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

ALEXANDRA

RUBY The founder of Happy Gnome is on a mission to help the cannabis industry keep its soul

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SHAMANS Hemp returns to Mongolia

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GREENS Industry influencers

on the rise

SPRING

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@HAPPYVALLEYMA @HAPPYVALLEY_MA PREMIUM CANNABIS - GLOUCESTER | EAST BOSTON - HAPPYVALLEY.ORG - FOLLOW US PLEASE CONSUME RESPONSIBLY. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 years of age or older. Keep out of the reach of children. This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding may pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the influence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The impairment effects of Edibles may be delayed by two hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact poison control hotline 1-800-222-1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA

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MASSACHUSETTS SENSI MAGAZINE SPRING 2022

sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag

FEATURES

Power of the People

Reclaiming Recovery

Eternal Blue Sky

Here’s how Happy Gnome’s Alexandra Ruby plans to help the cannabis industry shuck off corporate soullessness.

Psychedelic therapy could help ease the deep wounds of racial trauma, but the stigma and the movement’s unbearable whiteness keep people away. Hemp has been a key component in the ancient shamanistic rituals of Mongolia— but it remains illegal. One native entrepreneur is ready to make a change.

DEPARTMENTS

11 EDITOR’S NOTE 18 THE LIFE Contributing to your health and happiness 12 THE BUZZ FRESH GREENS Meet News, tips, and tidbits to keep you in the loop IT’S CRAFTY Designer Peter Monrad brings a global perspective to craft beer branding. HAPPY CLAM Learn the definition of quim. HIGH FIVE A fistful of stuff we love ORDERED HERB The feng shui of marijuana HIGHER EDUCATION Get a degree in weed. GREEN CHEER Cannabis greeting cards are here.

Massachusetts’ fast-rising young cannabis industry influencers.

50 THE END Dispensaries step up to support Ukraine.

ON THE COVER

Alexandra Ruby founded her human resource consulting agency, Happy Gnome, to help cannabis businesses and workers grow together. See page 22. PHOTO COURTESY HAPPY GNOME

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EXECUTIVE

MEDIA SALES

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

CALIFORNIA Nancy Birnbaum Media Sales Exec. Omowunmi Lykins Media Sales Exec.

ADVERTISING

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

COLORADO Nancy Seidel Media Sales Executive Amy Sharp Media Sales Executive Tyler Tarr Media Sales Executive FLORIDA Anthony Mckenzie Media Sales Exec. MASSACHUSETTS Jake Boynton Media Sales Exec.

Nancy Reid Market Director, Florida

MICHIGAN Eric Lutey Media Sales Executive Kyle Miller Media Sales Executive Will Oostendorp Media Sales Exec. Leah Stephens Media Sales Exec.

EDITORIAL

OKLAHOMA Diana Ramos Media Sales Executive

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

Stephanie Wilson Co-Founder + Editor in Chief stephanie.wilson@sensimag.com Doug Schnitzspahn Executive Editor Tracy Ross Managing Editor, Michigan Debbie Hall Managing Editor, Spark Jenny Willden Managing Editor, California Will Brendza Managing Editor, Colorado Radha Marcum Copy Editor Bevin Wallace Copy Editor DESIGN

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

Neil Willis Production Director Richard Guerra Digital Production

NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD

NCRMA Risk Management ADVISORY BOARD

COLORADO Colorado Cannabis Company THC Coffee Concentrate Supply Co. Recreational Concentrates Higher Grade Boutique Cannabis Lab Society Extraction Expert + Lab Supplies marQaha Sublinguals + Beverages Monte Fiore Farms Recreational Cultivation Source CO Wholesale Consulting Terrapin Care Station Recreational Dispensary Uleva Hemp Products Witlon Inc. Payroll Processing

MICHIGAN Aronoff Law (Craig Aronoff) Licensing Law Firm Cannabis Counsel Cannabis Law Firm Etz Chaim Attestations Grapp Lerash Accounting/CPA Services Great Lakes Natural Remedies Lakeshore: Provisioning Center Kush Design Studio Cannabis Facility Design & Build MRB Solutions Human Resources Northern Specialty Health Upper Peninsula: Provisioning Center Pure West Compassion Club Caregiver Connection & Network Rair Medical Flower Solutions by Dr. Dave West Michigan: Hemp CBD Helping Friendly Hemp Company Hemp Topicals MASSACHUSETTS Corners Packaging Packaging Green Goddess Supply Personal Homegrown Biochamber The Holistic Center Medical Marijuana Evaluations Revolutionary Clinics Medical Dispensary Royal Gold Soil Tess Woods Public Relations Public Relations Vantage Builders Construction CALIFORNIA 365 Recreational Cannabis Dispensary: Recreational, Santa Rosa Red Door Remedies Dispensary: Cloverdale Southern Humboldt Royal Cannabis Company Mixed Light Farming Uleva Hemp Products Vaper Tip Vape Supply & Consulting Witlon Payroll

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See you next year, Boston! NECANN Boston 2023 : March 10-12

Remaining 2022 Schedule

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Chicago, Il Burlington, VT Albany, NY New Jersey Portland, ME

June 10-11 June 25-26 August 26-27 Sept 9-10 Sept 24-25

For info on exhibiting, sponsoring, speaking, or attending, visit:

necann.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

Magazine published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC.

