Sensi Magazine - Coachella Valley (January 2020)

I C OAC H E L L A VA L L E Y J A N 2020

THE LAW WON

Six ridiculous laws that set cannabis businesses back

OK,BOOMER

Behind the viral phrase that’s dividing generations

SPIRIT OF THE LUISEÑO

The Pechanga Resort honors California’s native people

Come grow with us

and experience more than just growing! info@coachillin.com

Coachillin’ protects small to mid-sized cannabis firms up against Big Pharma & Big Tobacco by achieving economies of scale through operational cost sharing between tenants in the Coachillin project. There are no electrical tier rate bumps for agricultural facilities and the project is supported by large-scale solar, wind, and cogeneration technology for sustainable and cost effective energy. Coachillin’ is an embassy level secured compound with an 8ft perimeter wall outfitted with intrusion detection systems and guarded by military veterans with elite service backgrounds - for 3x less traditional security costs that would be incurred by stand-alone projects. A drought proof private well capable of 1,000 gallons per minute fills a 4 million gallon reservoir that distributes reverse osmosis purified water to every parcel and cannabis businesses have guaranteed 20+ years of unrestricted water access. Tenants can avoid cultivation wastewater dumping fines by clarifying at scale and for re-use in sustainable wastewater treatment through proprietary Bio-Column “phytoremediation” Systems. Protect financial assets with short and long term banking and vaulting services with an on-site bank specific to the cannabis industry. Coachillin’ provides assistance with meeting compliance regulations for product packaging, labeling, transport, storage, maintenance of business records, security standards and more. Achieve better cultivation by contributing to and leveraging the world’s largest grow dataset in the cannabis industry made possible through a partnership with IBM Watson to develop solutions such as: seed-to-sale / track-&-trace, custom operational workflow management (ERP), Natural Language Processing (NLU/NLP) engines, microclimate control systems, and unified environmental data collection engines. Low cost startups can move fast through streamlined licensing and pre-approved environmental clearances via Coachillin’s Project Specific Plan covering 160 acres.

info@coachillin.com

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COACHELLA VALLEY SENSI MAGAZINE JANUARY 2020

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F E AT U R E S

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Spirit of the Luiseño

The history of Pechanga Resort Casinoʼs tribal people spans millennia.

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

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

to keep you in the loop POWER TOWERS Art installation in Indio HOMETOWN HUSTLE

Promoting Latino brands is the name of Nick Meza’s game.

SENSIBILITIES Our editor-in-chief’s hottest hits of the month

42 THE LIFE Contributing to your

health and happiness COMFORT FOOD Snuggle up with a soup that’s good for more than just your soul.

46 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip

hangouts around town CALENDAR Music, a scavenger hunt, hot rods, and more

ON THE COVER Groovy, millennial! Itʼs time to break down the generational differences that spawned a meme.

ORIGINAL PHOTO BY ADOBE STOCK

50 THE END

Cast a fly rod, dance, and test-drive a Land Rover at this new festival.

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A DV I S O R Y B OA R D

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The Lighthouse Palm Springs & Coachella; Cannabis Dispensary The Micro Buddery Micro Business

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FACE BOOK Like Sensi Media Group for the parties, topics, and happenings we’re obsessed with right now.

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Green Leaf Biz Solutions Payroll & HR Services Green Pearl Organics Desert Hot Springs; Recreational Dispensary Highland Oil Co. Premium Vape Cartridges

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

Magazine published monthly

by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2020 Sensi Media Group. All rights reserved.

EXECUTIVE Ron Kolb CEO ron@sensimag.com

O

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 Dawn Garcia, Leandra Romero 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 Greg Jelden Co-Publisher greg.jelden@sensimag.com Jason Zahler Co-Publisher jason.zahler@sensimag.com Sat Panesar Associate Publisher sat.panesar@sensimag.com Quentin Dusastre Associate Publisher quentin dusastre@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

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.

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

Doug Schnitzspahn doug.schnitzspahn@sensimag.com JANUARY 2020

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CONTRIBUTORS

Tower Power A giant art installation finds a home in Indio.

