Sensi Magazine - Boston (January 2020) by Sensi Magazine

OK, BOOMER

The viral phrase that’s dividing generations

THE GENIUS OF JULIET I B O S TO N J A N 2020

The kind café built with beauty in mind

BOSTON SENSI MAGAZINE JANUARY 2020

sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag

F E AT U R E S

Great Green Hope

Western Massachusetts has room to thrive thanks to streamlined cannabis policies.

The B-Word

Is “OK, boomer” a slur, a sign of generational conflict, or just a meme-able mic drop?

SPECIAL REPORT

Arrested Development

These six ridiculous cannabis restrictions are still in effect around the country.

D E PA R T M E N T S

9 EDITOR’S NOTE 10 THE BUZZ News, tips, and tidbits

to keep you in the loop THE STORY SO FAR

Revamping concerts with local pop-up shows NIMBY WARRIOR Sira Naturals founder fights to change the culture. SENSIBILITIES Our editor-in-chief’s hottest hits of the month HOLE UP Masshole Donuts dunks on its national competition

38 THE LIFE Contributing to your

health and happiness THE GENIUS OF JULIET The

open-minded restaurant that doesn’t sacrifice beauty for affordability

42 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip

hangouts around town CALENDAR Take a plunge into the new year with these fun-filled events. HERBAL UPLIFT Tea you won’t want to spill

ON THE COVER Swift cannabis policy let Revolutionary Clinics breathe new life into the former Anwelt Shoe Factory in Fitchburg. PHOTO COURTESY REVOLUTIONARY CLINICS / PHOTO EDITS BY JOSH CLARK

50 THE END

The Boston Public Library is its own kind of winter wonderland

JANUARY 2020

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A DV I S O R Y B OA R D

Boston Gardener Gardening Supply

Pro Garden Solutions Harvest Consulting

The Botanist Cannabis Education

Revolutionary Clinics Medical Dispensary

Flourish Software Seed to Sale

Royal Gold Soil

Green Goddess Supply Personal Homegrown Biochamber

Sira Naturals Cannabis Product Innovation

Green Matters, LLC Supply Chain Greenhouse Payment Solutions Payment Processing The Holistic Center Medical Marijuana Evaluations The Leaf Collaborative Education Lev8 Labs, Ltd Terpenes Lofty Labs, LLC Pet CBD Mayflower Medicinals, Inc. Online Reservations Myofu-An Bujutsu Dojo Martial Arts Instruction

Tess Woods Public Relations Public Relations

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Valiant Group, LLC Commercial Development

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

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

Nine Point Strategies Insurance PotGuide Travel & Tourism

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

EXECUTIVE Ron Kolb CEO ron@sensimag.com

Tae Darnell Co-Founder, VP of Business Development 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 Leland Rucker Senior Editor leland.rucker@sensimag.com

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

Lindsey Bartlett, Jude Bradley, Christine Lavosky, Caitlin Moakley, Emilie Noelle-Provost 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 Leon Drucker Publisher leon.drucker@sensimag.com Richard Guerra Associate Publisher richard.guerra@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 Administrative Director amber.orvik@sensimag.com Andre Velez Marketing Director andre.velez@sensimag.com Neil Willis Production Manager neil.willis@sensimag.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

Our magazine won Publication of the Year

for the third time in a row at the Cannabis Business Awards in Las Vegas last month. It’s a testament to the people—from the publishers to the writers—who believe in this magazine and who continue to work every month to bring you the whimsy and the insight of the publication you hold in your hands. It’s a testament, too, to the dedication of CEO Ron Kolb and editor in chief Stephanie Wilson, who met in a coffee shop with an idea four years ago and have seen their passion blossom into magazines in 13 different markets across the country. Sensi has grown and gained respect at the same time that cannabis has shucked off old stigmas. States continue to legalize and the national political will is moving toward decriminalization across the country. CBD is in everything from soda to shampoo. Entrepreneurs continue to find new ways to use cannabis and extracts to make life better for people in chronic pain or those simply seeking relief from a hectic life. At Sensi Xchange, a gathering of thought leaders that took place in Vegas the day before the awards, 19-year-old Coltyn Turner (coltynscrue.com) spoke about how cannabis helped get him out of a wheelchair as he battled Crohn’s disease. And 14-year-old Rylie Maedler (ryliessmilefoundation.org) explained how she used cannabis to beat a rare bone disease. She’s now an outspoken activist. There is still work to do and the industry must be sure to engage in meaningful self-reflection. At the awards ceremony, longtime medical cannabis advocate and founder of The Last Prisoner Project (thelastprisonerproject.org), Steve DeAngelo received a lifetime achievement award. He implored the industry to get those out of prison who are still serving time (some life sentences) for possession of a substance that many now profit from. And there is a disturbing lack of Black and Brown faces in the industry, especially considering the ethnic demographics of those in prison as opposed to those profiting from cannabis. But this industry and the people in it have proven that they can grow and evolve. Let’s hope the awards continue to praise meaningful change on these crucial issues.

It’s a testament to the people who believe in this magazine and who continue to work every month to bring you the whimsy and insight of the publication you hold in your hands.

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

Doug Schnitzspahn doug.schnitzspahn@sensimag.com JANUARY 2020

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In creating a more spontaneous experience for concert-goers, Sofar Sounds is redesigning the traditional concert modelâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bringing this revolution to Boston. 10 BOSTO N

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Keeping show lineups and locations secret until a few days before an event creates a sense of mystery and intrigue for concert-goers. The organization, which operates in 400 cities worldwide,

Sofar Sounds is redefining the concert experience.

offers lesser-known musicians a chance to go on tour and gives music lovers opportunities to listen to music outside of their usual genres and discover emerging musicians they may nev-

er have stumbled upon otherwise. Sofar shows are set in unconventional locations, including art galleries, apartments, hotel rooms, and office spaces. A recent show

PHOTO BY TROY ALI

Pop-up Rock

CONTRIBUTORS

Robyn Griggs Lawrence, Christine Lavosky, Caitlin Moakley, Emilie-Noelle Provost, Doug Schnitzspahn, Stephanie Wilson

