Sensi Magazine Michigan June 2021 Digital Edition

RUFF LIFE

Prepare your pets for normalcy

CONSCIOUS CAPITALISM Local cannapreneur gives back

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FEATURE

36

Delta-8 Dawning

It’s the hottest cannabinoid since CBD. But is it really legal? That’s complicated.

DEPARTMENTS

17 EDITOR’S NOTE 26 THE LIFE Contributing to your health and happiness 20 THE BUZZ DOG DAYS How to start News, tips, and tidbits to keep you in the loop GLAMP GLORY The state of Michigan wants to get you camping in style.

COOL POPS These are the perfect shades for Disney.

BOOK CLUB Dig into Maggie Shipstead’s Great Circle this summer.

STOP STRESS NuLeaf Naturals CBD will help.

ACNE AWAY CBD can work wonders on the skin.

training pets for your return to work.

MIDCENTURY MOD Jay Z’s brand reimagines the work of photographer Slim Aarons.

HOROSCOPES What the stars hold for you

46 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip hangouts around town PLAYING FORWARD This is how O2VAPE owner Dana Shoched gives back.

DITCH THE DEVICE

Rekindle a relationship with yourself by checking out digitally.

ON THE COVER

Welcome to the new dawn of Delta 8.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOSHUA CLARK ORIGINAL IMAGES VIA ADOBE STOCK

58 THE END This book will help you talk to your kids about cannabis.

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ADVISORY BOARD

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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 NEW ENGLAND Corners Packaging Packaging Curaleaf Veterans Cannabis Project Flourish Software Seed to Sale Green Goddess Supply Personal Homegrown Biochamber GreenHouse Payment Solutions Payment Processing The Holistic Center Medical Marijuana Evaluations PotGuide Travel & Tourism Revolutionary Clinics Medical Dispensary Royal Gold Soil Tess Woods Public Relations Public Relations

MICHIGAN Aronoff Law (Craig Aronoff) Licensing Law Firm Cannabis Counsel Cannabis Law Firm Etz Chaim Attestations Grapp Lerash Michigan PLLC 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 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 365 Recreational Cannabis Dispensary: Recreational, Santa Rosa Green Unicorn Farms CBD Hemp Flower Humboldt CCTV Smart Ag Tech Humboldt Patient Resource Center Dispensary: Humboldt Kushla Life Sciences Cannabis Formulation and Products 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 Superbad inc. Premium California Cannabis Uleva Hemp Products Vaper Tip Vape Supply & Consulting Wana Brands Edible Gummies

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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, Nevada Jenny Willden Managing Editor, NorCal Dawn Garcia Managing Editor, Southern California Robyn Griggs Lawrence Editor at Large Mona Van Joseph Contributor, Horoscopes Radha Marcum Copy Editor Bevin Wallace Copy Editor DESIGN

Jamie Ezra Mark Creative Director jamie@emagency.com Rheya Tanner Art Director Wendy Mak Designer Josh Clark Designer BRAND DEVELOPMENT

Richard Guerra Director of Global Reach Amanda Patrizi Deputy Director of Global Reach Tuva Hank Music Director, Sensi Presents Neil Willis Production Director MEDIA PARTNERS

Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy

EXECUTIVE

Ron Kolb Founder ron@sensimag.com Stephanie Graziano CEO stephanie.graziano@sensimag.com Lou Ferris Vice President of Global Revenue Chris Foltz Vice President of Global Reach Jade Kolb Director of Project Management ADVERTISING

Nancy Reid Director, Team Building, Sensi East Joel Bergeson Director, Team Building, Sensi West PUBLISHING

Jamie Cooper Market Director, Michigan Abi Wright Market Director, Nevada Richard Guerra Market Director, New England Nancy Birnbaum Market Director, NorCal Diana Ramos Market Director, Oklahoma Rob Ball Market Director, S. California Angelique Kiss Market Director, S. California

MEDIA SALES

COLORADO Liana Cameris Media Sales Executive Tuva Hank Media Sales Executive Amanda Patrizi Media Sales Executive Tyler Tarr Media Sales Executive NEVADA Pam Hewitt Media Sales Executive NEW ENGLAND Jake Boynton Media Sales Executive MICHIGAN Kyle Miller Media Sales Executive Leah Stephens Media Sales Executive

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Women working in cannabis deserve better, so

WE BUILT BETTER

JoIN Us

womenempoweredincannabis.com/join

L

EDITOR’S NOTE

Magazine published monthly

by Sensi Media Group LLC.

© 2021 Sensi Media Group. All rights reserved.

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

FAC E B O O K Like Sensi Media Group to infuse your newsfeed with more of our great cannabis lifestyle content.

TWITTER Follow @sensimag for need-to-know news and views from Sensi headquarters.

Lately, my lower face

has relaxed now that the CDC eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. But wasn’t there something kind of cool about not having to show all of our cards all the time for the past year and a few months? I liked how mask-wearing created a mystery about me and others. I liked how I didn’t have to smile if I didn’t want to. I loved how I could feel real emotions and, if they weren’t upbeat, I didn’t have to hide them. And I’m wondering if I can keep that same kind of authenticity now that we’re back to full-face visuals.

