigma. “My grandma is never going to smoke a joint, but she likes the patch,” he says. Mary’s Medicinals’ customers range in age from 2 to 92, he says, and most use the products for localized and broad-spectrum pain such as arthritis. Patients also use them to help treat epilepsy, insomnia, and sleep disorders.

At Holos Health, in Boulder, Colorado, Dr. Joe Cohen, DO,

STEP 1: Place cannabis and oil in a mason jar and seal.

Be sure to leave some room at the top of the jar.

STEP 3: Prepare a water bath by placing the jar in an oven-safe pot and adding water until it’s level with the material in the jar.

STEP 4: Place water bath in oven (or crockpot!) and cook at 170º F or lowest heat setting for 10 to 24 hours. Every two hours, remove jar and shake for a few seconds, then return it to the water bath. Add water if water level has dropped.

STEP 5: Remove jar and let cool. Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. Strain oil into a bowl or jar.

STEP 6: Store in the refrigerator for up to six months.

(Tip: Don’t throw out the strained cannabis! Place the sludge and some epsom salts in a piece of mesh fabric, tie it up and put it in the bathtub for a relaxing, therapeutic soak.)

who integrates cannabis into his holistic functional medicine practice, often recommends sprays, creams, and lotions with a one-to-one THC-to-CBD ratio to patients with joint and neuropathic pain and muscle spasms. Cohen says

than one does alone,” he says. This is what’s known as the

topicals work locally to reduce pain, inflammation, and

“entourage effect,” meaning the combination of cannabi-

spasms and can be used as frequently as needed because of

noids found in cannabis is greater than the sum of its parts,

their limited psychoactive effects. When applied along with

and it’s why Stone uses cannabis cultivars with a balance of

a heat source such as a neck warmer, they’re particularly

both CBD and THC for SweetStone Candy Luscious Lemon-

effective for neck and lower back pain, Cohen says. The for-

drop Lotion. “Research has shown that this potentially has

mer obstetrician, who delivered 10,000 babies in Colorado

more therapeutic advantages than CBD alone,” he says.

and was named “Best Delivery Man” by Westword in 1993,

Frazier has found this to be true in her own experiments

uses Apothecanna Extra Strength Cream with arnica, juni-

with massage at Nature’s Root spa in Longmont, Colorado,

per, peppermint, CBD, and THC for his own aches and pains.

where the same 90-minute massage is exponentially more

CBD-only formulas, which are becoming very popular, ap-

relaxing and effective when she upgrades from hemp-based

peal to people concerned about legality, psychoactive effects,

oil to cannabis oil with a high CBD content. “I can honestly tell

or passing a drug test—even though that’s highly unlikely

you, the difference is night and day,” she says. “With the ad-

with creams and oils because topically applied cannabis

dition of CBD oil, I have to be able to go home and not do any-

doesn’t enter the bloodstream—but Cohen prefers a combina-

thing that requires a lot of energy and brain power. I’m arrang-

tion of THC and CBD. “The two generally work better together

ing my schedule so that I can always go home and chill.” sensimag.com JUNE 2019 33

SPEC IAL REPORT

Greener Green As the cannabis industry matures, it needs to live up to its sustainability potential.

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

34 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

LONG NOTHING MORE THAN THE PROVINCE OF “STONERS” GETTING HIGH, CANNABIS TODAY IS

part of a healthy, woke, environmental lifestyle.

SEEN AS

Almost two thirds of states have medical cannabis programs of some kind, and more than eight in 10 Americans are in favor of legalizing it for therapeutic purposes. Cannabis compounds like cannabidiol (CBD) are marketed for their health benefits just as THC is for its relaxing and elevating qualities.

People who buy and consume cannabis are more interested than ever in healthier, environmentally sound options, and they’re willing to pay for them. A recent Brightfield Group study found that consumers in all age groups are concerned about consistency and safety when it comes to how pot is grown and processed and whether it’s been tested for quality and impurities, and they’re ready to pay a premium for quality.

But let’s face it. Much cannabis, whether by design or through regulation, is grown indoors, often in retrofitted industrial warehouses, with all the attendant concerns about pests, insects, and mold. It takes a lot of electricity—many grow operations run 24 hours a day—and energy is expensive and a drain on the electrical grid. Even when it was illegal, cannabis growing operations used up one percent of national electricity use. Today the more than 300 grow facilities in Denver alone account for four percent of the city’s total electricity demand.

