Sensi Magazine - Las Vegas (March 2019)

LAS VEGAS

THE NEW NORMAL

WHAT’S IN A NAME? Cute Labels Dilute Strains

S P RIN G IN G

A HE A D

New Trends Have Arrived FRE S H

FACE S

Diversity in the Cannabis Industry

{plus}

HEALTHY BLOOMS BRING THE GARDEN INDOORS

3.2019

A new life is always on the horizon.

Red Rock Fertility Center is Nevada’s 1st & only boutique-styled center. We specialize in personalized physician care & expertise in an intimate and cozy setting.

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 3

4 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 5

ROCKSTARCHEFZ

www.RockStarChefz.com

ROCKSTARCHEFZ

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ISSUE 3 // VOLUME 2 // 3.2019

FEATURES 32

SP EC IAL R EP OR T

The Strain Game

When it gets down to it, strains aren’t the best way to let customers know what they’re getting.

38 “R U Hiring?”

How not to get a job in the cannabis industry.

24 HEALTHY HOME HARVEST Grow your own flavors to share.

every issue

20

09 Editor’s Note 10 The Buzz 14 NewsFeed

HISTORY-MAKING

18 AskAngie

UP IN THE AIR

20 TasteBuds

DICHOTOMY IN FLAVOR

24 LifeStyle

FROM GARDEN TO TABLE

28 AroundTown

AN OPEN MARKET

48 The Scene

NICHE DINING Ingredients include a tropical island, the high desert, and a Parisian influence.

WINTER 2019 LAS VEGAS MARKET

50 HereWeGo

BY ANY OTHER NAME

Sensi magazine is published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2019 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 7

sensi magazine ISSUE 3 VOLUME 2 3.2019

EXECUTIVE FOLLOW US

Ron Kolb ron@sensimag.com CEO, SENSI MEDIA GROUP

Tae Darnell tae@sensimag.com PRESIDENT, SENSI MEDIA GROUP

Alex Martinez alex@sensimag.com CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

EDITORIAL sensimediagroup

Stephanie Wilson stephanie@sensimag.com EDITOR IN CHIEF

Debbie Hall debbie.hall@sensimag.com MANAGING EDITOR, SENSI LAS VEGAS

Leland Rucker leland.rucker@sensimag.com SENIOR EDITOR

Robyn Griggs Lawrence CONTRIBUTING EDITOR sensimagazine

Dr. Angie McCartney askangie@sensimag.com COLUMNISTS

Julie Monteiro, RN, BSK Reggie Burton, Melinda Myers CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

A RT & D E S I G N Jamie Ezra Mark jamie@emagency.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR

sensimag

Rheya Tanner Wendy Mak, Josh Clark em@sensimag.com DESIGN & LAYOUT

BUSINESS & A D M I N I S T R AT I V E Susan Lugo susan.lugo@sensimag.com PUBLISHER

Daniel Asarch daniel.asarch@sensimag.com Abi Wright abi.wright@sensimag.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS

Amber Orvik amber.orvik@sensimag.com CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR

Andre Velez andre.velez@sensimag.com MARKETING DIRECTOR

Hector Irizarry distribution@sensimag.com DISTRIBUTION

M E D I A PA RT N E R S Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy 8 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

ADVISORY BOARD American Cannabis Company // CONSULTING Bailey’s CBD // PET CBD TINCTURE & TREATS Cohen Medical Centers // MEDICAL CENTERS Crooked Cactus CBD // CBD TINCTURES DigiPath Labs // CANNABIS TESTING Evergreen Organix // PREMIUM BAKED GOODS GreenHouse Payment Solutions // PAYMENT PROCESSING

Ideal Business Partners // CORPORATE LAW & FINANCE

Jupiter Research // INHALATION HARDWARE Libra Wellness // INFUSED GOURMET CHOCOLATES Nevada Powders //

POWDER PROCESSING SERVICES FOR EDIBLES

SPRINGING AHEAD

editor’s

NOTE

If you live in Southern Nevada, you know it is spring when flowers start blooming in the desert surrounded by red clay and rocky terrains. We have a unique climate in Las Vegas because we only have to tolerate one week of genuine cold weather and one week of rain. Even then, the sun is always shining (very few gray, overcast days), and temps remain in the 60’s in the daytime. We love springtime for dining al fresco, sitting by a heated pool, and enjoying the most perfect weather.

It is also a time of renewal and new beginnings. Spring cleaning is not only for changing physical surroundings but can also be for shedding old ideas and embracing new ways. The recent passage of the Farm Bill legalizing hemp on a federal level is one big step towards embracing the new normal. The industry continues to grow, even with its challenges, as more embrace cannabis’ healing powers and other uses.

Voices are being heard with diverse opinions, points of view, and

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a desire to communicate. Diversity colors the cannabis landscape

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as those involved bring their individuality to the table. A new sense

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of hope has arrived despite the continuing chaos in Washington, DC, as people decide now is the time to move forward.

Fun fits the season with bright colors, fruity wines, and classic menu items with a lighter touch. The great outdoors beckons with sunny days and crisp nights underneath a clear sky. New restaurants, upscale shops, and funky bars are opening to new patrons who are ready to experience and explore. Festivals continue to bring the crowds, and with the announcement of new residencies such as Cardi B, Vegas is indeed one of the coolest places to live and visit.

While embracing a pro-cannabis stance, Sensi is part of the mainstream and reaches out with a collective goal to be part of creating a better Southern Nevada to live, work, and play. Thank you for selecting and reading Sensi, either in print or digitally. We look forward to continuing our relationship with you, our readers.

Yours in the new normal,

Debbie Hall

M ANAG I NG E D I TO R SENSI LAS VEGAS

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 9

The

Bayou Calls A cajun life brings southern cooking home.

When French Canadians immigrated to the US, they mostly settled in Louisiana bringing the unique Cajun country cuisine. A Cajun Life tantalizes the taste buds with spicy heat, salt and spice blends, savory onions, and sweet parsley with its product line of seasonings, rubs, and mixes.

The founders began their lives in Cajun country but ended up living in Oregon starting a food truck and

Natural Cycles

Quickstrip delivers vitamins, energy, and relaxation.

In today’s busy world, feeling vitalized, maintaining good health, and getting restful sleep is essential. Rapid Dose Therapeutics, a Canadian biotechnology company, has launched QuickStrip to aid in vitality, energy, and sleep in a revolutionary delivery system.

The technology mimics an intravenous injection for both over-the-counter products as well as uses in pharmacology. The growing firm recently announced its partnership with Apria to expand its products in the cannabis industry to offer a quick-acting strip containing THC or CBD.

four restaurants featuring Cajun cooking. Their packaged goods line now delivers great tasting, authentic Cajun food and lifestyle products to everyone’s kitchen. Best of all, there is no MSG or GMOs with a lower sodium content and naturally gluten-free (except the hush puppy mix). Aromatic vegetable seasoning including green bell pepper, onion, and celery add to the flavor profile.

Its preparation is simple with a rustic touch using three pots. The first pot is for the preparation of the main dish including seafood or chicken. Season steamed rice with its selection of mixes in the second one and add a seasoned vegetable cooked in the third pot. Add hush puppies, and you will be transported to the deep Louisiana bayou.

–Debbie Hall

Visit ACAJUNLIFE.COM for more information.

10 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

Created as a flavor rectangle film placed under the tongue, QuickStrip was developed to create a convenient, rapid delivery. The energy strip delivers caffeine to aid in alertness and focus. B12 can assist with metabolism and physical energy. Melatonin in the strip induces natural sleep to refresh the body and mind. Products are available online and in retail outlets.

