Sensi Pennsylvania Spark October 2021

THE WONDER OF DOGS Why we love them so much

S PA R K P E N N S Y LVA N I A OCTOBER 2021

WORK FROM HERE The wide and winding road of a Digital Nomad

HEALING IN ART

Artist fights hardship with a brush

RUN FOR IT

Can you escape Blair Witch?

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SPARK SENSI MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2021

sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag

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FEATURE

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Lessons of a Digital Nomad Here’s what we learned from living on the go—and what we would change if we did it again.

DEPARTMENTS

11 EDITOR’S NOTE 24 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip hangouts around town 12 THE BUZZ BRIGHT, BOLD, JUBILANT News, tips, and tidbits to keep you in the loop

CANNABIS FALL MARKETPLACE Renningers Farm-

ers Market in Kutztown˜ Pennsylvania will host the big event.

MJ UNPACKED Here come opportunities for the cannabis industry to connect, collaborate, and access capital.

HERO HYPE Miami goes all in on comics, anime, and cosplay.

WOMEN’S SUMMIT

Don’t miss the OK Women Cann Midwest Conference.

GET YOUR KICKS Follow this guide for a road trip down America’s favorite highway, Route 66.

Rachelle Knight survived cancer and now creates art that inspires healing.

32 THE END Las Vegas’ Escape Blair Witch is an immersive experience sure to give you the chills.

ON THE COVER

The life of a digital nomad is not always this easy.

PHOTO BY MARTAKLOS VIA ADOBE STOCK

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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 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 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

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 365 Recreational Cannabis Dispensary: Recreational, Santa Rosa Green Unicorn Farms CBD Hemp Flower Humboldt Grow Tech Smart Ag Tech 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 Uleva Hemp Products Vaper Tip Vape Supply & Consulting Wana Brands Edible Gummies SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Accucanna LLC Desert Hot Springs: Dispensary EventHI Events Flourish Software Distribution Management Helmand Valley Growers Company Medical Infrastructure Specialist HUB International Insurance Hybrid Payroll / Ms. Mary Staffing Staffing & HR Benefits Ikänik Farms Cannabis Distribution Red Rock Fertility Fertility Doctor Wana Brands Edible Gummies Witlon Payroll

NEW ENGLAND 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, New England Debbie Hall Managing Editor, Nevada 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 Jade Kolb Director Sales Operations and Global Recruiting ADVERTISING

Toni Tardif National Sales Director PUBLISHING

Jamie Cooper Market Director, Michigan Richard Guerra Market Director, New England

DESIGN

Nancy Birnbaum Market Director, NorCal

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

Diana Ramos Market Director, Oklahoma

BRAND DEVELOPMENT

Richard Guerra Director of Global Reach Amanda Patrizi Director of Marketing Neil Willis Production Director MEDIA PARTNERS

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

Nancy Reid Market Director, Florida MEDIA SALES

COLORADO Liana Cameris Media Sales Executive Amanda Patrizi Media Sales Executive Tyler Tarr Media Sales Executive FLORIDA Anthony Mckenzie Media Sales Executive NEVADA Pam Hewitt Media Sales Executive NEW ENGLAND Jake Boynton Media Sales Executive MICHIGAN Eric Lutey Media Sales Executive Kyle Miller Media Sales Executive Leah Stephens Media Sales Executive

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Magazine published monthly

by Sensi Media Group LLC.

© 2021 Sensi Media Group. All rights reserved.

The word “spark” means to ignite—to catch

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the excitement of exploring new tastes, products, gatherings, and ways to connect.

“Spark” is also about challenging the norm in subtle, extraordinary, inviting, and revolutionary ways. You know what they say about change: It is constant, and it’s best when embraced.

On the theme of change, we are keeping an eye on movement in the federal government, as well as in more states, toward legalizing cannabis for adult-use recreation and medical use nationally, promising a shift in our nation’s social climate.

While medicinal and recreational cannabis is legal in Nevada, with proponents working to legalize and open social lounges, other states are slower to change. In Florida, medicinal cannabis is legal but The Florida Marijuana Legalization Initiative (#16-02) will not be on ballots in 2022 as hoped. The Florida Supreme Court ruled 5-2 (with the majority opinion written by Chief Justice Charles Canady) that the measure’s ballot language was misleading and could not appear on the ballot as written.

