Sensi Magazine - Detroit (December 2019) by Sensi Magazine

Expert advice on how to (finally) get some rest

THE SLEEP SOLUTION I DETROIT D EC 2019

UNTOXICATED

Why next-gen partiers are drinking zero-proof

VOGUE VAPORS

The cannabis industry has gone ultra-luxe

DETROIT SENSI MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2019

sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag

F E AT U R E S

The Sleep Solution

Trouble sleeping? Youʼre not alone. Hereʼs how to reclaim your well-deserved rest.

Woke, Not Wasted

What is the sober-curious movement, and can sobriety really be fluid? SPECIAL REPORT

Haute Highs

Luxury has gone to pot.

D E PA R T M E N T S

11 EDITOR’S NOTE 12 THE BUZZ News, tips, and tidbits

to keep you in the loop CBN No, it’s not a news network—it’s better. SHROOM ZOOM Mushroom coffee gets you going. IT’S ELECTRIC Art and music in the middle of nowhere.

46 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip

hangouts around town CALENDAR The weather outside is frightful, but we’re going out in it anyway. There’s fun to be had.

50 THE END

A family’s origin story spans generations.

ON THE COVER No matter who you are or where youʼre from, you deserve to wake up feeling fresh and ready to start the day.

42 THE LIFE Contributing to your

health and happiness REAL TALK With Kimberly Dillon, former CMO of Papa & Barkley

DECEM BER 2019

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A DV I S O R Y B OA R D

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We provide full-service accounting, advisory and income tax services to the Cannabis Industry and those ancillary to the industry. We are here to navigate you through the complex tax and accounting issues related to Cannabis.

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FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA FACE BOOK Like Sensi Media Group for the parties, topics, and happenings weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re obsessed with right now.

Green Peak Innovations Recreational Flower

MRB Solutions Human Resources

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Paradigm Wellness Holistic Therapy & Consulting

T W I T TER Follow @sensimag to stay up-to-date on the latest news from Sensi cities.

I NSTAG RAM @sensimagazine is home to exclusive photos and content.

EXECUTIVE Ron Kolb CEO ron@sensimag.com Tae Darnell President tae@sensimag.com

Alex Martinez Co-Chief Operations Officer alex@sensimag.com

Mike Mansbridge Co-Chief Operations Officer mike@sensimag.com EDITORIAL Stephanie Wilson Editor in Chief stephanie@sensimag.com Doug Schnitzspahn Executive Editor doug.schnitzspahn@sensimag.com Darralynn Hutson Managing Editor darralynn.hutson@sensimag.com Leland Rucker Senior Editor leland.rucker@sensimag.com

Robyn Griggs Lawrence Editor at Large robyn.lawrence@sensimag.com Helen Olsson Copy Editor

Dr. Angie McCarthy, Leandra Romero, Lori Tobias Contributing Writers DESIGN Jamie Ezra Mark Creative Director jamie@emagency.com Rheya Tanner Art Director Wendy Mak Designer Kiara Lopez Designer Josh Clark Designer Jason Jones Designer em@sensimag.com PUBLISHING Jamie Cooper Publisher jamie.cooper@sensimag.com Eric Bulls Associate Publisher eric.bulls@sensimag.com Kyle Miller Associate Publisher kyle.miller@sensimag.com Leah Stephens Associate Publisher leah.stephens@sensimag.com Constance Taylor Associate Publisher constance.taylor@sensimag.com B U S I N E S S /A D M I N Kristan Toth Head of People kristan.toth@sensimag.com Amber Orvik Director of Administration amber.orvik@sensimag.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

As I write this letter, my family is

already exhibiting signs of winter colds. In my case, it’s a runny nose, and since I’m writing at the kitchen table, I grab a paper towel instead of a soft tissue. But I take what’s available to me at the time. Similar to family. We don’t have much say in the matter. Some of us are born into families of privilege, while others get by on love alone. Here at Sensi, we’ve carved out our own family—a group of magazine journalists and editors who share the same goal of making the lives of the people we love a bit better. Our cover story shares my personal struggle with balancing family and rest. The story doesn’t end wrapped up with a nice pretty bow, but it does acknowledge that life is a journey, and that sleep is just as important as work. As always, “The Scene” is filled with things for families to get out of the house and explore. So many of the products and personalities featured in this issue help us to connect. That’s important, because we can’t do this life thing alone. And in “The End,” the words of 94-year-old Detroiter Mildred C. Hooper put everything into perspective by remembering those who aren’t as fortunate. This issue is filled with self-care and holiday cheer, because we understand that both are needed, especially in the month of December when many of us find ourselves isolated. The people who put these pages together go out of their way, in the cold, sleet, and snow, to bring a bit of sunshine to the lives of Detroiters. Sensi is proud to be a part of that family. If you’ll have us, we’ll have you. But as in any relationship, you have to participate. Let us know how we can make Sensi Detroit better as we move into 2020. And don’t forget to tell us what you love! Our staff is a small dedicated group of storytellers who want to represent you, Detroit, because we know that this city is made up of a mesh of diversity from the edge of the water to the tip of 8 Mile Road. Welcome to the family.

The people who put these pages together go out of their way, in the cold, sleet, and snow, to bring a bit of sunshine to the lives of Detroiters. Sensi is proud to be part of that family.