I want to, because I think we’re a society far too focused on the perfect. The COVID-19 tragedy allowed us to break that. It felt that as a giant, connected world community, we became closer—even at great distances—when we were all navigating fear, loss, agitation, cooped-up-ed-ness, and ennui. And, with masks on, we allowed ourselves to feel our feelings without giving a crap about where we were (crying jag in the pasta aisle at the grocery store, anyone?), who we were with (I cried around as many strangers as loved ones in 2020), or what we were doing (for me: flying in planes, biking with friends, interviewing strangers for stories, at a parent-teacher conference).

Now that we’re mask-free, our many emotions still exist, don’t they? I’m navigating several at once right now—one of my sons just turned 20 (where’d my little boy go?), my brother died just over a year ago (still mourning), I’m dropping another son off to be a river guide in Idaho this summer (ever parent a whitewater kayaker? Bring on the drowning nightmares!), and I am headed into a summer of reunions with family and friends, bigger travel to more crowded places, memorials for my brother and sister-in-law (so long overdue), and the entre back into the “old world” of showing everything, which is the “new world” now.

I’m going to do my best to be as real, vulnerable, and honest about what I’m feeling and who I am as possible. Here’s to taking off our masks, reconnecting with loved ones, and building a stronger, more emotionally true community.

Now that we’re mask-free, our many emotions still exist, don’t they?

I N S TAG R A M Pretty things, pretty places, pretty awesome people: find it all on @sensimagazine

Tracy Ross @writertracyross

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Express Yourself

NOW AT In honor of Pride Month, we will donate a percentage of all proceeds to The Trevor Project to help LGBTQ youth.

Learn more about their mission at thetrevorproject.org | franklinfields.com | thebotanical.co

Government-Sanctioned Glamping With the heat, humidity, and enormous cicada hatch coming, it might make sense to camp in something other than a mere tent—something the Michigan Department of Natural Resources appeared to recognize in its planning for summer 2021. So it went to work constructing or obtaining cottages, tiny homes, minicabins, A-frames, and safari tents in several state parks, 20

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JUNE 2021

all up for grabs to enhance your camping experience.

Who wants to rough it, anyway? Dirt is just so dirty.

Instead, get your hiking, fishing, canoeing, and cycling game on, with a hefty side of after-activity comfort, by booking your own pristine (at least in the pictures) lodging option. But hurry, they’re going fast—and won’t always look this pretty.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICHIGAN DNR

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has you covered this summer with new, pimped-out lodging in its state parks.

CONTRIBUTORS

Dawn Garcia, Debbie Hall, Tracy Ross

PHOTOS (FROM LEFT) COURTESY OF GLADE OPTICS; MAGGIE SHIPSTEAD

BY THE NUMBERS

Dank Shades for Doing Disneyland with the Kids No parent wants their kids to know how high they are, even when they’re survival smoking to make it through a day at Disney.

The Glade Optics Prospect strikes the balance between “fast” sunglasses and ones that look good but fog up at all the wrong moments. The Zeiss lenses block nosy bystanders from seeing your pupils. And the anti-scratch coating means you won’t ruin them when you inevitably drop them while standing in line for the log ride. $75 / shopglade.com

A BOOK TO LAST ALL SUMMER

100 YEARS

Age of the 240-pound sturgeon a crew from the Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office caught in the Detroit River in mid-April. The hefty lady was the largest lake sturgeon ever recorded in the United States, measured 6 feet 10 inches, and was returned to her watery nursing home after officials weighed and photographed her.

5

Michigan’s rank among U.S. states with the best pizza. How to score number one?

Sub cannabis for spinach, basil, kale, or any other similarsize leafy green.

Great Circle by superstar writer Maggie Shipstead is the kind of novel you’ll want to binge read until your eyes bug out but can’t because it’s so long they’d dry up and fall out instead. That length (589 pages) is a good thing, because this book is one of the best we’ve ever read. It tells the intertwined stories of an aviatrix in 1914 and an actress cast to play her a century later. But don’t be put off by the mostly female cast; both men and women are raving over it. Highbrow Kirkus Reviews says, “Shipstead reveals breathtaking range and skill, expertly juggling a multigenerational historical epic and a scandal-soaked Hollywood satire, with scenes playing out on land, at sea, and in the air.”

And those scenes are packed with humor, longing, famous characters, adventure, disappearance, love, and death. Our reviewer bought it on a Monday, started reading it on a Tuesday, and felt her family life start to fizzle that Wednesday, because she no longer cared about anything but reading this book.

I understand there's a guy inside me who wants to lay in bed, smoke weed all day, and watch cartoons and old movies. My whole life is a series of stratagems to avoid, and outwit, that guy.”

—Anthony Bourdain, who died this month in 2018

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IN THE PAST YEAR, Kush designed and/or built OVER 1 MILLION sq ft of cannabis space

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CANNABIS DESIGNED FOR THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE

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JUNE 2021

THE BUZZ

VOX POPULI

Question: What are you most looking forward to returning to as things open up this summer?

BIANCA PRACHYL

JESS PERRY

LIZ NOLAN

Founder & Formulator of Bliss Molecules CBD Cosmeceuticals California with family in Michigan

Commercial Insurance Agent Howell

Marketing Director for NOBO provisioning centers Alto

___________________

Restaurants are number one. Even though some I miss face-to-face are open, it still doesn’t friendship. Restaurant feel the same. Second security is going to have would be events like to drag us out and call cannabis cup, CannaCon us an Über! and in-person Sensi Connects events ___________________

___________________

I’ve never been to a live Sensi event, only online!