In Oklahoma, pro-cannabis activists want add two cannabis initiatives to the state ballot in 2022, one that would overhaul the state’s massive medical cannabis system and another to legalize recreational cannabis for all adults 21 and older.

And other states are watching cannabis bolster their economies, yet they are slow to legalize recreational use. Pennsylvania’s cannabis market reached $3.4 billion in total sales since 2018, according to the state’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board. Political analysts predicted no new moves to legalize recreational cannabis in the state before the first quarter of 2025 because of the state’s Republican-controlled legislature. But legalization of recreational use in nearby states—New Jersey and possibly Maryland —may be up for voting soon.

This fall, enjoy transformation—all of the colorful, diverse, and expansive ways our lives continue to change. Thank you for being a part of our Sensi family as a reader.

Let’s enjoy the journey together.

“Spark” is also about challenging the norm in subtle, extraordinary, inviting, and revolutionary ways.

Yours in the new normal,

Debbie Hall debbie.hall@sensimag.com

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The second Cannabis Fall Marketplace at Renningers Farmers Market in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, will feature more than 250 vendors, plus informative talks by cannacentric speakers and discussion panels, medical card certifications, and enjoyable food exibitors and live music. The event’s mission is to raise awareness and end cannabis prohibition in the fifth most populated state in the US. The Keystone State has legalized the use of medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp, and the community is now working on legalizing recreational cannabis. There is no cost to attend.

Oct. 2-3 / penncannafest.com

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PHOTOS (FROM TOP) BY JOEY THOMPSON, VONECIA CARSWELL

Cannabis Fall Marketplace

CONTRIBUTOR

Debbie Hall

MJ UNPACKED

Premiering in October, MJ Unpacked brings together passionate cannabis retailers, THC CPG brands, and accredited investors with opportunities to connect, collaborate, and access capital. In a newly imagined format, guests will learn from fellow professionals, explore expansion opportunities, and prepare to compete in a national market. The Blues Brothers at The House of Blues at Mandaly Bay in Las Vegas will perform a benefit concert to raise money for the Last Prisoner Project on October 21.

Oct. 21-22 / mjunpacked.com

BY THE NUMBERS

125°F DEGREES Highest temperature recorded in the state of Nevada, in Laughlin, June 29, 1994

1STATE

ST

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT) BY HIVAN ARVIZU @SOYHIVAN, JOEL MUNIZ, SENAD PALIC

HERO HYPE MIAMI

Pennsylvania is the first state in the US to list its URL on a license plate.

700

Square miles of Lake Okeechobee, the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida

Love gaming, comics, anime, manga, cosplay, and collectibles? The Hero Hype Convention in Miami brings devotees and fans together in the leading convention that showcases heroes, such as comic and manga titles including Armored Bots (Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi), where Earth is no longer home and giant bots, mechs, machines, and robots battle each other for planet dominance, and Jurassic Crisis (Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Horror), where you can journey into the depths of an island where science has found a way to bring dinosaurs back from extinction.

Oct. 23 / herohype.com

WOMEN’S MIDWEST SUMMIT

The OK Women Cann Midwest Conference brings together women from the Midwest who are passionate about cannabis education and advocacy. Pulling participants from all parts of the Midwest, women can network, learn about cannabis, and explore business opportunities. The conference will be held at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel located steps from Bricktown Entertainment District. OK Women Cann is a nonprofit that provides members with all the tools needed to be successful, including networking, connection, education, and promoting a strong female representation.

Oct. 28 / facebook.com/okwomencannconf

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

—L.M. Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables

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THE BUZZ

GET YOUR KICKS

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) BY CHLOÉ STEIN; COURTESY OF FORT JEFFERSON; BY SUE HUGHES, CAROL HIGHSMITH

For anyone who thrives on nostalgia, driving along Route 66 brings mid-century history to life. About 80 percent of the winding road still exists, with many historical sites restored. In 2018, Congress voted to designate the roadway a National Historic Trail.

