Sensi Magazine California - February 2022 by Sensi Magazine

CROOKED WAY

The joys of Lombard Street

CALIFORNIA FEBRUARY 2022

HIGHER SENSES How to become a certified master of weed

TRULY GREEN

Trulieve’s eco future

ONE-HIT WONDER

Ode to the original microdose

ALL GLASS. No Atomizer ™ Just daab ! Available now. Buy yours today.

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CALIFORNIA SENSI MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2022

sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag

FEATURE

The Green Future

Concerned companies are banding together to create innovative practices and rigorous standards to ensure sustainable cannabis cultivation and commerce.

DEPARTMENTS

13 EDITOR’S NOTE 18 THE LIFE Contributing to your health and happiness 14 THE BUZZ THE ART OF THE GANJIER News, tips, and tidbits to keep you in the loop PLANT POWER Hello Again says goodbye to symptoms of menopause. CANNED GOODNESS

Ninkasi Brewing Company mixes up new canned cocktails. QUICK TAKES Dam Short Film Festival celebrates brevity. ADULT GOODIES Cheeba Chews taffy delights with hemp or THC. HOT ITEM Take cover with the MoonShade.

Ganjiers understand the subtle beauty and intricacies of weed.

38 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip hangouts around town

THE JOY OF THE ONE-HIT WONDER The key to life?

Savor that single toke.

40 THE END It may not be the most crooked street in San Francisco, but Lombard Street is still an attraction.

ON THE COVER

Move over sommeliers. Ganjiers are bringing class and sophistication to cannabis. See page 18. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GANJIER

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ADVISORY BOARD

NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD NCRMA Risk Management COLORADO Agricor Laboratories Testing Lab Aspen Cannabis Insurance Insurance Services Canyon Cultivation Microdosing Cartology Corporation Cartridge Filling Equipment + Hardware Colorado Cannabis Company THC Coffee Concentrate Supply Co. Recreational Concentrates Emerald Construction Construction Green Edge Trimmers Trimmers Higher Grade Boutique Cannabis Hybrid Payroll Staffing & HR Benefits Jupiter Research Inhalation Hardware Lab Society Extraction Expert + Lab Supplies marQaha Sublinguals + Beverages Monte Fiore Farms Recreational Cultivation Northern Standard History of Cannabis PotGuide Cannabis Culture Source CO Wholesale Consulting Terrapin Care Station Recreational Dispensary Toast Mindful Consumption Uleva Hemp Products Wana Brands Edibles Witlon Inc. Payroll Processing

MICHIGAN Aronoff Law (Craig Aronoff) Licensing Law Firm Cannabis Counsel Cannabis Law Firm Etz Chaim Attestations Grapp Lerash Accounting/CPA Services Great Lakes Natural Remedies Lakeshore: Provisioning Center Kush Design Studio Cannabis Facility Design & Build MRB Solutions Human Resources Northern Specialty Health Upper Peninsula: Provisioning Center Pure West Compassion Club Caregiver Connection & Network Rair Medical Flower Solutions by Dr. Dave West Michigan: Hemp CBD Helping Friendly Hemp Company Hemp Topicals NEVADA Eden Water Technologies Water System Technologies Green Leaf Money Canna Business Finanacing GreenHouse Payment Solutions Payment Processing Ideal Business Partners Corporate Law & Finance Jupiter Research Inhalatation Hardware Matrix NV Premium Live Resin Red Rock Fertility Fertility Doctor Rokin Vapes Vape Technology This Stuff Is Good For You CBD Bath and Body

CALIFORNIA 365 Recreational Cannabis Dispensary: Recreational, Santa Rosa Accucanna LLC Desert Hot Springs: Dispensary EventHI Events Flourish Software Distribution Management Green Unicorn Farms CBD Hemp Flower Helmand Valley Growers Company Medical Infrastructure Specialist HUB International Insurance Humboldt Grow Tech Smart Ag Tech Hybrid Payroll / Ms. Mary Staffing Staffing & HR Benefits Ikänik Farms Cannabis Distribution Red Door Remedies Dispensary: Cloverdale Red Rock Fertility Fertility Doctor Southern Humboldt Royal Cannabis Company Mixed Light Farming Sonoma Patient Group Dispensary: Santa Rosa Strictly Topical Inc./Sweet ReLeaf Pain Relief Topicals Uleva Hemp Products Vaper Tip Vape Supply & Consulting Wana Brands Edible Gummies Witlon Payroll

MASSACHUSETTS Corners Packaging Packaging Green Goddess Supply Personal Homegrown Biochamber The Holistic Center Medical Marijuana Evaluations Revolutionary Clinics Medical Dispensary Royal Gold Soil Tess Woods Public Relations Public Relations Vantage Builders Construction

