Good afternoon!
My mom went cannabis shopping for the first time in her life last week.
She saw our GreenState story about transdermal patches and had to try one for an old shoulder injury. (She was skiing and a chairlift whacked her. Ever since I was a kid she’s used a heating pad on her back in the evening to relieve some of the pain.)
Our family never had much in the way of money for advanced treatments, and mom is rightfully wary of pharmaceutical fixes. But a cannabis patch? That she could get behind. She called me and asked for some tips, and so I sent her to MedMen OC in Santa Ana after looking up their menu on Weedmaps.com.
The next day, she called me beaming, “I did it! That place was amazing! I had no idea!”
She found MedMen OC no problem, and the staff was super-helpful, although the transdermal patches aren’t cheap. We figure she can try them out, and if she likes them, we can start bargain hunting for discounts.
“It was like an Apple store,” she said. “It was so nice. I told the sales guy, ‘This isn’t anything like how it was in the ‘70s.’ He just laughed.”
I tell this story because behind the headlines about “Green Rushes” and a billion dollars in tax revenue, there’s a lot of healing going on. Thousands of abstainers like my mom are trying out cannabinoids for pain and insomnia, as an alternative to addictive opioids and sleeping pills. One by one, they’re learning that they don’t need a doctor’s permission to try these products over the counter at recreational stores.
And when the products work, watch out, prohibition. There’s no greater evangelist than a chronic pain sufferer who has found relief. — David Downs
WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT
HighTech Hackathon: California’s newest hackathon focused on cannabis goes down in San Francisco Feb. 10-11. Former Googler Michael Zaytsec and his online community High New York have partnered with female-owned hackathon promoters AngelHack to host a 26-hour event that concludes with a demo and prizes. Tickets are $10 each for developers, designers, entrepreneurs and observers. The event takes place at the headquarters of San Francisco cannabis technology company Meadow at 60 13th St., San Francisco.
MONEY | POWER | FAME
The most powerful woman in cannabis is Lori Ajax, chief regulator for California’s multi-billion dollar marijuana sector. We interview Ajax about the California licensing rollout, and the road ahead, in front of a live crowd of about 700 people Friday as part of the International Cannabis Business Conference at 10 am, Friday Feb. 2. Tickets are $449.
Bloomberg mapped the price of cannabis across the US. Deservingly, Washington DC had the most expensive at $18.08 a gram, versus $9.27 in San Francisco and $7.58 in Seattle.
Women from STEM-related backgrounds are finding their places at the top in cannabis tech. Via Washington Post.
FASHION | ART | DESIGN
Former model Molly Kavanagh could not find cannabis accessories that spoke to her, so she made her own with the same Saffiano calf leather developed and patented by Prada. Take a gander at Kavanagh’s Asche Industries lineup, including the 18K gold vermeil locket grinder.
Is the future of cannabis female? A former staffer of Saturday Night Live chief Lorne Michaels has launched the Venice, Calif.-based Miss Grass lifestyle site this week, GreenState reports.
VIRAL
The #BoycottCoachella movement is picking up steam as more and more concertgoers realize their dollars help prop up cannabis prohibition in America. Coachella’s promoter AEG Live is helmed by 78 year-old billionaire Philip Anschutz, who is a major donor to Project SAM — which champions cannabis prohibition nationwide. Via Freedom Leaf.
WELLNESS | HEALTH
Marijuana as a sex aid? We interviewed sexologist Diana Urman to get the details on why she says ‘yes!’
Cannabis is the foundation of a “breakthrough” treatment for a rare, incurable, untreatable form of epilepsy. The journal Lancet this week reported on the results of GW Pharmaceuticals’ trials of “Epidiolex” which is a cannabidiol-rich (CBD) extract from whole plant cannabis. In a controlled trial, 171 patients saw an average of a 44 percent reduction in seizures. . . . Epidiolex is not available in the U.S., which is why parents of children with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome are moving across the country to access CBD.
Psychiatrist Tracy E. Foose explains for GreenState why less is more when it comes to using cannabis to treat anxiety.
The number one question new customers have at dispensaries? ‘What is a vape cart?’ We dug into the answer.
Your medicine is no one’s business, which is why cannabis breath strips, dubbed sublinguals, are on the rise.
PICKS OF THE WEEK
GEAR: Cannabis consumers love sharing their herb with others, and it’s common to share a single pipe-load. And when sharing, it’s common courtesy to “half” the bowl — that is, light on fire just one half of the fresh cannabis, leaving the other half untouched for your friend to enjoy. Well, hardware makers Phoenician are helping facilitate common courtesy this week with their new “X Bowl.” This X-shaped bowl can hold about a half-gram of flower, and it’s designed to enable four people to get fresh greens off a single bowl. It fits standard 18 millimeter downstems on glassware. . . . TOPICAL: Cup-winners Carter’s Aromatherapy Designs are on the shelves at Hayward’s Garden of Eden with strain-specific varieties like Mimosa, the overall best flower winner at SoCal mega-contest/festival Chalice this past summer. . . . STRAIN: From the team that had the best terpene profile at The Emerald Cup with Tropical Sleigh Ride, Greenshock Farms’ Dr. Greenshock is a 1:1 ratio CBD:THC strain for those looking to ease their way into the exciting world of flowers.
REVIEWS
Looking for a place to begin your recreational cannabis journey? Berkeley Patients Group in Berkeley is a great starting point. Here’s some tips on beating the crowd.
High prices are the bane of California adult-use cannabis legalization, however we found one club in San Francisco that has the cure.
FOOD | TRAVEL
It may be illegal for businesses to make and sell cannabis-infused alcoholic beverages, but that just makes it a great DIY project. Here’s our recipe for cannabis-infused bourbon.
There could be 20 million cannabis-minded tourists coming to California this year, and we got the inside scoop on the first bona fide tour they’ll be taking. . . . Meanwhile in The San Francisco Chronicle, GreenState contributor Ed Murrieta covers the five best spots for marijuana tourism in the state.
NEWS
Marijuana has gone mainstream overnight in California, yet the state is making it harder — not easier — to move tax revenue into state coffers. One call from The San Francisco Chronicle changed a dangerous new tax collection policy. . . . Also, this week, the state’s Treasurer proposed studying the feasibility of a public bank.
In memoriam: Dennis Peron, the godfather of the modern medical marijuana movement, and later one of the driving forces behind Proposition 215, died Saturday at 72.
READ THIS
Grow Your Own: As interest in home-growing surges, authors Nichole Graf, Micah Sherman, David Stein, and Liz Crain offer up a stylish, competent primer. . . . Marijuana Politics: Uncovering the Troublesome History and Social Costs of Criminalization by Michael Hardaway dives into the criminalization of cannabis in US politics.
WATCH | PLAY | LISTEN
Watch: Sebastián Lelio’s A Fantastic Woman opens in limited release in San Francisco next week. Score your tickets for Alamo Drafthouse or the Embarcadero Cinema Center for Friday evening early for sure. . . . Play: The Playstation classic “Shadow of the Colossus” goes high-definition for the current-generation Playstation 4 on Tuesday, and the previews look amazing. . . . Listen: Tincture-makers Humboldt Apothecary are gaining avid followers for their Brain Tonic CBD. Our podcast The Hash discovers why.
FOLLOW
Check out another V-Day gift idea, via infused marshmallow-maker @getmellows.
Celebrate the roots of cannabis culture with the farming lifestyle brand of The Emerald Triangle @wearethefarmhands.
Minnesota piper Michael Ray demonstrates some amazing symmetry in his high-end glasswork @_michaelrayglass_.
Best wishes for a relaxing, rewarding weekend, dd + jimi devine