18 minute read
THE SCENE
NFTs: Fad or the Future?
Love them or hate them, you may be buying your next toke with non-fungible tokens. TEXT GREGORY FRYE
So, have you bought your fi rst non-fungible token yet? Awareness of the new technology, better known as NFTs, is steadily rising and more people are learning how to tap into the benefi ts. But a lot of folks are still scratching their heads, uncertain about all the fuss and downright dubious toward the idea of digital art NFTs selling for millions of dollars.
What’s the point of NFTs? Are they a silly trend, a scam, or is there intrinsic value in this emerging technology? More important, what does all this mean for cannabis lovers and the industry as a whole?
NFTs Explained
Let’s keep this simple. NFTs are essentially an evolution of cryptocurrency. They exist on a blockchain, which means any transactions are securely recorded and largely tamper-proof. You buy an NFT, it’s yours and nobody can ever dispute that.
These cryptographic tokens can represent the ownership of both digital and real-world assets. NFTs could be art, music, event tickets, and even real estate.
When you hear the term “Web3” this is a big part of what people are talking about—increased privacy, data security, and token-based economies.
Depending on the project, NFTs can also come with ongoing membership perks and community benefi ts. This is primarily where people fi nd potential risks, as when NFT project organizers do not follow up on their promises.
The technology itself is mostly secure with lots of potential, but mainstream adoption of NFTs is slow because of the learning curve and a clunky set-up process, which requires
opening a crypto wallet, buying cryptocurrency, and vetting new NFTs before you buy.
Every step in this process is intimidating to the average person, for now. Even with credit-card access entering the picture, the NFT world has plenty of work to do. Just like the early days of cannabis, a lot of storytelling and education is needed to ease peoples’ minds toward the possibilities around this unfamiliar concept.
NFTs + Cannabis = Community
Imagine buying a cannabis NFT where you get ongoing discounts, early access to new products, and invitations to exclusive events and online groups. Like consumer brands in other industries, many cannabis brands are already off ering such NFTs.
If done right, this model could help solve the engagement and customer loyalty challenges in cannabis, which involves inspiring people with an irresistible NFT off ering, educating them on how NFTs work, and then following up on the off er.
Crypto Cannabis Club (CCC), which launched its fi rst NFT in July 2021, has grown into one of the most ambitious NFT projects in cannabis. In addition to their own weed brand in California, they also have dozens of chapters across the U.S. and in other parts of the world.
“Some people approach NFTs because they like the art and view it as an investment; other people approach NFTs out of a sense of community,” says Ryan Hunter, CEO of Crypto Cannabis Club.
“Members of our community are getting together on their own organically to socialize and sesh and to network,” Hunter says, mentioning parties in Florida and at the Indianapolis 500, as well as CCC’s own organized events for NFT holders, such as spring break in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, an event at Art Basel in Miami, and a big meetup at MJBizCon last fall.
Additionally, CCC partners with about 30 accessory brands, which gives their members discounts on everything from dab rigs to rolling papers.
On the virtual side, CCC has developed a range of virtual off erings with their followings on Discord and Twitter, where they host cannabis and psychedelics-education conversations every week on Twitter Spaces.
“Those environments create a natural platform for online communities, and our real-world experiences are an extension of that,” Hunter says.
“We love seeing our community members in the real world. We have folks that go to all of these events and travel to see one another. There’s a kindred spirit vibe mixed in with the art and culture, just like we’ve seen for decades with stoners wanting to hang out and sesh. NFTs are a natural extension of that.”
NFTs are also a way for brands and marketers to draw new members into the cannabis world and educate, notes Polly Lieberman, cofounder of thric3, a Web3 and cannabis 2.0 community. “The number one challenge that all cannabis companies have is access to customers. Web3 presents a unique marketing opportunity because there are fewer restrictions than traditional media.”
This is how cannabis brands can engage the massive demographic of canna-curious people, consumers who are interested in incorporating cannabis into their lives but don’t know where to start and need help.
To engage this untapped demographic, thric3 is preparing to unveil a new NFT collection where the art showcases everyday people as consumers, rather than as the stereotypical stoners featured on other cannabis NFTs.
—Polly Lieberman, cofounder of thric3
“We built a collection to represent everyone,” Lieberman explains. “Our hope is that people look at our collection and see someone who looks like them and thinks, ok that’s me, this is cool, I can be open about my use. This will go a long way in helping to reduce the stigma.”