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EDITORIAL

Stephanie Wilson Co-Founder + Editor in Chief stephanie.wilson@sensimag.com Doug Schnitzspahn Executive Editor Tracy Ross Managing Editor, Michigan Emilie-Noelle Provost Managing Editor, Massachusetts Debbie Hall Managing Editor, Spark Jenny Willden Managing Editor, California Will Brendza Managing Editor, Colorado Robyn Griggs Lawrence Editor at Large Radha Marcum Copy Editor Bevin Wallace Copy Editor

EXECUTIVE

Ron Kolb Founder ron@sensimag.com Stephanie Graziano CEO stephanie.graziano@sensimag.com ADVERTISING

Toni Tardif National Sales Director Jade Kolb Director Sales Operations and Global Recruiting PUBLISHING

Jamie Cooper Market Director, Michigan Richard Guerra Market Director, Massachusetts

DESIGN

Jamie Ezra Mark Creative Director jamie@emagency.com Rheya Tanner Art Director Wendy Mak Designer Josh Clark Designer Miguel Martinez Designer BRAND DEVELOPMENT

Richard Guerra Director of Global Reach Neil Willis Production Director MEDIA PARTNERS

Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Nancy Birnbaum Market Director, California Nancy Reid Market Director, Florida MEDIA SALES

CALIFORNIA Omowunmi Lykins Media Sales Executive COLORADO Liana Cameris Media Sales Executive Nancy Seidel Media Sales Executive Tyler Tarr Media Sales Executive FLORIDA Kristen Gross Media Sales Executive Anthony Mckenzie Media Sales Executive NEVADA Pam Hewitt Media Sales Executive MASSACHUSETTS Jake Boynton Media Sales Executive MICHIGAN Eric Lutey Media Sales Executive Kyle Miller Media Sales Executive Will Oostendorp Media Sales Executive Leah Stephens Media Sales Executive OKLAHOMA Diana Ramos Media Sales Executive

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Magazine published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC.

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Love is in the air this

February as the winter sun shines across the Golden State. Abundant December rain has kept the typically golden hills near my home in Dixon a vibrant green, making our local hiking trails look more like Ireland than California. And while I know the green can’t last, the bright colors make February one of my favorite months of the year here. But no matter where you live in California, February is a great time to celebrate all things love. Whether you’re shopping for a partner, friend, or simply loving on yourself, check out the Buzz for new cannabis products that double as Valentine’s Day gifts. Or surprise your partner with a date night at Doobie Nights, an experiential cannabis store in Santa Rosa that fuses art with retail in a Willy Wonka-esque experience. Read all about it on page 29 and plan your next shopping trip there—you won’t be disappointed by the selection of only-in-California products or the one-of-a-kind experience. Coming in March, use Sensi’s annual travel issue to book your next cannabis getaway in California and beyond. Cheers,

Jenny Willden @jennywillden

Abundant December rain has kept the typically golden hills near my home in Dixon a vibrant green, making our local hiking trails look more like Ireland than California.

I N S TAG R A M Pretty things, pretty places, pretty awesome people: find it all on @sensimagazine

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Plant Power Hello Again combines the power of the plant with specific botanicals to treat the symptoms of menopause. Friends Carrie Mapes and Patty Pappas founded the brand in 2019, embarking on a mission to demystify menopause. When the two visited a dispensary, they realized cannabis has the potential to treat the symptoms. Whether it be hot flashes, anxiety, brain fog, low energy, vaginal dryness, poor sleep, or irritability, Hello Again helps ladies feel like themselves again. It offers both Everyday and Sleep formulas throughout 14

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dispensaries in California. With a ratio of 1THC: 8CBD, consumers can expect to get their mojo back through better focus, more sustained energy levels, mental clarity, temperature regulation, and pain reduction. Sleep helps users get a good night’s sleep putting it where it counts to get off counting sheep for good packing 4THC: 1CBD. Blended with valerian root, lavender, chamomile, and other botanicals, Hello Again’s evening formula helps women feel good again. Hello Again / helloagainproducts.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF HELLO AGAIN

Hello Again says goodbye to the symptoms of menopause.

CONTRIBUTORS

Debbie Hall, Will Brendza

BY THE NUMBERS

⅛

Of the US population live in California

Canned Goodness

PHOTOS (FROM LEFT) COURTESY OF NINKASI BREWING COMPANY; BY JON TYSON VIA UNSPLASH

Ninkasi Brewing Company mixes up a new canned cocktail line. Ninkasi Brewing Company has partnered with James Beard Award nominee and bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler to launch its newest elevated canned cocktail line. The three cocktails with real spirits include: Gin Rickey, a gin cocktail with cooling mint, and a splash of lime with 8.6% alcohol by volume; Bourbon Renewal, a bold spin on a bourbon classic with zesty lemon and sweet black currant with 8.4 percent ABV; and Agave Paloma, a tasty treat with agave Paloma, tangy grapefruit, and crushed jalapeno at 9 percent ABV. Additional cocktails are planned for the coming year, including a tiki-style rum punch and a ginger-honey vodka collins. The portable, high-end cocktail in a can utilizes real spirits and simple ingredients to develop flavors to bring the high-end bar anywhere. Founded in 2006 by Jamie Floyd and Nikos Ridge, Ninkasi Brewing Company is the nation’s 33rd largest craft brewery and Oregon’s second-largest independent craft brewery, according to Brewers Association, 2020).