BY THE NUMBERS

20 MPH Speed limit on most city-owned streets in Cambridge, as of mid-November

$400 MILLION

STRANGE BREW

Kombucha is that increasingly popular drink that owes its probiotic properties and tangy taste to a mother fungus. Beer is, well, you know. Kombucha can contain small amounts of alcohol due to fermentation and also mixes well into a cocktail. Unity Vibration has taken the pairing one step further with its kombucha beers. Each brew combines the healthy tonic with organic hops and fruit flavors like ginger, peach, and elderberry to create a concoction thatʼs easy to sip. Just be prepared: it packs a whopping 8 to 9.1 percent ABV. The bourbon peach is the beer snobʼs favorite, and the raspberry is a crowd pleaser. Unity Vibration / unityvibrationkombucha.com

Amount the stateʼs 33 dispensaries made in sales during the first year of legal cannabis

was staged at Vibram, a shoe store and office space in Brookline. Audience members sat on the floor, some on blankets they brought from home, underneath glowing “flying shoe” decor strung from the ceiling. Like all Sofar’s shows, this one had an intimate vibe. Sofar’s nonhierarchical lineups feature three bands playing four or five songs each. There are no openers or main acts, encouraging equal appreciation for all the artists. Charlotte Jacobs, an experimental pop band from Belgium, started off the night at Vibram, weaving an abstract, experimental quality into dreamy pop melodies through vocals and synthesized beats. Nick Anderson and the Skinny Lovers, an alternative rock band on its first-ever tour, and Visiting Wine, a lively five-part folk rock group that infuses its smooth harmonies with Southern stomp and holler, rounded out an evening of energetic chemistry.

SOURCE: Cannabis Control Commission

10% Number of Bostonarea residents between ages 23 and 38 who expect to rent for their entire lives

"THEY WERE LICKING ME THE WHOLE TIME.”

SOURCE: Apartment List

$160K

—Dustin O’Brien, who stopped a pair of runaway huskies from veering into traffic on the Tobin Bridge, on WHDH

The amount a family needs to earn to buy a median-priced home in Suffolk County SOURCE: National Housing Conference

Sofar Sounds / sofarsounds.com/boston

THE BUZZ

VOX POPULI

Question: What are you hoping to accomplish in the new year?

ABIGAIL KIRSHNER

FREYJA QUINN

JON BRICKER

MARVEN HYPPOLITE

SABRINA PILET-JONES

___________________

Community Connector Lowell

I aim to apply for and start my graduate studies in social work. I am also determined to listen to my intuition more.

Artist and UX Engineer Boston

I want to help friends, family, and community thrive, draw, and paint a lot, and build inclusive and ethical products.

HIGH PROFILE

NIMBY WARRIOR

Sira Naturals founder says cultural stigma is preventing the cannabis industry from exploding in Massachusetts. 12 BOSTO N

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Talent Buyer, Concert Producer Arlington

I would like to get my finances in order so I can buy some property. I’d also like to finish recording the double album I’ve been working on with friends.

When Michael Dundas launched his Cambridge-based company, Sira Naturals (formerly Sage Naturals), shortly after medical cannabis was legalized in 2013, he was confronted with challenges entrepreneurs in other industries donʼt typically face. Because Massachusetts requires medical-use cannabis dispensaries to operate as nonprofits, he had no value-added collateral or equity opportunity to offer investors. In addition, his business was required to be vertically integrated, meaning Sira Naturals had to grow and produce

Political Change Agent Lynn

My goal in the upcoming year is to find the magic in life each and every day. Our world desperately needs people to dream again.

everything it sold. With adult-use legalization in 2017, medical dispensaries were allowed to convert to for-profit status, allowing access to equity financing. But Dundas, who converted Sira Naturals to a corporation before selling the company to Toronto-based Cannabis Strategies Acquisition in 2019, says Massachusetts can still be a tough place for cannabis companies to do business. “Elected officials in many municipalities have had a ʻnot in my backyardʼ mentality due to the cultural stigma that cannabis

Urban Farmer, Florist Boston

I would like to achieve more balance in my life and more intentional connection with those who matter to me. I also hope to push my small business to the next level.

has,” Dundas says. “When you add to that all the regulations and licensing required, negotiating host-community agreements, and financing still being somewhat difficult to get [because cannabis remains illegal on the federal level], it can be a hard environment to navigate.” Still, Dundas sees enormous possibility for growth in the stateʼs cannabis industry. “Itʼs just a question of time,” he says. “Although municipalities have been slow to appreciate the economic potential, the market in Massachusetts is huge.”

THE BUZZ

SENSIBILITIES WHAT MATTERS THIS MONTH BY STEPHANIE WILSON

1 GOALS ARE THE NEW RESOLUTIONS. And since we’re in a new decade, let’s

set loftier targets, hit them, surpass them. Where do you want to be in 2025? 2030? Start manifesting the life you want. In the shorter term, however…

______ 2 MANIFEST THE OUTFITS YOU WANT by signing up for Nuuly clothing rental

from Free People’s parent co. For just $88/mo., you get six temporary additions to your wardrobe—perfect excuse to try out new trends.

______ 3 BE EXTRA EXTRA. I resolved to be just that at the start of last year. Met that

goal and have a photo of the statement jacket I borrowed from Nuuly as proof. See @stephwilll if you’re curious just how extra “extra extra” is.

______ 4 SEE ALSO: posts about my apartment/urban jungle. ______ 5 PUTTING IT OUT THERE NOW. I’m setting my first intention for 2020: I will get my place featured on Apartment Therapy as a home tour this year. Boom.

______ 6 WANNA BE MY GOAL BUDDY? DM or post a comment—we’ll start a club.

One with books and discussions involved. Community and knowledge will result. We’ll call it…The Book Club. Let’s do this.

“We will be

breaking up with the double cup.’”

—Dunkin’ COO Scott Murphy on the company’s switch to double-walled paper cups, eliminating the need to use foam cups as insulation around plastic iced coffee cups

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Call Us: 800-4FOXFARM

Visit Us: FoxFarm.com

THE BUZZ

LOCAL COMPANY

DUNK THIS

You’ve heard of Massholes. Here are their donuts. One of the newest additions to the Arlington neighborhood is the best little donut shop around. This place sells nothing but donut holes—and with flavors like Boston Banana Cream (a brioche donut with Earl Grey–infused banana cream and milk chocolate ganache), New-berry Street (a chocolate cake donut with

vanilla bean glaze, Nutella, and fresh blackberries), and Green Monster (a brioche donut filled with key lime curd and glazed in green-tea white chocolate), it’s a perfect spot for visitors to get a taste of Boston and a yummy treat for locals too. Stock up on these cute confections for your next party or simply snack on them at the Lake Street shop. @massholedonuts / massholedonuts.com

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Cannabis and...

