SSW 04.11.24 - Cannabis Issue

2 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ APRIL 11, 2024

SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY The South Side Weekly is an independent non-profit newspaper by and for the South Side of Chicago. We provide high-quality, critical arts and public interest coverage, and equip and develop journalists, artists, photographers, and mediamakers of all backgrounds.

Volume 11, Issue 6 Editor-in-Chief

Jacqueline Serrato

Managing Editor

Adam Przybyl

Investigations Editor

Jim Daley

Senior Editors Martha Bayne Christopher Good Olivia Stovicek Sam Stecklow Alma Campos Politics Editor Music Editor Immigration Editor

J. Patrick Patterson Jocelyn Martínez-Rosales Wendy Wei

Community Builder

Chima Ikoro

Public Meetings Editor Scott Pemberton Visuals Editor

Kayla Bickham

Deputy Visuals Editor Shane Tolentino Staff Illustrators Mell Montezuma Shane Tolentino Director of Fact Checking: Savannah Hugueley Fact Checkers: Alani Oyola Maria Maynez Mo Dunne Lauren Shepherd

Isi Frank Ativie Christopher Good Patrick Edwards Arieon Whittsey Sebastiana Smith Layout Editor

Tony Zralka

Interim Executive Director

Malik Jackson

Office Manager

Mary Leonard

Advertising Manager

Susan Malone

Webmaster

Pat Sier

The Weekly publishes online weekly and in print every other Thursday. We seek contributions from all over the city.

Send submissions, story ideas, comments, or questions to editor@southsideweekly.com or mail to: South Side Weekly 6100 S. Blackstone Ave. Chicago, IL 60637 For advertising inquiries, please contact: Susan Malone (773) 358-3129 or email: malone@southsideweekly.com For general inquiries, please call: (773) 643-8533

Cover photo by Emma Soto

IN CHICAGO

IN THIS ISSUE

Welcome to the Cannabis Issue

maria juana

Welcome to the Cannabis Issue, a homage to the misunderstood herb that for decades has been stigmatized, criminalized, loved, and enjoyed by many. Since Illinois legalized recreational cannabis in 2020, dispensaries, novelty cafes, and events promoting a 4/20–friendly smoking environment have sprouted around the city—and the South Side is blazing its own trail.

In this issue, you’ll read about the Latinas making waves in the cannabis scene, including an artist who draws on her Mexican American heritage and love of pot to make unique, beautiful ceramics. We also talk to a therapist who combines art, music, and weed at a popular event.

We’re diving deep into the high life, with stories that cover everything from social consumption events like Runners High Chicago to unconventional gatherings like Pilsen’s Safety Meetings, a creativity-sparking scrapbook. And we take a hard look at the industry with a story about the illusion of choice in a market largely monopolized by big players and another about dispensary deserts on the South Side.

With 4/20 on the horizon, we're here to applaud the progress of the cannabis industry while keeping a close eye on the road ahead. This issue is a celebration with a touch of critique, acknowledging how far we’ve come while recognizing the imperative to push the envelope even further. So grab your favorite strain, settle in, and let’s explore the vibrant cannabis culture flourishing in the face of adversity on the South Side. —Jocelyn Martinez-Rosales P.S. Nobody tell my mom I smoke weed, please.

Farewell, Vocalo

Last Wednesday, Chicago Public Media (CPM) announced that the company will lay off fourteen employees, discontinue Vocalo Radio’s broadcast by May 1, and shutter its storied podcast unit (the birthplace of the hugely popular pod Serial and home to treasures such as Nerdette and The Rundown). CPM justified the cut by citing Vocalo’s lack of audience growth (“only 11,000 listeners weekly”) and general financial constraints. After the announcement, the Sun-Times reported that in 2023, CPM gave its CEO Matt Moog a 19 percent pay increase (to $633,310) and debuted a $6.4 million studio at WBEZ’s Navy Pier office. After May 1, listeners can still tune in to a limited version of Vocalo programming via livestream at vocalo. org/player and their app, vocalo.org/pp.

Broadcasting over Chicago’s airwaves since 2007, Vocalo has established itself as “Chicago’s urban alternative,” broadcasting tunes that embodied “what Chicago sounds like” 24/7 as the city’s only National Public Radio music station. Vocalo focuses on independent R&B, hip hop, jazz, and house music and was created to reach more racially diverse and younger audiences than other NPR stations. The station regularly featured home-grown artists and was among the first radio stations to play Chicago artists who have since become household names, such as Saba and NoName (who years later was featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series). Initiatives for engagement with South and West Side listeners included Spanish-language programs on weekends and an annual storytelling workshop for community members.

What the cuts signal in terms of CPR’s commitment to diversity and the inclusion of communities on the South and West Sides remains to be seen. Decades ago, the saying “Last hired, first fired” proliferated to describe the precarity of employment for Black workers compared to their white counterparts. The decision to cut Vocalo is something of a callback to that: communities that traditional media turns to in attempts at diversity, equity, and inclusion are all too often abandoned when times get tough.

Fatal traffic stop in Humboldt Park

On Tuesday, April 9, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) released body-camera footage showing Dexter Reed, a twenty-six-year-old Black man, being slain by Chicago police officers on March 21 in Humboldt Park. Reed was driving near Ferdinand and Hamlin when five plainclothes police officers in an unmarked vehicle pulled him over for allegedly not wearing a seatbelt. The officers surrounded the car and began shouting at Reed to roll down the windows and put his hands up. When Reed apparently didn’t comply, the cops pointed their guns at him.

One officer was struck in the forearm after Reed allegedly shot first, according to COPA. The four other officers then shot at Reed and his car, firing ninety-six rounds in forty-one seconds. They continued shooting even after Reed exited the car unarmed and fell to the ground.

“I am personally devastated to see yet another young Black man lose his life during an interaction with the police,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the officers involved have been placed on a month-long administrative leave.

The night before the press conference, dozens of community members at a public hearing demanded CPD Supt. Larry Snelling fire the officers and do more to reduce pretextual stops, in which police pull over drivers for minor traffic infractions (such as not wearing a seatbelt or having expired vehicle registration) as an excuse to look for weapons or drugs. A recent report by Impact for Equity found that in Chicago, pretextual stops have skyrocketed in recent years. The report also found that Black drivers were far more likely to be stopped than white drivers. Reed’s fatal encounter was apparently one such pretextual stop. Snelling promised the crowd that change is coming but was light on specifics. The shooting is being investigated by COPA and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Brown women are carving out spaces in a market dominated by white men.

mateo zapata............................................4 weed corridos: in the basement with codigo verde

nick merlock jackson..............................6 dispensary disparity

The North Side has more than a dozen pot shops, but only a handful can be found out south.

mark braboy.............................................8 unladylike offers an unorthodox approach to mental health

At Puff Paint Pass, DeJa Jovon offers art therapy paired with healing smoke and killer tunes.

luz magdaleno-flores............................9 the rotation

The Weekly’s poetry corner offers our thoughts in exchange for yours.

chima ikoro, nue foster, magdalena/izzy garcia.........................11

‘mamá, solo es un florero’

The aspiring scientist turned socially-engaged artist weaves narratives of the Mexican American experience.

jocelyn martinez-rosales....................14 multi-state operators dominate illinois’s cannabis market

Advocates say legal and financial barriers to independent operators keep prices high

alejandro hernandez...........................15 active stoners

Chicago’s first and only cannabis-centric running group emphasizes community, mental wellness, and service.

molly morrow........................................17 corredores que fuman

El primer y único grupo de corredores de Chicago centrado en el cannabis, Runners High enfatiza la convivencia, el bienestar mental y el voluntariado.

por molly morrow traducido por alma campos................18 public meetings report

A recap of select open meetings at the local, county, and state level.

scott pemberton and documenters......20 scrapbookers spark creativity and joints

Blazing creativity meets bedazzling in the South Side’s underground Safety Meeting, where art and cannabis collide.

emma soto...............................................21 calendar

Bulletin and events.

zoe pharo and south side weekly staff.......................23

CANNABIS

Maria Juana

Brown women are carving out spaces in a market dominated by white men.

BY MATEO ZAPATA

A

side from the racial disparities in the booming corporate world of cannabis, it’s also an overwhelmingly male-dominated industry. But a new wave of Latinas is emerging in Chicago’s local cannabis community who could challenge that.

After criminalizing communities of color for cannabis consumption, legalization allowed predominately whiteowned pharmaceutical companies to make billions. At a federal level, cannabis is still classified as a Schedule I drug, in the same category as heroin and meth, while also currently being legalized for recreational use in twenty-four states nationwide. Last year, Illinois tax revenue generated more than $400 million in taxes and reached over a billion dollars in sales.

“The plant is female, period. So it only makes sense for women to represent,” said Anakaren Ramirez, a Gage Park native who founded AK40SEV in 2019, a cannabis-based clothing brand and events company.

Ramirez, a proud DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) Dreamer, said that many of her supporters admit their own preconceived notions of assuming her brand is owned and managed by a man, but she enjoys the shock of tearing down that delusion. “I’d meet people in person and they’d be like, ‘Wait, you’re AKAY40SEV? This whole entire time I thought [the owner] was a man,’” she said.

Ramirez balances being a single mother of two young daughters and working a full-time job in government while managing AKAY40SEV. She is also an advocate for diversity within the local cannabis industry.

Ramirez’s first event was named Mother Mary Jane, with the purpose of having cannabis consumers bring their mothers to learn more about the

4 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ APRIL 11, 2024

(Clockwise from upper left) Vanessa Cardenas, Victoria Cristina Ruiz, Anakaren Ramirez, Liz Marie Palomo, and Amorinda Martinez.

Photos by Mateo Zapata

benefits of cannabis consumption and to help educate first generation immigrant families.

Vanessa Cardenas and Victoria Cristina Ruiz, both Latinas and Logan Square natives, founded Rollin Rosa in 2022, a premium luxury brand providing vegan-organic, non-toxic pre-rolled pink cones crafted with a custom red rose filter.

