Columnists
Emma was raised in the rolling hills of beautiful downtown southern Vermont. She is a Green Mountain girl with a soul that belongs in the trees. She currently resides at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. When she isn't strapped into her snowboard, you can find her smiling, assisting patients at a downtown Boulder medical dispensary.
Emma received a degree in Professional Writing from Champlain College in 2011. Her words have captured the green of Ireland and Dublin's pubs, the island shores of Greece, and most often the soul of Vermont. She is currently working towards her tea mastery certification with The American Tea Mastery Association.
Recent Content
Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, w…
Humans have always h…
Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, was often interpreted as displeasure on behalf of those same beings—a punishment for failing to observe proper rituals. It doesn’t take a history scholar to understand this impulse. Weather, now as then, is both an enemy and ally. On one hand, it provides everything from the raw material for food—sunlight driving photosynthesis, wind the primary method of plants spreading their seeds—to …
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, ge…
Sometimes, writing a…
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, getting splashed in a Halloween horror show in the basement of a spaghetti emporium, sweating through a DIY D&D in a comic shop, savoring (har har!) Sweeney Todd’s enraged high notes, and trying to quiet my howling dog in a public house. I’ve found myself in some odd and awkward scenarios. To update the metaphor, writing this column is a lot like drunk-clicking through an endless algorithm o…
I, like all other people, have my opinions on political and social arguments. Same sex marriage, a woman's right to choose, fracking. Most of these things, I chose to vote on when the time comes, leav…
I, like all other pe…
I, like all other people, have my opinions on political and social arguments. Same sex marriage, a woman's right to choose, fracking. Most of these things, I chose to vote on when the time comes, leaving my personal opinion out of conversations at work, The Pearl Street Pub, and the dinner table. However, the one topic I will speak for, anytime, anywhere, at any dinner table is the importance of growing and producing organic food. Purple Peppers, Gala Apples, and Palisade Peaches. Pesticide free and grown with love. These are all things we hunt for at the farmers market every year, waitin…
High five to you, Colorado! So many wonderful things have happened in our first year of recreational cannabis sales. By the time April 20th, 2014 rolled up, our state had collected over $10,000,000 in…
High five to you, Co…
High five to you, Colorado! So many wonderful things have happened in our first year of recreational cannabis sales. By the time April 20th, 2014 rolled up, our state had collected over $10,000,000 in taxes from recreational cannabis sales. Crime rates have gone down and there is a whole new job market which has exceeded the number of law enforcement officers--statewide. Sorry, Nebraska and Oklahoma, I think we're here to stay. I'm sure you're all familiar with the dusty town of Lyons. With their 25 mile per hour speed zones and classically cow painted dairy bar, how could you not just love…
As each new year arrives, I try not to hold my resolutions to high standards. Let's face it, a "New Year's resolution" rarely lasts more than 10 days. So, as 2015 rolled in, my goal for the following …
As each new year arr…
As each new year arrives, I try not to hold my resolutions to high standards. Let's face it, a "New Year's resolution" rarely lasts more than 10 days. So, as 2015 rolled in, my goal for the following 365 days would be to show more gratitude for the things that I have access to each day. A warm bed. Being able to feed Snacks and Meatball, my two cats. Clean water. And, lastly, legal cannabis. Don't get me wrong, I love my job in the cannabis industry. However, I can't tell you how often I hear deep sighs of disappointment and patrons complaining. I mean, come on now! In the great state of Co…
The holiday season is at its peak! Feasts are being prepared, fires are being stoked, and stoners are gathering for drinks & a festive toke! Excuse my lyrical words, as I simply couldn't resist! I…
The holiday season i…
The holiday season is at its peak! Feasts are being prepared, fires are being stoked, and stoners are gathering for drinks & a festive toke! Excuse my lyrical words, as I simply couldn't resist! I am writing to you from my living room where kittens are sleeping, the Christmas tree glowing, and Dr. Suess' The Grinch is playing in the background. When you put aside the termites in his smile and the garlic in his soul, The Grinch truly knew what was up! Whilst stealing the roast beast, he also snagged the last can of who hash! Hash has been a consistent trend in the past 40 years. H…
Hair down to my bum, personally altered Grateful Dead t-shirts, bare feet. Fast forward ten years to a shoulder length bob, lace dresses, and heeled boots. If fifteen-year-old Emma Devine did not scre…
Hair down to my bum,…
Hair down to my bum, personally altered Grateful Dead t-shirts, bare feet. Fast forward ten years to a shoulder length bob, lace dresses, and heeled boots. If fifteen-year-old Emma Devine did not scream “I love marijuana!” I don’t know what does. I’ve developed into a young woman working in the publishing world and frankly, I can’t show up to editorial meetings looking like I just put down my neighbors bong. In Boulder there is no need to be hush-hush about my cannabis rituals but once I leave the "Boulder Bubble" the story changes. Much like my toned down hippie garb, sometimes…
There aren't many things that I love more than candy and Christmas stockings. This year being the first holiday season with legal cannabis in Colorado, I expect Boulder resident stockings will be hung…
There aren't many th…
There aren't many things that I love more than candy and Christmas stockings. This year being the first holiday season with legal cannabis in Colorado, I expect Boulder resident stockings will be hung by the fire, stuffed with edible and smokeable marijuana treats! There is one treat in particular which I am hoping to find in my green knit stocking this year, and that is a Mountain High Sucker. Peppermint, cinnamon, lemon lime, oh my! Whether you prefer, berry, citrus, or butterscotch, Mountain High Sucker has a flavor for you. These lollipops don't just pack a delicious flavor, but the…
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I thank you for joining me here each week—your questions, comments, and support have been more than I imagined. In the past four weeks, I have talked abo…
I hope you all had a…
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I thank you for joining me here each week—your questions, comments, and support have been more than I imagined. In the past four weeks, I have talked about what legal cannabis means in Boulder. What to ask at a dispensary, how to approach a budtender, and to never be afraid to ask questions. I want to shift directions and talk about the questions I hear the most."What products do you like the most?" or "Which one would you choose?" Each Wednesday between now and Christmas, I will share with you some of my favorite products. To start, I couldn't…
I ask for two things when a new or returning patient enters the medical dispensary: a red card and a valid photo ID. When the person informs us they don’t know what a red card is, it is the first si…
I ask for two things…
I ask for two things when a new or returning patient enters the medical dispensary: a red card and a valid photo ID. When the person informs us they don’t know what a red card is, it is the first sign that they are looking for our recreational shop. Now that marijuana is a recreational substance, both Colorado residents and tourists are getting even more curious! Although dispensaries are open to the public, there are two types of stores for two types of consumers. We often hear, "well, what's the difference between the two shops?" Let’s look into the most significant differences ba…
“Well, I don’t want to smoke anything. I’d rather just eat...” the woman pauses, searches the cooler, and points, “that cookie!” I truly admire when people are comfortable saying yes or…
“Well, I don’t w…
“Well, I don’t want to smoke anything. I’d rather just eat...” the woman pauses, searches the cooler, and points, “that cookie!” I truly admire when people are comfortable saying yes or no to products in a dispensary. It’s all about finding the right fit. However, when “that cookie!” has 65 milligrams of THC, the experience of shopping for marijuana becomes, well, more of a lesson. The horror stories you hear on the news sprout from consumers who weren’t educated on the product they purchased or did not listen to the advice they were given. Edibles are awesome, you just …
Marijuana in Colorado just isn't what it was in Vermont. I mean that in the most wonderful of ways. Cannabis has been a part of my life for over ten years, but when I relocated to Colorado in 2012, my…
Marijuana in Colorad…
Marijuana in Colorado just isn't what it was in Vermont. I mean that in the most wonderful of ways. Cannabis has been a part of my life for over ten years, but when I relocated to Colorado in 2012, my perspective changed. The pot sold in dispensaries is grown by horticulturists who have tailored the cannabis plant, providing classic strains and creating new ones. It's truly one giant experiment that starts in seed and ends in indulgence. Without trying to sound like a Disney movie, it's a whole new world! With a new world comes curiosity and even fear. I intend to explore with you, educate yo…