This year, Indio will become the new home to a set of nine towers, known as Sarbale Ké (which means “the house of celebration” in Moore, a 12 COAC H EL L A VA LLEY

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language spoken in Burkina Faso). The towers originally made their debut during the 2019 Coachella Music & Arts Festival. The art installation is

said to be the city’s largest scale public art project to date and will be installed at Dr. Carreon Park, where it will reside for the next decade.

“DESERT, IN GENERALLY, IS A VERY GOOD PLACE TO FIND YOURSELF. OR LOSE YOURSELF.” —Maynard James Keenan, American singer-songwriter

COURTESY COACHELLA MUSIC AND ARTS

Dawn Garcia, Leandra Romero, Doug Schnitzspahn

BY THE NUMBERS

$200 MILLON The cost of the new surf resort that was green lighted by the Palm Desert City Council

Coachella Smoke Co.

HOMETOWN HUSTLE

This local dispensary is committed to helping promote Latino brands.

Nick Meza, owner of Coachella Smoke Co., is determined to bring opportunity to his hometown. The city of Coachella native re-opened his dispensary late last year after a long-waiting game to obtain a state license. With a warm greeting from the eastend community, heʼs helping local Latino brands break into the industry by featuring their products on the shelves of his store.

“Why canʼt we be in a position where we are creating jobs that people want to come and do here?” Meza says.

Coachella Smoke Co. occupies one of the oldest buildings in the cityʼs Pueblo Viejo district.

10K SEATS

The capacity of the downtown Palm Springs arena, host to a new minor league hockey team

45 DEGREES

The average low temperature in Palm Springs in January.

The high is 72°F.

On the Right Foot

The LiveWell Festival offers up inspirational new ways to make good on those old resolutions.

“The motto of this festival is really getting your year started off on the right foot,” says Seth Cash, founder of the LiveWell Festival in Palm Desert. Launched in 2015, the event is considered the Valleyʼs largest health and wellness celebration of the year, helping locals and visitors from all nine desert cities find new ways to maintain their New Yearʼs resolutions—mind, body, and spirit.

It all started as a passion project for Cash, who was looking for new ways to live a healthier life. Around his 38th birthday, he began reaching out to different gyms, healthy meal services, and other wellness businesses in the area to help with his own New Yearʼs resolution. He quickly realized he wasnʼt the only one looking for effective ways to maintain a well-rounded lifestyle, and he wanted to connect those with similar goals to a larger wellness network.

Along with fitness demonstrations (yoga, Pilates, and Zumba), sound baths, live music performances, and food trucks, the festival will be featuring a CBD village for the first time. The event is free to the public and will be held at Palm Desert Civic Center Park on January 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. livewellfestival.org Livewell Festival

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THE BUZZ

VOX POPULI

ABBY STURGEON

Director of Admissions and Marketing at Palm Valley School Rancho Mirage

___________________

Living in a place that is constantly evolving and providing me with a great quality of living helps me remember that life is about evolving. I would give myself the advice of continuing to stay clear of any situation that isn’t helping me evolve mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.

Question: What advice would you like to give yourself as you begin the New Year?

BENJAMIN BRAYFIELD

FRANCINNI ZABATA MADISON WEIL

HERNÁN QUINTAS ___________________

CEO, Flower Market Palm Springs

Communications Officer Beaumont Unified School District Beaumont

___________________

___________________

News Reporter, KESQ News Channel 3 Palm Springs

Everything you’ve been working toward is coming to fruition. Embrace the struggle because without it, you wouldn’t know what success feels like. Forget the haters; listen to your intuition.

Enjoy the moment, laugh often, and perform one random act of kindness daily.

Going into the New Year, I would like to remind myself to slow down.

Between home life, work, and other obligations, so many times, I’m too quick to move on to the next “thing.” Time is a precious gift. Enjoy the moments in life.

Savor them. Appreciate them. Repeat.

As reporters, we’re always rushing to breaking news and racing to meet deadlines. My advice to myself is slow down. I love that my job enables me to learn something new every day. But part of capitalizing on that requires slowing down and appreciating the little things.

___________________

Strange Brew PHOTO COURTESY OF UNITY VIBRATION

Combine a mother mushroom and hops and you get a drink that blends the best of kombucha and beer.