–DH Visit RAPID-DOSE.COM/OVER-THE-COUNTER

Attain the Sun Luci smart solar light captures brightness naturally.

Imagine bottling sunshine in a glass container to light the way naturally. MPOWERD has come close with its Luci Smart Solar Light, the first affordable inflatable solar light using clean solar energy. The possibilities for its use are endless to reduce your carbon footprint, save money in utility costs, and harness the sun.

MPOWERD recently released its newest innovation— Luci Smart Solar Light with a Mobile Charger, Luci Connect —partnering with specialty outdoor US retailer REI. Solar energy is stored in a lithium-ion battery and features a two-way USB port for direct and mobile charging with a battery life check feature. MPOWERD introduced Bluetooth connectivity at CES 2019 using an app available on iOS and Android. Some of the features include unlimited color customization, timer, schedule setting, and mood presets along with control of the light’s brightness, hue, and transition speed.

As a component in smart home technology, this decorative solar light fits into outdoor living space as well as interior lighting. For the getting into nature types, this is perfect for camping and other adventures. The company is planning to expand into global markets for locations

PHOTO OF CRAWFISH BY SIDNEY PEARCE // PHOTO OF TEND BY JONATHAN FORGE

with limited or no access to clean, reliable energy.

–DH

Visit MPOWERD.COM for more information.

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 11

Corporate Intrigue This novel combines conspiracy and cannabis.

One of the latest entries in spellbinding fiction, A Walk in the Park by J.A. St Thomas fictionalizes intrigue in the cannabis industry. Cannabis “Green Queen” Stephanie Beroe (St. Thomas’ alter ego) must battle the 1 percent billionaires, search for her missing husband, and plot the course of her future while finding her inner strength and fortitude.

This thriller explores the real life love affair and dark elements of navigating global business through the eyes of Beroe. The story begins with a teambuilding adventure deep in the jungle as shots are fired overhead. The story moves to upscale Laguna Beach and then global travels with high-society parties and the blackest of the underbelly of society governed by political and legal forces. You will have to read it to find out how it ends.

St. Thomas and her husband helped to pioneer cannabis-infused drinks in 2007 as their company Mad Hatter Coffee and Tea Co. (cannabis and CBD infusion company) has expanded nationally. She also is a classically trained singer who enjoyed success in the music field before entering the cannabis industry.

–DH Visit JASTTHOMAS.COM for more information.

smoking, it is the ritual of enjoying fine tobacco usually paired with top shelf cocktails. The founder and CEO of Purple Rose Supply, Sidney Quitorio, as a cannabis and cigar connoisseur himself, has developed a product with a slow-burning, full-flavored roll that lasts for hours. Purple Rose Supply provides an easy-to-use kit that allows you to be the creator of your smoking experience using your favorite strains and wraps.

According to Quitorio, the similarities between a cigar and cannagar include the burn time, which lasts two to

Time for a Good Cannagar Purple rose promotes the cigar experience.

Cigars have always been a part of the culture and cannagars expand that experience. More than just 12 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

three hours. The other subtle similarity is the material used to create it. A cigar is made with tobacco products, and a cannagar is made with cannabis products.

A pre-made cannagar can cost hundreds of dollars with a recent report of a wealthy individual who bought a gilded cannagar for $10,000. The cannagar kit including the mold can create the same enjoyment without the high price tag.

Visit PURPLEROSESUPPLY.COM for more information.

–DH

Reaching Out

Kema Ogden shares her blessings.

For Las Vegas businesswoman and philanthropist Kema Ogden, it’s important to give back to those less fortunate. She opened doors when she became the first female minority person in the state of Nevada to be licensed to own and operate a cannabis dispensary and cultivation business.

Along with co-owning Top Notch The Health Center cannabis dispensary, she co-founded and is the president of the Ogden Family Foundation. This charitable organization provides financial support to other nonprofits directly impacting the homeless, at-risk youth, and foster families. Ogden has recently become the executive director of the Community Outreach Medical Center, a nonprofit community clinic that provides comprehensive healthcare, intensive care management, and collaborative outreach to medically underserved populations in Southern Nevada. The move created an opportunity for The Ogden Family Foundation to partner with COMC in adding healthcare services.

Ogden, who co-founded The Ogden Family Foundation along with her husband and NFL Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden, explains that the mission of the COMC fits perfectly with the foundation’s goal in helping Southern Nevada’s underserved populations receive the education, training, and medical services that would otherwise be unattainable.

The 5th annual Ogden Celebrity Bowl to benefit the foundation will be held at the Red Rock Bowling Lanes inside Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa May 4-5.

–DH Visit THEOGDENFOUNDATION.ORG or NVCOMC.ORG for more information.

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 13

{newsfeed }

by J U L I E M O N T E I R O

HISTORY-MAKING Nurses receive medicinal cannabis guidelines.

Cannabis Nursing, a developing field of nursing, is mak-

(CANNABISNURSESNETWORK.COM ), a professional educa-

ing great strides as the National Council of State Boards

tional platform and support system for nursing professionals.

of Nursing (NCSBN) recently released a comprehensive

In 2014, I realized education was the key to removing

guideline for medicinal cannabis and nurses nationally as

the stigma of cannabis, which sparked the creation of Can-

a special supplement to the Journal of Nursing Regulation.

nabis Nurses Magazine. From there, Cannabis Nurses Net-

We take great pride in being part of the catalyst that

work Conference (CNNC), a platform for evidence-based

made this happen by bringing awareness to the nurs-

education, began leading the way in Las Vegas in October

ing profession. Cannabis Nurses Magazine and Media

2015 with its first in a series of annual conferences for

has been transformed into Cannabis Nurses Network

nurses. These platforms created awareness for the newly

14 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

the gap to the healthcare industry.”

According to Katherine Thomas, MN, RN, FAAN, NCSBN board of directors president and executive director of the Texas Board of Nursing, the lack of guidelines for nurses caring for individuals using cannabis needed to be addressed, and the NCSBN board of directors decided to study the issues. The committee worked for two years reviewing relevant statistics, current legislation, scientific literature, and clinical research on cannabis as a therapeutic agent.

Publication of the National Nursing Guidelines for Patients Using Medical Marijuana marks an important time in nursing history. For the first time, state nursing boards have much-needed guidance at a national level to help structure policy and decisions regarding cannabis-related topics rel-

“Nurses and nursing students must have a basic understanding of the endocannabinoid system, the scientific evidence base related to cannabis and symptom management, and how cannabis works in the body to relieve pain and many other distressing symptoms. Nurses are responsible for knowing the cannabis policies and legislation in their state and are leading the way in bridging the gap to the healthcare industry.”

developing field of cannabis nursing and are still bringing awareness to the forefront of nursing and leading the way.

NCSBN states “nurses and nursing students must have a basic understanding of the endocannabinoid system, the scientific evidence base related to cannabis and symptom management, and how cannabis works in the body to relieve pain and many other distressing symptoms. Nurses are responsible for knowing the cannabis policies and legislation in their state and are leading the way in bridging sensimag.com MARCH 2019 15

16 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

Patients using cannabis needed to be assured of safe access, products and consumption practices. Nurses, in turn, pressured state boards of nursing which turned to the NSCBN for guidance.

evant to each state. Individual state boards of nursing, pre-

nurses who recognized the need for patient safety. Pa-

viously hesitant or waiting for federal approval to address

tients using cannabis needed to be assured of safe ac-

cannabis issues, now have structure and support in imple-

cess, products and consumption practices. Nurses, in

menting changes based on new and nationally recognized

turn, pressured state boards of nursing which turned to

nursing guidelines. This is a profound time in history.

the NSCBN for guidance.