As for people’s concern about whether or not the cannabis products they’re consuming are organic, it’s nearly impossible to know. Because cannabis is illegal on a federal level, the government hasn’t created nor will it certify any cannabis as organic, as it does with other agricultural products. That leaves it to states and individual testing companies to come up with and maintain quality standards.

Cannabis packaging, much of it originally designed with child resistance as the primary concern, is often excessive and inefficient. Then there’s the water and waste involved in producing cannabis products (a lot of both), all which need to be considered as we become more aware of environmental impacts on health and well-being.

Consumers and company owners alike are coming to grips with the issue. “2019 is the year that people are paying attention,” says Derek Smith of the Resource Innovation Institute, a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit that promotes communication and sustainability amongst all parties in the cannabis industry. “We have the opportunity to be the biggest and best industry, one that stands for more than just selling stuff.” sensimag.com JUNE 2019 35

36 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

What Can You Do? Most cannabis users who are looking for environmentally conscious and safe products have no idea where their cannabis comes from. The variety of products is staggering, and more are added every day. Given the complexities of cannabis production, what can you do to make sure you’re getting environmentally healthy products you can trust?

Everybody I spoke with agreed that education is key. If you’re concerned about what you’re buying, find out more about how the cannabis is grown and which practices they’re using. Which means, ask your budtender or dispensary owner questions. Lots of questions.

“I think consumers need to go in and talk to people and ask them about their practices,” says Emily Backus, sustainability advisor for the city and country of Denver.

“If you’re shopping with vertically integrated companies, that’s easy. But it’s harder otherwise.”

Josh Bareket, founder of BUSHL, a California organization dedicated to clean, sustainable cannabis products, says it comes down to knowing your source. “That doesn’t mean knowing the brand or logo, but actually who is behind the products. Who is the owner? Who is the grower?

What’s the story? What do they use to produce it?”

Adds Franciosi, “You just gotta ask the budtender. What soil was used? What was the medium it was grown in?

Were there chemicals used that will wind up downstream?”

When it comes to packaging, consumers have choices and should make their complaints known every time they go into the store. “Telling them you want better packaging is a big deal,” says Backus. “This is one of the areas where we’ve had a few bright spots. A number of companies have started making compliant packaging cannabis using recycled materials.”

Not everyone has this option, but the best way to make sure you know what you’re getting is to grow your own. That way you’re in control throughout the process. Otherwise, educate yourself. Below are a few websites to help you get started: Resource Renovation Institute // RESOURCEINNOVATION.ORG City and County of Denver Cannabis Sustainability //

Sustainability was far down on the consideration list when states began to legalize. Business owners had to start their operations from scratch, while state regulators had to devise common-sense rules for something that had been illegal for decades. There were no best practices to start from.

“I think there’s lots of room for improvement. But it’s also time for the industry to embrace it,” says Emily Backus, sustainability advisor for the city and county of Denver. “They don’t have this long legacy of bad operators to overcome. They’re consolidating, and there are big-money players, which creates an easier financial path for making investments. I think at this point we see that the only way to go is up.”

Backus works with all sectors of the industry to promote communication and cooperation between business owners, governments, and other affected parties such as electric companies to develop strategies for lowering costs and building sustainable business models.

Lowering electricity costs could be beneficial to everyone, Backus says, but there are many nuances. “It’s tricky to talk about sustainability in this industry because there are so many techniques and styles,” she says. “Hydroponic grows won’t have the same requirements as outdoor grows.”

Lighting is the major factor to consider, even for home growers. Creating an environment that mimics sunlight and the outdoors is daunting, and we’re just beginning to develop practices to do that.

Outdoor cultivation has a lower electricity footprint, and regenerative soil practices can improve carbon footprint because you’re restoring carbon into the soil. “But the reality is that no matter what type of cultivation a farm is employing,” says Smith, “we can all do better.”

To that end, more companies are employing LED (light- emitting diode) lighting for their operations,

BIT.LY/DENVERCANNABIS

Smith says, but the cost has been prohibitive for many

Honest Marijuana Company // HONESTMARIJUANA.COM

smaller growers. Today, more options and financial in-

BUSHL // SHOPBUSHL.COM

centives are available to help lower the upfront costs.