Our spring A-list issue

is brimming with faces of

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people who are driving the cannabis industry forward. This season, we celebrate them—the innovators, the trailblazers, the humans at the heart of this all. Over the six years Sensi has been exploring and reporting on cannabis (in addition to all its adjacent lifestyle topics), we have collectively widened the scope of how we define, think about, and experience the modern cannabis lifestyle. It has never been more mainstream or had more potential: our culture has started treating the plant, the people who consume it, and the industry it powers with an importance that’s long overdue. Of course, more cannabis news out there means more work for us here at Sensi. We are working overtime on our mission to help you navigate all its highs, lows, and inevitable challenges. We—the collective—didn’t get to collectively experience 4/20/2020 or the monthlong 4/20 that surrounded it, something that we had been looking forward to ever since someone had the high thought that in April 2020, it would be 4/20 all month long. We were hoping to make up for it in April 2021, when Sensi celebrated its fifth anniversary, but alas, the world had different plans for us all. This year, Sensi is turning six and we’re celebrating as if we’re turning four in the middle of a month of 4/20s—and we’re doing it five times. Literally. In Colorado, we’re going back to our roots in the place where we started by celebrating the luminaries at the forefront of the cannabis industry, the pioneers who are pushing the conversation forward. We’re celebrating where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re heading. Sensi Nights are being held coast to coast, California to Massachusetts, Michigan to Florida, and setting up shop in new markets in between. We invite you to take this journey with us through the pages of this magazine and online where you can read every edition of Sensi we’re publishing this spring: Colorado, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma, and Puerto Rico.

We’re celebrating where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re heading.

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

Steph Wilson @stephwilll

S P R I N G 2022

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Danish designer Peter Monrad brings a global perspective to the truly global phenomenon that is craft beer branding in his latest book. Craft breweries spring up like mushrooms around the globe, and it can be hard to stand out in an already-crowded market. Pioneering brewmasters and microbreweries are finding new ways to create unique brands that stand out, using cans and bottle labels to define their ethos and identity. Pushing the boundaries of graphic design and illustration, they draw from the full riches of graphic language to lead the way in modern packaging design. From the minimalist to the expressionist, using lines, colors, patterns, and illustrations, all styles are allowed—which makes for an exciting, exuberant visual 12

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culture. Peter Monrad’s book Craft Beer Design showcases a curated collection of the best and most out-there designs from around the world, ultimately leaving the reader with the feeling that, when it comes to craft beer, what’s on the can can matter as much as what’s in it. The book is a bit of a preview of the future of cannabis branding as the industry continues to mature and balloon with each new state that opts out of prohibition and into legal adult sales. Market research firm BDSA predicts that the legal U.S. cannabis market will reach $47.6 billion in annual

sales by 2026, surpassing the craft beer industry. Craft beer and craft cannabis have a lot in common: they’re artisan products geared toward the same demographic of consumer that is driven by taste, product quality, and consumer experience. For a brand to succeed, it not only has to have outstanding quality products, it’s got to stand out in a crowded marketplace, and we can look to the innovative design tactics employed by craft beer brands to get a glimpse of what’s in store for craft cannabis. Craft Beer Design by Peter Monrad for Gestalten ($40).

PHOTOS (FROM TOP) COURTESY GESTALTEN; DESIGN BALTER AND LACHIE GOLDSWORTHY, PHOTO BEN TRUEMAN

Brewing Something New

CONTRIBUTORS

Emilie-Noelle Provost and Sensi Staff

HAPPY CLAM Something I learned today: the word quim is Old English slang for the female anatomy. It’s also the name of the California-based self-care brand of sexual wellness products “for humans with vaginas and humans without vaginas who love vaginas.” Quim’s mission is to break the taboos associated with sex, cannabis, and vaginal health, and it is doing so with a collection of high-quality, plant-based pleasure oils and serums that meet your intimate needs while fostering proactive self-care rituals that support vaginal health and relaxation. Happy Clam ($48) is an everyday oil designed to “keep your quim happy, healthy, and moisturized.” The official product description suggests you “think of it like eye cream for your vagina.” It’s made with tea tree oil (mother nature’s antiseptic—UTIs be gone!), damiana (natural aphrodisiac that’s been around since the Mayans), and full-spectrum hemp CBD among other plant-based ingredients. Happy customers report an increase in sexual arousal and stamina, more frequent orgasms, and reduced vaginal dryness. The brand suggests you apply after bathing, before bed, after sex, when PMSing or menstrautaing, or “anytime your quim is in need of some tender loving care.” itsquim.com

BY THE NUMBERS

107,059

High 5

Here’s what’s haute at the intersection of culture and cannabis right now.

How many new jobs the cannabis industry added in 2021—more than 280 every day

3x How many more cannabis workers there are in the US than dentists

428,059 The number of full-time-equivalent jobs that are now supported by cannabis in this country, as of January 2022 SOURCE: 2022 Leafly Jobs Report

1. Hervé Macarons Inspired by the classic art of French pâtisserie creation, Hervé produces exquisite macarons that combine contemporary design with delicious flavors in this iteration of the treat that has been around since the 1500s. Available in California. 2. Vibes Basketball Get in the game with this rock from Vibes, the premium rolling paper brand by rapper and serial entrepreneur Berner of Cookies. 3. Session Goods Protected Pipes Made of thick, tinted borosilicate glass, this handheld piece comes with a custom-designed silicone sleeve that protects your pipe from breaking and your bag from ash while you’re out in the world. 4. Jeeter x Highsman Sweatshirt The cannabis pre-roll brand teamed up with NFL running back Ricky Williams’ cannabis lifestyle brand for an apparel line that benefits Athletes for CARE. 5. Alive & Kicking Ashtray Stay alive by kicking that cigarette habit— that’s the message behind this decor piece from the company behind the slim hemp pre-rolls that are free from THC and nicotine.