Like the Early Days of Cannabis
When projects like CCC host regular shows about their projects on Twitter Spaces, it’s not about promotion. “It’s more about authentic, organic building of community. That to me feels like early cannabis,” says Amanda Reiman, Founder of Personal Plants.
Reiman has been around long enough to remember the early days of cannabis cooperatives where, much like NFTs, people could buy into a community for shared benefi ts. That’s how she feels about much of the Web3 space. “Those of us from early cannabis have almost an advantage coming into this because we understand the culture behind how this is being built,” she says.
NFTs became a solution for Reiman’s project Personal Plants, a psychedelic-plant nursery that sells specimens like huachuma cacti and salvia cuttings. Even though the plants she sells are legal in most states, she got tired of dealing with payment-processor rejections and shadow bans on Instagram.
Reiman needed to fi nd a subversive way to keep her business alive, and now, thanks to NFTs, she’s co-founding a new project called Sacred Garden, where people can enter a psychedelic marketplace, safely and securely.
“In our vision, we have a network of people who grow psychedelic plants at home for hobbies, and your NFT enables you to access these farmers,” she explains.
“If you have one of our NFTs you go to our website, you connect your wallet, it sees the NFT is in there, and now you can enter the marketplace. It’s a way for us to give a benefi t to our NFT holders and to vet who comes into the marketplace, which is for the safety and security of our farmers. And it’s a way to give opportunities to people to be part of the community, anonymously if they desire, and you just have to buy membership once – it’s not that diff erent from the old cannabis collectives.”
Hype Vs Opportunity
Reiman sees two diff erent types of NFT projects popping up in cannabis. One type of project is like what Crypto Cannabis Club is doing—authentic experiences, community, and excellent benefi ts that make the NFT a worthy asset.
“This is the future for cannabis companies, and it’s a great way to reach our communities because even SMS texting is shutting us down,” she says. When you’re promoting an NFT instead of a psychoactive plant, it’s a diff erent story.
“The other type of project we’re seeing in the cannabis space, which builds on what I call the phase one of NFTs, is all fl ash and no substance. People are trying to capitalize on the sexiness of weed, but they don’t
really know a lot about it. They think they can create NFTs that appeal to stoners, but when you look underneath the hood, there isn’t anything there.”
The Importance of Education
To help fi ll those NFT knowledge gaps Reiman has teamed up with Lisa Snyder, cofounder of Tokeativity, for a virtual education series hosted by Women Employed in Cannabis.
“Web3 and NFTs are like the early days of the internet, where people are like, ‘inter-what?’ Amanda and I are trying to educate people, especially women and BIPOC folks, so they get to know it, and it’s not as scary,” Snyder says, who has been building websites since 1995 and was early to embrace NFTs, starting her own collection out of curiosity.
Snyder, a trained graphic designer, is also the artist on the upcoming thric3 project. This project will have 9,999 NFTs, each NFT in has unique variations based on a theme, some rarer and more valuable than others.
“This is still the early days of NFTs, and like with early internet, there’s going to be a lot of experimenting. The fi rst experiment was to make art and see if people would buy, and they did,” she says.
The Future of NFTs
Both Snyder and Reiman believe NFTs will continue to rise in popularity over the next few years, as an integral part of safer digital transactions, community building, asset ownership, and new investment opportunities.
However, the space still requires a degree of caution on all sides. For instance, NFTs for cannabis breeding or community-owned cannabis companies open up a whole new can of worms when you consider the “fuzziness around federal and state cannabis laws combined with the fuzzy laws around NFTs and securities. Is it a company and are people buying shares and what does that mean?” Reiman asks.
Reiman explains how the Sacred Garden project required a ton of background work on legal issues, understanding what was allowed, and untangling hairy questions around crypto-based revenue versus traditional revenue. The space is still really new, and people have to be careful, she says, but that doesn’t mean NFTs aren’t worthwhile.
“If the cannabis industry taps into this now and starts educating themselves about it, they’ll have an amazing opportunity to connect with Generation X and Z and Y. That’s all the people who are embracing this technology,” Snyder says. “They’ll be looking at cannabis companies and asking about Web3 projects. If you’re like, ‘Web3? What’s that?’ you’re going to be out of touch.”