Nurses are the first profession out of the gate to set

When the NCSBN released the guidelines for canna-

national guidelines and have been given the official green

bis patient care, it validated the legitimacy of cannabis

light to become educated in cannabis therapeutics. Educa-

nursing while underscoring the immediate necessity for

tion is the new buzz in the cannabis industry. The NCSBN

medical professionals to gain practical medical marijua-

guidelines allow all state nursing boards, nursing educa-

na patient care education. Once nurses become educated

tional programs, and private educational programs across

in cannabis therapeutics, it will allow for training to flow

the country to implement education for nurses. Overall,

within the medical system and bridge the gap within the

as more nurses become educated, patients will finally get

healthcare system. In time, patients will be able to have a

the assistance they need in cannabis therapeutics from

reliable healthcare provider who is educated on the sci-

properly trained healthcare providers. According to a 2018

ence behind the plant.

Gallup poll, “nurses, the most trusted healthcare professional for honesty and ethics” and are leading the way.

Some say the catalyst that started the NCSBN to conduct its research and guidelines were a small group of

JULIE MONTEIRO, RN, BSK (aka “Nurse Juhlzie”) has been a registered nurse and cannabis educator in the Las Vegas community for more than 22 years. She is founder of the Nevada Cannabis Nurses Association and has co-founded both the Coalition for Patient Rights and Cannabis Nurses Network.

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 17

{askangie }

by D R . A N G I E Mc C A R T N E Y

UP IN THE AIR CBD is everywhere these days. But that can leave you with a lot of questions. Our “ask me anything” columnist teamed up with the experts at Butterfly CBD to provide trustworthy information about the “it” cannabinoid.

Thrilled to hear the cannabinoid combo is working! The federal government, however, isn’t on the same page.

While hemp-derived CBD is now legal in the US thanks to the passing of the 2018 farm bill, THC is derived from the Cannabis sativa plant that remains federally illegal. Which unfortunately means your cannabinoid combo can’t legally cross state lines, never mind international borders.

If you pack it in your checked luggage, will you get caught, arrested, prosecuted? It’s possible. Is it likely? No, especially if the packaging is innocuous. But there is a risk. Our lawyers

“My brain tumor has returned for the third time, and I cannot control seizures with prescription medication alone.

But taking CBD with THC oil at night works amazingly.

Will it be legal to bring it on my flight back to the UK?” —Up in the Air

said we can’t advise it. So, there’s that. The safest option is to procure the medicine you need once you reach the UK. On another note, if you are going to Liverpool during your trip to Europe and you are a Beatles fan, be sure to check out The Cavern Club on Mathew Street. Introduce yourself to Jon Keats, co-owner and manager, and tell him I sent you.

There is also a very interesting publication called The Guide (you can find it on Facebook), which gives great coverage of what’s on in Liverpool. It’s certainly a city of very friendly people with lots of interesting and fun places to visit.

I hope you have a terrific trip.

DR. ANGIE hosts Teaflix Tuesdays on Facebook (FB.COM/DRANGIEMCCARTNEY ), and has a live radio broadcast on the Pete Price Show out of Liverpool on Saturday nights (RADIOCITY.CO.UK ) and on Richard Oliff’s HFM Drive Show on Wednesday afternoons (HARBOROUGHFM.CO.UK ).

THIS COLUMN IS MADE POSSIBLE BY BUTTERFLY CBD, A NEW INFORMATION RESOURCE AND PRODUCT MARKETPLACE ON AN EDUCATIONAL MISSION.

18 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

[FULL DISCLOSURE: SENSI AND BUTTERFLY CBD ARE RELATED COMPANIES.]

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 19

{tastebuds }

by D E B B I E H A L L

DW Bistro

9275 W. Russell Road // Las Vegas (702) 527-5200 // DWBISTRO.COM

DICHOTOMY IN FLAVOR

DW Bistro combines distinctive cuisines to embrace its own style.

20 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

A Las Vegas original, DW Bistro takes the bold step of

any time of day. DW Bistro is for friends, business people, or

creating its own distinctive menu combining the flavors of

date night. The diversity of our clientele mirrors the diversity

Jamaican cuisine and New Mexican regional food in a Pa-

of our menu, which very much reflects the idea of a bistro.”

risian-style restaurant.

DW, their acronym for “Dining With,” represents the

The indigenous people of Jamaica took some of the best

restaurant and brand being created. DW is all about dining

ideas from the Spanish, Irish, British, Africans, Indian, and

with your family, the community, and, most importantly,

Chinese who inhabited the island to create their flavors

the owners. They also consider the name the perfect cul-

and spices. New Mexican food combines traditional Mex-

mination of paying homage to their clientele and to Wilson

ican food and Tex Mex food, emphasizing the differences

as well honoring his successful business DW Catering.

such as chili and chile. A bistro is a small restaurant serv-

Wilson was also DW Bistro’s founding chef, and he cre-

ing affordably priced basic meals (influenced by French

ated a menu full of vibrant, flavorful dishes based on the

home-style cooking) with cocktails.

essence of his upbringing, born in Jamaica and raised in

Bryce Krausman and Dalton Wilson, brothers-in-cui-

New Mexico. Throughout the years, different executive

sine, took this bold concept and opened their original lo-

chefs and chefs de cuisine have come and gone, each

cation seven years ago. As a testament to their success,

learning the DW way while imparting and leaving behind

DW Bistro grew out of its original space and moved to The

a few of their own flavors, takes, and twists on the menu.

Gramercy in the Southwest Valley.

Today Chef Joe Mosconi leads the helm as executive chef.

“There was a risk, though, that we were going into an old

He has not only embraced but also enhanced the bold fla-

building that had sat vacant for a long time,” explains Kraus-

vors of DW Bistro offering a variety of housemade pastas

man. “We were taking a gamble and hoping that we could

and new creative takes on a few of its staple dishes as the

work together to resurrect it. The other risk that we faced

menu continues to evolve into the next phase.

was that even though we were moving only a half-mile away

The chef is continually experimenting with seasonal

from our original location, we hoped people would follow us.”

produce, textures, and flavors appropriate for the season.

Their loyal clientele supported and followed them, and

For spring, the menu will feature new, lighter, fresh pasta

The Gramercy has developed into a bustling community of residents and businesses.

dishes plus some additions to the wildly popular brunch.

“We want DW Bistro to feel like an extension of home.

As for developing their eatery into a bistro, Krausman says,

We are so grateful and honored when our guests decide to

“This is a place where people can gather and enjoy a meal

take the time to leave their home to come to ours, and we

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22 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

take that very seriously. We want them to have a stellar

cake, or the jerk chicken and waffles. We’ve been success-

experience at every level—from the person who greets

ful at making tweaks to the menu to keep up with culinary

them at the door, to their server, to the meal itself,” Kraus-

trends, dietary preferences, and restrictions, and overall

man says. “DW Bistro is a community, a family, and we

palates of our customers, but we’ve done it in a way that

want everyone who dines with us to feel included and like

our customers know, respect, and love.”

they belong here with us.”