I can’t wait for that to start up again, and live music! Going to hot yoga without wearing a mask is something I am really looking forward to and have missed dearly!

DAVE MATTHEW LOCKHART Business Development Director Sault Ste. Marie

___________________

To be honest, passing to the left. Everyone showing up with their own pre-roll, bowl, or pen is safe and responsible, but it takes the community feel out of it. Cannabis brings people together on a level playing field, and it’s weird not to be able to share that cosmic connection.

CYNDI CSAPO Retired Media Consultant Elk Rapids

___________________

I’ve dreamed of traveling through Canada to Vermont to see my daughter and Florida to see my parents. Also, making dinner for my aunt and uncle and playing cards.

I did see my second wish come to fruition recently—spaghetti and meatballs and bitchy rummy with my aunt and uncle for the win!

From The Inside Out CBD pills for wellness.

Stress is the silent killer. It’s that thing everyone allows into their lives every moment of every day, and without proper stress management, it can sneak up on you and put you at risk for a multitude of health problems. CBD and organic hemp are nature’s answer to stress relief. One company, NuLeaf Naturals, has created what it calls the world’s highest-quality cannabinoid wellness product line. While that claim is one that no self-respecting magazine would tout for reasons of journalistic integrity, the products seem to be genuinely unique and very high quality.

Launched in 2014, NuLeaf Naturals began with the mission and intention of creating a product that would promote a healthy mind and body with its full-spectrum CBD oil. Created after ample research and development, the capsules and oils represent a new generation of cannabinoid wellness. CBD is something with which our endocannabinoid system is in sync, and each whole plant hemp extract NuLeaf product is highly concentrated in CBD and also contains a full spectrum of significant cannabinoids like CBC, CBG, and CBN. Made with USA-grown organic hemp. Committed to safety, quality, and consistency.

Capsules and Oil Products range from $30-$400 / NuLeafNaturals.com

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MICHIGAN

JUNE 2021

THE BUZZ

BILITIES

BY STEPHANIE WILSON, EDITOR IN CHIEF

1 BONG CARTS. Did you hear the news? Bong carts are the new bar carts, and you totally need to get one.

2 OR YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE ONE if you have any piece of accent furniture on wheels where you store your stash in a decorative jar next to the water pipe you display like its a fine vase. It technically is a vase, at least as far as the dictionarians* at Merriam-Webster are concerned.

3 SENSI’S DICTIONARY OF CHOICE defines a vase as a “usually round vessel usually with greater height than width used chiefly... for holding flowers.” Sounds just like a bong, except for that “s” at the end. Bongs are for flower, singular; vases are for flowers, plural.

Both will look great on the bar cart you’re about to transform into the hottest accent furniture trend of the century.

4 IF YOU HAVEN’T HIT A BONG SINCE COLLEGE, a) give it another whirl, but put some ice cubes in it first (gently, because: glass)—it’s a cool game changer; b) your bar cart could still use a refresh in prep for the roaring fun the 20s promise to provide.

Despite what the name implies, bong carts aren’t just for bongs.

Pipes, papers, grinders, stash jars, rolling trays, and other high-end accoutrements can mix and mingle with spirited accessories, books, and other objets d’art that you fancy.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CLEARBALM

5 YOU ALREADY HAVE A BONG CART, YOU SAY? Oh, you fancy! I like your style. And the world wants to see, so snap some pics, run them through a filter (I recommend “Food 1” on the free Photoshop camera app if you want to make your photos pop), and share using the #bongcart hashtag. Show the world what the cannabis lifestyle looks like from your eyes. *Side note: I have now known that “dictionarians” is a real word for as many seconds as its been since I finished typing it out, hit the space, and didn’t see a red squiggly line appear. So that’s fun.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

BANISH BREAKOUTS

CBD and natural ingredients help heal acne-prone skin.

CBD can work wonders on the skin. The powerful compounds are featured in BalmLabs’ ClearBalm, formulated with six plant-based ingredients. The skincare line gently combats acne while reducing inflammation and redness and hydrating the skin.

This plant-powered, science-driven 3-step system for adult acne-prone skin doesn’t rely on stripping chemicals like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide.

The line was inspired by founder Sarah Waldock’s challenges with adult acne, which resurfaced in her 30s and 40s. Frustrated by existing lines for adult acne, she reached out to Dr. Robin Schaffran, a Beverly Hills–based dermatologist. Formulated by a team of North America’s leading skincare scientists, ClearBalm uses the hemp Sativa plant, Bixa Orellana Seed Extract, and natural AHAs derived from sugar cane, sugar maple, bilberry, and citrus fruit extracts. The 3-step system includes Gentle Foam Cleanser, Power Elixir, and Serum Hydrator. ClearBalm products are cruelty-free with no synthetic dyes, fragrances, parabens, or PEGs. ClearBalm / thisisbalm.com/collections/clearbalm

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PHOTO BY CHARLES DELUVIO, UNSPLASH

Ruff Life

How to start training pets for your return to work.

TEXT NATALIE RAGLAND, DVM, GUEST CONTRIBUTOR AT HONEST PAWS

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE WILSON

With quarantine restrictions lifted and more people getting vaccinated, many of us are returning to offices for work. This change affects not just us but our pets too.