MILLION Is the number of people who call California home.

1 OUT OF 4 PEOPLE

QUICK TAKES

Dam Short Film Festival celebrates brevity.

The Dam Short Film Society has selected its films for the virtual 18th Annual Dam Short Film Festival Feb. 10–14. Offering diverse programming, filmmaker Q and As and scheduled virtual events, the festival will premiere and screen 145 short films with categories including animation, comedy, documentary, drama, horror, international, love and romance, and underground. The festival calls Boulder City, Nevada home, but once again it will be a virtual event this year, and you can enjoy it no matter where you live. Orlando resident Sara Oliva’s short film, Lioness, was selected to be screened in the festival’s Drama B: Life Challenges program. “I am so grateful to be a part of it,” she says. “I had heard how great this festival is; how supportive and nurturing they are of filmmakers, and it’s been such a wonderful experience.” Her film was inspired by a woman’s bravery, fragility, sacrifice, resilience, and unyielding love for her child. It is also a testament to all our mothers, sisters, grandmothers, friends, aunts, cousins, nieces, daughters, and the mighty and brutal sacrifices they make. “They are all lionesses,” Oliva says. This year’s festival also features films from Iran, Estonia, Sudan, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Austria, Korea, and Australia. Dam Short Film Festival / damshortfilm.org

Living in California was not born in the US

Ninkasi Brewing Company / ninkasibrewing.com/cocktails

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Eva Littman, MD, F.A.C.O.G.

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THE BUZZ

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Take Cover with the MoonShade

There are few vehicle accessories that are as useful on a road trip as the MoonShade. Unlike standalone shade structures, this one attaches directly to your car with easy-to-use suction cups, it weighs less than a backpack, and it folds down to the size of a collapsible camp chair. And unlike other vehicle-mounted awnings, this one doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, and it’s extremely easy to install. It’s water resistant, windproof, and breaks down in less than three minutes. So, no matter if you’re on the road and want to stop for a lunch break with a view, you’re hanging out at a trailhead, or tailgating at a sports game, the MoonShade has you covered (literally). moonfab.com/products/moonshade

ADULT GOODIES PHOTOS (FROM LEFT) COURTESY OF CHEEBA CHEWS; MOONFAB

Cheeba Chews taffy delights with hemp or THC. Dubbed America’s favorite edible, Cheeba Chews has been making medical-grade infused edibles since 2010. Available in fruit flavors, chocolate, and caramel. Each pack provides 100 mg of THC. Flavors include Sativa Chocolate Taffy, Indica Chocolate Taffy, Hybrid Caramel, and pure CBD Chocolate Taffy. Not into THC? Try the company’s line of hempbased CBD edibles made with 100% hemp extract grown in Colorado with less than 0.3 percent THC and full-spectrum CBD oil in 25 mg servings. Flavors include chocolate, strawberry, and caramel. Cheeba Chews cheebachews.com / hempcheebachews.com

“WE ONLY HAVE TWO KINDS OF WEATHER IN CALIFORNIA, MAGNIFICENT AND UNUSUAL.” —James M Cain, author

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Sommeliers understand the subtle beauty and intricacies of wine. A new program is certifying the cannabis equivalent, ganjiers, and they are coming soon to top-tier dispensaries near you. TEXT STEPHANIE WILSON

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PHOTO BY KARELNOPPE VIA ADOBE STOCK, EDITS BY JOSH CLARK

The Art of the Ganjier

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THE LIFE

If you’re a master of wine, you’re a sommelier. If you’re a master of beer, you’re a cicerone. The credentialed caffeinated masters of coffee are called Q Graders, and Master Tobacconists are to cigars what pommeliers are to cider—taste

authorities, sensory experts, arbiters, and evangelists in their respective fields. They are deemed qualified to distinguish the nuanced qualities of their products by organizations considered to be their industry’s higher authorities.

But what’s the word for a certified master of weed? It’s not “cannabis sommelier,” as many would assume, because by its very definition, a sommelier is someone who is a steward of wine, so a cannabis sommelier would be an expert in the pairing of food and wine. “Ganjier” is the trademarked title that the industry-leading cannabis educators at Green Flower are bestowing upon the professionals who complete its new cannabis sommelier certification program and pass the exams to become Masters of Cannabis Service. The Ganjier program is training students to assess cannabis products and guide consumers through the newly (and still only

somewhat) legal marketplace, which can be more than a little murky for even experienced users. And with more and more Americans joining the ranks of cannabis consumers as legalization spreads across the country, there’s a growing need for experienced guides to help them navigate the offerings on dispensary menus. They come to cannabis for different reasons, with different experience levels, expectations, and goals, but they’re all seeking the same thing: good weed. Certified Guides What that looks like, smells like, tastes like, or makes them feel like, however, is not quite as clear. Not able to see, smell, or touch

PHOTOS COURTESY THE GANJIER

Ganjier Council member, the late Frenchy Cannoli, teaches cannabis history and consumption methods with Ganjier managing director Derek Gilman.

