October 2, 2025 • 52 mins
What happens when you combine a passion for food, wellness, and cannabis education? You get a refreshing conversation that's changing how we think about edibles and wellness.
Certified Ganjier Angelique Zerillo, editor-in-chief of North Bloom Magazine, takes us on a journey through the evolving landscape of cannabis consumption with a special focus on women over 35. Her approach isn't about getting high, it's about finding balance in a cortisol-driven world through mindful cannabis use.
What stands out most is Angelique's mission to "make cannabis less weird," especially for women navigating careers, relationships, and parenting while confronting outdated stigmas. Through North Bloom Magazine, she's creating visibility for female consumers and supporting craft cannabis producers who bring quality and intention to their products.
Visit the website for full show notes, free dosing calculator, recipes and more.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello, friends, what happens when you take a love of
food, a passion for culture anda deep knowledge of cannabis and
toss them all into one bowl?
You get Bite Me, the podcastthat explores the intersection
of food, culture and cannabisand helps cooks make great
edibles at home.
I'm your host, Margaret, acertified gangier, a TCI
certified cannabis educator, andI believe your kitchen is the
(00:25):
best dispensary you'll ever have.
Together, we'll explore thestories, the signs and the sheer
joy of making safe, effectiveand unforgettable edibles at
home.
So preheat your oven and getready for a great episode.
And today, friends, I'm so gladthat you're here because you are
going to be tuning in for avery special episode.
I'm joined today by Angelique,who is the editor-in-chief of
(00:48):
North Bloom Magazine, a cannabiswellness print magazine based
in Minnesota.
Angelique is a fellow certifiedgangier with a passion for
bringing cannabis education tothe mainstream, helping to break
the stigma that surrounds theplant.
And with that, friends, pleaseenjoy this conversation with
Angelique.
All right, and we're live, andI'm very excited to be here
(01:14):
today with Angelique Cirillo ofNorth Bloom Magazine.
And before we get into today'sconversation, Angelique, I was
just hoping you could introduceyourself and share about some of
your cannabis journey.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
I'd be happy to Thank you for having me on Bite Me,
margaret.
It's so great to meet you.
Finally, my name is AngeliqueCirillo.
I am a fellow certified ganjie.
Like yourself, I'm a writer andresearcher by trade, and what
I've been doing for the past 20years leading up to this
beautiful adventure in thecannabis sector is working in
product design and developmentwith my husband, who's an
(01:47):
industrial designer, and we postup in Chicago, illinois, and
that's where we've been forabout 25 years now, raising a
family and working.
But now I'm leading the ship ofBloom Multimedia with a print
magazine called the North BloomMagazine, facing the Minnesota
cannabis market that is ready torock and roll here soon.
(02:08):
So I'm excited to talk to youabout what we're building,
supporting the sectors.
Maybe a gap here aroundeducation with the general
public.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So thanks for having me today.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Yeah, no, absolutely.
I love to support people whoare promoting education in this
space, especially in mainstreamcannabis spaces, because I think
it's so incredibly necessary.
So you've made some real pivotsin your life to transition into
the cannabis space, which I'msure has had quite a few
challenges.
But I'm curious, because youalso mentioned just now that you
are a certified concierge, as Iam.
(02:42):
When did you get yourcertification?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
certified, or gangier , as I am.
When did you get yourcertification?
It's been.
We are in the year 2025.
It's been two years now and Iprobably onboarded with that
journey late 2021.
So I took like a full year and ahalf, you know, through all the
requirements of our program toslow boat it a little bit.
But also, you know, was facingthe sector and doing a
(03:06):
considerable amount of researchand self-learning and self-study
for about that six months fullyear prior to that.
So I'd say I've been all infacing cannabis for about four
or five years now.
So which can we?
Is it fair to say that there'sa dog years conversion, like
every year is definitely like aseven year, seven, seven year
somatic experience.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
So yeah, I think that .
I think that's reasonable.
I'll allow that.
Yeah, so I got my certificationin 2021.
I did it all at the same timebecause two trips down to
California probably wasn't inthe budget, but it was
definitely a worthwhileexperience.
And, of course, as ganges weretrained to evaluate cannabis
quality through all the sensesand how do you apply that same
(03:47):
sensory expertise when you'reevaluating edibles in particular
?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Well, I think for me because I like to zoom out.
You know our skill set is sospecific and it's around this
plant, but there's a lot ofparallels here, right, and I'm a
big, I'm a pretty holisticperson integrative healthcare,
natural foods, all of that.
So I like to zoom out a littlebit when I look at that lens,
you know, because I'm not justlooking at the components of the
(04:13):
plant and an edible and all ofthe metrics that we grade and
qualify quality right aroundflour.
I'm also looking at, likemanufacturing and ingredients
and, you know, nutritionalcontent and things like that.
You know we have some beautifulproducts in this industry, but
we also have a lot of garbage,and if it's not something that
I'd want to put in myselfnormally, you know the fact that
(04:36):
it has the plant in it doesn'tmake that an exception for me,
right?
So, like some of these consumerpackage good standards, cpg
standards that you know are themetrics that I, as a shopper,
when I'm making my decisionswith my dollars, is also kind of
how I look at this industry,you know, right.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, that's where I'm at with that.
Yeah, I like that you touchedin on, like the ingredients, how
it's manufactured, nutrition,that kind of thing, because
those are all things that youwould probably apply to making
choices when you're at yourdispensary or at the grocery
store.
So it just seems a little lessobvious, I suppose, how you
would evaluate edibles versusflour, which seems a little more
I mean, more people areevaluating flour, I would
(05:14):
imagine.
But are there anything that youthink consumers should look for
beyond THC and CBD content?
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Oh, absolutely.
Well, let's talk's talk aboutlike set and setting and like
reason for consumption, right,that you and I both know like we
have a spectrum here.
We have a spectrum offormulations, we have a spectrum
of extraction methods, right,and different concentrates, and,
you know, is it solventless, isit not?
Are we looking at isolates,isolates, kind of built back up
(05:43):
into like a product that isperfectly useful and beautiful
and very effective, but I kindof call them our Franken builds,
right, because they'refollowing a pharmaceutical model
and not representing sort ofthe whole plant and it's what I
like to call like MotherNature's blueprint, right,
because she has those ratiosright, bringing this back into
(06:03):
like baking and edibles likethat are pretty standard for
efficacy.
But let's talk about dosing andonset, because I think those
are big key things.
You know like what's yourtarget, what's your need, when
do you need it to happen and howlong do you want or need it to
last?
Those are huge things, thoseare huge variables that I think
(06:24):
that when you're, you know, kindof a naive or a novice consumer
and you're going in and I haveoption A or I have option B here
with this bud tender, what isthe difference?
When am I going to feel it?
How long is it going to last?
I would say that you know mecoming back to the plant, right,
because I obviously I consumedyounger, not super young,
(06:44):
because I was a college athlete.
So that was I was very mindfulof.
We'll call it like the handslap, like if you get caught as
an athlete you probably loseyour seat on a roster.
You might also lose yourfinancial aid here in the in the
in the United States.
So I was very careful.
But you know, as a youngteenager 20 something always was
(07:07):
piggybacking my consumptionprobably with alcohol
consumption, so never trulyunderstood the efficacy of the
plant and the plant alone in mybody.
That's a huge thing I think totalk to consumers about is
really isolating.
You know sort of scientificmethod style, like don't throw
all the, it's not a kitchen sink.
Kind of style, like you can'tthrow it all in together and
(07:28):
then really know what's workingor what's not working.
But in terms of edibles, like Ionboarded as an adult once my
state of Illinois was adult reclegal and I was kind of walking
through some, some healthconcerns and scares and my
husband suggested he's likeshould we try?
You know edibles Like, do youwant to try to slow boat back
(07:48):
into this world with me?
Because he's a fan of the plantand a consumer.
And I said, all right, let's doit.
And I found a one-to-one ratioTHC to CBD.
It was a mint, so a hard mint,so very portable, very easy.
You know, it's sort of likeyour Altoid equivalent, right,
(08:09):
keep it in your purse, keep itin your car, you have it with
you when you're out and aboutFive milligram max.
So if you are a consumer,that's a pretty low dose, fairly
quick onset.
I'd say we could feel it within45 minutes to an hour.
I'm seeing a lot of newformulations out where it's
rapid onset, where, based onwhat we call it method of
consumption or route ofadministration, right Through
more medical terms, like if it'sa true edible, if it's going
through first pass metabolism,where it's having to go through
(08:32):
your digestive system beforeyour liver is really activating
it and your body can utilize it,versus is that a sublingual
it's going in through mucusmembranes you might be able to
get that feeling in effectwithin like five to 15 minutes.
You know that's, that's great.
These are things that these arequestions that consumers really
need to ask and hopefully odorsbud tenders know these answers
(08:55):
about, like what's theformulation and what's the onset
Cause.
That's pretty critical, notonly for young consumers but
especially for our olderpopulation, like geriatric
population, understanding how touse edibles, which I think
that's the biggest growingdemographic right.
I can't tell you the number ofpeople that I have heard saying
my mom and dad are taking agamiat night, almost every single
(09:16):
night.
They're putting their scotchaside, their nightcap and
they're having agami to end theday.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Well, so much of the news around alcohol consumption,
it feels like in the last fewyears have been pretty negative.
So I think people aredefinitely looking for
alternatives, and I worked inthe dispensary myself a few
years ago and the people had alot of questions about edibles
because most people had had abad experience with them at some
point or knew somebody that did.
And at the same time a lot ofseniors were coming in to
(09:46):
explore the possibility ofedibles and topicals and
cannabis, generally speaking,for improving their well-being.
So I think having thateducation is super important,
and it's sometimes intimidatingto walk into a dispensary too,
especially as an older personwho may not have consumed
cannabis in many decades.
(10:08):
So yeah having people that arelike knowledgeable is really
important, but you've spoken abit yourself about low dose THC
for anxiety, pain and re andrenal fatigue.
Can you walk us through yourapproach to micro dosing with
cannabis and edibles, because Ithink for people who are new to
the cannabis space, microdosingis such a perfect way to start
(10:30):
and why do you think this methodis particularly powerful for
women over 35?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Well, first I do want to clarify and qualify that in
terms of my preferred method ofconsumption.
I am a true flower consumer,but that is really only
appropriate when I'm in my ownhome, like for legal reasons.
It's not terribly portable.
You know, in the United Stateswe go state to state.
If I tilt to my East, I'm inIndiana.
That is a non-legal state,right, if I tilt to my West, I'm
(10:59):
in Iowa also a non-legal state.
So you need to be mindful ofthat.
So it's like, once again, youknow where are you at?
What do you have on your rosterfor that day on your calendar?
You know I'm sitting in myoffice right now.
I generally keep edibles herefor myself for low dose, so that
looks like anything from.
You know, because I am aconsumer, my tolerance is
(11:20):
slightly higher than someonewho's novice.
So you know I'm onboarding andramping probably anywhere from a
2.5 milligram to a 10 milligram.
Generally that's a ratio THC toCBD.
My preferred mother cannabinoidmolecule is CBG and that's
(11:40):
because of its anxiolyticproperties and that's because of
its anxiolytic properties.
That's just my favorite toshare.
Personally, my family had a kindof an acute incident.
One of our sons was criticallyinjured last summer and
hospitalized for more than amonth.
Consumer was basically.
(12:01):
You know, talk about anunplanned tea break, an
unplanned tolerance break.