Oatman, Arizona Visitors to Oatman, Arizona, a former mining town, can get a glimpse of bighorn sheep or mingle with burros that roam the city streets. About 125 miles south of Las Vegas, the town prides itself on maintaining a Wild West feel, down to the wooden sidewalks and staged shootouts along with art galleries and one-of-a-kind shops.

Milk Bottle Grocery, Oklahoma The historic Milk Bottle Grocery in Oklahoma City was built in 1930 as a 350-square-foot building with a giant milk bottle perched on top of it. The landmark remains popular for Route 66 motorists as an Instagrammable moment.

Fort Jefferson, Florida The Florida Keys offer excellent opportunities to explore history at Fort Jefferson, the largest brick building in the Western hemisphere. Experience colorful sights and encounters with wildlife like sea turtles with a guided snorkeling tour of the fort’s underwater ruins.

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania Valley Forge is the site of the encampment of the Continental Army during the winter of 1777 to 1778 under the command of George Washington. As a result, the historic structures, landscapes, objects, and archeological and natural resources are links to explore one of the most defining periods in the nation’s history.

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TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

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LESSONS FROM THE UNEASY HIGHWAY

PHOTOS OF AIRSTREM BY LEE STONEHOUSE

What I learned as a digital nomad—and what I’ll do differently next time.

from San Francisco, and families from Seattle—younger adults with full-time jobs and no interest in pickleball or water aerobics.

Watching the rain pelt the couple next to me as they wrestle with their sewer lines, all I can think about is how these new nomads (“newmads”) are going to make finding a place to park the Flying Cloud—already next to impossible because RV infrastructure hasn’t kept up with the number of vehicles on the road—impossible. Even before this influx, reservations at state parks and desirable RV resorts needed to be made months in advance.

It’s the week after Memorial Day. I’m screwed.

On the radio, Kenny Loggins sings “Celebrate Me Home,” a ballad lamenting the uneasy highway.

PHOTO COURTESY OUTSITE.CO

My summer gig on Orcas Island just fell apart after a week. I don’t know where to go.

I’ve parked my Airstream at the Deerwood RV Resort on the outskirts of Eugene, Oregon, so I can figure things out. It’s raining.

I know that’s what it does here, but every drop feels personal. I’ve been on the road for two years, traveling from San Diego to the San Juans, with detours to Spain and Mexico and Michigan and a few stops to see my kids in Denver. I’m gritty.

Campgrounds have just reopened after the early pandemic lockdowns. A startling number of Cruise America rentals are filing into Deerwood, tentatively driven (and more tentatively parked) by a whole new class of RVer: techies from Silicon Valley, gay couples

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PHOTOS (FROM TOP) COURTESY OF AIRBNB; BY MARTAKLOS VIA ADOBE STOCK

As I sing along, “and I never know where I belong,” I start crying.

I don’t want to do this anymore—ricocheting from place to place; retreating to hotels and Airbnbs when living in a trailer gets claustrophobic, then moving back into the trailer when other people’s rules get claustrophobic; bunking with friends to ward off loneliness; falling in love with other people’s dogs and having to leave them. I need a home to go home to again.

I’ll sell the trailer to one of these newmads and settle down near my kids for a while. Think about what mortgage I’d been paying on an just happened. Figure out how I’ll appreciating home in Boulder.

A Sprinter van would have givdo this better next time. en me a lot more freedom and Here’s what I know. mobility, and I hope to try one I WON’T BUY ANOTHER for an extended trip (they’re too AIRSTREAM (OR ANY RV). small for me to live in full time, This is hard to admit, because my though lots of people do). I can nomad dreams were so wrapped rent one for somewhere between up in romantic ideas about tour$70 and $700 a night, meaning I ing around in an Airstream, but could journey for two weeks in a the shiny trailer never sparked the basic wagon for around $1,000 or kind of joy it should have for all the most tricked-out, badass mothe money it cost—and kept on bile out there for about $10,000. costing—in aftermarket products, Either way, I’ll spend a fraction of ongoing maintenance, licensing, what it would cost me to buy, outinsurance, gas (my truck avefit, license, insure, and maintain a raged about 13 mpg when haulvan of my own. ing), and hookups at campgrounds and RV resorts (when I’LL EXPLORE CO-LIVING. I could get them). On the West RVing wasn’t for me, but I did like Coast, the minimum per night in a how easy it was to meet people campground where I felt safe was in RV parks and campgrounds. $55, and the nicest parks run well There’s instant community when over $100 a night. When I was travelers circle their wagons (and lucky enough to book a parking there’s a hot tub). I didn’t realize spot for a month, it cost around how much I needed that camara$1,600—about the same as the derie until I spent a month in an