“LED is one of the clear options for improved lowering operating costs,” says Smith. “There are studies that are beginning to show there may be quality benefits.”

RII offers a primer on LED pros and cons on its website as part of its free resources for growers. “If you’re thinking about making the switch, it’s what you need to know before you make that jump,” Smith says.

As part of its commitment to lowering the industry’s footprint, RII has gathered a huge amount of data for farms and grow operations to use. The Cannabis Power Source Tool allows owners to benchmark their companies against others to make decisions about how to cut sensimag.com JUNE 2019 37

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energy usage. “More than 200 farms have given us data

with arthritis or aging hands. I can still remember pur-

that we hold confidentially,” Smith explains. “We provide

chasing two small Tootsie Roll-sized candies wrapped

that benchmark so they can know their strengths and

in foil, then sealed in plastic bags, then sealed a second

weaknesses and get resources to become more efficient.”

time in a tall, plastic, box-like container that could hold

The possibilities seem endless, and more solutions are

fifty of the two items I bought.

coming online all the time. A micro-grid company called

More options are now available. Sana Packaging,

Scale has a system that brings together solar, battery

which specializes in 100 percent hemp-based plastic,

storage, and natural gas generators, potentially cutting

has added reclaimed ocean plastic to its line of storage

energy costs by up to 35 percent. Another one, GrowX

containers

Aeroponics, is designing systems to improve yield while

shine Cannabis, a Renton, Washington, processor, uses

reducing water consumption.

100 percent compostable and biodegradable products.

Another problem is HVAC, or air-conditioning systems, which are critical parts of any operation. Smith

pre-roll tubes, and vaporizer pens. Soul-

N2 Packaging, based in Twin Falls, Idaho, has created a stainless steel can for cannabis products.

saysgrowers need to be aware in the design stage of

Water resources, especially in California and Colorado,

what they will need. “The most important way to lighten

are scarce, and states have different rules for recycling

“Cannabis produces a lot of recyclables. We’re making sure companies know how to compost and be compliant.”

—Emily Backus, Sustainability Advisor for the City and County of Denver

your electricity load is to size it properly as you’re de-

and composting waste. “We don’t have any ordinances

signing and setting up the facility. Once it’s up and run-

that require businesses to recycle or compost,” says Back-

ning, it’s hard to swap out an HVAC system.”

us. “It’s up to the business owner. Cannabis produces a lot

Backus says that everyone is trying to get away from

of recyclables. We’re making sure companies know how

designing facilities on the fly. “Today there are profes-

to compost and be compliant. It’s an area of opportunity.”

sors and engineers who are finding out how to take tech-

Once cannabis is legalized on a federal level, many of

nology from one thing and tweak it for cannabis.”

States have struggled to come up with packaging that eliminates smell, keeps products fresh, and is child-

these inconsistencies will vanish, clearing the way to let farmers and processors do what they need to do instead of what they are told to do.

proof. Plastic is everywhere, because it’s as useful as it is

Until then, says Smith, “We have the chance for an

destructive to the planet—and is often a requirement to

open playbook for good policy, and there’s a need to

child-proof a product.

share and learn and grow and create an increasingly

Packaging is improving. Early on in Colorado, the joke was that child-proof also meant adult-proof for those

good reputation for the industry. But people will have to work together to make it a reality.” sensimag.com JUNE 2019 39

If it seems like everyone is listening to podcasts (or thinking about starting one), it’s because they are. After languishing for two decades, the medium is having its moment.

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

CASTING SINCE RACHEL KENNERLY, A CPA IN LUFKIN, TEXAS,

DISCOVERED PODCASTS THREE

YEARS AGO, THEY’VE BECOME HER MAINSTAY WHEN SHE DOES MINDLESS TASKS HER JOB REQUIRES LIKE DATA ENTRY. NOT A FAN OF TRADITIONAL MEDIA AND DISGRUNTLED BY HER POLITICAL “CHOICES,” KENNERLY GETS HER NEWS FROM PODCASTERS LIKE LIBERTARIANS TOM WOODS AND JASON STAPLETON. A stark contrast to to the nightly news broadcasts her

outlawed until a few years ago, when a close acquaintance

parents watch as religiously as they attend church, the

moved to Colorado so she could legally treat her son’s sei-

podcasts expose Kennerly to ideas and viewpoints worlds

zures with CBD oil (after a local doctor threatened to turn

away from what she can find on the TV dial in East Texas.

her in to child-protective services if he discovered she had

Programmed by D.A.R.E., Kennerly—along with pretty

tried CBD). As Kennerly’s mind was further opened by the

much everyone else in her conservative Christian com-

liberty-based podcasts she listens to, she began to see the

munity—believed cannabis was evil and deserved to be

injustice of prohibiting a plant that could benefit so many.