The Life Cannabis Company View our cannabis products available on our website: ma.temescalwellness.com

Recreational & Medical Cannabis Retail Locations in Massachusetts Hudson | Pittsfield | Framingham

Please Consume Responsibly. This product may cause impairment and may be habit forming. For use only by adults 21 years of age or older or persons holding a patient registration card. Keep out of the reach of children. This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding may pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the influence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The impairment effects of edible marijuana may be delayed by two hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact poison control hotline 1-800-222-1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA.

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A few economically disadvantaged cities and towns in Massachusetts have streamlined the process for cannabis companies to set up shop and launched worker education programs, welcoming the industry—as well as the jobs, tax revenue, and ancillary businesses it brings—with open arms. TEXT EMILIE-NOELLE PROVOST

PHOTO CREDITS (FROM LEFT): COURTESY GREEN THUMB INDUSTRIES / COURTESY REVOLUTIONARY CLINICS

or decades, Central and Western Massachusetts have lagged behind the eastern part of the state in economic growth and job creation. Once-booming manufacturing towns like Holyoke and Fitchburg never recovered after factory owners pulled up stakes to seek cheaper labor in the South in the 20th century, and they’ve struggled with joblessness, poverty, and the crime and illicit drug activity that inevitably follow. Fitchburg has a median income of about $50,000, and Holyoke’s is just under $38,000. More than 28 percent of Holyoke’s population lives below the federal poverty line. When medical-use cannabis was legalized in Massachusetts in 2012, regulatory issues and resident opposition in several Massachusetts cities and towns kept cannabis businesses out. Economically depressed communities have wholeheartedly embraced the cannabis industry’s potential to create jobs and generate economic growth. Government officials in Fitchburg and Holyoke saw an opportunity to bring the shuttered mills lining their rivers back to life, bring in much-needed tax revenue, and promote ancillary businesses, such as specialized construction firms that could repurpose vacant manufacturing

space to meet the unique needs of cannabis cultivators. To grease the wheels, both cities streamlined their host-community agreement (HCA) processes, required by state law before companies can apply for operating licenses, making it faster, easier, and less expensive for cannabis companies to set up shop. The cities’ mayors and state reps took their cases to the media, local chambers of commerce, and cannabis companies themselves, plugging their communities’ relatively low real estate prices, willing work force, and thousands of square feet of available industrial space. In 2014, Somerville-based Revolutionary Clinics established a 140,000-square-foot medical-use cultivating operation in a former shoe factory in Fitchburg. According to the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, the repurposed facility, which now operates in the adult-use space as well, had created 108 new jobs, paid more than $700,000 in taxes, and donated more than $25,000 to local charities and community organizations as of November 2019. Twenty-three companies had applied to the state Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) to operate adult-use businesses in Fitchburg, opening the door to cultivation facilities, testing laboratories, and

retailers. Some of these companies have purchased and renovated other vacant buildings. In August 2016, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse became the first Massachusetts mayor to call for legalization of cannabis for all adults in the state. He’s been a fierce proponent for the industry, and his efforts are paying off. Morse estimates that the city has 1.5 million square feet of vacant industrial space waiting to be developed. As of November 2019, 24 recreational-use cannabis businesses had applied to the CCC for licenses to operate in Holyoke. In 2018, Green Thumb Industries (GTI), one of the nation’s largest medical-use cannabis providers, with headquarters in Chi-

The former Anwelt Shoe Manufacturing Company building in Fitchburg, now occupied by Revolutionary Clinics, once made shoes for high-end brands such as L.L. Bean and Cole Haan.

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CANNABIS AT CLARK

PHOTOS (FROM LEFT): COURTESY REVOLUTIONARY CLINICS / COURTESY GREEN THUMB INDUSTRIES

One of nine children and the first person in his family to graduate from college, John LaBrie, dean of the School of Professional Studies and associate provost for professional education at Clark University in Worcester, is working to make graduate and professional education more accessible to students and more relevant to the needs of businesses. “One-hundred percent of our graduates want to work,” LaBrie says. LaBrie, a Maine native who has a doctorate in education, develops professional programs in fields he says are growing but lack talent, such as elder care and environmental policy. The most talked-about program he has created is Clarkʼs Certificate in Regulatory Affairs for Cannabis Control, the nationʼs first to help municipalities navigate regulation and public safety issues posed by the cannabis industry. At Clark, the three-course online program offers credits applicable toward a masterʼs of public administration degree. Students from California, New York, New Hampshire, and Hawaii are enrolled in the program. “Massachusetts has the ability to become a national leader in the cannabis industry,” LaBrie says, “but first we need a framework to understand how to deal with these issues.”

cago and 12 cultivation centers nationwide, spent $8 million to turn one of Holyoke’s historic 19th-century paper mills into a state-of-the-

art growing facility. The company spent another $1 million to build a dispensary in Holyoke. According to its HCA with the city, GTI pays

between $50,000 and $100,000 into Holyoke’s municipal fund and $15,000 in grants to community groups annually. A CANNABIS WORKFORCE Employers like GTI and Revolutionary Clinics need laborers, chemists, horticulturists, processing and extraction technicians, packaging and shipping staff, cus- DID YOU KNOW? tomer service reps, and construc- An employee at Union tion and maintenance workers. To Products in Fitchburg invented the iconic pink flafill those needs, colleges are offer- mingo lawn ornament in ing cannabis industry job-training 1957, when central Massachusetts was a maprograms. Cannabis Community Care and jor center for plastics manufacturing. Research Network (C3RN) in Worcester, a nonprofit engaged in cannabis-related health research and social justice issues, partnered with Holyoke Community College (HCC) in 2019 to create the Cannabis Education Center for Entrepreneur and Workforce Training. “Within two years, 300 to 400 skilled employees will be needed in Holyoke,” says Jeffrey Hayden, vice president of business and community services at HCC’s Center for Business and Professional Development. “As a community college, the core of our mission is to figure out how to

RIGHT: The former GTI Paper Mill building, Holyoke BELOW: The former Anwelt Shoe Manufacturing Company building, Fitchburg

