Sensi New England December 2021 by Sensi Magazine

CANNABUTTER DO IT? Elevate your dessert game

WOKE, NOT WASTED All about the buzz-free buzz

NEW ENGLAND DECEMBER 2021

GREEN YANKEES Local sustainable cannabis practices that are painting the town

HO HO…OH NO!

Last-minute gift guide

SCAN HERE

216 N. King Street Northampton, MA 01060 142-A Southbridge Street Worcester, MA 01608

www.Trulieve.com

PLEASE CONSUME RESPONSIBLY. This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding may pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the influence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The impairment effects of edible marijuana products may be delayed by two hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact the Poison Control Hotline at 1-800-222-1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. For use only by adults 21 years of age or older.

Fighting for freedom is Join the revolution at norml.org

You do you. We do cannabis. Recreational & Medical Cannabis in Massachusetts Framingham | Hudson | Pittsfield shop our cannabis products online: shop.ma.temescalwellness.com Please Consume Responsibly. This product may cause impairment and may be habit forming. There may be health risks associated with using this product. This product may cause impairment and may be habit forming. This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding may pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the influence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The impairment effects of Edibles may be delayed by two hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact poison control hotline 1-800-222- 1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA.

NEW ENGLAND SENSI MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2021

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FEATURES

Green Yankees

New England companies lead the way in the sustainable cannabis movement.

Woke, Not Wasted

They say they’re not alcoholics, and they’re certainly not anonymous. What is sober curious—and can sobriety really be fluid?

DEPARTMENTS

13 EDITOR’S NOTE 22 THE LIFE Contributing to your health and happiness 14 THE BUZZ PIE IN THE SKY This News, tips, and tidbits to keep you in the loop

CANNABIS UNDERGROUND

Little Steven’s new wellness line SEASON’S GREETINGS

Cannabis Holiday Cards SUPERIOR JOE CBD Coffee

Pods

HEMP HYGGE Comforting

Candles

WEIRD SCIENCE

A Cannabis Biotech Fair in Boston

infused pie crust recipe will elevate your dessert game.

CONTAINING THE TROPICS

Easy-breezy houseplants add an instant island vibe.

50 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip hangouts around town

SENSI’S LAST-MINUTE GIFT GUIDE Gifts so good

they’ll think you spent a year planning them

ON THE COVER

Brendan Delaney, director of cultivation at Solar Sustainable Cannabis Co. in Somerset, Massachusetts PHOTO COURTESY OF SOLAR CANNABIS CO.

54 THE END The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, sets the scene for an oldfashioned Christmas.

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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 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 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

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 365 Recreational Cannabis Dispensary: Recreational, Santa Rosa Green Unicorn Farms CBD Hemp Flower Humboldt Grow Tech Smart Ag Tech 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 Uleva Hemp Products Vaper Tip Vape Supply & Consulting Wana Brands Edible Gummies 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

NEW ENGLAND 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, New England 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

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Magazine published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC.

When I sat down at

my desk this morning to

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write this letter, the calendar on the wall caught my eye. It didn’t seem that long ago that I sat in the same spot writing my editor’s note for Sensi’s December 2020 issue, talking about how relieved I was that the year, with all its trials, was nearly over. So many things happened in 2021, it flew by. Having the opportunity to get vaccinated this spring, my family and I were finally able to visit loved ones we hadn’t seen since 2019. My adult daughter moved back home after living away at school for five years. We replaced our car, which we’d driven for more than a decade, and traveled again. Sensi also relaunched in print this summer, and after nearly a year of having a work schedule that was spotty at best, it now seems like I’m busy all the time. Approaching the end of the calendar year marks the beginning of the holiday season. If you’re looking for a unique gift for someone you care about, or for yourself, you’ll find ideas in this issue, including a new line of cannabis and wellness products called Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary. Created by legendary rocker Steven Van Zandt with the help of Massachusetts cannabis company Canna Provisions, the new brand’s offerings—which include everything from scented candles to pre-rolls— are designed to lift stress and help you relax. Inside, you’ll also learn about the measures some New England cannabis companies are taking to reduce their carbon footprints, including a solar-powered cultivation facility on Massachusetts’ South Coast, an energy-efficient cannabis greenhouse recently built by a cultivator in southern Maine, and a Boston company that makes sustainable containers for cannabis wholesalers and retailers. It’s my hope that these companies will inspire other businesses, both in the cannabis industry and outside of it, to do the same.

Having the opportunity to get vaccinated this spring, my family and I were finally able to visit loved ones we hadn’t seen since 2019.

Happy Holidays,

Emilie-Noelle Provost @Emilie_Noelle

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Cannabis Underground Steven Van Zandt, a.k.a. “Little Steven”— one of the founders of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a radio host, an author, and an actor—has always been something of a renaissance man. In his latest undertaking, Van Zandt partnered with Canna Provisions, which has retail locations in Lee and Holyoke, Massachusetts, to launch Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary. Van Zandt, who has long been an advocate for the legalization of cannabis at the federal level, says his new product line (named for his popular satellite radio channel) was inspired by the pandemic and the stress it has caused for most people. Underground Apothecary products include holistic teas, cannabis edibles, and candles meant to boost users’ immune systems, reduce anxiety, and enhance feelings of wellbeing. Van Zandt’s line also includes high-CBD, low-THC cannabis pre-rolls handmade using Canna Provisions’ proprietary Smash Hits strain. Rather than producing a recreational “high,” this strain is designed to boost the human endocannabinoid system and foster a sense of wellness. littlesteven.com

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF LITTLE STEVEN

Legendary rocker Steven Van Zandt launches wellness line with Massachusetts-based Canna Provisions.