Speaking of trends, Krausman believes more dining es-

As for beverages, two standout cocktails are GT&T and

tablishments will offer special menus and fan-favorites

the DW Margarita. Although gin and tonics and margari-

for to-go ordering. People are trying to create dining and

tas are staples on most cocktail menus, these are special.

restaurant experiences at home, and restaurateurs will

GT&T is made with a unique pink grapefruit ting brought in

get into the game heavily. DW Bistro currently uses Post-

straight from Jamaica, and the DW Margarita is made with

mates, but only during dinner hours from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

housemade pomegranate iced tea.

The owners are also reaching out on different mediums

The nice thing about DW Bistro is the consistency.

with a new podcast, Brunch with Bryce, to be launched

“Looking back over the years, the overall brand hasn’t

soon. It will be recorded every week at the restaurant be-

changed all that much. Of course, we’ve changed loca-

fore Sunday Brunch. He plans to talk about the restau-

tions, chefs, and personnel over the years, we’ve made

rant community, relevant news, and events impacting

tweaks and evolved the menu, but there are so many sta-

our community as well as interviewing interesting people

ples of our brand and our menu that have, for the most

from all walks of life. Beyond that, the owners love a good

part, stayed the same, and I’m really proud of that,” states

themed brunch, so be on the lookout for their popular DIY

Krausman. “We have so many customers who have come

@ DW series. DW Bistro continues to evolve but remains

in week after week and ordered the curry bowl, the carrot

a favorite in the Vegas dining scene. sensimag.com MARCH 2019 23

{lifestyle }

by M E L I N DA M Y E R S

FROM GARDEN TO TABLE Spring brings culinary delights and colorful flowers.

Spring is coming, and it’s the perfect time to impress

Valentine grape tomatoes boast of a vivid deep red col-

your guests and nurture yourself. Keep your flower vas-

or with a sweet flavor. Their harvest is plentiful to supply

es filled with beautiful blossoms picked from your garden,

a delicious treat for snacks and salads. Add some purple

add brightly colored foliage using containers, and fill the

with Midnight Snack, a cherry tomato that ripens to red

dinner table with tasty, colorful, award-winning tomato

with a blush of glossy black-purple. In fact, AAS judges

varieties that you grew at home.

have declared Midnight Snack the most flavorful of pur-

Selected tomato varieties are tested nationally by All

ple-colored tomatoes.

America Selections (ALL-AMERICASELECTIONS.ORG ), a non-

Red Racer cocktail tomatoes, the size of ping pong balls,

profit plant organization. Volunteer judges evaluate toma-

are a welcome addition in stuffing and salads and are

toes for flavor, growth, and pest resistance in the garden.

hearty enough for stews and soups.

Judges award All America Selections (AAS) titles to new, non-GMO varieties.

Dress up your salads and sandwiches with colorful Chef’s Choice beefsteak tomatoes. A rainbow of colors

Small tomatoes, such as Firefly tomato plants, are per-

brightens up the relish tray with shades of red, orange,

fect for salads and snacking. The sweet pale white to pale

pink, yellow, green, and now black-fruited varieties. Its

yellow fruit will stand out in the garden, on the relish tray,

flavor combines the right balance between sugar and acid,

or a salad topping. The slightly larger striped Red Torch to-

perfect for eating fresh and cooking.

mato is ideal for slicing, canning, and sauces. The oblong fruit, which can grow to over 1½ inches, is red with thin yellow stripes. Red Torch tomatoes are tasty when picked fresh from the garden. Try cooking them as a sweet and sour cherry tomato sauce perfect to serve over chicken, bread, and green vegetables such as broccoli.

24 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 25

As you plant your garden, add tomato varieties in with

free help planning your additions with the “How to Design

your ornamental plants. A few tomatoes tucked in a flow-

a Cutting Garden� at

LONGFIELD-GARDENS.COM .

The flow-

erbed add color, texture, and interest. Support taller variet-

er-packed spikes of gladiolas are available in a rainbow of col-

ies with decorative obelisks and towers. Patio Choice toma-

ors that will inspire your creativity. These inexpensive bulbs

toes are an excellent choice for your patio, deck, or tabletop.

are easy to plant and take up very little space. Pop them into

Each 18-inch plant can produce up to 100 yellow cherry to-

containers, flowerbeds, or even your vegetable garden. Start

matoes. One fruit-covered plant in a decorative pot can cre-

planting in mid-spring and continue every two weeks until

ate a centerpiece as colorful as a bouquet of yellow flowers.

midsummer for months of colorful flower spikes.

Speaking of floral variations, along with fresh-cut bouquets,

With dahlias, you can choose from dozens of different

seeds, plants, and tender bulbs can dress up a table or guest

flower sizes, flower styles, and colors. For natural, eye-catch-

room. It becomes easy to create bouquets to share with fam-

ing bouquets, plant a color-themed blend such as the Sugar

ily and friends as well as add to the decor of any home.

Plum Mix from Longfield Gardens. Another option is to se-

For early spring flowers, look to spring-blooming bulbs like tulips and daffodils and cool weather annuals like pansies

lect colors that will harmonize with flowers that are already in your gardens such as phlox, sunflowers, asters, and lilies.

and snapdragons. Clipping branches from trees and shrubs

Hybrid lilies are perennial garden favorites as well as

such as forsythia, quince, and Daphne is another good way to

fabulous cut flowers. Plant the bulbs of Asiatic lilies, Orien-

bring spring into your home. Your perennial garden can pro-

tal lilies, and Oriental trumpet lilies in spring for color and

vide bleeding heart, iris, hellebores, peonies, and much more.

fragrance that lasts all summer long. To ensure months of

Gladiolas and dahlias add pizzazz to summer and fall bou-

flowers, be sure to plant a few bulbs of each type of lily.

quets. These spring-planted bulbs combine nicely with oth-

Annuals play an essential role in any cut flower gar-

er summer flowers, and they continue to bloom. Get some

den. Extend your budget by starting zinnias, sunflowers,

Foliage can elevate an ordinary homegrown bouquet from good to great, and your garden can provide all sorts of exciting options.

26 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

larkspur, and cosmos from seed and supplement with greenhouse-grown transplants of snapdragons, celosia, amaranth, and statice. Foliage can elevate an ordinary homegrown bouquet from good to great, and your garden can provide all sorts of exciting options. Incorporate the leaves of perennials such as hosta, baptisia, artemesia, and sage as well as flower-farmer favorites such as bells of Ireland, bupleurum, and dusty miller. Shrubs such as ninebark, boxwood, viburnum, and holly are another source of attractive foliage, and some offer colorful berries as well.

Boost your confidence and eliminate the guesswork by including winning varieties proven for their performance in gardens and containers. AAS rates plants based on their performance, flavor, and unique qualities and offer suggestions for the best edibles and flowers suitable for container gardening.

Pick a color theme. Red, white, and blue combinations are perfect for patriotic holidays like the Fourth of July. Another choice is to select one color and display it in patriotic pots.

Consider Summer Jewel red salvia, Viking XL Red on Chocolate begonia, and Double Fire Zahara zinnia. Add a light, airy

baileyscbd.com @ b a i l eys c b d

touch with Sparkle White guara, and Gypsy White Improved baby’s breath. Evening Scentsation petunia, Strata salvia, and Lavender Lady lavender provide the blue. Add an explosion of texture with fiber optic grass or Fireworks penstemon.

Bring the garden to the party with a few edible containers for a bit of interactive dining. Encourage guests to harvest herbs and vegetables as they create a salad, season their dinner, or flavor their favorite drink. Then dress up the meal with edible flowers like calendulas and Baby Rose nasturtium with its peppery-flavored flowers and leaves.