“It’s not your every-day, it’s more for the people that want something a little more upscale, elegant, it’s an elevated experience. We’re the first to create custom rose filter tips,” Cardenas, who’s also a DACA Dreamer, said.

“If you ever see a Rollin Rosa box,

the first thing you see is a Brown girl on the cover, that’s rare. From the jump, it’s an experience. You slide the box open and the cones have their individual separators so they don’t get squished. It’s luxurious.”

They remembered the moment that helped motivate them to pursue their business endeavor of creating Rollin Rosa. “We were misinformed that Blazy Susan was a woman-owned company, which is why we were giving them our business,” Cardenas said. “We then discovered it wasn’t a woman-owned business. It was run by a white male and then we thought, ‘Well, if he could do it, why can’t we? We’re actually women—

and we’re Latinas.’”

Ruiz also recalled running into sexism when she pitched their products at dispensaries in Chicago.

“I went to a smoke shop trying to get their business. I gave them samples and showed them the catalog,” she said. “The gentleman specifically asked to speak to a man. I told him I was one of the owners, this is a two-woman show. There are no men operating within this company and he refused to do business with me because of that reason.”

Rollin Rosa will be celebrating its two-year anniversary this summer.

They’ve come a long way since their start. “We didn’t know anything about the cannabis industry, we didn’t have resources,” Cardenas said.

Now, their signature vegan cones are currently available in more than dispensaries throughout the Midwest along with being stocked at select shops in New York and Massachusetts. They will also be launching a partnership with Urban Outfitters this month, distributing their products nationwide and at the flagship store in New York City.

While women like Griselda Blanco and the “Queen of the South” are romanticized in contemporary pop culture, women working within the legal parameters of the cannabis industry are clearly facing adversity for simply being women in the business world.

Latinas have also been historically hypersexualized or portrayed as subservient, while the term “marijuana” was manufactured out of anti-Mexican sentiment in order to vilify immigrants.

But a new generation of Latinas are breaking through all the stereotypes and barriers to let it be known that they are not here to be objectified, to serve men or to be exploited. They’re here to independently thrive, be successful in the industry and

CANNABIS

proudly represent their culture.

South Sider Amorinda Martinez, who founded Tranquil Highs in 2019, curates medicinal meditative experiences in the West Loop that provide space for self-administered cannabis consumption.

Martinez spent more than two decades working in hospitals and in leadership roles within the medical industry. Now she’s focused on providing healing services to her community.

Martinez said she strongly believes in Indigenous traditions of plant medicine, adding that cycles of generational trauma endured by communities of color can be

Palomo’s alter-ego and lifestyle brand provides infused essential oil candles and fragrances paired with positive daily reaffirmations.

She started her career in the cannabis industry as a budtender and went on to manage three locations before deciding to leave the corporate space and become independent.

“As a Latina, in order to give back to your community, you need representation,” Palomo said. “I was the representation in [those] spaces for the tias and tios, the grandmas and grandpas that were trying to find an alternative means for

“Women were always revered as medicine women, because we carry that divine feminine power. The women were the ones allocating medicine to the people of their communities.” – Amorinda Martinez broken by learning about pre-colonial healing practices that involve plant medicine.

“Women were always revered as medicine women, because we carry that divine feminine power,” Martinez said. “The women were the ones allocating medicine to the people of their communities. Naturally, we are the intuitive people, we are the empathetic people, we are more spiritually connected and, because of all those things, we have the ability to respect the medicine better.”

The cultural appropriation of meditative practices is another reason Martinez feels her work in communities of color is important. “People are now used to seeing white women doing this work, white women doing healing modalities,” she said. “Predominately white people come into my space and assume that I don’t own it, and they want to know where I learned my practices.

When I tell them that I learned from elders [and] medicine women, they don’t take it for the value [for] which it really should be respected.”

Liz Marie Palomo fosters community by consulting and providing education on the cannabis industry. Mota Mami,

their health. What was beautiful, as the store expanded, I was able to hire more Spanish-speakers/Latinas and expand that presence.”

It’s important to understand that while cannabis is still transitioning into becoming decriminalized, its consumption for decades has been driven

Liz Marie Palomo, aka “Mota Mami,” sporting her signature jacket.

by an underground economy supplied by local street dealers that also consist of “trap queens” or women dealers.

Maria, a Latina who sells cannabis as a side hustle, said the reality is that many consumers are still purchasing their supply from underground dealers.

Persistent racial disparities in the legal

Photo by Mateo Zapata

industry emphasize the importance of including Black and Brown women in that space, she added.

“I think we need more people of color, women of color, Black and Brown, to be more involved with legal cannabis and decriminalize it,” she said. “I think it’s great to do it legally, however I think that the dispensaries are taxing. I think that’s another reason my friends come to me other than the dispensaries, because it’s so expensive and, of course, I’m going to have the better price.”

These Latinas strongly believe that if women want to legitimately become a part of the cannabis industry, they should.

“The message we want to send to the community is if you want to do something and if you got a dream, don’t let anyone stop you,” said Cardenas.

To find out more about these Latinas’ work, follow them on social media: @ akayfortysev @rollinrosaco @tranquilhighs @motamami Mateo Zapata, a photojournalist and writer, is the son of Colombian and Chilean immigrants.

Rollin Rosa

Photo by Mateo Zapata

APRIL 11, 2024 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 5

CANNABIS

Weed Corridos : In the Basement with Codigo Verde

BY NICK MERLOCK JACKSON

6 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ APRIL 11, 2024

CANNABIS

APRIL 11, 2024 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 7

CANNABIS

Dispensary Disparity

More than a dozen pot shops are on the North Side, but only a handful are south of Roosevelt.

BY MARK BRABOY

W

hen Illinois legalized the sale of recreational cannabis in 2020, Zack Bernard and two colleagues pooled thousands of dollars to apply for a license. Bernard, a Black man who owned 51 percent of the company, hoped to get licensed under a social-equity program the state offers to people whose communities have been disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs. Bernard also took a sixteen-hour course to become a certified cannabis vendor.

“We did our research, we made sure we crossed our i’s and dotted our t’s,” Bernard said. “We got the mock application first, and then we got up with the people who said they’d help [us] understand the laws. It was supposed to be a real tedious application. We went through every detail of the application to get as many points as possible. We brought in enough people that covered all bases.”

Social-equity licenses are available to people who had a low-level cannabis conviction on their records, are victims of gun violence, or live in economically disadvantaged areas. For a $250 fee (lowered from $2,500 last year), applicants enter a lottery and hope they’re selected. Last year, 2,700 people applied; only twenty-seven got licenses.

Bernard didn’t get a license. He said that in hindsight, the people he worked with were not as “legitimate” as he’d believed, but added that he’s doubtful he will ever know why his application was rejected because in the first year, the state didn’t award any licenses to Black vendors.

“Once I seen that on the news, I just gave up on even reaching out to those people anyway,” he said. “I really gave up the whole dream of having a dispensary. I just said I wasn’t even going to worry about that anymore.”

Since Gov. Pritzker legalized 8 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ APRIL 11, 2024

recreational cannabis, dispensaries have sprouted all over the North Side—most of them operated by white-owned businesses.

But the fight for social equity in Black and Latinx communities on the South and West Sides that were heavily impacted by the war on drugs has been an ongoing struggle, rife with unkept promises. Chief among them is the lack of investment in dispensaries on the South Side.

While there are more than a dozen recreational dispensaries scattered across the North Side—some of which are multiple storefronts of single companies— there are only a handful south of Roosevelt Road.

Doug Kelly, executive director of the Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition, said that grassroots organizations are still struggling to get the state to keep its word to Black and Brown communities.

“We still got a long way to go, but we’re still fighting for some of the basic things that got messed up in the beginning,” Kelly said. “And the dispensaries still hadn’t gotten any money from the state, like the loans and things of that nature, like they promised everyone in the beginning.”

Kelly said that the red tape is twofold for dispensaries on the South Side because of zoning and funding. Dispensaries require a special-use zoning permit, which Kelly said is a lengthy process, adding that funding out South is lacking compared to the North Side. By his account, some vendors who are unable to obtain a building within a certain amount of time lose their licenses.

Steven C. Philpott Jr., a cannabis researcher and board member of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, said the application itself was enough for him to back out of the process altogether.

“Somebody said, ‘What's your background? Why didn’t you apply for a

dispensary license?’” Philpott said. “[But] as soon as I read the application, I was like, ‘Oh, this is a hoax,’” because the price of applying alone was a barrier.

According to Kelly, another issue South Side communities face is the fact that the state approved only the first fiftyfive dispensaries that opened in Illinois to sell medical marijuana, which people with qualifying medical conditions can buy without paying high sales tax. South Siders with medical cards have to travel miles to use them.

“Especially when there's a dispensary close to their house, they should be able to get their discount there as well. So that's one of our biggest pushes,” Kelly said. “If the users are still suffering, having a hard time getting the distillate and things of that means that they need to infuse their products. The prices are all over the place.”

As a medical patient himself, Kelly recalls having to travel miles to get the cannabis he needed because the dispensary near him did not carry it.

“People like kids with seizures and stuff with their patch, they were having to travel to a different state sometimes because the product just wasn't available here no more,” he said. “It’s just [about] accessibility. Why should somebody have to drive to another state to get what we should already have on the shelf?”

Lingering mistrust of cannabis safety and legality could be another factor behind the lack of dispensaries on the South Side.

“I think we all realize that education is the thing we really are missing,” Philpott said. “We are very divided in our neighborhoods, even our neighborhoods have different beliefs. If we're not all educated on the same type of thing, it’s very difficult cohesively to say as a people collectively, we can do something successfully.”

He added that in some communities, there has been pushback from residents who feel dispensaries bring a negative connotation to their neighborhoods, akin to liquor stores.

According to Kelly, dispensaries have the opposite effect. “It’s actually bringing up [home] values,” he said. “They said it was gonna be a lot of crime, but that's just not happening,” he added.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which hit three months after legalization, also impacted the ability of small companies to get started. The pandemic decreased the already scarce amount of funding sources, which held many social equity applicants back.