I you know, when you get a 911call as a parent saying come to
the emergency room, and then yourealize that that's going to be
your home, living on a cot andout of a backpack for the next
four to six weeks, you're like,okay, I need to have a plan B
here for my consumption, becausemy consumption is not only for
(12:25):
my mental health but also for myphysical health.
Like I said, I'm a formerathlete, so I do have chronic
pain and I will tell you that.
I mean, do we give a brandshout out?
Should I try to get you asponsor in this episode?
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Yeah, let's do it.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Let's give, because I have them in my office.
I'm like let's give wild ashout out right now because,
number one, I love theirpackaging.
Great education, um, and justfun, or or an origami kind of
fold.
Uh, great flavors.
Natural ingredients, um, pearflavored, but there's CBG,
hybrid THC and it's a I take ahigher dose gummy.
This is not something I'drecommend for a new consumer,
(13:11):
but, you know, this tastes likea fine or refined candy, like
something you as a, as aculinary expert, would like be
something that you'd beperfecting and pushing out.
These saved my world, honestly.
These allowed me to deescalatesome of the intense stress that
I was under, like wondering ifmy kid was going to make it
through some emergency surgeries, allowing me to get like a
couple hours of half, you know,one eye closed, sleep.
These are remarkable tools thatwe didn't have accessible to us
(13:34):
.
You know, not that many yearsago.
Legally right.
So time and place and use right.
You know I definitely don'trecommend consuming while you're
doing anything like driving orin charge of children or things
like that.
You know, like we need to followrules and protocols here, but
(13:55):
for me, like if I'm in meetingsall day long, I'm not going to
be taking smoke breaks, right,but I end the day with a joint
with my husband because,honestly, there's ceremony
around that.
That's how we share space, andI will say I've joked with
girlfriends that I said this hasprobably saved thousands of
dollars in counseling, becausethis is when we consume the
(14:17):
plant.
Our guards are down, we areallowed to be our true selves,
the difficult and challengingthings in our worlds we're able
to hash out and talk through andfind some resolution in a very
de-escalated state, right.
So, and that that's true formicrodosing during, you know,
back-to-back work calls, like aday like I have today, to
recording a podcast to you know,you name it.
(14:39):
What's the pain point in yourworld and how can you, as I've
been saying lately, like takethe sharp corners off everything
, a little bit Like there's verylow psychoactivity.
It's just about tuning andhoning your nervous system,
right, right.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Yeah, I love that answer.
I also do love ratios when itcomes to THC, CBD and when I do
smoke, that's usually what I doas well.
I typically use a vaporizer, butI love to mix some CBD in with
my THC because I just find ittakes those edges off, and I
have tried wild as well.
I've had the opportunity to trythem in California and in
Canada and I do like theCalifornia version better than
(15:16):
what we get here.
But that's just the way it is.
But I am curious you mentionedthe term anxiolytic and that's
not something I'm familiar withand perhaps some of our
listeners aren't as well.
Can you just define?
Speaker 2 (15:27):
that term for me.
So anxiolytic is like themedical term for anxiety, right?
So something that is ananxiolytic is something that you
would take to help alleviateanxiety symptoms.
Right, okay.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
No.
Thanks for clarifying that, andI think a lot of people can
appreciate anti-anxietyproperties of cannabis.
And no matter what you're goingthrough, it seems like we're
living through a really weirdtimeline right now so having
something that you can reach forthat's anti-anxiety is so
helpful in today's stressfulworld.
Now In North Bloom's tagline,which I love, is flower
(16:04):
knowledge for novices, picked byprofessionals.
If someone has never tried acannabis product or edibles,
what's your step-by-step guideto their first experience and
what are some of the biggestmistakes you see newcomers
making?
Speaker 2 (16:26):
what's our motto here ?
Start low and go slow, likethat is that is that?
Is that that should just beemblazoned over every single
dispensary point of sale system?
I think, because, like you said, choices are overwhelming,
guidance is sometimes missing.
Training is not quite there.
We're not, we don't.
You know, we don't haveuniversal standards here in
terms of you know, state bystate in the United States and,
honestly, internationally aswell.
(16:47):
So you know, like you said, aproduct made in Canada under the
same label is not the same asthe same product packaged and
labeled in California.
And that's because I mean thisis actually probably an
educational moment for us tohelp with your listeners as well
that you know these arelicensing deals, right.
That brands that areestablished in one geographic
location then partner up inanother location, and so you
(17:09):
know they're following standardoperating procedures, or, as we
call them ad nauseum here in theindustry, sops, right, but the
reality is that it's all basedon the quality of inputs, right?
Is that product A going to bethe same as product B in the
second location?
Not always.
They are still following thesame recipe.
But, like, you and I both knowthat we both could cook the same
(17:29):
thing in your home and my homeand they might be a little
different, right, becauseprimarily, we're sourcing
different ingredients.
So, and that's true about theplant, and that's even true
about isolates, um, uh, otherthings, other tips and tricks
that I would offer um, consumerspain points.
(17:50):
You know, like you said, if youhave a bad experience,
understand that's an isolatedexperience right, that might be
due to you set setting, it mightbe due to the product, it might
be due to an outside factor,like, like, give the plant
another chance is what I'd liketo say.
Right, with some of thoseparameters under control and
(18:10):
being mindful about them.
You know even little thingsabout, like, have we ate today?
Are we hydrated before weconsume?
Are we rested, not rested?
All of those factors, all ofthose lifestyle factors that you
know we as patients, sometimesignore when we're talking to our
clinicians.
Like you know, we want a simplebinary solution for problem or
(18:32):
symptom A, but depending day today, hour to hour, we are
constantly in flux as humans,right?
So, from a metabolic andbiological level to a mental
state, right, in terms of evengoing into consumption, and I
still think that's applicablefor edibles as well.
(18:54):
You know, I really do, I really, really do.
So, like you said, you know mygirlfriend who's like I'm not
trying that again.
I had a terrible brownieexperience in like 1997.
You know I'm like well, thingshave changed.
And I had a terrible brownieexperience in like 1997.
You know I'm like well, thingshave, things have changed.
And that was that was ahomemade brownie made with canna
butter.
That who knows what that dosingwas right.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
So yeah, yeah, and it's interesting that people are
sometimes, when they have anegative experience, are
reluctant to try it again, eventhough if it was alcohol like
most of us, when we were kidshad some kind of negative
experience with alcohol, but itdidn't stop us from trying it
again.
But also because it's soingrained in our culture.
All the things that weunderstand about alcohol, like
(19:36):
how to consume it, setting, allthese things are just sort of
ingrained in our culture and anegative experience usually
doesn't scare somebody away fromit.
But because there's morelimited understanding around
cannabis, that negativeexperience from 1997 still makes
somebody hesitate to tryingsomething new, even though
everything has to cannabis moregenerally as well.
(20:05):
But how have you seen themarket evolve since you've been
in the cannabis space, and arethere any innovations that
excite you or trends thatconcern you?
Speaker 2 (20:18):
I think I want to bring up the state that I'm
really supporting with mycurrent build here with Bloom
North.
Bloom Magazine is Minnesotano-transcript and then looking
(20:48):
let's maybe talk about thatbeverage format Like this is
growing like gangbusters because, as we mentioned earlier in our
chat, you know, like mychildren's generation not
drinkers, that is not how theymap out their free time with
their friends.
Completely, you know, it's notabout going from one bar to the
next every weekend.
So that NA movement, thatnon-alcoholic movement we're
(21:08):
seeing that grow not just withtheir generation but also with
ours, right, you know, like, aswe are aging middle age,
specifically in that femaledemographic that we're trying to
target in the magazine, 35 andup, alcohol is beautiful,
alcohol is fun.
You know the culinary aspects,the ceremonial aspects of it,
(21:29):
but the drinking it for I callit drinking it to become tilted
from your current state ofconsciousness or drinking it to
alleviate the pain points inyour world, not great solutions,
right, you know, generallydoesn't solve your problems and
(21:49):
honestly, we pay for it the nextday.
You know we're literallykilling cells when we consume.
We don't get that fromconsuming the plant and that's a
beautiful byproduct.
And so the social acceptabilityof like swapping out a can of
alcohol for a can of a hempderived beverage.
In Minnesota that has taken onlike wildflower and I'm so
(22:11):
excited to see that.
In the same regard, I thinkthat you and I both can, you
know, like what I would love tosee.
I need to see regulatorychanges here from the federal
level on down, because I need tosee more research about, you
know, like, going through firstpass metabolism and the effect
on our livers of consuming theplant only through edible
(22:33):
formats.
Right, what does this look like?
Thank you.
(23:20):
The beauty of the can swap, youknow, a hemp-derived beverage
for alcohol and that being alittle more socially acceptable
than consuming the plant inother formats.
You know, there is somediscreteness around edibles in
and of itself.
Like, when I travel, I'm alwayspacking edibles with me, hemp
derived edibles.
That's sort of my secret weapon, right, especially if I'm going
to a unregulated state.
But I'd like to see.
(23:42):
I'd like to see some regulatorychanges, especially here in the
United States, because I needto see more research around this
plant and especially to seewhat it looks like for consumers
to be consuming through edibleformats over a long period of
time.
Right, but for now I say it'sthe gentlest, easiest way to
consume the plant and if you'rehaving, if you have any
(24:05):
trepidation around, you knowmaking that swap.
I don't think people are goingto give you a hard time if you
have a can of something else inyour hand, right, you know.
So that's really the trend thatI'm seeing right now.
That's what I'm excited about.
That's what I'm excited aboutsupporting in terms of, like,
gently trying to persuadeconsumers to swap out something
that really truly is harmful tothem for something that is not.
(24:28):
I think that's probably at thetop of my list, because I know
that it's a hard sell If you'renot a flower consumer and you
have, you know, for all of thedifferent metric reasons.
But specifically, combustion isa problem for you, understood
fine, you know that isabsolutely a personal choice,
but let's continue to explorethese other formats.
I say I'm also really excitedabout mucous membrane,
(24:53):
sublingual, like homeopathickind of style, melts, things of
that nature.
I've seen a couple innovativebrands come out.
There's specifically a brandout of California that I really
love, and I love that they alsoare now hemp derived so that
they can ship across the UnitedStates.
My son, in fact, is using oneof them, and one of them is
actually a CBG only and sonon-psychoactive.
(25:14):
You know, this is somethingthat you can use day and night
and still get some of thosebeneficial properties of the
plant.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Um, you know, without , without taking bong rips in
between meetings you know,without taking bong rips in
between meetings, Right, whichis not always very convenient
depending on where you are.
But I'm very curious becauseI've heard about the fact that
you can buy cannabis beveragesin bars in Minnesota, and has
that worked out well?
Speaker 2 (25:41):
It has.
It really, really has.
There is specifically an eventlocation in Minneapolis that is
very friendly and open to theindustry because they do a lot
of formulations for hemp-derivedbrands and so they have
industry nights every Wednesdaynight.
Where I am, where I post up inIllinois you know this is not,
(26:05):
this is not standard practice.
Yet you know like there aremore private owner bars that are
stocking hemp direct beverages,more non-alcoholic options.
It's not like a universal thing.
Though you can't go into everyplace and expect there to be a
hemp option In Minnesota, it'salmost universal now, which is
beautiful, and you will see themin your major grocery retailers
(26:26):
, like even high end, which wasvery exciting for us as Bloom
because we in this past year wehaven't even celebrated our one
year anniversary yet information of an LLC that's
coming up in mid-October, butwe're working on our fifth print
edition right now because we'requarterly and we partnered with
a circulation partner who gotus into a high-end grocery chain
(26:47):
.