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THE BUZZ

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Send cheer with a cannabis flower greeting card. Surprise your favorite people with a handwritten note on one of these unique greeting cards made in Maine. Each 5x7 card features a photograph of a locally grown cannabis strain, including Golden Cobra, Ice Cream Cake, Sundae Driver, Lemon Gelato, Gorilla Glue, and Peanut Butter Breath. Cards come in packages of six with white envelopes. $20 mecannabisgifts.com

Higher Education

Re-launch your career with a certificate in cannabis studies. In the coming decades, the cannabis industry is expected to generate billions of dollars. If you want to get in on the action early, train for a new career, or start your own cannabis business, Castleton University in Castleton, Vermont, offers a 12-credit certificate in cannabis studies that prepares Treat yourself to a CBD-infused massage. you to make the leap. The program includes Stress getting the better of you? Relax and recharge with a 30-, 60-, or 90-minute CBD-oil massage at 1 On 1 Self Indulgence Spa courses on cultivation, taxes and regulations, marketing and advertising, medical use, and in Acton, Massachusetts. By binding with receptors in the skin, CBD can help relieve back and muscle pain and increase feelings the history of cannabis culture. Students have the opportunity to acquire hands-on of wellbeing. The spa’s custom-made CBD oil blend is responsiexperience working in the industry through bly sourced, vegan, and THC- and cruelty-free. If you’re short on time, the spa offers a wonderful 30-minute CBD reflexology mas- the program’s required internship. sage for your feet. First-time clients enjoy a 15 percent discount. castleton.edu

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Powerful Potency Scientific Cell Company offers evolution and innovation in the hemp industry.

cientific Cell Company (SCC) has served as a global distributor within the scientific market for nearly 60 years. The SCC team provides OEM, wholesale, and direct distribution for several premier brands, including Verne Bioanalytics, AquiSense, Zeiss, Heraeus, and Hellma Analytics. One of its most exciting brands, Purpl Scientific is dedicated to evolution and innovation in the cannabis industry. Purpl PRO by Purpl Scientific is a

understanding of the large biomass lots they’re buying to turn into oil. It allows over half the coffee shops in Amsterdam know what they’re serving to customers. It’s even used as part of the judging process in the annual Pheno Cup growers’ competition. Another high-tech, low effort product line from SCC is the i-Test platform by Verne Bioanalytics. Verne’s i-Test platform offers onsite, quick, scalable genetic, gender, and pathogen testing for live cannabis plants within minutes. Currently available from Emerald Scientific, but also coming to hydro shops later this year, the i-Test for Gender allows any size grower to identify and segregate males as early as the first leaf sprouts. Just imagine how much time and how many resources can be saved while knowing there won’t be any males to pollenate and ruin the rest of your crop. Scientific Cell Company continues to be the leading partner across industries for procuring optical and analytical technology, delivering expertise to industry professionals, developing tailored customer solutions, and helping advance the world through science.

pocket-sized potency device that’s accurate, affordable, and easy to use. This hand-held solution turns a smartphone into a cannabis measurement system. The Purpl PRO can measure CBD content between 2 and 15 percent; and THC content between 2 and 30 percent. This allows cultivators to track and optimize critical growing and harvesting parameters, thereby maximizing yield. It allows the breeder to Scientific Cell Company identify choice phenotypes quickly and Global Distributor easily. It lets processors get a better scientificcell.com S P R I N G 2022

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Meet Massachusetts’ fast-rising young cannabis industry influencers. TEXT EMILIE-NOELLE PROVOST

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PHOTO COURTESY REAL ISOLATES

Fresh Greens

that designs packaging for cannabis products. After working in various industries in which there was little concern for the environment, she entered the cannabis space, which is full of opportunities to apply innovative design to produce eco-friendly solutions. She feels very much at home at Calyx, where sustainability is deeply embedded in the company culture. Colette is passionate about all facets of sustainability and strongly believes that “sustainability is multi-dimensional.”

PHOTOS (FROM LEFT) COURTESY COLETTE BAZIRGAN; LEVIA

Matt Melander Matt Melander, presi-

Miyabe Shields Miyabe Shields (who uses they/them pronouns), PhD, is a pharmaceutical scientist who specializes in endocannabinoid system (ECS) drug discovery; the co-founder of Real Isolates, a Massachusetts cannabis research firm; the co-inventor of Smokenol, a cannabis smoke extract; and a medical cannabis patient. From 2010 to 2012 they evaluated drugs that act downstream of the ECS at the University of

dent and CFO of LEVIA, worked in securities, but always wanted to be involved in a business from its early stages, helping to build it from the ground up. In 2018, the founders of LEVIA—a Georgetown, Massachusetts, company that makes cannabis-infused seltzer—approached Matt with the idea of creating a cannabis beverage. In February 2021, he helped LEVIA launch at 35 dispensaries. With Matt’s support, LEVIA’s seltzer has expanded availability to 100 locations, becoming one of the top-selling products in the nation despite being available only in Massachusetts.

California Davis. In 2018, they completed their Ph.D. at Northeastern University, investigating the biochemistry of ECS targets. Since then, Miyabe has focused on phytocannabinoids with an interest in rare cannabinoid formulations, especially in cannabis smoke. Colette Bazirgan An industrial designer, Colette Bazirgan is the sustainability manager at Calyx Containers, a Boston company S P R I N G 2022

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P R O M OT I O N A L F E AT U R E TRULIEVE

Cultivate Life With Trulieve, cannabis for all is made possible through the power of community, advocacy, and innovative products.

Framingham showroom offers a fresh, spacious, contemporary look with elegant finishes. The updated configuration allows customers to browse and explore in an interactive space. Trulieve cultivates innovative cannabis products through sustainable processes that reduce its carbon footprint and protect neighboring communities. In addition to being an environmental steward, Trulieve is developing safe and welcoming environments that foster diversity and inclusion. The company’s advocacy initiatives support The Last Prisoner Project, Minorities for Medical Marijuana, and more. Cannabis should be accessible and approachable to consumers from all walks of life, and Trulieve takes pride in its ability to bring natural relief through safe, quality products. Patients and consumers at every stage of their cannabis journeys are welcome to take advantage of the Trulieve experience centered around compassionate and personalized care. Framingham 85 Worcester Rd., 774 228-7074 Northampton 216 N. King St., 413-307-3521

n elevated cannabis experience has arrived in Massachusetts. Trulieve has already fostered deep patient and consumer relationships in the state with dispensaries in Worcester and Northampton and has now expanded its presence with a new retail location in Framingham. Trulieve is an industry-leading, vertically integrated company committed to creating a more inclusive and accessible cannabis industry. Powered by a diverse community of patients and consumers, the company prides itself on three pillars: cannabis, community, and advocacy.