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PHOTOS COURTESY THE GANJIER

THE LIFE

the products themselves, customers rely on shop employees or budtenders to help guide them to quality products within their budget, but in nearly every instance, the budtenders are not qualified to do so. Instead, they promote products based on THC percentages

with a mentality of “the higher the better.” That disconnect is what led Green Flower to develop its cannabis sommelier program. “We are looking to elevate the service standard in the cannabis industry,” says Derek Gilman, managing director for the Ganjier program. “Cannabis is an

epicurean product, similar to wine or cheese or coffee. And the quality of coffee isn’t dictated by its caffeine content, we don’t judge wine by its alcohol percentage. The desirability of those products is based on their appearance, their aroma, their flavor, and ultimately the experience they deliver.”

Gilman and his colleagues feel that at a retail level, the people on the frontlines guiding all these new cannanbis consumers—the budtenders—are mostly entry-level employees who don’t have the foundational knowledge necessary to accurately and reliably guide consumers in their decisions.

Clockwise from top left: Legendary Ganjier Council member Swami Chaitanya of Swami Select; Judges at the prestigious Emerald Cup cannabis competition used the Ganjier's Systematic Assessment Protocol app to determine the quality of over 250 entries; Ganjier managing director Derek Gilman holds sun-grown cannabis.

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“Many of the budtenders have experience consuming cannabis,” Gilman says. “They know what they like. But in nearly every instance, they don’t have the education about how cannabis interacts with the body, the science of cannabis, the nature, the individuality of how it affects different people.” Max Simon, Green Flower CEO, agrees. “In cannabis right now, there is no standardized way to provide quality service,” he says. “As a result, you have all these completely untrained people who are essentially making things up. They’re using the wrong terminology; they’re giving completely inaccurate suggestions; they don’t have any good training in terms of how to guide people to the right products; and, Renowned cannabis cultivator Kevin Jodrey instructs on the art of cultivation and unraveling genetics.

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To gain a Ganjier certification, students must show they have the ability to confidently discern, educate, and articulate the difference between cannabis that’s good enough to smoke and cannabis that’s exquisite enough to celebrate.

many times, they don’t even fundamentally understand what makes for a high quality product in the first place.” Convene the Council To develop this deep and thorough knowledge base, Gilman and his colleagues at Green Flower recruited a council comprising 18 of the cannabis world’s most respected experts, covering every aspect of the plant and the industry. The Ganjier Council includes cultivators, botany experts, geneticists, breeders, advocates, hash masters, legal experts, retailers, and educators. Over the course of two years, the council collaborated to create the Ganjier certification program, which spans 10 online courses and a two-day live training in

Humboldt County, part of which takes place on a craft cannabis farm. The online courses include the history and botany of cannabis, consumption methods, botany and genetics, cultivating techniques, processing methodologies, and successful cannabis sales. But it’s not, to be clear, a masterclass about how to grow weed. “We’re not looking to teach a student how to be a cultivator,” says Gilman. “We don’t teach them nutrient levels to put in at different stages of the plant’s growth life. What we teach them in the cultivation course is every single decision that the cultivator makes that affects the final quality of the cannabis flower, from the genetics they choose to the cultivation methodologies and light sources—artificial

PHOTO COURTESY THE GANJIER

THE LIFE

PHOTO COURTESY THE GANJIER

THE LIFE

light versus sunlight—to the type of medium they grow in.” (In case you’re wondering, Gilman says that “most experts tend to agree that cannabis grown under the full sun has more nuance and character to it than something grown under artificial light.”) A lab test may tell you the cannabinoid content and terpene profile of any given flower or concentrate sample, but it won’t tell you if you want to put it in your pipe and smoke it to achieve your desired results. The program trains students’ senses to cultivate a palate that recognizes the nuances and complexities in flavor and aroma and know how these translate into the desired effects for the consumer. Most consumers can’t palpably and regularly distinguish between one brand’s OG Kush and another’s—not to mention that strain names are a pretty useless metric by which to judge the effects of what’s in a dispensary’s jars—so the Ganjier program doesn’t focus on arbitrary metrics like strain names or whether the cannabis in question is an indica or sativa. Instead, ganjiers are tasked with assessing the quality.