So we literally are at the frontof a grocery store, you know,
as people are coming and growingto grab a free copy of Bloom
and you know, in the cool casesyou will see hemp derived right
next to your beer and wine shillright.
So this is where we're at, andit's kind of a beautiful thing
to see it coexisting peacefullyand really there not being any
issues around it, right?
You know, new things are weirdfor people until people see them
(27:12):
enough, and then it's not newanymore and it's not weird and
it's very acceptable, and thenwe have progress.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
So, yeah, I love that .
I wish we had that here inCanada, but we don't have
consumption lounges or anythingyet, even though it's been like,
you know, six plus years.
So maybe one day, because itwould be so nice to be able to
go out for a drink with myfriends and be able to buy a
cannabis drink instead of analcoholic drink, because I often
pay for it.
Even if I have one drink,somehow, I'm just like paying
(27:39):
for it the next day.
It's little things.
It gets worse as I get olderand I'm sure that's a story that
many people in my demographiccan relate to.
But now, with North BlueMagazine, you're working to
elevate cannabis culture andbuild community.
How do edibles specificallyhelp break down stigma compared
to other consumption methods?
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Well, I think, as I was saying before, you know,
there are still some daregeneration we call it here war
on drugs kind of generation thatyou know an edible format.
But let's even like back thatup to say, like food is love,
right, food is something that'scommunal, food is something that
we share, food is cultural.
So if you look at sweets andsavories and things that we
(28:25):
usually, you know, use forcelebratory reasons candy, right
, you know.
That's why I think that we seeso many edible formats coming
out in sort of the fun, youthful, slightly more juvenile, even
though we're not supposed tomarket and package and like
appeal to youth and underage forconsumption, but like we are
appealing to our inner child.
I think a a little bit those ofus who are in seats of making
(28:46):
decisions about adding things tothe marketplace of offerings.
So, yeah, I think I how do Iwant to say this?
I think that, yeah, so there'sa way to set the table here
right and to do that in sort ofa charcuterie board way of like
(29:08):
we can build it out wherethere's a little bit of
something for everyone.
The plant can show up inmultiple formats.
I think that edibles are veryuseful for a lot of people,
because I just think it's a lowbarrier of entry.
Right tree, right Beverages,edibles we know how to eat, we
know how to drink.
Not everybody knows how to rolla joint.
Not everybody knows how tointeract with a plant, not
(29:29):
everybody knows even what partof the plant we're supposed to
consume, right, so there's a lotof education.
You don't need a lot ofeducation to open up a can to
drink something.
You don't need a lot ofeducation to open up a package
and take a gummy, so long as youfollow the instructions, so
long as there's clear labelingabout.
The single serving is actuallylike one quarter of this bar,
not the whole bar, because Ithink that that's where we were
(29:49):
getting a lot of, you know, alittle bit of a bad rap in terms
of the industry, because newand novice consumers are not
paying attention to the details.
Not all of us read theinstruction manual when we take
something out of the box.
Right, we are a little we're alittle caveman about it.
You know we're plugging thingsin, we're hitting all the
buttons, we're just trying toget things to work.
So I think that there's alittle bit of a slowing down
here.
So when I say start low and goslow.
(30:11):
Some of this is also about likeeducating yourself and taking
that pause in that moment tounderstand what your options are
and like what you're supposedto do one, two and three in
order to have the bestexperience possible with this
thing, this new fun toy that youhave, whether it's an edible or
a drink or whatever right.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
I really like the Shakurdu board analogy.
I can really get behind that.
So because it is nice to haveit is nice to have options, yeah
.
Yeah.
Now North Blue Magazine focuseson women over 35 and cannabis
wellness.
As I understand it, Are thereunique challenges that women in
this demographic face when itcomes to cannabis.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Well, I think, if we talk about all the hats that we
wear as women right, whetherit's business, whether it's
relationships, whether it'ssocial the big one too, too, for
me, is parenting and parenthoodand being a mother.
I think there's a lot of stigmaaround that in terms of wanting
to maybe interact with a plantincorporated into your world,
(31:12):
and what are people going to say?
What are people going to do?
Is this legal?
Is this not legal?
Are there going to berepercussions or consequences
for me?
Am I going to have child andfamily services showing up if
they find out that I'm consuming?
When is it acceptable for me toconsume?
When is it not acceptable?
There's a lot of ask, yourgirlfriend whisper in the ear,
(31:35):
kind of guidance that we'retrying to be mindful of as we're
having these conversations, andI think, ultimately, my goal
with this magazine is to makethings less weird, especially
for women in terms ofconsumption.
So this is a ask, a question,get feedback, but also really
see a visible presence of otherwomen using the plant, having a
(31:55):
high knowledge around the plant,giving guidance around the
plant.
So in the magazine I have afellow CG writing about how to
incorporate it through edibles.
So we always have, you know, asa lifestyle magazine.
We always have a recipe in theback incorporating the plant in
some beautiful May, generallyseasonally aligned, right,
because, like I said, I'm veryyou know, this is my world
(32:17):
natural foods, local,sustainable.
You know, however, we canincorporate that in the magazine
in a sensible way, that I'mtrying to do that as well.
I we have another fellow cgwriting a column on parenting
and plant consumption, to makeit less weird, right, and to
talk about it in gentle ways,and I think that some of the
beautiful takeaways.
So that's Elizabeth Sage andshe's also based in Minnesota
(32:38):
and, interesting fact she is,we'll call her.
She's the.
She's the matchmaker between mypartner with Bloom and myself.
So she, my partner, is LynnWalkler.
She's a board certified nursepractitioner.
So, yeah, so very mindful of thefact of how we curate our
content is, you know, through ahighly credentialed list of
(32:59):
subject matter experts.
A lot of certified ganges areparticipating.
A lot of clinicians that aretraining cannabis are
participating.
A lot of certified ganges areparticipating.
A lot of clinicians that aretraining cannabis are
participating.
A lot of plant scientists andI'm mindful of the fact, too,
that not everyone has acredential after their name, but
they do have a high knowledgeset.
And so we're inviting voicesfrom legacy and the unregulated
space to come in as well,because I think the more diverse
(33:21):
voices that we have between ourfolds, the more robust our
conversation is, the more robustthe education is and, honestly,
we get to destigmatize a littlebit too, with a general public
who might still have, like Isaid, some, some war on drug
ideas about you know what blackmarket, what legacy, what
unregulated still means itreally isn't all that right.
(33:43):
So you and I know that, um, I'mtrying to, I'm trying to help
the general public understandthat as well.
So, yeah, I think through thatfemale lens, though specifically
, it's like it's, it's, it'sthose, it's those, it's, it's
that parenting hat too.
That's that I am just verymindful of because I have the
luxury of having older children,so I really entered this space
where I didn't have to worryabout this.
(34:04):
My kids were adults, almost.
I think my youngest was maybein high school finishing when I
started in this industry, butthat's not the case for all of
our colleagues here, right?
You know, I know that someone's, I know that specifically
someone in my world has gotten aknock on their door from DCFS.
So that's unnerving, unnerving,right.
Yeah, it's unnerving to knowthat we have, we have legal, we
(34:27):
have legality, but we don't havesupports through statutes,
right.
Speaker 1 (34:30):
So right, yeah, and I love that you mentioned about
just showing other womenconsuming in a safe place,
because I do feel like I, I tendto forget sometimes that
there's so, so much stigma thatexists because, like you, my
kids are older and I don'treally have to worry about that
stuff now they don't reallyconsume cannabis very often
themselves, but I'm pretty muchin the cannabis community, so
(34:53):
it's easy for me to forget thatthere's still a ton of stigma
out there, and I grew up in thatDARE era, so I know the war on
drugs and all the propagandathat was fed to us for so long,
and some of that is so hard it'sjust just doesn't want to die.
So I'm really happy to see thatyou are promoting this kind of
(35:14):
example, and it is scary tothink that somebody could call
and you end up with somebodyknocking on your door even
though it's perfectly legalwhere you are.
So I think that's it's reallyimportant to be talking about
these things, and especiallyaround cannabis wellness,
because it's sort of a subjectmatter that I think makes it
more approachable and thereforeless something less, not
(35:39):
something to worry about.
I guess I'm not phrasing it ina very good way, but hopefully
people understand what I'mtalking about.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
Yeah, no, I get exactly what you're saying.
I, I, my word lately is weird.
Like it's less weird, let'smake it less weird.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Okay, yes, yes, I should have just said that.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
Weird, weird, weird, weird doesn't have quite the
negative connotation of stigma,right, or you know like to use
your word, propaganda, butthat's really what we were fed.
You know I had DARE educationembedded in my grammar school,
like they literally came in anddid that.
You know, like a fifth, sixthgrade, you know, kind of at the
same timeframe, where they'dseparate the males and females
(36:16):
to do like sexual education.
It's like, also, let's bring inthe DARE education.
It's's hard, it's part of ourprogramming, right, and so
that's that takes a.
That takes like like it, almostlike evolutionary years of of
of washing that out and thenrebuilding or flooding in the
new information and allowingyourself to sort and separate
(36:37):
and and really parse out what,what is true now for 2025 and
also what is true for you, right, because it's all very personal
, it's it's it's it's allpersonal choice.
But my point is that the choiceshould be there, right, and the
choice is not universally therefor everyone.
So, um, until we, until we getto that point legally, like then
(37:01):
, then I will feel like I canexhale a little bit, because I
feel like there's a lot of workto do and good work.
I've been calling this likelet's make some good trouble
around this because we can havegood conversations and robust
conversations, but also let'scontinue to push it a little bit
, because I no longer accept theword no, how's that Excellent.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
No, I love that.
I love that.
I think we could all do alittle bit better with that as
well.
And you also touched onsomething a second ago about
some of the legacy people thatwere involved with your magazine
, because you're mentioning somecertified ganges, some of whom
I recognize the names of and Ifollow them online and they do
amazing work.
And you sent me some magazines.
(37:42):
They are fantastic.
I really enjoyed reading them.
But North Bloom does emphasizeprotecting legacy growers and
promoting craft cannabis.
How important is this in termsof these players operating in a
legal market?
Speaker 2 (37:56):
Well, I think that right now we're seeing, you know
, in terms of how our licensureis divided up state by state
there is a big push to supportsocial equity applicants and so,
especially at this time, if wejust want to look at the state
of Minnesota that we're tryingto support with the launch of
this first print publication, weare at this tipping point right
when I've been saying thislately like everybody won their
(38:17):
Willy Wonka ticket, right.
But you know we have thisdisconnect of like they don't
have all the supports that theyneed in place for those runways
to get open and operational witha key and the lights on Right
and for sales to begin.
So there's a big disconnecthere in terms of the matchmaking
and the networking and thesupporting and and the education
(38:39):
for business owners as well too.
You know we need more investorshere.
We need more cash for businessowners as well too.
You know we need more investorshere.
We need more cash.
There needs to be more moneyfacing this industry to help.
Specifically, I would say what Iwant to, what I want to support
, is the small businesses.
You know we've had a first moveradvantage across the United
States with a lot of the MSOs,the multi state operators and
they come into markets and it'sreally hard to compete with that
(39:01):
when you're a single shingle onMain Street, right?
So I think that's a little bit.
What we represent at Bloom, too, is like the collection of
voices in order for it to be achorus, and the chorus is facing
the public instead of it justfacing industry, because we need
the public to come here withtheir dollars.
You know that's the long andthe short of it for this to grow
(39:30):
and for this to be asustainable, especially for the
small players.
