SPARC / Thu, 10 Aug 2023 23:38:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://i0.wp.com/content.sparc.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-02-Sparc-scaled-1.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 SPARC / 32 32 229157984 Outside Lands 2023 – Artist Pairing Guide /outside-lands-2023-artist-pairing-guide/ Thu, 10 Aug 2023 23:38:34 +0000 /?p=3015939 The post Outside Lands 2023 – Artist Pairing Guide appeared first on SPARC.

]]>

The post Outside Lands 2023 – Artist Pairing Guide appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
3015939
Lazy Bear Week 2023 /lazy-bear/ Mon, 31 Jul 2023 14:59:32 +0000 /?p=3015898 LAZY BEAR WEEK IS HERE AND SPARC IS PROUD TO BE A SPONSOR! Need Weed On The River? Flower and pre-rolls, cartridges and edibles, beverages and more… Whatever you need during this adventure, we have you covered! Let Us Bring Your 420 Essentials Directly To You! Simply place a delivery order filled with your favorite...

The post Lazy Bear Week 2023 appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Circle icon that says Lazy Bears Love Big Nugs

LAZY BEAR WEEK IS HERE AND SPARC IS PROUD TO BE A SPONSOR!

Need Weed On The River?

Flower and pre-rolls, cartridges and edibles, beverages and more… Whatever you need during this adventure, we have you covered!

Let Us Bring Your 420 Essentials Directly To You!

Simply place a delivery order filled with your favorite goodies and our team will bring the order directly to you, on the river. As long as you have an address, we’ll come find you!

The party doesn’t stop when you’re done at the river!

Keep your vibes in check and keep the party going! Shop pickup or in-store at any of our Sonoma County or San Francisco locations, get your goodies, and get ready for more days of sunshine, good vibes, and good times!

San Francisco: Polk Street | Lower Haight 
Sonoma County: Santa Rosa | Sebastopol | Sonoma

Blue Button that says shop now

 

The post Lazy Bear Week 2023 appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
3015898
Customer Appreciation – SPARC Loyalty Cash /loyalty-cash/ Fri, 23 Jun 2023 16:46:23 +0000 /?p=3015752 Calling All Loyalty Members… We’ve added something special to your wallet! It’s our way of saying thank you for choosing to shop at SPARC! Not A Loyalty Member? Join Today! Sign up for our loyalty program today to get SPARC Cash added to your wallet. How To Redeem Your SPARC Cash… WHEN CAN I USE...

The post Customer Appreciation – SPARC Loyalty Cash appeared first on SPARC.

]]>

Calling All Loyalty Members…

We’ve added something special to your wallet! It’s our way of saying thank you for choosing to shop at SPARC!

CHECK YOUR WALLET

Not A Loyalty Member? Join Today!

Sign up for our loyalty program today to get SPARC Cash added to your wallet.

JOIN TODAY

How To Redeem Your SPARC Cash…

WHEN CAN I USE MY SPARC CASH?

This special deposit of SPARC Cash can be redeemed from 6/26/2023 – 6/30/2023.

HOW DO I REDEEM MY SPARC CASH IN-STORE?

Simply show your loyalty wallet at check out to redeem your SPARC Cash in-store.

CAN I USE SPARC CASH ONLINE?

SPARC Cash is not usable online. In-store only!

WHAT CAN I BUY WITH MY SPARC CASH?

Shop for your favorite products with your cash. There are no limitations on brands, so pick your favorites and try something new!

CAN I COMBINE THIS WITH WEEKLY DEALS?

Yes! SPARC Cash can be used alongside our great weekly deals. Just be sure that your subtotal, after discounts, meets the minimum for the cash you want to use.

CAN I COMBINE THIS WITH OTHER DISCOUNTS?

SPARC Cash is not combinable with your loyalty points discounts, but it is combinable with our everyday senior “wisdom” and veteran 10% discounts.

IS SPARC CASH REAL CASH?

SPARC Cash will be applied as a discount, no cash is exchanged. SPARC Cash cannot be redeemed for actual cash.

CAN I USE ALL THE CASH IN MY WALLET?

You are limited to redeeming one per day and each one can only be used once. But, if you’d like to come in four days in a row to use your $50, $25, $10, and $5, we’d love to see you!

MINIMUM SPEND REQUIREMENTS

Minimum spends are based on your subtotal, after discounts, and pre-tax.

$50 Loyalty Cash – Spend $300 to redeem
$25 Loyalty Cash – Spend $200 to redeem
$10 Loyalty Cash – Spend $100 to redeem
$5 Loyalty cash – Spend $75 to redeem

Want To Learn More About Loyalty?

Learn more about the great benefits that come with being a SPARC Loyalty Member. From points back on purchases to special SPARC Cash days, our new loyalty program is designed to be filled with surprises!

JOIN TODAY

The post Customer Appreciation – SPARC Loyalty Cash appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
3015752
Celebrate 420 with up to 40% Off and incredible Gift Bags with Purchase! /420-2023/ Mon, 03 Apr 2023 19:58:46 +0000 https://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=3015108 The post Celebrate 420 with up to 40% Off and incredible Gift Bags with Purchase! appeared first on SPARC.

]]>

THE 420 GIFT BAGS
ARE HERE!

THE 420 GIFT BAGS ARE HERE!

420 DEALS | 4/19 – 4/25

   BUY 1 GET 1 FOR $0.01    

Jetty | All Products
Plus | All Products

   40% OFF   

Pax | Pax brand pods + devices

   35% OFF   

Wyld | All Products

   30% OFF    

Cann | All Products
Kanha | All Products
Glass House Farms | All Products 

   25% OFF    

Claybourne | Infused Pre-Roll 5 Packs
Fig Farms | All Products
Kiva | All Camino Gummies
Mr Zips | All Products (Haight Street Only)
UpNorth | All Products

   20% OFF   

Mary’s Medicinals

  • *420 GIFT WITH PURCHASE RULES AND RESTRICTIONS
  • Details: Offer valid through 4/25/2023, limit one gift bag with purchase per transaction, while supplies last.
  • Spend Minimums: There are two chances to get a gift bag with purchase! The first spend minimum is $100, starting 4/10, and you’ll receive a gift bag valued at least $100. The second gift bag minimum is $175 starting on 4/17, with a value of OVER $200! Spend requirements are based on your pretax subtotal, after discounts.
  • Gift Bag With Purchase: We are required to collect a nominal fee for each gift you receive. Products may vary by location. Gift bags with purchase products are non-returnable.

**Doorbusters: Given away on a first come first serve basis. With purchase required, no minimum.
While supplies last. Limit one per person. We are required to collect a nominal amount for your doorbuster.

***Raw Garden: 30% off 1 gram carts is valid on 4/20 only. While supplies last. Quantity is limited.
Availability may vary by location.Not applicable to past purchases.

The post Celebrate 420 with up to 40% Off and incredible Gift Bags with Purchase! appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
3015108
Celebrate Pride With These 5 Brands /best-cannabis-brands-pride/ Fri, 03 Jun 2022 21:21:32 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=2987697 Celebrate Pride With Camino By Kiva 2022 marks the fifth year of Kiva’s Camino ‘Proud’ gummies. The much-anticipated product features a new Passionfruit Punch flavor and features San Francisco’s historic Pink Triangle. Once a symbol of hate and intolerance, the Pink Triangle brings attention to the past persecution of the gay community and reminds us...

The post Celebrate Pride With These 5 Brands appeared first on SPARC.

]]>

Three round jars of Camino Pride gummies, passion fruit flavor.

Celebrate Pride With Camino By Kiva

2022 marks the fifth year of Kiva’s Camino ‘Proud’ gummies. The much-anticipated product features a new Passionfruit Punch flavor and features San Francisco’s historic Pink Triangle. Once a symbol of hate and intolerance, the Pink Triangle brings attention to the past persecution of the gay community and reminds us to ensure it never happens again.

In support of the LGBTQ+ and trans communities, Kiva is donating $100,000 this year to FOLX HRT Care Fund in partnership with the National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition (BTAC), the LA LGBT Center’s Transgender Economic Empowerment Project (TEEP), Transgender Law Center, and GLAAD.

SHOP PRIDE GUMMIES >>

 

Line of besito pre-rolls and tubes; indica, sativa, and hybrid

Simply Put, besito Is #AllyAF!

Outspoken and passionate, besito believes in fighting for equality and inclusion. This female-founded brand supports the LGBTQIA+ community and wants to see more representation in cannabis.

Currently available exclusively at SPARC, besito is getting ready to make a big splash back in the market but for now, feel special… This tiny little kiss is all yours.

PUCKER UP >>

 

Five packets of Sonder space crystals cannabis infused candy, Cheers for Queers

Celebrate Your Chosen Family With Sonder

A juicy explosion of self-love and out-of-this-world flavors, where champagne and strawberries combine to build a new inclusive flavor universe. Sonder popping space crystals are a nostalgic walk down memory lane.

Cheers Queers! is a celebration of chosen family; the people in our lives who support, comfort, and accept us as we are.

MOVER OVER POP ROCKS >>

 

8 cans of Cann cannabis-infused sparkling tonic high boys

Changing Social Drinking One Sip At A Time

Celebrate Pride with the queer-owned brand that’s redefining social drinking. Move over chardonnay, goodbye sauv blanc, more people are turning to Cann’s cannabis-infused social tonics and we understand why.

Cann social tonics give you the perfect light, uplifted social buzz, minus the hangover the next morning… We LOVE that!

START SIPPING >>

 

 

Rainbow box, 0.5g cannabis cartridge with Carts For a Cause logo in center

Unicorns, The True OGs Of Mystical Creatures

In honor of the OGs who have paved the way for LGBTQIA+ rights, we proudly donate $1 from each Unicorn OG cartridge purchased to the GLBT Historical Society through our Carts For A Cause program, 365 days a year!

GET MAGICAL + MYSTICAL >>

 

The post Celebrate Pride With These 5 Brands appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
2987697
Green Friday Deals 2021 /green-friday-2021/ Tue, 23 Nov 2021 17:47:00 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=2940971 Shop our Green Friday Deals and take home a Gift With Purchase valued up to $133! We’re excited to announce that our Green Friday Gift With Purchases are back and even BIGGER than last year! So get ready to start shopping… the more you spend, the more you get!  About your Green Friday Gift With...

The post Green Friday Deals 2021 appeared first on SPARC.

]]>

Shop our Green Friday Deals and take home a Gift With Purchase valued up to $133!

We’re excited to announce that our Green Friday Gift With Purchases are back and even BIGGER than last year! So get ready to start shopping… the more you spend, the more you get! 

About your Green Friday Gift With Purchase

  • Spend $75, $125, or $200 to qualify for your gift with purchase, this total is based on your pretax subtotal, after discounts.
  • You will receive every product listed above, flavors may vary, products in each gift cannot be exchanged and are non-refundable.
  • This offer can be redeemed in-store, or when you order online. If your online order qualifies for a gift with purchase, then the SPARC team will add it to your order at the time of purchase.
  • Gifts are limited and will be given out on a first come first serve basis, while supplies last… so don’t delay!
  • We are required to charge you $0.01 for each product.
  • Not valid at SPARC Preferred Partner stores.
  • Offer valid through 11/26, or while supplies last.

Update On Gift With Purchase Availability

  • Lower Haight: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3
  • Santa Rosa: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3
  • Sebastopol: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3

______________________________

Logos of brands on sale for Green Friday

Green Friday Week Deals

Stock up on your favorite products with deals up to 50% off through Friday!

START SHOPPING GREEN FRIDAY WEEK DEALS NOW >>

*Green Friday Week deals valid through 11/26/2021. While supplies last. Availability may vary by location. Not combinable with other discounts or promotions. Cannot be applied to past purchases. BOGO discounts are by applied by brand to equal or lesser value product

The post Green Friday Deals 2021 appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
2940971
May Flowers /may-flowers/ Thu, 06 May 2021 16:26:55 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=2881834 The post May Flowers appeared first on SPARC.

]]>

The post May Flowers appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
2881834
Celebrate 420 with 30% Off and Special Gifts With Purchase /420-2021/ Sat, 03 Apr 2021 17:09:55 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=2868501 Visit us in-store to see which products are available for you to choose from, or place a delivery order and be surprised when you see which delightful treat has been added to your order.  The best part… each time you visit you’ll get to take home a gift*.    *420 GIFT WITH PURCHASE RULES AND...

The post Celebrate 420 with 30% Off and Special Gifts With Purchase appeared first on SPARC.

]]>

Brand Icons for 30% Off Week

 

Plus, choose a special Gift With Purchase from one of your favorite brands each time you spend over $75* this month!

 

Visit us in-store to see which products are available for you to choose from, or place a delivery order and be surprised when you see which delightful treat has been added to your order. 
The best part… each time you visit you’ll get to take home a gift*. 
Spend $100 and pick your favorite gift.
Spend $75 and take home a gift.

 

*420 GIFT WITH PURCHASE RULES AND RESTRICTIONS
  • Details: Offer valid through 4/30/2021, limit one gift with purchase per transaction, while supplies last. 
  • Spend Minimums: There are two gift with purchase tiers that you can choose from, with minimum spends of $75 and $100 to qualify. Spend requirements are based on your pretax subtotal, after discounts.
  • Gift With Purchase Products: We are required to collect a nominal fee for each gift you receive. Products may vary by location. Gift with purchase products are non-returnable.
  • Delivery Orders: If you place a delivery order your gift with purchase will be added to your order at random. 

The post Celebrate 420 with 30% Off and Special Gifts With Purchase appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
2868501
SPARC Looks to the Future of Cannabis Tourism Following Local Approval for Sonoma Farm /sonoma-county-cannabis-farm-expansion-approved/ Tue, 02 Feb 2021 22:47:00 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=2598548 You can’t yet take tours of the cannabis farms of Northern California or sit down in a tasting room to sample products and discuss the complex flavors of different varietals. But those days may be coming, and SPARC has just taken a first step toward eventually making cannabis tourism a reality — in the heart...

The post SPARC Looks to the Future of Cannabis Tourism Following Local Approval for Sonoma Farm appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
You can’t yet take tours of the cannabis farms of Northern California or sit down in a tasting room to sample products and discuss the complex flavors of different varietals. But those days may be coming, and SPARC has just taken a first step toward eventually making cannabis tourism a reality — in the heart of Sonoma’s wine country where wine tourism has existed for decades.

At their January 26 meeting, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved SPARC’s project use permit for their recently rebuilt cultivation and processing facility in Glen Ellen. SPARC lost not only one of its first big outdoor crops but also a significantly renovated processing facility in an old barn when the Nuns Fire tore through this part of the county in October 2017. And now the company has rebuilt an even larger and more robust facility that will accommodate indoor growing as well as drying, processing, and packaging in accordance with California laws governing cannabis for recreational use.

The facility includes a 20,000-square-foot processing barn outfitted with solar panels, and a 70,000-square-foot greenhouse — which is outfitted with blackout curtains to prevent light pollution at night, and an odor-mitigation system to keep down the volume of cannabis aroma for the surrounding area.

SPARC’s facility sits on a 27-acre site that was formerly the Gordenker turkey farm in Glen Ellen — and the Gordenker family has roots in the town dating back to the late 1800s. Family members still grow wine grapes on a different part of the property, and since 2016, SPARC has been cultivating its outdoor brand, Marigold, here in the heart of Sonoma’s famed Valley of the Moon.

The project to rebuild the processing facility and greenhouse won unanimous approval from the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Council last year, and public comments at the January 26 supervisors’ meeting reflected SPARC’s established reputation for professionalism in the area. Neighbors also noted how SPARC staff helped rescue nearby homes during the Nuns Fire, including the Gordenker Ranch.