Worcester 142-A Southbridge St., 774-220-8981

At Trulieve dispensaries, customers can access top-quality flower, edibles, vape and concentrate products, featuring in-house brands such as Cultivar Collection, Muse, Momenta, and Sweet Talk. With its consumer-focused retail approach and portfolio of innovative, high-quality products, the company is excited to take the next step in expanding its operations within the state of Massachusetts. Its goal is to assist consumers discover a holistic cannabis wellness journey that suits their needs as a natural part of their Trulieve everyday lifestyles. Dispensary At more than 5,000 square feet, the trulieve.com S P R I N G 2022

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COURTESY HAPPY GNOME

POWER 22

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PEOPLE OF THE

ALEXANDRA RUBY founded her human resource consulting

agency to help cannabis businesses and workers grow together. TEXT STEPHANIE WILSON

As the legal cannabis industry grows, the rate of women in leadership roles is declining. In 2017, women held 37% of executive-level roles, according to the “Women & Minorities in the Marijuana industry” report released by Marijuana Business Journal. Today, that number has dropped to 22%. Which is why the industry needs more leaders like Alexandra Ruby. Ruby’s energetically infectious. Her excitement is contagious, even if it does stem from an unexpected source—from the less glamorous side of the cannabis industry. She’s got an innate entrepreneurial spirit that drew her to cannabis back in its earliest days, and she knew she wanted to start her own business long before she knew what its purpose would be. She came to the industry searching for her why. From a

unique vantage point smack dab in its center as it grew from the seeds of change, she found her purpose. And, much like the leading female founders who inspire her—Sara Blakey of Spanx, Whitney Wolfe Herd of Bumble, Melanie Perkins of Canva—once she found a problem in her industry, she came up with a way to address it and is owning the solution. The cannabis industry has a people problem. Ruby founded Happy Gnome HR to be the solution.

PLANTING THE SEEDS Ruby knows a lot of people in the cannabis industry—she’s worked in it since the earliest days of adult-use legalization in Colorado, so she’s seen how they operate. “Many of them are not exactly trained to be taking care of

people while running a business,” she says—not that she faults the business owners who are trying to navigate the complexities of operating in the federally prohibited but state-legal cannabis industry. “It’s very difficult to find that balance and to find the time. I understand the whole life cycle of a new startup industry. I understand where they’ve been, the hardships they’ve faced, and where they’re going.” It takes resources to make it— resources like capital and materials and industry know-how. And perhaps most importantly human ones. People power businesses, and a company’s employees are its most important assets. “It’s like that Richard Branson quote: ‘Take care of your people, they will take care of your business,” says Ruby. “It sounds S P R I N G 2022

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simply helping and friendly!

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COURTESY HAPPY GNOME

simple, but it’s not that simple for business owners to execute.” She founded her human resources consulting agency in January 2021 to help transformative businesses support and engage their employees “from hire to retire,” Ruby says. “Happy Gnome is really here to change how people think about HR, and what better industry than cannabis to do just that? We have a golden opportunity to reframe people’s thinking,

and this gives me life. It makes me so excited to be able to effect change in people’s lives.”

works in the industry loves to tell you, cannabis operates in dog years—one year in the industry is equivalent to seven out. Ergo, FINDING THE WHY she’s seen a lot of chaos. Ruby’s been working in cannabis And she loves it. Chaos motisince 2012, which makes her a true vates her, helps her focus. She pioneer, her career born the same came to Colorado seeking it or year Colorado voters just said yes seeking a little taste of something to legalizing cannabis—some two like it. Something different than years before the country’s first the flavors of her hometown in recreational dispensaries opened Minnesota. “I had to break out their doors. And as anyone who of the four walls—high school, marrying, having kids, and all the norms and social constructs of the Midwest—I was never destined for that,” Ruby says. Instead, she enrolled at Colorado State University in Fort Collins to study business and marketing, taking classes in philosophy and psychology. Basically, studying humans: what motivates them, influences their behaviors, gives their lives meaning, helps them thrive—understanding their why. Meanwhile, the legal cannabis industry’s origin story was unfolding just an hour or so to the south of CSU. A creator at heart, Ruby found herself drawn to Denver in search of her own why. “I realized there was something exciting going on in cannabis, and I just gravitated toward it,” she says. “It was fun, it was risky, and it just fit my ‘little black sheep’ personality a bit. There was this fun, wild feeling in the early days—all the business owners, all the events, all of this buzz was happening here, and it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I wanted on that train.” She started getting into business development, working with different organizations and brands, helping with promotions

HAPPY GNOME HR SERVICES Outsourced & Fractional HR Industry Training Operations Management Recruiting & Staffing Payroll/HRIS

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and growing pains because of its uniqueness and the risks associated with it,” Ruby recalls. Over the next couple of years, she gained experience working in operations, sales, and compliance, and later joined reputable consulting groups focused in compliance and business services. Along the way, Ruby’s why became clear: the humans running the businesses needed help with the humans they hired, and Ruby realized she could be the resource they needed.