Airbnb on Bankers Hill in San Diego, where I knew no one. I made a couple unsuccessful attempts to connect with humans—a coworking space, Tinder—and spent a lot of time alone. (Loneliness, it should be noted, is consistently the number-one thing that causes digital nomads to give it up and go back home.)

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Digital Newmads

My mood and perspective changed completely when I moved to a co-living house on the beach in Encinitas, the surfer paradise just north of San Diego.

I got to chat with fellow travelers over coffee in the morning and share sunsets with them in the evening, and everyone was respectful of each other’s work needs during the day. It felt like college again, but with people who have been to cool places and done inspiring things.

As more people discover co-living, its popularity has soared— even through the pandemic. Rates at Outsite and other companies that offer private and shared rooms in houses around the world have skyrocketed since I stayed in early 2020 (like everything, I guess). Coliving.com, a sort of Airbnb for co-living houses, offers some more-affordable options.

I’LL STAY LONGER IN FEWER PLACES. In two years, I spent a week or more in 24 locations. That’s not 20

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the way to do this.

According to a survey conducted this year by the website A Brother Abroad (abrotherabroad.com), digital nomads overwhelmingly prefer to stay in one place for about six months at a time. Longer stays let you relax and get to know a place, embed in the community.

They’re also easier on the body (travel takes its toll), a lot more conducive to getting work done, and more affordable (long-term stays are cheaper, and getting from place to place always costs something.)

I’m working through my commitment issues. Next time, I’ll stop and stay a while.

I’LL BUDGET. I recently read the average digital nomad spends $1,875 per month, or $22,500 per year—and I was incredulous. I consistently spent double that, sometimes triple in expensive California.

I wasn’t prepared for how much everything cost. Next time, I’ll be more responsible. It’s not that

PHOTO BY HALFPOINT VIA ADOBE STOCK

Digital nomads (aka digital gypsies) are people who use technology to do their jobs from anywhere on the planet. According to the Jerusalem Post, you have to move locations at least three times in a year to qualify. And workers are doing it in increasing numbers.

• The number of digital nomads in America has gone up by 49 percent, from 7.3 million in 2019 to 10.9 million in mid2020, a study by Emergent Research and MBO Partners found.

• There are 35 million digital nomads of every nationality living and working across the globe, according to a 2021 survey by the website A Brother Abroad.

• While vacation paradises from Anguilla to Bermuda to Costa Rica to Dubai are all attempting to lure remote workers with year-long visas and incentives, Mexico is home to the most (14 percent), followed by Thailand and Portugal, A Brother Abroad found.

restrict their citizens’ rights, though, so I doubt I’ll ever check that box.

I’LL BRING MY OWN WI-FI.

hard—I don’t even have to learn QuickBooks. Apps like Destigogo and The Earth Awaits are available to help me calculate where I can afford to travel based on my time frame and how much money I have. Radical.

PHOTOS (FROM TOP) BY CMOPHOTO NET, PEGGY ANKE VIA UNSPLASH

I’LL GET MAIL SERVICE. I never got counted in the 2020 Census. I was having mail sent to a friend’s house in Boulder when it happened, and the letter with the code I needed to get counted online never made it to me. There was a lot going on at my friend’s house, and forwarding my mail wasn’t a priority. I get it.

I chose to use my friend’s address not because I was worried about my mail—I pay my bills and do most transactions online anyway—but because of all the things attached to an address, from health insurance to vehicle and voter registration. I like having Colorado plates and voting in a blue state.

But next time, I’ll spring for a professional mail service like PostScan Mail or Earth Class Mail

Finding reliable Wi-Fi is digital nomads’ number-one complaint.

Being able to hotspot my phone was a lifesaver when I started traveling in 2018, but it never gave me all the bandwidth I needed to work and watch Netflix. I was constantly data starved.