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THE FITCHBURG OPPORTUNITY

PHOTO COURTESY OF REVOLUTIONARY CLINICS

G. Ryan Ansin (left), co-founder and managing director of Revolutionary Clinics, comes from a long line of manufacturing entrepreneurs. In the early 1950s, his grandfather and great-grandfather founded the Anwelt Shoe Co. in Fitchburg in the same building where Revolutionary Clinicsʼ growing facility is located today. After the shoe factoryʼs production was moved overseas in the 1990s, Ansin, who grew up in Fitchburg, watched the cityʼs economy decline. He vowed to do what he could to bring jobs back to Fitchburg. “Fitchburg has been a sad vision for the last couple of decades,” Ansin says. When Ansinʼs uncle decided to sell the factory building in 2015, Ansin tried without success to get other businesses interested in the space. “It seemed a shame to sell it, both from a family legacy perspective and in terms of a loss of economic potential for the community,” Ansin says. “I had looked at the cannabis industry from an investment perspective and thought the space was perfect for that. Cultivation is where the money is. I got involved in the cannabis industry because of the Fitchburg opportunity.” Ansin estimates the company has created 110 jobs in Fitchburg. He says Revolutionary Clinics has also opened the door for other cannabis businesses to operate in the city. “Our first goal was to create jobs in Fitchburg,” he says. Ansin plans to develop the remaining 100,000 square feet of factory space to create a research facility that will develop new cannabis-based products.

deal with things that block people from employment.” HCC’s Cannabis Education Center offers training in four separate tracks, aimed mainly at the CCC’s Social Equity Program (SEP) participants, individuals who have been disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition as determined by several criteria,

including prior incarceration and living in one of the 29 Massachusetts communities designated as “areas of disproportionate impact.” Holyoke and Fitchburg are among these 29 communities. The Cannabis Education Center’s educational tracks include entrepreneurial skills training, managerial training, entry-level

job training for people reentering society after incarceration or with fewer than two years of work experience, and ancillary training for students with existing transferrable skills. Participants are required to complete 46 hours of instruction. HCC manages the Cannabis Education Center’s business education programs, but because cannabis is not allowed on HCC’s campus, C3RN has partnered with area cannabis businesses to create hands-on learning opportunities for students interested in cultivation, extraction, culinary arts, and dispensary customer service. The Cannabis Education Center also works to help industry representatives understand how they can take advantage of this newly trained workforce and working with local cannabis businesses to establish a scholarship fund. Cannabis training programs have been established at other central Massachusetts colleges as well. Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner offers a yearlong online program culminating in a master certification, and Clark University in Worcester offers an online Certificate in Regulatory Affairs for Cannabis Control. “We expect that there is going to be an explosion in jobs,” says C3RN CEO Marion McNabb. “Right now we have the opportunity to create a diverse industry where anyone who wants to work in it can. This can mean less crime and higher property values, but without a trained workforce, people from other states who are trained will come in, and nothing will change.” JANUARY 2020

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emilie-Noelle Provost is a history geek, hiker, traveler, and the author of The Blue Bottle (North Country Press, 2018). See what sheʼs up to at emilienoelleprovost.com.

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Is “OK, BOOMER” a slur, a sign of increasing generational conflict, or just a meme-able mic drop? TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

aitlin Fisher, an Ohio writer who describes herself as “queer as hell, autistic, prone to sudden outbursts of encouragement” and a lover of avocados, cats, plants, and soy chai lattes, released a new book this year, The Gaslighting of the Millennial Generation, based on a blog post by the same name that caught Twitter’s fancy and went viral in 2016. “The millennial generation has been tasked with fixing the broken system we inherited and chastised for not doing it right or daring to suggest improvements,” she wrote in the original post. “If you think we’re doing a bad job, ask yourself how it got this way in the first place.” For Fisher, “OK, boomer”—the catch phrase that has surfaced as a way to dismiss stubborn, intolerant older folks—is nothing new. “We live in a meme culture, and this is a viral punchline,” she says. “It’s the new ‘whatever,’ a mic drop of, ‘I’m not dealing with this anymore.’” Most boomers were blissfully unaware of the phrase “OK, boomer” until this fall, when a 25-year-old member of the New Zealand Parliament let it fly during a speech about climate change and the New York Times ran a “Style” section piece on it. Nearly every mainstream media outlet followed suit. Establishment boomers, publicly butt-hurt, declared intergenerational war, culminating in 60-year-old radio host Bob Lonsberry calling the phrase “the n-word of ageism” in a tweet he later deleted. Reaction was swift, fierce, JANUARY 2020

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TALKING ’BOUT MY GENERATION Pundits break US generations into generally accepted categories, though thereʼs hardly universal agreement about when one ends and the next begins. Age can be a powerful predictor of attitudes and behaviors because it denotes where someone was in their lifecycle during specific time periods and historical events. “Boomers” born after 1960 were toddlers during Woodstock and Vietnam and are more likely to identify with The Breakfast Club, not The Big Chill. And the lines between millennials and Gen Z are as fluid as its members. They share a lot of characteristics and have quite a bit in common with their great-grandparentsʼ generation as well.

GREATEST GENERATION: 1901–1925 Conservative, security-oriented, grew up in Depression and came of age during WWII SILENT GENERATION: 1925–1945 Thrifty, moral, conformist, patriotic, came of age as America became a superpower BABY BOOMERS: 1946–1964 Indulged, self-centered, iconoclastic, goal-centric, competitive, came of age during post-WWII boom

GENERATION X: 1965–1980 Freedom-loving, family-oriented, multicultural, jaded, grew up as latch key kids after Watergate and Vietnam MILLENNIALS (A.K.A. GEN Y): 1981–1996 Technological, independent, image-driven, open-minded, ethnically diverse, grew up during peaceful times but lost innocence to 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, and the Great Recession GENERATION Z: 1997–2012 Traditional, family- and security-oriented, image-driven, open-minded, collaborative, most diverse (52% non-Hispanic whites), grew up with global terrorism, school shootings, smartphones, and social media

and often hilarious. “You can’t say that, #boomer is our word,” @JazzHendrix tweeted. “But you can say booma.” Though new to the mainstream media, #OKBoomer has been around awhile. Its first recorded use is in 2015 on 4chan, and it made its way to Reddit by 2017, according to Know Your Meme. In 2018, it erupted in a flurry of tweets responding to politicians criticizing millennials and their successors, Gen Zs, and it’s now a Twitter and Reddit standby. On the subReddit r/BoomerTears, 17,400 members post “any sour or garbage logic from boomers explaining why they’re special or complaining.” #BoomerAdvice, blasting out-oftouch words of wisdom from you know who, trends pretty regularly on Twitter. And of course, there’s a viral TikTok of a white-haired boomer ranting while a teenager scribbles “OK, Boomer” (flanked with hearts) on his notebook as well as an “OK, booomer” song that has spawned 4,000 TikToks. Hoodies, t-shirts, phone cases, and stickers emblazoned with the phrase are available on Redbubble and Spreadshirt. This is not your father’s generation gap; memes

like “OK, boomer” spread exponentially faster in 4G. “We can talk to people across the world, and we have the power to create whole new movements and share information really fast,” Fisher says. “Teenagers are no longer rolling their eyes at the dinner table. Now, teenagers are joining the revolution.”