HOW THE GARDEN GROWS “Everyone benefits from HR,”

Ruby says, and there’s a lot of research to back her up. HR management will help an organization clarify the meaning of purpose, value, and culture—and that leads to stronger financial performance, increased employee engagement, and higher customer trust. New business owners may want to dismiss HR as a budget-draining growth-stifler. But they’d be wrong: “HR is traditionally a money saver,” says Ruby. But because its impact on financials is indirect, many business operators don’t give it the attention or resources HR services deserve. HR man-

COURTESY HAPPY GNOME

and advertising, and representing companies at MJBiz. Every day was something new. “Everybody was working at places for six months tops. There wasn’t any structure or career paths at that point,” she says. “You were lucky if you were related to or knew someone who owned the businesses so you could get a foot in the door.” Once they got in, they realized the building was still under construction. “I saw from a mile away that the business was going to experience tremendous ups and downs

agement entails more than just administrative paperwork and payroll, it is the heartbeat of an organization. It’s about recruiting, training, and education; it’s about career development, benefit packages, and safeguarding worklife balance. HR is how employers ensure their employees are happy. Without it, employees suffer the consequences—and so too does the bottom line. “HR is how you can gauge the return on investment in your people,” says Ruby. And if you’re a business owner, you’d better be investing in your people—at least if you want your company to survive. A growing body of research shows companies that fail to invest in their employees jeopardize their own success. Treating employees like the assets they are by investing in their development boosts returns long-term. It makes them happy, and happy employees are more productive. They’re less likely to take unscheduled sick days, more likely to stick around for a while. The cost of replacing an individual employee can range from one-half to two times the position’s annual salary—and that’s a conservative estimate, according to Gallop Research. Either way, it adds up to big bucks employers are effectively just tossing out the door as their team members depart for greener pastures and better working environments. An IBM study revealed that employees who do not feel like they are developing in a company are 12 times more likely to leave it. Not to mention engaged employees offer better customer service, and by some estimates boost sales by

“WE REALLY NEED TO RETURN TO OUR WHY AS AN INDUSTRY, AND THAT BEGINS WITH

THE PLANT WE’RE SO PASSIONATE ABOUT.” —Alexandra Ruby, Happy Gnome

up to 20 percent. They also have a way of spreading the word to their networks, helping to attract top talent to companies that value their people. It’s not that difficult, as long as owners are open to learning and growing, Ruby says, and it’s not going to cost a company a ton of money to get the HR ball rolling, Ruby says. What is difficult is the industry, and to effectively guide cannabis companies you’ve got to understand cannabis. Hard rule, no exceptions. And, no, smoking pot a bunch in high school does not count (nor does experience in a different highly regulated industry). Cannabis is a different beast—and it can’t be tamed by the same traditional tools and tactics built for traditional industries. Cannabis just is not traditional. Cannabis businesses need cannabis business services. A mainstream service provider just won’t cut it. Or maybe it will, but, in a bad way—it’ll cut into profits or get licenses cut off. Why? It’s complicated. As in, the industry: cannabis is complicated. The answer is simple: traditional service providers have a history of suddenly dropping cannabis clients without warning. According to a 2019 Benzinga report by Javier Hasse, big-box payroll and HR companies (think: ADP, QuickBooks) have strict corporate messaging about not supporting the cannabis industry, but that doesn’t stop salespeople on the ground from selling their products to legal cannabis companies. Hasse’s advice? “It’s certainly S P R I N G 2022

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“Happy Gnome has shown us a new way to look at HR,” says Tumbleweed Dispensaries CEO Madison Marzario. “Working with Happy Gnome has not only helped us gauge and drive performance but has also brought our teams even closer. The most rewarding part thus far has been the collaboration and support we’ve seen among our teams and how quickly they have adapted to utilizing the resources Happy Gnome has provided us.”

advantageous to choose a provider well versed in the issues within the cannabis industry rather than partnering with an inexperienced company that may initially promise you success but drop you as soon as problems arise.” Happy Gnome won’t do that. “These companies are selling the industry a product they don’t need. They don’t have the end user in mind, they’re just looking to fill their pockets,” Ruby says. This upsets her. She’s protective of cannabis business owners and their employees because she re-

lates to them. She knows them, she’s worked alongside them, she’s one of them. She knows the obstacles they’ve faced and the challenges they will encounter— she’s faced them herself, both as an employee and now as an employer and business owner. Happy Gnome is the manifestation of her desire to help inspire other entrepreneurs in the cannabis space meet whatever fresh challenges their businesses face with a spirit of determination, empathy, and grace. Ruby’s been navigating the cannabis in-

dustry’s regulatory minefield for over a decade now, and new business owners entering the space would be wise to tap into her wealth of knowledge. “The sooner we can get in, the better things are going to be,” she says. “Employers can avoid making so many mistakes that are going to cost them. Let’s do it earlier so we can help increase the valuation of your organization. Happy Gnome can help your garden grow.” For more information about Happy Gnome HR happygnomehr.com or 720-248-8147

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anjaVacations is in the business of crafting unforgettable cannabis adventures in Jamaica. The company currently features over 100 cannabis-friendly resorts at picturesque locations across the island—each offering packaged vacation deals that include elements such as airport pickup, meals, tours, dispensary visits, farm tours, and, of course, plenty of ganja. So, what do you do on a ganja vacation? With so many options, it may be difficult to decide. You may choose to forgo the hundreds of touristy things to do in Jamaica and just chill by the pool and toke all day (perhaps, with a Red Stripe close to hand?). You could also visit a local herb house (canna-

bis dispensary) and linger to sample your purchases in a smoking lounge overlooking the ocean. Others may choose to spend a few hours with a Rasta farmer eager to educate about his strains and share samples. Many of the resorts offer edibles, infused meals, and ganja oil massages, as well as flower and/or pre-rolls on arrival. Almost all arrange for a visit to an herb house minutes out of the airport to stock up and start the vacation on a high note while en route to the property. By the way, Jamaica allows any person over the age of 18 to purchase up to 2 ounces. On GanjaVacations, you don’t just book rooms; you book a package—an experience with a certain number of room nights plus other elements. But

you should not be disheartened if you cannot find a package you like. They are all easily customized to suit the specific requirements of any individual, couple, or group. See you in Jamaica, mon!