“I view our [newly approved] use permit as a first of many steps in Sonoma Valley,” says SPARC founder and CEO Erich Pearson, speaking this month to the local paper the Kenwood Press. “We hope to work with the local government to create public access on the property, in the form of a retail sales store… or maybe a farm stand.”

Pearson adds that the team has created a man-made lake on the property to help with crop irrigation, and parts of the land would be perfect for overnight “glamping” for tourists as well.

“We’re looking forward to making more of a hospitality-centered experience around the farm,” Pearson said.

As we’ve reported before, SPARC’s first-ever customer survey in the summer of 2020 found that many customers are looking forward to being able to visit the farm and have on-site tasting experiences, as soon as this becomes a legal reality.

For now, SPARC’s Glen Ellen farm remains closed to the public. But the days of winery-like tours and tastings may not be far off.

The post SPARC Looks to the Future of Cannabis Tourism Following Local Approval for Sonoma Farm appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
2598548
High Holidays – Your Guide to a High THC New Year’s Eve /high-thc-new-years-eve/ Thu, 31 Dec 2020 16:13:24 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=364072 Your travel plans have been canceled, your New Year’s Eve party is on Zoom, and you’re ready to say GOODBYE to 2020. Ring in 2021 with a trip through SPARC’s highest of high THC delights. This list of the best high THC cannabis products is certain to help you end 2020 on a much needed...

The post High Holidays – Your Guide to a High THC New Year’s Eve appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Your travel plans have been canceled, your New Year’s Eve party is on Zoom, and you’re ready to say GOODBYE to 2020. Ring in 2021 with a trip through SPARC’s highest of high THC delights. This list of the best high THC cannabis products is certain to help you end 2020 on a much needed high note.

From tinctures and extracts to gummies and cannabis-infused sriracha, if you’re looking for high THC products we’ve got you covered.

Start with Kiva Confections’ awesome, strain-specific, Lost Farm flavored gummies. At 10mg of THC per piece, these live-resin gummies are the perfect way to control your buzz. And the flavors are unique and driven by the strains used: Citrus Spritz is made with resin from Clementine, a sativa-dominant hybrid of Tangie and Lemon Skunk; Raspberry is made with Blue Dream, which is known for its sugary berry flavors; and Strawberry Lemonade is made with Super Lemon Haze, a hybrid of Lemon Skunk and Super Silver Haze.

When it comes to cannabis flower, you can’t get much sweeter than Marigold’s sungrown, biodynamic Blue Dream. SPARC cannabis dispensaries in San Francisco and Sonoma County carry this special flower in eighths or grams, and it clocks in at an NYE-friendly 31.7% THC.

Space Coyote infused prerolls available at SPARC cannabis dispensary in Sebastopol

Also in the preroll department we have five-packs of Space Coyote’s live resin-infused prerolls. The sativa prerolls clock in at 32.3% THC, and the indica prerolls at 27% THC, so these are perfect for a quick and buzzworthy smoke.

Manzanita Naturals Kwik Ease Shots available at SPARC cannabis dispensary in San Francisco

Ready to see fireworks? Explore Manzanita Naturals Kwik Ease shots. These $10, beverages feature CO2-extracted cannabis oil infused in water and blended with honey, lemon juice, ginger, orange, and quillaja bark. Be sure to pay attention to dosing, each of these small bottles contains 100 mg of THC.

Potli cannabis infused sriracha available at SPARC cannabis delivery San Francisco

Potli’s groundbreaking, cannabis-infused sriracha is the perfect condiment to add to any virtual soiree. If you need some recipe ideas for this spicy, THC-heavy hot sauce, check out their amazing cannabis-infused recipes.

Jade Nectar cannabis tinctures available at SPARC cannabis dispensary San Francisco

Jade Nectar tinctures come in indica and sativa varieties, in 30-milliliter, 300mg dropper bottles that are perfect for micro- or macro-dosing. Infused in California olive oil, the indica tincture is made from pure landrace strains that originated in Afghanistan, while the uplifting sativa tincture is made from Thai, Lamb’s Bread, and African landrace strains.

LEVEL Protab SPARC cannabis delivery Santa Rosa

For easy dosing this New Year’s Eve, you may want to stock up on some LEVEL Protabs — basically just cannabis in a pill. The indica and sativa tablets each come 10 to a pack for $29, with 25mg of THC per tablet.

And for some next-level THC delivery, don’t miss Emerald Bay Extracts. Emerald Bay’s Sherbet Indica RSO full-spectrum oil brings a unique, energizing, and calming high with 89.1% THC — the perfect remedy for any pandemic holiday stresses. And their Blue Dream extract clocks in at 834.8mg of THC — definitely enough to get you through to the new year.

Shop all these products now in the SPARC by visiting our San Francisco cannabis dispensary in Lower Haight or Love Shack or our Sonoma County cannabis dispensaries in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol.

Looking for cannabis delivery near you? Order online for cannabis delivery in San Francisco, San Mateo County, and Sonoma County.

The post High Holidays – Your Guide to a High THC New Year’s Eve appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
364072
The 2020 Election Showed Broad Support for Cannabis Legalization; When Will It Happen? /2020-election-future-of-cannabis/ Wed, 30 Dec 2020 01:08:00 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=349754 With a new Democratic majority in the Senate, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Congress will respond to public opinion and fully legalize recreational cannabis in the next year or two. And the November election showed increasing and broad support for decriminalization and legalization in both red and blue states. Conservative states...

The post The 2020 Election Showed Broad Support for Cannabis Legalization; When Will It Happen? appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
With a new Democratic majority in the Senate, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Congress will respond to public opinion and fully legalize recreational cannabis in the next year or two. And the November election showed increasing and broad support for decriminalization and legalization in both red and blue states.

Conservative states South Dakota and Montana, which both went for Trump in the election, both passed broad legalization measures for marijuana on November 4. And so did voters in moderate Arizona, and progressive New Jersey, adding to the national total of 15 states that have approved broad legalization efforts.

Also in this election, voters in Mississippi approved a medical marijuana measure for the first time,

As the Associated Press reports, with medical marijuana now legally available in 36 states, and 68 percent of voters expressing approval for federal legalization in a November 9 Gallup poll, the country seems poised for a major sea change under the Biden Administration.

Back in 1992, when then candidate for President Bill Clinton claimed he “didn’t inhale,” national support for legalization was around 25 percent. In 2003, approval was around 34 percent.

Vice President Kamala Harris has already previously lent her support to the Senate version of a legalization bill that was introduced in the House of Representatives last year. The MORE Act (short for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019), which has yet to be brought to the House floor for debate or a vote, would remove marijuana from the list of Schedule 1 drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, and would also make the sale, manufacture, cultivation, and possession of cannabis legal at the federal level. It would also make Small Business Administration loans available to cannabis businesses, establish a 5-percent tax on cannabis products, and establish a trust fund to help those whose lives were negatively impacted by the War on Drugs, funded by the tax.

But, as the AP notes, former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has held a conservative line on cannabis and blocked any legislation from reaching the Senate floor in recent years. And while cannabis legalization may easily pass a House vote, there are still far too many older senators and social conservatives among Democrats in the Senate to assume that legalization will happen in the current Congress, as Politico noted in November.

Conservative governors around the country have continued to talk about cannabis as a “gateway drug,” and to generally act like it’s still 1960 out there and like there’s some clean and sober American ideal that must be upheld — alcohol not included.

“We’ve waged a war against this plant for a century and by any reasonable metric, that war has been an abject failure,” said Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, in a statement to the AP. “All it’s done is incarcerate millions of Americans, it has perpetuated racism in this country, and perhaps the worst injustice of all is that it’s deprived us of medical marijuana research.”

Schweich adds that whenever a patient, especially a veteran, gets pushed toward highly addictive opioid painkillers instead of cannabis to treat chronic pain, “That’s unpatriotic and it’s a disgrace.”

Speaking to Politico prior to the election, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) said, “You have sort of a convergence of all of these movements and issues and hype [around cannbis]. “I think this is the perfect time to move it onto the floor [and] over to the Senate.”

So when will it happen? Democrats have lots of arguably bigger fish to fry in Congress as President Biden prepares to set his agenda in motion, and with the advantage of a one-vote margin in the Senate, things might actually get done there for the first time in a decade. Could cannabis legalization at the federal level finally become more than a pipe dream?

Only six out of 50 states currently don’t allow for medical cannabis, and treat marijuana as completely illegal: Alabama, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

The post The 2020 Election Showed Broad Support for Cannabis Legalization; When Will It Happen? appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
349754
Cook With These CBN- and THC-Infused Products to Spice Up (or Mellow Out) Your Holiday Table /potli-cannabis-infused-recipes/ Tue, 08 Dec 2020 16:21:27 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=359951 The universe of cannabis pantry products continues to grow, and SPARC has some new items in the store that would make for great holiday gifts as well as great additions to your cannabis cooking repertoire. Potli is a company that specializes in honey — fresh-farmed honey that is infused with either CBD or CBN, the...

The post Cook With These CBN- and THC-Infused Products to Spice Up (or Mellow Out) Your Holiday Table appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
The universe of cannabis pantry products continues to grow, and SPARC has some new items in the store that would make for great holiday gifts as well as great additions to your cannabis cooking repertoire.

Potli is a company that specializes in honey — fresh-farmed honey that is infused with either CBD or CBN, the cannabinoid most associated with aiding sleep. But they also make other products like CBD-infused olive oil, chili oil, and apple cider vinegar, and THC-infused sriracha (scroll down for details).

Potli’s new Dream Honey is made with CBN, and Potli founders Felicity Chen and Christine Yi both swear by it as an essential part of their nightly wind-down routines.

Felicity likes mixing it with ginger tea to enjoy in a bubble bath or just before bed — “During the winters I even set up my tea station right next to my bed so that I can keep my tea piping hot,” she says.

But you can also drizzle it on nut-butter toast or add it to some oatmeal cookies for the perfect, gently sleep-inducing nighttime snack. (And both recipes are vegan.)

For a spicier kick to savory dishes that will pack more of a buzz, check out Potli’s THC-infused sriracha sauce. Drizzle some on your avocado toast for a morning or afternoon treat, or mix it into some crab deviled eggs for a festive holiday cocktail-hour bite.

See recipes for all of the above down below, and if you’re looking for more CBN-infused products to help with sleep, check out Mary’s Medicinals CBN Patch, or Camino’s Midnight Gummies.

RECIPES

Sleepytime Nut Butter Toast

2 thick slices of bread
½ cup nut butter of your choice
½ cup sliced strawberries, banana, or other fruit
2 tbsp Potli Dream Honey
¼ cup toasted coconut
½ tsp flaky sea salt (like fleur de sel)

Toast the bread. Divide the nut butter and spread half on each slice. Top each with half the fruit and 1 tbsp of Dream Honey. Sprinkle both slices with coconut and salt.

Bedtime Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 ripe banana, mashed
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
¼ cup dark chocolate-covered cherries, chopped
½ cup nut butter (preferably peanut butter)
¼ cup Potli Dream Honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat Dream Honey over low heat. Combine dry ingredients with banana in a bowl, and mix in the peanut butter and the warmed honey. Form cookies and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown (or enjoy the no-bake cookie dough as-is).

Potli cannabis-infused Edibles

Elevated Avocado Toast

1 ripe avocado
1 thick slice sourdough bread, toasted
1/4 lemon
6 ml Potli Cannabis-infused Sriracha
Salt and pepper to taste

Slice avocado and arrange on toast. Drizzle with lemon juice and dab with sriracha — using dropper measurement for a 5mg dose, or more if you choose. Top with salt and pepper, and/or add a fried egg, cherry tomatoes, or garlic powder.

Crabby Deviled Eggs
(adapted from chef Tracey Shepos Cenami, formerly of Monti’s in Santa Rosa)

6 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
1 lb. fresh Dungeness crab meat, cleaned and picked over for any shells
½ cup mayonnaise
½ bunch green onions, minced
1 tbsp Potli Cannabis-infused Sriracha (~15mg)
1 tbsp minced preserved lemon
Salt
Black pepper
Togarashi spice (also known as Japanese 7 spice)

Hard-boil 6 eggs. (12 minutes followed by a 8-10 minute ice water bath works.)

In a medium bowl, gently mix the crabmeat, mayonnaise, green onions, Potli Sriracha, and preserved lemon peel. Once the eggs have cooled completely, cut them in half longways. Scoop out yolks, chop them, and incorporate yolks into crab mixture. Place on your preferred dish and top each with 1-2 tablespoons of crab mixture. Garnish with green onion and a little sprinkle of Togarashi spice.

Find more great recipes for Potli’s products here.

The post Cook With These CBN- and THC-Infused Products to Spice Up (or Mellow Out) Your Holiday Table appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
359951
Jump-Start the Holiday Spirit With New, Seasonal-Flavored Cannabis Products /seasonal-cannabis-products-holidays-2020/ Sat, 05 Dec 2020 16:06:03 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=357238 The holidays are upon us, and even in this often gloomy and stressful year, everyone needs to reward themselves for getting through it with some Yuletide cheer. And while there may not be any office parties or house parties this year, you can ring in the season safely at home — and with fewer hangovers...

The post Jump-Start the Holiday Spirit With New, Seasonal-Flavored Cannabis Products appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
The holidays are upon us, and even in this often gloomy and stressful year, everyone needs to reward themselves for getting through it with some Yuletide cheer.

And while there may not be any office parties or house parties this year, you can ring in the season safely at home — and with fewer hangovers — with the help of some festive-flavored cannabis products that are new in the SPARC store.

Tired of eggnog lattes and pumpkin-spiced everything? Several cannabis companies have been getting creative with their holiday beverages and edibles this year, and there’s plenty to choose from, flavor-wise.

Microdose “social tonic” brand Cann is a great place to start for your holiday imbibing — and, when possible, socially distanced outside gatherings. Recognizing that “thousands of years of humanity is centered around socializing with beverages,” Cann founders Jake Bullock and Luke Anderson have created THC- and CBD-infused canned beverages in interesting flavors — including the new Cranberry Sage tonic ($18 for a four-pack) for the holiday season. With about 35 calories per can, it makes for the perfect substitute for a glass of wine or cocktail — and with just two milligrams of THC and four milligrams of CBD per can, you’ll get a light buzz within 15 minutes that quickly fades in about an hour.

And if you’re not into cranberry, as a flavor, check out Cann’s six-packs of Blood Orange Cardamom tonic, and Grapefruit Rosemary tonic, both of which will also bring some holiday spice with a little bit of giddy high.

If you’re looking to put some new seasonal flavors in your edibles mix, check out the new sugar plum-flavored Kanha Nano gummies ($20) from Kanha Treats. Each indica gummy is 10 milligrams of THC — and Kanha boasts that their nanomolecular technology is great “for a quicker, harder-hitting onset.” And, as always, there’s a zero-pesticide guarantee with Kanha’s edibles, and they’re made from all-natural ingredients — sugar plums and all.

Whether you’re looking for a festive stocking stuffer for your edibles-loving significant other, or just for a fun, low-dose dessert treat for a winter’s night, you need to try the Peppermint Bark Bar from Kiva ($22). Each 100-milligram chocolate bar can be broken in 20 five-milligram squares, for the perfect microdose after a holiday meal. The bars are swirled with white chocolate and dusted with crushed peppermint candy, and like all of Kiva’s award-winning chocolate edibles, it’s made with cold-water hash — a labor-intensive technique that produces a clean, pure cannabis concentrate known for its delicious taste and full-body high.

‘Tis the season for indulging — and over-indulging — but with these holiday cannabis treats you’ll at least be spared the indigestion and morning-after headaches.

Check out these items and more in the SPARC online store.

