School may be almost out, but the time for education is now!We’ve spent the last several weeks traveling around the country, learning all we can in pursuit ofsustainability, social issues, and spirituality. This season has seen us go coast to coast gathering content for our new issue on planetary wellness – and there’s so much we’re excited to share with you!
KAYA FEST
The biggest surprises in recent weeks came from our trip to San Bernardino, CA forKaya Fest. Organized by the Marley Family, this awesome music festival was a modern-day love-in – a tribute to the 40thanniversary of Bob Marley’s legendaryKayaalbum, education about hemp and sustainable living, and the first time the Marley Brothers appeared onstage together in a decade. We were inspired by the ideals of oneness that the Marleys encourage, by their revelatory musical performances (grandsonsSkipandBambaataare artists to watch), and by their dedication to the Rastafari principles of universal love. As granddaughterDonisha Prendergastsaid in her opening remarks, “We are all together on this planet. Each one, teach one.”Throughout the festival, thanks to our sponsorYour CBD Oils, we interviewed key experts in the sustainability and wellness fields. Keep checking our social media feed for videos with figures like organic cowboyDoug Fine(author of the bestsellingFarewell My Subaru), Lifetime’sDr. Jenny Wilkinson the endocannabinoid system,Elevated Naturallyfounder Ewket Assefa on the spirituality of cannabis,EvoHempfounder Ari Sherman on hemp nutrition, andNoCo Hemp ExpofounderMorris Beegleon incorporating a miracle plant into every facet of our lives. (If you remember the Hemp Woman from our NoCo trip, you’ll even find an update fromPureHemp TechnologyfounderJeff Coleabout her world tour!)
SPECIAL DISCOUNTS, ADS, & MORE!
We are seeking partners for ad packages and sponsorships in the sustainability issue. See our media kit for more information.
A special discount of up to 50% is now available forWomen Growmembers. Keep an eye out for details in their newsletter. Book your ad with us today!
HIGH ON SUSTAINABILITY
Research for our sustainability issue is taking us deeper into consciousness than we ever imagined. You’ll discover so much in its pages, from Scandinavia’s geothermal power sources toSunstrand, a company manufacturing drop-in building materials. Read aboutEco Firma, the country’s first wind-powered cannabis farm, and America’s organic agriculture movement as detailed byArran StephensofNature’s Path Foods.Learn why volcano expertJess Phoenixis bringingStar Trekvalues to Congress, and howDr. Kiki Sanford, host of the award-winning podcastThis Week in Science, deals with reductionist versus holistic thinking as a scientific communicator.Get the scoop on regenerative agriculture from acclaimed filmmakersJosh and Rebecca Tickellin their new documentaryKISS THE GROUND(executive produced byLeonardo DiCaprio). And what roles do NASA and the UN play in determining the future of our planet? Stay connected with us for the answers!
DISTRIBUTION GOES WEST: HELLO, CALIFORNIA DISPENSARIES!
photo c/o @calidelightme/You may remember from our last newsletter that we have distribution at several landmark locations in Los Angeles. Since then, we’ve expanded to partner with dispensaries throughout California to carry our CANNABIS issue. (It also made an appearance at the 40thanniversary celebration ofCheech and Chong: Up in Smoke.)Our entrepreneurial expert Nadya Rousseau will be helping us extend audience reach on the West Coast, and grow our digital presence in the months to come. If you’re interested in partnering with us on dispensary distribution, check out her flyer below for more info.
DISTRIBUTION IN DC & THE NATIONAL CANNABIS FESTIVAL
Jake Plowden of the Cannabis Cultural Association at the Honeysuckle booth at the National Cannabis Festival in DC
Over the 4/20-4/21 “high holiday,” our adventuring brought us to the heart of Washington, DC for theNational Cannabis Festival. We spent a day getting woke at their first-everPolicy Summit, listening to powerful testimony from DC’s Attorney GeneralKarl Racineand criminal justice advocate Niambe McIntosh (daughter of reggae legendPeter Toshand sister ofJawara McIntosh), among many others. After the policy primer, we rushed to RFK Stadium for a festival like no other. Our booth, filled with magazines andSticky Fingrsgrinders, was in the center of constant activity.
Exhibitors ranged fromCBD oilsand hemp products to cannabis-inspired fashion and custom-made bongs, to grow lights and dispensary consultations. Renowned experts gave great advice at educational and advocacy panels, while those moving to their own drummer could rock out on an afternoon of music, capped off by the iconicCypress Hill. It was lit.A big shout-out to our readers in DC and Maryland: You can now find our CANNABIS issue closer to home! Many thanks to our new distribution partners at theNational Holistic Healing Center(run byDr. Chanda Maciasof Women Grow) and theRemedy Columbiadispensary, which began as one of Maryland’s first alternative medicine schools in 1974. Stop on in!
CANNABIS ON PARADE
This weekend marked the 19thannualNYC Cannabis Parade, where gubernatorial candidateCynthia Nixon(ofSex and the City) headlined alongside our favorite activists. Huge congratulations to our friends at theCannabis Cultural Association, who announced their new collaboration with the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws(NORML), at the event. We can’t wait to see the leaps and bounds they’ll take in advocacy with access to this nationwide network.Many incredible speakers at the Cannabis Parade had already been honored a couple weeks prior at the inauguralCannaGather(4)20 Awards. We were privileged to attend the black-tie award ceremony, which featured a keynote address by Lifetime Achievement recipientEthan Nadelmann, the founder of theDrug Policy Alliance.Read all about it – and watch video of Ethan’s speech – here.