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Psychedelic therapy could help ease the deep, constant wounds of racial trauma, but the stigma and the movement’s unbearable whiteness keep people away. TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

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ORIGINAL PHOTO BY BEN SCOTT, UNSPLASH

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Fighting for freedom is Join the revolution at norml.org

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ANCESTOR PROJECT

n her vision, NiCole Buchanan is lying on a mat on a dirt floor, watching the woman sitting across from her morph into her ancestors through multiple generations, women she recognizes as legacies of her own history. They tell her they have survived brutal lifetimes as Black women so that she could be. They tell her she’s doing everything they’d hoped and dreamed. In Jamilah George’s vision, she’s riding a lapa (an African skirt) like a magic carpet, looking down at her ancestors working the plantation fields. A face that looks like hers turns toward her and reaches out a hand, and George pulls her up to the lapa. As generations of her ancestors pass by below, she continues to reach down and pull them up until her lapa is full of beautiful Black women from her lineage, all holding hands. “I’ve never felt so much warmth and support in my life, ever,” she says. Buchanan, an associate professor of psychology at Michigan State University and founder of Alliance Psychological Associates in East Lansing, Michigan, and George, a Detroit native who is studying the potential of psychedelic medicine to heal the psychological effects of racial trauma while pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Connecticut, shared their psychedelic experiences during an emotional segment of “Black Lives Matter & Psychedelic Integration: Pathways to Radical Healing Amidst Ongoing Oppression.” The webinar, sponsored by the Chacruna Institute (a nonprofit that provides education about psychedelic plant medicines) in

November, is one of many such events that have come online recently to explore how entheogens (plants that inspire non-ordinary states of consciousness and spiritual enlightenment) may be able to uproot and heal deep, embedded scars from generations of systemic racial oppression. Oyi Sun, an Atlanta-based martial arts master and coach who produced the 2020 Detroit Psychedelic Conference, explains it this way: “The white man has been selling trauma for generations, and here’s the terrible part—we’ve been programmed to receive it. And when you’re dealing with earthly trauma, entheogens are the best therapists in the world. There’s been a spiritual suppression going on for over 2,000 years, and now with the help of entheogens, there’s about to be a renewal of spiritual power.”

Sun stepped in to run the conference, with the theme “Entheogenics in Urban Environments: A Journey into the Mysteries,” after its founder, Baba Kilindi Iyi, died in April. Kilindi, one of the world’s foremost experts on psychedelic science and healing and the master of mushroom megadosing, was often the only Black presenter—if not the only Black person—at conferences and events on the psychedelic circuit, and he created the Detroit conference to bring the conversation home. “The faces that look like Kilindi—the brown faces—have not been represented in the entheogenic community,” Sun says. The conference took place at the Bushnell Congregational Church, a prewar Colonial Revival building on four acres in Rosedale Park, over a long weekend in August. Diverse speakers from around the world S P R I N G 2022

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shared their expertise on everything from subatomic particle research and hyperdimensional realms to psychedelic justice, culminating in a memorial for Kilindi that Sun describes as “four hours of emotions, laughter, speakers, heart pouring, drumming—and more drumming and more drumming and more dancing and martial arts exhibitions.” It was a template for future events, Sun says, and they’re already brewing in Oakland, Denver, and Portland, Oregon (where voters recently legalized psilocybin for therapeutic use and decriminalized possession of all drugs).

a scab keeps getting ripped off a wound, the wound can never heal. “If someone is assaulted, for most of us, that happens once, then you have some time to heal,” says Undrea Wright, who co-founded The Sabina Project (since renamed The Ancestor Project) last year to provide Black-led psychedelic education, training, and harm reduction. “For people of color, we don’t have any time to heal because when we come out of ceremony, reality is still there.” Psychedelic therapy, one of the hottest healing modalities to emerge in decades, shows a lot of promise in treating PTSD, and many see its

of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, has found psychedelics to be highly effective at treating racial trauma. She is the clinical director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Tolland, Connecticut, where she and her colleagues offer culturally informed ketamine-assisted psychotherapy as a means of treating racial trauma. They find that many Black people refuse to even consider it, because they can be “fearful of a psychedelic medicine and the vulnerability that comes with it,” Williams explained during a Chacruna Institute forum on diversity in psychedelic medicine in February 2020.

PSYCHEDELICS AND RACIAL TRAUMA Racial trauma is a lot like PTSD— with symptoms like nightmares and hypervigilance—and it develops over a lifetime of injustices and abuses. But racial trauma is more insidious than PTSD because people of color continue to experience the same threats and humiliation that triggered them in the first place on an ongoing basis. When 36

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potential for treating racial trauma as well. “Right now, what’s taking up all the space for Indigenous and Black people is trauma, and the opposite of trauma is creative,” Sun says. “When entheogens come in and start clearing up that trauma, there’s going to be a void, and that void will be filled with creativity.” Monnica T. Williams, PhD, an associate professor in the School

In 2018, Williams and three colleagues published their findings from a methodological search of psychedelic studies from 1993 to 2017. In those studies, 82.3 percent of the participants were non-Hispanic white, 4.6 percent were Indigenous, 2.5 percent were African American, 2.1 percent were Latino, and 1.8 percent were Asian. Selection bias is a factor in this,

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ANCESTOR PROJECT

The Pygmy tribes of Central Africa discovered the psychedelic properties of ibogaine, an indole alkaloid extracted from a rainforest shrub called Tabernanthe iboga, thousands of years ago and shared it with people who practice the Bwiti religion in West Africa. Still used as sacred medicine in Cameroon and Gabon, ibogaine opens doors to mystical experiences and communion with ancestors and spirits, often taking people on dreamlike journeys through their lives and offering transformative perspectives. Ibogaine is being studied as a treatment for drug addiction (opioids in particular), and clinics offer ibogaine-assisted detoxification in Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Africa, and New Zealand. In the United States, ibogaine is a Schedule 1 narcotic.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ANCESTOR PROJECT

certainly, but just as importantly, many people of color have little trust for medical trials (one word: Tuskegee) and illicit substances (two words: Drug War). They’ve been exploited and abused within the medical system and targeted in an immoral war that has decimated communities. Many don’t have the expendable time and money it takes to participate in clinical trials. George was one of few Black participants in clinical trials for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to treat PTSD that were sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), and it was anything but a healing experience for her. (MDMA is an acronym for the synthetic drug 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, more commonly known as Ecstasy and Molly.) After her session with two white therapists, she was sent home with a white night attendant, but she continued to feel alone and terrified. “I remember feeling so lost, so out of touch with my body, and psychologically, I didn’t have control of my thoughts,” she said during the webinar. “I was scared to call anyone. How do I tell any of my Black friends I just did an MDMA study?”