CONTRIBUTOR

Emilie-Noelle Provost

BY THE NUMBERS

PERCENT The percentage of Americans who report falling asleep before midnight on New Year’s Eve SOURCE: 6sqft.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAINE CANNABIS GIFTS

SEASON’S GREETINGS

Spread the joy with cannabisthemed holiday cards. Maine Cannabis Gifts, an online shop selling products made in the Pine Tree State, is offering three new greeting card designs for the 2021 holiday season. Ideal for sending good tidings to cannabis fans, or to anyone who appreciates lighthearted humor, the whimsical 5x7-inch cards are printed with soy ink on recycled cardstock and come in boxes of 10. $25. mecannabisgifts.com

Superior Joe

Enjoy the benefits of CBD-infused coffee at home this winter. Let the snow fly. Flower Power Coffee, an artisanal roaster in Framingham, Massachusetts, has created a line of CBD-infused coffee k-cups that java lovers can order online and have delivered to their front doors. Available in light, medium, and dark roasts, each k-cup delivers 25 mg of CBD. According to the company, Flower Power’s k-cups also contain 46% more coffee than most other brands, resulting in a richer, more flavorful brew. $34.95. flowerpowercoffee.com

$85.2 BILLION The all-time-high dollar amount spent by Americans shopping for gifts online during the 2019 holiday season SOURCE: US Census Bureau

The number of years that the play Black Nativity by Harlem Renaissance playwright Langston Hughes has been performed during the holiday season in Boston SOURCE: blacknativity.org

“SMALL CHEER AND GREAT WELCOME MAKES A MERRY FEAST.” —William Shakespeare

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THE BUZZ

HEMP HYGGE BILITIES Warm up your winter evenings

BY STEPHANIE WILSON, EDITOR IN CHIEF

1 CANNABIS is America’s fifth most valuable crop, earning more for farmers than cotton or rice, according to a new report from Leafly Holdings, Inc.

2 A NEW STUDY FROM HEADSET, a Seattle-based cannabis research firm, found that Gen Z is the fastest-growing segment of the cannabis-buying public, with a sales surge of 127 percent in 2020.

3 MASSACHUSETTS RECREATIONAL SALES have surpassed $2 billion in less than three years since the first legal sale there.

with these comforting candles. Winters in New England are all about staying cozy. This attractive 15-ounce jar candle, infused with the relaxing aromas of hemp oil and Earl Grey tea, is sure to brighten up any long, cold night. Part of Colonial Candle’s Manly Indulgence series, each candle is made in the US from 100% soy wax and features two long-burning cotton wicks. These make great gifts for the men in your life or for anyone who enjoys the soothing scents of citrus, black pepper, sage, cedar, and musk at the end of a stressful day. $26. colonialcandle.com

4 ONE IN FOUR ADULTS in the US. currently smokes cannabis— or at least has tried it in the last 12 months, according to a study by yougov.org.

5 SIXTY-FOUR PERCENT OF CANNABIS CONSUMERS believe that if more people embraced the herb, the world would be “a better place.” So says that same yougov.org study.

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLONIAL CANDLE

6 POINT IS, people like pot. And I like alliterations. That’s all.

THE BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS IN THE WORLD CANNOT BE SEEN OR EVEN TOUCHED. THEY MUST BE FELT WITH THE HEART.” —Helen Keller

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Want a sample of our work? You’re reading it. Em Agency is proud to be the creative force behind Sensi’s award-winning visual style. We build brands we believe in—the brand you believe in can be next. emagency.com

THE BUZZ

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCR LABS; ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF PIXABAY

VOX POPULI

Question: What do you look forward to most during the holiday season?

GEORGE DUNN

BETH KNIGHT

JIM DOUGLASS

BARBARA ANDERSON ED O’CONNOR

EMT, Portland. ME

Special Education Teacher, Worcester, MA

Basketball Coach, Boston, MA

Marketing Professional, Concord, NH

IT Administrator, Providence, RI

___________________

For me, it’s always the food. Most of the year, I try to eat healthy, but during the holidays I usually eat whatever I want.

I look forward to seeing my siblings and cousins. We all live in different parts of the country and it’s the one time of year when we see each other.

I always look forward to the time off. It’s great to spend time relaxing with my wife and grandkids.

Our family’s annual New Year’s Eve party. It’s great to have fun without worrying about the gifts.

For an entire day on Christmas, I get to put my phone and computer away and not look at them.

Not Your Mother’s Science Fair

Biotech meets cannabis at this first-of-its-kind event in Boston.