—Lisa Snyder, graphic artist, cofounder of Tokeativity
Giving Meaning to Giving Back
Nobody’s Home focuses on the concept of family and community on an even playing fi eld, centered on social equity and the local economy.
obody’s Home has love
Nfor their surrounding community and it shows. From their practices, etiquette, and culture love is embedded in the brand’s DNA. The fl agship store, owned by native Michigander and former NBA player Wilson Chandler, is offi cially open for business and offers much more than your standard cannabis shop. Located in the beautiful city of Benton Harbor, Michigan, the Black-owned dispensary has been a stepping stone for raising awareness as the largest minority-owned branding conglomerate in the state.
“We offer quality deals that are targeted for the average everyday consumer,” says Marwa Babiker. With a focus on community, Nobody’s Home offers local products in-store and is focused on a competitive yet fair advantage for everyone in the cannabis industry. Nobody’s Home carries their own fl ower strains and pre-rolls while also hosting trusted brands from other local vendors. This practice encourages equality and has provided an outlet for sales and employment for the entire Benton Harbor community.
Wilson is dedicated to giving back to his beloved hometown and its residents. Unlike other dispensaries in the area, Nobody’s Home offers a specialized experience as well as a variety of quality products and pricing applicable to all communities and budgets. To celebrate the grand opening, Nobody’s Home will host a ribbon ceremony with the SW Michigan Regional Chamber of Commerce. This establishes the brand in the community and aligns with an overall mission to diversify the community in all areas.
As users of cannabis themselves, Nobody’s Home exudes a passion for their top-quality products, offering clientele an experience-based, factual education. It all adds up to a unique dispensary encounter that cannot be matched. With online ordering and a full menu, customers are awarded hassle-free shopping, no matter what state you are from.
Nobody’s Home is located at 90 W. Main Street in Benton Harbor, MI.
Be safe, enjoy, and burn slow. Respectfully, Wilson Chandler
Nobody’s Home
Cannabis Dispensary nobodyshome.com
Pot Roast
The quest for a perfect pot pairing begins the same way a perfect day begins: with co ee. TEXT JEN BERNSTEIN
WEED+
In this brand-new segment, Sensi searches for weed’s perfect pairing. What is it about coff ee and cannabis that makes it the perfect combo? It’s such a powerful pairing that many of us choose to start our daily routines with a brew and a blaze. The band Sublime famously sang “I smoke two joints in the morning,” which is exactly how Amsterdam’s Queen of Hash, Mila Jansen chooses to get going. “For me, every day I smoke two joints with my fi rst coff ee,” she says. Amsterdam, of course, is home to world famous coff ee shops where ganja and java are intimately linked.
But is there some type of scientifi c explanation behind why we’re so passionate about coff ee and weed? I decided to dig in and learn more. To that end I connected with a super knowledgeable source on the subject, Tony Bowles, an avid cannabis-and-coff ee consumer of 20 years who works with Sava, a premier women-, LGBTQ-, Latinx-owned cannabis marketplace based in San Francisco. Bowles is also the creator of terpenefl ashcards.com, an educational tool that helps you learn all about terpenes. Here’s what I learned:
Cannabis and coff ee have a powerful con-
nection. Caff eine gives you that jolt of energy, while cannabis has the ability to take the edge off . Together they create a mellow, yet productive kind of balance.
Coff ee houses have been around since the
Enlightenment. In the 18th century groups like the Club des Hachichins (Club of the Hashish Eaters), a Parisian circle dedicated to the exploration of drug-induced experiences, popped up and quickly included such literary lions as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Charles Baudelaire, Gérard de Nerval, and Honoré de Balzac.
Coff ee and weed both stimulate creativity.
Research reveals that cre-
ativity is associated with the brain’s frontal lobe, and cannabis consumption increases cerebral blood fl ow.
There’s a link between cannabis, caff eine, and
metabolism. A study in the Journal of Internal Medicine found that the more coff ee you drink, the fewer blood metabolites are found in the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS helps regulate essential bodily functions such as mood, appetite, stress, infl ammation, and sleep, and more.
Coff ee naturally contains a variety of
compounds, including caff eine, antioxidants, and terpenes, which contribute to both the beverage’s unique fl avor and the well-researched physiological eff ects of coff ee.
Coff ee and cannabis both have terpenes
and terpenoids, which primarily make-up the essential oils of many types of plants and fl owers, including cannabis and coff ee, so when you smell coff ee brewing or the waft of some skunky weed—that’s the terps.
SOCIAL SMOKERS
Here’s what Twitter’s #potheads have to say about the magical combo of Weed+Co ee:
There is something about coff ee and cannabis that is extra special. The mind fi res right up with creativity and a certain clarity that only happens for me in the morning, with that glorious combo.