5 RANDOM CANNABIS FACTS

I LEARNED FROM THE GANJIER COUNCIL

I previewed all 10 courses in Ganjier’s online training curriculum taught by the 18 leading cannabis experts on the Ganjier Council and picked up some fun facts. The courses range from “The History of Cannabis & Cannabis Consumption” with the late master hashishin Frenchie Cannoli and “The Art and Science of Cannabis Cultivation” with legendary grower and industry icon Swami Chaitanya to “Accurately Assessing Cannabis Flower and Concentrates” with hash master Nikka T. Here’s what I learned. 1. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH HASHISH, a cannabis concentrate made using dried cannabis flowers, charas is a type of live resin made by caressing fresh, live cannabis flower between the palms.

2. THE FAN LEAF, ONCE THE ICON OF THE COUNTERCULTURE and now a cannabis marketing staple, is likely a sativa strain, which has longer “blades” or leaflets that are a lighter green in color compared to the short, broad, darkgreen or purple blades on an indica plant. 3. THE BLUE DREAM STRAIN GETS A BAD RAP for being one of those commercial options that you can find everywhere, but it’s actually one of the most unique strains out there that’s commonly available, thanks to its rare pinene-dominant terpene profile that has almost equal parts myrcene. Terpenes are the naturally occurring chemical compounds that give cannabis its aromas and flavors while playing a part in its effects, and pinene is shown to be stimulating or uplifting while myrcene is a known sedative. 4. EVIDENCE INDICATES THE MICROBES IN THE SOIL where a cannabis plant is grown impact the overall terpene quality and diversity in the finished flowers. High-quality craft cannabis is almost always grown in organic living soil. 5. TO CHECK THE QUALITY OF A SOLVENTLESS CONCENTRATE, look at the color. If it’s got any dark brown or green coloration, it’s off. Ideal, typical coloration should be light, buttery, and/or golden.—S.W. Course previews are available for free at ganjier.com.

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PHOTOS (FROM TOP) BY ONEINCHPUNCH VIA ADOBE STOCK; COURTESY THE GANJIER

THE LIFE

That’s a more nuanced determination that ganjiers rely on their senses to make, looking at the appearance, aroma, flavor, and experience a cannabis product provides. Students are taught to rate or classify 31 different characteristics of cannabis samples, from the color of quality of its trim technique to its aromas and flavor profile. Similar to a wine sommelier, a ganjier evaluates how the cannabis looks, how it smells, how it tastes. But unlike the masters of other gustatory professions, ganjiers are also tasked with assessing the experience the product delivers. To

gain Ganjier certification, students must show they have the ability to confidently discern, educate, and articulate the difference between cannabis that’s good enough to smoke and cannabis that’s exquisite enough to celebrate. Enrollment in the 2022 Ganjier class is now open, and Gilman expects it to fill up quickly—the first class in 2021 sold out in just two weeks. Those who take the course and pass the exams will join an elite group that as of now includes just 36 certified ganjiers around the world. Among those masters of cannabis are the directors of sales for

two of the world’s largest cannabis companies; the director of employee training for mega-dispensary Planet 13; medical doctors and nurses interested in learning more about the medical potential of cannabis; self-motivated budtenders wanting to excel at their trade; consultants interested in launching cannabis tour companies and bud-bar

services for private parties, weddings, and corporate events; and even the director of the California Cannabis Tourism Association. Enrollment isn’t reserved for cannabis industry professionals, and anyone can sign up—all it takes is an interest in the subject matter and $2,997 to cover the costs. Learn more at ganjier.com. Ganjier students learn about the latest sustainable cannabis cultivation techniques, including the importance of living soil.

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P R O M OT I O N A L F E AT U R E DOOBIE NIGHTS

North Bay’s Experiential Dispensary

time, perfectly synced music pulsates from speakers. All of that hits you before you can look over the expansive selection of products—one of the largest in California. Due to its proximity to the nearby Emerald Triangle, a dizzying array of local flower, edibles, concentrates, pre-rolls, tinctures, and topicals are displayed from the region. Those items are surrounded by excellent cannabis products from Northern California and across the state. Everything is artfully displayed on a honeycomb of shelves. Just window shopping is a pleasure, but when you interact with the knowlwo years ago, a unique lighting. Carey Thompson and Brian edgeable budtenders, the experience cannabis dispensary Pinkham (two of the four local friends jumps up a level, if that’s possible. swung open its doors in who founded Doobie Nights), laid the Due to its focus on being connected Santa Rosa, inviting its groundwork for the facility before to the local community, the store often neighbors to go on a trip like no other. heading to Las Vegas to work on the hosts local musicians, artists, and Part Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, newly opened Meow Wolf in Sin City. growers. By allowing them access to part Van Gogh’s fever dream, and part Your eyes are immediately drawn to its fantastic facility, Doobie Nights Grateful Dead show, the sales floor of a massive, pulsing and shifting wall that helps spread its gospel and connects Doobie Nights (greatest name ever) dominates the entry area and is built with people who might become fans. is one of the most memorable retail around the Portal of Wonder that leads So, do yourself a favor and plan a visit experiences ever. back to the main sales floor. It’s hard to Doobie Nights. You won’t regret it. Designed by a team of talented to decide where to head upon entering individuals, the store draws you in the expansive retail section. Three large from the moment you step through the walls employ groundbreaking lightfront door. It is adorned with sculptural ing systems, continually shifting and Doobie Nights installations infused with state-ofswaying between intricate designs and Experimental Cannabis Retail Store the-art architecturally mapped LED evolving artistic patterns. At the same doobienights.com