The good news is, portable Wito sort, scan, and shred my mail, Fi technology (like all technolothen send digital copies and forgy) has improved exponentially ward important documents (like over the past couple years, and the Census letter) and checks (I now I can buy a high-speed pormay have missed a few of those, table hotspot like the Skyroam too). Most of these companies are Solis, which can handle unlimited in Texas and South Dakota, which data and up to 10 devices. have low income tax rates and I’ll also research Wi-Fi speeds loose residency requirements, and before I plan an extended stay in they can also help me become a another country because some citizen of one of those states even don’t have the bare minimum to if I never live in them. I’m not support remote work, and this down with the way those states is beyond frustrating. The Digi-

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IMAGES VIA ADOBE STOCK

I’LL BRING MY OWN COFFEE. If coffee doesn’t matter to you, you can skip this section. (I’ll never understand you.)

Too many times, while staying at Airbnbs or dog sitting or visiting friends, I found myself in a kitchen in the morning without a way to make coffee. It seems unfathomable to me, but apparently some people are not caffeine junkies and they overlook this morning ritual.

I put together this kit to make sure I never have to wake up without caffeine again: • An Aeropress (a plastic tube with a plunger that makes an excellent cup of coffee) • A stainless steel reusable filter for Aeropress • A portable immersion heater (a

little clip you put inside a cup to heat water) • Ground coffee • Powdered milk (I like my coffee brown)

didn’t fit into my Airstream. That wasn’t entirely true. I stashed furniture with my kids and friends, and I had to rent a storage unit for the bins full of memorabilia and photographs I couldn’t let go.

I cursed my sentimentality every I’LL BRING MY DOG. month when I paid that bill.

My Catahoula died right before I Even after spending months hit the road. I borrowed a friend’s purging almost everything I toy poodle for the first leg of my owned, I still carried around journey, but when I had to give him back after four months, lone- things I didn’t need and never used, detritus that weighed liness set in. Not having a pet me down and cost me—in gas to makes traveling easier and gives haul my overstuffed trailer and in you more options—just watch baggage fees when I transferred how many available rental propclothes I never wore into a big erties drop out when you filter for “pets allowed”—but extended pink suitcase to travel by air.

Everything I need to live my travel without a best friend was life, full stop, can fit into a carunbearable for me.

The first thing I did when I land- ry-on suitcase and a backpack.

That’s what I’ll take next time, ed in a home again was adopt a no matter where I go. Unencumsenior Shih Tzu. He’s grumpy but adaptable enough to travel. I’ll plan bered. No excuses. my next journey around his needs.

I’LL BRING LESS STUFF.

I’LL WORRY LESS, APPRECIATE MORE.

Before I set out, I bragged about getting rid of everything that

At least, I hope I will. I’m always working on this one.

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Bright, Bold, Jubilant Art inspires healing.

TEXT DEBBIE HALL

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF RACHELLE KNIGHT

Out of darkness comes illumination—with bursting colors, bold shapes, and positive messages. This is the art of Rachelle Knight, transforming life through acrylic-on-canvas paintings while fighting one of her most challenging battles.

In April 2013, Knight was diagnosed with breast cancer, resulting in four months of chemotherapy and five operations, including a double mastectomy and reconstruction completed in December 2013.

“I have always been into art and creativity since

I was young,” explains Knight. “During 2013, I was in a bad depression. But after facing my mortality at the age of 40, I was given a new lease on life. It might sound cliché, but it was a wake-up call.”

In 2014, she created and grew her healing garden, where Knight could

sit, enjoy the sun and plants, and reflect. Later that year, the town where she lives held an art competition and Knight wanted to get her (then) 10-year-old son involved.

They both entered their artwork, which inspired her to commit to creating her art.

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“I called that my second healing time,” she laughs. “I put my soul into it, making it super bright with flowers. I knew my soul needed beauty.” She is proud of her art involving cannabis, especially how it expresses themes of health.

In fact, a dispensary exhibited her cannabis paintings for over a year.

Knight is from Utah and, while the state recently approved medicinal cannabis, it remains challenging to obtain.

“Before I became sick, I had never tried cannabis. Friends offered to get it for me to help with my chemo. Unfortunately, I was so sick, vomiting for about four months, and suffered a seizure because of dehydration,” she says. “I was also battling depression.