WHAT IS THIS REVOLUTION? Millennials—along with their predecessors, Gen X, and successors, BEFORE IT WAS OK Gen Z—are angry. And The term baby boomer was first used in a 1963 whether they deserve it Salt Lake City Tribune or not, boomers are takarticle about the spike ing the blame for social of births that occurred and historical factors that during the decade following World War II. haven’t been kind to the generations that followed them. Boomers got college degrees “for the price of a McChicken,” according to one Redditor, while millennials are strapped with record student loan debt. The climate crisis and the rising tide of nationalism, inequality, and economic uncertainty all happened under the boomers’ watch. They elected Donald Trump. Even to boomers, it’s pretty clear this hippie-cum-capitalist generation kicked a lot of cans down the road while they were chasing profits and partying like it was 1999 (well into the 21st century). “How many world leaders for how many JANUARY 2020

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School of the Mysterious Knowledge Carried by the Wind

Myofu An Bujutsu Dojo The Soul of the Samurai Introduction to the Katana Warrior Arts

*CLASSES INCLUDE TRAINING SWORD

CLASSES NOW FORMING

Â Â Â? Â?

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decades have seen and known what is coming but have decided that it is more politically expedient to keep it behind closed doors? My generation and the generations after me do not have that luxury,” Chlöe Swarbrick told the New Zealand Parliament in her climate speech just before she dropped the OK bomb. Even more maddening, boomers won’t acknowledge that younger generations are being forced to operate in a completely different economy, without the equity and safeguards boomers had and with huge fear about the future. “The world is just different,” says 30-yearold Lindsey Turnbull, who owns an empowerment company for teen and tween girls, MissHeard Media. “We need the adults to acknowledge that and not brush kids’ very real worries off as hormones.” These millennials are quick to point out that not every boomer is a “boomer” (thank God!). And furthermore, anyone who is intolerant to new ideas and unwilling to unlearn their biases can be “OK, boomered.” It’s more about attitude than ageism. “I know how exhausting it can be to debate with people, especially online, who are really adamant

about not seeing another point of view,” says Turnbull. “‘OK, boomer’ just says you’re not wasting all that time and emotional energy trying to come up with a well-thought-out response when the person on the other side doesn’t listen.”

hoarded all the wealth and polluted the planet in the process; they haven’t had to witness—or deal with the ramifications of—old age and precarity for millions of working people in that generational cohort,” he writes in the Guardian. “Instead they get to revel without self-reflection in oedipal TRENDING ON angst about their elders— WHITE TWITTER many of whom were kind One of the biggest issues many people see with this enough to pass them their ill-gotten privileges.” meme-inspired revoluFisher doesn’t distion is that its guerrillas agree. “It’s important to tend to be of a type—upacknowledge that ‘OK, per-middle-class white youth—and they’re com- boomer’ is about priviplaining about issues like leged older people, baby boomers in Congress who lack of economic opporkeep voting to give themtunity and silencing that people of color have been selves pay raises but don’t dealing with for centuries. want poor older people to have affordable health Black Twitter sees #Okcare,” she says. “While Boomer as nothing more than disrespect for elders. we’re fighting against the “White Brogressives never ‘royal boomer’ we can’t cared about income ineq- ignore the needs of older uity when it was just black people in our communities. Ageism is really serior brown folks on the ous. There’s elder abuse, wrong end of it,” @Wonderbitch82 posted. and medical debt is bankBhaskar Sunkara, found- rupting older Americans. er of Jacobin magazine and We can’t point to all older author of The Socialist Mani- people and say they are the problem the way they festo: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme point to our generation and say we are the probInequality, believes white lem. We have to open up upper middle-class youth the conversation.” who find themselves shut The conversation opens out of the housing market up for Turnbull, who lives and exploited by the gig economy should aim their angst at investment bankers, not boomers. “These young people are surrounded by baby boomers who’ve

in Washington, DC, when she mingles with people of all ages during political marches and protests. But in many places in the US, opportunities for cross-generational conversation are becoming rare as children are shunted into age-based sports and activities while the elderly are sent to care facilities, says Timiko Tanka, an associate professor of sociology at James Madison University. “As is said in an African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’” she says. “But today, many children are growing up without such a community.” Tanka says intergenerational care centers, which are starting to crop up across the country, have been proven to be useful in reducing age-based prejudice and stereotyping. In her Social Gerontology course, students spend at least 20 hours interacting and becoming comfortable with elderly people—so comfortable that by the end of the semester, they’re playing cards together. Schools, care facilities, and municipal governments need to create more opportunities for people to share different perspectives, she says. “‘OK, boomer’ is a warning that we need to find a bridge, not a wall, and have meaningful conversation,” says Tanka. JANUARY 2020

Generationalism: the systematic appeal to the concept of generation in narrating the social and political as a way of explaining political and social shifts. SOURCE: Baby Boomers and Generational Conflict by Jenny Bristow (2015)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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

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SPECIAL REPORT

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT While legalization is on a roll, these six ridiculous cannabis laws and regulations made it onto the books across the country. TEXT LINDSEY BARTLETT

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annabis prohibition is falling like an old empire across the United States. Yet not all new laws and regulations surrounding cannabis are winners. There are many laws in legal marijuana markets, both medical and adult-use, that are not based on data but are in fact quite arbitrary. At best, these regulations are off-base. At worst, they are curtailing access for medical patients who desperately need to access their medication. Laws have forced patients, adult consumers, and cannabis companies alike to jump through unnecessary hoops in order to get weed. But why? Lawmakers have predisposed notions of what would happen if weed became legal. Unfortunately, many of the laws you see today were written by people coming from the perspective of a deeply ingrained “Reefer Madness” culture. Those in charge fear repercussions that are simply not backed by the data. When laws are developed through that lens, they are not likely to make a lot of sense. It will take time to iron out these regulations, but someday they will be history. Fingers crossed. Here are six ridiculous, arbitrary, and damaging cannabis laws across the country.

