In the last few years since New York joined many other states in legalizing cannabis for adult use, lots of things have changed. That probably went without saying. Something people were doing illegally finally became legal. People who had once been incarcerated for something that never should have been illegal now have the opportunity to start a business and earn the money they should have been earning all along. Sure, there have been some bumps in the road as the legal framework has been built and rolled out, and not everyone is happy with how things have gone. But for the most part, its been good. And most of the people in the industry belong in the industry. I haven’t seen much of it yet, but I’ve definitely encountered people who don’t belong. I won’t name names, but we all know some of them are in it for the money and not much else.

That’s not us.

We are here, in this space, because we love where we live, we love delicious local food, and we love cannabis. Sure, our goal is to make some money along the way, but that’s not our top priority. With all of that said, I thought it might be a good time to give you a little history of my relationship with the plant. We go way back, back to when the years started with “19” and cell phones had cords and came in their own little leather bags. I told you it was way back!

Let me start with some honesty, it’s a little fuzzy how it all actually started. It probably started with 311. Look them up if you don’t know who that is. I had purchased their CD in 1995 and it was unlike anything I’d ever heard before. Some of you have heard this story before so I’ll skip over most of it. The relevant piece is that they were the first band I had listened to that openly spoke about being cannabis users, about moving away from negativity and more harmful substances, and wanting to legalize it. I was instantly interested in whatever this stuff might be and what it did. It wasn’t like I could hop on the internet and do research back then, but I knew some people who knew some people and in April 1996 I finally got my hands on something that was probably cannabis. Coincidentally, that evening was the same evening Clint and I met for the first time. I’ll tell you that story another time, but a lot changed for me that day and at the time I had no idea of the significance.

We’ll fast forward a little bit, actually more than a little bit, all the way to January 2020. I had been on and off with the cannabis over the years and was sort of on but not really at the time, but that was about to change in a big way. I was working as a consultant and just got placed at a dispensary in Massachusetts. Walking in there, I had no idea what to expect. I thought maybe it would be beaded curtains, lava lamps, and a haze of smoke in the office. There was a lava lamp but otherwise it was a bunch of professional people looking to run a business and also very much enjoy the products they sold. As I got to know everyone, I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else. In March, a week before everything came to a screeching halt, I left the consulting job and became a full-time employee at the cannabis company. I met some of the best colleagues and friends I have had, and I was immediately immersed in a culture unlike anything I had experienced before. Have you ever shared a pre-roll with your boss? It was a great gig until it wasn’t, but I did have two very enjoyable years there.

I’ll spare you the kind of stuff you might expect cannabis users to say, things like “it expands your mind, man” or whatever. But let’s just say, our relationship these past few years has really changed who I am. I have been able to put fear aside and face things I wouldn’t have. So many things about which I had said “I wish I could do that,” over the past few years I’ve actually done them. I used to drink a lot and now, I’ve had two drinks in the past year and a half. I used to be anxious all the time. I’m still anxious but now that I’m not getting drunk all the time my brain has been able to process why and it’s easier to put that stuff behind me, at least for a few minutes.

I’m a regular cannabis consumer. Flower is my thing; I love a good pre-roll. And yes, I absolutely do put it in my food just like I will do for you, with your advance knowledge and consent. For so long I pretended I wasn’t, I didn’t talk about it, or I was ashamed because of what society made me think I should be doing. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if it had been legal all along and I never became a drinker. I can’t go back and wonder, I can only go forward.

And forward, with cannabis, is where I am going. Won’t you join me?