Natalie Ragland, a veterinarian and contributor to Honest Paws, shares insights and tips to help pet owners prepare their pets for life after the pandemic, shedding light on how pets are going to react when we stop working from home and go back to the office.

we realize. There are a few things we can do to make the shift easier.

Here are a few tips that might help the transition for your pets, as well as decrease separation anxiety and unfavorable responses brought on by the change in company.

“If you have a pet, it’s time to prepare them for your return to normal— whatever that may look like postpandemic.

And, according to some animal experts, it’s going to take time for them to adjust.”

2. Develop your routine.

If you are given ample notice before returning to work, remember that most animals, including our pets, are creatures of habit. Pets know when you are due home and what time you usually leave each day. Reestablishing your routine a few days beforehand may be necessary. You can start by: • reestablishing walk times.

• reinstituting normal feeding schedules.

• leaving for the day and placing a camera in the house to monitor for any signs of separation anxiety.

1. Leave more often during the day as “D-day” approaches.

As departure day approaches, leave your space more frequently.

—CNN If you need to run an If you are like most errand or go for a walk, of the world, sheltering block out time away from in place took on a new the house to acclimate meaning because of the your pet to longer abCOVID-19 pandemic. sences. If you are going For pets, the extra time back to work in person with you has been welwithout much notice, comed. But, as we begin consider using a few vato trickle our way back cation half-days in order to working in our offices, to build in a daily routine the shock of absence may before implementing your original schedule. impact them more than

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THE LIFE

3. Look for signs of stress and anxiety.

If your pet is more prone to being stressed out or anxious when you leave, watch out for such behavior as going to the bathroom in the house and destroying household items such as window blinds and furniture. Seeing these signs may warrant a call to a veterinarian or a tele-health appointment with a behavioral expert. If you are pressed for time as we are all these days, consider increasing your pet’s exercise to release stress hormones and increase endorphins, leading to longer napping times.

4. Consider in-home or daycare service.

If you can arrange for someone to come to your home to either sit with your pet or walk your animal as needed, this may be the best option to start. Some local daycare centers for animals may offer inhome services and drop off and pick up. An even better option would be to have a relative or loved one come visit; coordinate the time when you will be out of the house so that there is some company when you exit.

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DISCOVER WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WEST MICHIGAN’S CANNABIS INDUSTRY

WANT TO LEARN MORE? CONTACT JESSICA LAIDLAW AT JLAIDLAW@GRMAG.COM OR 616.401.8703 GRMAG.COM

THE LIFE IN STYLE

The Life and Times of Shawn Carter

PHOTO COURTESY OF MONOGRAM

A new campaign for Jay-Z’s Monogram cannabis brand reimagines the iconic photos of mid-20th-century American photographer Slim Aarons through a contemporary lens.

This is a scene from the Life and Times of Shawn Carter, Volume Two. (Volume One, if you missed it, was that hard-knock life you heard Jay-Z —Carter’s public persona—rap about in a track that samples the famous line from the 1982 Annie movie.) It’s a good life, a high life, and the people depicted living it are good and high on cannabis.

The image is the first installment of a threepart campaign for Jay Z’s (also known as HOV) new Monogram cannabis line, which launched this spring in California. The campaign is a modern take

on the legendary work of Slim Aarons, a midcentury photographer who built his fame by photographing “attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places,” as he famously described it.

The photographs Aarons captured during the Rat Pack era have become synonymous with midcentury luxury, beauty, and leisure. Carter’s Monogram tapped legendary hip-hop photographer/ director Hype Williams to reimagine a series of Aaron’s most notable vignettes. Shot at the stunning Frank Sinatra House

in Palm Springs, the series has been cast with a diverse group of creative talents like Grammy nominee Chika, Ghetto Gastro, Curren$y, designer Aleali May, and model Slick Woods—all styled by High Snobiety fashion director Corey T. Stokes. The creatives are seen lounging on floats with Monogram product in hand, basking in outdoor opulence.

The resulting imagery illustrates the dynamic, expanding landscape of modern luxury, and how it intersects with a new chapter in cannabis culture. “The percep-

tion around cannabis has shifted a lot since the 20th century. If you were to ask me and my peers how we’d define the good life today, weed would definitely be a part of it. Whether we’re smoking to inspire creativity or to celebrate an achievement, cannabis has a rightful place in modern-day culture,” says Williams. “HOV has a vision for the industry that he’s bringing to life through Monogram. His focus for this campaign was to showcase how beautifully cannabis fits into the good life today, and I am honored to be a part of it.”

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THE LIFE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mona Van Joseph is a professionally licensed intuitive reader in Las Vegas since 2002.

Author, radio host, and columnist, she created the Dice Wisdom app and is available for phone and in-person sessions. mona.vegas

HOROSCOPE

JUNE HOROSCOPE What do the stars hold for you?

TEXT MONA VAN JOSEPH

OCT. 23-NOV. 21 earned. You have created your reality; you can change SCORPIO Yes, you typically like to or recreate that reality. You Be the ultimate politician have a plan. However, this this month. Recognize peoare still the hero of your is the month to see what ple around you for the skills own story. presents itself while you foand benefits they present. cus on what gives you peace AUG. 23-SEPT. 22 This is the month to seek and purpose. What you need VIRGO value, not to be cheap or will be easily found.