Andre Velez Marketing Director andre.velez@sensimag.com Neil Willis Production Manager neil.willis@sensimag.com Hector Irizarry Distribution distribution@sensimag.com M E D I A PA R T N E R S Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Darralynn Hutson darralynn.hutson@sensimag.com DECEM BER 2019

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CONTRIBUTORS

Darralynn Hutson, Dr. Angie McCarthy, Leland Rucker, Doug Schnitzspahn

THE

CBN is not CBD When it comes to cannabinoids, one letter makes a big difference What’s the difference between CBD and CBN? (Besides the fact that everyone’s talking about CBD these days, while most people have never heard of CBN.) Both are cannabinoids, chemical compounds that act on special receptors in the human brain and body to shift neurological and physical patterns. More than 100 cannabinoids have been discovered, and they’re being studied as treatments for everything from pain 12 D E T RO I T

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and inflammation to muscle control and anxiety. Right now, nonpsychoactive CBD—the most prevalent cannabinoid—is getting a lot of attention for its antianxiety, antiinflammatory, and pain-relieving properties, and it’s widely available around the world. If you’ve ever smoked or eaten cannabis that’s been sitting around, exposed to the air for a while, and then you’ve fallen into a sleepy stupor, you’ve experienced CBN.

This cannabinoid is actually a metabolite of THC—the cannabinoid everyone knows because it’s the one that gets us high—which has been degraded by oxygenation and UV light exposure. CBN has only mild psychoactive effects but strong sedative and calming properties, and it’s being studied for many of the same ailments as CBD, things like pain and inflammation, seizures, and insomnia. (Cannabis-testing

facility Steep Labs found that 2.5 to 5 milligrams of CBN is similar to 5 to 10 milligrams of Diazepam.) A major difference between CBD and CBN is how they affect appetite. Studies on mice found that CBN causes significant chow intake, while CBD did the opposite. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or gain it, this is just another reason why it’s always good to know your plant’s cannabinoid content.

Diamond Life It’s time to network like you

PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGE THE JEWELER

mean it with George the Jeweler.

Celebrity jeweler and Detroit native, George Khalife, a.k.a. George the Jeweler, went from running his family-owned business, Goldcorp in Oak Park, Michigan, to designing for some of Hollywoodʼs biggest stars, including Gigi Hadid, Khloé Kardashian, Nicole Williams, Kendall Jenner, and Ashley Graham. Want a taste of that life? George is taking on another venture, throwing weekly parties at Nara in West Bloomfield. The bashes will bring together millennials for a fun networking opportunity every Friday. George’s 14K-gold necklaces can be found here: georgethejeweler.com/shop

FUNGAL JOLT Historically, cordyceps mushrooms were grown on the backs of rare caterpillars that live in Tibetʼs high mountain ranges. The fungus lays claim to providing everything from long life to a boost in male sexual prowess. Coffee is that jolt you canʼt live without. Combine coffee and cordyceps mushrooms in this mix, and you get a morning drink that really gets you, um, pumping. The mix of the shrooms and the caffeine means you get that energy boost without feeling jittery. Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee $15 for 10 packets / us.foursigmatic.com

BY THE NUMBERS

19 DETROITʼS RANK

in the growth rate of households in middle-class census tracts

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Climate Neutral 358,507 Campfire WOMENOWNED BUSINESSES

in metro Detroit, a figure that has more than doubled since 2012

10K HAWKS, TURKEY VULTURES, EAGLES, AND FALCONS utilize the Detroit River as a corridor for winter migration

Everybody loves a campfire—but itʼs not always easy to have one. Fires take work to maintain, they can be tough on the natural surroundings, and they can be dangerous— not to mention how you always seem to be sitting directly in the line of that column of smoke. Forget about those problems, BioLiteʼs FirePit Climate Neutral Edition, which holds four logs or charcoal, is portable and smokeless. That means you can haul it out to any spot where you want to park your camper van or just set it up on the back porch on a chilly night. It converts into a grill as well, ideal for those skewer meals. You can adjust the flames by hand… but why? Itʼs far easier to do it via Bluetooth. The good vibes donʼt end there either. BioLite is not only a carbon-neutral company, spending cash to offset any carbon it creates, its founder helped spearhead the nonprofit climateneutral.org, which helps other brands offset their carbon use. Ten percent of sales on this portable campfire go to that worthy cause.

“YOUR LOVIN’ GIVES ME A THRILL. BUT YOUR LOVIN’ DON’T PAY MY BILLS. NOW GIVE ME MONEY. THAT’S WHAT I WANT.” —Berry Gordy Jr., Founder of Motown Records, as sung by The Supremes

BioLite FirePit / $199 / bioliteenergy.com

DECEM BER 2019

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THE BUZZ

Electric Forest Is Lit

Let the tech weenies flock to Burning Man in their Teslas and private jets. The Wolverine Stateʼs Electric Forest has become the authentic showcase of art and music in the middle of nowhere— otherwise known as the woods of Rothbury, Michigan, and the Double JJ Resort. The festival, which will take place June 25–28 this year, showcases an eclectic mix of electronic music and jam bands alongside light sculptures and wandering groups of fairies, as well as other surprises straight out of Wonderland. Last yearʼs lineup included the String Cheese Incident, Odesza, Kygo, Bassnectar, and Zeds Dead. Tickets go on sale at noon on December 7, and they get gobbled up in a hurry. Check the website for updates on this yearʼs lineup. Been there, done that? The Loyalty Program gives returning festival-goers early access and perks when they buy wristbands and lodging.

The curator of Detroit’s Royal Pink digital boutique, Breana Cage has the cutest and most stylish apparel for the fly woman inside her online shop. Her goal for 2020 is to make an impact and inspire as many women as possible by providing hot one-of-a-kind fashion finds and spreading an encouraging message that all women are queens.

electricforestfestival.com

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VOX POPULI

"Never rise to speak till you have something to say; and when you have said it, cease." —John Witherspoon, Thespian

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DARRON JACKSON

___________________

I have been battling an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis for over ten years, and it is family that has been the scaffold holding up this project body at times. Family has been a sanctuary where I feel like I can be more than my diagnosis, but it has also been a major source of fear of disappointing them. Family support is what will ultimately be the catalyst for the big plans I have in the coming year in overcoming this beast called MS.