Christmas can’t be bought from a store. Maybe Christmas means a little bit more.” —Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Cannabis testing firm MCR Labs in Framingham, Massachusetts, has partnered with Worcester-based Cannabis Center of Excellence and Boston University to host the inaugural Cannabis Science Fair. The event on December 11 at Boston University’s BUild Lab in Brookline will showcase cannabis-related innovations and scientific studies in Massachusetts with the goal of driving collaboration and advancing knowledge about cannabis’ potential use in pharmaceuticals. Admission is free but pre-registration is required. ma.mcr.labs.com

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The Mother of All Cannabinoids

plant that convert CBG into CBD or THC and so forth. You can think of CBG as that additional source of balance and relief when your typical CBD intake is not cutting it. A recent patent application by GW Pharmaceuticals shines a light on the many possible therapeutic uses of CBG. Its list of areas in which CBG can help is impressive, including various pain-related issues, depression, movement disorders, autoimmune disou may have recently are CBG, CBN, CBC, and THCV, which eases, cancer, and a whole spectrum heard talk about CBG is still very rare. These cannabinoids of other problems. hemp products. Maybe all have unique and profound effects The reality of CBG—and all cannathis is entirely new infor- on our physiology which can ultimate- binoids—is that there is a great need mation for you. Either way, you should ly help us improve our wellness. CBG for more research to be done to unlock know more about the mother of all is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid all of its secrets. There’s a fantastic cannabinoids. CBG is a minor cannabi- and will not cause any high or intoxi- opportunity for discovery, innovation, noid found in hemp, meaning it’s found cating effects. However, in one study, and healing in the hemp space. That’s in the plant at low concentrations. CBG was found to be a potential why the team at RopaNa Wellness When most people think of hemp and neuroprotectant which means that stays at the forefront of cannabinoid cannabis, they focus on CBD and THC. it could preserve neurons and resist research to develop new formulations But that leaves a whole host of other oxidative stress. while staying grounded in the ancient compounds out of the conversation, CBG is nicknamed the “mother of wisdom from the plant itself. many of them cannabinoids. There are all cannabinoids” because all other 120-plus cannabinoids found in canna- cannabinoids were once CBG before bis/hemp, but we can only measure a being converted into their own unique few of these today. chemicals. Without CBG, there is no RopaNa Wellness The minor cannabinoids becoming THC, CBD, or any cannabinoids at all. Holistic CBD Company Based more available on the hemp market There are enzymatic pathways in the ropanawellness.com

What is CBG and why is it unique? The team at RopanNa Wellness explains.

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This infused pie crust recipe will elevate your dessert game. 22

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PHOTO BY BRENT HOFACKER VIA ADOBE STOCK

Pie in the Sky

According to the experts at San Diego’s March and Ash cannabis dispensary, cannabis is an extremely versatile plant, and one easy way to unlock its powerful effects is baking with cannabutter. Butter that has been infused with cannabis flower, also called “cannabutter,” is a simple do-it-yourself way to prepare edibles at home. Cannabutter has many uses in cooking, including cookies, sandwiches, desserts, and pasta. Read on for a recipe to make your own cannabutter, which can then be incorporated into a pie crust recipe for the holidays … or really any time that’s appropriate for pie, which is the same as saying any time at all.

Cannabutter

Makes about 16 servings / Recipe from March and Ash / marchandash.com

INGREDIENTS

10 grams flower

1 cup unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 245°F. Place 10 grams of flower on a parchment-lined oven tray. Bake for 40 minutes. Rake the flower after 15 minutes to ensure even heating. Coarsely grind baked bud into a slow cooker set to low (under 200°F). Add the unsalted butter, stirring the mixture every 15 minutes. Cook for 3 hours on low. Allow to cool for a few minutes, and strain into jar or container using cheesecloth and a funnel. Refrigerate until ready to use in recipe. Potency The exact potency of made-at-home cannabutter will depend on many factors. No two batches will be exactly the same. You may want to test your final product by spreading ¼ teaspoon on some toast and wait two to three hours to see how that batch affects you. Use that as a dosage barometer and increase or decrease the amount used in each recipe as desired.

Cannabutter Pie Crust Makes 1 pie crust

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 2⁄3 cup cannabutter (see

recipe above) 5–7 tablespoons cold water 1 egg white

PHOTOS (FROM TOP) BY ALONA, 2GREENEYES VIA ADOBE STOCK

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine flour and cannabutter into a mixing bowl. Use a knife to cut the cannabutter into the flour. Add salt and water, mixing until a dough forms. If not using immediately, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours. If ready to make your pie, roll out dough on a flat surface, between two pieces of lightly floured parchment paper. Shape into a 9-inch pie pan, leaving a half inch of dough overhanging. Pinch overhang around edge of the pan and brush the dough with the egg white. Let chill in the freezer for 30 minutes. Fill your pie with your favorite filling: pumpkin, apple, pecan, or even a refreshing fruit blend—baker’s choice. Bake according to pie recipe instructions D EC E M B E R 2021

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THE LIFE GARDEN

Containing the Tropics PHOTO BY NEW AFRICA, ADOBE STOCK

Baby it’s cold outside, but these easy-breezy houseplants can add an instant island vibe to your home no matter what’s happening out there. TEXT DIANE BLACKFORD

