marijuanatimes.org

This article may come at you a little late this year, being that Thanksgiving was last week, but it is never too late to be thankful, or dankful this season. I normally like to use this column as an outlet to bemoan about something that most people would bend over backward for. It can be fun to sit back and air my grievances about the weed industry, after all, it is the landscape I see every day. Fortunately, the industry I work in is hot right now, so it affords me this outlet. No grievances today though, just love.

I am dankful for all the amazing growers out there. Indoor farmers and outdoor farmers, hydro or soil, I love it all. You all consistently work very hard and produce a product that makes people extremely happy. The time you spend growing these plants is time well spent. I am dankful for Cosmic Brain and for OG Kush. The aroma of Jillybean and the effects of Girl Scout Cookies. I love how White Widow glows. I love how Grape God and Sour Diesel create a euphoria that takes you to another plane. Although they can both be a nuisance to trim, the journey is worth it in the end. Thank you for not giving up on the first round of Bubba Kush, it really helps the pain. More than anything though I want to thank you for Chem

Dawg and for keeping it alive. Everything that is good and decent in this world started with Chem Dawg. The prolonged growing and cloning of this strain has made me such a happy boy this season. So much painstaking effort goes into what you do, you are the masters of this industry. When one of your plants does not turn out that well, it will take you up to three months to figure it out. Patience is your virtue. You are the artists, you allow this lifestyle to take place and be what it is. You are the top rung of this industry; without you and your plants, the rest of us have nothing.

Cannabisculture.com

I am thankful for the expert lab technicians who create the finest cannabis concentrates the world has ever known. When I was growing up, the only option anyone had for hashish was bubble, kief, and black bricks that were some form of pressed kief. In the last decade, we have seen wax, shatter, rosin, sap, live resin, distillate, and the list goes on. Their latest creation making the rounds is called crystalline, and from what I understand, it is outrageous. The knowledge and time put into crafting new forms of concentrate have helped us all in times of need, in times of travel, and in a cartridge for low-key puffs when nobody is looking. Dank you for bringing all the terps along as well as a potency range that can go as high as ninety-five percent in some cases. On top of that, thank you for the purity of the products you are making. The rules and regulations this industry puts on you make it so that your techniques must be honed and perfected. It takes a great deal of painstaking effort to get to that end-result the customer sees, and you have done it beautifully. Dank you for the incredible progress you have made in just a few years, and for giving us a product that we have come to realize we cannot live without.

DenverPost.com

Do not think I have forgotten the edible chefs. Dank you chocolatiers, bakers, soda jerks, and gummy artists for pushing our industry into a new frontier of combining food and cannabis. People love to smoke weed, but this industry has broken new ground thanks to the edible infusions you make. You have made cannabis tourism a reality. The first question every customer utters is, “Where are the gummies?”. Edible chefs have taken the near impossible task of perfecting measurements to new heights. Rememberthe brownies everyone used to make before 2009? They were often a gamble. Thanks to the determined effort of edible entrepreneurs, treats in this industry have become a way for so many to find relief as well as comfort when dosing with their favorite snack. My hat is off to you, chef.

I am so dankful for every part of this industry, including my own. Great job budtenders. You are the first thing people see when they walk into a weed shop and due to your patience and knowledge, you have helped make this industry a fire that will not go out. This train is moving forward and will only be increasing in speed thanks to your love for this plant and your desire to spread that feeling to others. I have never worked in any other industry where people are legitimately happy to be at work all day. That energy is infectious to customers and it is helping to move our industry in a positive direction.

vicenews.com

I hope, during this holiday season, that we all remember how far we have come in the world of cannabis. I am thankful for Colorado, for Washington, for Nevada, and for Oregon. I am thankful for California, Massachusetts, Maine and all the other states that will be helping to legitimize this plant over the coming years. Ten years ago, I was buying this stuff illegally with the hopes of not getting caught. I had to spend hours waiting for a person I usually did not like to get a bag of buds from; whereas now, I can walk into any number of shops and buy it when I am ready. Even at this evolved stage in the world of cannabis, more than half our country goes to bed each night without legal cannabis or regulations for such. Dankfully, we do not live in a place where we need to fear persecution. The next time you go to your favorite weed shop and they do not have what you want, try not to be upset and consider that others do not have this luxury. Most everyone does not have what we have. And then come over to see me, I absolutely have that fire you need.

 

Chris grew up in Dover, Delaware with his sights set on the wild west. Inspired by 80’s and 90’s- era ski movies Chris found his way to Gunnison, Colorado in 1999 to attend Western State College, now Western State University, and to ski Crested Butte. In this little mountain town in the heart of the Sangre de Cristo mountains Chris also found a lovely little plant called cannabis. Chris still lives in Colorado, having moved to Fort Collins after graduating to follow his love of skiing, mountain biking, and all things outdoors. Currently working as a budtender with 7 years experience in the cannabis industry Chris has a passion for cannabis, a desire to write, and a love for Colorado.