Sensi Magazine Massachusetts - February 2022

HIGHER SENSES

The certified masters of weed

M A S S AC H U S E T T S FEBRUARY 2022

ONE-HIT WONDER An ode to the original microdose

TRULY GREEN

Trulieve’s eco future

LIT AND LAUGHING

Consumption lounge comedians

SCAN HERE

216 N. King Street Northampton, MA 01060 142-A Southbridge Street Worcester, MA 01608

www.Trulieve.com

PLEASE CONSUME RESPONSIBLY. This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding may pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the influence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The impairment effects of edible marijuana products may be delayed by two hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact the Poison Control Hotline at 1-800-222-1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. For use only by adults 21 years of age or older.

Putting the pot in pottery

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Recreational & Medical Cannabis in Massachusetts Framingham | Hudson | Pittsfield shop our cannabis products online: shop.ma.temescalwellness.com Please Consume Responsibly. This product may cause impairment and may be habit forming. There may be health risks associated with using this product. This product may cause impairment and may be habit forming. This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding may pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the influence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The impairment effects of Edibles may be delayed by two hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact poison control hotline 1-800-222- 1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA.

MASSACHUSETTS SENSI MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2022

sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag

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FEATURES

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The Green Future

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Smoking and Joking on the Last Frontier

Concerned companies are banding together to create innovative practices and rigorous standards to ensure sustainable cannabis cultivation and commerce.

Good Titrations is Alaska’s only licensed cannabis consumption lounge—and one of the very first in the US—and it’s celebrating that achievement with lots of laughter.

DEPARTMENTS

13 EDITOR’S NOTE 20 THE LIFE Contributing to your health and happiness 14 THE BUZZ THE ART OF THE GANJIER News, tips, and tidbits to keep you in the loop MONKEY SEE Immerse yourself in the tropical vibes of one of New England’s hottest dispensaries.

CANNABIS SCIENCE 101

Online learning for the canna-curious BREW A CUP OF CALM

Enjoy a chill new take on teatime.

ORANGE JUICE Citrusy infused edibles add a little sunshine to gray winter days.

SKI DAZE Meet fellow cannabis enthusiasts at one of Vermont’s premier ski resorts.

Ganjiers understand the subtle beauty and intricacies of weed.

48 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip hangouts around town

THE JOY OF THE ONE-HIT WONDER The key to life?

ON THE COVER

Spark creativity with a single hit. See page 48.

PHOTO BY CHASE FADE VIA UNSPLASH

Savor that single toke.

50 THE END The New England Confectionary Company manufactured one of America’s most beloved Valentine’s Day candies.

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ADVISORY BOARD

NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD NCRMA Risk Management COLORADO Agricor Laboratories Testing Lab Aspen Cannabis Insurance Insurance Services Canyon Cultivation Microdosing Cartology Corporation Cartridge Filling Equipment + Hardware Colorado Cannabis Company THC Coffee Concentrate Supply Co. Recreational Concentrates Emerald Construction Construction Green Edge Trimmers Trimmers Higher Grade Boutique Cannabis Hybrid Payroll Staffing & HR Benefits Jupiter Research Inhalation Hardware Lab Society Extraction Expert + Lab Supplies marQaha Sublinguals + Beverages Monte Fiore Farms Recreational Cultivation Northern Standard History of Cannabis PotGuide Cannabis Culture Source CO Wholesale Consulting Terrapin Care Station Recreational Dispensary Toast Mindful Consumption Uleva Hemp Products Wana Brands Edibles Witlon Inc. Payroll Processing

MICHIGAN Aronoff Law (Craig Aronoff) Licensing Law Firm Cannabis Counsel Cannabis Law Firm Etz Chaim Attestations Grapp Lerash 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 Pure West Compassion Club Caregiver Connection & Network Rair Medical Flower Solutions by Dr. Dave West Michigan: Hemp CBD Helping Friendly Hemp Company Hemp Topicals 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

CALIFORNIA 365 Recreational Cannabis Dispensary: Recreational, Santa Rosa Accucanna LLC Desert Hot Springs: Dispensary EventHI Events Flourish Software Distribution Management Green Unicorn Farms CBD Hemp Flower Helmand Valley Growers Company Medical Infrastructure Specialist HUB International Insurance Humboldt Grow Tech Smart Ag Tech Hybrid Payroll / Ms. Mary Staffing Staffing & HR Benefits Ikänik Farms Cannabis Distribution Red Door Remedies Dispensary: Cloverdale Red Rock Fertility Fertility Doctor Southern Humboldt Royal Cannabis Company Mixed Light Farming Sonoma Patient Group Dispensary: Santa Rosa Strictly Topical Inc./Sweet ReLeaf Pain Relief Topicals Uleva Hemp Products Vaper Tip Vape Supply & Consulting Wana Brands Edible Gummies Witlon Payroll

MASSACHUSETTS Corners Packaging Packaging Green Goddess Supply Personal Homegrown Biochamber The Holistic Center Medical Marijuana Evaluations Revolutionary Clinics Medical Dispensary Royal Gold Soil Tess Woods Public Relations Public Relations Vantage Builders Construction

