Cocktail Whisperer
Historically speaking, smoking pure CBD flowers are not to my taste. But when Dave DiCosola reached out to me with some new information on his line of (very cannabis-like) CBD flowers, I thought I should at least hear him out. Because hemp is legal in all fifty states, I can now receive CBD legally at my home. So I got the opportunity to taste through his line.
I was very pleasantly surprised!
Who would have thought that Maryland, the historic and in my vision, a deeply conservative state located only a few hundred miles south of New Jersey. Would they allow cannabis? Well it’s true, Maryland does allow medical cannabis and companies like Curio Wellness are setting the bar extremely high for this nascent industry. Wellness is the name of their craft and their goal in healing ills.
On July 10th (710), the cannabis community celebrates all things concentrates. The terminology goes like this — 710, the word “oil” spelled upside down, is the “stoner” holiday that occurs every year on July 10th. A tongue placed firmly in the cheek of “stoner” lore, 710 has become a full-fledged celebration of all things concentrates and oils; and it embraces the more scientific and technical aspects of the cannabis industry, such as the laboratories that turn flower into oil, the scientists and extractors who are constantly innovating in the space, the tools we use (like the Puffco Peak) to consume concentrates, and the people who adore these methods of consumption. This special day occurs just a few months after the more widely known holiday 420 on April 20th, a day that celebrates cannabis culture and activism. So this year, on this day, take a moment to appreciate the magical fluid we call cannabis oil in all of its many formulations!
Southern University made history on Wednesday by becoming the first historically Black university (HBCU) to release its own line of THC medical cannabis products. The university has more than 12,000 students with over 7,000 based on its Baton Rouge, Louisiana campus. Currently celebrating its 140th anniversary, Southern was founded in 1880. The newly launched product is called AYO which means “joy” in Yoruba a Nigerian language, the line was made possible through a partnership with Southern University’s Agricultural Research and Extension Center and the medical cannabis solutions company, Ilera Holistic Healthcare (Ilera Holistic). AYO is only available in the state of Louisiana and will join Southern and Ilera Holistics hemp-derived CBD line “ALAFIA” which translates to “good health” in Yoruba. Making Southern the first and only HBCU operating in both cannabis and hemp industries.
Cannabis brings amazing personalities to the my column. The way that they find themselves to me is sometimes creative. Take Jenny-Beth Dills, the founder of Kind Cannabis Consulting. She found me on the interweb, Instagram to be exact.
I love the opportunity to meet, socially distanced of course- some of the true luminaries of the cannabis business. It’s amazing to me to see what these talented entrepreneurs have built out of nothing. Michael Tanzer is one of these individuals who have created their own path from virtually a blank slate. I love the line (below) where Michael came to the realization that adults were lying to “us kids” and he started to question everything. Cannabis tends to do that. It opens the mind and teaches humility and creativity. I know it does that for me. This circumstance is clearly not my own experience alone. Others open their minds in similar ways. Michael’s path mirrors my own, but I’m sure he applied himself more than I did.
In recent weeks, nationwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality have drawn attention to the stark racial disparities within the cannabis industry. Advocates have rightfully pointed out the fact that Black individuals are almost four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession and five times more likely to go to prison compared to white individuals, even though both demographics consume the plant at roughly the same rate. It’s no secret that cannabis laws have been historically used by law enforcement to target Black and brown communities. While white entrepreneurs are currently able to legally operate cannabis cultivation and retail businesses, a disproportionate number of Black Americans are still incarcerated for selling the same plant. To make matters even worse, most of these individuals are barred from working in the legal industry even after they are released from prison because of their criminal records.
A medical marijuana pioneer who uses his legal background to address marijuana policy reform as both an attorney and lobbyist, Brady Cobb cultivated his passion for the industry to found One Plant (formerly 3 Boys Farm, LLC) in October of 2018. The publicly-held One Plant, is a boutique-style medical marijuana company and that holds one of the fourteen medical marijuana treatment center (MMTC) licenses in the State of Florida. In building One Plant, Brady and his team of authentic cannabis enthusiasts and experienced industry insiders took a much different, and harder, path than its competitors, namely instead of focusing on opening up retail stores, they focused on building out and scaling up their cultivation facilities. They recognized that they were only as good as the cannabis flower they could grow, and truly live and die by a line from their mission statement; One Plant’s cannabis is grown, not made.
I had the opportunity to share some time over email with Roger Brown, the founder of ACS Laboratory. Roger is an affable gentlemen who exudes the desire to change the landscape of cannabis testing procedures and metrics. Although I am new to the testing world, what Roger’s company does is essential to the very meaning of safe cannabis. His details about testing for Vitamin E, enlightened me. I’m glad that someone tests for this detrimental ingredient that cheapens the entire experience of healing with cannabis. Roger is forthright and crisp in his assessment of the way cannabis is perceived. I’m honored to have the chance to learn something new and unexpected. Thank you. Warren Bobrow
Warren Bobrow=WB: Please tell me how you discovered the plant? Who introduced you? How old were you? Where did you grow up? Now?