“The money just dried up,” Kelly said.

“That [was] industry-wide. It's hard finding money [for] cannabis everywhere, because it's still not federally legal. So, banks can't give loans like a normal small [business] would have access to. …During that twoyear time, people lost a lot of their investors during that pandemic.”

Bernard noted that while dispensaries are rare south of Roosevelt, there are hundreds of liquor stores on the South and West Sides. While liquor licenses also require applicants to navigate a maze of red tape (and often require the right alderman’s tacit support), the application is less than $5,000, and there are no federal prohibitions on selling booze.

Bernard said cannabis dispensary licensing should be treated more like liquor.

“If you qualify for a liquor license, you can purchase a liquor license,” he said. “I don’t think [cannabis licenses] should be treated like a lottery ticket.” Mark Braboy is a photographer and journalist from the Southeast Side who covers arts, entertainment, and cannabis.

CANNABIS

Unladylike Offers an Unorthodox Approach to Mental Health

At Puff Paint Pass, DeJa Jovon offers art therapy paired with healing smoke and killer tunes.

BY LUZ MAGDALENO-FLORES

D

eJa Jovon wears many hats: visual artist, licensed sex and relationship therapist, and owner of Unladylike, LLC, a business that promotes mental wellness through art, music, and events.

At her signature event Puff Paint Pass, attendees can unwind with a smoke and a painting project to a killer playlist.

Somehow, Jovon also finds the time to play the bass.

In a 2022 University of Chicago (UofC) community health survey, South Siders ranked mental health as the top concern for both adults and children. Jovon’s work explores the ways in which cannabis and creative spaces can come together to offer healing to South Side communities.

For South Side Weekly, Luz MagdalenoFlores recently spoke with Jovon about her inspiration, personal practice, and vision for the future of Unladylike’s offerings that center the mental health of communities of color. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Luz Magdaleno-Flores: Let us start with: Who is DeJa? DeJa Jovon: That’s a good question, because DeJa is a complex person. I would describe myself as a creative person first.

The things that I do are extensions of that because I also work in the mental health field as a counselor and specialize in sex and relationship therapy. I’m a visual artist and I work primarily with acrylic and oil [paint]. I like to dabble in other things.

My business Unladylike, the name itself is a reflection of me wanting to go against traditional expectations, societal norms, and define my own self. It’s become this whole community space. I do feel like I do a lot, but it is all under [the umbrella of ] just me

things were just like real down and out, she was always the one pushing me. So I would say she was definitely the biggest [mentor].

Your introduction to art came later in your life. How did that happen?

Attendees unwind with art, music, and cannabis at Puff Paint Pass.

being creative. So I would definitely define myself as a creative first: an artist.

That’s why I was also super excited to talk to you, ’cause you’re a bad bitch. You do so many things. I wanna know about your upbringing. Any mentors that you’ve had that have fed your spirit in that regard?

I would say my upbringing was really good. I remember my mom putting us in

Photo by bruno-bueno

this.” I think that’s why I just have a playful spirit, I think, because I did a lot of playing as a kid and had a very vivid imagination.

Definitely a romantic too. (laughs) I would say my mom is definitely a big influence of that. Her side of the family raised her as a Jehovah’s Witness, so it was a lot more restrictive. When she got out of that, she made it a point to make sure my sister

Yeah! After I graduated from undergrad, I decided to teach English in Madrid before deciding what I wanted to do in life because I didn’t know and I didn’t wanna go back to school and pick something and waste money. So I was like, I’m gonna go live life (laughs). Again, being open to stuff ’cause I also have my bachelor’s in psychology and Spanish. So I definitely wanted to go to a Spanish-speaking country. I just loved it over there. I had so much free time [compared to] the States’ hustle and bustle, grind culture. Being in a different country where you don’t have that pressure on you to show up in that way—that was really big. I had to do something with my time out there. So I just started drawing.

There was an art store in the neighborhood that I lived in. I just went there, grabbed a notebook and some pencils and just started trying to draw and have wine nights. So that’s how I got started. When I came back to Chicago, that’s when I started painting and then I started immediately getting into art shows too. It’s been a wild journey. I never would’ve expected myself to be in this position right now, to be honest.

Cannabis itself is still stigmatized to this day. It’s an unladylike thing to do. We were both smokers so it It’s inspiring. That space, that sanctuary, that you built with yourself when you’re painting and sipping wine and having that was like, let’s normalize this a bit more. - Jovon a lot of different activities. I think that’s [why] I’m like open to trying stuff and not quick to be like, “No, I’m too old to learn

and I tried different things to see what we gravitate towards. She has always believed in me and my dreams and even when

moment...do you think it might’ve also influenced your puff and paint journey?

I am curious, how did you get inspo for that? Did it come from that vibe?

APRIL 11, 2024 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 9

CANNABIS Like you said, I created my vibe, had my wine, had my smokes, and was just like vibing out, I would do that with friends.

In 2017, I really started getting more into cannabis ’cause I wasn’t a smoker before, but at that time I started learning about it and learning how to be more intentional about it. So then, I really created my vibe and I always gotta have a good playlist too.

At a lot of Unladylike events, people will ask me for the playlist, so I wanted to start consistently putting out a playlist so people could just download it. I try to create a nice vibe, so that people can relax. The first thing you’ll hear people say, is they look at the painting and they say, “I can’t do that” (laughs). I tell them, “You need to give it a try. I have really good teaching skills, you gotta just trust the process.” And if they find themselves criticizing themselves or being mean to themselves, I tell them to really try to tap into their inner child and show that child some compassion. And if you are still being mean to yourself, take a breath, take a puff (laughs) and just try to let go. And then their paintings really come out nice, you stop hearing them talking sometimes. And I have to do a temp check and be like, “How are we doing out here?”

And everybody’s just high and zoned out.

Then you’ll hear chatter and laughter.

I love that. It’s been five years of Unladylike. Any special moment that stands out or a favorite puff and paint sesh?

We’ve had Puff and Paints where we had live models come. Those have been fun to do, shake things up a bit. I really like doing the black-light edition. I’ve had a DJ come through and spin some tunes and that’s been really nice. And I brought my fog machine.

Wait, the fog machine is only for the black-light edition?

So far I only been using it for those (laughs).

Because it has more of a dark, spooky vibe?

It’s so trippy. I love curating a vibe. So like the sound’s gotta be good. The feel, the looks. There’s a big-screen TV in there that I had YouTube trippy visuals on. I like to be in a vibe when I’m nice and elevated. Even

are going in a nice pace and direction. I just wanna celebrate all of that. Opportunities are continuing to come in and more consumption lounges are interested in working with me. It’s been a nice change where I don’t have to make the locations private anymore. I’m finding other spaces so I’m expanding, so that’s cool. I really wanna celebrate all of that, that hard work, the consistency, the dedication, the tears, all of that. So I’m really looking forward to that. It’s gonna be an emotional day.

during sex. I think it could really help us be more present and in tune. You can focus more on those sensations. Nowadays with a lot of technology, and a lot of stress at work, and a lot of things going on, there’s a lot of distractions. Sometimes we’re in our heads during sex. I think cannabis could be a good way of trying to be attuned to your body and focus on your partner or partners, whoever you’re engaging in sexual activities with. I think it could make you feel more present.

Do you know what you’re wearing?

What’s your favorite place to smoke in the South Side?

No! I need to figure that out actually because I wanna feel good.

Photo by Natali Smirnova

the erotic art ones that I [host]. Sometimes I have rose petals and those fake candles and try to make it all sexy and sensual.

Speaking of curating, you’re creating an art show. Tell me about it.

Yeah, long overdue because our anniversary was actually in December. I am celebrating five years with an art exhibition highlighting femme visual artists with a DJ and a burlesque performer. I’m excited for that.

I just finished picking out the artists. So I’ll be putting out that information shortly.

It is 5pm to 9pm on April 27th. If you’re free please come through. The dress code is “fierce AF.” I saw that, I’m ready. Are you exhibiting?

So I have this one painting that’s been in the making for over a year now that I’ve been really stuck on. It’s, like, a huge piece too, it represents a lot of heartbreak, losses, and grief. The last three years have been really terrible for me. A lot of ups and downs. It would be nice to actually show this piece at this five year anniversary because some of those downs were about this business too—having to go through a lot of different changes and transformations over time.

Unladylike used to have a gallery space. And I dealt with some discrimination around that and a lot of drama. I had to resurrect Unladylike from the dark, and now things

10 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ APRIL 11, 2024

I’m sure it is gonna be great. Talk to me about why Unladylike, why did you choose that name? What does that mean to you?

Unladylike described my business partner at the time and myself, ’cause we just weren’t really traditional women. It just started off with the Puff Paint and Pass classes. It just branched out into so much more where we were tackling social issues that were also deemed as unladylike. I was in grad school when we first started Unladylike, and I was honing in on my specialization of going into sex therapy. I started incorporating that, hosting workshops and educating folks, especially when the pandemic hit.

I was putting out a lot of social media content. It was interesting how things took a turn and then we started diving more into mental health issues for people of color.

I think Unladylike is very fitting for the events that we’ve been hosting, ’cause it just goes against a lot of stuff and we address a lot. And then the Puff and Paint too, cannabis itself is still stigmatized to this day. It’s an unladylike thing to do. We were both smokers so it was like, let’s normalize this a bit more.

I would love to hear what you have to say with your sex therapist hat on about sex and weed.

Sex and weed: It can be fun (laughs). I definitely think the right amount and depending on the strain, ’cause I know different strains hit differently for everyone.

I’m a sativa girl, so indica might be knocking me out, so I don’t think I would do that

This is gonna be bad, but it’s true though. I always go to Oakwood Street Beach, sit in a parking lot in my car and just hot box the shit outta my car looking at the lake every time. And I have a specific parking area where I like to park because I get a direct view of the lake and I’m just sitting there and I’m listening to my music, ’cause I gotta have that. During some of those dark times my only safe space was my car. I would go to different beaches and just chill and smoke.

