MMLG was up in Mendocino County this past weekend for the annual California cannabis family reunion known as Meadowlands. We had a thoroughly enjoyable and humbling experience beneath the redwoods during the leadership track, before getting into the fun with some Kiva-sponsored s’mores and mingling with friends from across the Golden State for the rest of the weekend. Here are our five takeaways for the California cannabis industry (and the rest of the country) from an epic weekend.
California cannabis needs to get uncomfortable
Counter-intuitive subhead, right? What with state regulators calling for even stricter universal symbol requirements and track and trace being implemented, but hear us out. At Meadowlands all weekend there was an air of gratitude for all of us that were there. Simultaneously, there was an undercurrent acknowledging that some companies haven’t survived the legalization gauntlet.
That some of California’s cannabis O.G’s and some of the newer businesses haven’t survived isn’t news to anyone, but the point is this: while we all recognize the growing pains of legalization, in California cannabis and beyond, we are the ones with the power. Rather than us being content to just have “survived” legalization, let’s recognize that we can do more. If the folks who came before us laid the foundation, let’s not be content with simply building the first floor. Instead, let’s focus on building higher.
How do we do that? It’s simple, get uncomfortable, go the extra mile and make the extra phone call. If you’re disgusted and unnerved by predatory social equity “investors” or frustrated by the snail’s pace of annual licenses being doled out, talk to your local and state politicians, form advocacy groups, call us and ask how we can help you. Essentially, let’s not be content with where the industry’s at. We all understand where it can go because we are the ones who have gotten it this far.
Social equity in California cannabis matters more each day
Since we’re only on the ground floor of this industry that, again, we are building, let’s ensure that diversity and equity are baked in. Social equity in California cannabis remains a crucial aspect of legalization that is still being underserved. Lanese Martin from Hood Incubator delivered a line that really stuck out for us, “You don’t have to wait for a social equity policy to make a difference for social equity applicants.” Maybe we’re a little partial to this line because we handle licensing, but the message is applicable for everyone. Simply put, no one should be making money off cannabis while others remain behind bars for cannabis.
We all understand what needs to be done to make things work for social equity businesses because it’s the same thing we’ve all looked for at times. Namely, opportunity, assistance, education and support.
Cannabis conferences should all be this much fun
We get it. Sometimes business has to happen and we’ve gotta put our suits and ties on. But Meadowlands proved that just because the cannabis industry is growing, it doesn’t mean you have to leave your fun at the door. Meadowlands was an excellent reminder that we are the cool kids. We get to show up as we are. We can take in knowledge while comfortably sitting on a beanbag all cozy and warm under a blanket, to say nothing of learning and teaching while smoking a joint. It’s a new world, friends. We can create our own industry standards. We can create our own professional standards. We don’t have to run headlong into corporatization and commodification and bro-fessionalism and power plays. We can chill. We can be cool about this
California cannabis: Let’s EDUCATE our consumers
We’re not talking about proper dosage, responsible consumption, etc. (but you should still do that type of education because #COMPLIANCE); what we’re talking about is educating consumers on the cannabis they can get in stores across the Golden State. We were blown away by the discussions surrounding appellation of origin and terpenes vs THC levels. Just as California vintners celebrate the impact terroir and microclimates across their grow regions have on wine, more cannabis cultivators should do the same.
Far too often dispensary clients of ours are discussing how consumers just want some super-high THC strain [It’s like beer bros demanding “hopped out to the max” IPAs. –Ed.] We heard a lot of the same amongst growers at Meadowlands. While heavy THC stuff is fine for the big MSOs, smaller cultivation co-ops are breeding and growing some legendary stuff with the built-in weirdness of our plant serving as a feature and not a bug.
Rather than just shrugging our shoulders and giving them an over-the-top THC count, maybe we take a minute to coach consumers on the unique qualities and inherent weirdness of California’s best. After all, you can get a mighty pleasant blaze on with some easygoing and low THC strains when the terpenes are right.🌴
It’s a marathon and not a sprint
Sorry. We had to wade into the shallow end of the cliche pool, but we mean it. We went on a few long trail runs in the countryside around Meadowlands, and yeah, the hills kicked our ass but we also had a chance to zen out and recognize that this is a long haul, not some 100-meter dash.
As federal legalization inches closer and as federal banking seems more likely, we can take the time to acknowledge our progress, and recognize that we’re doing a lot and that it won’t all get done at once. It’s a marathon, people.