Doobie Nights offers up a retail experience that rivals Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

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the green future The dirty secret about cannabis? As the industry grows, the cultivation of the plant for profit can take a heavy toll on the planet. But concerned companies like Tallahassee-based Trulieve are banding together to create innovative practices and rigorous standards to ensure sustainable cultivation and commerce. TEXT EUGENE BUCHANAN AND STEPHANIE WILSON

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PHOTO COURTESY TRULIEVE

he cannabis industry is growing like a weed. According to the Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report released last November, US farmers are producing 2,278 metric tons of cannabis per year. That’s a lot of pot—enough to fill 11,000 dump trucks. Line that cannabis convoy up on I-95 and it’d stretch from Miami all the way up to Pompano Beach—a glorious scene of rolling green on its way to deliver the country’s fifth most valuable crop. While fun to imagine, this hypothetical scene would be an environmental nightmare. Garbage trucks are one of the least fuel-efficient vehicles on the road. Plus, the optics would be bad for a nascent industry emerging from the black market with an unprecedented opportunity to make the world a greener place. With federal legalization becoming more and more likely, the industry can adopt environmentally sustainable practices as a national standard from the outset. Instead of later trying to reduce the environmental impact of operations that already exist, cannabis companies can do it right from the start, ever more necessary as legalization spreads around the globe—something the plant’s generally nature-loving consumers are expecting. At least one report estimates the cannabis industry’s footprint already accounts for more than 1 percent of US electricity consumption. That figure continues to rise as the industry blossoms, in part because cannabis is an energy-intensive crop. For a plant with a nickname that suggests

it grows as easily as a dandelion, cannabis isn’t an easy plant to cultivate—at least not the high-quality stuff that consumers demand. Between 40 and 80 percent of growers do so indoors, contributing to the industry’s huge energy footprint. Cannabis plants demand warm and low-humidity environments. Along with the grow lights that simulate the sun, they need carbon dioxide pumped in, oxygen pumped out, and lots of fresh air circulated, all of which requires energy.

things are done in the cannabis space. As a cultivator, manufacturer, and processor of cannabis, Trulieve can move the needle on responsible growth and transparency. “The industry recognizes how important it is to create a positive social and economic impact in our communities. So much of that starts with making sustainability a priority,” says Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers. “Applying sustainable business practices will not only have a positive social and environmental impact, it’s the right thing to do.”

DEEP DIVE Read Sensi’s full Q&A with Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers (shown left) at sensimag.com.

SETTING A STANDARD Tallahassee-headquartered Trulieve leads the industry’s sustainability efforts. With its recent acquisition of Arizona’s Harvest Health and Recreation, the company is now the nation’s largest cannabis retailer, with a footprint spanning 11 states and more than 160 retail locations. It also operates around 3.1 million square feet of grow and production space. With that much impact, the company is positioned to influence how

Trulieve operates 2.4 million square feet of enclosed indoor facilities and greenhouse cultivation space across Florida, a state particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Environment is one of the company’s top considerations when it comes to business operations. The Florida greenhouses are a prime example of innovation at work—some of them require zero electricity to operate, containing zero fans or lights, with six-foot sidewalls that allow as F E B R UA RY 2022

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PHOTO COURTESY TRULIEVE

much passive airflow as possible. “We’ve been focused on sustainability at every stage of our growth,” says Rivers. The company’s inaugural Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report, released last November, outlines sustainability at every stage, providing a roadmap for other cannabis operators to follow. “While we believe our industry understands its environmental impact and the importance of sustainability in general,” Rivers says, “it is still vital that we are proactively setting goals and benchmarks within our own organizations as the industry matures. This is a relatively young but rapidly growing industry that does not yet have standard sustainability measures in place.” The company has several climate initiatives and is conducting a baseline carbon footprint analysis to establish an emissions target and long-term performance metrics. In addition to reducing use of electricity at its facilities, Trulieve recycles cardboard, metal, pallets, electronic waste, and batteries, and it diverts organic waste to compost. Drip irrigation and rain-and-runoff recapture systems reduce water usage. More energy-efficient automated systems monitor and control indoor cultivation. Trulieve is exploring solar-generated electricity as a back-up for its facilities. The company’s greenhouses in Gadsden County were engineered to recapture 100% of all rainwater and irrigation runoff, allowing for the recycling of fertilizer—including the company’s proprietary fertilizer created in partnership with a local company. This not