NO RESTROOMS ALLOWED In West Hollywood, a lot of attention has been given to the country’s first open cannabis consumption lounge licensee. The Original Cannabis Cafe (previously known as Lowell Farms) has one bizarre quirk in its regulations forced by zoning. The restroom, formerly a part of the building located within the walls of the restaurant, had to be built out with a separate entrance. The café owners told Sensi they were asked to disconnect the bathroom from the main building space. This forces customers to exit the front door and walk around the exterior of the building to use the restroom. Before opening its doors in October 2019, the restaurant scrambled to comply with this seemingly arbitrary building requirement. As far as zoning is concerned, cannabis consumption needs to happen in a closed space. It is all very confusing. But the first cannabis consumption licenses to get off the ground will undoubtedly have some kinks.

LIMITED LINEUP Yes, there is a medical marijuana program in New York. No, it is not making a dent in the demand in the unlicensed market. This can be attributed to the state’s strict regulations, which make it so the only available products are items that aren’t as popular with medical patients. Products in New York are limited to edible cannabis concentrate oil, capsules, or topicals. You can’t smoke it. Keep in mind, the allowable cannabis concentrate oil is not the same as the popular oils you’d dab with or put in a vape pen. You also can’t buy edibles that are already made with cannabis. Just capsules. New York consumers and patients do not have the option of regular ol’ flower. This tight restriction on the products available for sale has deterred many cannabis patients, store owners, and cultivators from participating. While its medical program was enacted in 2014 by the Compassionate Care Act, the state has fewer than 30 medical dispensaries five years later. JANUARY 2020

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ENVIRONMENTALLY UNFRIENDLY All the largest markets have one unfortunate regulation in common: You cannot recycle or reuse any cannabis packaging. In Oregon, plastic childproof containers are required, but once the container is used to store cannabis, it is not allowed to be recycled, meaning all this plastic packaging ends up in landfills. The Bureau of Cannabis Control in California and Washington State laws make recycling products difficult. Colorado does not have any language in place for the recycling of cannabis containers. It will become a Goliath issue if these laws are not amended to make practical recycling a part of the cannabis industry. Companies want to recycle, and they want a safe and effective way to reuse the old vape cartridges that are brought back into the store. Bad news is, because of these strict state regulations, they can’t. One solution companies are finding is to begin with recycled and reclaimed plastic, like products made by Sana. An innovative company called TerraCycle offers another solution in melting down and cleaning cannabis packaging waste. But like all other industries grappling with the plastic problem, the most impactful changes will be made top-down, not at the consumer level.

NOT FIT TO PRINT Marketing regulations for the cannabis industry are a patchwork of chaos. There remain a limited number of ways that companies can advertise, and those laws vary state-by-state. Facebook and Instagram have gone out of their way to shadow ban cannabis companies, sometimes deleting the accounts of licensed, legal businesses. Google AdWords doesn’t play nicely with cannabis companies either, offering payment ad options to very few exceptions. In Colorado, you can’t advertise on billboards, on mobile, in banners, or in handout leaflets. California allows cannabis companies to advertise on billboards, but there is currently a lawsuit attempting to ban that method. As a result of this mess, the industry has gotten creative with advertising. This very magazine is one avenue that exists without restriction, paving the way for marketing in the cannabis world.

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CASH OR… CASH States that legalize cannabis want cannabis tax money. But they don’t allow companies to have a safe way to pay their bills, pay their employees, and to store revenue. Until the SAFE Banking Act makes its way through the Senate and eventually to the desk of President Trump, there is a massive regulatory issue. Dispensaries across the country are forced to operate as cash-only businesses—in a cash-only billion-dollar industry. Stripe, Square, and other payment apps are cracking down not only on cannabis businesses, including CBD businesses, but on ancillary companies as well. Hopefully a solution will be found in the SAFE Banking Act. Cannabis businesses need to be able to lean on legitimate financial institutions. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lindsey Bartlett has been writing about cannabis since 2012. An advocate and 10-year medical cannabis patient, her work has been featured in Yahoo Finance, Benzinga, and The Cannabist.

MANDATORY MONOPOLY Some cannabis regulations go so far as to defy capitalism at its core. In Vermont’s medical cannabis program, for example, a registered patient must choose one—and only one—dispensary to buy from. Patients can change their designated dispensary, but only once every 30 days, and only for a $50 fee. The cost is an access issue for many medical patients. Another peculiar move for Vermont: while any 21plus adult can legally grow two mature and four immature plants for personal use outside in the sunshine (fenced yard, screened from public view), medical cannabis patients must grow indoors if they want to take advantage of the higher plant count available to them (seven immature).

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Roasted salsify (a.k.a. oyster plant) and chili “caviar” from Beach Rose is an ode to the New England shoreline.

The Juliet Experience In Somerville’s Union Square, a small space takes big steps to bring back familial neighborhood dining—and then some.

Juliet, the brainchild of chef Joshua Lewin and professional creative Katrina Jazayeri, has been welcoming guests since February 2016, but the restaurant’s concept is constantly innovating. Lewin 38 BOSTO N

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said the partners have never had a plan. “We just let it happen,” he says. The small space, once a beloved coffee shop, has a central, open kitchen so diners can see how food is prepared, dishes are

washed, and even where flowers are stored. What makes Juliet so progressive is the business model, which embraces in-house talent and keeps ideas flowing. Workers are as much a part of the creative process

as they are cooks, servers, bussers, and office staff. In a management strategy that Juliet describes as “open book,” financial and operational information is shared with all employees, who are responsible

for the restaurant’s challenges and successes. Employees have a stake in the outcome, growth is organic, and the staff works as a team. Juliet doesn’t allow tipping because the servers are paid a living wage.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIET

TEXT JUDE BRADLEY

GO THERE

Juliet 257 Washington St., Somerville julietsomerville.com

With a constantly changing menu, Juliet may surprise guests with tagliatelle alla Bolognese with burnt lemon (left) or masala chai-cured salmon (right).