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 it also mixes well into a cocktail, but Unity Vibration has taken the pairing one step further with its kombucha beers. They combine the healthy tonic with organic hops and fruit flavors ranging from ginger to peaches to elderberries to create a concoction that’s easy to sip. Just be prepared: it packs a whopping 8 to 9.1 percent ABV. The Bourbon Peach is the beer snob’s favorite, and the Raspberry is a crowd pleaser. unityvibrationkombucha.com

Communications Director for Rep. Raul Ruiz Palm Desert

My goal for this new year is to stay active and fit, travel the world, and explore our amazing Coachella Valley. Most importantly, I would encourage myself to help the less fortunate and enjoy life!

“The

desert is a capricious lady, and sometimes she drives men crazy.”

—Paulo Coelho, novelist

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THE BUZZ

SENSIBILITIES WHAT MATTERS THIS MONTH BY STEPHANIE WILSON

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26,800mAh Portable USB Battery and Charger is ______ made with quick-charge technology so it can charge 2 MANIFEST THE OUTFITS YOU WANT by signing up for Nuuly clothing rental multiple devices at once and has a charge reminder from Free People’s parent co. For just $88/mo., you get six temporary additions to so you know when they’re ready. You can charge your wardrobe—perfect excuse to try out new trends. smartphones, tablets, cameras, speakers, drones, ______ and Bluetooth devices, and the USB plugs make it 3 BE EXTRA EXTRA. I resolved to be just that at the start of last year. Met that easy. The Core Power charges four times faster than goal and have a photo of the statement jacket I borrowed from Nuuly as proof. most other chargers and is airplane friendly.

See @stephwilll if you’re curious just how extra “extra extra” is. $120 / mobileedge.com

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

______ 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.

“I will fill myself with the desert and the sky. I will be stone and stars, unchanging and strong and safe. The desert is complete; it is spare and alone, but perfect in its solitude. I will be the desert.”

—Kiersten White, author

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S pirit of the Luiseño

A stay at Pechanga Resort Casino offers opportunities to appreciate a Native American tribe that has lived in this part of California for millennia.

TEXT DAWN GARCIA

The Luiseño-inspired decor of Spa Pechanga's entryway COURTESY OF PECHANGA RESORT CASINO

Sunbathing, wine tasting, hotair ballooning, architecture, and history are what you can expect when you head to Temecula, located in Riverside County. A city that is home to the Pechanga tribe—pech means “dripping water” and anga is their place name, hence Pechanga. The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians became an integral part of California innovation when they opened the

Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula in 2002, becoming the largest hotel and casino on the West Coast with almost 200,000 square feet of gaming space. It’s the story behind the tribe that makes it such a special place.

Invited to spend a weekend at the new Resort Tower, I spent three days and nights immersed in a world that felt deeply connected to nature and the universality of life.

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CDPH-100003232

See & Do

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PECHANGA RESORT CASINO

In addition to the history and culture of the Pechanga Tribe, the hotel and casino resort has a lot to offer: 13 restaurants and cafés, three pools, fitness center, day spa, ample shopping, casino, three bars, and the Pechanga Theater.

The Resort As you enter into the hotel lobby, smiling faces await to check you in and get you situated so you can head to your room. My trip began with panache as I was greeted at check-in by Peter, a hotel clerk who reminded me of a cross between Dean Martin and Dick Van Dyke, with an unmistakable style and charm. As I headed for my room in the new tower, I noticed the hotel’s decor, a blend of Na-

The Great Oak When I had the rare opportunity tive American traditions and con- to be invited by Tribal Chairman temporary translations. To the left Paul Macarro to visit their sacred of the check-in counter was the oak tree, I knew I was about to Lobby Bar & Grill. The thatched embark on a journey that would grid that spanned floor to ceiling fundamentally change me. In the was reminiscent of the patterns purest of ways, the entire time I the Pechanga tribe uses in its bas- was on the reservation, even at ket weaving—unique and inviting. the Pechanga Resort, I felt a draw There was a cascading glass exhi- that was hard to explain. bition near the escalator repre“Our people have lived here senting leaves falling from a tree, since time immemorial,” said and encased in glass were baskets Macarro. “Our ancestors’ world woven by the tribe along with an was born at Éxva Teméeku [ECKauthentic canoe made and used by vah teh-MEH-koo]; the flashpoint the tribe children. for the world was at the confluMy room was spacious, with ence of Temecula and Murrieta a gorgeous bathroom complete Creeks. At that place, those wawith an oversized shower fit for ters become the Santa Margarita two. The design was upscale but River (one of the last free-flowing straightforward, and the attention rivers in Southern California). to detail with subtle accents repThe archaeological record proves resenting the Pechanga tribe were habitation at our villages beyond visible throughout.