s usta ina bility s na psh o t According to an Environmental Sustainability Study conducted by the National Cannabis Industry Association, the following areas are hospots for better practices. Soil Degradation. Similar to traditional agriculture, cannabis cultivation can cause soil erosion, nutrient loss, reduction in soilstored organic carbon, and increased acidity. Sustainable practices like soil testing can reduce this degradation. Companies like Pure Life Carbon, whose Charged Carbon soil is the world’s first carbon-negative, zero-waste grow medium, are helping. Water. Cannabis, like many crops, often relies upon artificial irrigation, the runoff of which contains pesticides, heavy metals, excess nutrients, and other pollutants. Indoor cultivation puts pressure on municipal water systems and wastewater treatment facilities. Energy. An estimated 63 percent of commercial cultivation is conducted indoors, with 20 percent in partial-indoor operations like greenhouses. The energy used for lighting, environmental controls, and hydration require up to 5,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per kilogram of output. Air Quality. Emissions of air pollutants occur at multiple points in cultivation, processing and transportation. Volatile organic compounds are also emitted from plants as they grow, as well as from solvents during extraction, contributing to ground-level ozone. Emission mitigation companies like Byers Scientific, which works with Trulieve, combine all air mitigation into one unit with a low energy draw. Waste. GAIACA Waste Revitalization, the nation’s first licensed cannabis waste disposal company that composts plant stems and leaves and repurposes packaging materials, estimates the industry generates 150 million tons of waste each year. Environmental impacts include contributing to landfills, ocean pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Add consumer waste from vape pen cartridges and single-use plastic, and the problem grows. One solution: abolishing the 50/50 mixing rule for marijuana plant waste, in favor of composting and onsite anaerobic digestion.

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only promotes local economies, it decreases overall costs and reduces emissions that would otherwise be generated by trucking fertilizer from other locations. When deciding on which new markets to target and where to open new dispensaries, Trulieve takes into account delivery-route efficiency from processing facilities to ensure they’re reducing travel time and associated emissions.

“We anticipate more companies will be proactive and transparent in sharing their own standards and goals around sustainability, so we can collectively challenge ourselves to be better.”

DEFINING SUSTAINABILITY Trulieve is part of the Sustainable Cannabis Coalition (SCC), a group of industry leaders that seeks to improve sustainability in cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution. Together with a cohort of 20 cannabis or cannabis-adjacent companies, Trulieve and the SCC support independent research and are pushing for the tools needed to make measuring and reporting on sustainability more efficient and impactful. —Kim Rivers, CEO, Trulieve

With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency, the coalition seeks to establish green cannabis policies and standards across local, state, regional, and national levels. “The cannabis industry is facing significant challenges, but they’re related to all those we face as a modern society,” says SCC co-founder Shawn Cooney. “And consumers are becoming more demanding in terms of their products’ value, safety standards, and sustainability.” The SCC is collaborating with Trulieve and other industry leaders to develop standards. “It’s not only critical what a business is doing today, but they have to establish baselines and goals—from cultivation and product manufacturing, to packaging and on through the supply chain,” says Cooney. But first, it needs the tools to make this happen. “We all have a great opportuniF E B R UA RY 2022

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ty—and responsibility—to define the best practices that will codify sustainability as standard cannabis-industry practice,” says Rivers. The SCC is working with software company Sustain.Life to develop a tool to help companies track their emissions. It’s also collaborating with Dartmouth’s Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society to perform a complete evaluation and system redesign for indoor grow facilities. The team is investigating every light type, plus how to integrate solar panels, reduce HVAC usage, introduce automation, and much more. The project explores a “radically efficient” cannabis cultivation facility that could produce energy savings of 40 to 80 percent. Cooney, an urban farmer who’s been producing food using controlled environmental agriculture (CEA) for years, grows leafy

greens year round in recycled shipping containers in East Boston at his Corner Stalk Farms. He says the cannabis industry is almost identical to CEA. Sustainability is on its radar, but, he says, “like most industries, it still has a long way to go.” Everyone agrees: the first step is greater transparency

and collaboration. “We know there’s still work to do,” says Rivers. “The cannabis industry is not slowing down. We anticipate more companies will be proactive and transparent in sharing their own standards and goals around sustainability, so we can collectively change the industry for the better.” F E B R UA RY 2022

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PHOTO BY CHASE FADE VIA UNSPLASH 38