Queen to Color

Question: What does family mean to you?

SALLY GREER

Black Sugar Financial, Bridgeport, CT

LOCAL COMPANY

Wright Energy Partners, Detroit, MI

Family to me is the foundation of one’s own existence. It is the combination of unconditional sacrifices with support and love forged and strengthened through struggles and triumphs and a communal respect and appreciation for past, present, and future generations.

ANKHA BEBE ROBINSON

Corktown Health & Affirmations, Royal Oak

___________________

As a transgender woman, my new family is priceless to me. They understand my journey and offer unconditional acceptance of who I am. Family brings value to my life by being honest about each other and our relationship. We loyally support each other’s lives. I love my family.

ERICA SHANTEL CARTER “MOON1LUV” Actress, MoonflyMusic, Detroit, MI

___________________ Family is the tribe that loves and truly respects who you are. Love goes beyond blood. Relatives we can’t choose, however family, we can.

THE BUZZ

SENSIBILITIES WHAT MATTERS THIS MONTH BY STEPHANIE WILSON

1 GOT ANY VACATION DAYS LEFT IN 2019? Use them! Last year, 55 percent of American workers did not use all their vacation days, leaving a record 768 million days on the table. That’s about $65.5 billion worth of forfeited benefits. Don’t be a sad statistic.

______ 2 NEW RULE: Catching up on your emails during the holiday break is forbidden.

Emails breed emails, so every reply or forward you click sends that task to someone else who is either a) trying to enjoy their holiday break, or b) trying to clean out their inbox as well. No more. If it’s in your inbox on December 22, it stays there until January 2. Deal? Deal.

______ 3 I REPEAT: No tossing your forgotten/low priority to-dos on other people’s plates when they are on vacay.

______ 4 IF YOU’RE RESOLVING TO CLEAN UP ANY BAD HABITS IN 2020, Go

all in on them in December. Really indulge your vices: have that second drink, dab, dance, swim in the chaos, make bad decisions. You’ll not only get it out of your system, you’ll be so over it come January 1.

______ 5 IF YOUR VICE IS CONSIDERING THE BOUNDARIES OF YOUR MEANS IMAGINARY (thanks Oscar Wilde), disregard the above advice. You can lose the

holiday weight if you stop overeating, but credit card debt doesn’t work like that. It grows, no matter how much you believe Santa will take care of it.

______ 6 SMILE. The magazine you’re holding right now was made with a whole lot of

enthusiasm by some talented magazine junkies who have been working on the details of this redesign for the last year. This debut is like our Oscars, and we hope you like it. I love it.

“Being a singer is a natural gift. It means I’m using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I’m happy with that.” —Aretha Franklin, Singer

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THE SLEEP SOLUTION

Lack of sleep drove one woman to the edge of sanity. Until she found out she was not alone. This is how you can claim back your well-deserved rest. TEXT DARRALYNN HUTSON

I refuse to be contained. I gyrate my hips, Bluetooth speaker on y eyes flicker Rihanna’s “work, work, open, and a mo- work, work, work” and ment later I feel arms in sync, dancing a tiny tingle in my toes. around my bedroom, Excitement. Waking after wondering whether my a good, restful sleep is a 10-year-old will walk in. simple joy. I bounce out I don’t care. This is what of bed, looking forward to a woman looks like who the day. Then suddenly, finally had a good night’s I’m standing, motionless, sleep. But how? gazing out the window in wonder. I’m looking forDon’t sleep on sleep ward to my day! I’m look- Sleep is something some ing forward to my day? people take for granted. Detroit, What up Doe? Like oxygen. Or blood

running through our veins. Or the sunrise. But it’s not that way for everyone. When people tell me they’re tired, I resist the temptation to give them my life story. Or, at least, my night-time story of the past decade. It began when I was expecting Nya, my one and only child. “At-risk pregnancy,” my primary doctor told me repeatedly, “is common with a woman your age and your size.” The discomfort of added stress on expecting with no job, no home, and no baby’s father added pressure. I experienced anxiety, depression, and a feeling of unworthiness every day of my pregnancy. But at night, I would easily drop off to sleep, exhausted from my thoughts. But then suddenly and com-

pletely, I’d wake up assuming it was morning. It wasn’t. It was 12:30 a.m. I wasn’t uncomfortable. Didn’t need to pee. I was simply wide-awake and alert, my brain playing vivid images of my life in front of me as a mother. I had to produce more, be more, have more money, make life better for her. Ping! 3 a.m. 5:30 a.m. 6 a.m. It was a pattern that continued after Nya was born—and for 10 more years. Only now I was getting up through the night to investigate, watch, clean, and fuss over her; it was all part of the sleeplessness cocktail. There was no going back to sleep for several hours or, more often, the rest of the night. It was a vicious maddening cycle. DECEM BER 2019

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Give the spectrum this Holiday Season!

Cannabiz Connection Networking Mixers are a valuable resource for those looking to connect and learn more about the constantly-evolving industry.

Happy Holidays from Cannabiz Connection!