10,000 years.”

JANUARY 2020

In January alone, the theater is hosting The Fab Four, a Beatlesʼ tribute band; Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons; Tony Bennett; and Kool & the Gang.

You can also book a hot air balloon ride followed by wine tasting at A Grape Escape. hotairtours.com/grape-escape

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NEXT LEVEL CANNABIS

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PHOTOS BY DAWN GARCIA

LEFT: The architecture at Pechanga is inspired by the Resort culture and nature, from woven baskets to falling leaves.

BELOW: The Great Oak is a symbol of cultural significance, representing the longevity of the Pechanga tribe.

The minute we arrived at the Great Oak, Macarro parted the canopy of leaves and branches, and we stepped into a setting that I can only describe as majestic.

Carbon dating shows the Great Oak is between 1,500 and 2,200 years old, and may be one of the oldest living oak trees. This tree is so full of life, it’s as if it continues to abound and spread its branches like arms. As I marveled at its beauty, I noticed what looked like faces staring out at me in a strangely comforting way. I wasn’t frightened; I was peaceful.

The Great Oak has endured millennia of weather, battles, hostile environments, and humanity, yet it has managed to maintain its precious life source through careful maintenance and protection by the Pechanga tribe.

The People “We today at Pechanga owe it to those people, to our ancestors, to live [our culture] right,” Macarro

“We today at Pechanga owe it to those people,

to our ancestors

…to be true to the language, lessons, and morals of our ancestors. To remember we are merely a tenuous continuum of those people.”

—Paul Macarro, Tribal Chairman of the Pechanga

says. “To be true to the language, lessons, and morals of our ancestors. To remember we are merely a tenuous continuum of those people who survived so that the Pechanga people and our children could prosper in this time.”

The Luiseño culture is well-documented. The Religion of the Luiseño Indians of Southern California

by Constance Goddard DuBois, available on sacred-texts.com, describes in detail the history, myths, knowledge, dances, songs, ceremonies, and important places and objects—even going so far as describing how these stories have expanded over the centuries.

Macarro recommends this source to people who want to learn about the Pechanga tribe.

I felt something spiritual when I stepped foot onto the reservation.

I wouldn’t mind sitting under the Great Oak, smoking some peyote with the Liuseño people, and allowing nature to connect me to something deeply profound.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dawn Garcia is the managing editor of Sensi Southern California and Sensi LA.

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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

C

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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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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C

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.

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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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GO THERE

The Pantry at Holiday House 200 W Arenas Rd. Palm Springs holidayhouseps.com/dine

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Butternut Squash Soup Serves: 8 / Prep time: 30 mins / Cook time: 40 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tablespoon minced ginger 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 tablespoons minced shallot Kosher salt 3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, cored, and diced 1 russet potato, peeled and diced Pinch red chile flakes 1 cinnamon stick 1⁄2 cup orange juice 2 quarts vegetable broth Champagne vinegar Fried shallot garnish CBD oil garnish INST RUCT IONS

Comfort Food A warm bowl of soup keeps you cozy without forcing you to break any resolutions.

TEXT LEANDRA ROMERO RECIPE GABRIEL WOO

The crisp mornings and evenings in the desert are the ideal time to grab a warm bowl of soup and enjoy the view of our snow-capped San Jacinto Mountains. Palm Springs–based chef Gabriel Woo created the perfect butternut squash soup that will add a pop of flavor and color to your bowl. This recipe is perfect for filling up your belly and staying true to your New Year’s resolutions.

MEET THE CHEF Gabriel Woo, born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and raised in Palm Springs, is a talented local chef who brings craftsmanship, artistry, and swag to all the dishes he creates.

He worked his way from being a local dishwasher to executive chef at The Pantry at the Holiday House and The Barn Kitchen at Sparrowʼs Lodge. Wooʼs fresh perspective on utilizing the natural flavors around him in a simple way has earned him national attention.