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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, Massachusetts Debbie Hall Managing Editor, Spark Jenny Willden Managing Editor, California Will Brendza Managing Editor, Colorado Robyn Griggs Lawrence Editor at Large Radha Marcum Copy Editor Bevin Wallace Copy Editor

EXECUTIVE

Ron Kolb Founder ron@sensimag.com Stephanie Graziano CEO stephanie.graziano@sensimag.com ADVERTISING

Toni Tardif National Sales Director Jade Kolb Director Sales Operations and Global Recruiting PUBLISHING

Jamie Cooper Market Director, Michigan Richard Guerra Market Director, Massachusetts

DESIGN

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

Richard Guerra Director of Global Reach Neil Willis Production Director MEDIA PARTNERS

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

Nancy Birnbaum Market Director, California Nancy Reid Market Director, Florida MEDIA SALES

CALIFORNIA Omowunmi Lykins Media Sales Executive COLORADO Liana Cameris Media Sales Executive Nancy Seidel Media Sales Executive Tyler Tarr Media Sales Executive FLORIDA Kristen Gross Media Sales Executive Anthony Mckenzie Media Sales Executive NEVADA Pam Hewitt Media Sales Executive MASSACHUSETTS Jake Boynton Media Sales Executive MICHIGAN Eric Lutey Media Sales Executive Kyle Miller Media Sales Executive Will Oostendorp Media Sales Executive Leah Stephens Media Sales Executive OKLAHOMA Diana Ramos Media Sales Executive

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Magazine published monthly

by Sensi Media Group LLC.

© 2022 Sensi Media Group. All rights reserved.

If you ask any New Englander what they like

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.

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least about living here, there’s a good chance that “February” will be their answer. Although it’s the shortest month, in this part of the world February often feels like the longest. This could be because it’s often the coldest, with the average daily temperature in Massachusetts hovering just above 32°F. February isn’t all bad, though. Between February 1 and 28, we gain nearly an hour of daylight. As a native New Englander, I’ve learned that finding enjoyable things to do, especially outdoors, makes the month fly by. Luckily, there are a lot of fun winter activities to choose from this February, no matter where you live in the region.

In The Buzz, you’ll find info on Vermontijuana Ski Daze. This series of events, taking place at Vermont ski resorts in February and March, offers snow-loving cannabis enthusiasts heavily discounted lift tickets as well as the opportunity to network and make new friends at scheduled meetups and après-ski events.

If you’re not the outdoorsy type, no worries. If you’ve always wanted to know more about cannabis science, check out Smokenol Sessions, a series of high-energy online videos presented by Boston-based cannabis research firm Real Isolates. The tutorials, led by the company’s chief scientific officer and endocannabinoid pharmacology expert, Dr. Miyabe Shields, are free to watch, informative, and entertaining.

And if you just want to get out of the house, take a little road trip. Head to Portland, Maine, and pay a visit to the Grass Monkey Cannabis Co. The hip dispensary was named one of the country’s most stylish by Architectural Digest magazine last April.

The shop’s brightly colored murals and original artwork give the space a tropical vibe that will almost make you feel like you’ve been transported to the Caribbean—almost.

In this issue, you’ll also find many of our regular features, including a story on the innovative Trulieve cannabis company, which has dispensary locations in Northampton and Worcester, Massachusetts.

As a native New Englander, I’ve found that finding enjoyable things to do, especially outdoors, makes the month fly by.

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

Emilie-Noelle Provost @Emilie_Noelle

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Monkey See Named one of the country’s most stylish cannabis dispensaries

by Architectural Digest magazine this past April, Portland’s Grass Monkey Cannabis Co., which serves both medical-use and recreational clients, looks more like a contemporary art installation than a shop that sells pre-rolls.

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Founded in 2013, the dispensary is known for its brightly colored murals. Original sculptures and dozens of tropical plants give the space the look and feel of a secret island hideaway. Reminiscent of Caribbean street art, Grass Monkey’s one-of-a-kind decor also includes a largescale statue of a banana

inspired by the work of artist Jeff Koons, wild freeform collages, and several representations of monkeys, gorillas, and other primates.

The fantastic decor was imagined by renowned Manchester, Vermont, design firm The McBride Company, which has created interiors for Margari-

taville Resorts in Key West, Orlando, and Las Vegas, as well as for other cannabis dispensaries across the country.

Maine-based artists with Graffiti Arts—an urban art, graffiti, and mural company with offices in New York and Los Angeles—painted Grass Monkey’s murals. grassmonkeycc.com

PHOTOS COURTESY MAINE GRAFFITI ARTS

Winter getting you down? Take a drive to Portland, Maine, and immerse yourself in the tropical vibes of one of New England’s hottest dispensaries.

CONTRIBUTOR

Emilie-Noelle Provost

CANNABIS SCIENCE 101 Online learning for the canna-curious

BY THE NUMBERS

71

DEGREES The record high temperature for the month of February in Boston, recorded on Feb. 24, 2017 SOURCE: boston.com

145 MILLION The approximate number of Valentine’s Day cards exchanged in the US each year SOURCE: hallmark.com

Brew a Cup of Calm Enjoy a chill new take on teatime.

Willie’s Remedy, founded by country music legend Willie Nelson, offers hemp-infused teas in five varieties, including green, black, chamomile, peppermint, and hibiscus.