Cannabis might have really helped when I was sick, but because it was not legal when I was sick, I was too afraid to try it. Looking back, if it had been legal, I could O C TO B E R 2021

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THE SCENE

MORE INFO

Rachelle Knight rrknight.com rrkfineart

have decided to use it,” explains Knight.

As a professional artist now, Knight sells artwork and frequently exhibits at the Mesquite Fine Arts Center.

Recently, after being approached by the city of Mesquite, she donated her time to transform several electrical utility boxes into works of art.

On the corner of Pioneer and Mesa boulevards, the scenes depict cultivating, growing, and harvesting the Virgin Valley’s first cash crop of cotton. Her joyful expressions spread healing to the public as she heals herself.

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P R O M OT I O N A L F E AT U R E W C I H E A LT H

Best of Both Worlds The founder and CEO of WCI Health, Dr. Lola Ohonba is on a mission to educate those who are suffering about the science behind plant medicine.

B

orn in Nigeria, Dr. Lola Ohonba has a unique perspective on plant medicine. She understands traditional uses—that deep knowledge passed down through generations—but she’s also a Western-educated pharmacist, a biologist and chemist, trained in hard science. Her desire to share that perspective spurred her to found WCI Health after a successful career in the mainstream pharmaceutical world.

“After the passage of the Farm Bill,

you saw CBD everywhere,” she says, “and I felt like there needs to be education in the space. Education is the key.”

WCI Health does just that, drawing on the experience Ohonba (Dr. Lola, as she’s known) has in both worlds to help dispensaries, who want to use botanicals, cannabis, and psychedelics as medicine make the right decisions.

And she has become a prominent voice in the effort to destigmatize plant medicine as a public speaker as well as the author of the bestselling

book A Pharmacist’s Guide to Cannabis: Perspectives of a non-conformist clinician and the host of the podcast Let’s Talk Plant Medicine: Cannabis, Psychedelics, and Pharmaceutics.

Beyond advocating for new perspectives on alternative medicine on these platforms, Dr. Ohanba is seeking to bring diversity and inclusion to the space. “I preach equity,” she says. Dr. Ohanba suffered from a disability that limited her movement as a child, and that experience gave her a unique empathy for those who feel as if they have no hope when it comes to finding relief from debilitating conditions. She’s especially focused on those with disabilities and those who served in the military and suffer from mental health related disorders like PTSD. She defines equity as making sure anyone in need is equipped with the knowledge to find healing.

“Very few people have the background of knowing how plant medicine works and how conventional medicine works,” she says. “I’m able to break it down to the average person’s level without the medical jargon. I can say, ‘This is medicine, and I have science to back it up.’”

WCI Health Plant medicine education wci-health.com O C TO B E R 2021

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Escape Blair Witch 2121 Industrial Road, Las Vegas escapeblairwitch.com

Celebrate Horror New escape experience brings a classic to life.

In the 22 years since the independent film The Blair Witch Project was released, the set-up hasn’t lost any of its scary appeal.

The image of a terrified young woman—eyes bulging, begging for forgiveness as she looks into

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the camera—remains one of the scariest moments in movie history.

Located in Las Vegas, the immersive attraction and escape experience, Escape Blair Witch, brings Lionsgate’s classic supernatural horror film franchise to life. Players volunteer to search for students who have gone missing in the forest. However, as the players work their way through multiple scenes throughout the ranger’s station, the woods, and the old house, they quickly learn that they must work to escape the clutches of the Blair Witch.

“We designed Escape Blair Witch as a ‘speakeasy style’ attraction,” says Jason Egan, owner of

Egan Escape Productions that produced the attraction. “From the outside, the building looks like an old ranger’s station with no mention of the Blair Witch.”

The heart-pounding official trailer (available online), produced

by Jason Egan and Sugar Studios, was filmed at the immersive escape experience. Directed by and starring scream queen Danielle Harris, the trailer also features Sarah Nicklin and Mark Lawson.

The new attraction is located in the same facility with Lionsgate’s fan favorite, The Official SAW Escape: Las Vegas, the escape experience themed after the blockbuster franchise series.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EGAN ESCAPE PRODUCTIONS

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