Through the restaurant’s Pay What You Can program, diners—particularly restaurant staff and chefs early in their career, neighbors, and students—

are invited to enjoy a three-course prix fixe dinner for whatever they can afford to pay. Lewin is nothing short of a modern-day Renais-

sance man, with a background in writing, movies, theater, dance, and poetry, but cooking is his passion and his living, and he’s received multiple

Sliced clams, wild rice, subtle flavors, and dynamic presentation make Julietʼs chowder part of a theatrical dining experience.

awards and accolades for it. With Jazyeri’s creative eye adding to the mix, Juliet is an idea hub. The food is delightful and insightful, and the prix fixe menu fires on all cylinders. Juliet’s website describes the dining experience as “a sort of immersive storytelling.” Themed menus include original poetry and prose. The restaurant is only part of the Juliet experience. The team produces and manages a magazine, Of Juliet, featuring foodie fare as well as short stories,

interviews, album reviews, opinion, art, and photography with covers designed by employees. Of Juliet is supported by donations and can be read online (ofjuliet.com). The team at Juliet also produced a cookbook, Our Market Season, available on its website and at the restaurant. In a break from tradition, unlike dozens of restaurants in the Greater Boston area that grind out weighty cookbooks through major publishing houses, Juliet brought the process in-house. With JANUARY 2020

MORE RECIPES Julietʼs cookbook(let) includes hand-drawn illustrations and some of Chef Lewinʼs favorite recipes, along with stories.

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a simple cover and beautifully detailed black-and-white illustrations by Ariel Knoebel, the book, affectionately called a cookbook(let), takes a seasonal approach to cooking and touches upon the unique ideas behind Juliet. It includes some 30 recipes as well as Juliet’s ideas, techniques, and stories. Our Market Season and Of Juliet are available at the restaurant store,

along with Jazayeri’s handmade cutting boards, Juliet socks, and custom spice blends by Curio Spice Company of Cambridge. As many as 150 people a day wander through Juliet, many of them neighbors. What’s next? Cooking classes are on the table, says Lewin. “We’re looking for that spark,” he says. “We have a lot of energy to give and not just for ourselves.”

Juliet’s French Onion Soup Makes 10 servings / Recipe from Joshua Lewin and Katrina Jazayeri

IN GREDIENTS

Note from the Owners: French Onion Soup Right, we know. Everyone makes onion soup with beef broth. Cheaters make it with chicken broth. We know, we know. But we make it with water. If you do the first part right, onions are just about all you need. You want to do it the quick way? Not a problem, but you better have some rich beef broth on hand to make up for it. We have recipes for beef and onion soup too. This was never meant to be that. —Katrina Jazayeri (left) and Joshua Lewin (right)

INST RUCT IONS

• Sweat onion and 5 pounds Spanish onion, julienned garlic in butter with 4 cloves garlic, sliced salt, bay leaves, and thyme, covered. ½ cup butter • Once vegetables 1 tablespoon kosher salt have given up most of their water (they 2 fresh bay leaves will be nearly covered 1 tablespoon thyme, chopped with liquid), uncover the pot and reduce 2 cups red wine the water out by 2 quarts water increasing the heat ¼ cup red wine to a light boil and vinegar keeping it there, allowing that liquid to escape into the air

•

• •

and leaving behind a very concentrated little pot of onions. Lower the heat and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are deeply caramelized (1 hour at least). Add red wine and reduce again until the pot is nearly dry. Add water (or stock) and bring to boil. Add vinegar. Check seasoning and enjoy.

THE ART OF SWEATING The word sweat is not arbitrary here. You are creating an environment that causes the onions to give up all their water and then to wait there, in that enclosed, humid environment, until theyʼve completely surrendered. You cannot rush this part. If the heat is too high, youʼll kill them. This process is so gentle, the onions barely know whatʼs happened until it is too late.

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Cultural Calendar

Take a plunge for the new year, indulge in coffee and chocolate, and get friendly with winter. January’s packed with fun things to do—and many of them are free. TEXT CAITLIN MOAKLEY

January is the month for setting goals, branching out, and rediscovering ourselves and our passions in preparation for the new year ahead. With a creative scene that’s bursting with character, the Boston area is the place to be. Looking to hop on an open mic? Incorporate more plants into your beauty routine? Learn how to plan budget-friendly meals? Take part in a local restaurant’s menu development? There’s something for everyone here. Whether you want to dive deeper into an existing love or explore the possibility of a new hobby, the city is waiting for you to take advantage of all it has to offer. 42 BOSTO N

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New Year’s Day Plunge Jan. 1 L Street Bath House, South Boston boston.gov/calendar

Gather at the L Street Bath House in South Boston for this annual New Year’s Day event—is 2020 the year you take the plunge?

Cooking on a Budget: SNAPED Nutrition Workshop Jan. 3 Boston Public Market, Boston thetrustees.org

The UMass Extension Nutrition

Education Program is teaming up with the Boston Public Market for this free SNAP-friendly event to teach families how to eat healthy while on a budget.

Poetry Open Mic Night Jan. 5 Cafe Zing!, Porter Square, Cambridge portersquarebooks.com/cafe-zing

Cafe Zing! hosts a monthly open mic night for folks to sip their favorite coffee, swap creativity, and support the local community.

LEFT: POETRY OPEN MIC NIGHT TOP: COUNTER CULTURE TASTING BOTTOM RIGHT: CHOCOLATE FEST

Seafood Supply Chain Open Forum Jan. 23 Redʼs Best, Boston redsbest.com

Chat about New England’s fishing industry with Red’s Best founder Jared Auerbach during a free evening of enrichment.

Clover Food Development Meeting Jan. 7 Clover HUB, Cambridge cloverfoodlab.com

What do you wish to see on future Clover menus? This free event offers you the chance to cook it up and present it.

Update on Invasive Plants Jan. 8 Lexington Field & Garden Club, Lexington lexgardenclub.org

Join naturalist Peter Alden in a free discussion about biodiversity and plants that could be taking over your garden or local greenspace.

Taste of Chocolate Counter Culture’s Learn about winter Festival Jan. 25–27 Tasting at Ten in Boston and enJan. 10 Counter Culture, Somerville counterculturecoffee.com

joy a peaceful walk around Harvard’s arboretum.

Coffee connoisseurs and caffeinated novices, take your palate on a free tasting of Somerville’s Counter Culture Coffee.

Skin Food x Face Food Jan. 30 Face Food Natural Beauty Market & Spa, Newburyport facefoodnaturalskincare.com

Join holistic nutritionist Mary Taylor and holistic esthetician Khaki Paquette for an evening of plantbased knowledge for mind and body.

Brattle Plaza, Cambridge harvardsquare.com

Join some of Harvard Square’s favorite vendors for a free chocolate-filled graze fest on Brattle Plaza from 1 to 2 p.m.

Boston Travel & Adventure Show Jan. 11–12 Hynes Convention Center, Boston travelshows.com

Now is the perfect time to plan your escape out of the city.

Winter Wellness Walk Jan. 12 The Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain my.arboretum.harvard.edu

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan. 20 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston mfa.org

Spend MLK day reflecting at the Museum of Fine Arts, where the doors are open all day for free.