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“With wellness, we always look at it from a dual point of view, nutrition and activity, but that’s wrong,” says Safwan Badr, MD, endowed professor of medicine and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine. “We need to look at wellness as a threelegged stool of nutrition, activity, and sleep.” Spending his days seeing patients, teaching, researching, and serving the community, Badr has much love for Detroit. In 2013, Badr was appointed the president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Back then he understood the importance of sleep, so he focused his work on the future of sleep medicine. “Poor sleep contributes to obesity, heart disease, airway disease, and depression and is a leading cause of car accidents and subsequent deaths,” he says. “We must start to prioritize sleep. Turn off the streaming videos, turn off the cell phone notifications, and sleep.” Statistics haven’t been collected specifically on sleep deprivation in Detroit, but medical scientists believe that if you find obesity, it’s likely that insufficient sleep will follow, according to Badr. Michigan has higher rates of obesity and more

inactive adults than the national average. It also has higher poverty rates, which have long been tied to poor health, according to a 2018 study by the United Health Foundation. “Most of the patients I see say they’re too busy to sleep,” says Badr. “The fact is that the clinical work that’s being done is suggesting that with high rates of obesity, it’s likely that sleep problems will occur. Chronic disease in Detroit is one of the nation’s highest so there are a lot of patients getting an insufficient amount of sleep.” That’s me. It was all starting to make sense. The heavier I was, the

“We must start to prioritize sleep. Turn off the streaming videos, turn off the cell phone notifications, and sleep.” —Safwan Badr, MD, American Academy of Sleep Medicine

less sleep I was getting. The more active my work and personal life, the more my mind raced, preventing me from sound sleep. The more accessible I was to my family, friends, and social circles, the more I was preventing myself from getting sleep. First things first. Prioritize sleep. “Women over 50 have a more difficult time getting their rest, which makes it even more important to prioritize sleep. Good sleep helps improve concentration, memory, immunity—all things that become more important with age,” says Erin Berman, brand

HOW NOT TO GET BETTER SLEEP Count sheep. For many people, this popular trick only highlights how long itʼs taking for you to fall asleep, which may increase stress levels. Drink alcohol. A night out drinking may make you feel sleepy, but alcohol reduces the overall quality of that sleep and causes you to wake more often. Do your cardio or strength training at night. Your body temperature reduces by a few degrees when you sleep. Exercises that heat you up are likely to make you feel less tired. Source: The National Sleep Foundation

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE BY DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: JAYLIN DORSEY-MITCHELL, PRODUCTION: SPENCER RICHARDSON-MOORE, MATTRESS: AWARA NATURAL MATTRESS

How to go back to bed It happens to everyone now and again—for some, it happens every night. Your eyes pop open. Itʼs the middle of the night, and youʼre not tired. The National Sleep Foundation suggests a few strategies to help you get back to those Zs: Avoid your phone. Technology was bad for you before sleep, and itʼs bad now. Not only can your lit screen make your brain think itʼs daytime, but the flurry of emails and to-do lists can make you feel too anxious to go back to sleep. Hide the time. Turn your alarm clock away from your bed. Watching the clock while youʼre awake causes you to focus on how much sleep youʼre missing, which in turn causes you to miss more sleep. Get up. Sometimes the best thing to do is get up, go into a different room, and do a relaxing activity such as meditation, reading, or journaling until you feel tired again.

strategist at Resident Mattress. “When women are within the years of menopause, they might be experiencing shifts in their normal sleeping habits due to physiological changes. However, as people reach middle age, aches and pains can make sleeping difficult, so creating the best sleep environment possible can make a big impact.” For me it started with the right mattress. “You want to look for a mattress that will support you. Not all mattresses are created equal,” says Berman. “The beauty of a hybrid mattress is that it combines the best latex and traditional coils. The coils help evenly distribute weight and reduce motion transfer for undisturbed rest, while the latex gives just a touch of bounce.”

Once I was equipped with my hybrid mattress, I set out for a good night’s sleep, which meant that, gasp, I had to shut down my devices. All of them, even the notification cameras that alert me when there’s motion at my front and back doors. It was easy to cut off my phone but hard to shut off the lights 3 STEPS TO that glowed in my smart SOUNDER SLEEP Keep a regular sleep/ house. Yet I prioritized wake schedule. Many this thing that eluded me apps track your sleep aunight after night. I took a tomatically and show you hot soapy bath and then exactly when and how ofwrapped myself in a soft ten you woke up. Go to bed at the same comforter in a nest of time each night—even warm pillows. on weekends. This helps I lay down to sleep. Not readjust your circadian to save the world. Not to rhythm so you begin to feel tired at the right time. win another award. Not Donʼt think youʼll fix to start another business. your sleep schedule in But to sleep with as much one night. Try going to bed 15 minutes earlier passion and vigor as I each night until you reach could muster. your desired time. And to my surprise, Source: National Sleep Foundation and the American Psychological Association sleep came.

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WOKE, NOT WASTED They say they’re not alcoholics, and they’re certainly not anonymous. What is sober curious—and can sobriety really be fluid? TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

drink badly, and I have a lot of fun doing it (when I remember). That’s a lethal combination, and when you throw in my unfortunate discovery of White Claw—I can drink as many as I want and never feel full!—I flamed out with alcohol last winter. On February 1, just as everyone else was celebrating the end of Dry January and just ahead of the Summer of the Claw, I swore off the seltzer. I figured I’d give myself one month (note: the year’s shortest) to reset. It wasn’t an easy 28 days, but when March 1 rolled around, I felt better than I’d felt in years. The