So now that things are good, I still do that.

I be jamming and then I be like pumping myself up in the car. It is well needed.

Smoking by the lake sounds nice. Is there anything else you would like to add?

I’m excited to see what more Unladylike will do. It be surprising me, I’ll tell you that. I’m looking forward to hosting bigger events. Definitely stay tuned for that. I would like to curate more art exhibitions.

I didn’t always enjoy teaching, not even the Puff and Paint classes. But I grew to really love it. I really love planning stuff. That’s probably my Virgo, but I like to plan stuff.

I like to put stuff together. I like to set a vibe and I wanna do it in bigger spaces. I’m definitely looking forward to doing that and having more collaborations and branching out more in that way. Stay tuned. Luz Magdaleno-Flores is a Chicana art curator, poet, textile artist, DJ, and fotógrafa based in Pilsen.

CANNABIS

Our thoughts in exchange for yours.

W

hat is a rotation if not an exchange? This special installment of the Weekly’s poetry corner features poems inspired by the Cannabis special issue.

The Exchange is the Weekly’s poetry corner, where a poem or piece of writing is presented with a prompt. Readers are welcome to respond to the prompt with original poems, and pieces may be featured in the next issue of the Weekly.

the quantum realm is fried by chima “naira” ikoro

rushed to everything and ran out of breath before i turned 23 my core memories are ones we all recall differently. maybe time has begun it’s ripening. all the places we ate at had one dollar sign on google maps. no, it wasn’t even that good for real. yes, we were just high, i checked. although severed from the joint i still eat with my eyes closed sometimes. in an attempt to escape, i accidentally taught myself how to shrink so small every crystal of salt and drop of butter is a world of its own. i’d close my eyes and forget what was hard to look at anyway. maybe it’s not that good but it is okay and that’s enough. stopped feeling everything and started tasting it to bide my time while i waited for time to spoil me. started spoiling myself

and grew ripe. if i really escape i’d have to give up cheese fries so i’ll stay. life is that bad but let me have a snack first give myself what knees on hardwood never earned me parted ways with begging but stayed low. started crouching, instead, to pray since i was down there anyway. in a parking lot behind the mall somewhere i used to exist i am hungry excited to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings even though I’m vegetarian and I fall in love with fries covered in cheese all over again. excited by memories i cannot recall, i close my eyes, this time, to be more present. walking now, catching my breath.

Chima Ikoro is the Weekly’s Community Builder.

THIS WEEK'S PROMPT: “WHERE DID YOU FIND YOURSELF? WHAT ELSE DID YOU FIND THERE?” This could be a poem, journal entry, or a stream-of-consciousness piece. Submissions could be new or formerly written pieces.

Submissions can be sent to bit.ly/ssw-exchange or via email to chima.ikoro@southsideweekly.com

APRIL 11, 2024 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 11

CANNABIS

Our thoughts in exchange for yours.

FEATURED BELOW IS A READER RESPONSE TO A PREVIOUS PROMPT. THE LAST POEM AND PROMPT CAN BE FOUND ONLINE.

who’s bringing gas to the revolution by nue foster

Though i’ll lie my life down on the set cement for every blk thing Am i not owed one last poem? One last metaphor?

One last bellow with my bitches?

You have taken & taken & taken this time i’ll give you my body who cares? I still win after all that has been warred I’ll give you this body a hull of thunder. You’ll take & take what I have given you always.

Now there are grenade fragments sleeping soundly in the garden I die and my body blooms a lemon tree budding sharp fruit ready to kill I die and my mind moves to it’s springtime and yellow questions bloom.

What life will my last laugh blossom into? Will it have children? Will it be grand? Mother?

You die.

They turn you into cold stone under a southern sun. When I go I want my lips to be occupied with love I want to kiss my home before I make my return before im buried in everything I’ve ever smoked.

I split an atom in both lungs right before each and every duel.

12 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ APRIL 11, 2024

CANNABIS

Our thoughts in exchange for yours.

FEATURED BELOW IS A READER RESPONSE TO A PREVIOUS PROMPT. THE LAST POEM AND PROMPT CAN BE FOUND ONLINE.

My Cousin Lonnie by magdalena/izzy garcia

He said the morning the woman who raised him transitioned there was a world he knew and now he didn’t the force of her love a bomb detonated our world painted gray in the ashes There is a system that organizes our lives– you cannot measure the loss of relationships late formed because there’s a system that picks and has decided time is the price to pay For the man with a little bundle nested in his pocket, a way of living to make a living ease the heavy lifting hand becomes a cradle swishers wrinkle like we will if we are blessed enough Smoke sprouts words web out of us my cousin Lonnie tells me about his father a man surviving substance misuse a man i’ve never met a man i probably never will That’s what time misused does A man in a cage splinters all over fractions him robbed He says, he says: the 1st hit was too much and the next will never be enough

A warning We swim in the clutches of self medication A wound that reaches past and beyond us How open palm makes fist Theres a saying in spanish I don’t believe in god chokes but he does not strangle. maybe it’s the god, i don’t believe in mercy is not restraint I tell Lonnie people don’t understand bud.

Lonnie says people forget it’s a ritual.

Lonnie and I, years have passed We stand in rotation with my brother, my cousin Zi and my mother outside my nieces’ birthday party mint king palm, passed as a token hands remembering years we didn’t spend shared Lighter

APRIL 11, 2024 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 13

CANNABIS

‘Mamá, Solo Es Un Florero’

The aspiring scientist turned socially-engaged artist weaves narratives of the Mexican American experience.

BY JOCELYN MARTINEZ-ROSALES

A

ndrea Miroslava Ramirez’s room is adorned with sketches, prints by other artists, a toddler bed for her great dane, Zuko, and a makeshift workstation with shelves and tools galore.

Ramirez is a Mexican American artist, visionary, art teacher, part-time volleyball referee, and my friend. For a while, she was just my college roommate’s little sister who was studying science at Loyola. But after many smoke sessions, Ramirez became one of my friends too.

“In an environmental science class, I started making scobies…it’s basically vegan leather that you grow out of cultures. And I was really excited about that and the design aspect, and making art with it,” Ramirez said. “I was bringing it up to my professors and they wanted me to focus more on the science part.”

Instead of following that advice, she realized her interests lay elsewhere.

It was a pivotal moment that eventually led Ramirez to switch her major to art.

However, her relationship with art and creating began from a young age through her grandmother and great-grandmother.

Ramirez comes from a line of matriarchs. She fondly remembers sitting at the kitchen table and sewing napkins with her great-grandmother. Her grandmother followed suit by also handing her crafts to keep her occupied.

“She gave me a bunch of Tupperware and scissors and glue and sponges. And I would just go to town,” Ramirez said. She recalls having intimate moments like these since the age of two.

Now twenty-four, her art has been continuously cultivated by her family.

Ramirez’s mom owned a papeleria, or stationary store, in Mexico, and her dad’s resourceful inventions would later inspire her to make due with unconventional tools like borrowing plastic putty knives from family and friends who work construction.

Through the years, Ramirez has grown into her artistry while remaining intentional. She describes her work as

14 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ APRIL 11, 2024

Photo by Emma Soto

“socially engaged and unapologetic.”

Ramirez’s work delves into cholo culture, and more broadly her experiences as a Mexican American daughter of immigrants. Mexican Americans have for years created subcultures of their own while holding close cultural references.

A commonality that continues to thread her work is the theme of deviance.

Street culture can be looked at as deviant by first-generation immigrants, but some Mexican Americans have adapted a distinct urban style going as far back to the 1940s Zoot suits era, which was characterized by oversized suits with exaggerated proportions. The suits were a form of cultural resistance that also created a sense of identity. That duality also holds true to the core of the cholo lifestyle.

“I’m coming at it through that lens of: I want to see the history of where this garment comes from,” Ramirez said. “I want to see why people are thinking this way about it.”

Through research and her own experiences, Ramirez began to create by referencing the myriad Mexican American experience. As an undergraduate, Ramirez’s piece “Mi Baile es Mi Llanto de Guerra,” or “My Dance is My War Cry,” was showcased at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, It features a hand-embroidered flannel typical of the cholo wardrobe.

The flannel opens to reveal two messages: “sé que solo así luchando triunfaré” and “con mi color hasta morir which translate to “I know that only by fighting like this will I triumph” and “with my color till death,” respectively.

To accompany the clothes, Ramirez made a video of herself dancing cumbia, a genre with deep roots in Mexico City, the home of her parents.

“It’s literally just trying to navigate living in between cultures,” Ramirez said.

Part of her extensive portfolio is a Mexican ceramic pottery, or talavera, set of a bong, ashtray, and rolling tray titled, “Hierba Mala Nunca Muere,” which translates to “Weeds Never Die”—a common saying with double meaning.

Through tears and a broken voice, Ramirez recounted the vision behind “Hierba Mala Nunca Muere.” “What if I make something really beautiful,” she thought about cannabis critics, “and they can’t look away from it?”

For generations, cannabis consumption in the Latinx community was heavily stigmatized, and it’s still largely frowned upon today. Ramirez remembers her uncle being ostracized for his open use of the plant when she was younger.

“Making that was for my grandmother, for my grandfather, and for them to, again, self-reflect on all the fights they have with him, all the bullshit they put him through.”

The smell of weed and incense burning to mask it transports Ramirez to the times her grandmother tried to hide the obvious.

Making the set in traditional Mexican talavera ceramic style was purposeful.

The working title was, “Mamá, solo es un florero” or “Mom, it’s just a floral vase.”

“It’s just a really fucked up convoluted mess of emotions that I feel looking at that because it's like, everybody says it’s beautiful, but let’s talk about what it is,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez meticulously pours her soul into her craft, and everything she makes says—if not screams—a larger message.

Her artwork is conversation-provoking and treads through complicated themes of generational trauma and, in some instances, bridges the gap between generations. “[Cannabis] is something that shouldn’t be demonized,” she said. “This is something that, again, is literally growing out of the earth.”