Your dreams for a Caribbean getaway this year get dashed by a pandemic that closed the country’s borders, too? While it’s not quite the same as frolicking on sugary soft beaches flanked by palm trees and lapped by shimmering turquoise waters, I’ve done my best to turn my apartment into a tropical oasis with

palm trees and verdant foliage growing out of every available space. You can do the same, and I highly encourage it. Plants provide oxygen, clean the air, and are shown to elevate levels of happiness. Not to mention if you get enough of them growing, you’ll raise the humidity in your place—something everyone needs. Trust me,

your hair, skin, sinuses, too can grow some palm and more will thank you trees a mile high. for adding more moisture Everyone can be a to the air. tropical gardener, and My apartment’s large thanks to the housesouthern-facing windows plant-crazed millennials deserve a lot of credit for demanding more—and helping to transform an more exotic—greenery empty apartment into to grow in their homes, a lush landscape, no it’s easier than ever to doubt. But even if your cultivate a true island place rarely sees any divibe indoors—even in rect sunlight at all, you the coldest of climates. D EC E M B E R 2021

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Infuse Your Holidays With a Little Extra Cheer!

Imagine having everything you need to make your own infused edibles this holiday season! Green Goddess Supply has teamed up with Butter Brewer and Chef extraordinaire Carolyn Alexander from @LoudGirlGoodies to provide you with everything you need — the Armoire home grow system to grow your own flower, the Butter Brewer infuser appliance, and a selection of decadent, mouth-watering recipes from @LoudGirlGoodies. It’s like having a mini dispensary in your own home! This holiday promotion won’t last long, so act now and save $100 off the bundle and follow along with recipes for cookies, cakes, cinnamon rolls, oils, butters, tinctures and more! Visit www.thearmoire.store for details!

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Photo credit: Holy Smoke Photography

off the bundle

THE LIFE GARDEN

PHOTOS VIA ADOBE STOCK

(Fun fact: the fifth-coldest temp this country has ever recorded was in Maybell, Colorado, when it dipped to -61°F on February 1, 1985. As I write this, it’s 14 degrees outside and the temps are falling into the single digits tomorrow, making Denver one of the coldest places in the country right now.) “It may be a little tricky at times, but adding that special warmth and color to your home definitely can be done,” confirms Andrea Haywood, a certified master gardener from South Florida. While Jack Frost is not a friend to most greenery native to climates where temperatures hover above 75°F, we’ve rounded up some of the easiest tropical plants that you can

grow indoors all year long. You can find these varieties and others like them at your local garden center, where the staff can

help you pick out the right its uncanny resemblance type for your home’s light to the feathered creature and offer tips to help you with the same name. care for the tropical trans- The unusual shape of its plant. So take your green flowers makes the plant thumbs out of your gloves a superb conversation and get growing on your starter that adds a welown tropical paradise. come burst of color to any household where it Bird of Paradise (above) blooms, which doesn’t happen without a TON This colorful plant species got its moniker from of natural sunlight. But even without the namesake flower, the large plant adds a ton of tropical flair to any room, thanks to its glossy leaves fanning out. Bromeliad (left) There are over 3,000 species within this standout family of tropical plants. Most have bold leaves that are often colorful, but many bromeliads’ most distinguishing characteristic is an exotic flower spike. Given the long-lasting blooms D EC E M B E R 2021

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THE LIFE GARDEN

Dracaena Marginata (below) Often called the dragon tree, the spiky houseplant is native to Africa. The tricolor cultivar, also known as the rainbow plant, adds an instant island vibe to any household with its pink, cream, and yellow stripes on narrow, green leaves. Hibiscus (left) Huge, dramatic blooms up to eight inches in and ornamental foliage, among the easiest to grow, diameter add terrific you may assume these and you can find varietsplashes of color (albeare high-maintenance ies in all shapes and sizes it short-lived) to this houseplants, but you’d be with different preferences shrub. It needs plenty of mistaken. They tend to be for light and heat. water and well-drained

soil to survive, and it needs lots of sunlight to bloom, which it can do from late spring through fall in the right conditions. You can find versions with flowers in a dizzying array of colors, making it easy to match your home’s color palette. If you don’t have bright, direct sunlight, don’t let that stop you from adding this stunner to your collection. Keep it indoors during the winter then move it to the balcony or porch when it warms up outside to enjoy its seasonal blooms.

PHOTOS VIA ADOBE STOCK

EDITOR’S CHOICE: PONYTAIL PALM The cascading curls flowing from the top of this plant just make it seem like all sorts of bubbly fun. It’s technically a succulent, not a palm tree, but we won’t tell if you don’t. A native of the dry desert states of eastern Mexico, it does well in low humidity, and its bulbous base stores water like a camel’s hump, making it a good choice for people who tend to neglect their plants.

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This product has not been analyzed or approved by the FDA. There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast- feeding may pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the influence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The intoxicating effects of edible products may be delayed by 2 hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact poison control hotline 1-800-222-1222 OR 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA.