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chronic inflammation I had attributed to everything from gluten sensitivity to genetics was clearing. I saw the light, and there was no going back. I thought sobriety would be lonely, that every Saturday night would be Netflix. I forgot the Brett Kavanaugh generation isn’t in charge of culture anymore (thank God). Millennials and Gen Xers aren’t interested in swilling beer until they black out like we did in the ’80s. Sober is sexy—or, as hipsobriety.com sees it, “sobriety is the new black.” On Instagram, there are influencers such as @stylishlysober, @thesoberglow, and the darker @fucking_sober

and hashtags like #soberliving, #soberAF, and #sobercurious. Millie Gooch, who posts as @sobergirlsociety, encourages her nearly 60,000 followers with inspirational messages like “Mocks not cocks” and “Sobriety: a surefire way to improve your wellbeing and your Uber rating.” Just like that, I’m a cool kid—with a huge range of new options on Saturday night (and beyond). I’m exploring elixirs made with raw cacao, maca, and horny goat weed at Tonic Herban Lounge just a few blocks from my home in downtown Boulder (I can walk home after imbibing, and it amuses me that I don’t need to). I can

do yoga and shake it before dawn at a Daybreaker dance party (daybreaker.com) in Denver, one of 27 cities where the alcohol-free early morning rave pops up and invites people to “sweat, dance, and connect with ourselves in community.” I’m surely not alone in this realization that life is better without booze. Worldwide, alcohol consumption fell by 1.6 percent last year. Led by young people, heavy-hitting countries like Russia, Canada, Japan, and the UK are seeing drinking rates as well as tolerance toward intoxication decline. An international survey found that about a third of people wanted

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cus, Presence, and Deep Connection” is February 14–16, 2020, at Massachusetts’ renowned wellness retreat center Kripalu). Her take is that a lot of Americans might not have a “problem” with alcohol but see it as getting in the way of their healthy lifestyles. “We eat well. We exercise. We meditate,” the press release for Sober Curious states. “So, why do we… still drink?” Warrington wants to to reduce their alcohol APPS FOR THAT know why the only peointake because of everyple who don’t drink are Loosid: Digital platform for sober dating, destinations, and meetups Sober Grid: “The worldʼs most popular mobile sober community” thing from sexual regret the ones who can’t and Twenty-Four Hours a Day: Inspiration through daily meditations and embarrassment to asks, “What if I am just…a little bit addicted?” physical health. A 2018 Call me old school, survey found that nearly but a little bit addicted 40 percent of global consounds a lot like a little sumers want to drink less pushing more women, mi- As Sean Paul Mahoney norities, and poor people writes on The Fix, a web- bit pregnant. I worry that for health reasons. to the bottle, according to site about addiction and In the US, CNBC repeople who shouldn’t ports, 52 percent of adults a study published in JAMA recovery, “I didn’t get so- will take the advice of ber to be cool. I just got John Costa, who writes are trying to lower their al- Psychiatry. The national on twentytwowords.com cohol intake, and underage Institute for Alcohol Abuse sober to stop dying.” and Alcoholism reports drinking has steadily dethat being sober curiclined in the last 10 years. that 17 million adults in A LITTLE BIT ADDICTED? ous is like being bi-curiBut only 21 percent of US the US are alcohol de“Sober curious” became ous—you don’t always adults in a CivicScience pendent, and the Centers a thing after Harperhook up with people of poll said they had any for Disease Control and Collins released Ruby the same sex, and you interest in drinking less Prevention says one in Warrington’s Sober Cudon’t have to cut out or not at all, and most of six binge drink—defined rious: The Blissful Sleep, drinking forever. “Be those were 21- to 34-year- as drinking four or more Greater Focus, Limitless sober half the time,” he old, vegan-leaning flexitar- drinks over two hours or Presence, and Deep Conwrites, “and sauced the ians who practice yoga and until blood alcohol reaches nection Awaiting Us All on other half.” He’s joking, consume cannabis daily. 0.08—nearly once a week. the Other Side of Alcohol but those are dangerous Women, especially those For this White Claw guzin 2018. Warrington also words for me. That’s the in their 30s and 40s, are zler, that definition is, well, has a podcast, runs Club life I was living: sober by drinking more than ever. sobering. I called that hap- Söda NYC (featuring day + tanked by night = Booze still rules for py hour. sober events like Kundbalance. most Americans, and Giving up alcohol isn’t alini Disco), and stages Like all disorders (and “increased stress and dea hashtag for a lot of peo- events (“Sober Curious: pretty much everything moralization” is actually ple. It’s not even a choice. Choosing Sobriety for Fo- in our culture), alcohol DECEM BER 2019

SOBERING STUDIES

Alcohol accounts for nearly 1 in 10 deaths of people aged 15 to 49 and is the leading risk factor for disease and premature death. Source: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Binge drinking rates in states where cannabis is legal fell to 9 percent below the national average and 11 percent below non-legal states in 2016. Source: Cowen & Co.

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SPIRITS FOR NEXT-GEN PARTIERS The joke goes that nonalcoholic drinks are like listening to porn on the radio, but times have changed. Theyʼre the CBD of the alcohol world. Nonalcohol (NA) beverages are a bright spot in a declining alcohol market, and their sales are expected to grow 32 percent by 2022, according to a Bon Appetit report. Todayʼs creative, health-inducing craft beverages are a lot more than just alcohol-free.

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use runs on a spectrum. I was at the end that spent hours upon hours researching whether drinking while on this antibiotic would really make me projectile vomit and scoffed at friends as they struggled through Dry January, Dry July, Sober September, and Sober October. I wasn’t interested in giving up drinking for any reason or any amount of time, until I had to give it up for life. Warrington, who sees reducing alcohol intake as another step in the wellness revolution, is at the other end of the spectrum—and she is aware of the difference between recovering from alcohol addiction and feeling better during yoga. I hope all of her fol-

lowers are, too, because the last thing most drinkers need is a loophole. I want to believe the trend Warrington is leading toward spirits-free activities and thoughtfulness about alcohol’s role in our culture—where every ritual, celebration, loss, entertainment, and even sporting event is cause for a drink—is not a trend but a movement. That we’ll look back at “mommyjuice” like we shake our heads at “mother’s little helper” pills from the ’60s and ’70s. The infrastructure to support sobriety is being built, and public opinion is turning. After centuries of going hard, America is getting woke, not wasted. Cheers to that.