The post Jump-Start the Holiday Spirit With New, Seasonal-Flavored Cannabis Products appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
357238
Cultivating with Care: An Interview with SPARC’s Farm Manager /cultivating-with-care-an-interview-with-sparcs-farm-manager/ Tue, 13 Oct 2020 17:35:30 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=330915 Introduce yourself, and tell us what you do.  My name is Amy Goodwin and I am the assistant manager at the SPARC farm. I do all things related to cultivating our cannabis, from planting and feeding to pruning and harvesting, I help bring flower to your homes. I’ve been in cannabis for 20 years, and...

The post Cultivating with Care: An Interview with SPARC’s Farm Manager appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Introduce yourself, and tell us what you do. 

My name is Amy Goodwin and I am the assistant manager at the SPARC farm. I do all things related to cultivating our cannabis, from planting and feeding to pruning and harvesting, I help bring flower to your homes.

I’ve been in cannabis for 20 years, and have worked at SPARC for almost 8 years.  After starting as a trimmer in the spring of 2013, I fell in love with the camaraderie and spirit of everyone involved at SPARC…  it instantly felt like home. I’ve worn many hats at SPARC, but working outside on the farm with the plants is where I find my happy place.

2020 has been quite the year, what are some of the challenges that you’ve faced with this year’s cultivation? 

The challenges of maintaining a garden of commercial size is all about timing. You have to treat each plant as your own, yet spread your love evenly across an acre and thousands of plants. Each strain has its own needs, its own strengths and weaknesses.  You raise and nurture them as babies, train them as teens, and give them every advantage you can as they grow and you send them out into the world as adults. 

Being able to harvest at the perfect time for each plant at optimal ripeness is a test of hyper attention and hustle. We have begun that dance this year and our harvest is going great! We are really excited about our strains and our girls were very healthy and strong this year.

The recent Glass Fire came close to the SPARC farm, which was lost in the 2017 Tubbs Fire. Can you tell me a little bit about what it was like to work on the team when the fires hit in 2017? 

2017 was our first year at our Sonoma Valley location. We put so much love and work into creating the infrastructure, and planting our crop that first season. It was heartbreaking to see it go to ash, literally.  Our entire farm, crop and structures were lost in the Tubbs Fire. But watching the landscape around us come back to life, has also brought a reinvigorated love of the farm. We are better than ever this year, and we have done it with the same core crew, and we couldn’t be happier with what’s coming your way from our farm.

What are you most excited about with this season’s flower? 

We have many surprises for you this season, but in particular,  I personally enjoy the Its-It.  It’s It is a dream to grow, easy to process, and a weighty girl. Also look out for Lost Coast Lemon… it’s got the sneakier terps.

What’s your team’s favorite strain you’re growing this year? 

We all have different favorites, but one of our team members, Gus, is adamant that Peanut Butter Chocolate is the best!

Tell us more about working with the SPARC farm team?

Every person on our team has a unique talent.  But the common denominator is the love of the plant, and the process. I couldn’t ask for a better team to work with every day. Gianni, Jasmine, Jorgio, Nick, Gus, Nelson, and our Director Chris – they are the ones who make these plants special, and make this job one-of-a-kind. We will be working hard to get these strains down at the perfect time, cured for the perfect taste, and from our farm to your coffee table just in time for Thanksgiving… and many weeks thereafter.

Is there anything you’d like the folks visiting our stores to know?

We do what we do because we love it… and we want you to love it too!

The post Cultivating with Care: An Interview with SPARC’s Farm Manager appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
330915
Tips for a First Time Weed Smoker /tips-for-a-first-time-weed-smoker/ /tips-for-a-first-time-weed-smoker/#respond Mon, 05 Oct 2020 08:44:05 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=324601 Do you want to smoke weed? Are you unsure how to do it? If you are a first-time weed smoker, then we have a bunch of great tips to make your first experience enjoyable. People smoke weed for lots of reasons. Many smoke weed for a recreational high that is safer than drinking alcohol. And...

The post Tips for a First Time Weed Smoker appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Do you want to smoke weed? Are you unsure how to do it? If you are a first-time weed smoker, then we have a bunch of great tips to make your first experience enjoyable.

People smoke weed for lots of reasons. Many smoke weed for a recreational high that is safer than drinking alcohol. And some people smoke cannabis for medicinal benefits:

  • Relieve aches and pains
  • Reduce nausea
  • Relieve Migraines
  • Reduce Anxiety
  • Improve Appetite
  • Reduce inflammation

Whatever your reason for learning to smoke weed, we have the best tips for the first time weed smoker.

Preparations

Before sitting down to smoke weed for the first time, you need to prepare for the experience. By following our tips on how to prepare to smoke weed, you’ll guarantee a better experience.

Get Information From a Professional

Before your first time smoking, you’ll want to talk to a budtender at your local dispensary. Budtenders are weed professionals that will have lots of valuable information about the right kinds of weed to smoke for your first time.

Depending on why you are smoking cannabis, the budtender will recommend certain medicinal and recreational strains. They will also suggest which strains are better for first-time users, give dosage instructions, and explain the best consumption and storage methods.

Control Your Surroundings

You want your first experience to be in a safe and comfortable environment. You’ll want your space to be as relaxing as possible—find your happy place. This is generally a living room in your home and not the back alley of a 7 Eleven. (That would be the opposite of safe.)

You do not want to smoke weed for the first time with strangers or shady dudes. Make sure to surround yourself with friends you trust. You’ll want to trust they will take care of you and not pass you any harmful weed. 

Clear Your Schedule

First-time weed smokers often pass out or feel heavy-bodied. You will in no way be able to function for regular routines after your first time smoking weed. And you don’t want to smoke weed right before you have to go somewhere. Odds are, you won’t make it.

Bring Water

When you smoke weed, your mouth’s receptors stop producing saliva, creating another side effect of smoking weed is dry mouth or “cotton mouth.” Dry mouth will go away once the THC is out of your system.

When smoking weed, you want to have water near you for several reasons:

  • Reduces dry mouth
  • Quenches thirst
  • Decreases fatigue
  • Relieves headaches

Another reason to have water is to help with coughing. First-time weed smokers often cough while learning to smoke. Water can help relieve the burn and itch in your throat. According to Bustle magazine, you’ll want to have at least sixteen ounces of water ready before you begin.

Load Up On Snacks

Feeling hungry is a common side effect of smoking weed. This is called “the munchies.” Most people get the munchies from smoking weed, especially the first time you smoke. 

You’ll want to load up on your favorite snacks beforehand so that you don’t feel the need to drive while you are high. This will also save you money in the long run because sometimes munchie cravings take over. And then you’ll spend crazy amounts of money Doordashing creamy mac and cheesy or Hostess Snowballs. 

Don’t question the munchies, or they will own you.

Choose A Beginner-Friendly Piece

When first starting, you want to start small to learn how your body will react to the weed. Because there are many ways to smoke weed, you’ll want to keep it simple by starting with a:

  • Joint: This is a small amount of cannabis rolled in a thin paper for smoking like a cigarette.
  • Blunt: This is a cigar wrapper filled with cannabis. One blunt is equal to six joints.
  • Bowl: This is a small smoking pipe where a small amount of weed is placed in the pipe bowl to be lit.

Do not start with a bong or dabs. This will wreck you and not in a good way.

Are you looking for a great strain of marijuana or prerolled joints? Check out Sparc’s extensive selection of buds, plants, and prerolled joints for first-time weed smokers in the California Bay Area.

Related Link: Best Ways to Smoke Weed Without a Pipe

Sparc: Tips for a First Time Weed Smoker: Start with a joint

Tips For When You Start Smoking 

Once you have made all the preparations, you are ready to smoke weed for the first time. Here are our best tips for smoking as a first-time weed smoker.

 Inhale Deeply

When first-time weed smokers take their first drag on a joint or bowl, they don’t inhale deeply. Instead, they’ll take a quick puff, which will have little effect. Inhaling the smoke deep into the lungs will maximize the impact of the weed on your body. To do this:

  • Inhale the smoke but don’t let it fill your mouth. Suck the smoke down into your lungs.
  • Remove the joint from your lips, and without releasing the smoke, take a quick breath drawing in a little clean air into your lungs.
  • Hold for a second and then slowly release the smoke and air from your lungs.

Of course, this is why lots of first-time weed smokers cough because they haven’t quite adjusted to how the smoke feels inside their bodies. If you cough, don’t worry. Hopefully, you have your water ready, and you can get a drink before trying again.

Sharing is Caring

Hopefully, you are smoking weed with friends in a positive environment. As a weed smoker, it is very important to share the weed with everyone who wants a hit. Keeping the joint or bowl to yourself is bad manners and a weed taboo. Don’t be that guy.

Joints burn quickly, so remember to pass the joint to the next person after taking a deep hit. Always share. It’s the kind thing to do. There is plenty to go around.

Learn Your Limits

As a first-time weed smoker, it’s essential that you take your time. Weed takes a few minutes to take effect on the body. So take a few puffs and pass the weed to someone else. This will give you time to gauge the intensity of the effects and how you are feeling:

  • Has your mood changed, or do you feel high?
  • Do you feel calm, overwhelmed, or anxious?
  • Are you feeling sleepy?
  • Are you experiencing negative feelings?

Keep track of how many puffs it took to feel high. If you have negative thoughts or feel stoned out of your mind, remember that it’s okay to pass the joint instead of taking another puff. Find your limit and act responsibly. 

Remember, It’s Okay to Cough 

Coughing is a natural reaction to letting something other than air into your lungs. Your lungs will initially fight it. The smoke can cause a burning, itchy feeling that only a cough can relieve. This is a normal reaction for smoking weed the first time.

Remember that water you have? Get a drink of water, soothe the itch, and try again.

When you are high, try to relax.

What To Do Once You’re High

Embrace the feeling and relax. You can socialize with those around you, philosophize, or express yourself in creative ways like art, music, yoga, or writing. The critical thing to remember is to relax and enjoy it.

Enjoy It

Some of our favorite ways to enjoy the high from weed are to:

  • Listen to your favorite band.
  • Eat ice cream or your favorite munchies.
  • Watch an entertaining movie.
  • Go outside and enjoy nature.

What to Do if it’s a Bad High

While no one has ever overdosed from smoking marijuana, you can experience a bad high. The Center for Disease Control defines the signs of a bad high:

  • Extreme confusion
  • Paranoia
  • Panic
  • Anxiety
  • Increased heart rate
  • Delusions
  • Hallucinations
  • Increased blood pressure
  • Severe nausea or vomiting

If you experience any of these signs, it is essential to:

  • Acknowledge the bad high as anxiety
  • Remember that nothing bad is actually going to happen
  • Retreat to a quiet place
  • Enlist a friend to talk you down from the bad high or give you a hug to relieve stress
  • Do not drive a car.

Closing Remarks 

The first time you smoke marijuana can be a fun and rewarding experience. Do not set unrealistic expectations on yourself and be patient. Learning to smoke weed can be difficult at first but be patient, and you’ll figure it out.

Don’t be discouraged if you didn’t feel high after you smoked weed. This is common for first-time weed smokers because they haven’t quite grasped how to inhale the smoke best to create the high. Give it time and enjoy the ride.

Sparc is a legal, trusted California Bay Area supplier of marijuana and its products. If you want to start smoking weed, you’ll want to shop Sparc’s extensive inventory of cannabis flowers, plants, edibles, extracts, pills, oils, beverages, topicals, prerolls, cartridges, and merchandise.

Want to get the most out of your high? Read how to appreciate cannabis through the senses.

Related Link: Sparc Product Guide

The post Tips for a First Time Weed Smoker appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/tips-for-a-first-time-weed-smoker/feed/ 0 324601
Different Ways Weed is Used /different-ways-weed-is-used/ /different-ways-weed-is-used/#respond Fri, 02 Oct 2020 08:37:00 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=324597 Today, there are so many different ways weed is used. Whether it is for recreational or medicinal reasons, how you ingest weed is just as critical as the weed you buy. Different ways weed is used can affect the potency, effect, and benefits for the user. There are three typical ways weed is used and...

The post Different Ways Weed is Used appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Today, there are so many different ways weed is used. Whether it is for recreational or medicinal reasons, how you ingest weed is just as critical as the weed you buy. Different ways weed is used can affect the potency, effect, and benefits for the user.

There are three typical ways weed is used and consumed: 

  • Smoked 
  • Ingested
  • Topically Applied

We’ll explain the different methods of consumption within each category. By the end, you’ll know your way around a bud and the best way to use it.

Ways Cannabis is Smoked 

By smoking cannabis, marijuana smoke fills the user’s lungs, absorbing into the bloodstream. This is an effective way to feel the effects of THC quickly. Users experience a change in mood within minutes of taking their first hit.

There are two typical ways cannabis can be smoked: vaporization and smoking. While vaping is a new technology and once touted as a safer method for smoking, recent studies find that vaping is just as harmful as smoking. If a user chooses to smoke instead of vape, they have many options for smoke inhalation.

Pipes and Bowls 

Pipes and Bowls are the most commonly preferred method for smoking weed. These small, portable pipes make it very convenient to use. Another reason for their popularity, pipes and bowls come in a variety of cool shapes, sizes, and creative designs, making them functional statements of personal style. 

As the cannabis burns, pipes and bowls trap the smoke for a user to inhale. They are easy to handle without the risk of burning your fingers like you can with a joint. And many pipes can fit into your pocket for discreet portability.

Different Ways Weed is Used: Joints

Joints

By filling rolling papers with cannabis, joints allow users to customize the type and amount of weed they use easily. Similar to a pipe, the rolling paper traps the smoke inside for the user to inhale. Joints are small, portable, and easy to use. 

While inexpensive, newbie weed smokers may have trouble rolling their own joints. There is a small learning curve to craft the perfect joint. Also, as you near the end of the joint, it becomes harder to handle and pass to other people.  

The end or butt of a joint is affectionately referred to as a roach. Users employ roach clips to hold the tiny end of the roach, so they don’t burn their fingers.

Vaping  

Vaping is a relatively new way to smoke marijuana. Vaporizers heat the weed until it is almost to combustion, turning the active ingredients into a vapor that can be inhaled. This is better than inhaling harmful smoke. Vaporizers are also very small for portability and concealment. Many vaporizers fit comfortably into your pocket.

Vape pens are becoming more popular as a method for vaping. These small vaporizers heat cannabis cartridges to create a vapor that is safe for inhalation. You can buy disposable or rechargeable vape pens.

Blunts 

Blunts are cigar wrappers that are hollowed out and then stuffed with weed. One blunt is the equivalent of six joints. Because you have to scoop out the tobacco to fill the wrapper with weed, the blunt has a tobacco hint when it is smoked. 

Blunts are fat, easy-to-use, weed delivery devices. You smoke a blunt like a joint, but a blunt delivers way more smoke from each hit.

Water Pipes (Bongs and Bubblers) 

Popular smoking devices, water pipes are similar to hand pipes, but they incorporate water to help cool the smoke. Known as bongs and bubblers, water pipes come in all shapes and sizes. They can hold large amounts of smoke in their tubes to be inhaled all at once for a more substantial hit. 

Hookahs

Hookahs are similar to water pipes but can allow multiple users at the same time. Hookahs are rarely used for smoking weed because their low water content burns the weed faster than the smoke can be inhaled, which ends up wasting the plant and creates an acrid taste. To slow the burn rate, tobacco can be infused with the weed but has more harmful side effects.

DIY One-Time Devices 

If you don’t have a pipe, vaporizer, or papers, you can always make a Do-It-Yourself single-use device from various household items and even food. You can create a makeshift pipe using an apple, onion, aluminum can, bottle, or milk jug. 

A popular DIY one-time device is a gravity bong. You can make a gravity bong from a plastic bottle, milk jug, or two-liter soda bottle. Gravity bongs pull smoke into the main chamber using water and gravity.