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Custom-Built Cultivation Cultivation is complex, and it takes the right construction to get the job done right.

he most crucial part of the cannabis industry is one that most consumers never see: cultivation facilities. Complex and highly engineered, with intricate systems that rival laboratory buildings, each cultivation facility must be custom-built to meet the exact requirements of the grow team. Cultivation facilities need to match specific programs and approaches to cultivation. Vantage Builders understands this, having brought its commercial construction expertise to the cannabis industry in 2016, when it built one of the first cultivation facilities in Massachusetts. The firm’s cannabis construction team has the experience to get cannabis entrepreneurs from “seed to sale” as quickly as possible,

while staying on budget and adhering to government regulations. Building a successful facility starts with assembling a design team and detailed planning meetings through which all cultivation areas are mapped. Floorplans prioritize the flow of product and people to ensure no cross contamination between strains. The design team ensures that plants move in an efficient path from cultivation in a mother room, propagation, and vegetation room to a flowering room, and then to areas for drying, processing, packaging, storage, and shipping. During the build-out, each room is outfitted with the state-of-the-art systems needed to support the grow process, including intricate lighting— and mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fertigation, and CO2 systems—all

calibrated to create optimal growing conditions. Advanced lighting systems mimic the sun’s natural light. Cultivators often utilize building management systems (BMS), which integrate and automate the control of electricity and HVAC systems, to create the perfect environmental conditions for each individual room, including temperature ranges, light schedules, RH percentages, CO2 levels, and irrigation events. Fertigation systems allow growers to deliver nutrients carefully and efficiently to the growing plants at the soil level. Recognizing that utilities, chiefly electricity and water, are among a grower’s largest expenses, Vantage Builders can incorporate sustainable systems into each design, including solar energy and water collection and re-use that maximize every drop. “There is something very simple, very humble about the idea of growing any plant,” says Margaret Cachel, Vantage Builders’ director of cannabis. “But it’s certainly not that simple with cannabis cultivation facilities! We enjoy working with every grower to determine how to create a unique facility that carefully supports their method of cultivation.” Commercial cultivation is a complex and complicated business. It’s a fun business, no doubt, but it demands a serious environment to maximize yield, ensure consistency, and deliver the highest quality cannabis. So let Vantage Builders worry about tiered growing systems, whether to use LED or metal halide lighting, and how to integrate the BMS with the fertigation system properly. You’ll enjoy the results.

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is New England cannabve companies’ innovati e practices lead th e industry’s nationwid e quest to become more. sustainabl TEXT EMILIE-NOELLE PR

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tial size are in operation 24 hours a day. Enormous HVAC systems, cooling fans, and irrigation pumps maintain consistent temperature and humidity levels. A June 2021 report compiled by the Amherst, Massachusetts–based Northeast Sustainable Cannabis Project revealed that indoor cannabis cultivators in Massachusetts currently use 10 percent of the state’s industrial electricity. And then there’s the packaging. Strict regulations governing the design of retail cannabis product containers, including child-proofing and labeling requirements, have

made manufacturing cannabis packaging that’s recyclable and sustainable difficult—a problem made even more complicated by municipal regulations dictating what materials can be recycled, rules that often differ from one state to another. Several companies in New England’s rapidly expanding cannabis industry (recreational-use sales are set to begin in Vermont next May) are coming up with innovative ways to reduce their carbon footprints, setting the stage for the region to become a trendsetter in the sustainable cannabis movement.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SWEET DIRT

Successfully growing cannabis of reliable quality indoors requires a lot of energy—up to 2,000 watts per square meter, nearly 40 times the amount of energy needed to grow indoor crops like lettuce, according to an August 2021 article published by Politico. In fact, cannabis cultivation is America’s most energy-intensive business, consuming more than one percent of the nation’s electricity, states a 2012 industry report. In order for cannabis cultivators to maximize profits, complex indoor lighting systems that help plants grow to their maximum poten-

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We Build So You Can Grow Cultivation Facilities and Dispensaries As leaders in cannabis construction, Vantage Builders has the expertise to get cannabis entrepreneurs from groundbreaking to growing to sales, on budget and on time. We have successfully delivered over 500,000 sq ft of cannabis construction projects.

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REBUILDING FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Sweet Dirt Medicinals, an organic cannabis cultivator based in Eliot, Maine, is taking a unique approach to creating sustainable products. After its former cultivation site was destroyed by fire in 2019, the company began construction on an energy efficient 32,800-square-foot greenhouse. Completed last January, the greenhouse is the largest one of its kind in the state. According to Sweet Dirt’s website, the eco-friendly building uses the sun’s natural light to grow an estimated 12,000 pounds of high-quality cannabis annually, while offsetting energy use by up to 50 percent. Sweet Dirt’s greenhouse is heated using a combination of biodiesel, solar electricity, and biofuel, and includes other eco-friendly innovations such as a water-saving drip irrigation system. And because Sweet Dirt grows organically, it doesn’t use chemical fertilizers or fungicides that can seep into ground water and harm the environment. Other cultivators have abandoned growing cannabis indoors altogether. Theory Wellness, which operates dispensaries in Massachusetts and Maine, partnered with an organic farm in Sheffield, Massachusetts, to grow cannabis outside, the old-fashioned way. The farm is the first licensed outdoor cannabis cultivation facility east of the Mississippi. D EC E M B E R 2021