SOBERING STUDIES

A British study of Dry January abstainers found that 82 percent felt a sense of achievement, 62 percent slept better, and 49 percent lost some weight.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robyn Griggs Lawrence is the author of the bestselling Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook and Pot in Pans: A History of Eating Cannabis.

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Curious Elixirs: Individually bottled alcohol-free craft cocktails High Rhode by Kin: “Euphorics” made from nootropics and adaptogens, including 5-HTP, rhodiola, and caffeine Ritual Whiskey: “As a veggie burger is to beef, or almond milk is to dairy, Ritual is an alternative to traditional whiskey” Seedlip Spice 94: Gin-like blend of Jamaican allspice berry, cardamom, and citrus peel Stryyk: “Zero-proof spirits,” including Not Vodka, Not Rum, and Not Gin Three Spirit: “Social elixir” made from yerba mate, lionʼs mane, damiana, and cacao

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34 D E T RO I T

DECE MBER 2019 PHOTO VIA ALICE + OLIVIA AND KUSH QUEEN

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t the end of October, the Wall Street Journal ran an article titled “Cannabis Open Houses Are Putting the High in High-End Real Estate.” The trend piece by author Katherine Clarke revealed the emerging discovery being used by developers and real-estate agents to move luxe properties in communities where recreational cannabis is not just legal but widely accepted. It’s not unlike Los Angeles, where the rising industry is being hailed as an untapped source for buyers of high-priced homes. Throwing cannabis-related events—everything from elaborate seven-course pairing dinners with vapes in lieu of vino to live trimming classes—at multimillion-dollar properties on the market is garnering attention, building social buzz, and attracting buyers with money earned in, around, or on cannabis. Not everyone sees the genius behind the trend, however. Clarke spoke

SPECIAL REPORT

Luxury has gone to pot. TEXT LORI TOBIAS AND STEPHANIE WILSON

to one agent in New York, where recreational cannabis is still a pipe dream and old tropes live on about munchie-motivated stoners. “When I think about cannabis, I don’t think about buying an expensive house,” says Warburg Realty’s Jason Haber. “It’s not a call for action as much as a call for Doritos.” Someone should tell him friends don’t let friends make tired stoner jokes anymore. Especially ones implying cannabis consumers indulge their munchies with mindless consumption of unhealthy snacks when the reality is cannabis appeals to what The Economist dubs the “health-conscious inebriate,” citing a poll that 72 percent of American consumers thought cannabis was safer than alcohol. A 2018 The New Yorker headline declared cannabis to be a wellness industry in California where, in fact, a cannabinoid cousin of THC and CBD is starting to garner a whole lot of buzz.

Instead of stimulating appetites, THCV may suppress those hunger pangs. When 2021 is declared the year of THCV, you can say you heard it here first.

CONSUMPTION AND CONSUMERISM Cannabis has moved so far beyond the clichés of yore. Tie-dye tees, bell-bottom cords, dancing bear patches, plastic bongs, Ziploc baggies: these tired trends are so out of style, some have already circled back and left again. (Looking at you, tie-dye.) The stoner kids of yesterday are the cannabis entrepreneurs, enthusiasts, and connoisseurs of today. And as they’ve aged, their tastes in cannabis aged with them, like the fine wine they can now afford. Cannabis consumers have money to burn. And since we live in a capitalist society (an unjust one where people remain locked up for nonviolent drug charges in states that earn taxes off now-legal cannabis DECEM BER 2019

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF BARNEYS NEW YORK, INC.

The High End at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills

sales—that’s a whole layered story for a different day), money makes things happen. And what’s happening now is the emergence of a cannabis experience elevated to a higher level. If you were paying attention to the pop-culture cues over the decades, you would have seen the high-end highs coming. When cannabis prohibition began its slow-and-steady march to its forthcoming end, it emerged from the black market with an established following of consumers—loyal cannabis consumers with no brand loyalty, because cannabis brands didn’t exist. Dealers did, growers did, activists, advocates, and believers, too. But the concept of cannabis brands was all brand-new. With strict laws surrounding where the substance can be marketed,

sold, advertised, distributed, and more, establishing customer loyalty in this industry is more difficult than it would seem on the surface. What differentiates one edible brand from another, one vape pen from the next is complicated to discern for those who aren’t well versed in the modern verbiage or its meaning. (Full-spectrum distillate, live resin, 2:1 ratios, oh my!) This is where marketing and branding comes into play. And with marketing and branding comes the emergence of new market segments, including the ultra-luxury category. It is from within that category that future trends are likely to emerge. That’s how trends play out, as Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep) explained to her new assistant in one iconic scene of The Devil Wears Prada. (If

“Expensive breeds expensive things. You wouldn’t have expensive cannabis if you didn’t have people who wanted to buy expensive cannabis.” —Karyn Wagner, Paradigm Cannabis Group

you haven’t seen it in a while, a quick refresher: “The color of the shirt you are wearing right now was determined years ago by high-end designers preparing their collections for fashion GOT MONEY TO BLOW? week runways.”) This Caleb Siemon Trickle-down trends Blown Art Glass are a hierarchical proWater Pipe will cess whereby individuals set you back with high status establish about $950. fashion trends, only to be imitated by lower-status individuals wearing cheaper versions of the same styles. “It’s always been a thing,” says Karyn Wagner, CEO of Paradigm Cannabis Group, a women-owned extraction company specializing in pre-rolls and extracts made from small-batch sun-grown flower. “There’s always been those products that are better than others. But now, with adult use, we have to be more brand-conscious. With DECEM BER 2019

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that, how do you distinguish yourself from someone else? Why is this better? What makes it better?”