So, to draw those parallelsbetween cannabis and other
industries and you know I needto this has been a dense year,
friend, in terms of like startupculture for me especially
specifically, but you know Ireally want to do a lot more
messaging around small businesssupports and getting people to
pay attention to the little guysand gals who are working really
hard to offer quality anddifferentiated offerings in
their places.
(39:50):
In our last print publication,the one that just dropped in
August here, did I send you theone with the blue cover with the
firefly on it?
Did?
Speaker 1 (39:58):
you get that.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
Yes, okay, so our lead in article there for the
listening section was someonewho I consider a friend.
Now See, this is interestingtoo.
Right as we grow the magazine,I'm meeting all these small
licensees.
They call them micro licensesin Minnesota, so those are
legally allowed to be verticallyintegrated and vertically
operated.
So from cultivation to retail,they get to do everything which
(40:23):
is really unique, really, reallyunique, but also really
challenging if you don't knowhow to do every single one of
those steps in a build right.
So you need to partner, youneed to source out, you need to
figure things out.
I use a lot of language aroundsports to define what we're
doing at Bloom.
So I'm like team Bloom this andteam Bloom that, and I feel
like this is part of my team.
Now, this expansion of thesehumans and I'd love to give
(40:46):
Kenneth Littleton a shout outhere.
He's building a brand calledCanon Gems and his story was
really beautiful because he isyour and I hate to use this term
in a negative sense but theposter child, but he's a
beautiful example of what asocial equity applicant can look
like child, but he's abeautiful example of what a
(41:06):
social equity applicant can looklike, what a human who has done
time for the plant, can show upin this space in terms of what
he wants to offer, what he wantsto build, who he is now as a
professional and a grown man,and how he wants to
differentiate his offerings.
And he said the inception justto share with with some of your
listeners is you know, hismother was a consumer and he
(41:30):
found in her jewelry box one dayone of the buds that she was
saving, and so it was probably aspecial cultivar, right, or a
special special strain, orgenetics, as we say right, that
she was saving for a specialoccasion, much like we would
save, like a nice bottle ofchampagne or, you know, an aged
bottle of hard liquor, right,she was saving it for a special
(41:52):
occasion and he thought that wasbeautiful.
So his alignment was like Iwant to develop a whole line of
genetics that sort of celebratesand draws that analogy between
gemstones and the plant, so thatwe can start to educate
consumers on the fact that, youknow, just like consumer
packaged goods, we have tiers ofofferings here and there is
just like, if you want to do acall out for alcohol, which I
(42:13):
kind of hate doing because Ithink there's too many analogies
between our industry andalcohol, and I think that we
need to walk away from that alittle bit, because alcohol and
the plant are not the same,especially in terms of how our
bodies use them or don't usethem.
Well, but we can use it the CPGanalogy right there's a place
for Budweiser and then there's aplace for IPAs and microbrews
(42:34):
and, interestingly enough, eventhough that price point is
higher, that sector has growngangbusters in the last 25 years
, has it not?
So I'd like to see that.
I would really like to see thathappen in our industry.
I want to see cultivators, anda lot of these cultivators are
coming from legacy.
(42:55):
I want to see the equivalent ofa cultivator that's getting
headhunted from grow to growlike a celebrity chef.
Would Do you know what I mean?
That would be my ideal future.
Yeah, headhunted from grow togrow like a celebrity chef would
do you know what I mean?
Like that's?
Speaker 1 (43:04):
that would be my ideal future?
Speaker 2 (43:06):
um, yeah, because there's skill and there's talent
there, right so?
Speaker 1 (43:12):
yeah, I think that's beautiful too, because I think
the small players and the craftcannabis folks definitely need
that boost, because they arecompeting against huge
corporations with endlessbudgets to advertise and promote
and market their product.
I know there's rules andregulations around what they can
and can't do, but when you havethat kind of money, you can
also sometimes skirt around thatlegislation as well, because
(43:33):
you can lawyer up when you needto or whatever.
And like this example you gaveof CannaGem, somebody who's
really, you know, done so muchfor the plant by spending time
in prison, like you mentioned,and now is producing something
that he can be super proud ofand putting that out to the
market.
And, like you said, craft beerin Ontario here has also
(43:55):
exploded, but there's stillalways going to be people who
want the Coors Light or theBudweiser or whatever.
So there is space for everybody.
But I feel like those microcultivators really need the
boost and I'd love to see that.
So, which is interesting,because my next question for you
is how do you see the future ofcannabis and edibles playing
out in medical cannabis, butalso just in the mainstream
(44:17):
cannabis market?
Speaker 2 (44:21):
Well, man, if we could, if we can get some
rescheduling going in here inthe United States, I think that,
realistically, that's probablythe next step.
Instead of descheduling, take Xpharmaceutical.
Why don't you try to take thisgentle, first step, very low
side effect option calledcannabis, edible, abc insert
(44:51):
brand, whatever formulation forthis symptom or this problem
Like that's.
That's what I would love to see, that's what I'm hoping I see
on the medical side and honestly, on the medical side, what I'd
like to see, too, is just abetter expansion of offerings,
because I think what we've seenin the United States,
specifically medical programsthat ramped up and that were
(45:13):
launched first, had offeringsfor patients, but as the adult
rec spaces come in legally,those offerings are diminished
and that really leaves medicalpatients without choices and
without options.
So in a bifurcated system likethis, where medical patients
aren't necessarily going toadult rec to make their medicine
purchases right For variousreasons, one of them being
(45:36):
taxation on top of the purchaseprice, I'd like to, I'd really
like to encourage everyone hereto really keep patients in mind,
like that's why we have anindustry it's the patients that
help move the needlelegislatedly.
So like keep patients in mindand keep patients needs in mind
and let's make sure that thatour supply chain has options for
(45:58):
them to.
As we add all the fun stuff.
For those of us facing theadult rec space with our dollars
who probably are also using itfor medical reasons, we're just
not getting the label and theslip from the state.
Speaker 1 (46:10):
Right, that's a really good reminder too,
because I can't think of asingle place, I mean and there
might be some, but that startedwith a recreational market.
I'm pretty sure usually thelaunch pad is they start with a
medical market and then they goto recreational after that.
So that's a really goodreminder Because, yeah, I think
almost all cannabis is medicinalin some way anyway.
(46:31):
So whether you're using it forspecific ailment or not, that
stress relief is prettyimportant too, so I can get
behind that.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
Yeah, cortisol.
We're a generation that runs oncortisol.
Speaker 1 (46:45):
Yes, yes, and whatever way you can find to
lower that cortisol is going tobe a healthier thing for you.
Now, as someone who's beenbuilding a bridge between
cannabis culture and mainstreamwellness, how do you hope the
North Bloom's legacy will be interms of people, of how people
think about and consume cannabis, and what's your vision for
where cannabis might be in termsof people, of how people think
about and consume cannabis, andwhat's your vision for where
(47:06):
cannabis might be in 10 years?
Speaker 2 (47:10):
well, oh, I, I'm gonna.
I'm gonna bring a super hyperlocal chicago reference in here.
Um, second city is here.
Stand-upup comedy and one ofthe foundational, fundamental
things about improv and being onstage.
It's like you don't take thecomment from your neighbor on
(47:33):
stage, your fellow performer, asa start or a stop point.
It's a yes and right.
So I see cannabis in the largerhealth and wellness conversation
as a yes and not an either or ayes and and I'd like to think
about this because we're inconstant motion, right,
individuals, society, industries.
(47:53):
Let's think about this as awheel.
Cannabis is an essential spokeon that wheel.
If not, the tire is not true,it's wobbly as hell, but that's
how I'm trying to frame thisconversation.
Bloom, too, cannabis is anessential spoke and it's how
we're kind of starting andlaunching and curating this
conversation.
I plan on expanding thisconversation in terms of, you
know, through those other healthand wellness lenses.
(48:15):
You know, because right now, interms of us being a free
quarterly, you know I'm facingindustry for like, advertising
and sponsorship support, but Iwould like to open this up to
CPG and other natural productstoo.
I think that my only hard andfast and true line is I probably
won't partner with alcoholformulators, distributors,
(48:35):
anybody.
In terms of advertising support, this is a yes.
And in terms of like, if thisis beneficial to us, especially
if it comes from Mother Natureand we haven't kind of screwed
that up and like dumbing it downand breaking it down into
pieces and then trying to buildit back up into something that
we think is smarter than her.
Yeah, it's yes.
And Cannabis and 10 years, Ihope that you know.
(48:58):
We will flip open a magazinelike Bloom.
We're looking to expand to andinto other formats so that might
look like broadcast, that mightlook like radio.
We'll have to see.
Like I just told you that I'mlike, not no longer accepting
the word no, so like, and thishas been a big week with the fcc
in in the united states becausewe just had a comedian get
pulled off late night television.
(49:19):
So, um, I want to be able tomove this conversation forward.
Like we said, let's make itless weird, let's widen it up.
This is a yes and thing.
I want you to be able to flipopen a blue magazine.
Or let's use a Martha and Snoopexample.
Right, you open a MarthaStewart living.
We're talking about cannabis.
We're open up an Oprah magazine.
(49:40):
We're talking about cannabis.
It's very relevant.
Let's normalize it, let's talkabout it, let's make it less
weird.
Speaker 1 (49:47):
That's where I love that.
That's such a that's such agreat answer, and I wish you all
the success in that.
I think you're already doing afantastic job, so this might be
a good time to ask you where canpeople find North Bloom
magazine?
Speaker 2 (50:00):
Thank you, margaret.
So right now we are.
We are hyperlocal, so we'rewithin the state of Minnesota.
We will be expanding tosubscriptions.
So you can reach out to us.
If you're like chomping at thebit and you want us to mail you
one right now, we can do that.
But you can find us atwwwthenorthbloomcom, and you can
(50:25):
also find us on socials,specifically meta platforms, so
Instagram, at at the North bloomas well, and on LinkedIn.
If you're in industry, you canfind us at the North bloom
magazine or bloom multimedia orme as well.
Reach out, I'm open book andI'm willing to have a
conversation with anybody thatis facing in this direction of
like lifting up an industrythrough kind of holding the
hands with consumers right nowand helping them level up in
terms of their knowledge sets.
Speaker 1 (50:43):
So yeah, yeah, thank you for that.
I'll be sure to include all ofthose places to find you in the
show notes, because I myselffound you, I believe, first on
Instagram myself, so definitelypeople should check you out.
Now for my last question today,because I want to be mindful of
your time, angelique.
What would surprise peopleabout you today?
Cause I want to be mindful ofyour time, angelique what would
(51:06):
surprise people about you.
Speaker 2 (51:07):
You know, you sent me the notes for our call and I I
showed it to my husband and hehe had a.
He had a laundry list ofhilarious things to share.
Um, I think I want to circleback to the fact that I'm a team
player.
You know, I'm not someonebuilding something here for
myself.
This is not a me situation,this is a we situation, a we
weed situation.
(51:27):
Right?
So, like I said, I'm an openbook.
I'm an open book and I would.
I'm, I love people and I loveto hear stories and I think that
there's a way to use that tobuild a lot of bridges here.
So, yeah, not me, it's a we.
Speaker 1 (51:44):
I love that.
I like the analogy rising tideslift all ships.
That's how I like to operate,but that is wonderful, angelique
.
I think you're doing great workout in the world and people
should check out North BlueMagazine.
And with that I just want tothank you for your time today.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (52:05):
Thank you, margaret.
Thanks for having me on Bite Me.
This was a pleasure and it'shonestly I'm elated to meet you
because you know, certifiedGanges were scattered across the
globe, so until we can all gettogether and share space, this
was this, will have to do, thiswas this was this was a great
stopgap.
So thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (52:22):
Friends, I hope you enjoyed that conversation as
much as I did.
I will include the show notesof when to Find Angelique and
North Bloom Magazine in the shownotes, as usual.
Please share this episode withsomeone as curious about
cannabis as you are and join theBite Me Cannabis Club at
joinbitemecom.
To continue the conversationand until next time, my friends,
I'm your host, margaret Stayhigh.
Hello, friends, what happens when you take a love of
food, a passion for culture anda deep knowledge of cannabis and
toss them all into one bowl?
You get Bite Me, the podcastthat explores the intersection
of food, culture and cannabisand helps cooks make great
edibles at home.
I'm your host, Margaret, acertified gangier, a TCI
certified cannabis educator, andI believe your kitchen is the
(00:25):
best dispensary you'll ever have.
Together, we'll explore thestories, the signs and the sheer
joy of making safe, effectiveand unforgettable edibles at
home.
So preheat your oven and getready for a great episode.
And today, friends, I'm so gladthat you're here because you are
going to be tuning in for avery special episode.
I'm joined today by Angelique,who is the editor-in-chief of
(00:48):
North Bloom Magazine, a cannabiswellness print magazine based
in Minnesota.
Angelique is a fellow certifiedgangier with a passion for
bringing cannabis education tothe mainstream, helping to break
the stigma that surrounds theplant.
And with that, friends, pleaseenjoy this conversation with
Angelique.
All right, and we're live, andI'm very excited to be here
(01:14):
today with Angelique Cirillo ofNorth Bloom Magazine.
And before we get into today'sconversation, Angelique, I was
just hoping you could introduceyourself and share about some of
your cannabis journey.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
I'd be happy to Thank you for having me on Bite Me,
margaret.
It's so great to meet you.
Finally, my name is AngeliqueCirillo.
I am a fellow certified ganjie.
Like yourself, I'm a writer andresearcher by trade, and what
I've been doing for the past 20years leading up to this
beautiful adventure in thecannabis sector is working in
product design and developmentwith my husband, who's an
(01:47):
industrial designer, and we postup in Chicago, illinois, and
that's where we've been forabout 25 years now, raising a
family and working.
But now I'm leading the ship ofBloom Multimedia with a print
magazine called the North BloomMagazine, facing the Minnesota
cannabis market that is ready torock and roll here soon.
(02:08):
So I'm excited to talk to youabout what we're building,
supporting the sectors.
Maybe a gap here aroundeducation with the general
public.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So thanks for having me today.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Yeah, no, absolutely.
I love to support people whoare promoting education in this
space, especially in mainstreamcannabis spaces, because I think
it's so incredibly necessary.
So you've made some real pivotsin your life to transition into
the cannabis space, which I'msure has had quite a few
challenges.
But I'm curious, because youalso mentioned just now that you
are a certified concierge, as Iam.
(02:42):
When did you get yourcertification?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
certified, or gangier , as I am.
When did you get yourcertification?
It's been.
We are in the year 2025.
It's been two years now and Iprobably onboarded with that
journey late 2021.
So I took like a full year and ahalf, you know, through all the
requirements of our program toslow boat it a little bit.
But also, you know, was facingthe sector and doing a
(03:06):
considerable amount of researchand self-learning and self-study
for about that six months fullyear prior to that.
So I'd say I've been all infacing cannabis for about four
or five years now.
So which can we?
Is it fair to say that there'sa dog years conversion, like
every year is definitely like aseven year, seven, seven year
somatic experience.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
So yeah, I think that .
I think that's reasonable.
I'll allow that.
Yeah, so I got my certificationin 2021.
I did it all at the same timebecause two trips down to
California probably wasn't inthe budget, but it was
definitely a worthwhileexperience.
And, of course, as ganges weretrained to evaluate cannabis
quality through all the sensesand how do you apply that same
(03:47):
sensory expertise when you'reevaluating edibles in particular
?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Well, I think for me because I like to zoom out.
You know our skill set is sospecific and it's around this
plant, but there's a lot ofparallels here, right, and I'm a
big, I'm a pretty holisticperson integrative healthcare,
natural foods, all of that.
So I like to zoom out a littlebit when I look at that lens,
you know, because I'm not justlooking at the components of the
(04:13):
plant and an edible and all ofthe metrics that we grade and
qualify quality right aroundflour.
I'm also looking at, likemanufacturing and ingredients
and, you know, nutritionalcontent and things like that.
You know we have some beautifulproducts in this industry, but
we also have a lot of garbage,and if it's not something that
I'd want to put in myselfnormally, you know the fact that
(04:36):
it has the plant in it doesn'tmake that an exception for me,
right?
So, like some of these consumerpackage good standards, cpg
standards that you know are themetrics that I, as a shopper,
when I'm making my decisionswith my dollars, is also kind of
how I look at this industry,you know, right.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, that's where I'm at with that.
Yeah, I like that you touchedin on, like the ingredients, how
it's manufactured, nutrition,that kind of thing, because
those are all things that youwould probably apply to making
choices when you're at yourdispensary or at the grocery
store.
So it just seems a little lessobvious, I suppose, how you
would evaluate edibles versusflour, which seems a little more
I mean, more people areevaluating flour, I would
(05:14):
imagine.
But are there anything that youthink consumers should look for
beyond THC and CBD content?
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Oh, absolutely.
Well, let's talk's talk aboutlike set and setting and like
reason for consumption, right,that you and I both know like we
have a spectrum here.
We have a spectrum offormulations, we have a spectrum
of extraction methods, right,and different concentrates, and,
you know, is it solventless, isit not?
Are we looking at isolates,isolates, kind of built back up
(05:43):
into like a product that isperfectly useful and beautiful
and very effective, but I kindof call them our Franken builds,
right, because they'refollowing a pharmaceutical model
and not representing sort ofthe whole plant and it's what I
like to call like MotherNature's blueprint, right,
because she has those ratiosright, bringing this back into
(06:03):
like baking and edibles likethat are pretty standard for
efficacy.
But let's talk about dosing andonset, because I think those
are big key things.
You know like what's yourtarget, what's your need, when
do you need it to happen and howlong do you want or need it to
last?
Those are huge things, thoseare huge variables that I think
(06:24):
that when you're, you know, kindof a naive or a novice consumer
and you're going in and I haveoption A or I have option B here
with this bud tender, what isthe difference?
When am I going to feel it?
How long is it going to last?
I would say that you know mecoming back to the plant, right,
because I obviously I consumedyounger, not super young,
(06:44):
because I was a college athlete.
So that was I was very mindfulof.
We'll call it like the handslap, like if you get caught as
an athlete you probably loseyour seat on a roster.
You might also lose yourfinancial aid here in the in the
in the United States.
So I was very careful.
But you know, as a youngteenager 20 something always was
(07:07):
piggybacking my consumptionprobably with alcohol
consumption, so never trulyunderstood the efficacy of the
plant and the plant alone in mybody.
That's a huge thing I think totalk to consumers about is
really isolating.
You know sort of scientificmethod style, like don't throw
all the, it's not a kitchen sink.
Kind of style, like you can'tthrow it all in together and
(07:28):
then really know what's workingor what's not working.
But in terms of edibles, like Ionboarded as an adult once my
state of Illinois was adult reclegal and I was kind of walking
through some, some healthconcerns and scares and my
husband suggested he's likeshould we try?
You know edibles Like, do youwant to try to slow boat back
(07:48):
into this world with me?
Because he's a fan of the plantand a consumer.
And I said, all right, let's doit.
And I found a one-to-one ratioTHC to CBD.
It was a mint, so a hard mint,so very portable, very easy.
You know, it's sort of likeyour Altoid equivalent, right,
(08:09):
keep it in your purse, keep itin your car, you have it with
you when you're out and aboutFive milligram max.
So if you are a consumer,that's a pretty low dose, fairly
quick onset.
I'd say we could feel it within45 minutes to an hour.
I'm seeing a lot of newformulations out where it's
rapid onset, where, based onwhat we call it method of
consumption or route ofadministration, right Through
more medical terms, like if it'sa true edible, if it's going
through first pass metabolism,where it's having to go through
(08:32):
your digestive system beforeyour liver is really activating
it and your body can utilize it,versus is that a sublingual
it's going in through mucusmembranes you might be able to
get that feeling in effectwithin like five to 15 minutes.
You know that's, that's great.
These are things that these arequestions that consumers really
need to ask and hopefully odorsbud tenders know these answers
(08:55):
about, like what's theformulation and what's the onset
Cause.
That's pretty critical, notonly for young consumers but
especially for our olderpopulation, like geriatric
population, understanding how touse edibles, which I think
that's the biggest growingdemographic right.
I can't tell you the number ofpeople that I have heard saying
my mom and dad are taking agamiat night, almost every single
(09:16):
night.
They're putting their scotchaside, their nightcap and
they're having agami to end theday.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Well, so much of the news around alcohol consumption,
it feels like in the last fewyears have been pretty negative.
So I think people aredefinitely looking for
alternatives, and I worked inthe dispensary myself a few
years ago and the people had alot of questions about edibles
because most people had had abad experience with them at some
point or knew somebody that did.
And at the same time a lot ofseniors were coming in to
(09:46):
explore the possibility ofedibles and topicals and
cannabis, generally speaking,for improving their well-being.
So I think having thateducation is super important,
and it's sometimes intimidatingto walk into a dispensary too,
especially as an older personwho may not have consumed
cannabis in many decades.
(10:08):
So yeah having people that arelike knowledgeable is really
important, but you've spoken abit yourself about low dose THC
for anxiety, pain and re andrenal fatigue.
Can you walk us through yourapproach to micro dosing with
cannabis and edibles, because Ithink for people who are new to
the cannabis space, microdosingis such a perfect way to start
(10:30):
and why do you think this methodis particularly powerful for
women over 35?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Well, first I do want to clarify and qualify that in
terms of my preferred method ofconsumption.
I am a true flower consumer,but that is really only
appropriate when I'm in my ownhome, like for legal reasons.
It's not terribly portable.
You know, in the United Stateswe go state to state.
If I tilt to my East, I'm inIndiana.
That is a non-legal state,right, if I tilt to my West, I'm
(10:59):
in Iowa also a non-legal state.
So you need to be mindful ofthat.
So it's like, once again, youknow where are you at?
What do you have on your rosterfor that day on your calendar?
You know I'm sitting in myoffice right now.
I generally keep edibles herefor myself for low dose, so that
looks like anything from.
You know, because I am aconsumer, my tolerance is
(11:20):
slightly higher than someonewho's novice.
So you know I'm onboarding andramping probably anywhere from a
2.5 milligram to a 10 milligram.
Generally that's a ratio THC toCBD.
My preferred mother cannabinoidmolecule is CBG and that's
(11:40):
because of its anxiolyticproperties and that's because of
its anxiolytic properties.
That's just my favorite toshare.
Personally, my family had a kindof an acute incident.
One of our sons was criticallyinjured last summer and
hospitalized for more than amonth.
Consumer was basically.
(12:01):
You know, talk about anunplanned tea break, an
unplanned tolerance break.
I you know, when you get a 911call as a parent saying come to
the emergency room, and then yourealize that that's going to be
your home, living on a cot andout of a backpack for the next
four to six weeks, you're like,okay, I need to have a plan B
here for my consumption, becausemy consumption is not only for
(12:25):
my mental health but also for myphysical health.
Like I said, I'm a formerathlete, so I do have chronic
pain and I will tell you that.
I mean, do we give a brandshout out?
Should I try to get you asponsor in this episode?
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Yeah, let's do it.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Let's give, because I have them in my office.