Related Link: The Best Ways to Smoke Weed Without a Pipe

Dabbing 

Dabbing is similar to vaping by using extracted THC resins from the cannabis plant. THC is the main component that causes a high. Dabbing can use THC as a hash oil, a soft solid form called wax, or a hard solid known as a shatter.

When dabbing, a person heats the oil or solid (instead of the plant) in a glass pipe or bong using a blowtorch. The THC extract creates a vapor that can be inhaled. This can produce a strong high because the THC extract is a high concentration of THC.

Are you looking for a new device to smoke weed? Check out Sparc’s extensive inventory of vape pens, rolling papers, pipes, and bongs.

Different Ways Weed is Used: Tinctures

Ways Cannabis is Ingested

For people who don’t like the smell of weed but want the high it produces, you can always ingest cannabis to enjoy the same result. While marijuana brownies have been popular for ages, the newer process of cannabis distillate allows users to infuse THC extract into any food or drink.

Edibles

Edibles are foods and drinks infused with ingestible cannabis oils and extracts of the cannabis plant. Swallowed and digested like food, edibles affect people differently because they don’t immediately enter the bloodstream. Edible highs can last longer and be more powerful, causing psychoactive effects on the entire body.

Edibles come in many forms, such as baked goods, candies, granola bars, and gum. You can also buy THC pure extract, which is odorless and tasteless, and add it to your favorite drink or snack.

Tinctures

Tinctures are a liquid cannabis extract that can be dropped under the tongue for quick absorption. Users can control their dosage, and it doesn’t have the same health risks as smoking. Commonly used for medicinal purposes, tinctures are a great alternative to smoking.

There are many tinctures that use THC and CBD extracts. THC extracts have psychoactive effects where CBD has no side effects.

Sprays 

Sprays work similarly to tinctures, but instead of dropping THC doses, the user sprays the liquid form of THC under their tongue for fast absorption. This is a common method for medicinal users who don’t want the harmful effects of smoking or the extra calories from edibles.

Different Ways Weed is Used: Oils, Lotions and Balms

Ways Cannabis is Topically Applied  

For people who want the benefits of using cannabis without the high, you can use topical oils and lotions to relieve inflammation and muscle pain. Topical application is often used for beauty or medicinal purposes.

An NCBI study compiled the results of several clinical trials of CBD and THC. They found that high doses of CBD oil can:

  • Alleviate insomnia
  • Reduce anxiety
  • Treat epilepsy

More studies will be conducted to validate other medical benefits of CBD and THC.

Oils and Lotions 

Topical oils are extracted from cannabis and often do not contain THC. The CBD extracts are infused with oils or lotions to be smoothed over the skin to relieve pain, hydrate the skin, and reduce inflammation. 

Because CBD oils and lotions do not have any high-producing side effects, they are growing in demand for everyday use. Sparc offers a full line of topical oils and lotions.

Final Thoughts 

There truly are many different ways weed is used. Whether you smoke, ingest, or apply cannabis, you can enjoy the different effects of using different methods. While smoking is a more recreational consumption method, many users prefer edibles and topicals for medicinal use. 

The number of methods for cannabis use continues to grow as the market evolves. And the development of cannabis distillation will further push how cannabis will be used. As more clinical studies validate the benefits of THC and CBD extracts for medicinal use, the more commonplace cannabis will be around us.

Sparc is a legal, trusted California Bay Area supplier of cannabis products that are sustainably grown in Sonoma County. If you want more ways weed is used, you’ll want to shop Sparc’s extensive inventory of edibles, extracts, rolling papers, pills, oils, beverages, devices, and topicals.

Do you live in the Bay Area and need weed products for medicinal or recreational use? Find a Sparc retailer near you.
Related Link: Sparc’s Featured Brands of Cannabis Products

The post Different Ways Weed is Used appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/different-ways-weed-is-used/feed/ 0 324597
What is Cannabis Distillate? /what-is-cannabis-distillate/ /what-is-cannabis-distillate/#respond Wed, 30 Sep 2020 08:36:25 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=324594 Cannabis Distillate is a newer production technique for distilling cannabinoids to create a concentrate from plant matter. Because this production technique essentially creates a cannabis extract with a pure molecular level, Cannabis Distillate is often called “The Pure.” Touted as the next evolution in cannabis science, Cannabis Distillation enables extracts to grow in popularity because...

The post What is Cannabis Distillate? appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Cannabis Distillate is a newer production technique for distilling cannabinoids to create a concentrate from plant matter. Because this production technique essentially creates a cannabis extract with a pure molecular level, Cannabis Distillate is often called “The Pure.”

Touted as the next evolution in cannabis science, Cannabis Distillation enables extracts to grow in popularity because the process can create a tasteless, odorless, 99% pure THC concentrate. These extracts have tremendous medicinal and recreational potential.

Because it doesn’t have a flavor, taste, or aroma, Cannabis Distillate can be consumed in almost any form. Extremely potent, Cannabis Distillate is a base ingredient in many edibles and vape cartridges. It is also sold as THC oil and CBD oil for medicinal purposes. 

Cannabis distillation is a superior process for creating potent THC and CBD extracts over traditional cannabinoid processes. Although it does have some drawbacks, cannabis distillation will advance the way we consume cannabis products. 

Related Link: The Ultimate Guide to Cannabis Plant Anatomy

Cannabinoid Process

Traditionally, there are two methods for creating concentrates from cannabinoid: 

Wax and Shatter Method

The wax and shatter method is a chemical method for creating cannabinoid concentrates uses solvents, like butane, to extract the main components from the cannabis plant. A typical production technique of using solvents creates shatter and wax.

Using the wax and shatter method has a couple of drawbacks:

  • The solvents leave residue in the cannabinoid concentrate.
  • This process is very flammable and dangerous.
  • Destroys the plant tissue.

Hash Method

The Hash method is a physical method for creating cannabinoid concentrates using pressure and rinse cycles instead of solvents. This method uses a rosin or sieving to separate the plant components to produce the concentrate. 

But even the Hash method leaves impurities in the crude extract. These impurities have to be removed before the oil can be split into individual cannabinoids. 

Sparc: Cannabis Distillate can be used to vape.

Distillation Process

Cannabis Distillation uses a unique process from other concentrates. Unlike the wax, shatter, and hash methods, Cannabis Distillation uses a natural physical way to separate and refine the molecules. This process involves extraction, winterization, decarboxylation, and distillation.

Crude Extraction

Once separated, the distillation process utilizes heat to vaporize cannabinoids, stripping the chlorophyll and plant matter from the cannabinoids. The distillation cooling system collects the pure cannabinoid vapor to create a clean, solvent-free, concentrated liquid. 

Winterization

Once the crude extract has been separated, it goes through a winterization process to purify the extract of waxes, fats, lipids, and chlorophyll. The pure extract is then mixed with ethanol and placed in a cold environment for one to two days.

In the cold, the impurities solidify and fall to the bottom of the container. The crude extract then goes through a filtration system to remove the ethanol, restoring the extract to its pure form.

Decarboxylation

Then the extract must be decarboxylated for the THC acid to interact with the human body effectively. This process raises the extract’s temperature to activate the cannabinoids and remove the carboxylic acid from the cannabinoid chemical compound. Once this is done, the THC concentrate and CBD concentrate can bind to the nervous system receptors to provide medicinal and recreational benefits.

Distillation

The final process of distilling the extract uses vacuum pressure, heat, and evaporation to separate terpenes and cannabinoids. This separation doesn’t occur until the process reaches a boiling point. THC and CBD have different boiling points for extraction.

Once this step is complete, the extracts are ready for consumption. Although for CBD extracts, the concentrate might go through one more process to remove any traces of THC from the extract. CBD extracts that undergo this process are called Broad Spectrum.

Do you enjoy cannabis edibles? Check out Sparc’s delicious assortment of cannabis edibles.

Related Link: Sparc’s Product Guide of Cannabis Distillate Products

Cannabis Distillate creates pure extract

Pros of Cannabis Distillation

There are many benefits of Cannabis Distillation for creating THC and CBD concentrates:

  • ·Ensures a higher potency over other processes.
  • Creates a pure, natural concentrate.
  • Is odorless, tasteless, and colorless. 
  • Offers versatility for product infusion.

Because the cannabinoid extract is odorless and flavorless THC or CBD, it can be used for many different products.

Edibles

Edibles will no longer have that weed taste and don’t have to be masked with stronger flavors. This means the THC extract can be added to anything that’s edible, making the edibles market a growth industry.

Pharmaceuticals

The pharmaceutical consumption of cannabinoids will rise as companies find ways to dose the extract as an easily digestible medication. This has a lot of potential for people who suffer from pain, anxiety, inflammation, and other ailments.

Topicals and Cosmetics

The beauty industry has exploded with different cannabis products like lotions and moisturizers. And the medical industry can create medicinal topicals to help patients. This will make it easier for patients who need higher potency THC but don’t want to smoke it.

Cons of Cannabis Distillation 

While Cannabis distillation is the best method for creating THC and CBD extracts, it does have a few disadvantages:

  • It is an expensive process requiring specialized equipment and lab technicians that can cost over $250,000 to implement.
  • Terpene and flavonoid can degrade or be destroyed during the distillation process, often requiring products to add terpenes back into their extract.
  • The distillation process doesn’t kill pesticides on the plant and can sometimes remain in the extract.

Closing Remarks 

Cannabis Distillate is revolutionizing the cannabis market, creating a whole new world of cannabinoid-infused products and foods. Eventually, weed-scented extracts with terrible flavors will be a thing of the past.

This will make a significant impact on the medicinal and recreational use of cannabis. Users can now get the potency they need of TCH and CBD without needing to fire up the cannabis. 

Sparc is a legal, trusted California Bay Area supplier of marijuana and its products. If you’re looking for cannabis distillate products and edibles, you’ll want to shop Sparc’s extensive inventory of edibles, extracts, pills, oils, beverages, and topicals.

Want to learn more about cannabis science? Read Sparc’s Ultimate Guide to Cannabis Plant Anatomy.


Related Link: The Best Ways to Smoke Weed Without a Pipe

The post What is Cannabis Distillate? appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/what-is-cannabis-distillate/feed/ 0 324594
SPARC’s Lead Cultivator Talks About the 2020 Growing Season on the Farm /sparcs-cultivation-director-talks-2020-harvest/ /sparcs-cultivation-director-talks-2020-harvest/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2020 20:41:59 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=318523 While 2020 has been a revolving nightmare for many people both personally and financially, it’s been something of a big and positive year for harvests at the rebuilt SPARC farm in Sonoma County. Wildfires have ravaged other parts of California in the last month, including an area about 35 miles away in Sonoma, but so...

The post SPARC’s Lead Cultivator Talks About the 2020 Growing Season on the Farm appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
While 2020 has been a revolving nightmare for many people both personally and financially, it’s been something of a big and positive year for harvests at the rebuilt SPARC farm in Sonoma County. Wildfires have ravaged other parts of California in the last month, including an area about 35 miles away in Sonoma, but so far this hasn’t had any impact on SPARC’s harvests, and with the second half of September come preparations for the second big harvest this fall.

Following the wildfire disaster of October 2017, during which SPARC lost its first big outdoor cannabis crop before legalization, it’s been a steady process of rebuilding the farm and SPARC’s drying and processing facilities. But the operation is now primed to offer a steady selection of unique strains that have been in SPARC’s hands all the way from seed to sale.

Cannabis flower at the SPARC Farm
SPARC’s Biodynamic cannabis plants are grown in the ground in Sonoma.

“It’s not the same to have a warehouse in Sonoma as it is to have a plant in the ground in Sonoma,” said SPARC founder Erich Pearson in a recent interview with SF Weekly. “I think a lot of the market still tends towards really frothy-looking indoor cannabis, but, over time, I believe consumers will start to understand that outdoor, organically-grown marijuana is not only healthier for you, it’s healthier for the environment too.”

Along with lead cultivator Chris Hayes, Pearson and the farm team are hoping the 2020 growing season will be a sort of proving ground for the idea that California cannabis can have appellations, just like California wine.

Related: SPARC Founder Erich Pearson on Activism and Equity

Hayes has been busy since the spring leading SPARC’s gardeners to produce an abundant crop of over a dozen strains sungrown cannabis.

“A lot of what we’ve chosen to grow this year is based on customer demand and customer feedback from the last few years,” Hayes says. “We’ve also introduced some new strains that fit those profiles that people are looking for, including a wide variety of terpene profiles. So we’ve got some 30 flavors and aromas, from the super fruity to some of those fuel/diesel-y smells that people really respond to.”

Hayes and the team have gone about selecting strains that they know respond well to this Sonoma appellation and this cultivation site in particular. There’s a good mix of indica and sativa strains on the farm right now, but the crops are somewhat sativa heavy this year — which has a lot to do with what grows well outdoors.

Cannabis flower

After the 2017 fire, SPARC had to turn to a number of industry partners to replenish its mix of clones and unique strains, and Hayes says that 12|12 Cultivation has been a primary source for the SPARC farm this year, along with Dark Heart Nursery in San Leandro.

The first harvest in July was primarily two strains: Watermelon Frosted Zinn, and Cookie Dough Thin Mint. Those are both in packaging and should be hitting retail shelves shortly. The current crop will begin being harvested in a few weeks, and Hayes says there are about 20 different strains on the farm right now.

This year’s winners for successful, thriving plants, are the Blue Dream strain. “They just took off on us,” Hayes says. “They’re monsters. They’re all starting to bud really well and the smell out there in the field is great.”

Shop: SPARC Flower Selection

Hayes cites some of this year’s success on the farm with a new, high-tech, ozone-based water filtration system that is feeding SPARC’s plants with some of the cleanest, most oxygenated water money can buy.

“Our water is really clean, and the plants are really showing it,” Hayes says. “We’ve got a fast rate of growth. The health of the plants is there — we’re not seeing a lot of root problems or anything like that.”

The filtration process pulls out any heavy metals, sodium, or bacteria in the water, and then it adds dissolved oxygen to that water and constantly recycles it through the day.

“Root systems love that,” Hayes says. “Root systems thrive on oxygen. CO2 is for the leaves, oxygen’s for the roots.”

As for this year’s garden staff, Hayes has nothing but raves after being away from SPARC for a couple of years.

“I feel really blessed to have come back on this year,” Hayes says, praising the professionalism and skills of the five gardeners he works with every day. “I’ve said to them multiple times this year, ‘I’ve worked with a lot of garden crews, and I’ve worked with some fantastic gardeners, but this is the strongest garden team, as a whole, that I’ve ever worked with.”

Read More: How to Appreciate Cannabis through the Senses

The post SPARC’s Lead Cultivator Talks About the 2020 Growing Season on the Farm appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/sparcs-cultivation-director-talks-2020-harvest/feed/ 7 318523
How Fire Has Shaped California History, and the SPARC Farm /how-fire-has-shaped-california-history-and-the-sparc-farm/ /how-fire-has-shaped-california-history-and-the-sparc-farm/#respond Wed, 16 Sep 2020 16:23:29 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=306270 Wildfires have been a natural part of California’s geography going back millions of years. The history of fire in the state can partly be told through the rings of giant redwood trees — some of the naturally fire-resistant giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park are 3,000 years old, and they tell the story of fires...

The post How Fire Has Shaped California History, and the SPARC Farm appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Wildfires have been a natural part of California’s geography going back millions of years. The history of fire in the state can partly be told through the rings of giant redwood trees — some of the naturally fire-resistant giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park are 3,000 years old, and they tell the story of fires that blazed across the land long before any Europeans found the place.

As fire season has ramped up all too quickly here in Sonoma County, folks on the SPARC farm who remember the Nuns Fire of October 2017 are having a bit of PTSD, and are bracing for a couple more months of smoke in the air — or worse.

Cannabis plants that were burned from the Nuns Fire in 2017.
Burned cannabis plants from SPARC’s farm in 2017.

But as much as the megafires we’ve come to know in recent years in California can be terrifyingly destructive and sometimes deadly, people unfamiliar with the nature of fire in this landscape tend to believe that all fire is bad. It’s not true, and many experts suggest that California could probably use more of it.

A 2009 study in the journal Fire Ecology looked at a collection of 52 sequoia trees in Sequoia National Park and found in the tree rings evidence of a particularly fiery period on California’s Sierra Nevada between the years 800 and 1300. Known as the Medieval Warm Period or the Medieval Climatic Anomaly, it was an era of higher average temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere, possibly due to solar activity or due to changes in ocean currents. Temperatures at the time are estimated to have been similar to those in the mid-20th Century — with temperatures in the last 60 years being off the charts from pre-industrial averages.

Related: The Ultimate Guide to Cannabis Plant Anatomy

While wildfires in the area of the sequoias do not seem to have been as large as the ones we’re seeing today, some may have been.

Per the study: “While it’s intuitive that climate patterns influence fire regimes, this study’s data provides some of the first looks at how past fire regimes responded in a sequoia grove. Periods of droughts saw more frequent, though smaller fires, as a rule. Wetter periods saw less frequent fire. However, this also gave fuels a chance to accumulate and this led to larger fires.”

The megafires of the early 21st century may be unprecedented, though, and some of that has to do with where we’ve built towns and cities, and how we fight fires when they happen.

Fire Fighter

Firefighting efforts in California are beginning to come around to the ancient ways of indigenous Californians, as more experts are convinced that fire mitigation through controlled burning is far wiser than total fire prevention, which is impossible anyway.

An Aboriginal burning program in Northern Australia, started seven years ago, has reportedly cut destructive wildfires there in half. And as the New York Times reported in January, indigenous tribes in California are beginning to teach modern firefighters how to conduct the kinds of ritual burns that their people did across California for millennia.

“If we are going to make our landscapes resilient, and thus our communities resilient, we have to follow these practices that are tried and true,” said Don Hankins, a fire expert at Cal State, Chico, speaking to the Times.

Explore: Social Equity Brands

“We don’t put fire on the ground and not know how it’s going to turn out,” said Ron Goode, tribal chairman of the North Fork Mono, at an ritual burning event earlier this year covered recently by NPR. “That’s what makes it cultural burning, because we cultivate.”

Controlled burns in favorable weather help to clear forests and other biomes in California of dense vegetation that builds up during rainy months. That vegetation often dries to a crisp each summer, and the more years that go by without a fire in a particular area, the more that fuel accumulates. While President Trump may be misguided in suggesting that California needs to do more “raking,” it’s not off-base to suggest that fire management in the future will involve removing debris from forest floors with fire itself. And like the redwoods, many native California plants have adapted to fire, and seed pods actually don’t get activated until a fire occurs.

Here at the SPARC farm, the massive fire three years ago gave way to its own rebirth. The fire arrived at an unfortunate moment, just as SPARC was getting ready to harvest its first crop for legal recreational sale in January 2018. But the farm and the company have survived and thrived in the years since, and rebuilt bigger and better than it was.

Slowly taking shape, though not yet a legal possibility, is a cannabis tourism experience that will be like taking a winery or vineyard tour. But first come the harvests that fill SPARC’s stores with sun-grown Marigold brand cannabis flowers.

We’ll bring you more about the rebuilt and replanted SPARC farm in October, as we mark the three-year anniversary of the Nuns Fire.

The post How Fire Has Shaped California History, and the SPARC Farm appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/how-fire-has-shaped-california-history-and-the-sparc-farm/feed/ 0 306270
U.S. House of Representatives Set to Take Historic Vote On Cannabis Legalization /more-act-historic-vo/ /more-act-historic-vo/#respond Tue, 08 Sep 2020 19:51:00 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=316429 Before the election in November, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives is set to vote on some historic legislation that would mark the first time that the United States Congress has voted on legalization of marijuana at the federal level. While it is largely just a gesture of political good will for the growing cannabis industry...

The post U.S. House of Representatives Set to Take Historic Vote On Cannabis Legalization appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Before the election in November, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives is set to vote on some historic legislation that would mark the first time that the United States Congress has voted on legalization of marijuana at the federal level.

While it is largely just a gesture of political good will for the growing cannabis industry in states that have already legalized the drug for recreational and/or medicinal use — given that it will all but certainly fail to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate — the MORE Act (short for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019) marks a moment when an overwhelming number of American voters support full legalization. It also comes at a moment when momentum has snowballed for criminal justice reform, especially when drug convictions are involved.

“You have sort of a convergence of all of these movements and issues and hype,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, speaking to Politico last week. “I think this is the perfect time to move it onto the floor [and] over to the Senate.”

Barbara Lee
Barbara Lee from Oakland is the Co-Chair of the Cannabis Caucus.

The Senate version of the bill was introduced by Senator Kamala Harris back in July 2019, and it solidifies Harris’ 180-degree about-face on the issue of cannabis and drug laws since she served as district attorney in San Francisco in the last decade. The bill now has seven co-sponsors in the Senate, including former presidential candidates Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren, and two who signed on in the last week, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Tina Smith (D-MN).

As the NORML blog reported this week, the House version of the bill — sponsored by House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler — has over 100 co-sponsors, including three Republicans.

Related: Cannabis Activists Seeking to Reform Drug Laws

It’s now up to the house to bring it to the floor for debate and a vote, which Democrats hope will bolster their colleagues in the Senate in some hotly contested races this November.

At least one Republican pollster tells Politico this is politically risky, given Trump’s “law and order” focus and the negative impressions of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Alexandria Ocazio-Cortez among conservative voters. And several speakers at the Republican National Convention “joked” that the only small businesses Democrats cared about reopening in the pandemic were pot dispensaries.

Shop SPARC: Pre-Rolls

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), co-founder and co-chair of the Cannabis Caucus, pushes back on this idea, given that most polls show over 60-percent of Americans in support of cannabis legalization. “I think this is going to be brought up in all these contested Senate races,” he tells Politico.

The MORE Act would not only remove marijuana from the list of Schedule 1 drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, it would also make the sale, manufacture, cultivation, and possession of cannabis legal at the federal level. Further, the bill makes Small Business Administration loans available to cannabis business, replaces statutory references to “marijuana” and “marihuana” with “cannabis,” requires the Bureau of Labor Statistics to regularly publish demographic data on cannabis business owners and employees, establishes a trust fund to support programs and services for individuals and businesses in communities impacted by the War on Drugs, imposes a 5% tax on cannabis products and requires revenues from the tax to be deposited into the trust fund. Most importantly, the bill would establish a process for expunging past cannabis-related convictions

The MORE ACT – Harbor Collective MMCC

“The MORE Act would actually erase past convictions for marijuana offenses, opening the door to opportunities to jobs, housing, education, things that could help people, but it would also make it so people will no longer be denied federal benefits because of marijuana activity,” said Maritza Perez, Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, in a statement to The Denver Channel.

While the House vote, scheduled for next week, may be largely ceremonial, it does create some pressure for Republicans in swing districts in both the House and Senate who are up for reelection.

Then, should Democrats take control of the Senate in January, we can expect to see the bill to likely pass in 2021.

Read more of SPARC’s Blogs here.

The post U.S. House of Representatives Set to Take Historic Vote On Cannabis Legalization appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/more-act-historic-vo/feed/ 0 316429
Best Way to Store Weed /store-weed/ /store-weed/#respond Thu, 20 Aug 2020 20:59:00 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=292719 Weed smoking can get expensive. The average cost of weed for a regular consumer total about 200 dollars an oz for high-quality weed alone. Naturally, you want the weed you buy to remain potent and last as long as possible while keeping fresh. Understanding how to store weed is important for keeping your stash as...

The post Best Way to Store Weed appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Weed smoking can get expensive. The average cost of weed for a regular consumer total about 200 dollars an oz for high-quality weed alone. Naturally, you want the weed you buy to remain potent and last as long as possible while keeping fresh. Understanding how to store weed is important for keeping your stash as fresh as possible. 

Your weed will be good for as long as you take quality care of it. Often, you may be tempted to smoke a small bud you forgot about in your jacket you haven’t touched in months, or maybe you have leftovers from a party a few weeks back that’s been sitting out on your table since then. There is no fast and easy rule for determining an expiration date on your weed, but if you keep it stored well, it should last you up to a year before losing potency and flavor.

Are you unsure of proper storage for your cannabis? Contact our team at Sparc today! 

What Can Degrade Your Weed?

Weed is an organic substance. Like many organic compounds, they need specialized care to remain high quality—things like light, air, moisture, and temperature all influence your weed lifespan. 

Related: How to Become a Budtender: a Complete Guide

Light

Ultraviolet (UV) rays are harmful to cannabis plants, and for a good reason. UV tends to damage the cellular structure of organic compounds if exposure is prolonged and intense; it is why we experience sunburn when we’re outdoors for too long. Researchers from The School of Pharmacy, University of London, found that light exposure was the single most debilitating risk factor for cannabis plant degradation. They concluded this by observing the effects of light on destroying cannabinoids, the chemical compounds responsible for cannabis potency. When stored away from direct light, cannabis plants can last for an additional year or more. 

Air

Cannabis needs oxygen to live when growing and curing, but after harvesting, you do not want too much air hitting the bud for an extended period. Cannabis needs to strike a balance between elasticity and firmness, and weed that’s been exposed to air for too long becomes dry and inelastic. 

Moisture

Humidity in the atmosphere is important for nearly all plant life; it determines the climate and optimal conditions for a certain species of plant to grow. In the case of cannabis, mold is an issue in moist environments. 

Temperature

Extreme heat and extreme cold can cause damage to the buds, and dry the cannabis out. This habit of storing your cannabis will destroy the terpenes and cannabinoids contained in the plant. You usually hear people recommend that you store your cannabis in a cool, dark place. People will often think a refrigerator is an optimal choice, but this is a bad gamble for many reasons; condensation can develop within a fridge, and excess moisture can degrade your plant. Avoid the freezer, too, since that will damage the plant’s delicate surface and cause the bud to lose potency. 

Any questions about setting the right temperature for your storage container? Contact our team at Sparc with any questions! 

What’s The Best Way to Store Weed?

buds

So we have reviewed everything that you should not do, but now let’s switch focus and talk about what you can do to keep your weed lasting as long as possible. The best part is that if done right, you don’t have to make too many modifications to your regular cannabis storage plan. 

Ideal temperature

The ideal temperature to store your weed is approximately below 70 degrees F, or 21 degrees C. This strikes the necessary balance to keep your cannabis moist, but not too moist, and simultaneously dry enough to hold its springy texture and retain its potency. Too high of a temperature will dry the bud out and destroy terpenes, making a significant difference in the effects and flavor.

Humidity

The ideal relative humidity (RH) level should fall between 59-63RH since too dry conditions can degrade the cannabinoids in the weed. 

Light Setting

If your bud is fully cured, you want to avoid exposing it to direct sunlight for too long. Keeping your weed inside of opaque containers is your best bet since your cannabis really doesn’t need any sunlight to remain potent once cured properly. 

Air Control

We recommend storing cannabis in a Mason jar or a similar container with a tight enough seal. The seal should be tight enough to keep excess air out, but forgiving enough to allow a small amount of air inside. Depriving weed of too much air can have the opposite effect. 

How to Store Your Weed?

Your choice of container matters; a vacuum seal may be overkill depending on the strain, but blocking out as much air as possible is important. You can improvise with a Mason jar if you cannot find any other tight materials.

Some folks choose to throw rinds of fruit into the containers where they store their cannabis, but doing so runs the risk of throwing the humidity within the jar off. You can end up growing mold and destroying your weed. It is for that reason the only thing you keep in your cannabis container is cannabis. You should avoid tossing your cannabis into containers that also store your pipes and lighters since those can mess with the flavor if they’re allowed to mingle for too long. 

Related: How Long Does Weed Stay in Your System? Everything You Need to Know

How Not to Store Your Weed?

cannabis plant and extract

Do not ever store your weed in containers that don’t provide a good seal. While it doesn’t have to necessarily be a vacuum-sealed container, you want a container that maintains a tight seal. Keep your container in a dry place at a moderate temperature, and never place it in the fridge or freezer. 

Closing Thoughts

While cannabis can be a tool to help you live a happier, healthier life, it can be costly. That’s why it is critical to engage in the best storage practices for your cannabis, so you can enjoy your money’s worth. 

Still have lingering questions? Contact us at Sparc to learn more!

The post Best Way to Store Weed appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/store-weed/feed/ 0 292719
How to Appreciate Cannabis Through The Senses /appreciate-cannabis-through-senses/ /appreciate-cannabis-through-senses/#respond Tue, 18 Aug 2020 20:46:00 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=292689 Our sensory systems are powerful, intricate components of the perceptual experience of reality. In short, our senses create that reality. It is essential, then, to understand how we can use our sensory processing to appreciate the more beautiful things in life like food (taste), fragrance (smell), and music (sound). Our team at Sparc believes that...

The post How to Appreciate Cannabis Through The Senses appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Our sensory systems are powerful, intricate components of the perceptual experience of reality. In short, our senses create that reality. It is essential, then, to understand how we can use our sensory processing to appreciate the more beautiful things in life like food (taste), fragrance (smell), and music (sound). Our team at Sparc believes that appreciating cannabis should follow a similar logic. 

We believe using the senses t o appreciate cannabis is essential since, again, our senses inform our reality. For example, sensory enrichment is a therapeutic technique whereby therapists stimulate a neural processing system like smell — also known as olfaction — to improve things like memory, cognition, mood, and global functioning. 

Thus, since sensation is such a powerful tool for rewiring our brains and reassessing our worldview, we can apply it to judging cannabis quality and discovering a new appreciation for the substance that has helped many live happier lives.

How to Judge Cannabis Quality and Appreciating It?

cannabis sativa

Judging cannabis quality comes down to using your senses to dissect and examine the strain you have. You can assess a lot about cannabis by focusing your processing on distinct domains of sensation.

Are you searching for the perfect strain for your needs? Contact us at Sparc today! 


Scent/aroma

Our sense of smell is one of our most sensitive senses, and it is often the first thing you will notice about your marijuana; the aroma is traditionally very powerful, but if you can get past the initial bitter astringency, you will find that the fragrance can be lysed into the top, middle and bottom notes. 

Top notes usually consist of the strongest terpenes such as limonene, linalool, and geraniol, which are found in lemons, lavender, and roses. Middle notes are generally the ones responsible for sensations, and the most common ones are alpha-terpineol, beta-caryophyllene, and alpha-terpinene, which are astringent, spicy, and aromatic, respectively. Bottom notes are the smells that persist, such as gingerol, eugenol, and trans-nerolidol; these three are responsible for the sweet and spicy aroma associated with ginger, cloves, and apples.

Color

The color of your marijuana will almost certainly be a variation of green and more refreshing hues; some strains look so purple that they appear black. This depends a lot on how the plant was grown; for instance, darker crops are often due to low temperatures. You may sometimes notice patches of orange or red, and those are due to the dried pistils left over from the flower; these are normal, and a sign of a quality strain.

In short, shades of green are standard, and purple strains are nothing to worry about. Watch out if you get a strain that has odd patches of gray or white, as those are to be avoided. 

Taste

This one is a bit more subjective because many things can influence the taste of cannabis; if you are using an old pipe, for example, the taste may be unpleasant and lingering due to residue in the pipe. You will find that milder-tasting strains work well in cannabis cooking recipes since their flavor is soft enough to be well-incorporated into most dishes. You will want to avoid plants that taste metallic or like copper; this means the plant was not properly flushed prior to harvest. 

