It’s been a major couple of weeks for cannabis in Mass and Greater Boston in particular, and not only because thousands of enthusiasts flocked to the Hynes for the fifth annual New England Cannabis Convention, or NECANN. New England Treatment Access (NETA) finally opened its picturesque steampunk vaults in the former Brookline bank it has occupied as a medical dispensary for years in order to welcome recreational customers, generating the expected coverage of heads queuing and traffic caused. All while the Boston Globe dropped a Spotlight investigation on “companies [that are] testing the limit” of how many pot shops they can own.
As we are still recovering from NECANN, while the subjects of the Globe report are likely licking deeper wounds, it seems like a proper time to focus on the positive side of the booming legal weed economy. It’s critical to keep an eye on the big players, but what we also saw this weekend was a thriving small biz ecosystem in which inventors and entrepreneurs from various corners of cannabis are making a go for it. Here are some quick notes on some of the great initiatives and products we encountered, along with tidbits on what we learned from our interaction with their spokespeople and owners. For videos of our full interviews with these subjects, please visit facebook.com/talkingjointsmemo.
Cannabis Radio Network (North Shore, Massachusetts)
WHAT WE LEARNED: “We got into the industry two and a half years ago, and it’s been evolving and evolving step by step ever since … Everything cannabis-related. I do a show called Your Average Joe Grow, showing people step by step how to grow from home. We have The Barrett Report happening, which is everything cannabis-related for the week. We also have a show, Straight Talk with Dr. Dale, that’s everything medical in the industry, and then we have a new comedy show coming up called Breaking Balls.”
More info: cannabisradionetwork.com
Down to Earth All Natural Fertilizers (Eugene, Oregon)
WHAT WE LEARNED: “We manufacture all of our fertilizers. All our boxes are compostable, our bags are recyclable, we are truly 100 percent natural. Everyone talks about organics—this is the real thing. … What we’re seeing [in some states] is that only 50 percent of your product has to be natural in order to list organic [on the packaging]. … We are 100 percent natural.”
More info: downtoearthfertilizer.com
Flkrwrld (Boston, Massachusetts)
WHAT WE LEARNED: “Everybody loves to play with their lighters [so we made a lighter that is also like a fidget spinner]. We have a patent on the lighter, and on a [lighter] sleeve too so people can use it with interchangeable lighters. We’re launching a Kickstarter soon.”
More info: @flkrwrld on Instagram
Purient (Boston, Massachusetts)
WHAT WE LEARNED: “We were in the inaugural class of the Sira Naturals Accelerator program, and this is the first product to come out of the Sira program. We have one of the first pre-foreplay cannabis-infused personal lubricants in the East Coast market. We’re in three stores right now—the Cambridge, Somerville, and Needham [Sira] locations. … It’s the secret to mind-blowing sex. I’ve been running a private cannabis club for years, and one of the products that we developed years ago for members of the club was Purient. … The accelerator program helped us walk through every step to get our product on the shelves.”
More info: siranaturals.org/purient-bedroom-cannabis
Secure Energy (East Longmeadow, Massachusetts)
WHAT WE LEARNED: “Cannabis cultivators have options to manage their energy. It’s the second largest expense they have, it’s the most controllable, and no one knows it. They get an energy bill from National Grid or Eversource and they just pay it. … We can come in, get you a low fixed rate, lock you into that, and help save you some money. … You can start budgeting and allocating your expenses accordingly.”
More info: seenergy.org
Sili Gloves (Boston, Massachusetts)
WHAT WE LEARNED: “These are nonstick silicone trim and gardening gloves. They’re reusable, they’re completely nonstick, and unlike with latex, you’re not going through a couple hundred pairs every few weeks. … They originally came out of the frustration of dealing with hash oil and how sticky it was. … After I started making them, I realized they were excellent for trimming weed. You grab a plant and it literally repels the trichomes.”
More info: siligloves.org
Student Marijuana Alliance for Research & Transparency (Providence, Rhode Island)
WHAT WE LEARNED: “SMART is a national college cannabis organization meant to bridge the gap for millennials who are looking to get into the industry and help legitimize everything we’re doing [at NECANN] through academia. SMART has a network of students at over 25 different universities.”
More info: facebook.com/studentmmj
Vermont Pre-Rolls (Vermont)
WHAT WE LEARNED: “We do only CBD pre-rolls, so less than .3 percent CBD. … The joke I always think of is the movies where people have to eat the bag of weed, or the plant, and a half an hour later they’re high. THCA is the acid form. It’s in the plant. You can’t get high from it—unless you burn it, vape it, or heat it. Then it turns into THC and you get messed up. The law is confusing. The Farm Bill of 2018 talks about Delta-9 THC of less than .3 percent, but there is flower available that is 18 percent THCA. You can smoke the flower, and it has more like 1 percent THC when it smokes. But when it’s tested, it’s listed as less than .3 percent.”
More info: vermontprerolls.com
A Queens, NY native who came to New England in 2004 to earn his MA in journalism at Boston University, Chris Faraone is the editor and co-publisher of DigBoston and a co-founder of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. He has published several books including 99 Nights with the 99 Percent, and has written liner notes for hip-hop gods including Cypress Hill, Pete Rock, Nas, and various members of the Wu-Tang Clan.