“THESE MEDICINES ARE PART OF OUR CULTURAL BIRTHRIGHT, AND I BELIEVE WE LOSE MORE WHEN WE STEP BACK AND CHOOSE NOT TO ENGAGE.” —Monnica T. Williams, PhD, University of Ottowa’s School of Psychology

RECLAIMING PSYCHEDELIC HEALING Beyond the clinic, underground psychedelic experiences like ayahuasca circles have become a thing in communities across North America—and every one of those circles is overwhelmingly white, says Wright. The few people of color who do participate, he says, find it uncomfortable because white people often (wittingly or unwittingly) gaslight them. “If I’m in a space that’s supposed to be safe and available to my story, and people S P R I N G 2022

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are telling me my story is not real or valuable, that I just need to move past it, now I have an additional layer of trauma,” he says. “This is the story we kept hearing over and over. People of color had the wherewithal and learned about the medicines, finally found the circle—which is cost-prohibitive for most of us— then they had to do this dance in the circle. It can be retraumatizing.” Wright and Charlotte James co-founded The Ancestor Project because they recognized “how healing it would be to be able to share our experiences and extend access to these medicines with our own communities, especially during these incredibly challenging and isolating times,” James says. People have been flocking to their workshops, trainings, and virtual ceremonies throughout the pandemic, seeking both community and information as they confront the demons of isolation.

“WE JUST WANT TO GUARANTEE THERE IS SOME SAFE, JUDGMENTFREE SPACE TO PROCESS JOURNEYS.” —Undrea Wright, Co-founder of The Ancestor Project

The Ancestor Project’s ceremonies are open to everyone, but integration circles are only for people of color. “We just want to guarantee there is some safe, judgment-free space, free of the white gaze, to process journeys,” she says. Fearing a judicial system that’s stacked against them, Wright and James facilitate only ceremonies with substances that are legal in the United States. Citing an ACLU study in Maryland that found African American men 900 percent more likely to be arrested for simple possession than white men, Wright says, “The consequences for us to do anything illegal are severe.” Those consequences are why many Black parents warn their children away from all drugs, psychedelics included. Buchanan said during the webinar that when she was growing up, everyone knew the story of her father’s best friend Lonnie, who tried acid after he returned from Vietnam and went crazy. “Every Black community has one of these stories,” she says. “What’s crazy,” Wright says, “is that most of these [sacred earth medicine] practices come from people of color. They convinced us to denounce these very powerful tools and replace them with pharmaceutical drugs that are killing us.” “These medicines are part of our cultural birthright,” Williams said in her lecture last February. “And I believe we lose more when we step back and choose not to engage. It is true that it has not always been safe for us, but I hope we can come together as a people, create our own safe spaces, and become empowered to reclaim psychedelic healing for ourselves, our loved ones, and our community.”

DOING THE MOST GOOD Support The Ancestor Project by donating to its Mutual Ceremony Fund, which provides monetary assistance for BIPOC looking to explore psychedelic healing work through The Ancestor Project’s workshops. the ancestorproject.com

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P R O M O T I O N A L F E AT U R E NCRMA

Risky Business The National Cannabis Risk Management Association (NCRMA) is here for businesses looking to assess—and mitigate—risks that threaten their success in this ever-changing market.

n business, as in life, the biggest risk you run is not knowing what you don’t know. That’s why risk management is an integral part of any successful business’s operational plans—even more so in the emerging cannabis industry. The reality is that running a business—let alone a cannabis business—comes with a lot of complexities, and a lot of pitfalls that could derail your business goals. That’s why

it’s imperative to not only have practices and policies in place to mitigate those risks, but also to be prepared to minimize the impacts should they become reality. But for new business owners—which by some estimates more than 60 percent of cannabis entrepreneurs are—it can be difficult to even know where to begin. This is where the National Cannabis Risk Management Association (NCRMA) trade organization comes in. The nation’s

only dedicated cannabis risk management association, NCRMA has put together a disruptively innovative risk management platform for the cannabis industry, supplemented by an insurance platform that offers businesses committed to the risk management process access to lower-cost coverage designed for this nontraditional industry. The platform includes robust risk assessment and consulting services through the National Cannabis Risk Prevention Services (NCRPS); the NCRM Academy, a virtual educational platform where NCRMA members can access discounted courses, webinars, and customized trainings; and exclusive access to insurance products designed for cannabis businesses through Trichome innovative Risk Protection TM Insurance. Together, these benefits offer NCRMA members tools, procedures, knowledge, and support. “We first created NCRMA about four years ago because we recognized that emerging markets and industries like cannabis require fundamentally sound risk management in order to be successful,” says Rocco Petrilli, chairman of NCRMA. “Growth in cannabis is not guaranteed, and one of the major derailers is the weak states of risk management and insurance, which threaten the industry’s ability to reach its projected potential. But with the right solutions, these threats can be mitigated and overcome.” This is the first of a three-part series discussing risk management in the cannabis industry with NCRMA. To read the entire series, visit sensimag.com

