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January 20, 2021
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The pleasant lack of roommate-induced cabin fever have had the fun privilege of learning from them.” In the few months that Petersen With the stay-at-home orders due to has lived in his house, he said he has the pandemic, some students worried that learned multiple profound life lessons. “For example, one of [my roomevery morning they would have to wake up and do online schooling in a living mates] spent their entire quarantine space that they had to share with people with their best friend, and now they they did not respect or like. However, they absolutely can’t stand each other,” Pewere pleasantly surprised by how much tersen said. “It’s really eye-opening to how too they have much time bonded with can ruin their housing relationcompanions. ships.” Joshua PeBrook tersen, a senior It is really cool to hear Monteith, majoring in his work, and since I’ve an educacomputer scition junior, ence and mathmoved in I have learned a has had a ematics, only bit about making music, very differknew one of ent experihis five roomBut that’s not all I have ence. Monmates when he had the fun privilege of teith signed moved into his her lease new home. learning from them. in Febru“It was ary and, at weird trying the time, to get to know - Joshua Petersen, a senior mahad no idea them during joring in computer science and she would quarantine, mathematics be isolated but I feel lucky with her because they roommates. are all chill and “I knew pretty much both of keep to themmy roommates, so I didn’t feel overselves,” Petersen said. One of Petersen’s roommates is whelmed when I found out I was going an artist and spends most of his time to be trapped with them,” Monteith said. “I just had to assume and trust that they creating new music. “It is really cool to hear his work, were safe and that we would take all the and since I’ve moved in I have precautions we needed to.” Monteith preferred being isolated in her Ellearned a bit about making music,” Petersen said. “But that’s not all I lensburg apartment over her childhood home. RachelAnn Degnan Senior Reporter
“I love my family, but the two things Brown said he was pleasantly surI am most excited about to have here in prised by how friendly and accepting his Ellensburg over my home is the internet roommates are, and he has continued to and having my own space,” Monteith pursue a friendship with them. said. “I hang “Recentout a lot with ly, we went [my roomup to Snomates], but qualmie Pass we also reand hit the spect personmountain I love my family, but the al space, and together,” it prevents us Brown said. two things I am most from over“We havexcited about to have whelming en’t had any each other.” problems here in Ellensburg over Montewith workith said she ing online my home is the was also either beinternet and having my extremely cause we grateful for just commuown space. her roomnicate with mate’s cat, each other - Brook Monteith, who providand let othjunior in education ed comfort ers know when she we are in a felt alone. meeting. It “The cat makes the is so nice to whole evhave around erything oneven if she does steal our blankets,” line part of college a bit more bearable.” Monteith said. “There is just a presence Brown is excited to continue always in the apartment, and some- making memories with his roomtimes that is really comforting when I mates, and he suggests that othfeel alone.” er people put in the effort to Ben Brown, an aviation junior, lives get to know the people living in a dorm with his three roommates. in your home. “At first, since we were in the “Reach out to them, if you can, bedorms, we had to mask up and keep fore you move in. Find some common to our [individual] rooms for about interests and try to find things you a week,” Brown said. “Now, when can do together,” Brown said. “Doing we have everything done, we hop this will make it easier to communion to one of our roommate’s TVs cate and stay civil throughout your and play Xbox games together.” time together.”
Local businesses invest in CBD products David Snyder Staff Reporter Cannabis Central Store Manager Margaux Ulstad wouldn’t call cannabidiol (CBD) a “super chemical,” but because of its many believed medical benefits, the business has found a diverse market for its CBD products. “[Customers are from] all across the board; from the 21-year-old who has test anxiety to grandma who has arthritis,” Ulstad said. “I’ve literally seen every age, every gender, [come in] for just CBD.” Ulstad said people with chronic ailments, like cancer, commonly use it. Or, like Ulstad herself, some just use it to help with common ailments like pain, stress and anxiety. “My best description for a good CBD feeling is kind of like sinking into a hot bath at the end of a long day,” Ulstad said. Part of the cannabinoid’s allure is its non-psychoactive properties. According to Ulstad, many customers gravitate to CBD because they want the perceived benefits of cannabis but don’t want to get high. She said she believes there is still a strong stigma toward marijuana and the psychoactive compound in cannabis called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Because of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp-derived CBD products that contain 0.3 percent or less THC are federally legal. Many are looking to capitalize on the new market, including cosmetic companies, culinary companies, and now, apparently, mattress companies. Posted outside Cramer’s Home Furnishings on Main Street is a sign which
reads, “Try our CBD infused mattress.” Store manager Greg Maes said he doesn’t know much about the product, despite having it displayed on the sales floor for two months. “We brought it in on a recommendation from the manufacturer,” Maes said. “CBD is all the rage these days – I think that’s why we have it.” According to its manufacturer, Therapedic, the B-Calm Solace mattress incorporates CBD through a topical coding and “microencapsulating technology.” Therapedic’s website states that “research and anecdotal evidence suggests that CBD may help with both falling asleep and staying asleep,” although it doesn’t mention how the CBD in the mattress enters and affects a user’s body. So far, Cramer’s hasn’t sold a single Solace mattress, and Maes said customers have reacted indifferently to the bed. Ulstad is skeptical of the mattress, mostly because the product uses hempbased CBD and doesn’t incorporate THC. She believes CBD products need a good ratio of THC in order to achieve their desired effects. By contrast, Marijuana-based CBD products, which are legal in Washington state, contain some THC. “They act as a catalyst to each other; they work better together than they do apart,” Ulstad said. “There are receptors in the brain – and in your body, in your system – for THC. [There aren’t] any for CBD. So, the THC helps the CBD bond to those receptors as well.” According to Ulstad, at legally licensed cannabis dispensaries like Cannabis Central, most CBD products sold contain varying amounts of THC.
Photograph by Casey Rothgeb
Several retailers now carry hemp-based CBD products as interest in them grows.
Some of her best-sellers are a deodorant-stick-like topical called “Dragon balm,” fruit jellies (candy), oil tinctures, oil capsules and mints. She said the most popular products are those with a heavy CBD ratio (much more CBD than THC). Another dispensary in town with a wide selection of CBD products is The Fire House on South Canyon Road. Sales associate Travis Tucker said the store has sold everything from bath bombs to medically infused sriracha sauce. Does your dog need something to mellow out? The Fire House sells tinctures of CBD oil for them too.
“The fact that we have some in stock right now is crazy. It flies [off the shelves],” Tucker said. “Pretty much anything you could put marijuana in, companies are doing it now.” Tucker believes the stigma toward cannabis is slowly fading. In his time with the store, he’s seen customers (generally from older demographics) go from shopping for CBD products solely to experimenting with other stuff around the store. “When you mix [CBD and THC], it’s just better… the stigma is going down, for sure,” Tucker said. “We have something for everyone.”