The thorn is out! Past pain is thrifty. You are establishing no longer a reflection of your your long-term goals now.

JUNE 21-JULY 22 future. It’s time to act as NOV. 22-DEC. 21 CANCER though all things are openAvoid highly emotional peo- ing up for you to have the cli- SAGITTARIUS ple this month because they ents, personal relationships, Handle high-maintenance are just a toxic void that and good vibes you deserve. people on your own and shield them from the peoseeks attention. Detach ple they bother. You are a from anyone who tends to SEPT. 23-OCT. 22 leader. It’s time to step back dump emotional baggage on LIBRA you. Ask them, “So, how are You will ultimately become from people you have no you going to handle that?” so skilled at a creative proj- power to change. ect that other people will JULY 23-AUG. 22 want to learn from you. Let DEC. 22-JAN. 19 LEO nature inspire you even fur- CAPRICORN No one can take away what ther. You are creating your You are being guided toyou’ve ever learned or future with your expertise. ward your priorities, and MAY 21–JUNE 20

GEMINI

GEMINI, THIS IS THE MONTH TO SEE WHAT PRESENTS ITSELF WHILE YOU FOCUS ON WHAT GIVES YOU PEACE AND PURPOSE.

they may not align with tapped for a project where what you’re doing now. It’s your awesomeness is actualtime to let go of anything ly appreciated. that causes you pain. Things MAR. 21-APR. 19 are lining up for the outcome you desire.

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he deeper Flip Croft-Caderao and his sister-in-law, Kayla Croft, delved into writing their business plan, the more apparent it became: they would never have enough capital to establish and maintain a licensed cannabis business in California.

Disappointed but determined, they refused to pivot from their dream. Instead, they sidestepped into hemp, a much more accessible commodity. They figured selling CBD and other nonpsychoactive cannabinoids would give them a good understanding of the plant and the cannabis business, and might even generate the capital they needed to migrate over to THC down the road.

In early 2020, Croft and CroftCaderao launched Goodekind (goodekind.com) and sold a decent amount of The Notorious CBG Crumble and Hawaiian Haze hemp flower online. Then, last December, they added delta-8 THC gummies and vapes to the menu, and their business exploded.

“Delta-8 freaking took off,” Croft-Caderao says. “Oh, gosh, it is crazy. It is definitely our top-selling product by a ridiculous amount.”

Chances are good you’ve heard of delta-8 by now. Derived from hemp, it’s the hottest cannabinoid to hit the market since CBD, and its appeal lies in what it does that CBD doesn’t. Like its kissing cousin, delta-9 THC, delta-8 will get you high—just not nearly as high as you get from delta-9.

And—for now, anyway—it’s legal (or legal enough) under the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill that allows hemp

“IT’S NOT AN INCREDIBLE HIGH OR ANYTHING, BUT IF I’M OUT AND ACTIVE AND JUST WANT SOMETHING TO GIVE ME A BIT OF A LIFT, I’LL PUFF ON A CART AND GET TO A NICE SPOT.” —One Reddit user describing their experience with delta-8

cultivation and production of hemp-based products.

Entrepreneurs like Croft-Caderao saw a loophole in the Farm Bill’s definition of hemp-based products as having less than .3 percent delta-9 THC. The bill doesn’t address delta-8 THC, which is essentially degraded delta-9, because hemp has miniscule amounts of it—not nearly enough for commercial production.

What lawmakers didn’t see coming was innovation born of desperation.

Hemp entrepreneurs with a lot of product on their hands found a way to chemically synthesize delta-8 from CBD distillate, creating a new gray market that the feds are ignoring—for now—and states are just starting to address.

Croft-Caderao sees delta-8 as a perfect blend of the hemp and cannabis industries. “It gets you high, but it’s also unregulated, so you can ship it to people and have an entire e-commerce platform,” he says.

“It’s an entrepreneur’s dream.”

LANGUAGE LESSON

THE NEW “IT” CANNABINOID By all accounts, delta-8 is fulfilling consumers’ dreams as well. It’s the fastest-growing segment of the hemp-derived product market, New Leaf Data Services reports, with U.S. sales of around $10 million last year. It’s getting a lot of attention—and that’s a little bit worrying for Erica Stark, executive director of the National Hemp Association, which is having a tough time coming up with a position on delta-8.

“On the one hand, we’re still of the mindset that we literally spent years convincing legislators that hemp is not about getting high— and this is really undermining that message and, I think, providing some skepticism about what

“Delta” is a term used to describe a chemical reaction that requires heat as a catalyst in a process known as decarboxylation.

The numbers that follow that designation show where the cannabinoids bond to the carbon chain.

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we say,” Stark says. “On the other hand, the CBD market has suffered with oversaturation. This is a way for farmers to find outlets for their biomass and hopefully recoup some of their losses, which might be a nice bridge until some of the markets even themselves out. We don’t want to shut the door on it or demonize it, but we don’t necessarily want to endorse some of the practices we’ve seen with products that are wildly unregulated and potentially harmful.”

In June, the Hemp Industries Association announced its support for delta-8 based on legal advice that it was not a controlled substance under federal law. “Busi-

nesses, farmers, and consumers all deserve regulations that support the exploration of the hemp plant’s full potential,” says HIA Executive Director Jody McGinness.