I'm like let's give wild ashout out right now because,
number one, I love theirpackaging.
Great education, um, and justfun, or or an origami kind of
fold.
Uh, great flavors.
Natural ingredients, um, pearflavored, but there's CBG,
hybrid THC and it's a I take ahigher dose gummy.
This is not something I'drecommend for a new consumer,
(13:11):
but, you know, this tastes likea fine or refined candy, like
something you as a, as aculinary expert, would like be
something that you'd beperfecting and pushing out.
These saved my world, honestly.
These allowed me to deescalatesome of the intense stress that
I was under, like wondering ifmy kid was going to make it
through some emergency surgeries, allowing me to get like a
couple hours of half, you know,one eye closed, sleep.
These are remarkable tools thatwe didn't have accessible to us
(13:34):
.
You know, not that many yearsago.
Legally right.
So time and place and use right.
You know I definitely don'trecommend consuming while you're
doing anything like driving orin charge of children or things
like that.
You know, like we need to followrules and protocols here, but
(13:55):
for me, like if I'm in meetingsall day long, I'm not going to
be taking smoke breaks, right,but I end the day with a joint
with my husband because,honestly, there's ceremony
around that.
That's how we share space, andI will say I've joked with
girlfriends that I said this hasprobably saved thousands of
dollars in counseling, becausethis is when we consume the
(14:17):
plant.
Our guards are down, we areallowed to be our true selves,
the difficult and challengingthings in our worlds we're able
to hash out and talk through andfind some resolution in a very
de-escalated state, right.
So, and that that's true formicrodosing during, you know,
back-to-back work calls, like aday like I have today, to
recording a podcast to you know,you name it.
(14:39):
What's the pain point in yourworld and how can you, as I've
been saying lately, like takethe sharp corners off everything
, a little bit Like there's verylow psychoactivity.
It's just about tuning andhoning your nervous system,
right, right.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Yeah, I love that answer.
I also do love ratios when itcomes to THC, CBD and when I do
smoke, that's usually what I doas well.
I typically use a vaporizer, butI love to mix some CBD in with
my THC because I just find ittakes those edges off, and I
have tried wild as well.
I've had the opportunity to trythem in California and in
Canada and I do like theCalifornia version better than
(15:16):
what we get here.
But that's just the way it is.
But I am curious you mentionedthe term anxiolytic and that's
not something I'm familiar withand perhaps some of our
listeners aren't as well.
Can you just define?
Speaker 2 (15:27):
that term for me.
So anxiolytic is like themedical term for anxiety, right?
So something that is ananxiolytic is something that you
would take to help alleviateanxiety symptoms.
Right, okay.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
No.
Thanks for clarifying that, andI think a lot of people can
appreciate anti-anxietyproperties of cannabis.
And no matter what you're goingthrough, it seems like we're
living through a really weirdtimeline right now so having
something that you can reach forthat's anti-anxiety is so
helpful in today's stressfulworld.
Now In North Bloom's tagline,which I love, is flower
(16:04):
knowledge for novices, picked byprofessionals.
If someone has never tried acannabis product or edibles,
what's your step-by-step guideto their first experience and
what are some of the biggestmistakes you see newcomers
making?
Speaker 2 (16:26):
what's our motto here ?
Start low and go slow, likethat is that is that?
Is that that should just beemblazoned over every single
dispensary point of sale system?
I think, because, like you said, choices are overwhelming,
guidance is sometimes missing.
Training is not quite there.
We're not, we don't.
You know, we don't haveuniversal standards here in
terms of you know, state bystate in the United States and,
honestly, internationally aswell.
(16:47):
So you know, like you said, aproduct made in Canada under the
same label is not the same asthe same product packaged and
labeled in California.
And that's because I mean thisis actually probably an
educational moment for us tohelp with your listeners as well
that you know these arelicensing deals, right.
That brands that areestablished in one geographic
location then partner up inanother location, and so you
(17:09):
know they're following standardoperating procedures, or, as we
call them ad nauseum here in theindustry, sops, right, but the
reality is that it's all basedon the quality of inputs, right?
Is that product A going to bethe same as product B in the
second location?
Not always.
They are still following thesame recipe.
But, like, you and I both knowthat we both could cook the same
(17:29):
thing in your home and my homeand they might be a little
different, right, becauseprimarily, we're sourcing
different ingredients.
So, and that's true about theplant, and that's even true
about isolates, um, uh, otherthings, other tips and tricks
that I would offer um, consumerspain points.
(17:50):
You know, like you said, if youhave a bad experience,
understand that's an isolatedexperience right, that might be
due to you set setting, it mightbe due to the product, it might
be due to an outside factor,like, like, give the plant
another chance is what I'd liketo say.
Right, with some of thoseparameters under control and
(18:10):
being mindful about them.
You know even little thingsabout, like, have we ate today?
Are we hydrated before weconsume?
Are we rested, not rested?
All of those factors, all ofthose lifestyle factors that you
know we as patients, sometimesignore when we're talking to our
clinicians.
Like you know, we want a simplebinary solution for problem or
(18:32):
symptom A, but depending day today, hour to hour, we are
constantly in flux as humans,right?
So, from a metabolic andbiological level to a mental
state, right, in terms of evengoing into consumption, and I
still think that's applicablefor edibles as well.
(18:54):
You know, I really do, I really, really do.
So, like you said, you know mygirlfriend who's like I'm not
trying that again.
I had a terrible brownieexperience in like 1997.
You know I'm like well, thingshave changed.
And I had a terrible brownieexperience in like 1997.
You know I'm like well, thingshave, things have changed.
And that was that was ahomemade brownie made with canna
butter.
That who knows what that dosingwas right.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
So yeah, yeah, and it's interesting that people are
sometimes, when they have anegative experience, are
reluctant to try it again, eventhough if it was alcohol like
most of us, when we were kidshad some kind of negative
experience with alcohol, but itdidn't stop us from trying it
again.
But also because it's soingrained in our culture.
All the things that weunderstand about alcohol, like
(19:36):
how to consume it, setting, allthese things are just sort of
ingrained in our culture and anegative experience usually
doesn't scare somebody away fromit.
But because there's morelimited understanding around
cannabis, that negativeexperience from 1997 still makes
somebody hesitate to tryingsomething new, even though
everything has to cannabis moregenerally as well.
(20:05):
But how have you seen themarket evolve since you've been
in the cannabis space, and arethere any innovations that
excite you or trends thatconcern you?
Speaker 2 (20:18):
I think I want to bring up the state that I'm
really supporting with mycurrent build here with Bloom
North.
Bloom Magazine is Minnesotano-transcript and then looking
(20:48):
let's maybe talk about thatbeverage format Like this is
growing like gangbusters because, as we mentioned earlier in our
chat, you know, like mychildren's generation not
drinkers, that is not how theymap out their free time with
their friends.
Completely, you know, it's notabout going from one bar to the
next every weekend.
So that NA movement, thatnon-alcoholic movement we're
(21:08):
seeing that grow not just withtheir generation but also with
ours, right, you know, like, aswe are aging middle age,
specifically in that femaledemographic that we're trying to
target in the magazine, 35 andup, alcohol is beautiful,
alcohol is fun.
You know the culinary aspects,the ceremonial aspects of it,
(21:29):
but the drinking it for I callit drinking it to become tilted
from your current state ofconsciousness or drinking it to
alleviate the pain points inyour world, not great solutions,
right, you know, generallydoesn't solve your problems and
(21:49):
honestly, we pay for it the nextday.
You know we're literallykilling cells when we consume.
We don't get that fromconsuming the plant and that's a
beautiful byproduct.
And so the social acceptabilityof like swapping out a can of
alcohol for a can of a hempderived beverage.
In Minnesota that has taken onlike wildflower and I'm so
(22:11):
excited to see that.
In the same regard, I thinkthat you and I both can, you
know, like what I would love tosee.
I need to see regulatorychanges here from the federal
level on down, because I need tosee more research about, you
know, like, going through firstpass metabolism and the effect
on our livers of consuming theplant only through edible
(22:33):
formats.
Right, what does this look like?
Thank you.
(23:20):
The beauty of the can swap, youknow, a hemp-derived beverage
for alcohol and that being alittle more socially acceptable
than consuming the plant inother formats.
You know, there is somediscreteness around edibles in
and of itself.
Like, when I travel, I'm alwayspacking edibles with me, hemp
derived edibles.
That's sort of my secret weapon, right, especially if I'm going
to a unregulated state.
But I'd like to see.
(23:42):
I'd like to see some regulatorychanges, especially here in the
United States, because I needto see more research around this
plant and especially to seewhat it looks like for consumers
to be consuming through edibleformats over a long period of
time.
Right, but for now I say it'sthe gentlest, easiest way to
consume the plant and if you'rehaving, if you have any
(24:05):
trepidation around, you knowmaking that swap.
I don't think people are goingto give you a hard time if you
have a can of something else inyour hand, right, you know.
So that's really the trend thatI'm seeing right now.
That's what I'm excited about.
That's what I'm excited aboutsupporting in terms of, like,
gently trying to persuadeconsumers to swap out something
that really truly is harmful tothem for something that is not.
(24:28):
I think that's probably at thetop of my list, because I know
that it's a hard sell If you'renot a flower consumer and you
have, you know, for all of thedifferent metric reasons.
But specifically, combustion isa problem for you, understood
fine, you know that isabsolutely a personal choice,
but let's continue to explorethese other formats.
I say I'm also really excitedabout mucous membrane,
(24:53):
sublingual, like homeopathickind of style, melts, things of
that nature.
I've seen a couple innovativebrands come out.
There's specifically a brandout of California that I really
love, and I love that they alsoare now hemp derived so that
they can ship across the UnitedStates.
My son, in fact, is using oneof them, and one of them is
actually a CBG only and sonon-psychoactive.
(25:14):
You know, this is somethingthat you can use day and night
and still get some of thosebeneficial properties of the
plant.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Um, you know, without , without taking bong rips in
between meetings you know,without taking bong rips in
between meetings, Right, whichis not always very convenient
depending on where you are.
But I'm very curious becauseI've heard about the fact that
you can buy cannabis beveragesin bars in Minnesota, and has
that worked out well?
Speaker 2 (25:41):
It has.
It really, really has.
There is specifically an eventlocation in Minneapolis that is
very friendly and open to theindustry because they do a lot
of formulations for hemp-derivedbrands and so they have
industry nights every Wednesdaynight.
Where I am, where I post up inIllinois you know this is not,
(26:05):
this is not standard practice.
Yet you know like there aremore private owner bars that are
stocking hemp direct beverages,more non-alcoholic options.
It's not like a universal thing.
Though you can't go into everyplace and expect there to be a
hemp option In Minnesota, it'salmost universal now, which is
beautiful, and you will see themin your major grocery retailers
(26:26):
, like even high end, which wasvery exciting for us as Bloom
because we in this past year wehaven't even celebrated our one
year anniversary yet information of an LLC that's
coming up in mid-October, butwe're working on our fifth print
edition right now because we'requarterly and we partnered with
a circulation partner who gotus into a high-end grocery chain
(26:47):
.
So we literally are at the frontof a grocery store, you know,
as people are coming and growingto grab a free copy of Bloom
and you know, in the cool casesyou will see hemp derived right
next to your beer and wine shillright.
So this is where we're at, andit's kind of a beautiful thing
to see it coexisting peacefullyand really there not being any
issues around it, right?
You know, new things are weirdfor people until people see them
(27:12):
enough, and then it's not newanymore and it's not weird and
it's very acceptable, and thenwe have progress.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
So, yeah, I love that .
I wish we had that here inCanada, but we don't have
consumption lounges or anythingyet, even though it's been like,
you know, six plus years.
So maybe one day, because itwould be so nice to be able to
go out for a drink with myfriends and be able to buy a
cannabis drink instead of analcoholic drink, because I often
pay for it.
Even if I have one drink,somehow, I'm just like paying
(27:39):
for it the next day.
It's little things.
It gets worse as I get olderand I'm sure that's a story that
many people in my demographiccan relate to.
But now, with North BlueMagazine, you're working to
elevate cannabis culture andbuild community.
How do edibles specificallyhelp break down stigma compared
to other consumption methods?
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Well, I think, as I was saying before, you know,
there are still some daregeneration we call it here war
on drugs kind of generation thatyou know an edible format.
But let's even like back thatup to say, like food is love,
right, food is something that'scommunal, food is something that
we share, food is cultural.
So if you look at sweets andsavories and things that we
(28:25):
usually, you know, use forcelebratory reasons candy, right
, you know.
That's why I think that we seeso many edible formats coming
out in sort of the fun, youthful, slightly more juvenile, even
though we're not supposed tomarket and package and like
appeal to youth and underage forconsumption, but like we are
appealing to our inner child.
I think a a little bit those ofus who are in seats of making
(28:46):
decisions about adding things tothe marketplace of offerings.
So, yeah, I think I how do Iwant to say this?
I think that, yeah, so there'sa way to set the table here
right and to do that in sort ofa charcuterie board way of like
(29:08):
we can build it out wherethere's a little bit of
something for everyone.
The plant can show up inmultiple formats.
I think that edibles are veryuseful for a lot of people,
because I just think it's a lowbarrier of entry.
Right tree, right Beverages,edibles we know how to eat, we
know how to drink.
Not everybody knows how to rolla joint.
Not everybody knows how tointeract with a plant, not
(29:29):
everybody knows even what partof the plant we're supposed to
consume, right, so there's a lotof education.
You don't need a lot ofeducation to open up a can to
drink something.
You don't need a lot ofeducation to open up a package
and take a gummy, so long as youfollow the instructions, so
long as there's clear labelingabout.
The single serving is actuallylike one quarter of this bar,
not the whole bar, because Ithink that that's where we were
(29:49):
getting a lot of, you know, alittle bit of a bad rap in terms
of the industry, because newand novice consumers are not
paying attention to the details.
Not all of us read theinstruction manual when we take
something out of the box.
Right, we are a little we're alittle caveman about it.
You know we're plugging thingsin, we're hitting all the
buttons, we're just trying toget things to work.
So I think that there's alittle bit of a slowing down
here.
So when I say start low and goslow.
(30:11):
Some of this is also about likeeducating yourself and taking
that pause in that moment tounderstand what your options are
and like what you're supposedto do one, two and three in
order to have the bestexperience possible with this
thing, this new fun toy that youhave, whether it's an edible or
a drink or whatever right.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
I really like the Shakurdu board analogy.
I can really get behind that.
So because it is nice to haveit is nice to have options, yeah
.
Yeah.
Now North Blue Magazine focuseson women over 35 and cannabis
wellness.
As I understand it, Are thereunique challenges that women in
this demographic face when itcomes to cannabis.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Well, I think, if we talk about all the hats that we
wear as women right, whetherit's business, whether it's
relationships, whether it'ssocial the big one too, too, for
me, is parenting and parenthoodand being a mother.
I think there's a lot of stigmaaround that in terms of wanting
to maybe interact with a plantincorporated into your world,
(31:12):
and what are people going to say?
What are people going to do?
Is this legal?
Is this not legal?
Are there going to berepercussions or consequences
for me?
Am I going to have child andfamily services showing up if
they find out that I'm consuming?
When is it acceptable for me toconsume?
When is it not acceptable?
There's a lot of ask, yourgirlfriend whisper in the ear,
(31:35):
kind of guidance that we'retrying to be mindful of as we're
having these conversations, andI think, ultimately, my goal
with this magazine is to makethings less weird, especially
for women in terms ofconsumption.
So this is a ask, a question,get feedback, but also really
see a visible presence of otherwomen using the plant, having a
(31:55):
high knowledge around the plant,giving guidance around the
plant.
So in the magazine I have afellow CG writing about how to
incorporate it through edibles.
So we always have, you know, asa lifestyle magazine.
We always have a recipe in theback incorporating the plant in
some beautiful May, generallyseasonally aligned, right,
because, like I said, I'm veryyou know, this is my world
(32:17):
natural foods, local,sustainable.
You know, however, we canincorporate that in the magazine
in a sensible way, that I'mtrying to do that as well.
I we have another fellow cgwriting a column on parenting
and plant consumption, to makeit less weird, right, and to
talk about it in gentle ways,and I think that some of the
beautiful takeaways.
So that's Elizabeth Sage andshe's also based in Minnesota
(32:38):
and, interesting fact she is,we'll call her.
She's the.
She's the matchmaker between mypartner with Bloom and myself.
So she, my partner, is LynnWalkler.
She's a board certified nursepractitioner.
So, yeah, so very mindful of thefact of how we curate our
content is, you know, through ahighly credentialed list of
(32:59):
subject matter experts.
A lot of certified ganges areparticipating.
A lot of clinicians that aretraining cannabis are
participating.
A lot of certified ganges areparticipating.
A lot of clinicians that aretraining cannabis are
participating.
A lot of plant scientists andI'm mindful of the fact, too,
that not everyone has acredential after their name, but
they do have a high knowledgeset.
And so we're inviting voicesfrom legacy and the unregulated
space to come in as well,because I think the more diverse
(33:21):
voices that we have between ourfolds, the more robust our
conversation is, the more robustthe education is and, honestly,
we get to destigmatize a littlebit too, with a general public
who might still have, like Isaid, some, some war on drug
ideas about you know what blackmarket, what legacy, what
unregulated still means itreally isn't all that right.
(33:43):
So you and I know that, um, I'mtrying to, I'm trying to help
the general public understandthat as well.
So, yeah, I think through thatfemale lens, though specifically
, it's like it's, it's, it'sthose, it's those, it's, it's
that parenting hat too.
That's that I am just verymindful of because I have the
luxury of having older children,so I really entered this space
where I didn't have to worryabout this.
(34:04):
My kids were adults, almost.
I think my youngest was maybein high school finishing when I
started in this industry, butthat's not the case for all of
our colleagues here, right?
You know, I know that someone's, I know that specifically
someone in my world has gotten aknock on their door from DCFS.
So that's unnerving, unnerving,right.
Yeah, it's unnerving to knowthat we have, we have legal, we
(34:27):
have legality, but we don't havesupports through statutes,
right.
Speaker 1 (34:30):
So right, yeah, and I love that you mentioned about
just showing other womenconsuming in a safe place,
because I do feel like I, I tendto forget sometimes that
there's so, so much stigma thatexists because, like you, my
kids are older and I don'treally have to worry about that
stuff now they don't reallyconsume cannabis very often
themselves, but I'm pretty muchin the cannabis community, so
(34:53):
it's easy for me to forget thatthere's still a ton of stigma
out there, and I grew up in thatDARE era, so I know the war on
drugs and all the propagandathat was fed to us for so long,
and some of that is so hard it'sjust just doesn't want to die.
So I'm really happy to see thatyou are promoting this kind of
(35:14):
example, and it is scary tothink that somebody could call
and you end up with somebodyknocking on your door even
though it's perfectly legalwhere you are.
So I think that's it's reallyimportant to be talking about
these things, and especiallyaround cannabis wellness,
because it's sort of a subjectmatter that I think makes it
more approachable and thereforeless something less, not
(35:39):
something to worry about.
I guess I'm not phrasing it ina very good way, but hopefully
people understand what I'mtalking about.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
Yeah, no, I get exactly what you're saying.
I, I, my word lately is weird.
Like it's less weird, let'smake it less weird.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Okay, yes, yes, I should have just said that.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
Weird, weird, weird, weird doesn't have quite the
negative connotation of stigma,right, or you know like to use
your word, propaganda, butthat's really what we were fed.
You know I had DARE educationembedded in my grammar school,
like they literally came in anddid that.
You know, like a fifth, sixthgrade, you know, kind of at the
same timeframe, where they'dseparate the males and females
(36:16):
to do like sexual education.
It's like, also, let's bring inthe DARE education.
It's's hard, it's part of ourprogramming, right, and so
that's that takes a.
That takes like like it, almostlike evolutionary years of of
of washing that out and thenrebuilding or flooding in the
new information and allowingyourself to sort and separate
(36:37):
and and really parse out what,what is true now for 2025 and
also what is true for you, right, because it's all very personal
, it's it's it's it's allpersonal choice.
But my point is that the choiceshould be there, right, and the
choice is not universally therefor everyone.
So, um, until we, until we getto that point legally, like then
(37:01):
, then I will feel like I canexhale a little bit, because I
feel like there's a lot of workto do and good work.
I've been calling this likelet's make some good trouble
around this because we can havegood conversations and robust
conversations, but also let'scontinue to push it a little bit
, because I no longer accept theword no, how's that Excellent.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
No, I love that.
I love that.
I think we could all do alittle bit better with that as
well.
And you also touched onsomething a second ago about
some of the legacy people thatwere involved with your magazine
, because you're mentioning somecertified ganges, some of whom
I recognize the names of and Ifollow them online and they do
amazing work.
And you sent me some magazines.
(37:42):
They are fantastic.
I really enjoyed reading them.
But North Bloom does emphasizeprotecting legacy growers and
promoting craft cannabis.
How important is this in termsof these players operating in a
legal market?
Speaker 2 (37:56):
Well, I think that right now we're seeing, you know
, in terms of how our licensureis divided up state by state
there is a big push to supportsocial equity applicants and so,
especially at this time, if wejust want to look at the state
of Minnesota that we're tryingto support with the launch of
this first print publication, weare at this tipping point right
when I've been saying thislately like everybody won their
(38:17):
Willy Wonka ticket, right.
But you know we have thisdisconnect of like they don't
have all the supports that theyneed in place for those runways
to get open and operational witha key and the lights on Right
and for sales to begin.
So there's a big disconnecthere in terms of the matchmaking
and the networking and thesupporting and and the education
(38:39):
for business owners as well too.
You know we need more investorshere.
We need more cash for businessowners as well too.
You know we need more investorshere.
We need more cash.
There needs to be more moneyfacing this industry to help.
Specifically, I would say what Iwant to, what I want to support
, is the small businesses.
You know we've had a first moveradvantage across the United
States with a lot of the MSOs,the multi state operators and
they come into markets and it'sreally hard to compete with that
(39:01):
when you're a single shingle onMain Street, right?
So I think that's a little bit.
What we represent at Bloom, too, is like the collection of
voices in order for it to be achorus, and the chorus is facing
the public instead of it justfacing industry, because we need
the public to come here withtheir dollars.
You know that's the long andthe short of it for this to grow
(39:30):
and for this to be asustainable, especially for the
small players.
So, to draw those parallelsbetween cannabis and other
industries and you know I needto this has been a dense year,
friend, in terms of like startupculture for me especially
specifically, but you know Ireally want to do a lot more
messaging around small businesssupports and getting people to
pay attention to the little guysand gals who are working really
hard to offer quality anddifferentiated offerings in
their places.
(39:50):
In our last print publication,the one that just dropped in
August here, did I send you theone with the blue cover with the
firefly on it?
Did?
Speaker 1 (39:58):
you get that.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
Yes, okay, so our lead in article there for the
listening section was someonewho I consider a friend.
