Oh, hey Cannabis professional. Have you noticed, even our decidedly “feel good” industry is not immune to the barrage of challenges that pop up like a whack-a-mole game. It can be hard to sustain the energy it takes to continue to thrive.
How do I maintain? (Besides, of course, smoking that sweet sweet cheeba ;)
Here are 3 areas of focus that buoy me past the rocky waters into a grounded sense of purpose.…
1. Coming Out Green. Being public about my relationship with Cannabis means a lot to me. Being so immersed in the culture now, I almost forget how alienating it was to feel like I could not be honest about this part of my life. It was not until I moved to Portland Oregon that I found a community that I felt understood me in this regard. These relationships are what gave me the confidence to try and get into an industry I had no connections in, other than my love of the plant and the positive impact it has on my life. It’s always helpful when I take the time to be in gratitude for the new levels of visibility, appreciation, and understanding of this ever-emerging culture for myself and others.
2. Cannabis to the People. It is my belief that the Cannabis plant is a gift to humanity to assist in creating peace and wellness on Earth. Those of us that are called to be an ally for this plant know, access to Cannabis is a tool for a more connected society. I genuinely love and appreciate the people and experiences that Cannabis has brought into my life. I have the good fortune, in many regards, that I have never been fired, incarcerated, or publicly shamed for my relationship with this powerful plant. Many have, and it’s one of the reasons that I feel so passionately committed to be some part of getting Cannabis to the people. There are so many types of Humans that find benefits from utilizing Cannabis in its many forms. I find here is an area of society where we treat “stoners” like a monolith that includes being lazy, dull, stupid, horny, indulgent, losers. Could there be some cross over with cannabis consumers - sure! But that is true for every slice of subculture. Into every binary system we will have the winners and the losers, and everything in between. But I digress, the point here is that I am committed to being a resource to the Cannabis community and cannacurious doing the best I can do with the tools I have been blessed with.
3. Honoring the Spirit. Cannabis is so powerful that just knowing she exists, insists you have an experience. Having any kind of knowledge of the presence of this plant’s consciousness on this planet, her medicine begins to work on you. She is the “peoples” plant, meaning she can grow anywhere and has, all over this great blue and green globe we live on. Because of this, it is then up to each one of us in how we will engage with the plant and what we base our opinions on. The spirit of Cannabis is that powerful.
While we humans shuffle around in the nitty gritty of power, money, and ego….
Like Sugar, Cacao, Tobacco, Coffee, and Rose - Cannabis will take her seat in the lineup of plants that are honored and exhaled in modern society for their indisputable effects on humanity, mind, body, and spirit.
The sheer breadth of the impact that this plant has makes me a proud consort to the proliferation of quality Cannabis.
Cannabis showed me how to open my heart, see humanity through kinder eyes, and soften my hard edges enough to relax and enjoy life. Thank you to all those that have come before to my comrades in the streets, and to the next generation of builders. The future of Cannabis is a legacy worth championing for.