Make any outdoor wedding, reception, or rehearsal dinner at your home memorable by creating planters that complement the bride’s color scheme. Include white flowers like Summer Jewel White salvia, Mont Blanc nierembergia, Starlight rose zinnia, and Gypsy White Improved gypsophila. White is the perfect neutral and lights up any evening celebration.

Cut flowers and delights from your garden such as tomatoes and edible flowers will create the blossoming of spring indoors as well as outside.

MELINDA MYERS has written more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” gardening DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio segments. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. MELINDAMYERS.COM

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 27

{aroundtown }

by D E B B I E H A L L

AN OPEN MARKET

PHOTO BY HEATHER VALE

Cannabis retail transcends green.

The face of the Southern Nevada cannabis entrepre-

troduced her to CBD. Ashley K. says that cannabis and

neur is changing. While the most significant percentage

crystals combined has worked miracles for her and has

remains male and white, women, Hispanics, and Afri-

partnered with Hempworx to offer CBD oils and products.

can Americans are becoming more prevalent in one of

One of her signature products (developed by Ashley K.)

the fastest-growing segments of the economic boom in

is the Shift kit with bath crystals, bubble bath, shower gel,

Southern Nevada. The challenges are many, the risks can

body butter, and a charged candle—all made in-house

be high, but these entrepreneurs consider obstacles as

using materials regionally or locally sourced with charged

opportunities as they embrace the industry.

oils. Every item in the kit has a purpose following monthly

HACKED BY NATURE

4170 S. Decatur Blvd. //(702) 237-2947// HACKEDBYNATURE.COM

Ashley K. Shift demonstrates her wide range of skill sets at Hacked by Nature retail outlet. Within six months of relocating from the East Coast to Las Vegas, she found the right retail location, obtained proper licensing, partnered

themes such as rose quartz for love.

Hacked by Nature also sells CBD-infused coffee, pet supplies, and branded merchandise celebrating the newest opening in Las Vegas.

BOOMER NATURAL WELLNESS

1311 W. Craig Road // (702) 639-2224 // BOOMERNATURALWELLNESS.COM

with investors, and renovated her space before the grand

North Las Vegas native Eddie Garcia, founder and vice

opening. She is the youngest black female CBD, crystal,

president of operations for Boomer Natural Wellness, has

and herb storeowner and educator in Las Vegas. Ashley K.

brought all-natural, THC-free, hemp-oil-infused wellness

is also a six-figure earner in the network marketing indus-

products to his hometown. Boomer opened its first south-

try, leading a global team with Shift the Stigma and the I

ern Nevada retail location earlier this year, selling hemp-in-

Am the Shift tour.

It is a passion that led her to open the retail space offering the tools to help people get in tune and reconnect with nature. Because she’s a mathematician (with a bachelor’s of science degree in mathematical science), analysis, strategy, and problem-solving dominates Ashley K.’s thinking.

Ashley K. started her career teaching math in Newark, New Jersey when she began to develop health problems, including anxiety, panic attacks, weight gain, and depression.

“Before then, I was never into holistic health, but in time, I transitioned from the classroom to owning my own business that helps people in a different way as well as educates them,” she explains.

“It takes common sense to hire the right people, including management.

I like to surround myself with people who are 10 times smarter than me.”

– Eddie Garcia

Ashley K. developed her entrepreneurial skills and discovered she possesses the drive, stamina, creativity, and determination to succeed in business. She believes in the power of crystals, oils, herbs, and cleansing tools to help on a higher level. It took years of planning and research, but Ashley K. created her brand and took steps to make her vision a reality.

As for cannabis, she emphasizes that she offers herbs and it is just another herb. It is only recently that the owner of Hempworx (grown at a hemp farm in Kentucky) insensimag.com MARCH 2019 29

fused products newly legal in the US after the Farm Bill was passed late last year.

Boomer’s product line includes oils, lotions, tinctures, cosmetics, and pet items to help reduce anxiety as well as ease muscle and joint pain.

As he explains, the healing properties of hemp date back to ancient times, while today hemp is still considered a new concept. Garcia’s first priority is educating consumers while cultivating an understanding of product ingredients and benefits. Garcia employs very stringent guidelines for product purity and rigorous third-party testing and certifi-

SAHARA WELLNESS

420 E. Sahara Ave. // (702) 478-5533 // 420SAHARA.COM

Brenda Gunsallus has been working in the cannabis trenches since the beginning. In 2016, Gunsallus partnered with Stacey Huffman and Alexandria Davis to open the first female-owned dispensary and retail outlet, Sahara Wellness.

An upscale lobby with a serenity fountain welcomes new and returning customers. The trained staff helps guide and educate consumers so they purchase the right delivery system, especially those who are uninitiated to cannabis.

cation. All Boomer products contain zero THC. Garcia admits he was not aware of the existence of CBD or hemp until 2018. When friends introduced him to it, Garcia had to be taught about the differences between THC, CBD, and hemp. Then he heard amazing testimonials of how lives are transformed and became an advocate as well as a businessman.

His parents encouraged him to work and get an education. Garcia’s first job was a paper route at the age of 8, and then he worked in the hospitality industry. “When I was 15, I would get up at 6 in the morning and first go to soccer practice. I would then ride my bike from North Las Vegas to the Stardust [Hotel and Casino] on Strip to go to work,” he says. They were thrilled when he got the job on the Strip, believing it was an excellent opportunity for him.

Garcia eventually transitioned to the real estate industry as he started a family.

When the kids were older, Garcia followed his passion as an entrepreneur operating several businesses.

Even though his formal education ended when Garcia graduated from high school, he tells people he has a Ph.D. in common sense. “It takes common sense to hire the right people, including management. I like to surround myself with people who are 10 times smarter than me. I am a team player, and I listen to everyone’s ideas,” he says.

As for challenges reaching the Latino community, he employs a bilingual staff and is pleased to report the city and his community have embraced him. “Unfortunately, pain affects everyone, regardless of their background. We are here to help, and we care about everyone who walks in the door.”

Garcia has plans to open other brick-and-mortar stores, offer online shopping, and placement of his brand with other retailers.

30 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

Medicinal cannabis is the driving force behind the business. The team takes its responsibility very seriously to help people in pain and suffering from various ailments such as anxiety and inability to sleep very seriously. Sahara Wellness also sells adult-use recreational cannabis, but the bulk of its clients come for medicinal use. Many of the clientele are older and have never used cannabis but want an alternative to prescription drugs, chemotherapy, or radiation.

“We all knew people who needed relief and were using opioids. I thought there had to be a better way, and after

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 31

When it gets down to it, strains aren’t the best way to let customers know what they’re getting.

by L E L A N D R U C K E R

32 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

A CURIOUS CONSUMER ENTERS A DISPENSARY LOOKING FOR

just the right strain

TO EASE BACK PAIN AND GET SOME SLEEP AT NIGHT. “WELL,” SAYS THE BUDTENDER, “WE’VE GOT CAT PISS, PURPLE MONKEY BALLS, AND GREEN CRACK.” WELL, THAT HELPS.

Strains are all the currency in legal cannabis today. Before legalization, you mostly just bought pot, in a plastic bag, with no name attached. (Well, maybe “this is some good shit, man.”) Legendary strains like Acapulco Gold, Panama Red, and Colombian were sometimes around, but those names resided mostly in popular songs and conspiracy theories about cigarette companies taking over the cannabis business.