The creation of “Hierba Mala Nunca Muere” led other relatives to reach out and commission bongs for themselves. Her artwork was displayed in Loyola, which gave her artwork validity to her parents. “I think the fact that it was holding space in Loyola, in this institution, I think meant a lot more,” she said.

Ramirez plans to continue her path in higher education and is headed to the University of Illinois on a full ride for an MFA program in the fall.

“I think for me, pursuing higher art in higher education just means that my work is going to be conceptually stronger,” she said.

Education has always been at the core of Ramirez’s upbringing. Her grandfather was a long-time director of El Valor in Pilsen that serves the community as early education and daycare. Now, Ramirez has followed in his footsteps as an art teacher at Queen of the Universe elementary school.

Ramirez creates art that speaks to women like me with all its uncensored complexities. And I have watched Ramirez make sacrifices and be ingenious as a teacher with little to no budget. Her students are largely Latinx and her lessons revolve around giving their culture back to them.

“I just want them to make what’s important to them,” she said.

Ramirez’s “Mi Baile es Mi Llanto de Guerra” will be coming to the Chicago History Museum next year. Jocelyn Martinez-Rosales is a Mexican American journalist from Belmont Cragin and the Weekly’s music editor.

CANNABIS

Big Business Runs Illinois Cannabis

Advocates say legal and financial barriers to independent operators keep prices high.

BY ALEJANDRO HERNANDEZ

W

hen I first began working in a legal dispensary, I was excited to finally have my foot in the door in an industry that I actually cared about. Given how long it had operated underground, if there were ever to be an industry set up so that it’s run by the people for the people, I imagined, it would be cannabis.

While I knew that the Illinois cannabis market was a few steps behind in pricing and quality compared to other states, and that large cannabis corporations had the lion’s share of the market, I figured since it’s still such a new industry, there would be room to grow and I could do my part in being the change I wanted to see.

When Illinois legalized recreational cannabis in 2020, it could have been a sea change to the decades of disinvestment and injustices wrought by the war on drugs. Upon signing the Cannabis and Tax Regulation Act (CRTA) into law, Gov. J.B. Pritzker promised millions in low-interest loans for social equity licensees as a means of providing industry access to Black and Latinx entrepreneurs whose communities were most impacted by criminalization.

Yet just six months into Illinois’s first year of recreational cannabis sales, Grown In reported in 2020 that 77 percent of the state’s cultivation market was already controlled by just six major companies: Verano, Cresco, GTI, Ascend Wellness Holdings, Pharmacann, and Revolution Global.

Fast forward to 2024, and that hasn’t changed much. While there are now some craft-grown products in dispensaries, only thirteen of eighty-eight craft cannabis growers—essentially cultivators that operate on a significantly smaller scale than their counterparts—who obtained licenses since 2021 have become operational.

The market is still overwhelmingly dominated by a handful of corporations, many of whom lobby through the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois (CBAI) for legislation that favors bigger operations,

such as limited canopy space for craft growers and anti-home grow laws.

Michael Malcolm, a medical cannabis patient, consultant, and applicant for the state’s social-equity license for retail dispensaries, said that when the CRTA was passed, he thought that the the legislation would heavily favor these corporate multistate operators, some of which got a fiveto six-year year head start in the medical cannabis market. It appears he wasn’t wrong.

Multi-state operators (MSOs) are typically parent companies that own vertically integrated cannabis cultivation centers, processing facilities, and retail stores within each of several states. They cannot transport cannabis across state lines, but can operate in multiple states using the same branding and intellectual property.

Curaleaf, which has 147 retail locations in seventeen states, is the country’s largest MSO; others include Green Thumb Industries, Cresco, and Verano.

The 2020 CRTA made retail licenses available to vendors several months before transportation and cultivation licenses were issued, making it so that independent retail licensees had to rely on MSOs for product, Malcolm said.

“The state was making it so that the retailers were going to be dependent on the corporate MSO companies that were already licensed in the state,” he said.

“Let’s say I had won my [vendor] license. I wouldn’t have anything to put in the store since the only [cultivators] that can legally sell in stores were the corporate cannabis companies that were already operating, and those companies also already have retail stores. So they have no incentive to cut you in at a fair price.”

During the application process, Malcolm also learned that the state put certain requirements on the MSOs for them to help social equity-eligible applicants through a variety of different options, including as a partner to actually apply for more licenses.

Considering there would be no craft cultivators operating by the time he would have received a retail license, this route more or less pressures applicants to make a decision; either play by their rules in exchange for access to funds and resources, or burn money in trying to maintain independence.

“I saw that would be my best option if I was going to apply in the Illinois market, because at least if I had [a store], now my corporate partner who is already licensed with a cultivation license, has the supply that can supply my store, and they have to actually cut me a fair price, because I'm their partner,” he said. “If I'm not their partner, then I know this is going to crush me. And even if I somehow were to maybe even get a partner with a small cultivator years later, [MSOs] would still have so much of a supply they would always be able to undercut me and sell their own product at a better pricing.”

According to a 2021 Grown In report, from the time the CRTA was passed in mid-2019 through March 2020, vertically integrated companies reported a 292 percent production increase while cutting their total sales to independent dispensaries from 86 percent to 72 percent.

Cole Preston, a long-time consumer and medical patient in Illinois, said the current monopolization of the Illinois cannabis market was done by design.

Preston runs Cole Memo (formerly Chillinois Podcast), a platform where he regularly interviews members from all levels of the Illinois market, from grassroots organizers and policy makers to the CEOs of MSOs themselves.

“The prices are so high that it’s just a tough shopping experience. Typically as a consumer, we welcome price compression,” he said. “A market comes online and it’s expensive right now, but [we assume] it’s going to level out, right?”

But that hasn’t happened in Illinois’s cannabis market, which Preston attributes to a specific policy choice made by the state

to limit the number of licenses awarded.

Speaking at a 2021 event celebrating the opening of Ivy Hall in Wicker Park—a social equity dispensary that’s partnered with Verano—Pritzker said, “There are other states that have opened up the number of licenses to hundreds and hundreds of licensees and they have more dispensaries open than we do. But the reality is we’ve limited the number of licensees in part because we wanted to make sure that the social equity licensees had a fair shot in the industry and that they won’t be edged out until the very end by having too many dispensaries in the market so that people can’t make money.”

Despite, in theory, being for the benefit of social equity applicants, most of the industry in Illinois is dominated by MSOs, who benefit from the smaller number of licenses. “In other words, high pricing is a feature, not a flaw, from the business side,” Preston said.

Other factors inherent to making it in the cannabis industry make it easier for larger corporations with more capital to succeed. Application and license fees can run in the tens of thousands of dollars, and with cannabis being federally illegal, it limits the financing options for smaller companies.

GTI CEO Ben Kovler, whose company owns popular brands like Rhythm, Dogwalkers, and Incredibles, has publicly said that these laws and limited licensing create a “moat” around companies like his, protecting their profits from smaller competitors.

Preston isn’t the only one who thinks there’s a monopolization problem in Illinois.

In 2022, an antitrust lawsuit brought by a group called True Social Equity in Cannabis alleged the state’s cannabis market being controlled by a “Chicago Cartel” that includes GTI’s Kovler as well as Akerna, a cannabis software company with ties to the Pritzker family, as Nicholas Pritzker is named as one of the owners Jordan Melendez, a board member of

APRIL 11, 2024 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 15

CANNABIS the Illinois Independent Craft Growers Association and advocate with the South and West Coalition for Commerce and the Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition, said he thinks Illinois isn’t achieving true cannabis equity for several reasons. The reasons will vary depending on what type of license one owns, but he said one issue that seems to affect everyone is simply a lack of financial support from the government.

“For me, true social equity is how much of the market share [craft growers] have, not the amount of quote-unquote social equity licensees,” he says. “But…what is ‘social equity’ in the first place? The letter of the law says it’s supposed to reverse the harm due to disproportionately impacted areas from the war on drugs.”

But exactly how is Illinois reversing those harms? According to Melendez, there is a lack of transparency from the state regarding when and just how many funds will be dispersed. So far, of the 185 original first-round social equity licensees, only thirty-three have received loans from the state according to DCEO, with only one second-round licensee, Grand Legacy,

illustration by Meg Studer

LLC, receiving funds.

Illinois also only allows a maximum canopy space of 14,000 square feet for craft growers to cultivate cannabis versus 210,000 square feet for cultivation centers owned by MSOs. Even that was a recent change made in

December, when the previous cap on craft growers was 5,000 square feet. Other than craft growers, only medical patients can grow cannabis in their homes, and they can only grow a maximum of five plants.

Largely as a result of such laws, consumers primarily spend their money in dispensaries and on brands owned by MSOs. “The current big boys don’t want other big boys in the game,” Melendez said. “You think they want another out-of-state player that has enough money to build a whole $100 million facility? No, they only want craft growers to grow out of 14,000 square feet.”

There are currently twenty-two licensed cultivation centers in Illinois, and thirteen craft growers that are in operation.

Melendez posits looking at market share not just by how much money is being made from individual companies, but also looking

at the actual canopy space that’s owned by cultivators. He rattled off numbers to illustrate the point.

“Eighty-eight craft grow licensees times 5,000 square feet is 440,000 total square feet of canopy space. There are twenty-two current cultivation center licenses, multiplied by the 210,000 squarefoot limit, that’s 4,620,000 square feet,” he said, or about 90 percent of the market share by canopy space.

“Stark, stark variance and that’s only assuming all craft grow licensees are operational and using [all] 5,000 square feet of canopy space,” he added.

What can Illinois cannabis consumers do to advocate for a more balanced playing field for social equity licensees? Being intentional about spending money with fully independent craft grow operations and joining organizations like Chicago NORML or the Illinois Cannabis Equity Coalition can help.

But Melendez said that getting regular consumers to care remains a challenge.

“That’s always gonna be the question, but the thing is they don’t [care],” he said.

“Cannabis is still a niche…billion-dollar industry in Illinois alone, but it’s still a niche industry itself.”