Available in recyclable tins containing 16 compostable teabags each, or 1.5 ounces of loose leaves and botanicals, each relaxing cup contains 26.25 mg of hemp extract to help you ease stress and unwind. $17-$26

PHOTOS (FROM RIGHT) COURTESY REAL ISOLATES; WILLIE’S REMEDY

williesremedy.com

Whether you’re an expert on the medicinal properties of cannabis or are interested in learning more, Smokenol Sessions, a free series of in-depth, science-based educational videos produced by Boston-based medical cannabis research firm Real Isolates, are worth a look. The fun, upbeat videos are the brainchild of Miyabe Shields, PhD, Real Isolates’ chief scientific officer, a cannabis patient, and an endocannabinoid pharmacology expert who also stars in the series. realisolates.com

52 COLOUR PURPLE. DREAM BURNING, The number of years that February has been celebrated as Black History Month, since its origin at Kent State University in 1970 SOURCE: history.com

FEBRUARY’S SEA.”

—Sadayo Takizawa, Winter

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THE BUZZ

VOX POPULI

Question: What is the best thing about February?

MIGUEL HERNANDEZ

DANIELLE BOUTIN

BARBARA DELANEY

LUCILLE STONE

DOUG HALL

Nurse, Lawrence, MA

Occupational Therapist, Manchester, NH

Retired Antiques Dealer, Portland, ME

English Teacher, Bridgeport, CT

IT Admin, Boston,MA

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It’s the shortest month of the year.

The days are finally getting longer. I love getting out of work when it’s still light out..

By the time February rolls around, I’m finally used to the cold and snow.

It’s Black History Month.

I always teach work

by Black authors in my classes.

Valentine’s Day. I love surprising my mom and my girlfriend with flowers.

Grab Your Skis

Hit the slopes and meet fellow cannabis enthusiasts at one of Vermont’s premier ski resorts.

PHOTOS (FROM RIGHT) COURTESY APOSTROPHE EDIBLES; VERMONTJUANA

Orange You Glad?

These citrusy cannabisinfused edibles add a little sunshine to gray winter days.

Zesty and refreshing, Apostrophe Edibles’ blood orange chews are vegan, gluten free, and contain 5.32 mg of THC each. Available in packages of 20 at Nature’s Remedy in Millbury and Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, the chews are made with real blood orange puree and blood orange concentrate. Each chew is precisely dosed to ensure a long-lasting, balanced experience. $25 naturesremedyma.com

A series of monthly events for cannabis fans who enjoy winter sports, Vermontijuana Ski Daze offers participants discounted lift tickets and the opportunity to network and meet likeminded people at meetups and après-ski get-togethers. Events will be held at Jay Peak Resort in Jay on February 6, at Smugglers’ Notch Resort in Jeffersonville on February 25, and at Bolton Valley Resort in Richmond on March 10. $25-$59 vermontijuana.com

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Sommeliers understand the subtle beauty and intricacies of wine. A new program is certifying the cannabis equivalent, ganjiers, and they are coming soon to top-tier dispensaries near you.

TEXT STEPHANIE WILSON

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PHOTO BY KARELNOPPE VIA ADOBE STOCK, EDITS BY JOSH CLARK

The Art of the Ganjier

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Want a sample of our work? You’re reading it.

Em Agency is proud to be the creative force behind Sensi’s award-winning visual style.

We build brands we believe in—the brand you believe in can be next. emagency.com

THE LIFE

If you’re a master of wine, you’re a sommelier.

If you’re a master of beer, you’re a cicerone. The credentialed caffeinated masters of coffee are called Q Graders, and Master Tobacconists are to cigars what pommeliers are to cider—taste

authorities, sensory experts, arbiters, and evangelists in their respective fields. They are deemed qualified to distinguish the nuanced qualities of their products by organizations considered to be their industry’s higher authorities.

But what’s the word for a certified master of weed?

It’s not “cannabis sommelier,” as many would assume, because by its very definition, a sommelier is someone who is a steward of wine, so a cannabis sommelier would be an expert in the pairing of food and wine. “Ganjier” is the trademarked title that the industry-leading cannabis educators at Green Flower are bestowing upon the professionals who complete its new cannabis sommelier certification program and pass the exams to become Masters of Cannabis Service. The Ganjier program is training students to assess cannabis products and guide consumers through the newly (and still only

somewhat) legal marketplace, which can be more than a little murky for even experienced users.

And with more and more Americans joining the ranks of cannabis consumers as legalization spreads across the country, there’s a growing need for experienced guides to help them navigate the offerings on dispensary menus. They come to cannabis for different reasons, with different experience levels, expectations, and goals, but they’re all seeking the same thing: good weed.

Certified Guides What that looks like, smells like, tastes like, or makes them feel like, however, is not quite as clear. Not able to see, smell, or touch

PHOTOS COURTESY THE GANJIER

Ganjier Council member, the late Frenchy Cannoli, teaches cannabis history and consumption methods with Ganjier managing director Derek Gilman.

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PHOTOS COURTESY THE GANJIER

THE LIFE

the products themselves, customers rely on shop employees or budtenders to help guide them to quality products within their budget, but in nearly every instance, the budtenders are not qualified to do so. Instead, they promote products based on THC percentages

with a mentality of “the higher the better.”