• Heat stock pot under medium heat. Add oil; swirl it around the surface carefully.

• Add onion, ginger, garlic, and shallot.

Season with salt.

• When mixture becomes fragrant, add squash, potato, chile flakes, and cinnamon stick. Stir with a rubber spatula until fragrant, but not browning.

• Add orange juice and broth. Bring to a simmer.

• Reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, or until squash is tender.

• Discard cinnamon stick. With a ladle, scoop half the contents of the pot into a blender. Blend from low to high for 1 1⁄2 minutes. Repeat with the other half.

• Strain though a fine strainer, using the ladle to help push the soup through the mesh. Discard any solids left behind.

• Adjust flavor with champagne vinegar and salt to taste. Garnish with fried shallot and CBD oil. Enjoy!

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CONNECT WITH YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN CITIES AROUND THE GLOBE

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online More info:

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David Foster

On the Calendar Get out and play in 2020 with a 420-scavenger hunt, hot-rod shows, and concerts from R&B to rap to classic Motown.

TEXT LEANDRA ROMERO

There’s new energy flowing through the Valley, and you can feel it. The new decade is officially here, and everyone’s setting their New Year’s resolutions, intentions, and goals for the year. From the star-studded Palm Springs International Film Festival to the notorious American Express Desert Classic Golf tournament, inspiration is everywhere you turn. Music enthusiasts, movie lovers, sports fans, and anyone on a self-health journey can find motivation with events specially curated for all the possibilities of the new year.

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Cannabis Sesh Trip: Self-Guided Tour of the 420 Oasis in the Desert Jan. 1, Dank DePot, Cathedral City Tickets on Eventbrite

Palm Springs International Film Festival Jan. 2–13 Palm Springs & Cathedral City psfilmfest.org

El Paseo Cruise Night

This 21+ event is a Jan. 3 420 collaborative The Gardens on El Paseo, experience with Palm Desert several consumpdiscoverpalmdesert.com tion lounges and local dispensaries from around the LiveWell Festival Jan. 4 Valley. Participate in a scavenger hunt Civic Center Park, Palm Desert livewellfestival.org that spans across four locations See “The Buzz,” while collecting page 13. swag from featured brands. Doors open Art on Main Street at 9 a.m. and close Jan. 4 & 18 Old Town La Quinta at 10 p.m. oldtownlaquinta.com

this two-day event.

Single day admission is $12; weekend admission, $22.

Wilson World Tennis Classic Snoop Dogg

Boyz II Men

Snoop Dogg

Boyz II Men

Jan. 11, 18+ event Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa, Rancho Mirage hotwatercasino.com

Jan. 18 Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa, Rancho Mirage hotwatercasino.com

The American Express Desert Classic PGA Golf Tournament

Palm Springs Pinot Noir Festival

Jan. 15–19 PGA West, La Quinta pgawest.com

This 72-hole event spreads across three courses: the Stadium Course at PGA West, the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West, and the La Quinta Country Club. Rock and roll icon Stevie Nicks and country music star Luke Bryan will perform on Friday and Saturday following the tournament.

Jan 18–26 Shadow Mountain Resort & Club, Palm Desert worldtennisclassic.net

Jan. 18 The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage localwineevents.com

Music Festival: 4xFAR Jan. 18–19 Empire Grand Oasis, Thermal 4xfar.com

See “The End,” page 50.

Paradise Road Show 2020 Jan. 18–19 The Saguaro Palm Springs, Palm Springs paradiseroadshow.com

The new generation is putting its spin on the classic American car and motorcycle show.

Founded in 2016, the Paradise Road Show is inspired by the pre ’76 classics.

Hot rods, vintage cars, and plenty of food vendors will fill the parking lot of The Saguaro for

The Peking Acrobats

Movies in the Park Jan. 25 Community Center Park, Indio evensi.us

Theresa Caputo Live!