Will that change? “That’s up to the people,” Melendez said. “It’s always been up to the people.” Alejandro Hernandez is a freelance writer born and raised in Chicago. Growing up in the city gave him the sense of perspective that can be found in his work. With combined experience doing broadcast and written journalism, Alejandro has been actively documenting the stories of everyday Chicagoans for over seven years.

On Saturday, October 15, 2022, around 4:15 P.M. this couple was driving westbound on Archer Avenue. There was a driver going eastbound at a reckless speed, well above the speed limit, in a Jeep Cherokee that T-boned this couple’s Nissan Murano at the intersection of Poplar Street & Archer Avenue. The wife was in the passenger seat and died instantly at impact. The husband died in the ambulance en route to the hospital. It took the fire department over 45 minutes to pull the wife’s body out of their vehicle. They were married 65 years. Their family and friends are seeking justice through the court system with the help of a witness or video.

If you witnessed the crash on that day please call this number:

708-522-7332

If you know of anyone who witnessed the crash, please encourage them to call the number above.

16 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ APRIL 11, 2024

CANNABIS

Active Stoners

Chicago’s first and only cannabis-centric running group emphasizes community, mental wellness, and service.

BY MOLLY MORROW

I

t’s an unseasonably warm March day in Chicago, a perfect day for a run on The 606 trail in Logan Square.

Carlos Ramos is the only one there when I arrive at 9am sharp, but about ten more participants trickle in as the warmups begin. I assume Ramos has known everyone who arrives for years based on his enthusiastic greetings, only to learn that there are several new faces today.

After introductions are shared and hamstrings stretched, the run begins. A few members zoom off immediately, but most settle for a pleasant jog. Ramos is the last to take off, and he makes sure to pepper his run with a few stops to snap action shots of the group for Instagram. That doesn’t hold him back, though: for most of the run, you’ll probably only be able to spot him by his “Runners High Chicago” T-shirt, a point of reference that gets steadily further and further away until you lose him entirely.

By the time I reach the end of the route, he’s already back, basking on a rock in the sunshine as though he hadn’t run at all. As more runners reach the finish, the highfives and cheers grow more boisterous, a fitting celebration for a run well done.

Runners High Chicago began a little over two years ago when Carlos Ramos and Anakaren “AK” Ramirez met up before the Chicago Turkey Trot race. Both Chicagoans are entrepreneurs of cannabisrelated businesses: Ramos founded Up Elevated Cocktails, a line of handcrafted cannabis-infused drinks, and Ramirez runs AK40SEV, which sells merchandise, from stickers and T-shirts to lighters and digital pocket scales. The two had heard about each other’s work and decided they should connect. As they recall it, they shared a blunt on the way to the race and, on the way home, thought about how nice it would be to create a run club for other people who also used cannabis during their workouts.

“I’ve always been an active stoner,”

Runners High members hitting the 606 trail, including Anakaren Ramirez, left, and Carlos Ramos, right Photo by Molly Morrow

says Ramos. “I’m not the type to play video games and eat Cheetos. I want to hike or skate or swim or run. We talked about how it would be cool if there was a community of like-minded people who consume as part of their health and wellness regimen.”

And just a few months later, in June 2022, Ramos and Ramirez hosted Runners High Chicago's first run.

Runners High is the first (and only) group of its kind in the city: a run club geared toward cannabis consumers. Every Saturday at 9am, they meet for a run (4.20 miles, of course—a nod to the cultural holiday celebrating cannabis) at a different location across the city. In the spring and summer, they run together three times a week. Their mission, as they say, is to “get lit, get fit, and break the stigma.”

Not all members use cannabis, but most smoke or take edibles before and after their runs—except one member who, as Ramos and Ramirez joke, likes to smoke the whole time to make a point. “For lung capacity,” laughs Ramos.

Though part of what makes them different from other run clubs is the combination of cannabis and running, Ramos and Ramirez emphasized that

neither is required to participate in their events.

“Everybody is welcome. You don’t have to necessarily consume. You don’t have to necessarily run with us. You can walk. You can just enjoy the vibes,” says Ramirez.

And while most people who’ve joined the club can run the full 4.2 miles, says Ramos, Runners High is still “very much an all-faces, all-paces type of group.”

F

or many, including the members of Runners High, cannabis and exercise are a surprising but natural combination, with both often cited as means of stress relief and mood regulation.

Ramos points out that a traditional runner’s high, usually attributed to endorphins, is instead a reaction within the human body’s endocannabinoid system, which is thought to control functions ranging from emotional processing to inflammatory and immune responses.

Journalist Josiah Hesse highlights this phenomenon in his 2021 book Runner’s High, which recounts his own experience combining cannabis with running. In the process, he discovered that the practice is more widespread than he initially

thought among ultramarathon runners and beginners alike.

Many members of Runners High Chicago, too, say the combination of cannabis and exercise helps them manage the stress of day-to-day life.

Ramirez, for example, began running during the pandemic and found that it made her calmer and more focused in her busy life as a government employee, entrepreneur, and single parent.

“I didn’t even realize I liked running.

I hated running,” says Ramirez. “My thing was, ‘There’s no way I can run. I smoke too much.’ And I was limiting myself.”

With the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in many states, including Illinois in 2019, there’s also a growing (but still small) body of research on the potential benefits and downsides of combining cannabis with exercise.

Research generally backs up the hypothesis of Runners High Chicago.

Cannabis has been shown to increase enjoyment while running, according to studies conducted at University of Colorado Boulder, though these same studies suggest it can also slightly increase exertion.

Cannabis not only may alleviate symptoms of anxiety or stress but can also ease chronic pain during exercise. It’s a practice that has grown in popularity with both amateurs and more experienced runners.

While combining cannabis with exercise has potential benefits, it’s still important to be mindful of one’s limits and tolerance, says Dr. Hanna Molla, an instructor at the University of Chicago’s Human Behavior Pharmacology Laboratory, which studies drug usage and its effects on mood and physical and cognitive performance.

“Individuals may respond differently to cannabis, and factors like individual tolerance as well as dosage can significantly influence performance outcomes,” says

APRIL 11, 2024 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 17

CANNABIS Molla.

But while research dispels some of the mystery around cannabis and wellness, Runners High wants to break the stigma.

“Every person who consumes cannabis has probably been called a ‘lazy stoner’ in their life, and it’s unfortunate because we are living proof that connotation or stigma is incorrect,” says Ramos.

They also want to question prevailing assumptions about more accepted practices within running, such as alcohol consumption.

Ramos considers it to be a sort of double standard, particularly because the negative effects of consuming alcohol before, during, and after exercise are welldocumented but booze is generally more widely accepted at running-related events.

“There’s beer at every 5K. People are drinking beers at 9am and no one’s saying anything about that, whereas when I spark up a joint post-race people look at me funny,” says Ramos. “I’m not trying to demonize alcohol the way people have demonized cannabis; I’m just trying to put the real information out there.”

Reactions to Runners High Chicago have been a mixed bag. Some members of other run clubs have expressed how much they appreciate all the work they do for the community. Others have looked on with confusion or made disparaging comments during races. But Ramos, Ramirez, and a loyal group of runners keep hitting the trails and logging miles.

Besides getting high, part of what makes Runners High Chicago different from some other run clubs is that they do a lot more than just run. At each run, all the participants evaluate their morning on a scale of one to ten and say a few words about what they’re grateful for or what’s causing them stress.

“Something that I really appreciate is that, because we are a smaller group, we can like check in with each other and actually connect before running,” says Alex Galván, a regular Runners High participant. “And it creates a community that seems to be mostly built up of creative people—people who are very open, very supportive, and who are unified around cannabis.”

The group also offers yoga classes and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts, hosts public mental health discussions, and leads monthly community clean-ups at parks in the Chicago area.

And this year, Runners High will host its second annual 4/20 run. Last year, the group got restaurants and dispensaries to help sponsor the race, complete with T-shirts with screen-printed bibs that read “420.” This year, they’re continuing the tradition with a formal run along The 606.

They’re also hoping to start other 4/20 races and other Runners High chapters in cities around the country. One already exists in San Diego, and there’s a Washington, D.C., group in the works.

These events serve their broader goal of engaging with the community and creating well-rounded programming for like-minded individuals—many of whom weren’t runners before they joined Runners High.

“Most of our members hadn’t run a mile in their adult lives and probably wouldn’t have started to if there weren’t cannabis and the community there,” says Ramos.

This extends to their other community initiatives, such as the monthly clean-ups.

“People see the trash in the parks, but they’re like, ‘I don’t want to clean this up by myself,’” says Ramos. The running group has turned picking up garbage into an enjoyable, community-building activity.

“It’s a good way to build community with people who are on the same page. And that’s fun, it’s like you’re playing together— adult play,” says Galván.

That focus on community is in line with the group’s broader wellness goals. For its founders and members, both cannabis and running are about relieving stress and instilling a sense of calm amid the chaos of everyday life—and doing so with a group of people with similar interests who can inspire you to keep going, during runs and after.

“So many people see Saturday mornings as their happy place,” says Ramos excitedly. “AK has become a really great friend of mine. We have friends that we hang out with all the time, and we met them through Runner’s High. We have goals, and we’re motivating each other.

We’re not just a club that meets up once a week, and I’m proud of that.” Molly Morrow is a fourth-year student at the University of Chicago. She’s also the editor-in-chief of their political newspaper, The Gate, and a freelance contributor for the Weekly.

18 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ APRIL 11, 2024

Corredores que fuman cannabis El primer y único grupo de corredores de Chicago centrado en el cannabis, Runners High enfatiza la convivencia, el bienestar mental y el voluntariado.

POR MOLLY MORROW TRADUCIDO POR ALMA CAMPOS

E

s un día de marzo inusualmente cálido en Chicago, un día perfecto para correr por el sendero 606 de Logan Square. Carlos Ramos es el único que está allí cuando llego a las 9 a.m. en punto. Unos diez participantes más llegan mientras se inicia el calentamiento.