And of course, delta-8 has plenty of critics, both inside and outside the industry. The U.S. Hemp Authority, a third-party auditor for hemp and CBD businesses, refuses to certify delta-8 products. The U.S. Hemp Roundtable called marketing hemp products with any intoxicating value or euphoric effect “irresponsible.” The Roundtable is calling for delta-8 to be regulated like adult-use cannabis.

Individual states are taking radically different and sometimes un-

predictable approaches to delta-8, just as they have with CBD and delta-9. A random consortium of states that are as far apart as could be on legalizing delta-9—Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont—have banned delta-8, and several more are threatening to. Florida, being Florida, is moving in the opposite direction, toward establishing a legal delta-8 marketplace. Texas legislators struck down a provision to make delta-8 illegal earlier this summer.

U.S. Hemp Authority president Michelle Weintraub has not been

WILL I FAIL A DRUG TEST? When it comes down to it, THC is THC. Anything with THC in the name will show up as THC in a drug test and cause you to fail. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

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shy about how angry she is that delta-8 is muddying the waters of her “won’t get you high” industry.

Stark, for her part, is annoyed because she never gets to talk about fiber and grain hemp, her passion, because delta-8 takes up everyone’s time and attention. “I love seeing farmers have opportunities,” she says. “But it does just suck all the oxygen out of the room.”

OFF TO A NICE SPOT Delta-8 delivers about half to three-quarters the high that delta-9 does, a space somewhere between THC and CBD, more body than head. It’s like drinking a Bud Light instead of a Long Island iced tea. Croft-Caderao says you get about 50 to 60 percent of what you’d get when you vape delta-9, but people are reporting they they’re not getting anxious or paranoid with the less-potent cannabinoid. “They’re saying, ‘I can smoke sativas again. I can enjoy myself without getting too high,’” he says.

Reddit users describe delta-8 as a “productive buzz”—great for when you need help with anxiety or pain but can’t be intoxicated, and “like weed without the anxiety or introspective thoughts.” An occasional delta-8 smoker wrote: “It’s not an incredible high or anything, but if I’m out and active and just want something to give me a bit of a lift, I’ll puff on a cart and get to a nice spot.”

That’s all good for users who have built up a little tolerance, but people trying THC of any kind for the first time (or the first time in a long time) generally have no idea how much to ingest.

Because delta-8 is completely

“…THE CBD MARKET HAS SUFFERED WITH OVERSATURATION. THIS IS A WAY FOR FARMERS TO FIND OUTLETS FOR THEIR BIOMASS AND HOPEFULLY RECOUP SOME OF THEIR LOSSES, WHICH MIGHT BE A NICE BRIDGE UNTIL SOME OF THE MARKETS EVEN THEMSELVES OUT.” —Erica Stark, Executive Director of the National Hemp Association

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SO, HOW IS THIS LEGAL?

Here Comes Delta-10

In the new THC numbers game, delta-10 is up next.

Another cannabinoid found only in trace amounts in hemp and cannabis, delta-10 THC is often mistaken for minor cannabinoids CBC and CBL. Like delta-8, it can be synthesized from CBD. Delta-10 has mild psychoactive effects but is said to be more uplifting and energizing than delta-8. Users say it’s more like a sativa, while delta-8 leans more indica.

unregulated, dosage is pretty much up to each user. Overdose stories are surfacing, surprisingly common among heavy delta-9 users who underestimate delta-8’s potency (or overestimate their own tolerance). This can be es-

pecially dangerous when it comes to edibles. Our bodies metabolize delta-8 the same way they metabolize delta-9, by turning it into 11-hydroxy THC, a compound that can be up to 10 times more potent than delta-8.

It’s not entirely clear that it is.

The DEA released an Interim Final Rule, open for review until October, that states, “all synthetically derived tetrahydrocannabinols remain Schedule I controlled substances.” That appears to make delta-8, which is chemically synthesized, illegal. But the DEA hasn’t taken any action against companies selling delta-8, and a lot of companies are betting it never will.

Stark says she asked Sean Mitchell, chief of intergovernmental affairs at the Drug Enforcement Administration, about delta-8 during a panel discussion, and he confirmed that any hemp product that is delta-9 compliant is federally legal. That’s just one guy from the DEA, though, and not a final ruling. In the end, Stark is as uncertain as everyone else about legality. “What’s our position?” she says. “I don’t know.”

Croft-Caderao, for his part, expects the market to be regulated—if not outlawed—eventually, and he’s determined to make the most of this window of opportunity while it remains open. “This is the golden era right now,” he says.

“This is something that gets you high that is unregulated and that is kind of unfettered.”

He’s already plotting how to keep his business thriving if and when the feds crack down on delta-8.

“Business owners like myself have to be thinking, OK, if this gets regulated, this is how I will be able to pivot and use the skills I’ve learned to enter the cannabis market,” he says. “That’s what I’m thinking about, because who knows how much time we have?”

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Consciously Capitalistic

PHOTO BY SEWCREAM, ADOBESTOCK

This is how O2Vape owner Dana E. Shoched gives back. TEXT TRACY ROSS

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It was a miracle morning for Michael Thompson, yet he couldn’t stop his anguished crying. As he spoke, the breath that escaped his black COVID-19 mask formed icy curls in the air—it was that cold at 4 a.m.

