HIGHER SENSES
The certified masters of weed
CUBA LIBRE Real deal eats
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PUFF, PUFF, PLEASURE Getting to know the sensual side of cannabis
ONE HIT WONDER
Ode to the original microdose
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FLORIDA SENSI MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2022
sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag
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FEATURE
28
Higher Love
Spark up this Valentine’s Day with the sensual pleasures of cannabis.
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 AUTHENTIC STYLE
Columbia Restaurant has served up Cuban cuisine for over a century. FUNCTIONAL SHROOMS
Zahav Nutrition launches medicinal fungi line. DIVERSITY DATA Does your county measure up? QUICK TAKES Dam Short Film Festival celebrates brevity. GET PROFESSIONAL
Cannabis LAB provides education, networking, information.
Ganjiers understand the subtle beauty and intricacies of weed.
36 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip hangouts around town
THE JOY OF THE ONE-HIT WONDER The key to life?
Savor that single toke.
38 THE END Lake Eola Park shows Orlando’s nature. ON THE COVER
Explore the amorous side of cannabis. See page 28. PHOTO BY KABARDINS PHOTO VIA ADOBE STOCK, EDITS BY JOSH CLARK
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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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F
EDITOR’S NOTE
Magazine published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC.
© 2022 Sensi Media Group. All rights reserved.
February is considered
the month of love, which
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many people equate to happiness. But does love equal happiness? Recently, I was listening to a podcast that explained happiness and joy are two different emotions. Happiness is “a state of being.” Joy is “a feeling.” According to the podcaster, people might not be able to find happiness in a bad situation but they can create joy regardless of the challenges they might be facing. Still, love seems broader than joy. It might be more akin to gratitude. This Facebook post says it best, I think: “Gratitude is an emotion that often feels like your heart is about to burst with feelings of thanks. Thank you for the blessings, cards, food, flowers, phone calls, texts, and most importantly the abundance of love.” This month, I’m grateful for many things, like the pets who show us unconditional love and bring us joy. According to Stacker.com, Miami, St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Orlando are rated as the top pet-friendly cities. Stacker listed the 50 cities offering the most welcoming environment for pets based on metrics evaluated by WalletHub, analyzing three key categories: pet budget, pet health and wellness, and outdoor pet-friendliness. Many Floridians are grateful simply to call the Sunshine State home. Advocates here are working to change cannabis laws and make day-by-day progress in the state. Citizens and legislators understand that cannabis aids in combating stress, pain, and anxiety, which helps our hearts physically and emotionally. I’m grateful, too, for people who follow their hearts and give of themselves to the disfranchised in our communities. We appreciate those who teach, mentor, and volunteer in their neighborhoods. We honor people serving in the military, first responders, teachers, law enforcement, and those who serve the public in other ways. To all of you who act in service out of love and desire to help, thank you. Joy, gratitude, serving—there are many paths to love. Thank you for reading Sensi. We look forward to growing our relationship with you, our readers.
People and legislators understand that cannabis aids in combating stress, pain, and anxiety, which helps our hearts physically and emotionally.
Yours, I N S TAG R A M Pretty things, pretty places, pretty awesome people: find it all on @sensimagazine
Debbie Hall debbie.hall@sensimag.com
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Taste Authenticity Columbia Restaurant, family-owned and operated for five generations, has been a Florida tradition since 1905. It started as a 60-seat corner cafe in Tampa’s Ybor City, and the original location is now its flagship restaurant among several other locations in the state. Serving authentic Cuban food, Columbia’s Original 1905 14
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Salad is its legendary salad tossed tableside, combining crisp iceberg lettuce with julienned baked ham, natural Swiss cheese, tomato, olives, grated Romano cheese, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, and its famous garlic dressing. To sample the flavors of Cuba, La Completa Cubana features a Cuban feast of roast pork a la Cubana, boliche criollo, Em-
panada de Picadillo, platanos, yuca, black beans and yellow rice. Add a glass of wine from its extensive wine list or a signature cocktail and finish with dessert, including fresh key lime pie, a family recipe honoring Florida’s official dessert. Columbia Restaurant / various locations / columbiarestaurant.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA RESTAURANT
Columbia Restaurant has served up Cuban cuisine for over a century.
CONTRIBUTOR
Debbie Hall
BY THE NUMBERS
100 FEET
Florida’s average elevation above sea level
Functional Mushrooms
PHOTOS (FROM LEFT) COURTESY OF ZAHAV NUTRITION, DONE BY ALEX
Zahav Nutrition launches medicinal fungi line. With the growing demand for medicinal mushrooms, Miami-based Zahav Nutrition has launched a variety of functional mushroom extracts. The company is the brainchild of two seasoned entrepreneurs, Daniel Ellis and Arby Barroso. Both founders have been successful in the CBD industry. Barroso, former CEO and founder of Green Roads CBD, sold the company in June and then partnered with Ellis. Arby has also experienced how cannabis and CBD can significantly change lives, including his own. Functional mushrooms are different from the mushrooms you find in supermarkets. The mushrooms in Zahav Nutrition’s line are among rare varieties found in dense forests, and they are packed with antioxidants and nutritional value. Used for hundreds of years in Asia, these mushrooms are prized for their medicinal properties and nutritional benefits.
75
PERCENT
DIVERSITY ROCKS!
Does your county measure up? Diversity adds culture, opens up communication, and offers an opportunity to make friends outside of your circle. Stacker.com compiled a list of the most diverse counties in Florida using the U.S. Census Bureau data featuring counties with residents of all ethnicities. Starting at No. 5 is Leon County, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, located in the Florida panhandle and including Tallahassee, the state capital. Wth the only majority African-American population in Florida, Gadsden County, also located in the panhandle, ranks No. 4. At No. 3, Orange County, in central Florida in close proximity to Orlando, is the most populated county in the Sunshine State. No. 2 is Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale and is the 17th most populated county in the country. And coming in at No.1… northeastern Florida’s Duval County.
Of oranges are grown in Florida
1,000 PEOPLE Estimated to relocate to Florida daily
Zahav Nutrition / myzahav.com
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Growing the Industr y.
From Seeds to Seed Money Find Everything You Need to Grow Your Business at CannaCon New York City • January 7-8th at the Javits Center Oklahoma City • March 31-April 1st at the Oklahoma Convention Center Detroit • July 21-22nd at the TCF Center Chicago • August 26-27th at the Rosemont Center Denver • September 24-25th at the Denver Convention Center Learn More at CannaCon.org
THE BUZZ
QUICK TAKES
PHOTOS (FROM LEFT) BY JON TYSON; TOA HEFTIBA
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 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
“Passion makes the world go ’round. Love just makes it a safer place.” —Ice-T, rapper, songwriter, actor and producer
Get Professional
Cannabis LAB provides education, networking, information. The sixth annual Cannabis LAB (law, accounting, and business) returns to Miami to educate, inform, and connect the professional services sector in the cannabis industry. Professionals served by this event include owners, investors, and entrepreneurs, and those in financial services, accounting, law, insurance, marketing, and public relations. The people who work in these fields within the industry already know that the cannabis space is constantly changing and transforming. Educators, thought leaders, and exhibitors are there to shed light on the industry’s latest challenges and solutions. The theme this year is “United We Grow,” and the event will cover how gender and race issues are shaping the industry now and in the future. The event is a hybrid B2B and B2C environment, offering as much for start-ups as legacy market pros and the canna-curious. CannabisLAB / Feb. 4-5 / Mana Wynwood Convention Center / Miami / joinclab.com / clabconference.com
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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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Higher
TEXT DAN MCCARTHY
PHOTO BY MARIDAV VIA ADOBE STOCK, PHOTO EDITS BY JOSH CLARK
Spark up this Valentine's Day with the sensual pleasures of cannabis.
love
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ve
I
n the first decade of the 20th century, when psychoanalysis was bristling with life and birthing great thinkers of the age, a brilliant friendship struck up with two contemporaries fond of exploring the human psyche and all the rot found within: Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. It’s a famed friendship and was a true-blue bromance while it lasted. The two once traveled to the United States to lecture on psychoanalysis at Clark University, and during the long boat ride, they regularly analyzed each other’s intimate dreams (naturally). Freud, savant of “it’s all sex, baby” thinking, was reportedly seeking an acolyte of his theories who would accept his views sans argument; a perennial father figure to whomever resided under his authority. That wasn’t Jung’s cup, and soon a chasm grew between the two men. Among other deviations from accepted theory on the human condition, Jung didn’t believe it was all about sex. Freud, in Jung’s eyes, had stretched his theory of “all psychic life from birth to death is driven by sex drive” too far to explain and account for too much. For Jung, the prince of the psychoanalytic community by 1909, it was about looking at the wider picture of the human mind, beyond his old pal’s thoughts on sexuality, and he aimed to redefine psychoanalysis along the way. Whether he did or not is of no concern here, because if you’re reading this, your brain, loins, and thoughts are likely oiled up and fully engorged. Because we’re here to talk about sex, cannabis, and how the two are coming together F E B R UA RY 2022
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PHOTO BY PRESSMASTER VIA ADOBE STOCK, PHOTO EDITS BY JOSH CLARK
today. Cannabis is often championed as a cure for bedroom ailments, while at the same time often being misunderstood or simply (if cautiously) being introduced as an acceptable, commonplace component to one’s love tackle box, much like a bottle of wine and 1970s R&B is for some or a Tinder match on a Tuesday night and fistful of Viagra is for others. Seth Prosterman, a San Francisco–based certified sex therapist, told Vice in 2017 that weed isn’t a one-way ticket to pleasure town, but it can help you get there. “While pot can help bring out our most sexy selves, disinhibit us, or relax us during sex, I would highly recommend that people learn to be in the moment and deeply feel and connect with their partners without using enhancing drugs,” says Prosterman. “Pot can give us a glimpse of our sexual potential. Working toward our sexual potential, with our partners, is part of developing a higher capacity for intimacy, passion, and deep connection.” Depending on what social media feeds you’re attuned to, it’s not hard these days to get at least one story fanned your way in a month about something to do with weed and sex. Sure, some of it is just fluffy prose, and some of it just states the painfully obvious. You don’t need Cosmopolitan to tell you that “getting too high can backfire on your sex life [because it] it makes you too sleepy to have any. Don’t eat a whole pot brownie, and then expect to feel horned up and ready to go.” That said, there are more and more mavens and mavericks—as well as manufactured goods, expe-
ive us “Pot can g f our a glimpse o ntial. sexual pote d [this] r a w o t g n i Work part of s i … l a i t n pote higher a g n i p o l e dev timacy.” n i r o f y t i c capa t erman, sex
—Seth Prost
therapis
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riences, and bold claims—orbiting the Stoned Sex star. Take, for example, Ashley Manta, sex coach, relationship educator, and proud “cannasexual”—one who’s concerned with mindfully combining weed and sex for desired positive results. Speaking to the men’s culture publication MEL magazine in 2017, Manta made it clear she’s not a blanket proselytizer intent on turning every client into a cannabis-forward sex enthusiast. “I’m not out to convert people,” she says. “If people are happy not having cannabis in their sex lives, I’m not going to tell them they’re wrong for not wanting to consider including it. My approach is more like, if you already consume cannabis or you’re open to the idea of it, here are the best practices for mixing it with sex. The idea of being cannasexual isn’t limited to one specific sex act either, or even just partnered sex. I speak of it in terms of one’s overall relationship with their body, sexuality, and self-care.” If you want to see her theory in action, her Instagram (@ashleymanta) is rife with content to back it up. Manta is known for her cannabinoid-enhanced “play parties.” If you’re imagining a swinging group of couples gathering under the banner of self-exploration, relationship tonic, or just consenting group sex fests with weed lube, that sounds about right. A satisfied customer, presumably still reeling in coital bliss, posted this feedback on Manta’s website: “Over the course of the night, I watched from my spot at the vape bar as [Ashley] shifted seamlessly from teacher to participant to confidant to chaperone…Nobody
“If people are happy not having cannabis in their sex lives, I’m not going to tell them they’re wrong for not wanting to consider including it… The idea of being cannasexual isn’t limited to one specific sex act either, or even just partnered sex. I speak of it in terms of one’s overall relationship with their body, sexuality, and self-care.” —Ashley Manta, Sex Coach
and no body was neglected by her. She guided the underinformed on the mindful marriage of cannabis and sex. She allowed the calming rituals of medicating with cannabis to bring those who indulged in it to that place of body-peace that only the right combination of carefully selected strains can induce.” A glowing review, for sure. However, the science is still out about the use of specific strains as particular keys for unlocking sexy-time happiness in a universal sense. Blazed in Love Alcohol, on the other hand, has no shortage of both anecdote and hard facts about the good, bad, and ugly regarding drunk sex. Depending on body factors, two or more alcoholic beverages will depress the central nervous system, leading to limp noodles for men, reduced clitoral sensitivity in women, and unsatisfying romps. There are plenty of positive studies coming out about general findings on cannabis and sex interacting. In 2018, Stanford researchers released findings on the largest study to date that compiled info on sex and marijuana. The data set included 28,176 women and 22,943 men, average age 30, who formed a reasonably representative sample of the US population, according to a Psychology Today column, which reported: “Compared with cannabis abstainers, men who used it weekly reported 22 percent more sex, women 34 percent more. Among those who used marijuana more than weekly, sexual frequency increased even more. This study did not ask if participants found cannabis sex-enhancing, but to an extent, that can be inferred.”
SPEAKING OF VIAGRA If you’re wondering: Yes, weed viagra does exist. It’s called CannaMojo (cannamojo710.com), and it claims to do just what you’d want an weedfueled erection pill to do.