That disconnect is what led Green Flower to develop its cannabis sommelier program. “We are looking to elevate the service standard in the cannabis industry,” says Derek Gilman, managing director for the Ganjier program. “Cannabis is an

epicurean product, similar to wine or cheese or coffee. And the quality of coffee isn’t dictated by its caffeine content, we don’t judge wine by its alcohol percentage. The desirability of those products is based on their appearance, their aroma, their flavor, and ultimately the experience they deliver.”

Gilman and his colleagues feel that at a retail level, the people on the frontlines guiding all these new cannanbis consumers—the budtenders—are mostly entry-level employees who don’t have the foundational knowledge necessary to accurately and reliably guide consumers in their decisions.

Clockwise from top left: Legendary Ganjier Council member Swami Chaitanya of Swami Select; Judges at the prestigious Emerald Cup cannabis competition used the Ganjier's Systematic Assessment Protocol app to determine the quality of over 250 entries; Ganjier managing director Derek Gilman holds sun-grown cannabis.

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“Many of the budtenders have experience consuming cannabis,” Gilman says. “They know what they like.

But in nearly every instance, they don’t have the education about how cannabis interacts with the body, the science of cannabis, the nature, the individuality of how it affects different people.”

Max Simon, Green Flower CEO, agrees.

“In cannabis right now, there is no standardized way to provide quality service,” he says. “As a result, you have all these completely untrained people who are essentially making things up.

They’re using the wrong terminology; they’re giving completely inaccurate suggestions; they don’t have any good training in terms of how to guide people to the right products; and, Renowned cannabis cultivator Kevin Jodrey instructs on the art of cultivation and unraveling genetics.

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To gain a Ganjier certification, students must show they have the ability to confidently discern, educate, and articulate the difference between cannabis that’s good enough to smoke and cannabis that’s exquisite enough to celebrate.

many times, they don’t even fundamentally understand what makes for a high quality product in the first place.”

Convene the Council To develop this deep and thorough knowledge base, Gilman and his colleagues at Green Flower recruited a council comprising 18 of the cannabis world’s most respected experts, covering every aspect of the plant and the industry.

The Ganjier Council includes cultivators, botany experts, geneticists, breeders, advocates, hash masters, legal experts, retailers, and educators.

Over the course of two years, the council collaborated to create the Ganjier certification program, which spans 10 online courses and a two-day live training in

Humboldt County, part of which takes place on a craft cannabis farm. The online courses include the history and botany of cannabis, consumption methods, botany and genetics, cultivating techniques, processing methodologies, and successful cannabis sales.

But it’s not, to be clear, a masterclass about how to grow weed.

“We’re not looking to teach a student how to be a cultivator,” says Gilman. “We don’t teach them nutrient levels to put in at different stages of the plant’s growth life.

What we teach them in the cultivation course is every single decision that the cultivator makes that affects the final quality of the cannabis flower, from the genetics they choose to the cultivation methodologies and light sources—artificial

PHOTO COURTESY THE GANJIER

THE LIFE

PHOTO COURTESY THE GANJIER

THE LIFE

light versus sunlight—to the type of medium they grow in.”

(In case you’re wondering, Gilman says that “most experts tend to agree that cannabis grown under the full sun has more nuance and character to it than something grown under artificial light.”)

A lab test may tell you the cannabinoid content and terpene profile of any given flower or concentrate sample, but it won’t tell you if you want to put it in your pipe and smoke it to achieve your desired results. The program trains students’ senses to cultivate a palate that recognizes the nuances and complexities in flavor and aroma and know how these translate into the desired effects for the consumer.

Most consumers can’t palpably and regularly distinguish between one brand’s OG Kush and another’s—not to mention that strain names are a pretty useless metric by which to judge the effects of what’s in a dispensary’s jars—so the Ganjier program doesn’t focus on arbitrary metrics like strain names or whether the cannabis in question is an indica or sativa. Instead, ganjiers are tasked with assessing the quality.

5 RANDOM CANNABIS FACTS

I LEARNED FROM THE GANJIER COUNCIL

I previewed all 10 courses in Ganjier’s online training curriculum taught by the 18 leading cannabis experts on the Ganjier Council and picked up some fun facts. The courses range from “The History of Cannabis & Cannabis Consumption” with the late master hashishin Frenchie Cannoli and “The Art and Science of Cannabis Cultivation” with legendary grower and industry icon Swami Chaitanya to “Accurately Assessing Cannabis Flower and Concentrates” with hash master Nikka T. Here’s what I learned.

1. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH HASHISH, a cannabis concentrate made using dried cannabis flowers, charas is a type of live resin made by caressing fresh, live cannabis flower between the palms.

2. THE FAN LEAF, ONCE THE ICON OF THE COUNTERCULTURE and now a cannabis marketing staple, is likely a sativa strain, which has longer “blades” or leaflets that are a lighter green in color compared to the short, broad, darkgreen or purple blades on an indica plant.

3. THE BLUE DREAM STRAIN GETS A BAD RAP for being one of those commercial options that you can find everywhere, but it’s actually one of the most unique strains out there that’s commonly available, thanks to its rare pinene-dominant terpene profile that has almost equal parts myrcene. Terpenes are the naturally occurring chemical compounds that give cannabis its aromas and flavors while playing a part in its effects, and pinene is shown to be stimulating or uplifting while myrcene is a known sedative.