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Hemp has been a key component in the ancient shamanistic rituals of the sparsely populated nation of Mongolia—but it remains illegal. One native entrepreneur has been given the opportunity to make a change for the better. TEXT & IMAGES MAREN KRINGS

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ight has fallen on the Mongolian taiga near the Russian border, thousands of miles from the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. We wait around the bonfire for the ceremonial drum to dry out after a sudden rain storm has soaked it. The spirits will not come until the drum regains its proper sound. The touchier (translator) sits to the left of the shaman, ready to translate the language of the spirits. When the drum finally dries, the shaman puts on the ceremonial coat and mask, shielding his vision of the mundane world. Vodka, nicotine, and the beating drum are preparing him to receive the spirits. However, one thing is missing from this traditional ritual: cannabis. Mongolia is home to native wild hemp, and its people have a history of using it for shamanic rituals dating back to the 13th centu-

LEFT: Inside a traditional ger, Anar and Kama play on an Xbox. RIGHT: Anar Artur checks the plants often to see if the crossed variety is resilient enough to survive the steppe climate. Mongolian wild cannabis has the potential to be used as a building material and cure for respiratory diseases caused by severe air pollution.

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ry, when Genghis Khan started practicing Tengerism, a form of shamanism unique to the region. When disasters strike today, many Mongolians still consult a shaman to restore balance between the physical and the spiritual world. Mongolia’s long and complex history has created a deeply rooted cultural crisis, which is enhanced by the increasing global ecological crisis. Both are having serious impacts on the lives of Mongolia’s nomads—not the least of which is the government’s outlawing of cannabis. Though it is now illegal in Mongolia, and has therefore been replaced by alcohol and cigarettes, it was once key to the ceremony I now witness. But thanks to the work of one forward-thinking Mongolian entrepreneur, the plant could help solve the problems of a country beset by the ill effects of climate change.

Anar Artur, founder of Hemp Mongolia, hopes to use the plant to help his nation transition from a nomadic lifestyle to urban bliss, while tackling the air pollution crisis of Ulaanbaatar, the world’s dirtiest city. Hemp Mongolia is the first—and only—hemp company in the country, researching and testing the plant, with plans to use its CBD as a treatment for respiratory diseases and its hemp as a building material for better insulation to reduce coal emissions. Artur believes the search for identity as manifested in the rise of New Age Shamanism will reconnect the nation with the good spirits. Reestablishing harmony between humanity and the environment might lead the country back to an “eternal blue sky” (mönkh khökh tengeri), which, after all, gives Mongolia its name.

Northwestern Mongolia suffers doubly from global warming—since weather patterns have changed so much, nomads' traditional knowledge and ability to predict the weather are failing.

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Hemp Mongolia employees live according to tradition in felted gers—yet its mission is to revolutionize and modernize the country’s industries, making them greener by including hemp as an industrial crop.

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ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Maren Krings is a German documentary photographer focusing on the social and environmental impacts of the climate crisis. A graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, she has published work in Stern, The Outdoor Journal, SUSTON, Happinez, Outdoor, Runner’s World, and other international media. For the last four years, Krings has documented the worldwide rediscovery of industrial hemp, photographing more than 200 projects, interviewing more than 80 industry experts, and traveling to 26 countries. Her book, H Is for Hemp, which investigates the plant’s potential to mitigate the ecological crisis, is currently available in a limited edition printed entirely on Hahnemühle Hemp paper at marenkrings.com.

During the Naadam Festival, The Culture Department of the National University installs a cultural village to inform not just international tourists but also young Mongolians who have become alienated from traditional costumes and cultural practices.

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Green Goes Blue and Gold

California's MediThrive paints its walls the national colors of Ukraine to show support.

Dispensaries step up to support Ukrainians ravaged by war.

CALL TO ACTION If you want to help those affected by the war in Ukraine, you can support the businesses mentioned here and donate to World Kitchen (wck. org), Hope for Ukraine (hopeforukraine.net), and Sunflower of Peace (sunflowerofpeace.com).

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

Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine has displaced more than 6.5 million people and continues to devastate a nation determined to fight for its sovereignty. Ukrainians have fought bravely on the ground against a far superior force, but this modern war is also being waged across the globe on social media and in the power of a global economy uniting against it. The cannabis industry has even joined in the effort to bring aid to Ukrainians and protest the immorality of Putin’s war. San Francisco-based dispensary MediThS P R I N G 2 02 2

irve (medithrive.com), which is owned by Ukrainian-Americans, painted its outside walls blue and gold (Ukraine’s national colors) and donated 100 percent sales on March 6 and 10 percent of sales thereafter for the week, to Sunflower of Peace, which is providing medical and humanitarian aid to the beleaguered nation. “I hope to do more as time goes on and be more hands on in the next effort,” says CEO Misha Breyburg. “Anything and everything helps. This is a time in the world where a social post or a financial donation

is of the utmost importance. Every voice that speaks up with disgust about the war in Ukraine contributes to something bigger. It’s akin to that old idiom that a butterfly flapping its wings creates a tsunami.” MediThrive is not alone in its efforts. Homeland Growers Company (hvgcompany. com) normally donates 100 percent of its profits to aid veterans, but is dedicating that money to help Ukrainians through World Kitchen this month. California cannabis manufacturer Lime (limecannabis.co), with 30

percent of its workforce from countries affected by the war, donated a portion of its March sales to nonprofit Hope for Ukraine. “In my 50 years, I’ve never seen people so ubiquitously on the same page as they are to help Ukrainians against the Russian invasion,” says Breyburg. “There are so many issues that divide us and, in the past 20 years, it feels as if we’ve been stuck in polarizing positions on those issues. We’re on the same page with Ukraine, and I hope that’s an opportunity to build bridges.”

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Please consume responsibly. For use only by adults 21 years of age or older. Keep out of the reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding may pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the influence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The impairment effects of Edibles may be delayed by two hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact poison control hotline 1-800-222-1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA.