As this incredibly tumultuous year comes to a close, so does another year of cannabis features and b2b journalism at Cannabis Dispensary. Here, the CD editors take a look back on their favorite stories of 2020.
Eric Sandy, Digital Editor
JAR Cannabis Co. Prepares to Launch Adult-Use in Maine with Optimism Despite State’s Setbacks – Feature, June 2020
In a year full of bold, dynamic headlines, the story in Maine played out quietly. Finally, four years after legalizing adult-use cannabis, state legislators and regulators got around to developing a framework for retail sales. Senior Digital Editor Melissa Schiller had followed the news closely, and this past summer she profiled the team at JAR Cannabis Co. to get a sense of how businesses were preparing for this monumental step forward. It’s a snapshot of a cannabis market at a crossroads: at once excited and still quite uneasy about the long-term prospects (to say nothing of the short-term prospects). “We’re always trying to improve on that interaction and that process, and we’re very proud of the team we’ve put together and the way our patients get treated—their service and the product quality when they come visit us,” JAR Co-Founder Joel Pepin told Schiller. “For us, it’s scaling those small processes, from the branding to the packaging to the product quality to amazing staff.” Read more
Cassie Neiden, Editor
Meet Cindy De La Vega, San Francisco’s First Latina Equity Partner – Feature, November 2020
One of my favorite stories from the past year is one of the most recent—Cindy De La Vega’s journey to becoming San Francisco’s first Latina equity partner. In many ways, De La Vega’s challenges of launching a dispensary during COVID-19 mirror many of the store openings we’ve shared throughout 2020: a re-imagining of store flow and traffic, procuring PPE and more. But De La Vega’s story is special because, according to her comments at a recent virtual conference, “she may not have the college degree or the funds that many other cannabis business owners do, but she puts in the work required to run a business.” In other words, she’s got grit (a pre-requisite in the cannabis industry). You’ll also learn some of the amazing ways she’s using this new platform to give back to her community via local social equity programs. Read more
Brian MacIver, Senior Editor
A Path to Parity – Cover Story, April 2020
In the April 2020 Cannabis Dispensary cover story, Senior Editor Patrick Williams tackled an issue that is going to continue to define the cannabis industry: social equity. He deftly navigates the issues by interviewing businesses, legislators and associations at the forefront of the battle against the impacts of prohibition on minority communities. The issue that Williams is highlighting can be perfectly summarized by Jason Ervin, 28th Ward alderman and chairman of Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus, who is quoted in the story: “We’re going to buy today, we’re in jail today, so why can’t we have equity today?” Read more
Patrick Williams, Senior Editor
Concentrates Ed: How Retailers Broach This Complex Product Category – Feature, June 2020
It’s one thing for dispensaries to stock a wide assortment of products; it’s another thing entirely to effectively understand customers’ needs and provide them with valuable education. In a thorough feature, Editor Cassie Neiden explained how dispensaries can acquaint customers with concentrates and set their minds at ease. Neiden and Penn Louis, Chalice Farms’ product development & training manager, discussed how dispensaries can help customers make connections between concentrates and flower based on terpenes. And she spoke with Sheldon Howard, The Green Solution’s retail general manager, about how live resin packs a flavorful punch, while shatters and waxes are better for the budget-conscious. In the story, Louis offered the all-encompassing statement, “Concentrates and extracts can be a very refined form of administration.” Read more
Theresa Bennett, Associate Editor
Lessons in Leadership and Management from Elev8 Cannabis – Feature, December 2020
Seun Adedeji’s story is an inspiring one: He immigrated from Nigeria when he was 5 years old, and by the age of 13, he had been arrested for cannabis possession in Chicago. While the arrest was “devastating,” Adedeji pushed through the adversities to launch Elev8 Cannabis, a dispensary, at age 24. Now, the self-made Adedeji—who was, up until recently, the COE, or “chief of everything,” for his company—is expanding as a multi-state operator. Interestingly, Adedeji didn’t use a social-equity program to break into new markets “because he feels that many of them do not provide opportunities for true equity,” writes Senior Editor Patrick Williams. Here, Williams explores a different angle of social justice in the cannabis industry as well as the lessons Adedeji has learned in his time as a dispensary operator. While this story is one of the last of 2020, the subject is sure to leave a lasting impression. Read more
Melissa Schiller, Senior Digital Editor
Dispensary 33: Good Customer Service Starts With Invested Employees – Feature, June 2020
In a not-so-typical year, some things remained unchanged, such as the important role that customer service plays in the success of a dispensary. The way a company cares for its employees can translate to how customers are treated, as well, and Dispensary 33 CEO Zachary Zises sat down with Cannabis Dispensary in June to share how the Chicago-based dispensary focuses on staff training and making a real difference for its customers. “Every long-time employee at the shop will have dozens of stories of taking a purchaser from noob to connoisseur, from first-time user undergoing chemo[therapy] to someone who expertly knows how to titrate their cannabis doses, across multiple intake types, to address their needs from hour to hour and day to day,” Zises told CD contributor Robert Rozboril. “These experiences are the core of what we do.” Read more