The Experience Jan. 25 Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa, Rancho Mirage hotwatercasino.com

Jan. 19 McCallum Theatre, Palm Desert mccallumtheatre.com

Coachella Valley Symphony: The Best of Stage & Screen

The Southwest Arts Festival

Jan. 26 Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs psmuseum.org

Jan. 23–26 Empire Polo Club, Indio Tickets on Eventbrite

An Intimate Evening with David Foster Jan. 24–25 McCallum Theatre, Palm Desert mccallumtheatre.com

Rancho Mirage Writers Festival Jan. 29–31 Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory, Rancho Mirage rmwritersfest.org

Anderson .Paak

The Temptations & The Four Tops Jan. 18 Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio fantasyspringsresort.com

Paradise Road Show

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P R O M O T I O N A L F E AT U R E D E LTA 9 T E C H N O L O G I E S

The Tango series extractor system from Delta 9 Technologies can process 90 to 360 pounds of dry biomass per run.

Upping the Ante on Cannabis Extraction A father-son engineering brain trust mines opportunities in the cannabis industry by solving extraction issues, leading to higher quality and more versatility.

D

r. Josh Hartsel and his dad, Mike Hartsel, an electrical engineer who has been designing food-packaging equipment for more than 20 years, had an idea about making an automated hydrocarbon extraction device that would allow the industry to scale with reproducible results.

Josh earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Virginia Tech, and his father had the mechanical skills to turn that vision into reality.

Josh bought the Delta 9 Technologies website in 2010, and the next year, as CEO, he officially started the compa-

ny—an analytical testing company for dispensaries around southern California.

In the early years, Josh was testing cannabis products at night, and completing his post-doc work in public health at the University of California, Irvine during the day. He learned a lot about extraction from the local extraction artists who needed their product tested. He decided that extraction was a more rewarding area to focus his efforts.

He started working for CV Sciences, which bought all his analytical equipment and hired him as director of research and development, where

he got some patents with big names in the industry. This led to a position at Privateer Holdings as the director of research and development, where he spent time at Canada’s Tilray, helping to set up the analytical and extraction facilities in Nanaimo, British Columbia.

Meanwhile, Delta 9 continued its consulting work. “My dad saw what I was working on and said he would build a prototype computer that looked like a little box that controlled pneumatic valves and automated the system,” Josh says.

“After a few years of use we built the first engineering peer reviewed system and installed it in the first licensed hydrocarbon extraction facility in Cathedral City, California.”

He made several upgrades to the original extraction system, currently on “We are revision five now, he says. really trying Delta 9 offers two extraction to develop systems—Bravo series, a closed some loop liquified petroleum gas system that can process between 60 and 360 continuous pounds of dry biomass per run; and processes, the physically larger Tango series, because which can process 90 to 360 pounds right now of dry biomass per run. The run times are approximately half as long on the the machine Tango series and the unit is geared for operates higher throughput operations. in batch “My dad has partnered with us on this processing,” project, and because of his background and contacts in food-packaging equip—Dr. Josh Hartsel ment, we have access to a lot of resources,” he says. “We are really trying to develop some continuous processes, because right now the machine operates in batch processing,” Josh says.

Delta 9 Technologies An analytical testing company for dispensaries around southern California delta9technologies.com JANUARY 2020

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THE END

New Kid in Town The inaugural 4xFAR festival will get the desert moving in the winter with music, adventure, and wine.

TEXT LEANDRA ROMERO

tivals. The lineup for the 2020 festival, which runs January 18-19, includes Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Mark Ronson, Kurt Vile, and Q-Tip, along with many more.

It’s more than just music.

The event is also a fullon lifestyle and wellness happening, which will feature a range of adventure

activities including yoga, climbing, bouldering, and fly-fishing demos curated

by Outside magazine. Or just enjoy the vibe at the wine tastings. Land Rover created a 15-mile off-road course where attendees will be able to test-drive the new Land Rover Defender and other vehicles on-site.

EMPIRE GRAND OASIS

A new music festival with a familiar host is fresh on the desert scene. The 4xFAR Music & Adventure Festival presented by Land Rover will be held at Alex Haagen III’s Empire Grand Oasis in Thermal.

Haagen III also owns the Empire Polo Club, which is home to popular Coachella and Stagecoach fes-

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Come this weekend.

Come next weekend.

Stay the week.

Just move in already.

We got you. thesaguaro.com

The Saguaro Hotel Palm Springs 1800 E Palm Canyon Dr / Palm Springs, CA 92264