40 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 41

SO, YOU WANNA START A PODCAST… There’s no shortage of courses out there to help you get started and be successful. Before you bother with any of them, make sure you can answer the question, “This is the only podcast that…”

A little advice from the experts: • Keep it short, valuable, and consistent.

• Include interactive content such as games or lessons.

• Tell stories.

• Stick to a theme rather than letting conversation wander.

• Create at least five episodes before uploading the first one. Post at least three for your debut.

thing about the podcast world is that I can just kind of get out there and say whatever I want,” she says. “I could never get on the radio in Lufkin, Texas, and talk about cannabis and how we should decriminalize it. I don’t know any other forum I could get on in East Texas and talk about the subjects I talk about and not get run out on a rail.”

THE POWER OF THE PODCAST A mishmash of iPod and broadcasting, the term describes digital audio files that can be downloaded and listened to on a computer or digital device. Podcasting has been around since 2001, when the iPod was introduced. It began as a way for individuals to get out their message and build community within their niche, and it has evolved to encompass high-production, wide-reaching shows by TV and radio networks, podcast networks such as Gimlet Media (now owned

by Spotify), comedians, churches, even the FBI—all bringing in more than $700 million in advertising revenue annually.

Last year, she quit her day job to start an accounting and compliance firm for cannabis businesses and set out to learn as much as she could as quickly as she could about a substance she had vilified but never actually encountered.

“When I was growing up, they told me all these people would be offering me drugs, and they were just way off,” she jokes.

“All those years they told us to just say no, and I never got to.”

Kennerly wanted to learn more about cannabis, and she couldn’t rely on her inner circle for anything other than propaganda. “What better way to do that than with a podcast, where I can actually speak with people affected by cannabis and then share their stories with other people?” she says.

She launched “Cannabis Heals Me,” a podcast that tells the stories of patients who have healed everything from lupus to Hashimoto’s disease with cannabis, last October.

The podcast focuses on stories because “you don’t change people’s minds by citing them a bunch of statistics,” she says. About 100 people—most of them in Texas but a few from as far away as South Korea—download the podcast every Monday. Recently, Kennerly added a Thursday podcast featuring experts who give the stories context.

Kennerly says her podcast’s message is counter-intuitive to her Christian family and friends (though she does have to question, “what part of the Bible does Jesus talk about putting people in a cage over a plant?”).

She knows they don’t agree with her stance, but she hopes they’re tuning in. “The nice

The technology is destined to emerge as a player in the 2020 election, as media-savvy candidates like Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang take to the podcast circuit. “Podcasts are really hot right now, and I think underappreciated,” Lis Smith, Buttigieg’s communications adviser, told CNN. The first podcast that garnered any mainstream attention, former MTV VJ Adam Curry’s “Daily Source Code,” debuted in 2004 (the year Apple began supporting podcast technology with iTunes 4.9) and attracted more than half a million subscribers. But podcasting was a fringe media populated mainly by niche-minded extremists until National Public Radio broke the two-guys-talking mold dominating the medium (think: “Joe Rogan Experience” without Joe’s charisma) with “Serial,” a true-crime series about a murder investigation, in 2014. The show ran for three seasons and has been downloaded anywhere from 175 million to 420 million times, depending on which source you believe. Whatever the number, “Serial” had a lot of people addicted, and the buzz opened a lot of eyes to the possibilities of podcasts. NPR now keeps more than 40 of them active, reaching over 16 million people.

“I believe 2019 is a time for hockey stick growth and diversification of the audience and the offering,” Courtney William Holt, head of global studios for Spotify, which began offering podcasts last year and now captures more than a quarter of all listeners, told Medium. The 2020 election will be no small contributor to that growth, added Dane Cardiel of podcast host and distribution company Simplecast, as more candidates launch podcasts “to earn trust and win over voters in crowded primary races.” Podcast listeners— generally educated and leaning liberal—are just the kind of voters Democratic contenders are looking to reach.