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THE SCENE ENERGETIC HERBS

Herbal Uplift

Whether you’re in the mood for energizing, stimulating herbs like mint and guayusa or a classic chamomile, these stand-out Massachusetts tea companies will make a splash in your mug. TEXT CAITLIN MOAKLEY

MEM Tea

Boston Chai Party

North Cambridge– based MEM Tea’s Davis Square shop has a wall lined with more than 100 teas to taste your way through, with endless possibilities for preparing your own blends at home. MEM has flavors to satisfy even the pickiest palates, from subtle and sweet to savory and smoky. If you’re not sure where to begin, sit in on one of MEM’s many classes, attend an event, or drop in for a free tea tasting on Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m.

Boston Chai Party co-founders Vishal Thapar and Rushil Desai couldn’t find authentic Indian chai in Boston, so they decided to bring real chai to the city. Skip the coffee, and order chai online from Chai Party, which delivers chai made with responsibly sourced ingredients and offers

memtea.com

bostonchaiparty.com

educational videos as well. Made from fair-trade Assam tea and freshly ground spices, this chai has no artificial flavors or syrups. No coffee shop chai can match this.

the mushrooms in your cup are from organic family farms in the US. If chaga is the king of mushrooms, Tamim is the queen of mushroom tea. Old Friends Farm oldfriendsfarm.com

Tamim Teas tamimteas.com

Based in Somerville, Tamim Teas is transforming the way we think about mushrooms, making medicinal mushrooms palatable and enjoyable. Committed to quality sourcing, Tamim’s owner, Liat Racin, ensures

Old Friends Farm in Amherst offers immune-boosting, day-brightening turmeric-elderberry-ginger tea to get you through these cold months. Made with ginger and turmeric grown on the company farm, this tea is about as fresh as a dried blend can get. Enjoy it with a touch of Old Friends herbal-infused honey.

Mountain Rose Herbs

mountainroseherbs.com

Mountain Rose Herbs isn’t based in Massachusetts, but the Oregon company is a go-to for online buying and education. Mountain Rose offers hundreds of single herbs and herb blends, and its website includes overviews, preparation suggestions, and precautions for every herb. You can order in small quantities or qualify for discounts when you buy larger bulk quantities.

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Please Consume Responsibly | For use only by adults 21 years of age or older | Keep out of the reach of children | Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding may cause potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the inﬂuence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks dela by two hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact poison control hotline 1-800-222-1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA. associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgement. The impairment effects of edible marijuana may be delayed

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P R O M O T I O N A L F E AT U R E VA L I A N T G R O U P

Riding the Wave For two Irish builders, putting together a cannabis commercial building in the US has had peculiar challenges and great opportunities.

oming from Ireland to the United States and starting Valiant-America 12 years ago, CEO Eamonn O’Kane and President Niall McManus couldn’t help but notice what was happening in the commercial building industry here in the US. As commercial builders for restaurants and hotels, they heard about the legalization of cannabis in Colorado and immediately knew there was a new and emerging industry that they wanted to get involved in. “When the legalizing process was going on in Colorado, we thought ‘Holy shit. If that thing goes legal in that state, it’s obviously going to go legal in other states,’” O’Kane says.

He went to Colorado, eventually getting some work, though he found that builders there were very protective of their facilities. Valiant-America grew quickly from that point on. The company is working on multiple cultivation and dispensary projects right now across several states, many they could not discuss in detail due to restrictive NDAs. However, the average size of their cultivation facilities is approximately 135,000 square feet with 90,000 square feet of canopy. One of the main challenges for building these facilities has been learning the different equipment and materials that are required. “There were multiple products that cultivation

facilities were using that claimed to be ‘mold-resistant,’” O’Kane says. “Builders thought they could use these products and not get mold, but that was totally incorrect. That was the biggest challenge—bringing the sophistication level from your basement growing operation to an at-scale large industry cultivation facility with the proper equipment and correct materials to ensure success.” Valiant-America is working on diversifying its business now, adding leasing, waste disposal, distribution, security, consulting, and financing, as they look for different strategic partnerships. Two years of research into residential “grow pod” containers led to one of its new strategic partnerships. Recently, Valiant partnered with Agrify, the leader in a fast-install, software-controlled, microclimate, self-contained pod system that is quickly gaining popularity. The new partnership, dubbed “Agrify Valiant,” has Valiant as the primary distributor and installer of the stackable Vertical Farming Units (VFU), which can be stacked three pods high with an integrated catwalk system for any commercial growing application. Business is rocking, with nearly 250 employees working in an industry O’Kane and McManus never imagined being their core business. “It never crossed my mind 12 years ago that Valiant would be in the cannabis industry,” O’Kane says. “Now I would say 95 percent of our work is cannabis related.”

Valiant Group Commercial builder for the cannabis industry valiant-america.com JANUARY 2020

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THE END

Winter Oasis Spend chilly afternoons reading like the elite at Boston’s “palace of the people.”

“If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to the library.” —Frank Zappa

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When the Boston Public Library—America’s first tax-supported lending library—opened in 1895, its architect, Charles Follen McKim, called it “the palace of the people.” A crown jewel of Renaissance BeauxArts Classic architecture overlooking Copley Square, the library contains more than 23 million items (only the US Library of Congress has more volumes).

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The Bates Reading Room, a Roman hall with a 50-foot barrel vault ceiling flanked by two half domes and 15 arched windows, has been a favorite spot for Bostonians to feed their brains since the library opened. The room is named after library benefactor Joshua Bates, a London banker who devoured books when he was growing up poor in Weymouth, Massachu-

setts. As a young professional, Bates could not afford books, so he spent his evenings reading in a local bookstore. When he made his donation, Bates wrote: “It will not do to have the rooms in the proposed library much inferior to the rooms occupied for the same object by the upper classes. Let the virtuous and industrious of the middle and mechanic class feel that

there is not so much difference between them.” Bates added the rooms “should be wellwarmed in winter, and well-lighted.” Last year, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced the creation of the Fund for the Boston Public Library, which has raised millions for preservation and restoration of the McKim building as well as digital innovations and technology.

PHOTO BY BRIAN JOHNSON

TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

o tr n I

g n i c du

Premium handcrafted cannabis products made with passion and integrity.

Available for wholesale at www.licitbrands.com Please Consume Responsibly. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding may pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the inďŹ&#x201A;uence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The impairment effects of edible marijuana may be delayed by two hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact poison control hotline 1-800-222-1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA.