26 Dec

Posted at 18:22h in Living the Dream

We were recently in Arizona for a week of golf and sunshine before we hunker down into what is predicted to be an unusually cold and particularly wet Pacific Northwest winter. The day before we left for the Southwest, we had an open house tour for the welcoming committee of The Cannabis Alliance. I was recently elected to their board of directors, so it was a great time to gather as comrades and show off our cannabis farm. We begin each tour with some history about our cannabis journey, beginning before 1985 when my husband Bill and I met in Wyoming. I was...

28 Nov

Posted at 18:19h in Living the Dream

The end of 2022 is upon us and I’m facing reflection of both accomplishments and deeds left to do. The first column I wrote for Marijuana Venture was published in the March 2015 issue. It addressed cannabis zoning, tracking, testing and taxes. The industry is still grappling with these same topics and there is still heavy lifting yet to do to advance them toward positive change. Seven years ago October, I wrote “Unfortunately, the cottage industry in Washington State is so very undercapitalized as we face the costly challenges of building codes, zoning issues, testing, packaging and labor costs, distribution hurdles, compliance...

07 Nov

Posted at 18:17h in Living the Dream

It was high time to have a summer party and reconvene industry stakeholders to gather and exchange opinions. The Policy Pot Party and Political Fundraiser event was the result. Presented by the Washington Sun and Craft Growers Association, this gathering was the first in a long time that felt like cannabis-culture-meets-politics in a friendly, private venue. Familiar faces mingled with new to discuss a plethora of topics, all circling the reality that cannabis cultivators need the rules and laws to evolve so that our small businesses are more viable and secure for the future. The reality that small, craft brewers and wine...

08 Jun

Posted at 18:01h in Living the Dream

April 20 was a Wednesday this year and my activities spanned the date weekend to weekend, feeling a bit like the build-up to the celebratory week of gatherings between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The old-school crowd gathered on the 17th for a Hempfest fundraiser at the Crocodile Café in downtown Seattle. We were one of only two sponsors. The recreational businesses have shown a dire lack of support (and respect, in my opinion) for the legacy cannabis community. Local businesspeople who profit off the industry were present with their $22 entry as were the usual suspects of Hempfest volunteers, but...

01 Jun

Posted at 17:54h in Living the Dream

Acknowledging a job well done is underrated. We all need more “atta-girls,” high-fives and way-to-go acknowledgments. What we do as cannabis cultivators and manufacturers is demanding work; it takes 110% dedication and a hyper-focused devotion to the craft. It’s why I think a significant way to reward this hard work is the various cup and award ceremonies that take place across country. I am the chair of the Washington Sun and Craft Growers events committee and have been working toward the WSCA 2022 Craft Cannabis Cup awards ceremony for months. Our collection of board members have put on five cup ceremonies...

27 Apr

Posted at 18:55h in Living the Dream

The evenings around here echo with the insistent chorus of croaking frogs while the mornings chirp with returning robins. The daffodils and crocuses are blooming even with night temperatures still near freezing. And Washington’s short legislative session is winding down with only a single cannabis bill passed and only a week left. It must be spring in the Pacific Northwest. The other bills the Washington Sun & Craft Growers Association wanted “croaked” early in the session. The cannabis commission, craft cannabis endorsement and social equity bills will all need to be revived next year under fresh filings. Chirping loudly enough to be heard...

30 Mar

Posted at 18:36h in Living the Dream

If you shout into the woods and there is no one to hear you, did you make a sound? The cut-off date for bills to either move or die came and went this legislative season. The Cannabis Commission died in Appropriations Committee, again. Even though the commission’s research and education would be self-funded by cannabis cultivators, it needs a collection budget for the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. The state collects millions and millions of dollars in taxes from our efforts yet hesitates to throw a tiny portion of it toward this accounting work. The Craft Cannabis Endorsement bill stalled despite...

16 Feb

Posted at 18:33h in Living the Dream

Each year, as a gift for our retail partners, we design a custom calendar that marks historical dates of cannabis events. We sprinkle it with pictures of our beautiful strains and staff. It has become a collector’s item for many of our fans. We have memorialized dates including February 4, 1911, when Massachusetts became the first state to restrict cannabis by prohibiting the sale of “Indian hemp” without a prescription. On February 19, 1925, the League of Nations signed a multilateral treaty restricting cannabis to scientific and medical use while also restricting its import and export. This was the first unilateral treaty...

19 Jan

Posted at 18:25h in Living the Dream

This is coincidentally my 61st written-for-publication piece and my 61st year on this planet. Numerical coincidences are fun to acknowledge but I stop there on creating conspiracy theories around them. But it’s a good time to update on some of the past topics shared here since 2015 about this legal cannabis trip we ride. “Green Gouging” was my fourth Living the Dream column in November 2015. Gouging continues to this day although our banking fees have decreased from $500 to $350 per month. Still seems excessive and extortionary to me. “Race to the Bottom” was published in January 2016. Price pressures continue, especially for concentrates...

21 Dec

Posted at 18:21h in Living the Dream

I often must remind myself why I care so much and fight so hard for the future of sustainable small businesses in the cannabis industry. It would be so much easier if I just focused on our family business and used my slow times to focus on personal stuff like health, household and family. Instead, I pack my days with reviewing legislation, studying regulations, writing opinions and attending webinars with lawmakers, regulators, local officials and advocacy comrades. The foundational reason I care is the plant itself. The cannabis plant is magical in the way it helps me cope with Lyme disease....