@j_ian420
The sweetness of the smoke pairs quite nicely with the bitterness of the coff ee. The eff ects are harmonious, both energizing and relaxing at the same time. Nothing quite like the combo.
@elwoodsbrewery
It gets you grounded while it gets you moving!
@dontudoubtme
They bring out the best in each other. Pairing a single-origin with specifi c terps based on their scents and fl avors is like pairing chocolate and wine. For instance, I love pairing a light Kenyan (citrus notes) with a limonene-heavy Sativa.
@randyhofbauer
The defog/refog combo can’t be beat! It’s like a stereo equalizer that levels everything out just right.
@dubfuq
Hippie speedball for the win!
@allthesalsas
You get a little bit of the calm w/ the storm! Coff ee to bring you up and cannabis to even you out and not make you jittery!
@rivamonsta
Focus, Romance, and Retribution. The work you put in, with love, can yield amazing experiences. Rise and Shine!!!
@dezdouglas
They are perfect mirror of each other, coff ee revs you up while cannabis takes the edge off and helps with my motivation too.
@harpua666
Seriously the greatest substance combination on Earth
@andymagnes
STHE SCENE HIGH SOCIETY
Smoke on the Water
The Michigan Cannabis Community joined Sensi along the shores of Lake Michigan for connections, conversations, and of course some ne cannabis! The Annual Canna Cantina Lake Michigan Beach Party is an invite-only, business-to-business networking event. Now in its third year, Sensi is honored to host a veritable who’s who of Michigan’s cannabis industry. On the guest list was a vast array of C-Level Executives, Directors and Managers focused on helping drive wholesale connections and business within the Sensi network. DJ Jodi Dro and DJ Prim were on hand mixing up some great tunes and creating a very vibrant ambiance. Chef Treyson Patrick of Elevated Social prepared a larger spread of Spanish cuisine tting for the Cantina theme of the party. Sponsors included The Hempire Collective, True North Collective, Franklin Fields, The Trap House Company, RKive, The Clear, Lit Labs, RAISE by Comco Wellness, Grapp Lerash, and Emerald Transport. MLive Media Group and Grand Rapids Magazine.
CANNA CANTINA LAKE MICHIGAN BEACH PARTY
WHERE: PRIVATE LOCATION ON LAKE MICHIGAN CREDITS: PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE BUCK, VIDEOGRAPHY BY BRADY GILLIAM, FOOD PREPARED BY CHEF TREYSON PATRICK OF ELEVATED SOCIAL
A Cannabis Masterpiece
The team behind Chronicseur Farms has taken cannabis creation to a new level.
ceeds the recreational-testing standards in order to deliver medical-grade product to consumers. The Farms refuse to deliver anything that is not the cleanest product on the market.
Best of all, they are dedicated to delivering their signature product line, The Chronic, to their fans at affordable prices. Costing a suggested-retail price of $35 per 1/8th ounce, Chronicseur offers several strains of deli-style and prepackaged fl ower that weigh in at over 30 percent THC.
“We are believers in the healing powers of cannabis and want to offer our users an excellent product that won’t break their pocketbooks, unlike other brands,” says co-founder Mike Wilkins. “I have been growing for a long time, and being able to bring a high-quality product to the residents of Michigan is a dream come true.”
Chronicseur Farms recently expanded their pre-roll line to broaden reach and allow their fans to enjoy more cannabis. Their Chronic Sticks fl ower pre-rolls are fantastic, while their Chronic Bombs are kief and terpene infused, dropping over 40 percent THC with each pull. Packed with fl avor, they are the perfect smoke that will step up any experience. Plus they are affordable, costing only $20-25.
rowing exceptional
Gcannabis is an artistic undertaking. Much like a painter in front of an easel or a musician holding his instrument, it requires focus, dedication, and passion for creating something unique. Luckily for the residents of Michigan, the team at Chronicseur Farms brings a desire to grow some of the fi nest craft cannabis in the state every day.
Their cannabis is grown with cultivation techniques that focus on holistic approaches, using benefi cial organisms and natural growing practices to produce some of the state’s highest THC and terpene profi les. By avoiding a sterilized root environment that uses bleaches, acids, and oxidizers commonly used by commercial growers, their products deliver exceptional highs that are loaded with fl avor.
Each bud is hand trimmed and visually inspected in a state-of-the-art facility to ensure that they meet the highest quality standards. That means everything exChronicseur Farms
Cannabis Brand chronicseurfarms.com