4. EVIDENCE INDICATES THE MICROBES IN THE SOIL where a cannabis plant is grown impact the overall terpene quality and diversity in the finished flowers. High-quality craft cannabis is almost always grown in organic living soil.

5. TO CHECK THE QUALITY OF A SOLVENTLESS CONCENTRATE, look at the color. If it’s got any dark brown or green coloration, it’s off. Ideal, typical coloration should be light, buttery, and/or golden.—S.W. Course previews are available for free at ganjier.com.

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PHOTOS (FROM TOP) BY ONEINCHPUNCH VIA ADOBE STOCK; COURTESY THE GANJIER

THE LIFE

That’s a more nuanced determination that ganjiers rely on their senses to make, looking at the appearance, aroma, flavor, and experience a cannabis product provides. Students are taught to rate or classify 31 different characteristics of cannabis samples, from the color of quality of its trim technique to its aromas and flavor profile. Similar to a wine sommelier, a ganjier evaluates how the cannabis looks, how it smells, how it tastes. But unlike the masters of other gustatory professions, ganjiers are also tasked with assessing the experience the product delivers. To

gain Ganjier certification, students must show they have the ability to confidently discern, educate, and articulate the difference between cannabis that’s good enough to smoke and cannabis that’s exquisite enough to celebrate.

Enrollment in the 2022 Ganjier class is now open, and Gilman expects it to fill up quickly—the first class in 2021 sold out in just two weeks. Those who take the course and pass the exams will join an elite group that as of now includes just 36 certified ganjiers around the world. Among those masters of cannabis are the directors of sales for

two of the world’s largest cannabis companies; the director of employee training for mega-dispensary Planet 13; medical doctors and nurses interested in learning more about the medical potential of cannabis; self-motivated budtenders wanting to excel at their trade; consultants interested in launching cannabis tour companies and bud-bar

services for private parties, weddings, and corporate events; and even the director of the California Cannabis Tourism Association. Enrollment isn’t reserved for cannabis industry professionals, and anyone can sign up—all it takes is an interest in the subject matter and $2,997 to cover the costs.

Learn more at ganjier.com.

Ganjier students learn about the latest sustainable cannabis cultivation techniques, including the importance of living soil.

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the green future The dirty secret about cannabis? As the industry grows, the cultivation of the plant for profit can take a heavy toll on the planet. But concerned companies like Tallahassee-based Trulieve are banding together to create innovative practices and rigorous standards to ensure sustainable cultivation and commerce.

TEXT EUGENE BUCHANAN AND STEPHANIE WILSON

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PHOTO COURTESY TRULIEVE

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he cannabis industry is growing like a weed. According to the Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report released last November, US farmers are producing 2,278 metric tons of cannabis per year. That’s a lot of pot—enough to fill 11,000 dump trucks. Line that cannabis convoy up on I-95 and it’d stretch from Miami all the way up to Pompano Beach—a glorious scene of rolling green on its way to deliver the country’s fifth most valuable crop.

While fun to imagine, this hypothetical scene would be an environmental nightmare. Garbage trucks are one of the least fuel-efficient vehicles on the road.

Plus, the optics would be bad for a nascent industry emerging from the black market with an unprecedented opportunity to make the world a greener place.

With federal legalization becoming more and more likely, the industry can adopt environmentally sustainable practices as a national standard from the outset. Instead of later trying to reduce the environmental impact of operations that already exist, cannabis companies can do it right from the start, ever more necessary as legalization spreads around the globe—something the plant’s generally nature-loving consumers are expecting.

At least one report estimates the cannabis industry’s footprint already accounts for more than 1 percent of US electricity consumption. That figure continues to rise as the industry blossoms, in part because cannabis is an energy-intensive crop. For a plant with a nickname that suggests

it grows as easily as a dandelion, cannabis isn’t an easy plant to cultivate—at least not the high-quality stuff that consumers demand.

Between 40 and 80 percent of growers do so indoors, contributing to the industry’s huge energy footprint. Cannabis plants demand warm and low-humidity environments. Along with the grow lights that simulate the sun, they need carbon dioxide pumped in, oxygen pumped out, and lots of fresh air circulated, all of which requires energy.

things are done in the cannabis space. As a cultivator, manufacturer, and processor of cannabis, Trulieve can move the needle on responsible growth and transparency.

“The industry recognizes how important it is to create a positive social and economic impact in our communities. So much of that starts with making sustainability a priority,” says Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers. “Applying sustainable business practices will not only have a positive social and environmental impact, it’s the right thing to do.”

DEEP DIVE Read Sensi’s full Q&A with Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers (shown left) at sensimag.com.

SETTING A STANDARD Tallahassee-headquartered Trulieve leads the industry’s sustainability efforts. With its recent acquisition of Arizona’s Harvest Health and Recreation, the company is now the nation’s largest cannabis retailer, with a footprint spanning 11 states and more than 160 retail locations. It also operates around 3.1 million square feet of grow and production space.