Today it’s a whole different ballgame. A popular website for information is Wikileaf, whose Strain Library includes thousands of names—Arcata Trainwreck, Orange Creamsickle, 707 Headband, Afghan Cow, Afghan Diesel, Afghan Haze, Afghan Kush, Afghan Skunk, Afghani, Afgooey, Willie Nelson, and Willie Wonka among them— catalogued according to their popularity, common uses and effects, time of use, and percentages of THC and CBD. But does Green Crack, for instance, affect you like, well, environmentally sound cocaine that you smoke from a glass pipe? What does Cat Piss smell like when you burn it? And the Purple Monkey Balls. … Do we even want to go there?

“There’s a strain called Grandma’s Breath,” says Dave Malone, breeder and co-owner of Green Dot Labs, a top Colorado-based extract brand. “The culture finds this fascinating and will embrace that,” he says. “But to the mainstream, they see something like Green Crack and say, ‘I don’t want this.’”

Strain summaries are pretty general and anecdotal in nature. Arcata Trainwreck “is particularly effective against pain, migraine, and nausea.” Green Crack gets its name from cannabis aficionado Snoop Dogg, “Although some still prefer the name Cush to sidestep any unwanted cannabis stigma, the love for this fruity and earthy strain is unanimous.” Cat Piss has a “pungent stench” and consumers either “love it or they’re not fond of it at all.” (There’s even an indica called “Sensi Star” that is 20 percent THC that “smells of a coniferous forest and a citrus lemon” and has been called a ‘one-hit quitter’ and recommended for those with a high tolerance that caught my interest.)

Though it doesn’t track particular strains, consumer trends and marketing data firm BDS Analytics collects and studies data around cannabis legalization. As sales of flower cannabis have lost market share to concentrates, edibles, and vape products, cultivators, brands, and dissensimag.com MARCH 2019 33

34 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

pensaries are increasingly naming new strains to try and

va or indica. (Ruderalis, or hemp, is the same plant bred

differentiate and brand themselves. The company has

for minuscule amounts of THC.) Sativa plants are gen-

seen an explosion in the number of named strains avail-

erally considered tall and skinny and known for their

able. Its database contains more than 41,000 strain names.

seed, fiber, and flowers. Sativas are generally associated

Those numbers, say Greg Shoenfeld, VP of Operations

with activity and creativity, while indicas are thought to

and BDS’s lead analyst, tend to imply that custom names

be bushier, smaller plants and related to relaxing, couch-

could be assigned to strains regardless of genetics, and

lock, sedating effects. And most plants these days are

that, in fact, many of the strain names are of the same or

hybrids, or mixtures of various cannabinoids, especially

similar genetics. “Whether those strains are unique or

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, and CBD, or cannabidiol.

not is a valid question,” he says.

Wait, isn’t cannabis just cannabis?

Researchers have identified more than 100 different chemical compounds known as cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, but the only ones that have been studied ex-

Though nobody knows for sure, most historians date

tensively are THC and CBD—the first identified and most

cannabis and its cultivation back to central Asia at least

prevalent substances in cannabis plants. But cannabis also

6,000 years, and the plant has migrated around the world

produces about 100 terpenoids, or terpenes, which are bred

along with humans over the centuries. It is mentioned

for the fragrances they produce, and we’re just starting to

in every culture, and used as an industrial agricultural

learn how cannabinoids and terpenes work together. But

product for fiber, medicines, and food as well as in reli-

the emphasis today remains mostly on how THC and CBD

gious ceremonies.

perform in combinations together and separately—high

Humans have been cultivating and breeding plants for certain characteristics, and with cannabis, different strains

THC/low CBD, low THC/high CBD and equal mixtures—but nothing for all those other compounds in the plant.

were developed in different geographic areas, climates,

Complicating this is the fact that cannabis, for the

and altitudes. Cannabis spread to western and southern

most part, has been illegal, and grown illicitly, without

Asia and the Balkan and Caucasus mountains, and these

much regard for keeping track of ancestry or lineage,

strains, the result of escaped, or feral, cultivars (plants

and you’re left with a lot of confusion.

grown by selective breeding) were domesticated and bred to survive in local conditions, some for their psychoactive qualities and others for their hemp fiber and seed.

Dispensaries generally define cannabis as either sati-

What’s in a name?

Back in the early days of Napa Valley’s wine industry, legendary vintner Robert Mondavi was producing an sensimag.com MARCH 2019 35

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incredible sauvignon blanc at his Napa estate. A world-

rietal difference that would objectively suggest how a

class wine, he was sure, but at the time, sauvignon blanc

strain might react. “A high abundance compound in a

was about as popular as merlot is now. Meaning, it was

plant, such as THC or CBD, isn’t necessarily responsible

totally unpopular. No one would buy a sauv blanc. So he

for the unique medicinal effects of certain strains,” says

called it a Fumé Blanc, and voila! Everyone would drink it.

Elizabeth Mudge, one of the authors. “Understanding the

There’s some of that going on in the marketing of canna-

presence of the low-abundance cannabinoids could pro-

bis today. Every grower, business, and dispensary is trying

vide valuable information to the medical cannabis com-

to distinguish their products from everyone else’s. There’s

munity. It’s a high-profile, complex plant.”

plenty of competition out there. “It’s a completely arbitrary

Botto says that consumers are already figuring this out as

marketing ploy to give consumers brand equity into that

we wait on more research and information. “Nailing down

strain,” says Malone about how strains are marketed. “Peo-

all those differences is what is happening,” says Botto. “It’s

ple find additional value because they can associate it with

hugely important to be able to map terpenes to systems.”

the memory of music or an image that will trigger that product. It’s a lifestyle, and people gravitate towards that.”

Since there are no real testing standards in place yet, many facilities are only looking for certain compounds,

But research indicates that these terminologies might not

like THC or CBD, which means the results can be unreli-

be as accurate or helpful as we might think. “A lot of people

able. “What they say about a strain is not necessarily true,”

talk about indica and sativa,” says Paul Botto, CEO of Lucid

says Vergara. This is really problematic for medical pa-

Green, an app that lets

tients, she adds, since

consumers

ex-

they rely upon accurate

actly what compounds

know

information to get the

are in their cannabis.

results they need.

“But they are too broadly characterized: sativa as uppity, indica as couch lock. But some indicas with certain terpenes behave like a sativa.”

Dr. Daniela Vergara is an evolutionary biologist

“If you’re in a bad

“Our end ocannab inoid sys different tems are . It’s incu mbent o find wha n you to t makes you feel better.”

—Dr. Dan iela Verg

researching cannabis ge-

ara, Unive rsity of C olorado

mood,

cannabis

can

make it worse. If you just won the lottery, it will make you feel so much goddam better,” says Malone. “It’s the subjective

nature

of

everything. Our endo-

nomics at the University

cannabinoid

of Colorado and founder/

are different. It’s incum-

director of the nonprofit

bent on you to find what

Agricultural

makes you feel better.”

Genomics

systems

Foundation. She says that the current method of determining

Vergara suggests that consumers need to demand

how people might react to a strain is the best we have right

better information. “Don’t be guided by what people tell

now. But her research suggests that just because a cannabis

you,” Vergara says. “Tell them, ‘Show me the terpenoids.

strain in different dispensaries has the same name—Blue

Show me the cannabinoids.’”