42 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

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There are now more than 700,000 podcast shows in more than 100 languages out there, according to Podcast Insights.

(Comedy is the most popular genre, followed by education and news.) Fifty-one percent of Americans have listened to a podcast, and one in three listen to at least one every month. (Edison Research found that 40 percent of people between ages 12 and 24 identified as monthly podcast listeners, and baby boomers have been slower to adapt to the new medium. In 2019, 17 percent of people 55 and older listened to a podcast every month.) This year for the first time, on-demand audio streaming accounts for the majority of total audio consumption, according to Adweek. “I think we hit a tipping point,” Tom Webster, senior vice president for Edison Research, told the New York Times.

Consumers looking for curated, searchable podcast content have no shortage of options. Earlier this year, Luminary launched a podcast subscription service it calls “Netflix for podcasts,” featuring exclusive shows from A listers like Lena Dunham and Trevor Noah. Luminary caught everybody’s attention when it took in $100 million in funding, but it doesn’t have an easy road ahead in a market already dominated by Spotify and the leading podcatcher, Apple Podcasts, which is included on all iOS devices. Industry titans including Google, Pandora, and iHeartRadio have entered the market, alongside scrappy new companies like Wondery, a podcast publisher known for emotionally immersive podcasts, and Stitcher, which bills itself as the easiest way to listen to podcasts on your iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, or smart speaker.

Stitcher CEO Erik Diehn predicts better curation and discovery, a more reliable listener experience, and better support will bring exponentially more listeners this year.

Chances are, we’ll see a lot more podcasters like Kennerly as well. Why not, when you can get started with absolutely no experience and a shoestring budget? Initially, Kennerly used a free app from Anchor.FM (now owned by Stitcher) to record her podcast and a free program from Audacity to edit it. A couple months later, she bought herself an Audio Tecnica mic for Christmas and upgraded to Hindenburg editing software, both of which have improved her podcast’s quality—but she’s quick to point out it can be done without them.

“I spend far more time working on the podcast than I should,” Kennerly admits, but there’s no question it’s a labor of love that she believes is well worth it. Podcasting is the foundation of her quest “to do my tiny part to convert people once like me into people who believe the federal government has no right to tell us what we can and can’t put into our bodies.”

Her advice to anyone considering a similar quest (no matter what the topic)? “Stop talking about it and go do it.”

ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE, author of The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook and Pot in Pans: A History of Eating Cannabis, secretly wants to be the Joe Rogan of cannabis.

44 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

12 GREAT PODCASTS FOR SUMMER LISTENING Adam Dunn Show // A cannabis legend and friends dish about 25 years in the industry.

Against the Rules with Michael Lewis // Journalist and bestselling author looks at what’s happened to fairness “in a world where everyone loves to hate the referee.”

Brave New Weed // Conversations with the healers, politicians, scientists, and “troublemakers of all sorts” who have contributed to cannabis liberation.

Broken Record with Malcolm Gladwell, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam // Longform conversation about music “for a world without liner notes.”

Getting Doug with High // Doug Benson of “Super High Me” fame partakes and talks with guests.

Great Moments in Weed History // Abdullah Saeed and David Bienenstock delve into humanity’s long relationship with cannabis.

I’m Too Effing High // Stoned comedians take on challenges and play games.

Jalen & Jacoby // Jalen Rose and David Jacoby break down sports and pop culture.

The Jimmy Dore Show // “The Marijuana-Logues” writer discusses his raw takes on the news with top comedians and comedy writers.

The Joe Rogan Experience // The granddaddy of them all, JRE has been around for nearly a decade, and Rogan has been called “the Walter Cronkite of our era.”

Ron Burgundy Podcast // Will Ferrell reprises everyone’s favorite role, conducting interviews that “have a tendency to go off the rails, and we find out things about people we never knew we wanted to know.”

WTF with Marc Maron // The comedian’s conversations with icons such as Robin Williams, Keith Richards, and President Barack Obama have garnered more than 250 million downloads.

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46 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

EAGLE HOUSE

Boutique Lodging at at the Historic Eagle House THE INN AT 2ND & C WELCOMES GUESTS TO OLD TOWN EUREKA.