With that much impact, the company is positioned to influence how

Trulieve operates 2.4 million square feet of enclosed indoor facilities and greenhouse cultivation space across Florida, a state particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Environment is one of the company’s top considerations when it comes to business operations. The Florida greenhouses are a prime example of innovation at work—some of them require zero electricity to operate, containing zero fans or lights, with six-foot sidewalls that allow as F E B R UA RY 2022

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much passive airflow as possible.

“We’ve been focused on sustainability at every stage of our growth,” says Rivers. The company’s inaugural Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report, released last November, outlines sustainability at every stage, providing a roadmap for other cannabis operators to follow.

“While we believe our industry understands its environmental impact and the importance of sustainability in general,” Rivers says, “it is still vital that we are proactively setting goals and benchmarks within our own organizations as the industry matures.

This is a relatively young but rapidly growing industry that does not yet have standard sustainability measures in place.”

The company has several climate initiatives and is conducting a baseline carbon footprint analysis to establish an emissions target and long-term performance metrics. In addition to reducing use of electricity at its facilities, Trulieve recycles cardboard, metal, pallets, electronic waste, and batteries, and it diverts organic waste to compost. Drip irrigation and rain-and-runoff recapture systems reduce water usage. More energy-efficient automated systems monitor and control indoor cultivation. Trulieve is exploring solar-generated electricity as a back-up for its facilities.

The company’s greenhouses in Gadsden County were engineered to recapture 100% of all rainwater and irrigation runoff, allowing for the recycling of fertilizer—including the company’s proprietary fertilizer created in partnership with a local company. This not

s usta ina bility s na psh o t According to an Environmental Sustainability Study conducted by the National Cannabis Industry Association, the following areas are hospots for better practices.

Soil Degradation. Similar to traditional agriculture, cannabis cultivation can cause soil erosion, nutrient loss, reduction in soilstored organic carbon, and increased acidity. Sustainable practices like soil testing can reduce this degradation. Companies like Pure Life Carbon, whose Charged Carbon soil is the world’s first carbon-negative, zero-waste grow medium, are helping.

Water. Cannabis, like many crops, often relies upon artificial irrigation, the runoff of which contains pesticides, heavy metals, excess nutrients, and other pollutants. Indoor cultivation puts pressure on municipal water systems and wastewater treatment facilities.

Energy. An estimated 63 percent of commercial cultivation is conducted indoors, with 20 percent in partial-indoor operations like greenhouses. The energy used for lighting, environmental controls, and hydration require up to 5,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per kilogram of output.

Air Quality. Emissions of air pollutants occur at multiple points in cultivation, processing and transportation. Volatile organic compounds are also emitted from plants as they grow, as well as from solvents during extraction, contributing to ground-level ozone. Emission mitigation companies like Byers Scientific, which works with Trulieve, combine all air mitigation into one unit with a low energy draw.

Waste. GAIACA Waste Revitalization, the nation’s first licensed cannabis waste disposal company that composts plant stems and leaves and repurposes packaging materials, estimates the industry generates 150 million tons of waste each year. Environmental impacts include contributing to landfills, ocean pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Add consumer waste from vape pen cartridges and single-use plastic, and the problem grows.

One solution: abolishing the 50/50 mixing rule for marijuana plant waste, in favor of composting and onsite anaerobic digestion.

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only promotes local economies, it decreases overall costs and reduces emissions that would otherwise be generated by trucking fertilizer from other locations. When deciding on which new markets to target and where to open new dispensaries, Trulieve takes into account delivery-route efficiency from processing facilities to ensure they’re reducing travel time and associated emissions.

“We anticipate more companies will be proactive and transparent in sharing their own standards and goals around sustainability, so we can collectively challenge ourselves to be better.”

DEFINING SUSTAINABILITY Trulieve is part of the Sustainable Cannabis Coalition (SCC), a group of industry leaders that seeks to improve sustainability in cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution. Together with a cohort of 20 cannabis or cannabis-adjacent companies, Trulieve and the SCC support independent research and are pushing for the tools needed to make measuring and reporting on sustainability more efficient and impactful.

—Kim Rivers, CEO, Trulieve

With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency, the coalition seeks to establish green cannabis policies and standards across local, state, regional, and national levels. “The cannabis industry is facing significant challenges, but they’re related to all those we face as a modern society,” says SCC co-founder Shawn Cooney. “And consumers are becoming more demanding in terms of their products’ value, safety standards, and sustainability.”

The SCC is collaborating with Trulieve and other industry leaders to develop standards. “It’s not only critical what a business is doing today, but they have to establish baselines and goals—from cultivation and product manufacturing, to packaging and on through the supply chain,” says Cooney. But first, it needs the tools to make this happen.

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ty—and responsibility—to define the best practices that will codify sustainability as standard cannabis-industry practice,” says Rivers.

The SCC is working with software company Sustain.Life to develop a tool to help companies track their emissions. It’s also collaborating with Dartmouth’s Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society to perform a complete evaluation and system redesign for indoor grow facilities. The team is investigating every light type, plus how to integrate solar panels, reduce HVAC usage, introduce automation, and much more. The project explores a “radically efficient” cannabis cultivation facility that could produce energy savings of 40 to 80 percent.

Cooney, an urban farmer who’s been producing food using controlled environmental agriculture (CEA) for years, grows leafy

greens year round in recycled shipping containers in East Boston at his Corner Stalk Farms.

