- Christopher Smith, Editor-in-Chief
Matching Your Cannabis With Your Values
I started writing this story on three days when I got an email suggesting ways in which cannabis consumers have power in this often-confusing marketplace. It’s from Cannabis.net and was reprinted in Green Entrepreneur:
THE SCOOP
The article was written by a clever writer that I’ve quoted before going by the name of Reginald Reefer who writes: "Someone once told me that the only true power the "people" ever had was “where they spend their money”. In other words, the consumer’s true power lies in their choice of supplier."
The focus of Reefer’s piece is to choose local dispensaries and manufacturers instead of big Multi-State Operators (MSO’s). He points out that well-capitalized MSO’s often sue smaller markets that have the audacity to include a ‘local residency requirement’ an even bigger market share (looking at you, Wellness Connection of Maine).
Reefer suggests that we as consumers can and should show our opinion of such court decisions by voting against them with our dollars and buying our weed from locally owned providers.
The email I mentioned above said that the article got “lots of comments” on LinkedIn. These comments helped broaden my thinking on the subject. Readers’ comments included, “The obvious factors are for consumers to choose brands based on ethical and environmental concerns such as packaging … carbon footprints, energy use, grow techniques, etc.
But check this: One comment asked if consumers should support brands that use female cannabis influencers that strip down to their underwear, or less, to sell their products.” It then went on a long rant about a brand called “Ignite” which was the sex-sodden brainchild of Dan Bilzerian who has retreated from the industry entirely after building a cannabis brand around bikini girls and booth babes.
The problem is not sex per se, but objectification of women. The Power of the Purse allows you to react to a billboard up with a half-naked hotty and a headline “Nice Grass” as Bilzerian did, by ghosting that brand.
The Power of our Footsteps, and our dollars allows us to make choices so much more profound than “indica versus sativa”. Here are a few other reasons we might Shop for Purpose, not Convenience – and Make our Dollars Matter in 2022:
Know the owner
I go many miles out of my way to shop at Alternative Herbal Health Services in West Hollywood because I like and respect the owner, Jason Beck
Sustainable, healthy, vegan
Of course, we’d think of Fruit Slabs in Colorado, but consider companies nationwide that use Sana Packaging which makes its packaging from recycled ocean plastic and hemp?
Sun-grown vs. Indoor
This choice to allows you to support sustainable (or even regenerative), low-carbon products and local small farmers – Check out Home Grown Apothecary in Portland, OR
Equity:
You may want to put your dollars toward social equity businesses such as Women-owned, African American-owned, Latina owned, Native-American-owned cannabis companies, here are just a few:
64 & Hope (LA)
Calibueno (Oakland)
Good Earth Hemp Co (SD, Cheyenne Tribe)
Veterans [like our friend Shaun Salvaje. ]A good resource is"“13 Veteran-Owned Cannabis Companies and Organizations to Support Right Now" - have a look at:
HVGC – Helmand Valley Growers Company donates 100% of their profits to Veteran causes and research
Warfighter Hemp (CO)
Ananda Farms, (NY)
Mary Palmer, (MA)
Community Minded
Haven (SoCal)
Urbn Leaf/StateHouse;
Papa & Barkley are oriented toward serving their local communities.
There are lots of ways to let our dollars mean more in 2022. Let’s the market hear our opinions!
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