FAIR FAST FOOD
McDonalds to pay living wage
S PA R K P E N N S Y LVA N I A JUNE 2021
DIFFERENT SMOKES A queer-owned brand finds the beauty in everyone
SUPER 8
The “new” cannabinoid, Delta-8
RUFF LIFE
Prepare your pets for normalcy
HARNESS THE POWER OF SCIENCE & FLOWER
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SPARK SENSI MAGAZINE JUNE 2021
sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag
28
FEATURE
20
Different Smokes for Different Folks
Stone Road is queer-run and designed for everyone.
DEPARTMENTS
9 EDITOR’S NOTE 28 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip hangouts around town 10 THE BUZZ DELTA-8 DAWNING It’s the News, tips, and tidbits to keep you in the loop ARCHES, GOLD
McDonald’s raises its wages. ACNE AWAY CBD can work wonders on the skin. DIASPORA PUB
Entertainment journalist Dino Ray Ramos launches a new publication. STOP STRESS NULEAF
hottest cannabinoid since CBD. But is it really legal? That’s complicated.
36 THE END One of the brightest stars of the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes wrote this melodic, powerful poem of reaffirmation in 1922. It still rings true today.
Naturals CBD will help. SENSIBILITIES Our editor
is going to make bong carts a thing.
14 THE LIFE Contributing to your
ON THE COVER
Stone Road is ushering in a new age of what the cannabis lifestyle looks like. PHOTO COURTESY OF STONE ROAD
health and happiness DOG DAYS How to start training pets for your return to work. HOROSCOPE What the stars hold for you.
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Women working in cannabis deserve better, so
WE BUILT BETTER
JoIN Us
womenempoweredincannabis.com/join
ADVISORY BOARD
NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD COUNCIL 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 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Accucanna LLC Desert Hot Springs: Dispensary EventHI Events Flourish Software Distribution Management Helmand Valley Growers Company Medical Infrastructure Specialist HUB International Insurance Hybrid Payroll / Ms. Mary Staffing Staffing & HR Benefits Ikänik Farms Cannabis Distribution Red Rock Fertility Fertility Doctor Wana Brands Edible Gummies Witlon Payroll
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 NEW ENGLAND Corners Packaging Packaging Curaleaf Veterans Cannabis Project Flourish Software Seed to Sale Green Goddess Supply Personal Homegrown Biochamber GreenHouse Payment Solutions Payment Processing The Holistic Center Medical Marijuana Evaluations PotGuide Travel & Tourism Revolutionary Clinics Medical Dispensary Royal Gold Soil Tess Woods Public Relations Public Relations
MICHIGAN Aronoff Law (Craig Aronoff) Licensing Law Firm Cannabis Counsel Cannabis Law Firm Etz Chaim Attestations Grapp Lerash Michigan PLLC 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 Oh, Hello Branding Promotional Marketing Perry & Drummy Inc. Commercial Insurance Pure West Compassion Club Caregiver Connection & Network Rair Medical Flower Solutions by Dr. Dave West Michigan: Hemp CBD Helping Friendly Hemp Company Hemp Topicals NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 365 Recreational Cannabis Dispensary: Recreational, Santa Rosa Green Unicorn Farms CBD Hemp Flower Humboldt CCTV Smart Ag Tech Humboldt Patient Resource Center Dispensary: Humboldt Kushla Life Sciences Cannabis Formulation and Products Red Door Remedies Dispensary: Cloverdale Southern Humboldt Royal Cannabis Company Mixed Light Farming Sonoma Patient Group Dispensary: Santa Rosa Strictly Topical Inc./Sweet ReLeaf Pain Relief Topicals Superbad inc. Premium California Cannabis Uleva Hemp Products Vaper Tip Vape Supply & Consulting Wana Brands Edible Gummies
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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, New England Debbie Hall Managing Editor, Nevada Jenny Willden Managing Editor, NorCal Dawn Garcia Managing Editor, Southern California Robyn Griggs Lawrence Editor at Large Mona Van Joseph Contributor, Horoscopes Radha Marcum Copy Editor Bevin Wallace Copy Editor DESIGN
Jamie Ezra Mark Creative Director jamie@emagency.com Rheya Tanner Art Director Wendy Mak Designer Josh Clark Designer BRAND DEVELOPMENT
Richard Guerra Director of Global Reach Amanda Patrizi Deputy Director of Global Reach Tuva Hank Music Director, Sensi Presents Neil Willis Production Director MEDIA PARTNERS
Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy
EXECUTIVE
Ron Kolb Founder ron@sensimag.com Stephanie Graziano CEO stephanie.graziano@sensimag.com Lou Ferris Vice President of Global Revenue Chris Foltz Vice President of Global Reach Jade Kolb Director of Project Management ADVERTISING
Nancy Reid Director, Team Building, Sensi East Joel Bergeson Director, Team Building, Sensi West PUBLISHING
Jamie Cooper Market Director, Michigan Abi Wright Market Director, Nevada Richard Guerra Market Director, New England Nancy Birnbaum Market Director, NorCal Diana Ramos Market Director, Oklahoma Rob Ball Market Director, S. California Angelique Kiss Market Director, S. California
MEDIA SALES
COLORADO Liana Cameris Media Sales Executive Tuva Hank Media Sales Executive Amanda Patrizi Media Sales Executive Tyler Tarr Media Sales Executive NEVADA Pam Hewitt Media Sales Executive NEW ENGLAND Jake Boynton Media Sales Executive MICHIGAN Kyle Miller Media Sales Executive Leah Stephens Media Sales Executive
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When their service ends, ours begins.
S W O R D S -T O - P LO W S H A R E S . O R G
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EDITOR’S NOTE
Magazine published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC.
© 2021 Sensi Media Group. All rights reserved.
Walking into a Sensi Night and seeing all the smiling,
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TWITTER Follow @sensimag for need-to-know news and views from Sensi headquarters.
unmasked faces milling about the cannabis-loving crowd—this is the post-pandemic moment I am looking forward to the most, the moment my brain will accept that we’re safely on the other side of one long, arduous journey. That’s when it will hit me that we—both “we” the collective and “we” Sensi—made it through. I am also excited to share that we are now planning for the first Sensi Nights in markets across the country since the pandemic-induced pause hit. The exact dates and details are coming soon to an inbox near you, so sign up for our newsletter now at sensimag.com to be among the first to know when and where. As for why? To celebrate, of course, to celebrate our community and the cannabis industry, to celebrate all the milestone moments we may have missed during our time away from each other, to celebrate being back. In September, Sensi magazine is coming back to print with our first-ever quarterly edition. We’ll still be producing monthly digital editions like the one you’re reading now, and you’ll be able to find them and other coverage of life from an elevated perspective on sensimag.com. But four times a year, starting in September, we’ll be releasing fresh limited-edition Sensi magazines that shine an artistic spotlight on our modern cannabis culture, and I couldn’t be more excited by the theme of our first edition: After the plague came the Renaissance. We are so ready for our Renaissance, and we’re not thinking of September’s magazines and events as just a return to “the new normal” we touted as our tagline before COVID-19 changed its connotation. We’re not just resuming print, we’re relaunching a brand. More than a magazine, Sensi is the voice of the modern cannabis lifestyle. Sure, Sensi is the cannabis lifestyle magazine that’s won the most awards in the U.S., but we’ve realized over the last 15 months that it’s so much more than that. Sensi is a community. And I am so looking forward to connecting with our community—in person, vaccinated, unmasked—again so very soon. Until then, enjoy this edition and the ones that will follow it. We made it for you.
Sensi is a community. And I am so looking forward to connecting with our community— in person, vaccinated, unmasked— again so very soon.
Best, I N S TAG R A M Pretty things, pretty places, pretty awesome people: find it all on @sensimagazine
Stephanie Wilson @stephwilll
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Fast Food Salary Never in a million years did we think we would be including McDonald’s in the Buzz section of this magazine. But when a “We’re Hiring” banner in front of a local McDonald’s was sent to us with a line that read, “$18 dollars per hour,” It became clear that maybe The Golden Arches has started to catch on to the importance of offering a living wage to employees. The fast-food giant said it would increase wages for more than 36,500 hourly workers by an average of 10% over the next several months. Non-managerial workers at 10
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the chain’s roughly 660 company-owned restaurants in the U.S. will earn at least $11 to $17 an hour at entry levels after the increases, McDonald’s said. Considering cooks in most states at the fast-food chain are still paid less than $10 an hour, maybe the increase will reflect the hardship of living in the United States in 2021. Every person deserves a living wage. If they show up to work, they should be compensated fairly. Now let’s hope the franchise owners follow suit. Job postings on Indeed.com
PHOTO BY WILLIAM ENRICO JR QUIJANO, UNSPLASH
Realizing wage matters, one massive chain is stepping up its game.
CONTRIBUTORS
Dawn Garcia, Debbie Hall
BY THE NUMBERS
12K
The number of likes a Facebook video titled “Florida Man Dance Routine” has gained so far. Intrigued? You can check it out and like, love, or join the 826 who have wowed it here: facebook.com/ watch/?v=415392452337938
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
BANISH BREAKOUTS
PHOTO COURTESY OF CLEARBALM
CBD and natural ingredients help heal acne-prone skin. CBD can work wonders on the skin, and its powerful compounds are featured in BalmLabs’ ClearBalm, formulated with six plant-based ingredients. The skincare line gently combats acne while reducing inflammation and redness and hydrating the skin. This plant-powered, science-driven three-step system for adult acne-prone skin doesn’t rely on stripping chemicals like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. The line was inspired by founder Sarah Waldock’s challenges with adult acne, which resurfaced in her 30s and 40s. Frustrated by existing lines for adult acne, she reached out to Dr. Robin Schaffran, a Beverly Hills–based dermatologist. Formulated by a team of North America’s leading skincare scientists, ClearBalm uses the hemp Sativa plant, Bixa Orellana Seed Extract, and natural AHAs derived from sugar cane, sugar maple, bilberry, and citrus fruit extracts. The three-step system includes Gentle Foam Cleanser, Power Elixir, and Serum Hydrator. ClearBalm products are cruelty-free with no synthetic dyes, fragrances, parabens, or PEGs. ClearBalm / thisisbalm.com/collections/clearbalm
0
Amount of nicotine in the vape pen that Kate Winslet continually hits on screen in the hit HBO show “Mare of Easttown.” The actresses’ pen made vapor but contained no chemicals according to producers.
381
THOUSAND The number of Oklahoma residents—patients and caregivers— who have medical marijuana cards. That’s 9.5% of the Sooner State’s population.
Diversity In Film + TV An award-winning journalist starts a new publication devoted to diaspora.
Award-winning entertainment journalist Dino Ray Ramos launched a new tradeadjacent online publication titled Diaspora (thediasporatimes.com) that is dedicated to amplifying marginalized voices in Hollywood. “I’ve been a journalist for two decades, and I have witnessed underrepresented voices in the newsroom and in Hollywood that haven’t prominently been heard in the way they deserve. I have used my voice in service to other publications and have been offered a ‘seat at the table’ throughout my career. But it’s time to change that in a major way. We are building that table now,” says Ramos. In the online publication, Ramos and his team tackle issues of casual racism in film and television, take hits at the entertainment industry, and demand those in positions of power step up and represent the many voices that make up viewing audiences. thediasporatimes.com
[Florida Gov.] Ron DeSantis made a conscious choice to sign an anti-LGBTQ bill on the very first day that we are celebrating Pride. DeSantis decided to take that day to attack the community.” —Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign
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THE BUZZ
BILITIES BY STEPHANIE WILSON, EDITOR IN CHIEF
1 BONG CARTS. Did you hear the news? Bong carts are the new bar carts, and you totally need to get one.
2 OR YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE ONE if you have any piece of accent furniture on wheels where you store your stash in a decorative jar next to the water pipe you display like its a fine vase. It technically is a vase, at least as far as the dictionarians* at Merriam-Webster are concerned. 3 SENSI’S DICTIONARY OF CHOICE defines a vase as a “usually round vessel usually with greater height than width used chiefly... for holding flowers.” Sounds just like a bong, except for that “s” at the end. Bongs are for flower, singular; vases are for flowers, plural. Both will look great on the bar cart you’re about to transform into the hottest accent furniture trend of the century. 4 IF YOU HAVEN’T HIT A BONG SINCE COLLEGE, a) give it another whirl, but put some ice cubes in it first (gently, because: glass)—it’s a cool game changer; b) your bar cart could still use a refresh in prep for the roaring fun the 20s promise to provide. Despite what the name implies, bong carts aren’t just for bongs. Pipes, papers, grinders, stash jars, rolling trays, and other high-end accoutrements can mix and mingle with spirited accessories, books, and other objets d’art that you fancy.
5 YOU ALREADY HAVE A BONG CART, YOU SAY? Oh, you fancy! I like your style. And the world wants to see, so snap some pics, run them through a filter (I recommend “Food 1” on the free Photoshop camera app if you want to make your photos pop), and share using the #bongcart hashtag. Show the world what the cannabis lifestyle looks like from your eyes. *Side note: I have now known that “dictionarians” is a real word for as many seconds as its been since I finished typing it out, hit the space, and didn’t see a red squiggly line appear. So that’s fun.
FROM THE INSIDE OUT CBD pills for wellness
Stress is the silent killer. It’s that thing everyone allows into their lives every moment of every day, and without proper stress management, it can sneak up on you and put you at risk for a multitude of health problems. CBD and organic hemp are nature’s answer to stress relief. One company, NuLeaf Naturals, has created what it calls the world’s highest-quality cannabinoid wellness product line. While that claim is one that no self-respecting magazine would tout for reasons of journalistic integrity, the products seem to be genuinely unique and very high quality. Launched in 2014, NuLeaf Naturals began with the mission and intention of creating a product that would promote a healthy mind and body with its full-spectrum CBD oil. Created after ample research and development, the capsules and oils represent a new generation of cannabinoid wellness. CBD is something with which our endocannabinoid system is in sync, and each whole plant hemp extract NuLeaf product is highly concentrated in CBD and also contains a full spectrum of significant cannabinoids like CBC, CBG, and CBN. Made with USA-grown organic hemp. Committed to safety, quality, and consistency. Capsules and Oil Products range from $30-$400 NuLeafNaturals.com
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PHOTO BY CHARLES DELUVIO, UNSPLASH
Ruff Life
How to start training pets for your return to work. TEXT NATALIE RAGLAND, DVM, GUEST CONTRIBUTOR AT HONEST PAWS
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE WILSON
With quarantine restrictions lifted and more people getting vaccinated, many of us are returning to offices for work. This change affects not just us but our pets too. Natalie Ragland, a veterinarian and contributor to Honest Paws, shares insights and tips to help pet owners prepare their pets for life after the pandemic, shedding light on how pets are going to react when we stop working from home and go back to the office.
we realize. There are a few things we can do to make the shift easier. Here are a few tips that might help the transition for your pets, as well as decrease separation anxiety and unfavorable responses brought on by the change in company.
“If you have a pet, it’s time to prepare them for your return to normal— whatever that may look like postpandemic. And, according to some animal experts, it’s going to take time for them to adjust.”
2. Develop your routine. If you are given ample notice before returning to work, remember that most animals, including our pets, are creatures of habit. Pets know when you are due home and what time you usually leave each day. Reestablishing your routine a few days beforehand may be necessary. You can start by: • reestablishing walk times. • reinstituting normal feeding schedules. • leaving for the day and placing a camera in the house to monitor for any signs of separation anxiety.
1. Leave more often during the day as “D-day” approaches. As departure day approaches, leave your space more frequently. —CNN If you need to run an If you are like most errand or go for a walk, of the world, sheltering block out time away from in place took on a new the house to acclimate meaning because of the your pet to longer abCOVID-19 pandemic. sences. If you are going For pets, the extra time back to work in person with you has been welwithout much notice, comed. But, as we begin consider using a few vato trickle our way back cation half-days in order to working in our offices, to build in a daily routine the shock of absence may before implementing your original schedule. impact them more than
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3. Look for signs of stress and anxiety. If your pet is more prone to being stressed out or anxious when you leave, watch out for such behavior as going to the bathroom in the house and destroying household items such as window blinds and furniture. Seeing these signs may warrant a call to a veterinarian or a tele-health appointment with a behavioral expert. If you are pressed for time as we are all these days, consider increasing your pet’s exercise to release stress hormones and increase endorphins, leading to longer napping times. 4. Consider in-home or daycare service. If you can arrange for someone to come to your home to either sit with your pet or walk your animal as needed, this may be the best option to start. Some local daycare centers for animals may offer inhome services and drop off and pick up. An even better option would be to have a relative or loved one come visit; coordinate the time when you will be out of the house so that there is some company when you exit.
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THE LIFE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mona Van Joseph is a professionally licensed intuitive reader in Las Vegas since 2002. Author, radio host, and columnist, she created the Dice Wisdom app and is available for phone and in-person sessions. mona.vegas
HOROSCOPE
JUNE HOROSCOPE What do the stars hold for you? TEXT MONA VAN JOSEPH
OCT. 23-NOV. 21 earned. You have created your reality; you can change SCORPIO Yes, you typically like to or recreate that reality. You Be the ultimate politician have a plan. However, this this month. Recognize peoare still the hero of your is the month to see what ple around you for the skills own story. presents itself while you foand benefits they present. cus on what gives you peace AUG. 23-SEPT. 22 This is the month to seek and purpose. What you need VIRGO value, not to be cheap or will be easily found. The thorn is out! Past pain is thrifty. You are establishing no longer a reflection of your your long-term goals now. JUNE 21-JULY 22 future. It’s time to act as NOV. 22-DEC. 21 CANCER though all things are openAvoid highly emotional peo- ing up for you to have the cli- SAGITTARIUS ple this month because they ents, personal relationships, Handle high-maintenance are just a toxic void that and good vibes you deserve. people on your own and shield them from the peoseeks attention. Detach ple they bother. You are a from anyone who tends to SEPT. 23-OCT. 22 leader. It’s time to step back dump emotional baggage on LIBRA you. Ask them, “So, how are You will ultimately become from people you have no you going to handle that?” so skilled at a creative proj- power to change. ect that other people will JULY 23-AUG. 22 want to learn from you. Let DEC. 22-JAN. 19 LEO nature inspire you even fur- CAPRICORN No one can take away what ther. You are creating your You are being guided toyou’ve ever learned or future with your expertise. ward your priorities, and MAY 21–JUNE 20
GEMINI
GEMINI, THIS IS THE MONTH TO SEE WHAT PRESENTS ITSELF WHILE YOU FOCUS ON WHAT GIVES YOU PEACE AND PURPOSE.
they may not align with tapped for a project where what you’re doing now. It’s your awesomeness is actualtime to let go of anything ly appreciated. that causes you pain. Things MAR. 21-APR. 19 are lining up for the outcome you desire. ARIES Be open and imagine some JAN. 20-FEB. 18 people as though they are AQUARIUS a slot machine that doesn’t When you realize that no pay off. It’s difficult for you one does what you do exto stay still, so transfer that actly the way you do it, you energy to finally tackle forare magic. It is time to enjoy gotten home projects. what you’ve created and allow the big rewards to mani- APR. 20-MAY 20 fest for you later this year. TAURUS Your actions and words repFEB. 19-MAR. 20 resent the truth. Step onto PISCES that soapbox with the right Do what you love, be with group and keep expressthe people you love, and de- ing your truth. Your writer’s cide your next step based on block is suddenly lifted, and that vibration. You will be words flow from you now. J U N E 2021
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PHOTO COURTESY OF RUTH FRUIT
DIFFERENT
SMOKES F O R
D I F F E R E N T
F O L X
Stone Road is queer-run and designed for everyone. TEXT STEPHANIE WILSON
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Growin g the Industr y.
Upcoming shows are: Oklahoma City, OK May 27-28 Detroit MI, June 25-26 Chicago IL, August 6-7 Biloxi MS, September 17-18
Shop, Learn, and Network at the Nations Leading Cannabis Conference and Expo. Tickets at CannaCon.org
PHOTO COURTESY OF RUTH FRUIT
W
hen you feel good, you look good. Or is it when you look good, you feel good? Either way, looking good and feeling good are closely entwined, and both are at the root of the mission at Stone Road, a California cannabis brand that’s catching attention everywhere for its aesthetically curated Instagram feed featuring eye-catching, colorful, and as-inclusive-asthey-come brand images like the ones you see here—good-looking folx consuming pre-rolls that are making them feel good.
Those Stone Road pre-rolls are rather good looking as well; the joints are rolled by hand to ensure visual perfection. As a queer-led company, Stone Road is committed to harvesting and creating accessible, affordable cannabis products for every kind of smoker, so you can feel good about feeling good. Stone Road only rolls with the best buds—and never uses shake, filler, or distillate-sprayed weed. All premium, sungrown Stone Road flower is sourced from the brand’s 57-acre off-grid farm in Nevada City, California, about an hour northeast of Sacramento and two-and-a-half hours from San Francisco. Each joint is potent, pure, and hand-rolled with
love. Stone Road pre-rolls give off a strong “farm-to-table” cannabis vibe, which is by design. And Stone Road is reimagining what affordable cannabis can look like with its design-forward, sustainable packaging. The company is blazing a path for a new age of cannabis consumers in terms of what cannabis products can look, taste, and feel like. The company’s ethos is laid out on its website: “Cannabis is nature’s best unifier, bringing people together from every place, background, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and religion. It brings out your inner child, turns parties into sacred happenings, and expands your mind. It almost feels like a J U N E 2021
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Fighting for freedom is Join the revolution at norml.org
MASS INCARCERATION IS AN LGBTQ ISSUE.
1in2
transgender prisoners is sexually abused. Sexual minorities are
3x
more likely to be incarcerated than the average American.
50%
PHOTO COURTESY OF LEX CORWIN
of homeless children identify as LGBTQ—half of all homeless people experience incarceration.
secret code—a secret that’s also not a secret at all.” It’s a lowkey highkey high, in Gen Z speak. The Stone Road website (stoneroad.org) features animated bunnies and butterflies crisscrossing the screen to remind visitors of the brand’s commitment to nature. “We founded Stone Road with the conviction that cannabis is one of the planet’s great natural gifts to humans, and that all people
should have access to the best of it,” it reads. “Ever since, we’ve been growing flowers to be one with hand-rolling joints as a gesture of love and friendship and bringing people from all walks of life together. So if you’re a human being, we’re here for you. We’re here for plants, too. And animals, of course.” It goes on to say: “We believe in what nature has given us. And we believe in you. In your power to
let go. To go on a journey and face your fears. To let your little seedling of an idea sprout. To dull pain and increase pleasure. To engage in emotional intensity. To open up shifts in perception. To enjoy the here and now as often as possible.” Founder and CEO Lex Corwin says this mindset served as the inspiration for the California brand’s ethos, which runs from the farm to the branding. “The main J U N E 2021
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worth of greenhouses on a rural 57-acre spread, the land remains 99 percent wild and untamed. All of our water is straight from an artesian well—460 feet deep at the ideal 6.4 pH, which allows us to water straight from the earth.” Sounds heavenly? If you want to experience the Stone Road magic IRL, farm tours are available from May through September. All Stone Road packaging is 99 percent recyclable and made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled goods. A new initiative takes the design even further into the planet-friendly realm: a rice protein isolate is now used to create the shrinkwrap material around the preroll packs. Reclaimed ocean plastic is used to create the child-resistant lids to the fully recycled glass jars that house Stone Road flower.
For the month of June, Stone Road will be donating 10 percent of all profits to the LGBTQ Fund, an organization that pays bail to secure the safety and liberty of LGBTQ folx that are disproportionately incarcerated in U.S. jails and immigration facilities. Corwin shares that he wants Stone Road to be a home for great design. “I want to sell lots of things that bring joy to the people and products that make their life easier—well-designed, well-made products that I think everyone can benefit from.”
PHOTOS (FROM TOP) COURTESY OF KATE SWEENEY; CLAUDIA MARIN
branding behind Stone Road is based on nature, minimalism, and inclusivity,” he writes. “A lot of inspiration comes from the farm and the gorgeous landscape that surrounds it.” The photography on all the packaging is done by two designers in New York, Santiago Carrasquilla and Alex Stikeleather, the lead designer for Snoop Dogg’s Leaf by Snoop line. Corwin dug the brand’s nature-inspired minimalism, so he recruited the designer to work her magic on his new brand, flying her out to California to capture the farm’s natural beauty for the packaging. All of the photos on Stone Road packaging were taken at the farm. “When you’re there, it feels like another world,” Corwin writes for Stone Road. “With only half an acre
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Delta-8 Dawning The hottest cannabinoid to emerge since CBD, delta-8 THC gets you high and is being sold as a legal product made from hemp—even in nonlegal markets. But is it really legal? That's complicated. TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE
The deeper Flip Croft-Caderao and his sister-in-law, Kayla Croft, delved into writing their business plan, the more apparent it became: they would never have enough capital to establish and maintain a licensed cannabis business in California. Disappointed but determined, they refused to pivot from their dream. Instead, they sidestepped into hemp, a much more accessible commodity. They figured selling CBD and other nonpsychoactive cannabinoids would give them a good understanding of the plant and the cannabis business, and might even generate the capital they needed to migrate over to THC down the road. In early 2020, Croft and Croft-Caderao
launched Goodekind (goodekind.com) and sold a decent amount of The Notorious CBG Crumble and Hawaiian Haze hemp flower online. Then, last December, they added delta-8 THC gummies and vapes to the menu, and their business exploded. “Delta-8 freaking took off,” Croft-Caderao says. “Oh, gosh, it is crazy. It is definitely our top-selling product by a ridiculous amount.” Chances are good you’ve heard of delta-8 by now. Derived from hemp, it’s the hottest cannabinoid to hit the market since CBD, and its appeal lies in what it does that CBD doesn’t. Like its kissing cousin, delta-9 THC, delta-8 will get you high—just not nearly as high as you get from delta-9. And—for
now, anyway—it’s legal (or legal enough) under the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill that allows hemp cultivation and production of hemp-based products. Entrepreneurs like Croft-Caderao saw a loophole in the Farm Bill’s definition of hempbased products as having less than .3 percent delta-9 THC. The bill doesn’t address delta-8 THC, which is essentially degraded delta-9, because hemp has miniscule amounts of it—not nearly enough for commercial production. What lawmakers didn’t see coming was innovation born of desperation. Hemp entrepreneurs with a lot of product on their hands found a way to chemically synthesize delta-8 from CBD distillate, creating a new gray market that the feds are ignoring—for
now—and states are just starting to address. Croft-Caderao sees delta-8 as a perfect blend of the hemp and cannabis industries. “It gets you high, but it’s also unregulated, so you can ship it to people and have an entire e-commerce platform,” he says. “It’s an entrepreneur’s dream.” The New “It” Cannabinoid By all accounts, delta-8 is fulfilling consumers’ dreams as well. It’s the fastest-growing segment of the hemp-derived product market, New Leaf Data Services reports, with U.S. sales of around $10 million last year. It’s getting a lot of attention—and that’s a little bit worrying for Erica Stark, executive director of the National Hemp Association,
LANGUAGE LESSON “Delta” is a term used to describe a chemical reaction that requires heat as a catalyst in a process known as decarboxylation. The numbers that follow that designation show where the cannabinoids bond to the carbon chain.
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which is having a tough time coming up with a position on delta-8. “On the one hand, we’re still of the mindset that we literally spent years convincing legislators that hemp is not about getting high—and this is really undermining that message and, I think, providing some skepticism about what we say,” Stark says. “On the other hand, the CBD market has suffered with oversaturation. This is a way for farmers to find outlets for their biomass and hopefully recoup some of their losses, which might be a nice bridge until some of the markets even themselves out. We don’t want to shut the door on it or —One Reddit user describing demonize it, but we their experience with delta-8 don’t necessarily want to endorse some of the practices we’ve seen
“It’s not an incredible high or anything, but if I’m out and active and just want something to give me a bit of a lift, I’ll puff on a cart and get to a nice spot.”
icating value or euphoric effect “irresponsible.” The Roundtable is calling for delta-8 to be regulated like adult-use cannabis. Individual states are taking radically different and sometimes unpredictable approaches to delta-8, just as they have with CBD and delta-9. A random consortium of states that are as far apart as could be on legalizing delta-9—Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, with products that are Kentucky, Mississippi, wildly unregulated and Montana, New York, potentially harmful.” North Dakota, Rhode In June, the Hemp Island, Utah, and VerIndustries Association mont—have banned delannounced its support ta-8, and several more are for delta-8 based on threatening to. Florida, legal advice that it was being Florida, is moving not a controlled subin the opposite direction, stance under federal law. toward establishing a “Businesses, farmers, legal delta-8 marketplace. and consumers all Texas legislators struck deserve regulations that down a provision to make support the exploration delta-8 illegal earlier this of the hemp plant’s full summer. potential,” says HIA U.S. Hemp Authority Executive Director Jody president Michelle WeinMcGinness. traub has not been shy And of course, delta-8 about how angry she is has plenty of critics, that delta-8 is muddying both inside and outthe waters of her “won’t side the industry. The get you high” industry. U.S. Hemp Authority, a Stark, for her part, is third-party auditor for annoyed because she hemp and CBD businever gets to talk about nesses, refuses to certify fiber and grain hemp, delta-8 products. The her passion, because delU.S. Hemp Roundtable ta-8 takes up everyone’s called marketing hemp time and attention. “I products with any intox- love seeing farmers have
WILL I FAIL A DRUG TEST? When it comes down to it, THC is THC. Anything with THC in the name will show up as THC in a drug test and cause you to fail. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
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opportunities,” she says. “But it does just suck all the oxygen out of the room.” Off to a Nice Spot Delta-8 delivers about half to three-quarters the high that delta-9 does, a space somewhere between THC and CBD, more body than head. It’s like drinking a Bud Light instead of a Long Island iced tea. Croft-Caderao says you get about 50 to 60 percent of what you’d get when you vape delta-9, but people are reporting they they’re not getting anxious or paranoid with the less-potent cannabinoid. “They’re saying, ‘I can smoke sativas again. I can enjoy myself without getting too high,’” he says. Reddit users describe delta-8 as a “productive buzz”—great for when you need help with anxiety or pain but can’t be intoxicated, and “like weed without the anxiety or introspective thoughts.” An occasional delta-8 smoker wrote: —Erica Stark, Executive “It’s not an incredible Director of the National high or anything, but if Hemp Association I’m out and active and just want something to give me a bit of a lift, I’ll puff on a cart and get to a nice spot.” That’s all good for users who have built up a little tolerance, but
“…The CBD Market has suffered with oversaturation. This is a way for farmers to find outlets for their biomass and hopefully recoup some of their losses, which might be a nice bridge until some of the markets even themselves out.”
people trying THC of any kind for the first time (or the first time in a long time) generally have no idea how much to ingest. Because delta-8 is completely unregulated, dosage is pretty much up to each user. Overdose stories are surfacing, surprisingly common among heavy delta-9 users who underestimate delta-8’s potency (or overestimate their own tolerance). This can be especially dangerous when it comes to edibles. Our bodies metabolize delta-8 the same way they metabolize delta-9, by turning it into 11-hydroxy THC, a compound that can be up to 10 times more potent than delta-8. So, How Is This Legal? It’s not entirely clear that it is. The DEA released an Interim Final Rule, open for review until October, that states, “all synthetically derived tetrahydrocannabinols remain Schedule I controlled substances.” That appears to make delta-8, which is chemically synthesized, illegal. But the DEA hasn’t taken any action against companies selling delta-8, and a lot of companies are betting it never will. Stark says she asked
Sean Mitchell, chief of intergovernmental affairs at the Drug Enforcement Administration, about delta-8 during a panel discussion, and he confirmed that any hemp product that is delta-9 compliant is federally legal. That’s just one guy from the DEA, though, and not a final ruling. In the end, Stark is as uncertain as everyone else about legality. “What’s our position?” she says. “I don’t know.” Croft-Caderao, for his part, expects the market to be regulated—if not outlawed—eventually, and he’s determined to make the most of this window of opportunity while it remains open. “This is the golden era right now,” he says. “This is something that gets you high that is unregulated and that is kind of unfettered.” He’s already plotting how to keep his business thriving if and when the feds crack down on delta-8. “Business owners like myself have to be thinking, OK, if this gets regulated, this is how I will be able to pivot and use the skills I’ve learned to enter the cannabis market,” he says. “That’s what I’m thinking about, because who knows how much time we have?”
DELTA-10 IS UP NEXT Another cannabinoid found only in trace amounts in hemp and cannabis, delta-10 THC is often mistaken for minor cannabinoids CBC and CBL. It has mild psychoactive effects but is said to be more uplifting and energizing than delta-8. Users say it’s more like a sativa, while delta-8 leans more indica.
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the ground floor now and be running a department within a year.
Highlite Staffing Find the perfect employee for the job.
H
ighlite Staffing is the dreamchild of entrepreneur and CEO Christi McAdams, an active license holder in the cannabis space since 2014. McAdams founded Highlite Staffing with insights from her own businesses, which have included two cannabis production labs, a distribution company, and three cannabis support licenses. Highlite Staffing provides temporary and permanent placement of cannabis-trained and state-approved staff in thirteen states—and growing. They help businesses fill positions in cultivation, production lab/kitchen, and dispensary. We caught up with McAdams to discuss Highlite Staffing’s expansion and her perspective on the future of cannabis.
What inspired you to launch Highlite Staffing? Back in 2013, when I decided to pursue a career in the cannabis industry, I did everything I could to immerse myself. I attended conventions, took workshops, read articles, and joined every networking group within a 6-hour radius of me. After several months, still no one would hire me—not even when I offered to work for free to gain experience. So I decided to start my own company. Now, after running several of my own cannabis businesses, I’ve realized there is a need for a company that connects employers with qualified and ambitious job seekers looking to break into the industry. Cannabis is the fastest growing industry with many opportunities for smart folks to start at
What are the biggest challenges for cannabis-business staffing? Each market is unique with its own compliance and regulations, so we must make sure that our employees are qualified before hiring them and sending them on assignment. Many applicants do not understand the processes required to become qualified to work in cannabis. That’s because this is a priviledged industry. Employees must meet annual training standards, pass a background checks, and be approved for a state-issued agent card. It’s a frustrating process working with job boards like Indeed that don’t understand the uniqueness of our industry and take down our job boards when we have more opportunity for job seekers than any other industry out there. What is in the future for Highlite Staffing? We are expanding into new markets across the United States to provide temporary staff for cultivation facilities, production labs, and dispensaries. Where do you see the cannabis industry going? Global. I recently collaborated on a networking group, the Global Cannabis Industry Networking Group, where diplomats and ambassadors from each of the legal countries will sit on monthly panels to discuss cannabis on a global level. To learn more about Highlite Staffing, visit their website at highlightstaffing.com.
Highlite Staffing Cannabis Staffing Agency highlitestaffing.com J U N E 2021
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THE END
One of the brightest stars of the Harlem Renaissance, which brought the work of Black writers to the forefront of American culture, Langston Hughes wrote this melodic, powerful poem of reaffirmation in 1922. It is just as relevant today as marginalized people across the United States still seek to be heard and recognized and seen for their beauty inside and out on the national stage. 36
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The night is beautiful, So the faces of my people. The stars are beautiful, So the eyes of my people. Beautiful, also, is the sun. Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people. —Langston Hughes
PHOTO BY JULIAN MYLES, UNSPLASH
My People
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