Dream, for instance, is a popular strain in Colorado—it doesn’t

As consumers become more informed and begin to de-

necessarily mean they are related. And she has found that

mand better information about terpenes and the way they

the characteristics we generally distinguish as indica or sati-

react with cannabinoids, says Schoenfeld, “It is likely that

va don’t necessarily apply to all plants.

they will be less discerning about the strain name and

She points to “The Genetic Structure of Marijuana and Hemp,” a 2015 Canadian study that found “a moderate

more interested in the cannabinoid and terpene profile of a particular batch and how it might benefit them.”

correlation between the genetic structure of marijuana

That might make that trip to the dispensary a lot differ-

strains and their reported sativa and indica ancestry

ent when you stop in looking for something to relax after a

and show that marijuana strain names often do not re-

long day of work. “We have a special today on a flower bud

flect a meaningful genetic identity.”

with limonene-plus and touches of myrcene and caryo-

A 2017 study at the University of British Columbia also suggests that there really isn’t that much of a va-

phyllene.” Not as exciting as those Monkey Balls, perhaps, but all in all, probably a more satisfying experience. sensimag.com MARCH 2019 37

38 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

HIRING? How not to get a job in the cannabis industry.

by R O BY N G R I G G S L AW R E N C E

Finding your place IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY CAN BE A LONG AND WINDING ROAD.

IN A DYNAMIC ATMOSPHERE, WITH REALITY SHIFTING ALMOST DAILY, IT HELPS TO BE SELF-MOTIVATED AND READY TO DON A FEW HATS YOU NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IN ORDER TO MAKE IT WORK. Nothing on the Irie Weddings & Events website sug-

“They will ask me, ‘Do you think working in the

gests the Colorado-based company is hiring, but owner

cannabis industry will hurt my résumé long-term?’”

Bec Koop gets a handful of emails from job seekers every

Whiteman says. “I tell them, ‘That’s a decision you need

week. That’s not surprising, given that Koop’s company

to make on your own.’” (They don’t get the job.)

shows up on the reg in media venues like Newsweek and CNBC. What is surprising is how many of those emails are written with terrible grammar and a clear disdain for

“That’s not karma. That’s poor planning.”

Anyone who has been building a career in cannabis

punctuation and spellcheck. The best one ever simply had

for any amount of time—and for an industry born less

“R u …” in the subject line and “hiring?” as the message.

than two decades ago, five years is a lifetime—is inun-

“Are you kidding me?” Koop says. “How lazy are you?”

dated with daily requests from friends, acquaintances,

Salwa Ibrahim, executive director of Blum Oakland, a

and, most of all, social media followers for advice about

retail medical cannabis dispensary in California may be

how to break in, even though every mainstream media

able to top that. She and her staff have been saving “Hall

outlet from Forbes to CBS has done that piece.

of Fame” applications since 2012. The winner? “This is

They have a great idea for a project (but never say what it

a great job for me, I think, because it seems to be a very

is), would love to “pick your brain” over coffee (because you

chill job, and as a stoner, this would be ideal.” A picture of

have nothing better to do and just love a good brain picking),

the applicant smoking a joint is included.

or want to know more about what you’re doing (a backward

Nancy Whiteman, co-owner of leading edibles manu-

way of finding out if you’re hiring and a dis to all the work

facturer Wana Brands, is constantly amazed at how many

you’ve put into your LinkedIn profile and social media posts).

people wanna job at “Wanna.” Among those who submit a

Jane West has seen it all. In 2016, West left Women Grow,

decent résumé and cover letter with Wana spelled right

the networking and education organization she founded

and make the cut for an interview, a shocking number

two years prior, to focus on her eponymous luxury canna-

ask a question that takes Whiteman aback every time.

bis accessories and lifestyle brand. When West started her sensimag.com MARCH 2019 39

40 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

Post a cannabis leaf instead of your photo on social media profiles and/or call yourself anything resembling Dank or Dabby.

thinking, ‘they get high, they’ll be cool with it’? No. I am not.”

founder Nancy Whiteman. “The truth of the matter is, we have to watch costs and margins like any other business—perhaps more so.”

Show off your extensive knowledge of growing, Call yourself a “lifestyle brand.” selling, or consuming cannaNo one knows what that means. bis. “Somebody who thinks they know everything will be Parade your problems, perdifficult to train,” says Blum sonal or otherwise, around Oakland executive director professionals on social media.

Salwa Ibrahim.

Relentlessly stalk potential employers and mentors online Use slang terms for cannabis. and in person. If and when you “At this point, it should be do meet your prey, bitterly tell common knowledge that the word marijuana was formed them, “I emailed you.” as a racially motivated tactic.

Show up for an interview There’s no excuse for it in wearing flip flops and smoking an industry built on activism a joint. It happens surprisingly against the drug war,” says often, says Simply Pure CEO Cultivated Synergy co-founder Wanda James. “Would anyone Sebastian Nassau. go to an interview at Coors with flip flops and a beer in Do not make their hand? You wouldn’t do it. stoner jokes.

So why would you come to us It’s 2019.

first company, Edible Events, in 2013, her LinkedIn search

“Many candidates are super excited about cannabis and

for other cannabis companies yielded less than 10 pages of

about the cannabis industry. That’s awesome. So am I. So is

listings. Today there are more than 7,000 pages, and Jane—

everybody,” says Humiston. “But like any industry, like any

who Inc. magazine once called “the most widely recognized

job, companies are looking for what you bring to the table.”

female personality in cannabis”—has over 17,000 followers.

Maureen McNamara, who teaches safe, responsible

Every day, one or more of those connections contacts West

practices to cannabis professionals through her compa-

without any clear idea of what they actually want.

ny, Cannabis Trainers, is appalled at how many people

Fired Help

Tips on how not to get the cannabis career you’re after.

Get in it for the money. “There’s a perception that we’re all printing dollars in the back room and that’s going to flow through to everyone we hire,” says Wana

“They’re reaching out to the world to see what happens,” West says. “That’s not karma. That’s poor planning.”

If West responded to all the inquiries she receives from multiple platforms, she would do nothing else. If you

tell her they’ll do “anything, just anything” to get into the business. “That’s ridiculous,” she says. “I can’t introduce a job seeker to a potential opportunity with, ‘This person will do anything.’ It’s not a winning plan.”

want the busy entrepreneur’s attention, you’d better shoot

Kara Janowsky, who worked in dispensaries before

straight: define what you want in one sentence, don’t kiss

she founded admin company Hired Productivity, says

too much ass, and include a signature with a personal

many people aim too low when breaking into the indus-

photo recognizable across social media platforms.

try. “You don’t need to go for the minimum-wage bud-

“I love weed. I love life. I’m artsy.”

Far too many people—like the Blum Oakland job appli-

tending job, especially if you have a degree and a specialized education,” she says. “It’s a very, very long road if you start from the bottom.”

cant whose résumé read “I love people, I love weed, I love

Conversely, says Sebastian Nassau, co-founder of can-

life, I’m artsy”—don’t understand that breaking into the

nabis networking hub Cultivated Synergy, an inflated

industry requires more than being crazy for chronic. Can-

view of what you bring to the table will get you nowhere.

didates hurt themselves when they go on about how can-

“Having a home grow doesn’t translate into commercial

nabis saved their grandmother’s life while failing to even

cultivation with potentially tens of thousands of plants.

mention their professional skills, says Karson Humiston,

An Instagram model is not a social media expert simply

CEO of leading industry staffing agency Vangst Talent.

because that person has amassed a following.” sensimag.com MARCH 2019 41

42 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

“Trade a job for a jar of seeds?”

If cannabis IS your area of expertise, selling your de-

of dollars ensuring they comply with laws, in an awk-

cades of experience—especially in cultivation—can be

ward spot. Ibrahim tells of another Blum Hall of Famer,

tricky. Vangst Talent lead developer Mike Olson, who

a grower of some experience who sent a long list of the

created a job board that serves as a “safe zone” for canna-

reasons he hasn’t been able to get a job in the industry,

bis companies and job candidates, points out that “some

including an abysmal credit score and a host of personal

companies don’t want to know that you’ve been growing

problems. He ended by offering “a nice jar of seeds.”

weed illegally in your basement for the past 20 years.”

Huminger advises applicants to withhold that information. “Companies that come from traditional industries are uninterested in people who brag that they were criminals.”

“Is he proposing I trade him a job for a jar of seeds?” Ibrahim asks in disbelief. “I don’t know how to work with that.”

“Having a vegan work at a steakhouse.”

Flaunting your illegal activity puts cannabis busi-

On the flip side, says Wanda James, CEO of Simply

ness owners, who spend countless hours and thousands

Pure dispensary in Denver, nothing is more bizarre than people who don’t consume cannabis seeking a job with

“Many candidates are

SUPER EXCITED

about cannabis. But like any industry, like any job, companies are looking for

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TABLE.” —Karson Humiston, Vangst Talent

her company. “It’s the equivalent of having a vegan work at a steakhouse,” she says. “It doesn’t make sense.”

James does not hire non-imbibers, period. “Show me something in this industry that you care about, not that you just want to make money.”

The prevalent belief that everyone in cannabis is making bank—laughable to insiders—has brought gold diggers, business owners, and executives who don’t consume and are clearly in it for the coin.

McNamara can spot people who could care less about the cannabis plant’s wellness and healing benefits and are strictly interested in “the potential or perceived financial windfall” a mile away. As soon as she senses they’re in that camp, she says, “I just dissuade them.”

People often weed themselves out with their own bad ideas. Philip Wolf, owner of Cultivating Spirits, a premier tour company offering cannabis pairing events and dinners in legal states, recalls a conversation with someone he thought was a potential investor, a man who seemed to be getting it as Wolf described Cultivating Spirits’ elegant multicourse dinners designed to gently introduce the mainstream to cannabis’s healing benefits. Then the guy laid out his own vision: blissful from indulging in fine food, wine, and cannabis, they board the bus, settle in, and pick up the strippers.

This non-investor figured that guests who spend $200 on a cannabis-paired dinner would easily throw down another $250 on Crystal and Candy. When Wolf expressed dismay at the idea, the man explained that he was an “in-and-out guy,” someone who “goes in, gets the money, and gets the fuck out.”

“That’s exactly what is wrong with our industry right now,” Wolf says. “The in-and-out guys are coming in, trying to make a buck, and aren’t in this for the bigger picture. But those are also the people who are not lasting in the cannabis industry.” sensimag.com MARCH 2019 43

44 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

As the cannabis industry grows, so does the number of professionals within it, acting as incredible sources of insider info on the trends and issues driving the marketplace forward. The Sensi Advisory Board is comprised of select industry leaders in a variety of fields, from compliance and education to concentrates and cultivation. They are invited to share specialized insight in this dedicated section. This month, we hear from a member in the Pet CBD Tincture category.

FOR A FULL LIST OF ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS, SEE THE MASTHEAD ON PAGE 9.

hemp oil’s overall therapeutic value. Full-spectrum oil is murky and dark in color.

CBD ISOLATE //

This is CBD in its purest form. This

highly processed extraction removes everything recognizable from the hemp plant except the molecule CBD. It is often found in the form of white powder or crystals and can be mixed into nearly anything.

WHAT WE USE // After working with top veterinarians in the field, we have found that the most beneficial and therapeutic hemp oil to use for pets is raw, full-spectrum oil rich in phytocannabinoids that retains as much

HEMP AND CBD FROM A PET OWNER’S PERSPECTIVE When giving hemp supplements to your pet, there are a few critical things to keep in mind.

by J O H N O ’ K E E F E , B A I L E Y ’ S C B D

of the hemp plant as possible. Bailey’s CBD products are all natural, contain no additives or preservatives, and are made with organically grown hemp. This is so important when choosing a CBD-based product for your pet, because at the end of the day, we all want what’s best to help our pets be healthy, age gracefully, and feel complete. A healthy pet is a happy pet!

BAILEY’S CBD IS SAFE FOR YOUR PET //

Because

our products are virtually free of THC, there is no intoxicating effect. However, phytocannabinoids like those found in Bailey’s CBD products are instrumental in our body’s regulatory system and support important functions, such as appetite, digestion, immune function, inflammation, pain, mood, sleep, reproduction/fertility, motor control, temperature regulation, and memory. The overall effect is that the body achieves homeostasis, and all of its systems are balanced.

Full-Spectrum Hemp Oil or CBD Isolate? You might see these terms thrown around when explaining various products said to benefit your pet’s health, and it can be rather confusing to take in. Full-spectrum hemp oil and CBD isolate are two completely different products.

FULL-SPECTRUM HEMP OIL //

This is a whole-

plant extraction with the primary derivative being cannabidiol (CBD), which preserves hundreds of therapeutic compounds from the hemp plant. Other compounds include therapeutic phytocannabinoids such as CBG, CBC, CBN, terpenes, and flavonoids, as well as essential vitamins, minerals, omega fatty acids, and chlorophyll.

All of these compounds have a synergistic interaction with each other (also known as the entourage effect), and the more that are present, the better. This improves sensimag.com MARCH 2019 45

46 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

Build your customer base and reach more women through Ellementa.

• Monthly local events • Emails and online forums • Surveys and consumer insights

Get in touch: sales@ellementa.com | ellementa.com Get in touch sales@ellementa.com / 303.918.8404 /| 303.918.8404 ellementa.com sensimag.com MARCH 2019 47

WINTER 2019 LAS VEGAS MARKET

The design world arrived during the 2019 Winter Las Vegas Market to check out trends in furniture, gift, home decor, rug, apparel, and gourmet food. The Malouf Foundation, part of Malouf (bedding products), encouraged attendees to sign a pledge to combat human trafficking. Pantone announced its color of the year—living coral.

The World Market Center also broke ground on construction of The Expo at World Market Center Las Vegas, a new 315,000-square-foot exhibition facility scheduled to be completed in 2020.

48 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

Where: World Market Center When: January 27-31, 2019

sensimag.com MARCH 2019 49

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by D E B B I E H A L L

BY ANY OTHER NAME Stinko’s Las Vegas delivers sweet scents.

Stinko, aka Steven Stewart-Clark, blends artistry, floral event work, and mixed media art. His passion as owner and designer created Stinko’s Las Vegas, a custom-built 4,000-square-foot venue and studio in downtown Las Vegas that brings entertainment and art together.

In the center is one of Stewart-Clark’s most stunning floral arrangements and art pieces surrounded by local artists’ works on the walls. Throughout the space are sculptures and other botanical works of art. Theatre and live musical performances bring the art of sound and the spoken word. Stewart-Clark loves our city and is thrilled to offer a place to gather, share, perform, showcase, and promote so much talent in the urban community.

As for the name, Stewart-Clark grew up in rural Massachusetts, where he would collect twigs, branches, plants, and anything else in nature that caught his eye and create natural art using what he found. His parents nicknamed him Stinko because he was always dirty since he loved the outdoors. Stewart-Clark embraced the name and incorporated it into his creations.

Stinko’s Las Vegas // 1029 S. Main St. // (702) 722-2494 // STINKOSLASVEGAS.COM 50 MARCH 2019 Las Vegas

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