Now See, this is interestingtoo.
Right as we grow the magazine,I'm meeting all these small
licensees.
They call them micro licensesin Minnesota, so those are
legally allowed to be verticallyintegrated and vertically
operated.
So from cultivation to retail,they get to do everything which
(40:23):
is really unique, really, reallyunique, but also really
challenging if you don't knowhow to do every single one of
those steps in a build right.
So you need to partner, youneed to source out, you need to
figure things out.
I use a lot of language aroundsports to define what we're
doing at Bloom.
So I'm like team Bloom this andteam Bloom that, and I feel
like this is part of my team.
Now, this expansion of thesehumans and I'd love to give
(40:46):
Kenneth Littleton a shout outhere.
He's building a brand calledCanon Gems and his story was
really beautiful because he isyour and I hate to use this term
in a negative sense but theposter child, but he's a
beautiful example of what asocial equity applicant can look
like child, but he's abeautiful example of what a
(41:06):
social equity applicant can looklike, what a human who has done
time for the plant, can show upin this space in terms of what
he wants to offer, what he wantsto build, who he is now as a
professional and a grown man,and how he wants to
differentiate his offerings.
And he said the inception justto share with with some of your
listeners is you know, hismother was a consumer and he
(41:30):
found in her jewelry box one dayone of the buds that she was
saving, and so it was probably aspecial cultivar, right, or a
special special strain, orgenetics, as we say right, that
she was saving for a specialoccasion, much like we would
save, like a nice bottle ofchampagne or, you know, an aged
bottle of hard liquor, right,she was saving it for a special
(41:52):
occasion and he thought that wasbeautiful.
So his alignment was like Iwant to develop a whole line of
genetics that sort of celebratesand draws that analogy between
gemstones and the plant, so thatwe can start to educate
consumers on the fact that, youknow, just like consumer
packaged goods, we have tiers ofofferings here and there is
just like, if you want to do acall out for alcohol, which I
(42:13):
kind of hate doing because Ithink there's too many analogies
between our industry andalcohol, and I think that we
need to walk away from that alittle bit, because alcohol and
the plant are not the same,especially in terms of how our
bodies use them or don't usethem.
Well, but we can use it the CPGanalogy right there's a place
for Budweiser and then there's aplace for IPAs and microbrews
(42:34):
and, interestingly enough, eventhough that price point is
higher, that sector has growngangbusters in the last 25 years
, has it not?
So I'd like to see that.
I would really like to see thathappen in our industry.
I want to see cultivators, anda lot of these cultivators are
coming from legacy.
(42:55):
I want to see the equivalent ofa cultivator that's getting
headhunted from grow to growlike a celebrity chef.
Would Do you know what I mean?
That would be my ideal future.
Yeah, headhunted from grow togrow like a celebrity chef would
do you know what I mean?
Like that's?
Speaker 1 (43:04):
that would be my ideal future?
Speaker 2 (43:06):
um, yeah, because there's skill and there's talent
there, right so?
Speaker 1 (43:12):
yeah, I think that's beautiful too, because I think
the small players and the craftcannabis folks definitely need
that boost, because they arecompeting against huge
corporations with endlessbudgets to advertise and promote
and market their product.
I know there's rules andregulations around what they can
and can't do, but when you havethat kind of money, you can
also sometimes skirt around thatlegislation as well, because
(43:33):
you can lawyer up when you needto or whatever.
And like this example you gaveof CannaGem, somebody who's
really, you know, done so muchfor the plant by spending time
in prison, like you mentioned,and now is producing something
that he can be super proud ofand putting that out to the
market.
And, like you said, craft beerin Ontario here has also
(43:55):
exploded, but there's stillalways going to be people who
want the Coors Light or theBudweiser or whatever.
So there is space for everybody.
But I feel like those microcultivators really need the
boost and I'd love to see that.
So, which is interesting,because my next question for you
is how do you see the future ofcannabis and edibles playing
out in medical cannabis, butalso just in the mainstream
(44:17):
cannabis market?
Speaker 2 (44:21):
Well, man, if we could, if we can get some
rescheduling going in here inthe United States, I think that,
realistically, that's probablythe next step.
Instead of descheduling, take Xpharmaceutical.
Why don't you try to take thisgentle, first step, very low
side effect option calledcannabis, edible, abc insert
(44:51):
brand, whatever formulation forthis symptom or this problem
Like that's.
That's what I would love to see, that's what I'm hoping I see
on the medical side and honestly, on the medical side, what I'd
like to see, too, is just abetter expansion of offerings,
because I think what we've seenin the United States,
specifically medical programsthat ramped up and that were
(45:13):
launched first, had offeringsfor patients, but as the adult
rec spaces come in legally,those offerings are diminished
and that really leaves medicalpatients without choices and
without options.
So in a bifurcated system likethis, where medical patients
aren't necessarily going toadult rec to make their medicine
purchases right For variousreasons, one of them being
(45:36):
taxation on top of the purchaseprice, I'd like to, I'd really
like to encourage everyone hereto really keep patients in mind,
like that's why we have anindustry it's the patients that
help move the needlelegislatedly.
So like keep patients in mindand keep patients needs in mind
and let's make sure that thatour supply chain has options for
(45:58):
them to.
As we add all the fun stuff.
For those of us facing theadult rec space with our dollars
who probably are also using itfor medical reasons, we're just
not getting the label and theslip from the state.
Speaker 1 (46:10):
Right, that's a really good reminder too,
because I can't think of asingle place, I mean and there
might be some, but that startedwith a recreational market.
I'm pretty sure usually thelaunch pad is they start with a
medical market and then they goto recreational after that.
So that's a really goodreminder Because, yeah, I think
almost all cannabis is medicinalin some way anyway.
(46:31):
So whether you're using it forspecific ailment or not, that
stress relief is prettyimportant too, so I can get
behind that.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
Yeah, cortisol.
We're a generation that runs oncortisol.
Speaker 1 (46:45):
Yes, yes, and whatever way you can find to
lower that cortisol is going tobe a healthier thing for you.
Now, as someone who's beenbuilding a bridge between
cannabis culture and mainstreamwellness, how do you hope the
North Bloom's legacy will be interms of people, of how people
think about and consume cannabis, and what's your vision for
where cannabis might be in termsof people, of how people think
about and consume cannabis, andwhat's your vision for where
(47:06):
cannabis might be in 10 years?
Speaker 2 (47:10):
well, oh, I, I'm gonna.
I'm gonna bring a super hyperlocal chicago reference in here.
Um, second city is here.
Stand-upup comedy and one ofthe foundational, fundamental
things about improv and being onstage.
It's like you don't take thecomment from your neighbor on
(47:33):
stage, your fellow performer, asa start or a stop point.
It's a yes and right.
So I see cannabis in the largerhealth and wellness conversation
as a yes and not an either or ayes and and I'd like to think
about this because we're inconstant motion, right,
individuals, society, industries.
(47:53):
Let's think about this as awheel.
Cannabis is an essential spokeon that wheel.
If not, the tire is not true,it's wobbly as hell, but that's
how I'm trying to frame thisconversation.
Bloom, too, cannabis is anessential spoke and it's how
we're kind of starting andlaunching and curating this
conversation.
I plan on expanding thisconversation in terms of, you
know, through those other healthand wellness lenses.
(48:15):
You know, because right now, interms of us being a free
quarterly, you know I'm facingindustry for like, advertising
and sponsorship support, but Iwould like to open this up to
CPG and other natural productstoo.
I think that my only hard andfast and true line is I probably
won't partner with alcoholformulators, distributors,
(48:35):
anybody.
In terms of advertising support, this is a yes.
And in terms of like, if thisis beneficial to us, especially
if it comes from Mother Natureand we haven't kind of screwed
that up and like dumbing it downand breaking it down into
pieces and then trying to buildit back up into something that
we think is smarter than her.
Yeah, it's yes.
And Cannabis and 10 years, Ihope that you know.
(48:58):
We will flip open a magazinelike Bloom.
We're looking to expand to andinto other formats so that might
look like broadcast, that mightlook like radio.
We'll have to see.
Like I just told you that I'mlike, not no longer accepting
the word no, so like, and thishas been a big week with the fcc
in in the united states becausewe just had a comedian get
pulled off late night television.
(49:19):
So, um, I want to be able tomove this conversation forward.
Like we said, let's make itless weird, let's widen it up.
This is a yes and thing.
I want you to be able to flipopen a blue magazine.
Or let's use a Martha and Snoopexample.
Right, you open a MarthaStewart living.
We're talking about cannabis.
We're open up an Oprah magazine.
(49:40):
We're talking about cannabis.
It's very relevant.
Let's normalize it, let's talkabout it, let's make it less
weird.
Speaker 1 (49:47):
That's where I love that.
That's such a that's such agreat answer, and I wish you all
the success in that.
I think you're already doing afantastic job, so this might be
a good time to ask you where canpeople find North Bloom
magazine?
Speaker 2 (50:00):
Thank you, margaret.
So right now we are.
We are hyperlocal, so we'rewithin the state of Minnesota.
We will be expanding tosubscriptions.
So you can reach out to us.
If you're like chomping at thebit and you want us to mail you
one right now, we can do that.
But you can find us atwwwthenorthbloomcom, and you can
(50:25):
also find us on socials,specifically meta platforms, so
Instagram, at at the North bloomas well, and on LinkedIn.
If you're in industry, you canfind us at the North bloom
magazine or bloom multimedia orme as well.
Reach out, I'm open book andI'm willing to have a
conversation with anybody thatis facing in this direction of
like lifting up an industrythrough kind of holding the
hands with consumers right nowand helping them level up in
terms of their knowledge sets.
Speaker 1 (50:43):
So yeah, yeah, thank you for that.
I'll be sure to include all ofthose places to find you in the
show notes, because I myselffound you, I believe, first on
Instagram myself, so definitelypeople should check you out.
Now for my last question today,because I want to be mindful of
your time, angelique.
What would surprise peopleabout you today?
Cause I want to be mindful ofyour time, angelique what would
(51:06):
surprise people about you.
Speaker 2 (51:07):
You know, you sent me the notes for our call and I I
showed it to my husband and hehe had a.
He had a laundry list ofhilarious things to share.
Um, I think I want to circleback to the fact that I'm a team
player.
You know, I'm not someonebuilding something here for
myself.
This is not a me situation,this is a we situation, a we
weed situation.
(51:27):
Right?
So, like I said, I'm an openbook.
I'm an open book and I would.
I'm, I love people and I loveto hear stories and I think that
there's a way to use that tobuild a lot of bridges here.
So, yeah, not me, it's a we.
Speaker 1 (51:44):
I love that.
I like the analogy rising tideslift all ships.
That's how I like to operate,but that is wonderful, angelique
.
I think you're doing great workout in the world and people
should check out North BlueMagazine.
And with that I just want tothank you for your time today.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (52:05):
Thank you, margaret.
Thanks for having me on Bite Me.
This was a pleasure and it'shonestly I'm elated to meet you
because you know, certifiedGanges were scattered across the
globe, so until we can all gettogether and share space, this
was this, will have to do, thiswas this was this was a great
stopgap.
So thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (52:22):
Friends, I hope you enjoyed that conversation as
much as I did.
I will include the show notesof when to Find Angelique and
North Bloom Magazine in the shownotes, as usual.
Please share this episode withsomeone as curious about
cannabis as you are and join theBite Me Cannabis Club at
joinbitemecom.
To continue the conversationand until next time, my friends,
I'm your host, margaret Stayhigh.
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