Algunos comienzan la carrera y corren rápidamente, pero la mayoría corren tranquilamente. Ramos es el último en empezar, y durante la carrera se asegura de sacar fotos del grupo para Instagram.

Cuando llegué al final del recorrido, Ramos ya había regresado y lo encontré descansando sobre una roca como si no hubiera acabado de correr.

Runners High Chicago empezó hace poco más de dos años, cuando Carlos Ramos y Anakaren “AK” Ramírez se conocieron en la carrera Turkey Trot de Chicago. Ambos son de Chicago y empresarios de negocios relacionados con el cannabis.

Ramos fundó Up Elevated Cocktails, una línea de bebidas artesanales con infusión de cannabis, y Ramírez dirige AK40SEV, que vende artículos de promoción, desde calcomanías y camisetas hasta encendedores y balanzas digitales portátiles.

Según recuerdan, se echaron un toque antes de comenzar la carrera y de regreso a casa. Fue entonces cuando ambos pensaron en crear un club de corredores para otras personas que también consumen cannabis durante sus entrenamientos.

“No soy de los que fuman cannabis y juegan a videojuegos y se ponen a comer Cheetos. Cuando fumo, me gusta caminar, patinar, nadar o correr. Hablamos de lo bueno que sería que hubiera una comunidad de personas con ideas similares que lo consumieran como parte de su régimen de salud y bienestar.”

Unos meses después, en junio de 2022, Ramos y Ramírez organizaron la primera carrera de Runners High Chicago.

Runners High es la primera (y única) organización de este tipo en la ciudad: un club de atletismo dirigido a consumidores de cannabis. Todos los sábados a las 9 a.m. se reúnen para correr (4.20 millas, un homenaje a la fecha en la que se celebra el cannabis en EE.UU.) en un lugar diferente de la ciudad.

En primavera y verano, corren juntos tres veces por semana. Su misión, como dicen, es “fumar, ponernos en forma y acabar con el estigma”.

No todos los miembros consumen cannabis, pero la mayoría fuma o toma comestibles antes y después de sus carreras.

Y a uno de ellos, según Ramos y Ramírez, le gusta fumar sin parar. “Para mejorar la capacidad pulmonar”, bromea Ramos.

Aunque parte de lo que les diferencia de otros clubes de corredores es la combinación de cannabis y carreras, Ramos y Ramírez dicen que ninguno de los dos es obligatorio para participar en sus eventos.

“Todos son bienvenidos. No tienes que

CANNABIS consumir necesariamente. No tienes que correr tampoco. Puedes caminar. Puedes simplemente divertirte”, dice Ramírez.

Y aunque la mayoría de las personas que se han unido al club pueden correr las 4.2 millas, dice Ramos, Runners High sigue siendo “un tipo de grupo para todos y de todas las velocidades”.

Para muchos, incluyendo los miembros de Runners High, el cannabis y el ejercicio son una combinación sorprendente pero natural, y ambos suelen ser medios para aliviar el estrés y regular el estado de ánimo.

Ramos señala que el tradicional estado de euforia del corredor, normalmente atribuido a las endorfinas, es en realidad una reacción dentro del sistema endocannabinoide del cuerpo humano, que se cree que controla funciones que van desde el procesamiento emocional a las respuestas inflamatorias e inmunes. El periodista Josiah Hesse destaca este fenómeno en su libro de 2021 Runner's High, en el que relata su propia experiencia combinando el cannabis con correr.

En el proceso, descubrió que la práctica es más común de lo que pensaba, tanto entre los corredores de ultramaratones como en los principiantes.

También muchos miembros de Runners High Chicago afirman que la combinación del cannabis y el ejercicio les ayuda a controlar el estrés del día a día.

Ramírez, por ejemplo, empezó a correr durante la pandemia y descubrió que la hacía sentirse más tranquila y enfocada dentro de su vida ocupada como empleada del sector gubernamental, empresaria y madre soltera.

“Ni siquiera me había dado cuenta que me gustaba correr. Odiaba correr”, dijo Ramírez. “Yo pensaba: ‘No hay manera de que yo pueda correr. Fumo demasiado'. Y me estaba limitando”.

Con la reciente legalización de la marihuana recreativa en muchos estados, incluyendo Illinois en 2019, también hay un creciente (pero aún pequeño) número de investigaciones sobre los posibles beneficios y desventajas de combinar el cannabis con el ejercicio.

En general, la investigación respalda la hipótesis de Runners High Chicago. Se ha demostrado que el cannabis aumenta el placer mientras se corre, según estudios realizados en la Universidad de Colorado Boulder, aunque estos mismos estudios

sugieren que también puede provocar un ligero aumento de agotamiento.

El cannabis no sólo puede aliviar los síntomas de ansiedad o estrés, sino que también puede aliviar el dolor crónico durante el ejercicio. Es una práctica que ha crecido en popularidad entre aficionados y corredores más experimentados.

Aunque combinar el cannabis con el ejercicio tiene beneficios potenciales, sigue siendo importante considerar los límites y la tolerancia de cada quien, afirma la Dra. Hanna Molla, instructora del Laboratorio de Farmacología del Comportamiento Humano de la Universidad de Chicago, que estudia el consumo de drogas y sus efectos sobre el estado de ánimo y el rendimiento físico y cognitivo.

“Cada persona puede responder de forma diferente al cannabis, y factores como la tolerancia individual, así como la dosis, pueden influir significativamente en los resultados del rendimiento”, afirma Molla.

Pero mientras la investigación aclara parte del misterio en torno al cannabis y el bienestar, Runners High quiere romper el estigma.

“A toda persona que consume cannabis probablemente le han dicho 'marihuano flojo' en su vida, y es lamentable porque somos la prueba viviente de que esa connotación o estigma es incorrecta”, dijo Ramos.

También quieren cuestionar ideas predominantes sobre prácticas más aceptadas dentro del mundo de correr, como el consumo de alcohol.

Ramos considera que se trata de una especie de doble moral, sobre todo porque los efectos negativos del consumo de alcohol antes, durante y después del ejercicio están bien documentados, pero el alcohol suele estar más aceptado en los eventos de correr.

“Hay cerveza en todas las carreras de 5K. La gente toma cerveza a las 9 de la mañana y nadie dijo nada al respecto, mientras que cuando me fumo un toque después de correr la gente me mira raro”, dijo Ramos. “No trato de demonizar el alcohol como la gente ha demonizado el cannabis; sólo trato de exponer la información verdadera”.

Las reacciones a Runners High Chicago han sido variadas. Algunos miembros de otros clubes de corredores han expresado lo mucho que aprecian todo el trabajo que hacen por la comunidad.

Miembros de Runners High Chicago el 30 de Foto de Molly Morrow marzo.

Otros los han mirado con confusión o han hecho comentarios denigrantes durante las carreras. Pero Ramos, Ramírez y un fiel grupo de corredores siguen corriendo.

Además de consumir cannabis, parte de lo que diferencia a Runners High Chicago de otros clubes de corredores es que hacen mucho más que correr. En cada carrera, todos los participantes hacen una evaluación de su día en una escala del uno al diez y hablan sobre aquello por lo que están agradecidos o lo que les está causando estrés.

“Algo que aprecio mucho es que, como somos un grupo más pequeño, podemos vernos unos a otros y comunicarnos antes de correr”, dijo Alex Galván, participante regular de Runners High. “El club crea una comunidad que parece estar formada principalmente por gente creativa, gente muy positiva, muy abierta y unida en torno al cannabis”.

El grupo también ofrece clases de yoga y entrenamientos HIIT (entrenamiento de alta intensidad), organiza debates públicos sobre salud mental y dirige limpiezas comunitarias mensuales en parques del área de Chicago.

Y este año, Runners High organizará su segunda carrera anual llamada 4/20.

El año pasado, el grupo consiguió que restaurantes y dispensarios ayudaran a patrocinar la carrera, con camisetas en los que se leía “420”. Este año, continuarán la tradición con una carrera formal a lo largo del sendero 606. También esperan empezar

otras carreras y otras sucursales de Runners High en ciudades de todo el país. Ya existe una en San Diego y se está preparando una en Washington, D.C. Estos eventos sirven a su objetivo más amplio de comprometerse con la comunidad y crear una programación completa para personas con ideas similares, muchas que no corrían antes de unirse a Runner’s High.

“La mayoría de nuestros miembros no habían corrido ni una milla en su vida adulta y probablemente no hubieran empezado a hacerlo si no existiera el cannabis y la convivencia”, dijo Ramos.

Esto se extiende a sus otras iniciativas comunitarias, como las limpiezas mensuales.

“La gente ve la basura en los parques, pero dice: ‘No quiero limpiar esto yo solo’”, dijo Ramos. El grupo de corredores ha convertido la recolección de basura en una actividad divertida y colaborative.

“Es una buena forma de convivir con gente que está en sintonía. Y es divertido, es como jugar juntos, como un juego de adultos”, dijo Galván.

Ese enfoque en la convivencia está de acuerdo con los objetivos de bienestar del grupo. Para sus fundadores y miembros, tanto el cannabis como correr tienen que ver con aliviar el estrés e infundir una sensación de calma en medio del caos de la vida cotidiana, y hacerlo con un grupo de personas con intereses similares que pueden inspirarte a seguir adelante, en las carreras y más allá.

“Mucha gente ve los sábados por la mañana como su espacio de felicidad”, dijo Ramos con entusiasmo. “AK se ha convertido en un gran amigo mío. Tenemos amigos con los que salimos todo el tiempo, y los conocimos a través de Runners High.

Tenemos objetivos y nos motivamos mutuamente. No somos sólo un club que se reúne una vez a la semana, y estoy orgulloso de eso”. Molly Morrow es estudiante de cuarto año en la Universidad de Chicago. También es la editora en jefe del periódico político de la universidad The Gate y escritora freelance del Weekly.

APRIL 11, 2024 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 19

POLITICS

Public Meetings Report ILLUSTRATION BY HOLLEY APPOLD/SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY

A recap of select open meetings at the local, county, and state level.

BY SCOTT PEMBERTON AND DOCUMENTERS

March 14 At its meeting, the City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards approved a change request that would, in effect, ban a banquet hall from operating at 6244-50 W. 63rd St. by rezoning the area for a “residential single unit,” or detached house. Introduced by 13th Ward council member Marty Quinn, the request represents the neighborhood’s opposition to that type of facility, he said.

Three public commenters opposed a proposal to rezone property at 3301-3315 W. Division St. to make way for affordable housing; speakers said the community was against the rezoning in part because the proposed structure would be too high and have insufficient parking. Among the zoning changes considered was for 501-03 W. 26th St. from residential single units to a neighborhood shopping district to allow for an after-school center serving Chinese American families. Another rezoning proposal would allow the upper floors of a property at 746-748 W. 103rd St. to be renovated into six residential units. Alderperson Pat Dowell (3rd Ward) called the renovation an investment in the community. Alderperson Ronnie Mosley (21st Ward) also spoke in favor of the change.

March 16 Residents voiced concerns about 911 response times and ranking procedures during a meeting of the 3rd Police District Council - Woodlawn/Park Manor/South Shore. The parking lot of a 75th Street Jewel grocery store was specifically mentioned.

Community members said they are frequently harassed there by “loiterers.” One woman related an experience in which a man did not allow her to exit her car, making her afraid to go into the store. CPDC chair Kenya Franklin said she was frustrated by the ongoing issues at that location and encouraged community members to continue to call police when they encounter problems. Attendees advocated for a tour of the city’s 911 facilities to see how calls are ranked and what callers need to say to get the response they need. An attendee reminded the meeting participants that the grocery store under discussion was technically on the 4th Police District side of the street. The council encouraged individuals to call police in both districts.

20 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ APRIL 11, 2024

March 18 The Local School Council Advisory Board (LSCAB) heard a presentation about capital engagement concerning CPS facilities from Ivan Hansen, the system’s chief facilities officer. CPS facilities need significant repairs, and schools in communities with increased hardship should be prioritized, Hansen said. The average age of the 522 CPS campuses is eighty-four years. The campuses are home to 803 buildings and cover sixty-two million square feet. Repairs and improvements would cost around $14.4 billion, with $2.2 billion designated to meet critical needs over five years and $5.5 billion earmarked for longer-term projects over ten years. However, the 2024 budget designates $155 million for facility repairs. Kimberly Watson, the chief of staff to the CPS chief operating officer, dove into specifics. Prioritized needs include roofs and building envelopes, mechanicals, electrical, and plumbing. The capital budget for 2025 focuses on updating facilities condition assessments, improving transparency, and community engagement, including input on priorities.

March 19 The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Board of Commissioners heard updates from CEO Tracey Scott about a serious weather-related electricity outage at Las Americas Apartments, a senior public housing complex in Pilsen. The electrical issue, which displaced 185 households, was reportedly due to a ComEd emergency. Some residents heard wires “pop,” generators failed, and the building’s residents were exposed to extreme cold. CHA staff relocated residents to hotels and provided meals and basic necessities. Scott also explained that approval of the federal budget was critical to the authority. Current plans call for one thousand new mixed-income projects, 760 of which are expected to be ready by the end of 2024. Public commenters expressed concerns about dangers to blind seniors, especially during fires, and diminished services, including the lack of a working laundry room at one facility.

March 21 The Chicago Plan Commission signed off on plans for a four-story apartment building in Woodlawn, subject to the commission’s review. The building will have eight market-rate apartments and is expected to cost $1.2 million. It’s located less than a mile south of the Obama Presidential Center site. The developer, Renaissance Properties-IL LLC, has previously developed properties in the area.

March 22 "We are in full and effective compliance, and we are now out from under the consent decree," City Inspector General Deborah Witzburg told the City Council Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight at its meeting. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is the first Chicago government department to achieve full compliance with the 2017 federal consent decree’s requirements for police accountability and reform and is no longer subject to monitoring. Other departments lag behind. The Chicago Police Department (CPD), for example, has reached six percent compliance as of 2023.

The consent decree was issued after the police killing of LaQuan McDonald and a federal investigation that found Chicago police officers repeatedly violated the rights of Black and brown Chicagoans. Other matters discussed at the meeting were the committee’s streamlined intake process for investigations, including about forty initiated by the committee and how the committee reviews and takes action on reports of misconduct in connection with CPD and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

This information was collected and curated by the Weekly in large part using reporting from City Bureau’s Documenters at documenters.org.

CANNABIS

Scrapbookers Spark Creativity and Joints

Blazing creativity meets bedazzling in the South Side’s underground Safety Meeting, where art and cannabis collide.

BY EMMA SOTO

O

nce a month, Soul Full Chicago cafe on 18th Street locks its doors for a ticketed event titled Safety Meeting. The back of the cafe continues with business as usual—food and beverages can still be purchased and enjoyed. Meanwhile, scrapbookers from across Chicago come together in the front end of the shop to craft and color while smoking weed.

Safety Meeting is a haven for crafters who can bedazzle their notebooks, have a coffee, and blaze with their homies. Jackie Rodriguez, who conceptualized the event, greets attendees with free cannabis treats.

But the event is also advertised as BYOW (or “bring your own weed”), so attendees can indulge however they prefer.

For the event, the cafe’s tables are covered with scissors, stickers, magazine

clippings, and glue—just about anything and everything event-goers need to get busy. Some work on their personal planners, others collage, and some just decompress with coloring and stickering.

Rodriguez, a twenty-seven-year-old Pilsen resident, began hosting the meetings last June.

“In our everyday lives we don’t get the chance to be a little creative…and unplug

a little bit,” Rodriguez said. The meetings are inspired by her own methods to combat stress. After work, she puts on her headphones, gets high, and makes collages. ¬

Emma Cecilia Soto is a Queer Mexican American filmmaker and storyteller focusing on visually presenting her community with truth and humor.

Rodriguez holds a heart-shaped bong that an attendee brought. Most people at the Safety Meeting freely share their bongs, bowls, or joints with everyone in the room. The space is friendly and filled with stoners down to share and make new friends.

The bedazzling station is filled with gems, charms, and lots of super glue. I personalized and bedazzled a lighter, but many choose to customize compact mirrors, phone cases, and dab pens. The options are endless.

Photos by Emma Soto

Photos by Emma Soto

APRIL 11, 2024 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 21

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Beyond Prisons: a conversation with Jimmy Soto and Reuben Jonathan Miller Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture, 5733 S. University Ave. Wednesday, April 17, 6:30pm–8:30pm.

Free. bit.ly/BeyondPrisonsConvo

U. of C.’s Beyond Prisons initiative will host Justice Practitioner Fellow Jimmy Soto and Professor Reuben Miller in a conversation about Soto’s life. Soto worked as a legal advocate for incarcerated people while behind bars himself, and has continued his activism since he won his freedom last December.

(Zoe Pharo)

Hippies & Cowboys

Mariscos La Playa Restaurant, 2880 W. Cermak Rd. Friday, April 19, 7-11 p.m. $20 at the door to support local musicians.

3rd annual 420 show featuring live music and DJs, as well as vendors and Mexican style seafood. ( Jackie Serrato)

McKinley Park Earth Day Clean-Up

Meet at the stone planters by the lagoon in McKinley Park, 2210 W. Pershing Rd. Saturday, April 20, 11am–1pm. Free. bit. ly/McKinleyParkCleanup McKinley Park Community Garden is hosting an Earth Day clean-up to help clean up the natural areas for spring. Neighbors for Environmental Justice will be giving away plants, and Marimacha Monarca Press will lead a zine-making workshop. Wear clothing and shoes that can get messy, and dress for the weather. (Zoe Pharo)

Safety Meeting

Soul Full Chicago, 1508 W. 18th St.

Saturday, April 20, 4pm–8pm. bit.ly/ SafetyMeetingApril A monthly 420-friendly scrapbooking event series, “where cannabis meets creativity,” is returning for a second year and eighth installation at Soul Full Chicago. Basic supplies will be provided (scissors, glue, fun scraps, lots of magazines), but bring your preferred scrapbook, notebook or journal, and any personal touches you’d like. Additionally, BYOW and smoking pieces, rolling papers and lighters will be provided if needed. No tobacco products allowed in the space. Open to anyone who enjoys crafting and smoking. (Zoe Pharo)

Super Silly 420 Saturday

Privilege Restaurant and Bar, 6947 S. Chicago Ave. Saturday, April 20, 7pm.

Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.

Saturday event hosted by Chicago comedian and actress Sheree Luckett, and featuring music by DJ Jaba and guests Tony Sculfield Seth Easyliving and OhJay Lamont. A 50/50 cash raffle will also be held. Doors open 6pm, show starts at 7pm. (Zoe Pharo)

Privilege Restaurant and Bar is hosting a 420

4/20 Puff and Paint Pop-up

424 N. Oakley Blvd., 424 N. Oakley Blvd.

Saturday, April 20, 5pm–11pm. Tickets are $24.20 and must be purchased in advance. bit.ly/PuffandPaint B2 Society LLC, an online smoke accessory gift shop, is hosting its third annual puff and paint pop-up, featuring vendors, tattoos, a 360 Booth, smoke thrower and music. All painting materials will be provided, and the event is smoke-friendly. (Zoe Pharo)

The Chi-Lite Lounge 4/20 Pop Up: House Party Edition

4633 N. Clark St. Saturday, April 20, 6pm–9pm. Tickets are $20 in advance or $30 at the door. bit.ly/ChiLiteHouseParty The Chi-Lite is hosting a pop-up 90’s kickback house party with music, games, giveaways and prizes. Seasoned smokers and those just looking to unwind are all welcome, and there will be a gardenside smoking session. The event is Bring your own Bud & Bottle, and each ticket comes with one preroll. There will be food and treat vendors, beverages and on-the-spot tattoos from Mulberry Street Tattoo also available for sale.

(Zoe Pharo)

APRIL 11, 2024 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 23

TOM STOPPARD’S

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24 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ APRIL 11, 2024