He says the cannabis industry is almost identical to CEA. Sustainability is on its radar, but, he says, “like most industries, it still has a long way to go.”

Everyone agrees: the first step is greater transparency

and collaboration. “We know there’s still work to do,” says Rivers. “The cannabis industry is not slowing down. We anticipate more companies will be proactive and transparent in sharing their own standards and goals around sustainability, so we can collectively change the industry for the better.”

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Luckily there is a solution.

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“We know that obtaining a merchant account can be next to impossible without the right connections,” says Jonny Smith, President of GreenLink Merchants. “We are here to make those connections and put our experience to work for you.”

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SMOKING Good Titrations is Alaska’s only licensed cannabis consumption lounge—and one of the very first in the US—and it’s celebrating that achievement with lots of laughter.

PHOTO BY JFL PHOTOGRAPHY VIA ADOBE STOCK, EDITS BY JOSH CLARK

TEXT HUDSON LINDENBERGER

You need a sense of humor and the ability to persevere when the going gets tough to make it in Alaska.

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ON THE LAST FRONTIER

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& JOKING PHOTO COURTESY GOOD TITRATIONS

Comedian Lachlan Patterson works the crowd inside the Good Titrations Cannabis Lounge.

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90°F and constant sunlight in the summer. So, it only seems logical that the first state-sanctioned cannabis lounge in the United States would be located here— and it puts on comedy shows. If any place needs a spot to chill out, it’s be Fairbanks.

Good Titrations is one of Alaska’s leading producers of high-quality cannabis concentrates. The brainchild of three friends, it opened its doors in 2017 as a manufacturing facility and soon sold products across the state. It wasn’t until it moved into an old Chili’s restaurant building in the city’s heart a few years ago that it decided to offer

more. Besides opening a retail store, Good Titrations converted its old bar into a cannabis cafe to allow customers a place to kick back and relax.

It took several years, a mountain of paperwork, and nearly $375,000 in expenses to modify the building to meet the state’s rules for on-site consumption.

But, on April 20, 2021, the owners christened its opening by sparking the joint’s first joint.

“It was a long and sometimes painful process to gain approval from all of the local and state entities to open the lounge, but both myself and my partner Brandon Emmett were very active in

PHOTO COURTESY GOOD TITRATIONS

sk any person residing in Fairbanks, Alaska, what it takes to live there, and they will likely tell you that you need a sense of humor and the ability to persevere when the going gets tough, which it often does in the northernmost city in America. Less than 200 miles below the Arctic Circle, Fairbanks is known for its extreme climate—one which swings from minus 30°F and almost continual darkness in the winter to temperatures above

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“I WANTED TO BRING LIVE COMEDY BACK TO FAIRBANKS, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE CRAZINESS OF THE PANDEMIC UPENDED SO MANY LIVES.”

PHOTOS COURTESY GOOD TITRATIONS

—Jerry Evans

the legalization push of 2014 and the creation of the rules to govern it,” says Shaun Tacke, Good Titrations CEO. “We knew that showing that you can create and operate a safe spot like this will show others that it is possible and should happen.”

If it wasn’t for the faint hint of cannabis in the air and the display wall offering views into the glowing grow room filled with plants and fronted by several large booths, one could be forgiven for feeling as if they are relaxing in a modern coffee house here. Part of that is due to the state-of-the-art ventilation system that continually cycles fresh air into the space.

Required to ensure that the facility meets Alaska’s rules for indoor smoking of cannabis, it ensures that patrons aren’t enveloped in a hazy cloud of smoke.

A long wooden table with live edges made by a local craftsman sits off to one side circled by chairs. A small lounge space resembling the inside of a barrel dominates the back wall. Numerous televisions are tuned to various shows and sports. The old horseshoe bar, where patrons used to sip margaritas, sits in the center of the room. An espresso machine and several blenders fill the Space (alcohol is not allowed).

At the bar, customers can order beverages and products for consumption on-site. Items purchased in the retail shop on the other side of the building are for use outside the cafe. It can sell up to one gram of flower or pre-roll to every legal patron to spark up on-site per day. It can also sell 25mg of edibles per day, but most people prefer to smoke.

Local comedy heroes Glen Anderson (top) and Jerry Evans (bottom) warmed up the crowd before the main event.

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Not long after the room’s opening, local comedian and comedy show producer Jerry Evans approached Tacke. He wanted to book the first-ever comedy show inside a sanctioned cannabis lounge. It seemed like a no-brainer to Evans. Weed and comedy have been the perfect match ever since Cheech and Chong first introduced their version of stoner humor to the broader public.

“I wanted to bring live comedy back to Fairbanks, especially after the craziness of the pandemic upended so many lives,” says Evans. “What better spot to bring some laughter than inside a cannabis cafe in Alaska, the last state to criminalize it in 1990 and the third to then legalize it?

My thought is, one day we might actually be the answer to a trivia question when events like this are commonplace throughout the United States once the federal laws are changed.”

“WHILE I AM A 420-FRIENDLY COMEDIAN, I RARELY SMOKE BEFORE A SHOW, BUT THIS SEEMED LIKE THE PERFECT PLACE TO DO IT.” —Lachlan Patterson

For the first show, Evans, who has been bringing nationally recognized comedians to Fairbanks and the rest of the state for two decades, reached out to Lachlan Patterson. Known for his relaxed delivery and chill style, Patterson was the perfect person to earn a spot in the record books. Introduced by Evans and his longtime comedy partner Glen Anderson, the three fired up a joint, and the rest was history.