The Inn at 2nd & C at the Historic Eagle House is

The Inn at 2nd & C also honors the tradition and her-

the perfect place to experience the unique and quirky

itage of the Emerald Triangle by celebrating and sup-

charms of Old Town Eureka.

porting the cannabis community. The Inn understands

Long-time Humboldt residents Tim and Jenny

the diversity and needs of its community and contin-

Metz partnered up with Jenny’s sister, Rebecca Rex,

ues to host a variety of cannabis industry events. As

and her wife Tammy to purchase the Eagle House in

Humboldt County enters a new era, the Inn at 2nd &

2017. With hard work and a vision, the partners have

C at the Historic Eagle House offers a glimpse into the

completely renovated the historic hotel, mirroring the

culture and history that makes Eureka such a unique

current revitalization of Eureka’s historic waterfront.

and special place to visit.

The old Victorian building maintains all of its vintage charm, but now boasts modernized rooms with many of the amenities expected from a luxury hotel.

But the Inn at 2nd & C is much more than just a

For more information, visit:

THEINNAT2NDANDC.COM

place to stay. Every morning, guests can enjoy an organic continental breakfast, tea in the afternoon, and an evening social hour, where guests can mingle while sipping a complimentary glass of wine. In addition to offering historic luxury accommodations, the Inn has become a gathering place for the community. On almost every night of the week, you can find live entertainment in Phatsy Kline’s Parlor Lounge, located on the ground floor of the Inn. Phatsy Kline offers a full bar, local beer and wine, and delicious small plates served in the lounge’s vintage decor. For weddings, events, and celebrations of all kind, the Inn’s beautifully renovated ballroom features a wrap-around balcony, where the Inn regularly hosts community events and live music. sensimag.com JUNE 2019 47

SENSI NIGHT

The Emerald Triangle’s premier Sensi Night kicked off over the 4/20 weekend at the Inn at 2nd & C, located in the Historic Eagle House in Old Town Eureka.

From old-school farmers to cutting-edge industry leaders, hundreds of guests filled the inn’s historic ballroom and Phatsy Kline’s Parlor to celebrate Sensi magazine and the heritage of the PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY

community. Vendors from up and down the West Coast offered unmedicated samples and swag, while jams from Object Heavy kept the party alive on stage. With only good vibes in the air, Sensi Night was a sparkling showcase of the strength and style growing in the Emerald Triangle’s cannabis community.

48 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle

Where: Inn at 2nd & C in the Historic Eagle House, Old Town Eureka When: April 19, 2019

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 49

{HereWeGo }

by N O R A M O U N C E

HEATHER DHYANA WOODMAN

THE CBDS OF SKINCARE CBD goes skin deep.

Living in Humboldt County with a passion for wellness, it

medicinal cannabinoids without unwanted side effects. To-

was easy for esthetician and yoga teacher Heather Dhyana

day, she uses a crystalline form of Pure Kind Hemp CBD to

Woodman to consider adding cannabis to her medicine cab-

infuse the premium, vitamin-packed serums and products

inet. “I had always experimented with different ways to use

at Dhyana Esthetics.

cannabis but got really interested in using CBD for the skin,” says Woodman.

At her private skin care studio in Arcata, Dhyana Esthet-

“The tiniest amount of CBD is like a superpower,” explains Woodman. “It’s anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and stimulates skin growth and new cells.”

ics, Woodman offers a variety of CBD-infused facials and

As one of the first local wellness providers to embrace

services. Perfecting her treatments over the years, Wood-

CBD, Woodman now regularly sees a full roster of clients;

man absorbed some trial-and-error along the way. Trying to

most request CBD facials. Like Vitamin A, CBD has the ability

improve on an early formula made from hash and coconut

to treat a wide range of skin conditions, Woodman explains,

oil, Woodman blended kief (a concentrated powder form of

but she cautions her clients to “give it time” when treating

resin and trichomes) into a face mask—she was high for six

chronic issues, scars, and acne. Regardless, Woodman ex-

hours. Not willing to extend the risk to clients, Woodman

plains that most people’s skin reacts by peeling, a healthy

started using pure CBD products, offering the benefits of

reaction, which then reveals “beautiful new skin.”

50 JUNE 2019 Emerald Triangle