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G N I K N I H T E R PACKAGING

nity to do things differently.” All Calyx’s containers are reusable, recyclable, or both, and are made using processes such as injection molding that reduce waste and minimize energy use. Bazirgan says the company’s products meet standards for what most municipalities’ recycling programs can handle, and that Calyx encourages customers to reuse containers whenever possible. “Our containers are made to be reused,” she says. “The longer they’re in use, the less impact they have on the environment.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CALYX CONTAINERS

New England companies that manufacture cannabis containers are increasingly designing environmentally friendly product packaging. Calyx Containers, based in Boston’s Allston neighborhood, is one of them. “The company was founded on the principle that packaging should be sustainably designed,” says Colette Bazirgan, Calyx’s sustainability manager. “Cannabis can be a leader in sustainable products and practices. It’s a unique niche market that’s rapidly growing. There’s a lot of opportu-

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Absorbing the sun’s rays Since its launch in 2019, Solar Sustainable Cannabis Co., a cannabis cultivator based in Somerset, Massachusetts, has been a leader in the effort to make New England’s cannabis industry greener. According to the company’s website, Solar is the nation’s only “energy independent” cannabis cultivator. It generates its own electricity on- and off-site using solar arrays and cogeneration units. If the company makes more electricity than it needs, it sells excess energy back to the grid. These practices have been so

successful that the company offsets more than 60 percent of its carbon emissions. According to Derek Gould, director of marketing and communications at Solar, these efforts have also kept the company’s overall operating costs down, while resonating with consumers and creating brand loyalty at the same time. “We’re seen as trailblazers in the industry. Even people on the West Coast know who we are,” Gould says. “Our mission is to eventually bring the sustainable business model we’ve created here into other states.”

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Greener policies Policy makers in some New England states are also playing a role in the greening of the region’s cannabis industry. A recently implemented Massachusetts regulation requires large cultivators to reduce their electricity use to no more than 36 watts per square foot. Efficiency Maine, a state government office that oversees ratepayer-funded grant programs that help homeowners and businesses upgrade their systems and infrastructure to reduce energy costs, has extended eligibility for its grants to cannabis cultivators. And in Vermont, the Cannabis Control Board has created regulations that incentivize outdoor cannabis cultivation, both for en-

“IT’S NOT JUST A ‘NICE TO HAVE’ ANYMORE. BECAUSE OF THE STIGMA CANNABIS STILL CARRIES, THERE’S A LOT OF PRESSURE ON COMPANIES TO DO THINGS BETTER THAN THEY DO THEM IN OTHER INDUSTRIES— TO BE ECOFRIENDLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE.”

vironmental reasons and to help protect the interests of the state’s small growers in light of an anticipated influx of large cultivators who may set up there once the state’s adult-use market is up and running next year. As Anneliese Brosch, Calyx Containers’ brand manager, says, cannabis companies are leading the way in sustainability. “They’re doing it voluntarily, but there’s definitely a demand for it in the market. It’s not just a ‘nice to have’ anymore,” she says. “Because of the stigma cannabis still carries, there’s a lot of pressure on companies to do things better than they do them in other industries—to be eco-friendly and socially responsible. A lot of eyes are on us.” D EC E M B E R 2021

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WOKE, NOT WASTED They say they’re not alcoholics, and they’re certainly not anonymous. What is sober curious—and can sobriety really be fluid?

drink badly, and I have a lot of fun doing it (when I remember). That’s a lethal combination, and when you throw in my unfortunate discovery of White Claw—I can drink as many as I want and never feel full!—I flamed out with alcohol last winter. On February 1, just as everyone else was celebrating the end of Dry January and just ahead of the Summer of the Claw, I swore off the seltzer. I figured I’d give myself one month (note: the year’s shortest) to reset. It wasn’t an easy 28 days, but when March 1 rolled around, I felt better than I’d felt in years. The chronic inflammation I had attributed to everything from gluten sensitivity to genetics was

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clearing. I saw the light, and there was no going back. I thought sobriety would be lonely, that every Saturday night would be Netflix. I forgot the Brett Kavanaugh generation isn’t in charge of culture anymore (thank God). Millennials and Gen Xers aren’t interested in swilling beer until they black out like we did in the ’80s. Sober is sexy—or, as hipsobriety.com says, “sobriety is the new black.” On Instagram, there are influencers such as @stylishlysober, @thesoberglow, and the darker @fucking_sober and hashtags like #soberliving, #soberAF, and #sobercurious. Millie Gooch, who posts as @sobergirlsociety,

encourages her nearly 60,000 followers with inspirational messages like “Mocks not cocks” and “Sobriety: a surefire way to improve your wellbeing and your Uber rating.” Just like that, I’m a cool kid— with a huge range of new options on Saturday night (and beyond). I’m exploring elixirs made with raw cacao, maca, and horny goat weed at Tonic Herban Lounge just a few blocks from my home in downtown Boulder (I can walk home after imbibing, and it amuses me that I don’t need to). I can do yoga and shake it before dawn at a Daybreaker dance party (daybreaker.com) in Denver, one of 27 cities where the alcohol-free early-morning rave pops up and invites people