PHOTOS (FROM TOP): KATHLEEN HARRISON, KIKOKO HIGH TEA / COURTESY OF BEBOE

SOME LIKE IT HAUTE With any luxury good, consumers want the assurance of quality and efficacy, Wagner says. But you can never underestimate the prestige that comes with a high price tag. “The moneyed class always loves expensive items,” she says. “This normalizes it in their world. It brings in folks who didn’t normally have the desire. It made it OK in their class. Expensive breeds expensive things. You wouldn’t have expensive cannabis if you didn’t have people who wanted to buy expensive cannabis.” Jenny Le Coq, president of Le Coq & Associates, a marketing and communications firm in San Francisco that represents Kikoko cannabis-infused botanical mints, points out that most people typically don’t seek out a cheap bottle of wine, but look for something fine, trustworthy, and familiar. They want to know the winery, its reputation, who recommends the vintage. “People are looking at wines today with a more discerning eye—how their grapes

With any luxury good, consumers want the assurance of quality and efficacy. Luxury doesn't always have to indicate price, but what it must indicate is quality.

are grown, for example,” Le Coq says. “People are looking at cannabis in the same way: with a discerning eye.” “Discerning” can add up to big money, for sure. Anecdotal stories abound in national media outlets, suggesting couples in Colorado will drop several bills on “cannagars” and other high-end party favors to celebrate weddings and anniversaries. At The High End, Barneys New York’s luxury cannabis lifestyle shop in Beverly Hills, shoppers can splurge on a $1,475 sterling silver bud grinder or a $950 water pipe. New York fashion brand Alice + Olivia partnered with luxury cannabis brand Kush Queen to debut a CBD wellness line earlier this year—bath bomb, body lotion, bubble bath with lavender. Alice + Olivia packaging features CEO Stacey Bendet’s signature “StaceFace” motif, with big sunglasses and a bold red lip. A timeless statement-making style that trendsetters of every era make their own while trendy types try to emulate the overall aesthetic. That’s just the way things work. To be fair, luxury doesn’t have to mean $$$$. What it must indicate, however, is quality. “Luxury is an assigned

label. It is typically assigned by marketers,” Le Coq says. “So, what do you want cannabis to be? As a consumer, how do you perceive luxury? The concept is really defined differently by every person. We want people to experience something that is luxurious. Not only the packaging is beautiful, the taste is beautiful, the place you are put into mentally is a nice, beautiful place.”

DECEM BER 2019

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lori Tobias is a lifelong journalist based on the Oregon Coast, where she lives with her husband, Chan, and two rescue pups, Luna and Monkey.

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THE LIFE SECTION

THE

Real Talk The former CMO of Papa & Barkley and a prominent voice in the industry, Kimberly Dillon gets candid about her success and taking charge of health and wellness.

When Kimberly Dillon walks into the room at the Females to the Front conference at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, California, everyone notices. She’s wearing a vibrant cobalt blue dress with eyeliner to match, but it’s also her essence. She emanates the kind of

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larger-than-life personality that any company would want spearheading marketing initiatives— and she has excelled in that role. Dillon was named one of the top leaders to watch in tech by the Huffington Post. She’s worked for household names like Clorox and

the NFL and raised millions of dollars for startups around the world as well as founding the beauty app House of Mikko. After working with Justin Bieber on a tech startup, she decided to enter the cannabis industry, becoming the CMO of Papa & Barkley. The company

COURTESY KIMBERLY DILLON

TEXT LEANDRA ROMERO

quickly went from a small startup to a multimillion dollar success story, leading Dillon to create her own consulting company for other cannabis pioneers. She took the time to talk to Sensi after speaking at Females to the Front. Can you catch our readers up on what you’ve been working on over the past few months? KD: I have a couple projects in the works. One is a consulting practice called Plant and Prosper (plantandprosper.co). I provide coaching and product development services for people looking to enter the cannabis and CBD space. I have clients from retail owners to vape pens. It’s been thrilling and I’m drawing on expertise from my time at Papa & Barkley. I’m also fundraising for a company I’m starting called Frigg. It’s about functional beauty, so it leverages CBD and other cannabinoids to focus on the balance of beauty both inside and out. However, CBD is just one of several amazing ingredients—in fact, it’s not the lead ingredient in the product. It’s about building a brand at the intersection of wellness and beauty, but specifically focusing on stress, burnout, and anxiety. It’s a different play. What ignited the change of roles? KD: There’s a lot of similar stuff in CBD. You buy something that’s one solo ingredient in a bottle and there are 95 brands. That’s crazy. It creates a commodity. I’d argue that people don’t have a relationship with where they buy their vitamins. But they often have a relationship with what they put on their skin and hair. So beauty builds more brand loyalty.

What can other companies do to stand out when it comes to marketing their brand? KD: I get a lot of people coming to me who say, “I want to reach women, and I want to do wellness.” Well, I think all of it’s wellness. I think the future is that cannabis will be an ingredient, part of something bigger. There are more than just the two cannabinoids, so what does CBD really do? What does CBN really do? And then I don’t think we’ve really nailed smell, taste, and