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One-Hit Wonder

The key to life? Savor The one-hit wonder. In the world of popular music, it’s a somewhat dismissive term. It’s a slight to the bands and artists who enjoyed one hugely successful song (think “MMMbop,” “Walking on Sunshine,” or “867-5309/Jenny”), then more or less disappeared into showbiz oblivion. Personally, I would rather have one hit instead of none. And I often can. That’s because at my house, the term “one-hit wonder” is shorthand for the cannabis cocktail hour, when, sometime around 5 or 6 p.m., I smoke one hit and instantly leave all the Zoom calls, texts, emails, pop-up schedules, news alerts and noise of the day behind. It’s an incredibly liberating feeling. Opening the doors in my head to new ideas, suddenly solving problems to things that just an hour earlier I thought I might never quite figure out, thinking of how I really might finish writing a new book—The Ghost Hotel—this fall, or just kicking the soccer ball for my big dog, Moses, while I move the backyard hose around. The concept of the onehit wonder is something I discovered researching my first book, The Monster, a

It’s the savoring of things, and sometimes the scarcity, that gives them meaning. It’s by that single toke. TEXT PETER KRAY being in the moment that kind of allegory about how funny Malamute-Labrador you heighten the pleasure and increase the memory mix we had nicknamed, we might take control of “The Mighty Burrito.” The of each event. And it’s the ways we confront the so much more enjoyable rolfer said, “You need to monsters in our personal than the monotony of stop looking at your feet lives—whether they be gluttony—of having so disease, mental strife, ad- so much when you walk. much of something that diction, or alcoholism—by Look where you’re going. the only remarkable Look at the horizon.” “turning a light on.” aspect is of how much you Which is something I During my research, can cram in your garage still think about when I I met a rolfer who was or stuff in your mouth. instrumental in helping my go for a long walk. Albeit You know that feeling the one-hit thing is what I wife and I on the path to you get when you first think about the most. At better health. Once, after the time I was writing that hear a song that you a particularly therapeutic book, it slowly dawned on know you will love forsession, I asked him how me that I was also writing ever, and every time you he managed the cycle of play it again, it takes you it to help myself. processing all of the hurt back to the first time you It was a period in my he was healing. Or, in other words, how he made life when I wasn’t satisfied heard it? That’s what I’m talking about. with just one of much sure he wasn’t holding I read once that when of anything. And canonto other peoples’ shit. Brian Wilson, the Beach nabis—along with good He said, “Every night Boys founder and archibeer, bourbon, and crisp when I get home, before tect of the California surf reposado—was key to I walk in the house, I treating every day as part sound, first heard The smoke one hit then go of some extremely casual Ronettes classic wall of hold on to an iron rod in sound masterpiece, “Be long-working weekend, my courtyard until I feel My Baby,” he had to pull something Ernest Hemlike it’s all gone. Then I over to the side of the can go be with my family ingway called, “the fiesta road because it impacted concept of life” in his for the evening.” final—and I think finest— him so much. In 2013 he “One hit?” I said. told The New York Times, “That doesn’t seem near book, A Moveable Feast. “In a way it wasn’t like The beauty of getting enough for all the probhaving your mind blown, back to one sublime molems you’re solving.” But he was already back ment or lasting sensation, it was like having your mind revamped.” to focusing on my health— one perfect pint of cold That’s the way I feel IPA, one fine glass of piin particular, a lingering not noir with fresh pasta, when I enjoy my one hit at knee injury he thought the end of the day. Then I or one fragrant inhale of was exacerbated by my walk out onto my patio to the sweet leaf to rememreluctance to release my grief over the recent death ber the magic of each day look at the big, blue beautiful world, as I smile and was still a couple years of my dog Tobear, a barwonder about it all. down the tracks. rel-chested, willful, very

A B O U T T H E AU T H O R

Peter Kray is the author of The God of Skiing. The book has been called “the greatest ski novel of all time.” Find it on Amazon.

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THE END

Intriguing Curves It may not be the most crooked street in San Francisco, but Lombard Street is still an attraction.

Lombard Street has captured the attention of tourists since the 1960s and continues to draw about 2 million visitors annually. The road was named after Lombard Street in Philadelphia by San Francisco surveyor Jasper O’Farrell, even though in the city of Brotherly Love, Lombard Street is a straight eastwest roadway. While steep streets are part of the landscape of the Golden City, residents of Lombard Street came together in 1922 to redesign their 600-foot-long road, reconstructing it with eight hairpin turns instead of one big steep hill. In 1939 it was changed to one-way going down the street. Located in three of San Francisco’s neighborhoods, including The Presidio, the Embarcadero, and Telegraph Hill and part of US 101, the street was eventually featured in the news in the 1950s. A postcard captured its unique design in 1961, and tourists began to drive on the “crookedest” street. Technically, many urban designers say that the most crooked street in San Francisco is Vermont Street in the Potrero Hill neighborhood between 20th and 22nd streets. However, Lombard Street has attracted the attention—and the traffic. The residents have created photogenic beauty planting and maintaining perennial hydrangea bushes. There are stairs down both sides of Lombard Street for those who want to stroll in the historic neighborhood. It’s also located close to Fisherman’s Wharf, North Beach, and Chinatown for those ready for a walking tour of San Francisco’s biggest attractions. Best of all, Lombard Street remains free to either drive or walk. 40

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TEXT DEBBIE HALL

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