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TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

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to “sweat, dance, and connect with ourselves in community.” I’m surely not alone in this realization that life is better without booze. Worldwide, alcohol consumption fell by 1.6 percent last year. Led by young people, heavy-hitting countries like Russia, Canada, Japan, and the UK are seeing drinking rates as well as tolerance toward intoxication decline. An international survey found that about a third of people wanted to reduce their alcohol intake because of everything from sexual regret and embarrassment to physical health. A 2018 survey found that nearly 40 percent of global consumers want to drink less for health reasons. In the U.S., CNBC reports, 52 percent of adults are trying to lower their alcohol intake, and

APPS FOR THAT Loosid: Digital platform for sober dating, destinations, and meetups Sober Grid: “The world’s most popular mobile sober community” Twenty-Four Hours a Day: Inspiration through daily meditations

underage drinking has steadily declined in the last 10 years. But only 21 percent of U.S. adults in a CivicScience poll said they had any interest in drinking less or not at all, and most of those were 21- to 34-year-old, vegan-leaning flexitarians who practice yoga and consume cannabis daily. Women, especially those in their 30s and 40s, are drinking more than ever. Booze still rules for most Americans, and “increased stress and demoralization” is actually pushing more women, minorities, and poor people to the bot-

tle, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry. The national Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that 17 million adults in the U.S. are alcohol dependent, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says one in six binge drink—defined as drinking four or more drinks over two hours or until blood alcohol reaches 0.08—nearly once a week. For this White Claw guzzler, that definition is, well, sobering. I called that happy hour. Giving up alcohol isn’t a hashtag for a lot of people. It’s not D EC E M B E R 2021

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SPIRITS FOR NEXT-GEN PARTIERS The joke goes that nonalcoholic drinks are like listening to porn on the radio, but times have changed. They’re the CBD of the alcohol world. Nonalcohol (NA) beverages are a bright spot in a declining alcohol market, and their sales are expected to grow 32 percent in 2022, according to a Bon Appetit report. Today’s creative, health-inducing craft beverages are a lot more than just alcohol-free.

BEER Athletic IPA: Robust alcohol-free craft brew Heineken OO: The OG’s first NA brew O’Doul’s: Anheuser-Busch’s classic has new limited-edition meantfor-Instagram cans by local artists in New York, Chicago, and LA.

WINE Napa Hills: Blend of fruit-flavored water and VitaRes (antioxidant blend with resveratrol, red grape skin, and red wine extract) with as many antioxidants as red wine O.Vine: Grape-infused wine water with “the health benefits of the real thing”

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SPIRITS Curious Elixirs: Individually bottled alcohol-free craft cocktails High Rhode by Kin: “Euphorics” made from nootropics and adaptogens, including 5-HTP, rhodiola, and caffeine Ritual Whiskey: “As a veggie burger is to beef, or almond milk is to dairy, Ritual is an alternative to traditional whiskey.” Seedlip Spice 94: Gin-like blend of Jamaican allspice berry, cardamom, and citrus peel Stryyk: “Zero-proof spirits,” including Not Vodka, Not Rum, and Not Gin Three Spirit: “Social elixir” made from yerba mate, lion’s mane, damiana, and cacao

even a choice. As Sean Paul Mahoney writes on The Fix, a website about addiction and recovery, “I didn’t get sober to be cool. I just got sober to stop dying.” A LITTLE BIT ADDICTED? “Sober curious” became a thing after HarperCollins released Ruby Warrington’s Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol in 2018. Warrington also has a podcast, runs Club Söda NYC (featuring sober events like Kundalini Disco), and stages events. Her take is that a lot of Americans might not have a “problem” with alcohol but see it as getting in the way of their healthy lifestyles. “We eat well. We exercise. We meditate,” the press release for Sober Curious states. “So, why do we…still drink?” Warrington wants to know why the only people who don’t drink are the ones who can’t and asks, “What if I am just…a little bit addicted?” Call me old school, but a little bit addicted sounds a lot like a little bit pregnant. I worry that people who shouldn’t will take the advice of John Costa, who writes on twentytwowords.com that being sober curious is like being bi-curious—you don’t always hook up with people of the same sex, and you don’t have to cut out drinking forever. “Be sober half the time,” he writes, “and sauced the other half.” He’s joking, but those are dangerous words for me. That’s the life I was living: sober by day + tanked by night = balance.

SOBERING STUDIES

ALCOHOL ACCOUNTS FOR NEARLY 1 IN 10 DEATHS OF PEOPLE AGED 15 TO 49 AND IS THE LEADING RISK FACTOR FOR DISEASE AND PREMATURE DEATH. Source: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

BINGE DRINKING RATES IN STATES WHERE CANNABIS IS LEGAL FELL TO 9 PERCENT BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE AND 11 PERCENT BELOW NONLEGAL STATES IN 2016. Source: Cowen & Co.

