MY CANNABIS AND HASH STORY
In the beginning…
Growing up, using cannabis never crossed my mind. I grew up reciting Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” mantra and I stuck to it for 23 years. Once the veil of ignorance about the true properties of the herb were revealed, I threw all reservations to the wind and sought to learn as much as I could.
Throughout my life, I have been an artist in some shape or form. From the age of 8 through my mid teens, I performed professionally with several dance troupes. From the age of 9 to the present day, I have played the steelpans with legendary groups and arrangers. In college I took up web and graphic design, teaching myself how to create visual works of art that effectively conveyed my clients’ ideas. I attended grad school, pursuing a Masters in Landscape Architecture. It was during this time that I gained a more holistic appreciation for art and design as extensions of the human condition. Unfortunately Landscape Architecture was not what I really longed to do.
Rather, I wanted to simply make people happy. Far too often we carry around our burdens as if there is wonderful nobility in endless suffering. Mindful of the extreme stress Miami residents faced, I helped build one of the most superb on-location massage companies in Miami Beach. As the Creative Director of Love Life Massage, I used my eye for clean and polished design to fine tune our marketing materials, website, and overall image. Working with 5 Star hotels, their concierges, and handling their discerning clientele gave me a first hand lesson in fine service and sophistication.
Life was good, but still something was missing. For all of the joys I experienced in the 13 years of living in Miami (with 8 of them being in the heart of South Beach), my life lacked the freedom to enjoy cannabis with no apologies. I resented what I saw as undue limitations to my happiness. I began eyeing the West Coast in 2013; when High Times had their first legal Cannabis Cups in Denver and Seattle. While I was in those legal areas, a sense of calm and peace replaced my borderline paranoia. I realized that my quality of life would be much improved if we moved West. I would not have a career lined up for myself, but entrepreneurial fire had burned within me for the 14+ years, so I made the leap figuring I could handle the worst that could happen.
In late 2013, I attended Oaksterdam University to get a better feel of the cannabis industry. Then, in early 2014, over the course of a two week internship, I learned CO2 concentrate production in Seattle. Working in a lab was intriguing, but I just couldn’t get over how dreary was the weather. So we settled on California, and in Oakland to be exact, as their laws would allow me to grow many more plants than other municipalities. I had no intention of becoming a full-time farmer, however. Translating our acquired knowledge to a full-fledged career seemed risky. Finding a “job” was also proving fruitless, but I remained buoyed. Less than 2 months after having moved across the country, a fortuitous meeting with Hash Master Frenchy Cannoli led to an invitation to write about Hashish for Weed World Magazine. Citing my need to truly understand the process, Frenchy poured his 40 years of experience into teaching me how to make powerful medicine to positively change people’s lives. I spent the next 9 months traveling with Frenchy all over California to inspect material, attend educational events, and to soak up as much information that I could.
The next seven years have been filled with trips around the country and eventually overseas to Spain and the UK. I have been blessed with the opportunity to teach hashmaking in person to dozens in Canada, Mexico, and Spain. By interviewing hashmakers for my articles, I have broadened my cannabis and hashish horizons and created long lasting relationships that will secure my entry into far-flung reaches of the Earth…where people definitely have been consuming cannabis and hashish for ages.
Frenchy has been on of my biggest supporters and I could not imagine this journey into the highest quality cannabis and hashish without his as a guiding force.
Creating Hashish from the wondrous Cannabis plant is my latest artistic endeavor. I put all of my love, care, and intensity into each hash creation. I learn from everyone I meet; even the BHO lovers . I look forward to innovating new methods to produce the best medicine. Within this cannabis community, with our very diverse backgrounds, our opportunities for growth through collaboration are endless. What an exciting time to be alive, full of vigor, and in the mix!