“I have been coming up to Alaska for many years and love Fairbanks, so I was honored when asked perform at the show,” says Patterson. “While I am a 420-friendly comedian, I rarely smoke before a show, but this seemed like the perfect place to do it. It was such an amazing time in such an intimate room that felt like a cool coffee shop—somewhere that I know well since I spent my first five years honing my act in them.”

The grow room at Good Titrations is visible from the cannabis lounge.

A B O U T T H E AU T H O R

Hudson Lindenberger is an award-winning writer who believes life is full of interesting stories—his goal is to tell as many of them as possible. Learn more about his work at hudsonlindenberger.com.

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PHOTO BY CHASE FADE VIA UNSPLASH 48

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One-Hit Wonder

The key to life? Savor The one-hit wonder. In the world of popular music, it’s a somewhat dismissive term. It’s a slight to the bands and artists who enjoyed one hugely successful song (think “MMMbop,” “Walking on Sunshine,” or “867-5309/Jenny”), then more or less disappeared into showbiz oblivion.

Personally, I would rather have one hit instead of none. And I often can.

That’s because at my house, the term “one-hit wonder” is shorthand for the cannabis cocktail hour, when, sometime around 5 or 6 p.m., I smoke one hit and instantly leave all the Zoom calls, texts, emails, pop-up schedules, news alerts and noise of the day behind.

It’s an incredibly liberating feeling. Opening the doors in my head to new ideas, suddenly solving problems to things that just an hour earlier I thought I might never quite figure out, thinking of how I really might finish writing a new book—The Ghost Hotel—this fall, or just kicking the soccer ball for my big dog, Moses, while I move the backyard hose around.

The concept of the onehit wonder is something I discovered researching my first book, The Monster, a

It’s the savoring of things, and sometimes the scarcity, that gives them meaning. It’s by that single toke. TEXT PETER KRAY being in the moment that kind of allegory about how funny Malamute-Labrador you heighten the pleasure and increase the memory mix we had nicknamed, we might take control of “The Mighty Burrito.” The of each event. And it’s the ways we confront the so much more enjoyable rolfer said, “You need to monsters in our personal than the monotony of stop looking at your feet lives—whether they be gluttony—of having so disease, mental strife, ad- so much when you walk. much of something that diction, or alcoholism—by Look where you’re going. the only remarkable Look at the horizon.” “turning a light on.” aspect is of how much you Which is something I During my research, can cram in your garage still think about when I I met a rolfer who was or stuff in your mouth. instrumental in helping my go for a long walk. Albeit You know that feeling the one-hit thing is what I wife and I on the path to you get when you first think about the most. At better health. Once, after the time I was writing that hear a song that you a particularly therapeutic book, it slowly dawned on know you will love forsession, I asked him how me that I was also writing ever, and every time you he managed the cycle of play it again, it takes you it to help myself. processing all of the hurt back to the first time you It was a period in my he was healing. Or, in other words, how he made life when I wasn’t satisfied heard it? That’s what I’m talking about. with just one of much sure he wasn’t holding I read once that when of anything. And canonto other peoples’ shit.

Brian Wilson, the Beach nabis—along with good He said, “Every night Boys founder and archibeer, bourbon, and crisp when I get home, before tect of the California surf reposado—was key to I walk in the house, I treating every day as part sound, first heard The smoke one hit then go of some extremely casual Ronettes classic wall of hold on to an iron rod in sound masterpiece, “Be long-working weekend, my courtyard until I feel My Baby,” he had to pull something Ernest Hemlike it’s all gone. Then I over to the side of the can go be with my family ingway called, “the fiesta road because it impacted concept of life” in his for the evening.” final—and I think finest— him so much. In 2013 he “One hit?” I said. told The New York Times, “That doesn’t seem near book, A Moveable Feast.

“In a way it wasn’t like The beauty of getting enough for all the probhaving your mind blown, back to one sublime molems you’re solving.”

But he was already back ment or lasting sensation, it was like having your mind revamped.” to focusing on my health— one perfect pint of cold That’s the way I feel IPA, one fine glass of piin particular, a lingering not noir with fresh pasta, when I enjoy my one hit at knee injury he thought the end of the day. Then I or one fragrant inhale of was exacerbated by my walk out onto my patio to the sweet leaf to rememreluctance to release my grief over the recent death ber the magic of each day look at the big, blue beautiful world, as I smile and was still a couple years of my dog Tobear, a barwonder about it all. down the tracks. rel-chested, willful, very

A B O U T T H E AU T H O R

Peter Kray is the author of The God of Skiing. The book has been called “the greatest ski novel of all time.” Find it on Amazon.

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THE END

Be Mine

The New England Confectionary Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, manufactured one of America’s most beloved Valentine’s Day candies.

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tion was its Sweethearts Conversation Hearts, multicolored candy hearts conveying a variety of amorous messages including “Call Me” and “Crazy 4 U.” Necco closed its doors in 2018, but its iconic Valentine treats continue to be made by the Spangler Candy Co. of Ohio.

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