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Like all disorders (and pretty much everything in our culture), alcohol use runs on a spectrum. I was at the end that spent hours upon hours researching whether drinking while on this antibiotic would really make me projectile vomit and scoffed at friends as they struggled through Dry January, Dry July, Sober September, and Sober October. I wasn’t interested in giving up drinking for any reason or any amount of time— until I had to give it up for life.

Warrington, who sees reducing alcohol intake as another step in the wellness revolution, is at the other end of the spectrum—and she is aware of the difference between recovering from alcohol addiction and feeling better during yoga. I hope all of her followers are, too, because the last thing most drinkers need is a loophole. I want to believe the trend Warrington is leading toward spirits-free activities and thoughtfulness about alcohol’s

role in our culture—where every ritual, celebration, loss, entertainment, and even sporting event is cause for a drink—is not a trend but a movement. That we’ll look back at “mommyjuice” like we shake our heads at “mother’s little helper” pills from the ’60s and ’70s. The infrastructure to support sobriety is being built, and public opinion is turning. After centuries of going hard, America is getting woke, not wasted. Cheers to that.

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

Robyn Griggs Lawrence is the author of the bestselling Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook and Pot in Pans: A History of Eating Cannabis.

SOBERING STUDIES

A BRITISH STUDY OF DRY JANUARY ABSTAINERS FOUND THAT 82 PERCENT FELT A SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT, 62 PERCENT SLEPT BETTER, AND 49 PERCENT LOST SOME WEIGHT.

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The Last-Minute Gift Guide Gifts so good they’ll think you spent a year planning them.

Bearbrick Aroma Ornament, $110 2. Hannah Candle in His and Hannah, $85 each 3. Wary Meyers Hippie Hollow Candle, $36

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF NORDSTROM

Is the thought of holiday panic shopping for the people in your life who deserve a lil token (tokin’) of appreciation from you this year getting you down? Don’t fret my pet. A recent study found that a moderate amount of procrastination can actually enhance creativity, providing the procrastinator extra time to generate novel ideas. So you weren’t waiting until the last minute—you’ve been waiting for inspiration to strike. And here it is. If you missed Sensi’s 2021 Holiday Gift Guide last month (or if you missed the window to order the items on it for arrival before, like, Martin Luther King Jr. Day), you’re still golden in our book. If it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would ever get done. Or so we’ve heard. So we’ve packed our Last-Minute Gift Guide with all the thoughtful goodies you can give (or hope to receive).

PHOTOS: 4 BY EMMA ANZELONE; 7 COURTESY OF JACOB MAY

4. Kanha Nano Sugar Plum gummies, $18 5. Pet Releaf Edibites CBD Soft Chews, $28 Use the code PAWLIDAYSPR30 for 30% off site-wide and free shipping. 6. Koan Cannabis Cordials, $30/3 7. Sanctuary Dab Tabs, $40 8. Glass Distractions Cobalt Cup Set, $340 9. Unity Hemp Beverage Six Pack, $42

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THE SCENE

10. Simon Miller Scrambler Chelsea Boot, $540 11. Higher Standards x Revelry Companion bag, $55 12. The Skateroom x Andy Warhol Campbell’s Soup Colored Skateboard Deck, $220

13. Ashish Sequin Flared Drawstring Trouser, $2,059 14. RopaNa Wellness Beanie, $24 15. Nike Blazer Mid ’77, $100

PHOTOS 10, 12, 13, 15 COURTESY OF NORDSTROM

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THE SCENE

16. LuxeRolls Luxe Rose Heart Cannon, $25 17. Invincibowl + Invincipole, $30, $45 18. Suprette Missing Clipper Lighter, $10 19. Purejuana Cannabis-Infused Soluble Powder, 10-shot box starting at $19

20. GanjaGold Blue Pocket Tarantula, $42 21. F. Miller x JAM Earth Burners, $98 22. LuxePak StashPak, $20 23. Stone Road Roll-Your-Own Pouch, $50

18 PHOTOS: 17 BY JEFF HOUKA; 20 BY KEVIN ENGBERG; 21 COURTESY OF NORDSTROM

22 21

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Holidays on Main Street TEXT EMILIE-NOELLE PROVOST

The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, synonymous with the holidays. Massachusetts, has been a respite Rockwell’s famous painting of for travelers since 1773. But it the town’s Main Street decked wasn’t until 1967, when Stockout in holiday finery is what bridge resident Norman Rockmany people picture when they well painted “Home for Christthink of an old-fashioned Amerimas” (Stockbridge Main Street at can Christmas. Christmas) for McCall’s magaToday, the holidays are the zine, that the inn’s image became Red Lion’s most popular season. 54

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Guests from around the world book reservations up to a year in advance for a chance to sit by the roaring fire in the lobby, sip mulled wine on the hotel’s covered front porch, and soak up the grandeur of the more than 30 holiday trees decorated throughout the property.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STOCKBRIDGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

For many, this iconic Massachusetts hotel embodies the spirit of the holiday season.

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Please consume responsibly. For use only by adults 21 years of age or older. Keep out of the reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding may pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the influence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The impairment effects of Edibles may be delayed by two hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact poison control hotline 1-800-222-1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA.

Sensi New England December 2021

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