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perts” are necessarily a bad thing in these early days of legal weed. That there are people doing this and finding an audience suggests bringing such topics and experimentation to light is meaningful to people. “I could make jokes, but I believe it’s actually a good thing,” says Tishler, who was once asked to advise a company trying to invent a dildo that squirted out weed lube during use. “That we’re comfortable even mentioning sex with cannabis is part of the breakdown of generational stigma.” —Dr. Jordan Tishler, Unlike Manta, Tishler thinks cannabis therapeutics expert having specific strains for bedroom activities isn’t going to make a huge difference. Additionally, sexual lubricants and toys set the mood, but a successful liaison is more about body type, effect, and all interested parties being in sync with each other. Or, for those on a solo mission, in sync No study exists to confirm that It comes down to a lack of a with one’s self. cannabis can totally impair sexual standard of research and underIt’s about how cannabis introfunction the way alcohol can, but standing. If you were to ask 20 ca- duced into sexual settings or relathat doesn’t mean all green means sual CBD preachers about its posi- tionships is a means to stimulate go. Dr. Jordan Tishler knows that tive effect during sex, you’d get 20 the big sexy organ everyone has well. He’s the founder of Inhale answers. To those who claim it’s above their shoulders, and that, of MD, based in Cambridge, Masthe golden ticket to getting laid, course, is where the Infinity Stone sachusetts, which specializes in Tishler says keep it in your pants. of getting it on rests for everyone. cannabis therapeutics, including “CBD for sexuality is a non“Cannabis can help facilitate the intersection of cannabis and starter,” he says. “It doesn’t prosituations and discussions and human sexuality. voke libido…. It may help with different levels of honesty and inTishler says people read things anxiety or pain if that’s an issue, timacy in relationships that need on the internet, dive into discusbut what we’re really looking at in it,” Tishler says. “But what we sions about different strains and treatment of sexual dysfunction know about humans is that over cannabis topicals (see: weed lube), or enhancement with cannabis is 90 percent of what’s going on [to or cook romantic-dosed dinners for how it’s used to create healthier enhance and improve] sex is goloved ones, and that’s fine. “Those relationships.” ing on between your ears.” things certainly play a factor,” he Which isn’t to say the new Don’t let that stop you from says, “but generally it’s not my canna-sex specialists creating sparking a joint next time the recommended approach regarding new businesses and products mood strikes. It just may take your cannabis altering sexuality.” or hawking themselves as “exbedroom bliss to new heights.
“I could make jokes, but I believe it’s actually a good thing. That we’re comfortable even mentioning sex with cannabis is part of the breakdown of generational stigma.”
A B O U T T H E AU T H O R
Dan McCarthy is a seasoned journalist, speaker, and content expert whose bylines have appeared in Vice, Esquire, The Daily Beast, and The Boston Globe.
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PHOTO BY CHASE FADE VIA UNSPLASH 36
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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
MORE INFO
Urban Beauty Lake Eola Park shows off Orlando’s nature. TEXT DEBBIE HALL
Lake Eola Park, located in the heart of downtown Orlando, includes a lake with amenities and a sidewalk that circles the lake. Along with the Walt Disney Amphitheater, visitors enjoy the park’s 38
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feature fountain, Chinese pagoda, and playgrounds. In 1883, Jacob Summerlin—the owner of the Summerlin Hotel, the first City Council president, and financial lender for the construc-
tion of Orlando’s courthouse—donated a large tract of land around the lake to the city for the purpose of establishing a park. The original vision included planting trees, building a drive-
way around the lake, and maintaining surrounding areas. Summerlin even put a clause in the contract that allowed his heirs to reclaim the property if the park was ever neglected. Lake Eola Park gained an international food court in 1993 and was expanded again in 2013 with an additional 1.36 acres of lawn, new LED lighting, widened sidewalks, nearly 4,000 square feet of paved patio, and 7,500 square feet brick-paved space. Eola House opened in 2013 as a welcome center, gift shop, and park offices. The nonprofit See Art Orlando installed six sculptures during the same year. Activities include swan-shaped paddle boats, bird watching and photography, and garden walks. The sidewalk around the lake measures almost one mile for walkers and runners to keep track of their distances. The park affords a spectacular view of Orlando’s skyline with picnic tables for outdoor dining in the park. Restaurants and other shops are also close to the park. Restrooms, on-street parking, and accessibility for the physically disabled make it a place for locals and tourists to gather.
PHOTO BY CHASE BAKER
Lake Eola Park orlando.gov/Parks-theEnvironment/Directory/ Lake-Eola-Park
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