“The future is that cannabis will be an ingredient… There will be more elevated products where that will be just one talking point. The cannabis might be the least interesting thing.” —Kimberly Dillon

texture. There’s so much we can do to sophisticate and optimize the experience for consumers. Wave Two won’t just be that we put CBD or cannabis in it. It will be more elevated products where that will be just one talking point. The cannabis might be the least interesting thing. How have you overcome the lack of mainstream healthcare backing cannabis? KD: Society is shifting. Doctors gave us opioids, and we know that didn’t work. So, I think we’ve outsourced our healthcare to a lot of individuals. What cannabis represents to me is a gateway to other plants—to what true self care and self-healing is. You know your body and what your body needs. We’re not one-size-fits-all. Our healthcare system is broken in a lot of ways beyond the opioids crisis. Our families say things like, “I went to the doctor, and they didn’t know what was going on.” What do you do next? What’s next isn’t frustration. What’s next isn’t pills. What’s next is looking at an alternative so you can take matters into your own hands. What’s been the most challenging and rewarding part about working in the industry? KD: The challenging part was that there was no infrastructure. There is no bank. There is no hierarchy or HR. So you’re not doing just your job; you’re doing your job plus 18 other things. But it has been empowering for me because I’m seeing history. I’m seeing things unfold and minds change in real time. It’s so incredibly powerful to see the impact of my work. DECEM BER 2019

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On the Calendar

It may be cold outside, baby, but Detroit is anything but frigid. Grab your fur coats and meet me in The D.

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Eric B. & Rakim Dec. 1 Soundboard Theater, MotorCity Casino Detroit bit.ly/2PL98Kw

Her Best Fucking Brunch

catered brunch. This first-and-only One Day Women’s Brunch for women looks to inspire and push women to take action in their lives by making real connections and having a damn good time!

TEXT DARRALYNN HUTSON

Dec. 8 Pareik Gallery Southfield Tickets on eventbrite.com

Let’s face it: December in Detroit is cold as hell. There’s no sugarcoating it. So, if you want to venture out to find a place to network, eat, cook, or just snuggle up and listen to some music, this list of happenings is for you. It includes everything from vintage hip-hop to sausage making to holiday cheer. Because we know that December can be full of family love, we’ve added events for the kids that include dining with St. Nick and listening to a chorus of angelic voices.

The title alone makes you want to check out this wom- Dec. 6 en’s event. You’ll be Magic Stick Detroit surrounded by 100 bit.ly/34vQL0d women, inspiring speakers, epic swag The last time we bags, and a delicious saw Detroit’s own

DECE MBER 2019

Detroit Love Featuring Carl Craig A2A Luciano

LEFT: CHILDRENʼS CHOIR BELOW: NATʼL CALL TO ACTION TOP RIGHT: FAAN HOLIDAY GLOW BOTTOM RIGHT: THE ROOTS

globetrotter Carl Craig was during the Movement afterparty, when hundreds of househeads were trying to get into the Magic Stick. This time Craig is joined on the tables by Waajeed and Idress D.

The Detroit Prohibition Bus Tour

PHOTO OF DR. CARTER G. WOODSON COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, PHOTO OF THE ROOTS FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Dec. 7 Eastern Market Detroit magicalmichigantours.com

Want to learn something new over the holiday season? Get on the bus. Your guides are Marion and Armando—two descendants of bootleggers and speakeasy operators who bring with them special insight into the era and family

business. Along the way, the duo will share great stories at each stop, including bars, holding houses, drop-off routes, and warehouses of old Detroit.

Get Planted! Introduction to a Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet Dec. 7 Living Balanced Wellness Studio Detroit bit.ly/2qiulAK

Detroit Bloggers Expo & Launch Dec. 8 Dearborn Inn Dearborn Tickets on eventbrite.com

Sausage Making Workshop Dec. 10 Marrow Butcher Shop Detroit marrowdetroit.com

Dinner with Santa Dec. 13–15 Detroit Zoo Detroit detroitzoo.org

Dababy Dec. 11 Royal Oak Music Theatre Royal Oak royaloakmusictheatre.com

Belle Isle Holiday Stroll Dec. 13 Belle Isle Detroit belleisleconservancy.org

Holiday Glow at Corktown Dec. 13 The Corner Ballpark Detroit faanholidayglow.com

Every year, the Ford employees African Ancestry Network (FAAN) throws a party—and invites the public to party with them. It’s one

way Ford recognizes its employees, leaders, and community partners. Holiday Glow will feature DJ XO, gourmet food, and the chance to rub elbows with Ford leadership.

Detroit Children’s Choir Christmas Festival Dec. 15 Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament Detroit detroitchildrenschoir.org

National Call to Action: Inaugural Celebration of Dr. Carter G. Woodson

torians from around the globe speaking on the brilliance of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a scholar who is often called the “father of black history.”

Bilal Dec. 19 Arethaʼs Jazz Cafe Detroit musichall.org/events/Bilal

The Roots’ Holiday Tour Dec. 27 The Fillmore Detroit thefillmoredetroit.com

Dec. 19 The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History Detroit thewright.org

This event will include a panel of hisDECEM BER 2019

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DECEM BER 2019

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THE END

This Is My Home A holiday story of what brought us to Detroit and what keeps our families growing.

“When I was growing up in Mississippi, family was all we had,” says Mildred C. Hooper, mother of eight children, 10 grandchildren, and four great grandchildren who are all Detroit residents. “Most of us worked together, played together, cooked, and learned 50 D E T RO I T

DECE MBER 2019

about life together. It just made sense that we’d take care of each other. “I was married at 16, and when my husband moved us here to Detroit from down South, his twin brother helped him get a job at General Motors, Cadillac. My sister-in-law

helped us get settled. We built a life here and our family grew and grew. “My kids have gone all over the world, done all kinds of things. I’ve seen many Christmases, weddings, feuds, and new members of the family come and go. My kids ask

me if I ever want to go back home to Mississippi. I say ‘No.’ Detroit is my home because it’s where my family resides. From the time I was a youngin’ till I’m dead in my grave, family is all I know, it’s all I’ve ever known, and that’s all right with me.”

PHOTO BY HUMPHREY MULEBA VIA UNSPLASH

STORY BY MILDRED C. HOOPER AS TOLD TO DARRALYNN HUTSON