Thompson had just walked through the doors of the state prison in Jackson, Michigan. In his arms he held just the most minimal of belongings. And when a woman approached him gesturing for an embrace, it seemed he needed some time to make sure he knew her.

Thompson, 69, had lived within the walls of the prison for 23 years.

His final arrest—for gun possession that arose from the sale of three pounds of marijuana— came in 1987. The things he had missed were innumerable, but when he finally composed himself enough to speak, in front of a documentary crew, family, his lawyer, and a small crowd of supporters, it was not of himself, but of others.

“I just hope someone can hear me that’s involved with prison reform to let them know a lot of things need to be done,” he said.

“Those guys [left behind in prison] are human beings, and the way they’re treating them,

it’s not good. So it’s not just about me. It’s about all those guys that need help. [The criminal justice reform people] need to quit talking, and start doing something about it.”

The men and women in Michigan who are currently serving life sentences for possession, selling, or growing/manufacturing marijuana are numerous, and country-wide that number jumps to 40,000. But many, like Thompson, were given sentences that don’t match their crimes and have lost years, if not decades, of their lives to an unjust system.

Some linger in prison with no hope of getting out. But some—like Thompson—have benefitted from surprise help: business owners within the cannabis industry that care about more than making profit. Military veteran Dana E. Shoched opened O2Vape in Michigan, and here, she reflects on why she has turned her highly successful cannabis-supply business into an avenue for conscious capitalism.

Tell us a little about your backstory.

I was in pharma when the opiate crisis hit. I sold against pharma with a holistic pain med. I finally got tired

“You have to make a profit as a business, obviously.

But if you take some of your profits and go beyond that—that’s what’s important.”

—Dana E. Shoched, owner of O2Vape

of working for The Man and became a care-giver, with a commercial grow out of my house.

I’m a go-big-or-gohome kind of gal. When oils started coming on the scene, I was one of the first or second people to start selling batteries and cartridges.

I started out of garage and built O2Vape to what it is now—11 people on the payroll with full benefits, profit sharing, and 401K. I worked my ass off, and now even the big brands like Marley say, “We know who you are.”

How did you get involved in the Last Prisoner Project?

A client of mine, Ryan Basore, was convicted for selling and incarcerated in the state of Michigan way back when. He asked if I was interested in getting involved, I donated $6,000. Ryan says I was the largest single donor of money they had gotten together. The funds went to legal fees for Michael Thompson and to help set him up when he got out of prison.

Why is involvement important to you?

I think it’s ludicrous that we have people rotting in prison for possession of a plant when you have rapists and murderers J U N E 2021

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MORE INFO

THE SCENE

The Last Prisoner Project is a non-profit dedicated to fostering cannabis criminal justice reform through legal intervention, public education, and legislative advocacy.

and pedophiles serving less time. So, over reefer madness, we’re destroying our community.

We’ve had medical in Michigan since 2008— has that destroyed Michigan? What’s destroying it is people opting out of recreational sales.

What does conscious capitalism mean to you?

It’s in the definition (which is: Businesses should operate ethically while they pursue profits by serving all stakeholders involved including their employees, humanity, and the environment). I think you have to make a profit as a business, obviously.

But if you take some of

your profits and go beyond that—that’s what’s important. During the last year with COVID-19, there were a lot of people who got hurt financially, but a lot of people who also thrived. O2Vape was one of the latter. We were pretty blessed. So I donated to LPP. How else do you contribute?

Last year I donated to an equestrian farm that works with vets, handicapped kids, and people with PTSD, and which had been in business for 20 years. I saw on the news that for the first time ever, they were in danger of closing and I couldn’t let that happen.

They had a GoFundMe, but I didn’t want to donate that way. I reached out to them, saying I want to give you a pretty big check. I went to the farm, met the owner, did a thing with me presenting a check, and did a [matching funds] challenge, and they ended up staying open. I also donated to a couple of others.

Do people now seek you out?

I don’t know, because I’m not one of those “Oh, look what I did” kind of people. We put our donation to the farm on social media because we wanted people to match our donation. And we did

promote the LPP donation, because that plays more in the cannabis industry. It’s a sore spot in the cannabis industry. We can’t just stand by and not do anything when people have been so wrongly imprisoned.

Have you met Michael Thompson?

I was invited to meet him; we were going to go to the prison when he was released.

But they found out a group, including Project Freedom, was going to picket so they changed his release time to 3 a.m.

We were going to have a party for him too, but haven’t been able to do that yet.

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THE SCENE WELLNESS

Digital Declutter Rekindle a relationship with yourself by checking out digitally.

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“I feel like my brain is waking up,” I wrote in my journal on day six. Less than a week into what I’ll call my 31-day “digital declutter,” I simultaneously felt like I was losing my mind and finding a better one. I was trading up. In searching for strategies to go minimal with technology, I found an abundance of everything else I had been missing: a rediscovery of how to

listen to the inner voice instead of sacrificing solitude to become a sponge for everything else. In our current instant-gratification economy, how do we use technology to our advantage without losing ourselves in the process?

As a small-business owner with hobbies and a social life, I often found myself challenged by the time-management dilemma. We all seem

to be rushing yet perpetually unsatisfied. We have more technology now than ever, and we’re promised endless value from tools like social media. Technology is meant to provide simplicity, community, efficiency, and, ultimately, happiness in our overstimulated lives. Yet, so often, we find ourselves feeling short on time and increasingly anxious about it.

Today in the United States, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses, affecting around one in five people, with millennials being the most anxious generation ever. A study of almost seven million people in the US found that depressive symptoms have only risen since the 1980s. Some argue that the increase is simply because everyone J U N E 2021

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is more aware of anxiety and depression, so more likely to diagnose it.

Others claim that the culprit is our societal shift from intrinsic goals that reflect core values to a priority on materialism and individual gain.

Personally, I suspected that the pressure to be constantly available and social was a major factor in my looming anxiety.

Over the course of six months, I tracked every minute of my technology use in order to prepare myself for the big declutter. My data showed that for roughly 40 hours a month, I was engaged with what I now consider to be unnecessary distractions: social media,

texting, email, and internet surfing, among other time-sucking apps. Upon self-reflection, I discovered that none of this screen time helped me feel relaxed, happier, or able to spend more time on meaningful activities within my community.

With the help of computer science professor Cal Newport’s book Digital Minimalism, I adopted “a philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and happily miss out on everything else.” Think of it as the Whole30 diet for your mind.

We get tricked into shorting ourselves by the constant feed of digital consumption...

We all seem to be rushing yet perpetually unsatisfied.

After 31 days alone in my head, one thing became clear to me: Spending time with technology isn’t inherently bad, but spending zero time without it prevents us from formulating original thoughts, ideas, and innovations.

We get tricked into shorting ourselves by the constant feed of digital consumption. According to RescueTime, an app that monitors iPhone and Android use, Americans with smartphone devices spend about 3.5 hours per day actively using them. I’ll do the math for you—that’s over 24 hours per week. Clearly, the problem isn’t that we’re short on time, but we’ve figured out a way to fill every second, therefore eliminating solitude and precious time for reflection and restoration.

As the shock, boredom, and panic of my digital detox wore off, I adjusted to a new concept of time that was seemingly half its previous pace. I settled in to just being me. I left work at work and social time to actually being around other people. Using technology minimally, in a way that supports my values, has proven to be a priceless lesson in this overstimulated world. It’s also opened up much more time for me to go live.

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ADVISORY BOARD NCRMA

Stay Safe Here’s what you need to know about budtender safety and OSHA compliance in a dispensary.

E

mployees are a company’s most valuable assets, thus requiring every business to have a safety program that aims to prevent injury and illness in its workers. In addition to the threat of personal injury, there are also financial reasons to keep employees safe, including direct costs such as lost time, replacing workers, increased workers’ compensation, and lost or damaged equipment.

And then there are Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations, which can exceed $136,000.

OSHA and state agencies enforcing occupation-safety standards have begun writing violations to cannabis businesses. The General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety & Health Act of 1970 requires that, in addition to compliance with hazard-specific standards, all employers provide a work environment that is “free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause

death or serious physical harm.”

The question is, how do dispensaries keep their budtenders safe and become OSHA compliant? The answer is to develop that program. The first step in developing a safety program is to identify a facility’s hazards. Then establish controls to prevent or mitigate them.

While it is impossible to identify all hazards a dispensary may have, there are some basic safety plans that should be a part of every business.

Hazardous Communication Plans protect workers from the hazards of chemicals.

Identify and list all chemicals on site, ensuring chemical containers are labeled, and then keep all chemical-safety data sheets accessible to all employees. Training must be established to inform personnel about chemical hazards, especially training personnel who do special tasks such as cleaning chemicals. There must also be procedures to update and maintain the plan as new chemicals come on site.

Fire Prevention Plans must include a list of all major fire hazards, proper handling and storage procedures for hazardous materials, potential ignition sources and their control, and the type of fire-protection equipment necessary to control each major hazard.

Emergency Action Plans must include at a minimum: procedures for reporting a fire or other emergencies (i.e., robberies and natural disasters); procedures for emergency evacuation, including the type of evacuation and exit route assignments; procedures to be followed by employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate; procedures to account for all employees after evacuation; procedures to be followed by employees performing rescue or medical duties; and alarm systems maintenance and training.

First Aid Plans should also be a part of every business and, at minimum, include adequate first aid supplies, a list of all local emergency numbers, and, in the absence of an infirmary, clinic, or hospital in proximity to the workplace that is used for treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons should be adequately trained to render first aid.

Category: Safety and Training Author: Alex Hearding is the Chief Risk Management Officer for the NCRMA, providing services including occupational safety and health training and risk management for the cannabis industry. To learn more about Hearding and the NCRMA, visit ncrma.net.

The Sensi Advisory Board comprises select industry leaders in a variety of fields, from education to cultivation. They are invited to share specialized insight in this dedicated section.

For a full list of board members, see page 13.

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Kids of parents in the cannabis industry are facing challenges few, if any, did when they were young, so author I.B. Sekandi wrote a book to help them. Kids of Cannabis: My mom & dad work in cannabis; this is our story features three kids whose parents work in the fast-growing cannabis CBD industry. Because of the widespread cannabis stigma, Jack, Charlotte, and Bruce haven’t told any of their friends what their parents do for work; the book is about they day they do. One of Sensi’s staff bought it for her talk to your kids son and talked to him about the CBD/CBG tincture about cannabis. she gives him in the morning. Get the paperback at Amazon (#1 new release in Children’s Botany TEXT TRACY ROSS Books) for $18.

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