The taste component should be one of the first things you consider, too, if eating edibles, especially baked or cooked goods. Rancid tastes should be treated the same way as if you tasted them in typical pastries, and it’s important to throw away old food no matter what. 

Texture

Cannabis should feel slightly sticky, but not too sticky. There is a balance between elasticity and dryness that high-quality marijuana will have when you examine it with your fingers. It may have a slightly spongy texture when you squeeze it, and you want that because it means the strain is not too dry, and it springs back up when pressure is removed. If your cannabis feels too sticky and clumps together, it was improperly stored and exposed to too much moisture; the last thing you want is a moldy cannabis mess, so be sure to check your bud whenever possible. 

Related: Hash Isn’t for the Timid | SPARC

What Are The Potency and Effects of Cannabis?

cannabis hemp plant

Potency and effects vary among cannabis strains, as well as the individual’s genetic predisposition; where one person will get a mild high from a particular strain, another person can get a potent high from that same strain. The most common highs induced by a strain will usually be listed, or at the very least, explained to you by your budtender. If you are unsure, ask!

Related: How Does It Feel When You Take CBD?

Types of high

The types of high can include physical or bodily highs, relaxing types of highs, and even some that induce states of flow. Again, these depend completely on your individual predispositions, so explore with caution.

Physical highs, also known as body highs, are distinctly different from the head high commonly talked about among cannabis consumers. Body highs induce very strong feelings of relaxation, while head highs are reported to increase attention. Relaxing highs can be compared to this body high. 

Flow is the state of consciousness associated with directed attention on a specific task, and people who experience it report altered sensations of time. It’s the feeling you get when you engage in highly technical but enjoyable activities. Certain strains of cannabis are alleged to induce flow states, depending on the strength of their head high. 

Tolerance Range

Our brains naturally build up a tolerance to a substance no matter how measured your use of cannabis may be. Some strains are especially predisposed to generating tolerance, and while this phenomenon is less intense than that of harmful drugs (or even caffeine), all cannabis strains will still decline in effectiveness over time if used too frequently. You should remember to take breaks if you want to maintain the potency of the cannabis over longer periods. You can also up your amount per session, but this can lead to additional costs since you’re buying more product for less effect.

Medicinal Effects

Cannabis is currently only clinically-validated for its effectiveness in treating acute and chronic pain, but its ability to influence mood and general prognosis for more serious diseases are being investigated. If your doctor has recommended medicinal cannabis, you need to be honest with them about whether or not the treatment is improving your quality of life. You may need to switch strains until you find a treatment plan that works best for you and your individual goals. Always make these decisions in consultation with a healthcare professional.

Mouth and Throat

This can depend on the route of administration and is especially prominent when you smoke cannabis. Your mouth should feel a slight tingling, but it shouldn’t be excessive. You should also pay attention to things like warmth or tingling in the throat. Does the strain cause irritation every single time you smoke it, or only sometimes? Does it cause heat sensations that linger after a session? Is anything painful? Try switching up your pipe or think of switching strains, since irritation can be harmful to your larynx if it continues over time. 

Related: Sonoma County cannabis oil manufacturers seek to ease vaping fears

Conclusion

Appreciating cannabis involves paying attention to your sensory processing of the substance, and deciding whether a strain is high-quality, or if it is time to switch. 

Ready to dive into the world of cannabis appreciation and criticism? Check out our recommendations at Sparc

The post How to Appreciate Cannabis Through The Senses appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/appreciate-cannabis-through-senses/feed/ 0 292689
Best Ways to Smoke Weed Without a Pipe /smoke-weed-without-pipe/ /smoke-weed-without-pipe/#respond Sat, 15 Aug 2020 20:53:00 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=292708 It’s a common situation where you want to smoke after a long day, but in your haste, you’ve accidentally broken your precious pipe! You can always replace a pipe, but let’s say you’re tired of continually having to rely on a single method of consuming your cannabis.  Contrary to what you may initially think, there...

The post Best Ways to Smoke Weed Without a Pipe appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
It’s a common situation where you want to smoke after a long day, but in your haste, you’ve accidentally broken your precious pipe! You can always replace a pipe, but let’s say you’re tired of continually having to rely on a single method of consuming your cannabis. 

Contrary to what you may initially think, there are multiple ways of consuming cannabis without having to rely on a pipe. If you’re not a fan of edibles because of how slow or unintentionally strong they are, you can improvise different methods for getting the most bang for your buck out of the bud you have on hand. Some of the techniques we’ll talk about today are new and a sign of changing attitudes towards cannabis smoking, while others are tried and true methods used by weed smokers since the earliest days.

Still unsure if you should invest in alternate cannabis smoking methods? Contact us at Sparc today!

cannabis leaf

Portable Vaporizers

Vaping has taken the market by storm not only for the varied flavors possible from juice sold in smoke shops but also for how effective portable vaporizers are for consuming cannabis without a pipe on hand. Vaporizers are portable and inconspicuous, and you can find many cannabis lovers using vape pens compared to smoking pipes in public. Popular brands include Storz and Bickel from MIGHTY, and PAX 3. 

Besides portable vaporizers, cannabis smokers can also purchase desktop vaporizers that will diffuse the vapor into the air. Popular vaporizers for desktop include Volcano and VapExhale. 

Related: Easy Guide on How to Use a Vape Pen 

Bongs

Bongs are possibly the most popular alternative to using a pipe and have entered the public consciousness so deeply that it’s almost impossible to separate them from the weed smoker stereotype. They allow you to get high much faster, and the smoke is typically less intense as inhaling directly from a blunt or pipe. Bongs can be made from just about anything, but glass bongs are the most common. Plastic bongs are also common, but depending on the type of plastic, cheaper plastic bongs could be especially toxic because of their impurities. Ceramic, glass, metal, and bamboo bongs are safer than plastic, stick with those. 

Joint

Joints are also some of the prime symbols of marijuana culture, and it’s the easiest way of consuming cannabis if you have some spare paper lying around. All you need is some rolling papers, which are specialized papers that are waxed to prevent them from burning too rapidly. The type of paper is what makes a joint a joint; you never want to use computer paper or plain old scrap paper you have on hand, since it’ll make the toke extremely harsh. For this reason, gum wrappers with waxy interiors make good makeshift joint papers, but they are not preferred.

Blunt

Blunts and joints are similar, but the type of paper sets them apart. Blunts are made with cigar papers, which makes it so the blunt burns slower than a joint. Cigar paper is also substantially bigger than rolling papers because they are made for large cigars, so you can pack more marijuana when rolling. It’ll make the entire blunt thicker.

marijuana plant

Are you unsure of the right method for smoking cannabis for your needs? Contact us at Sparc

———-DIY when in a pinch (not recommended) ———

Gravity Bong

This method is best for when you have a bunch of friends over and need to get as high as possible, but we do not recommend this be a common way for you to get high just because of how hard it is to control the amount of vapor.

Gravity bongs work like this: you need a 2-liter bottle, cut a hole somewhere around the bottom and carve out a hole in the cap of the jug. This is where you will put a tiny bowl made of foil; fill it with your weed and fill the bottle full of water. Put the cap on with the bowl, and hold your bottle over the sink or somewhere you can let the water spill out. Light the bowl and release the water from the hole at the bottom, and watch the makeshift bong fill with thick clouds of smoke. 

Hot Knives

This one is a little more DIY than we’d prefer, but it is one of the earliest alternatives to pipe smoking weed concentrates. Before rigs or caps came along, the only way to smoke concentrates without pipes was the hot knife.

The method is fairly simple, all you need to do is torch (stovetop is fine too) the end of a knife for a long time. Once it’s hot enough, you can place dabs on the hottest point of the knife while hovering over it to inhale the vapor released. It’s a very clever way of using common household tools, but you will need to be careful about keeping the heated knife away from your face. 

Some folks choose to construct a makeshift dome out of a soda bottle as a little funnel for the vapor released, which will improve the high and keep you a little safer. 

Apple 

Apple pipes, banana pipes, using fruits and vegetables as makeshift pipes are a trend as old as the smoking weed itself. Apple pipes are especially tasty because they impart a citrusy, refreshing flavor to the smoke better than other fruit options. 

To do this, use a pen or a small knife to carve a hole through the top of the fruit, halfway into the core of the apple but not too deep — this will be your bowl, and you do not want your weed spilling out. Use your pen or knife to carve the mouthpiece. Light the bowl and inhale smoke out of the mouthpiece you created. A plus side of this pipe is how biodegradable and environmentally-friendly it is, and you can discard it easily. 

Related: A Brief History of Medical Marijuana in California

Final Remarks 

Versatility has defined cannabis culture for decades, and there is no reason to limit your choices to only relying on a pipe to get high. There are many options available to you should you decide to skip the pipe and try something a little different. 

Which alternative method appeals to you? Let us at Sparc know your thoughts!

The post Best Ways to Smoke Weed Without a Pipe appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/smoke-weed-without-pipe/feed/ 0 292708
SPARC’s MBA Summer Intern on What Cannabis Customers Want Now /mba-internship-at-sparc/ /mba-internship-at-sparc/#respond Fri, 14 Aug 2020 05:58:08 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=293267 This summer, SPARC employed a virtual MBA summer intern. His name is Dale Henriques, and he’s between his first and second year of at Stern business school at New York University, and because of the pandemic he was able to apply for this internship across the country and fulfill his duties remotely. Dale has spent...

The post SPARC’s MBA Summer Intern on What Cannabis Customers Want Now appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
This summer, SPARC employed a virtual MBA summer intern. His name is Dale Henriques, and he’s between his first and second year of at Stern business school at New York University, and because of the pandemic he was able to apply for this internship across the country and fulfill his duties remotely.

Dale has spent much of the last two months designing SPARC’s first customer experience survey, conducting interviews with SPARC customers, poring over data, and helping with the company’s growth and marketing strategy.

“I’m now probably one of the most knowledgeable people in New York about California cannabis, after doing this internship,” Dale says, half-jokingly.

Related: A Brief History on Medical Marijuana in California

But he may be right. This being a nascent legal industry with only two full years of recreational sales data in one of only a couple of states where recreational cannabis is now legal, the business of cannabis marketing is a whole new ball of wax — or resin.

“I’ve been doing a lot of customer research. That’s been the focus of my internship,” Dale says. “The cannabis space is fascinating because it has got to be the most diverse customer base in the world. It cuts across socio-economic criteria, it’s got different races, ages, religions, genders — everyone is interested in cannabis in some way. And to my knowledge, no one has really done this research yet. There’s multi-billion-dollar demand in this industry and no one really knows why — why do you choose SPARC over someone else? Why do you choose the products that you choose? And everyone uses cannabis for different reasons, so all of that is fascinating to me.”

He adds, “Also, as a business student, where can you be on the ground floor of a new industry with obvious multi-billion-dollar demand? It just doesn’t exist anymore, that kind of opportunity.”

Among the big takeaways Dale found in talking to SPARC customers is that there is a strong desire to start having the kinds of onsite, walk-up-and-smell-the-flowers experience on a cannabis farm the way one would at a vineyard — with a tasting experience akin the wine tastings that happen within throwing distance of SPARC’s Sonoma County farm.

Chickens on a cannabis farm

“People are into a couple of specific things on the farm,” Dale says. “We were thinking they were probably into some subset of activities we might be able to offer on the farm — but it’s great because they told us specifically what they want.”

Related: Shop Edibles

Customers really want the opportunity to purchase products on the farm, which at the moment isn’t legally possible but it may be at some point soon. These people also said they’re hoping for educational farm tours, much the way you’d have at a vineyard.

“This is instructive for us, because we now have to work hard to change some of the laws around these kinds of experiences,” he says.

Interestingly, Dale’s research found that the era of the “Apple Store of cannabis” — which was what SPARC’s first dispensary was often called when it opened in San Francisco in 2010 — may be on the wane.

“It certainly was true at some point that customers were looking for that kind of high design — which SPARC certainly had at the beginning,” Dale says. “But what we found is that that’s not really enough anymore. You can’t just have the fancy space to go purchase cannabis in. Customers want reliability. They want a consistent consumer experience. They want trust — the ease and convenience of a grocery store and the trust of a pharmacy. Really they want an amalgamation of all these different industries, and there are more priorities now beyond the design of a store.”

Dale says that Apple still comes up when customers discuss brands they know and trust, but it’s not just about looks.

Related: Product Guide

“The way Apple, we believe, resonates with our customers is the nuts and bolts of how they do their retail. One thing they’re very good at is being transparent in their pricing model, with different tiers to serve different economic levels, or different willingness to spend money — but there is always value attached to higher prices.

“Another thing they’re really good at is funneling customers to fulfill different needs within the store — you have customers there to go to the Genius Bar to solve a problem, and you have the regular employees there to help with a purchase. We think these are the things that resonate most with our customers.”

The research has led the SPARC team to start thinking about cannabis sales differently, because prior to this they really didn’t know what customers’ main motivations were, or the reasons for their brand loyalty.

As you would imagine, Dale’s research this summer also came at a time when the delivery side of the business is booming — most shopping has shifted online, and customer behavior isn’t likely to return to what it was anytime soon.

cannabis dispensary with social distancing prototols
SPARC has remained open despite the shelter in place orders due to COVID-19

“As a company, we have to be thinking about the pre-COVID era and the post-COVID era for retail, and things likely aren’t ever going to return completely to the pre-COVID era in terms of how retail works,” Dale says. “It extends to things like what activities can we have in-store, and were should we be focusing after the pandemic — like will there be a need to have a really tactile experience with products in the store, or will people even want that anymore? Probably not. People aren’t going to want to touch jars and stick their faces in them anymore.”

Related: SPARC’s Continued Response to Covid-19

Dale heads back to school — at least virtually — next week. And he’s doing so as the incoming president of the NYU Stern Cannabis Club.

“It’s really cool, having done this work this summer, because in New York it’s still really a black and gray market, so there really are not a lot of opportunities for studying this industry.”

He adds, “It’s kind of a silver lining, if you will — because of COVID, I got to do this and work with SPARC from home. And like I said, nobody in New York has this perspective on California cannabis yet.”

The post SPARC’s MBA Summer Intern on What Cannabis Customers Want Now appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/mba-internship-at-sparc/feed/ 0 293267
The Ultimate Guide to Cannabis Plant Anatomy /cannabis-plant-anatomy/ /cannabis-plant-anatomy/#respond Wed, 12 Aug 2020 20:29:37 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=292392 When looking at a cannabis bud, you’ve probably noticed the complexity in the different parts that you can see. From the little sugar crystals to the bright, colorful hairs, a cannabis plant’s anatomy is fascinating. What are these different features, and what function do they serve for the plant? Related: Activism, Equity, and the Future...

The post The Ultimate Guide to Cannabis Plant Anatomy appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
When looking at a cannabis bud, you’ve probably noticed the complexity in the different parts that you can see. From the little sugar crystals to the bright, colorful hairs, a cannabis plant’s anatomy is fascinating. What are these different features, and what function do they serve for the plant?

Related: Activism, Equity, and the Future of Cannabis

Male Vs. Female Cannabis Plants

There are both male and female cannabis plants and some that are a mix of both genders. The male fertilizes the female plants to initiate the production of seeds. The resin-secreting flowers produced by the female cannabis plant are trimmed down to buds, and these flowers are what we consume. The mixed, or hermaphroditic, plants contain both male and female organs, allowing it to pollinate itself during flowering. These plants are generally deemed a nuisance to growers, as the self-pollination spoils seedless sinsemilla plants, which produce highly potent flowers. Highly potent herbs sound great, right? Check out Sparc’s selection of high-quality buds!

What Is the Anatomy of a Cannabis Plant?

When it comes to the cannabis plant, the flowers usually get most of the attention, since they are consumed for use. Every part of the plant plays a vital role in bringing those flowers to life.

Cola

A cluster of buds that tightly grow together is called a cola. The main cola, or apical bud, forms at the very top of the cannabis plant. Smaller colas can be found on budding sites of the lower branches. 

Stigma and Pistil

The pistil houses a flower’s reproductive organs. Stigmas are the vibrant, hair-like strands that are found on the pistil. The purpose of the stigma is to collect pollen from male cannabis plants. The stigmas change color throughout a plant’s maturation, starting with white coloration and darkening over time, turning the stigma yellow, orange, brown, and red. They play a significant role in the reproduction cycle, but the stigma has little effect on the budding flower’s taste and potency.

Bract and Calyx

The bract houses a female cannabis plant’s reproductive parts. They look like green tear-shaped leaves, and the bract is covered in resin glands that produce higher concentrations of cannabinoids than any other part of the plant. The calyx is a translucent layer covering the ovule on the flower’s base and generally cannot be seen; they are hidden away, tucked inside the bract.

Trichome

Trichomes are tiny in size, but you can’t miss the coating of crystal resin on a cannabis plant’s buds. Secreted through mushroom-shaped, translucent glands on the stems, leaves, and calyxes, this resin is what we call kief once it has dried. Trichomes formerly served the purpose of protecting the plant against outdoor elements and predators. They ooze terpenes, which are aromatic oils and cannabinoids like CBD and THC. Hash production relies on trichomes and their potent resin.

The Seed

The seed is where it all begins. A mature, healthy cannabis seed has a well-rounded shape with one flat end and one pointed end and has a rigid, tough outer casing to prevent the seed from being crushed easily. A seem down the side of the housing that opens up during germination. Cannabis seeds can vary significantly in their size, anywhere from tiny to massive. Mature seeds have an outer shell covered in dark marking, known as tiger stripes that are a thin layer of cells that coat the seed and can be easily rubbed off. Inside the seed is the plant’s embryo that contains everything the plant needs to start a new life once it is planted and taken care of.

Cannabis growing outdoors

Related: Edibles Pioneer Brownie Mary

Roots

The roots are the foundation of a cannabis plant and are essential to growing a healthy plant with beautiful flowers. There are three main purposes of the root system: keeping the plant anchored in the substrate, providing water and nutrients for growth, and storing the starches and sugars that are produced by photosynthesis. The taproot is the first piece that emerges from a germinated cannabis seed; it grows downward into the soil, seeking out nutrients and moisture to help the plant grow. After the taproot has spread, fibrous roots branch off from it to form an underground roots network. Then thick adventitious roots sprout from the stem of the plant; these make reproducing and cloning plants possible.

Root Crown

The root crown, also called the collar or neck, is formed when the stem and roots join together. This crown divides upward and downward growth, where the vascular system switches from the stem to the roots and where most of the plant’s cell division occurs. The root crown is an extremely vital part of the cannabis plant. It sits typically near the surface of the soil, where aeration is at its highest. It can also be transplanted and buried deeper below the ground to encourage more adventitious roots to sprout.

Stem and Nodes

The cannabis plant’s stem is what keeps it upright and supports the weight of the plant. It also contains the vascular system that carries nutrients and moisture from the roots to the leaves through xylem cells. It transports starches and sugars from the photosynthesis process around the plant for use or storage via phloem cells. These phloem cells are harvested for hemp fibers. The stem is divided by nodes, and the seedlings grow opposite pairs of leaves and nodes at first, but when they start to grow alternatively, that is a sign the cannabis plant is mature and ready to flower.

Leaves and Petioles

The leaves of a cannabis plant are palmately compound, meaning they are shaped like an open hand with multiple parts and have anywhere from three to 13 serrated, veined leaflets. The plants have small and large leaves shaped like a fan that gets removed at harvest. Leaflets join together and attach to the branch or stem by a leaf-stem called the petiole. The petioles vary in color and length, depending on the variety of the cannabis plant.

Flowers

 Closeup cannabis flower

Male staminate flowers resemble small green balls on sticks and are composed of five petals that open to produce pollen-producing stamens. Once the pollen is released, male plants will soon die off. The male flowers contain low levels of terpenes and cannabinoids. The female pistillate flowers form tight clusters, and once they are pollinated, the plant devotes its energy to seed production. These seeded buds have lower levels of terpenes and cannabinoids, which is why growers strive to grow seedless sinsemilla flowers. What types of flowers are your favorite? Sparc has them all, from indica to sativa, and high THC to high CBD!

While it’s easy to admire the beautiful flowers of a cannabis plant, it’s essential not to overlook all of the parts and hard work used to produce your favorite buds. Learning more about how the plant grows and thrives allows us to become better growers and cultivate the best possible buds from each cannabis plant.

Related: Sonoma County Land, Where Marigold Cannabis Is Grown

The post The Ultimate Guide to Cannabis Plant Anatomy appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/cannabis-plant-anatomy/feed/ 0 292392
Introducing SPARC Sounds /sparc-sounds/ /sparc-sounds/#respond Fri, 07 Aug 2020 15:30:57 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=289417 Given that for many fans of music and marijuana, the two are inseparable, today SPARC is launching a new collection of tunes meant specifically to be enjoyed along with our products. It’s called SPARC Sounds, and to kick things off we asked three notable DJs to curate Spotify playlists to fit the mood you’re hoping...

The post Introducing SPARC Sounds appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Given that for many fans of music and marijuana, the two are inseparable, today SPARC is launching a new collection of tunes meant specifically to be enjoyed along with our products.

It’s called SPARC Sounds, and to kick things off we asked three notable DJs to curate Spotify playlists to fit the mood you’re hoping for as you kick back with some cannabis this weekend. Also, as an added bonus, check out the new track from Vancouver-native, San Francisco-based musician Vandelux, “New to Love,” which just dropped today and which was created specifically with SPARC Sounds in mind.

San Francisco producer and multi-instrumentalist Otis McDonald created Volume 1 of SPARC Sounds, which is devoted to sativa varietals and the sounds of summer.

Related: How 420 Was Born at a Northern California High School in 1971

McDonald says of his playlist that it’s meant to be “a little something to help get you through these trying times,” and, “All in all, these tracks bring me joy and I hope it can do the same for you.”

music producer Otis McDonald
Listen to Otis McDonald’s playlist through SPARC Sounds

It includes an oldie by the great Herbie Hancock, about which McDonald writes:

I first heard this song when I was 10 years old. My brothers and I would dig through our father’s record collection and the album cover for Herbie Hancock’s “Thrust,” an illustration of Herbie flying a spaceship controlled by his keyboard, was striking to say the least. The moment we dropped the needle and the drums started to the opening cut, “Palm Grease,” my life was changed. I had never heard a disjointed beat like that, or worldly percussion, or wah-wah keyboards or that style of bass playing. I immediately started teaching myself all the individual parts by attempting to program it by hand in my dad’s Yamaha keyboard. That was the funkiest shit I ever heard, and still to this day, it’s one of my favorite pieces of recorded music, which helped inform my career as well as my desire to move to the Bay Area, because that music was recorded in San Francisco. Fast forward 17 years into living in the Bay, I now operate my private recording studio in the very same room that Herbie cut this track and so many others almost 50 years ago.

Volume 2 of SPARC Sounds, devoted to indica, comes to us from San Francisco-based DJ Caroline Kerr, a.k.a. Deejay CK.

“When playlisting, I’m big on genre blending,” Kerr says. “I try to reach as many people as possible with a little something for everyone.”

Explore: Best THC Gummies Guide

Kerr’s playlist is a mellow mix of chilled hip-hop, R&B, and future pop, and she adds, “I went for songs with high creativity in their production as listeners are more likely to notice new sounds under the influence of cannabis, when their attention to detail is enhanced.”

She made sure to add some of her favorite cannabis-themed tracks, like Rihanna’s “James Joint,” “Go Gina” by SZA, and “Bed Peace” by Jhené Aiko ft. Childish Gamino.

Kerr says she also threw in a handful of upbeat tracks, because “I don’t dig the stigma that indica strains are sleepy.” “If I’m at a house party, for example,” she says, “indica strains help me move about the room without feeling like I need to take it over.”

Volume 3 of SPARC Sounds, inspired by the balanced energy of indica-sativa hybrids, comes from Vandelux, a.k.a. Evan White.

Evan White aka Vandelux

“The playlist is definitely French-pop influenced but with a tropical, playful feel to it,” White says. “It has an easy-listening, pour-yourself-a-Mai Tai, kick-back-and-enjoy-the-nature-around-you kinda vibe.” He adds, “It’s a great playlist for background listening on vacation or just relaxing around the house on a sunny day.”

White says that one of his personal favorite tracks on the playlist is Against All Logic’s “Now U Got Me Hooked.”

“I love tracks with a lot of contrast and unique sound design and this one has both. Really cool vibe with a low end that almost sounds like it is coming from the basement below you when the beat drops.”

He also says he’s a fan of Romare’s “All Night,” saying, “It’s tough to listen to this track and not groove to it.” Archie Fairhurst (Romare) is a French recording artist who writes, records, and produces all of his own stuff with vintage equipment. “He also has a super unique sound and throws in some unexpected (sometimes unpleasant) layers to create that tension-and-release feel,” White says.

Click on over here when your workday is done, and check out these first three volumes of SPARC Sounds.

The post Introducing SPARC Sounds appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/sparc-sounds/feed/ 0 289417
SPARC Founder Erich Pearson on Activism, Equity, and the Future of Cannabis /sparc-founder-erich-pearson-on-activism-and-equity/ /sparc-founder-erich-pearson-on-activism-and-equity/#respond Wed, 29 Jul 2020 16:20:51 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=277164 When he first came to California to grow weed with a friend in Sonoma County, Erich Pearson couldn’t have known that he would land in the middle of a statewide and later a national fight for legalization, or that he would end up owning one of the most successful dispensaries in the Bay Area. His...

The post SPARC Founder Erich Pearson on Activism, Equity, and the Future of Cannabis appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
When he first came to California to grow weed with a friend in Sonoma County, Erich Pearson couldn’t have known that he would land in the middle of a statewide and later a national fight for legalization, or that he would end up owning one of the most successful dispensaries in the Bay Area.

His story starts in the mid-1990s, while he was still in college, and traveling from Indiana to Northern California in the summer to do what many kids were coming to NorCal for at the time: smoke some really excellent cannabis. Within a few years, after graduating college and moving to Sonoma County and later San Francisco, Pearson quickly learned that cannabis was far more than just a fun recreational drug, and that the path to future success in the world of cannabis cultivation was intertwined with the path to legal legitimacy.

Related: Q&A With Atrium Cultivation’s Co-Founder Shawn Gardner

“I was sick of seeing myself and my friends getting raided and arrested. And here we were growing and selling something that people wanted, something that was doing more good for people than harm, and the state had already recognized it as a legal medicine,” he says.

Pearson would spend two decades existing in the legal gray zones between city, state, and federal laws, all the while fighting with other cannabis activists to be heard by lawmakers and politicians in power.

Erich recently helped start the Cannabis Business Association of Sonoma County

After starting to establish indoor growing operations in San Francisco in the early days of medical cannabis, Pearson frequently ran up against these legal conflicts. He saw colleagues have their livelihoods threatened and saw his own business caught in the crosshairs of elected officials and political appointees who were either indifferent to or openly hostile to the increasingly legitimate space that cannabis dispensaries occupied.

One frequent foe in the last decade was former U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, who represented the Northern District of California from 2010 to 2015. Despite President Barack Obama’s Justice Department having issued a 2009 memo that directed federal prosecutors not to pursue medical marijuana purveyors in states that had legalized it, Haag launched a campaign in 2011 to target landlords who were renting to permitted dispensaries in San Francisco and elsewhere.

Pearson and fellow activist Wayne Justmann, along with a group of others, tried for months to get San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee to intervene on their behalf or at least offer some support to local businesses that, in the city’s eyes, were legal.

Related: Remembering Edibles Pioneer Brownie Mary

“We sent email after email and could never get him to write or call us back,” Pearson said. “So one morning we all just walked into his office and sat down on the floor and said we weren’t leaving until he talked to us.” By the end of the day, thanks to a sympathetic aide, the mayor had issued a strong statement in support of the dispensaries.

Similarly, Pearson and Justmann and their crew camped out at a breakfast being attended by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that year, and coerced her to issue a statement of support as well.

Haag and the U.S. Attorney’s office ultimately moved on to other causes, and she stepped down from her role in 2015. Still, a federal suit against Oakland’s Harborside — and threats to seize all of its property — lingered on for a full four years, before the feds dropped it in 2016.

When it comes to social justice and equity in the cannabis business, Pearson constantly pushes for new ways that SPARC can do its part. He applauds the work being done by medical marijuana pioneer Steve DeAngelo (founder of Harborside) and his Last Prisoner Project. “There is no one alive in this industry today who has done as much for the cause as Steve has,” Pearson says. (SPARC is doing a Carts for a Cause promotion soon with a special, branded cartridge for the Last Prisoner Project, and $1 from every cartridge sold will be donated to the non-profit.)

Additionally, SPARC sells over a half-dozen equity brands in the Bay Area owned by people of color and those most impacted by the War on Drugs. And Pearson stresses the importance of hiring people of color at all levels of his cultivation, production, and retail business.

Related: Social Equity Resource Center

“The way these programs should work is that states should take all this cannabis tax revenue, and they should put it in a pot and give a chunk of it to a third-party cannabis consultant that knows the industry and knows what it takes to make it equitable,” Pearson says. He derides programs like the one in San Francisco where equity partnership deals are being encouraged to get new permits, saying that such 60/40 partnerships are often too fragile — with the equity partner ultimately the likeliest to lose out down the road. A better program, like one that is happening in Los Angeles, puts a cluster of new retail permits in the hands of a single non-profit which oversees and supports those businesses, helping them to navigate the landscape and be successful.

“The programs are broken, unfortunately,” Pearson says. “The government needs private or non-profit entities to help them implement these programs, in my opinion.”

“What I focus is on is how do we hire more people of color — whether it’s in San Francisco or Sonoma County — how do we treat those people well and promote them from within.”

Explore all of our blog posts at sparc.co/blog.

The post SPARC Founder Erich Pearson on Activism, Equity, and the Future of Cannabis appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/sparc-founder-erich-pearson-on-activism-and-equity/feed/ 0 277164
How to Become a Budtender: A Complete Guide /how-to-become-a-budtender/ /how-to-become-a-budtender/#respond Thu, 23 Jul 2020 04:04:41 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=276181 The business of bud is exploding with an increase of 30% of the marijuana market since its legalization. With more and more demands for medical and recreational use, dispensaries require talented, passionate, and reliable individuals to face and advise their customers. That is where budtenders come into play. Here’s how to become the cannabis expert...

The post How to Become a Budtender: A Complete Guide appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
The business of bud is exploding with an increase of 30% of the marijuana market since its legalization. With more and more demands for medical and recreational use, dispensaries require talented, passionate, and reliable individuals to face and advise their customers. That is where budtenders come into play. Here’s how to become the cannabis expert who interacts with customers, provides quality products for legal uses, and educates them.

Related: Q&A With Gold Seal Co-Founder

What Is the History of Budtenders 

Dispensaries are almost 30 years old with the first medical dispensary, The San Francisco Buyers Club, opening in 1992 amid the AIDS crisis marks the budtender role’s birthplace. The term is a play on words of “bud” and “bartender”. The position evolved significantly since the legalization of medical marijuana in the 2000s. It ultimately shifted the budtender’s responsibilities from casual weed dealer to a knowledgeable advisor for medical patients. Sparc is home to some of the best budtenders around; visit a local professional today!

Who Are Budtenders? 

Budtenders are marijuana and cannabis specialists in dispensaries. As a trustworthy interlocutor, the budtender wears many hats at the same time. They act as retail professionals. They listen and answer questions to reassure and guide new and returning customers. As educators in the marijuana business, their role is to explain the best uses and consumption methods to match each customer’s needs and preferences. But they also turn legalized cannabis into a personalizable product for most consumers, taking down barriers and sharing practical and helpful facts and opinions.

What Is the Modern Budtender like? 

The budtender is critical to the preservation and expansion of the dispensary ecosystem. Budtenders are recognized and respected advisors to patients who use medical marijuana. In states where recreational adult use is authorized, the budtender’s knowledge and expertise play a pivotal role in keeping cannabis consumption safe. The modern budtender needs to juggle strict rules with unique needs and wants. Any mistake could have dramatic consequences, so dispensaries expect extensive product know-how for their broad audience. 

How Does the Budtender Role Function Today? 

Regulations in most legal markets require production facilities to deliver pre-packaged buds at their dispensaries. So most budtender roles will not ask you to weigh the buds. The budtender is also responsible for the cash-payment register.

Today’s budtender fulfills an educational role for customers, helping them understand different legal marijuana consumption aspects.

What Does It Take to Be a Budtender? 

Budtenders need a clear criminal record and a passion for the cannabis industry. As people rely on their professional advice for their purchase, they expect budtenders to know everything about cannabis, including industry trends, cannabinoids, strains, etc. You need to be willing to learn, as the industry is continually changing.

Ideally, a background in the service industry can make a big difference. You will talk to a variety of people who rely on you to find the best product. Making them feel at ease is a no-brainer. 

What Is the Most Challenging Aspect of Being a Budtender? 

Budtenders often get to serve consumers who live in a state that has not yet legalized cannabis and who want to travel back. Addressing travel and legal considerations can be challenging. Keeping up with the most recent regulations is a necessary investment in your career. 

What Is the Guide to Becoming a Budtender? 

Weighing weed on a scale

The guide to becoming a budtender encourages professionals to take their place in a growing industry sector. Training material and certifications can help you build a career path inside the dispensary. With weed legalization still in its infancy in the U.S., the guide also supports budtenders in identifying and attracting new growth opportunities in the business.

Product Knowledge 

The more you know, the more valuable you are to the customers of the dispensary. Budtenders are product specialists, which means they understand marijuana vocabulary, strain genetics, product descriptions, consumption methods, and individual products’ different quality and effects.

They can educate consumers about terpenes, cannabinoids, strains, the nature and history of Sativa, hybrid bland and indica, and the science between different products and their best use.

You are also a retail professional who understands the latest trends and how these affect the business. Finally, you can help customers compare prices, measurements, and weight conversions to know what they buy. 

Industry Trends 

As a budtender, you need to be aware of the changes and innovations at different business levels.

New regulations and rules will transform your customership. Understanding what is legal in your state and others will dictate how you serve customers. It’s a good idea to keep track of specialist industry material and follow experts online. You get to receive updates in real-time and discover how marketing and communication strategies need to adapt to local regulations and needs.

Be Personable 

The budtender is the face of the business. They embody the dispensary values and need to combine both extensive knowledge and high-quality customer skills. It is your role to create a personal connection and create a trust relationship with various customers. Ideally, first-hand knowledge of the products can help you answer customers’ queries and share real experience stories. Delivering an authentic message that people can trust is precisely what the dispensary expects from their best budtenders. You shouldn’t just push products, but push those you know will suit the customers. 

Related: Where Marigold Cannabis Is Grown

Prepare for the Interview 

When you apply for a dispensary role, it’s a good idea to study the products they offer. As the specialist in the dispensary, you are required to have expert knowledge about everything they sell. Ideally, candidates who are knowledgeable and passionate are a better match for dispensaries.

But don’t forget additional skills that can boost your profile: Retail experience or customer service are highly valuable. If you have medical experience, be sure to write it down too. 

Interview Tips Differentiate Yourself From the Competitors 

You can bring your resume on top of the pile by highlighting your relevant experience and knowledge for the budtender role. There are training programs available, such as the Cannabis Dispensary Basic Training from HempStaff, which can significantly increase your chances. Relevant programs that deliver a certificate will make your profile stand out.

List out and mention any related experience in the cannabis business or with customers. Write a few lines to explain why it is beneficial for the dispensary. If this is your first job, try to gain experience first in an entrance-level position for the company, for instance.

How to Find Budtender Jobs? 

Most dispensaries will publish vacancies on their websites or share them in store. Don’t hesitate to check your local businesses and get in touch with the team to find out more about the requirements. Social media platforms for dispensaries are also a good source of job info.

Alternatively, you can rely on usual job search routines. Google is the first place to start your search. “Budtender jobs near me” can help you create a list. LinkedIn and Indeed can be helpful, especially as many companies have to create a brand profile before posting their vacancies.

How Much Does a Budtender Make? 

A budtender makes approximately $17 per hour in California. It comes with a median salary of $32,000. However, you have to consider the job as a stepping stone into an exciting market sector. Being a budtender has its benefits, such as sample the products as part of your role. But as the marijuana business is growing fast, a budtender job can allow you to move your career forward in the company. The location affects how much you’ll earn.

What Does a Budtender Need to Know? 

A budtender creates a positive experience of cannabis consumption. Therefore, your knowledge is instrumental to avoid harmful and traumatic experiences for your customers. Understanding of the dosage, strains, and their effects will guide your advice. But ideally, you should also ensure people know what to expect from their product and chosen consumption method.. 

Where Can You Find the Best Budtender? 

Knowledgeable budtenders are the rockstars of the dispensary. You can reach out to your trusted budtender to ask them for tips and advice on the profession. As a rule of thumb, areas in which dispensaries have been long established, such as San Francisco, are more likely to have a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Yet that doesn’t mean you can’t find a budtender mentor elsewhere. Online and offline training facilities work closely with a group of experts with first-hand experience. You can reach out to trainers to find out more about the job.

About Sparc

Open sign of a dispensary

As long-established growers and distributors of cannabis in the San Francisco area since 1998, Sparc has been committed to bringing quality products to medical and recreational consumers. Since 2010, the business has opened retail facilities in the San Francisco area. In their dispensaries, the budtender plays a critical role in protecting and expanding cannabis’s beneficial use under all its legal forms. 

Like a sommelier of cannabis, the budtender creates a valuable and beneficial experience for consumers. Their knowledge, friendly and personable approach and expertise ensure they can advise medical and recreational users of legal marijuana. 

Making education a priority for consumers helps transform the consumption, use, and perception of cannabis for both customers and observers. The budtender’s responsibility can bridge the gap safety between medical patients and recreational users, ensuring loyalty and advocacy for the dispensary. More importantly, in a continually evolving market, tomorrow’s budtender may expand their skills and duties beyond the realm of their customer-facing activities. Get in touch with Sparc today to speak with our experienced budtenders!

Related: Ricki Lake Talks Cannabis

The post How to Become a Budtender: A Complete Guide appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/how-to-become-a-budtender/feed/ 0 276181
Cannabis Activists Take On Criminal Justice Reform Seeking to Free Drug Offenders /cannabis-activists-seeking-to-reform-drug-laws/ /cannabis-activists-seeking-to-reform-drug-laws/#respond Wed, 22 Jul 2020 21:23:38 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=273110 As the U.S. begins waking up to the tragedy that our prisons are filled with inmates who did little to land in jail besides sell — or possess — a little bit of weed, non-profits and legal-defense organizations are stepping up efforts to get those inmates freed. The possession, sale, and growing of cannabis for...

The post Cannabis Activists Take On Criminal Justice Reform Seeking to Free Drug Offenders appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
As the U.S. begins waking up to the tragedy that our prisons are filled with inmates who did little to land in jail besides sell — or possess — a little bit of weed, non-profits and legal-defense organizations are stepping up efforts to get those inmates freed.

The possession, sale, and growing of cannabis for recreational and/or medicinal use is now legal in nearly three dozen states in some form. And just given that fact, it is unconscionable that hundreds of thousands of incarcerated people remain in prison, sometimes on decades-long sentences, for drug crimes stemming from marijuana. Learn more about Social Equity Brands at SPARC.

Recognizing this injustice and the urgent need for reform, longtime cannabis activist Steve DeAngelo founded the Last Prisoner Project in 2019 with his brother, Andrew DeAngelo, and Dean Raise. The group is on a mission to exonerate and free the approximately 40,000 non-violent offenders sitting in U.S. jails for cannabis-related crimes, and DeAngelo wants to get the money and influence of the modern-day legal cannabis industry to put its full weight behind this mission.

DeAngelo says that he was inspired to start the Last Prisoner Project after sitting in the conference room of a high-rise office building, discussing financial and production projections for the first few years of legal cannabis in California with bankers and other brokers and pot entrepreneurs like himself. Following the meeting, he got a call from a friend, Chuck Cox, who is serving four years in a Pennsylvania prison for transporting 14 pounds of marijuana.

Related: Jahlibyrd Founder Chris Anderson Talks About His Love of Outdoor Growing

“I was just struck by the disparity of sitting at the table with people, and we were talking about tons of legal cannabis, and nobody at that table had the slightest fear of any kind of legal intervention,” DeAngelo said, speaking to Esquire last year. “Meanwhile, my friend Chuck is sitting in prison behind bars for a very, very tiny fraction of the amount of cannabis that we were talking about.”

Equity Brands like KGB Reserve help right the wrongs of the failed War on Drugs.

DeAngelo spent a little bit of time behind bars himself during the course of his career as a medical marijuana advocate and dispensary owner. Known as the “Father of the Legal Cannabis Industry,” he co-founded Oakland-based dispensary Harborside in 2006 with his brother and has been central to the legalization fight since the 1990s.

But he recognizes the privilege that allowed him to become a successful figure in the legal industry, while others he knew in the weed world and elsewhere ended up as felons.

“I’ve had that experience of hearing that barred door lock behind you and being in that confined space and being taken away from your loved ones,” he told Esquire, acknowledging that his total time spent in jail only amounted to about a year of his life.

Related: Social Equity Resource Center

The prisoner-advocacy space when it comes to cannabis crimes is growing steadily, and includes other like-minded organizations and programs. Leading the fight on the law side is the American Civil Liberties Union’s Criminal Law Reform Project, which published a landmark report this year titled “The War on Marijuana in Black and White” detailing how enforcement of marijuana laws costs the U.S. around $3.6 billion per year, and how these laws had led to over-policing of Black and brown people, and over 8 million arrests between 2001 and 2010.

Via “Why the War on Drugs Failed” by Ralph Sasson

Cage-Free Cannabis, another advocacy organization that was co-founded by Andrew Epstein, the brother of advocate Ricki Lake‘s film production partner Abby Epstein, is also working to achieve reparative and economic justice for those harmed by the War on Drugs. The group raises funds and engages cannabis businesses to help with getting inmates’ criminal records expunged, and providing economic opportunities for them post-prison.

In a similar vein, Freedom Grow, a non-profit founded by formerly incarcerated, San Francisco-based cannabis grower Stephanie Landa, sends money, books, and letters to around 100 incarcerated inmates serving time for non-violent, cannabis-related crimes.

“I’m optimistic about the trajectory of ending the War on Drugs,” said Adam Vine, co-founder of Cage-Free Cannabis during an event last November that the organization sponsored, National Expungement Week. “However, I’m concerned about the pace of the change. I think widespread and rapid relief is needed. I think that for people who have convictions on their records, those convictions continue to restrict their access to full and successful lives.”

Visit sparc.co/blog to learn more about cannabis activism and history.

The post Cannabis Activists Take On Criminal Justice Reform Seeking to Free Drug Offenders appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/cannabis-activists-seeking-to-reform-drug-laws/feed/ 0 273110
How Long Does Weed Stay in Your System? Everything You Need to Know /how-long-does-weed-stay-in-your-system/ /how-long-does-weed-stay-in-your-system/#respond Tue, 21 Jul 2020 19:25:16 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=275288 Cannabis is something to be enjoyed, but it’s essential to know just how long weed stays in your system. It’s important because you would never want to put yourself into a situation where it compromises your safety or others’ safety. Being clued up on this information will ensure you can use weed for the benefits...

The post How Long Does Weed Stay in Your System? Everything You Need to Know appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Cannabis is something to be enjoyed, but it’s essential to know just how long weed stays in your system. It’s important because you would never want to put yourself into a situation where it compromises your safety or others’ safety. Being clued up on this information will ensure you can use weed for the benefits it can provide without impacting your life in any way. In this guide, we’ll be covering everything you need to know about cannabis and how long you can expect it to remain in your system from your blood to your urine, your saliva, and more.

Related: How Does It Feel When You Take CBD?

How Long Does It Take to Feel The High Effect?

The length of time it takes can vary depending on certain factors, and the same can be said for when it comes to remaining in your system. The time it takes you to feel the high effect can be anywhere between the first 30 minutes to an hour after inhaling. The THC levels peak at this point, and that’s what causes you to feel high. The high itself can last up to several hours, depending on the amount you take and its strength. The intensity is likely to decrease after the first hour or so, which is good to know.

The sensation of how it feels can also differ from person to person. 

  • You might feel a sense of euphoria and perhaps feeling like you’re somewhat out of your body. 
  • Some get the giggles, while others can be very relaxed. 
  • The munchies are often also associated with smoking weed.

However, even those some of these feelings are pleasant ones; it’s worth knowing the weed can also have adverse effects. 

  • It can make you feel anxious. 
  • You can feel paranoid 
  • Some are even known to cause vomiting and nausea.

Do you want to learn more about different types of cannabis? Come visit us at Sparc!

How Long Does Weed Last?

When you smoke weed, cannabis can remain in your system in different ways. Let’s look at how long cannabis can last in various areas of your body.

Hair

Cannabis consumption can be detectable by a hair test if the use is daily or near-daily. That can be detectable up to three months later. However, it’s important to note that it’s not always reliable to detect the use or amount of cannabis used when it comes to tests on the hair. It’s also tricky to determine if they used weed themselves.

Urine 

With urine tests, the results will only be apparent if the user has recently smoked marijuana. It won’t be able to do so if the person is intoxicated by cannabis within that moment. The reason for that is that the body has to break down the THC to show up on the test. Many workplaces will encourage the urine test when it comes to drug tests because it can detect recent use.

Blood

As weed tends to only stay in your bloodstream for a short amount of time, it’s not common for blood tests to detect it. However, there are exceptions to that rule, and roadside accidents are one time that this test gets performed. Blood can only show current intoxication, so even if it was reasonably recent, its chances of showing up as positive are low.

Blood tests to detect cannabis aren’t a popular option because it stays in the bloodstream for such a short time. Sobriety tests and car accidents are generally the only time that these tests see use. These tests can show current intoxication, but they do not indicate the level of impairment.

Saliva

Saliva is very much the same when it comes to detecting weed in the system. Blood or saliva tests will only show current intoxication, so it’s not something that would commonly be looked at when testing those who may have smoked marijuana.

False Positive Test

Most testing for marijuana rarely leads to false positives because many tests would be screened with a GCMS or otherwise known as a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. This screening allows for more accurate results, and due to advancements in this field, a lot of problems that would cause false marijuana positives no longer exist. These were products like painkillers that were causing these tests to come out as false positives. Again, it rarely happens, but you could be an anomaly if you haven’t smoked weed.

What Factors Affect the Detection Time?

THC makeup of marijuana

Related: A Brief History of Medical Marijuana

There can often be factors involved that affect the detection time when it comes to testing. It can change the length of time the weed stays in your body, and so it’s worth knowing these factors.

Sex 

Gender can impact the detection time as women tend to metabolize THC at a slower rate than men. The reason for this is because women can often have higher levels of body fat than males do. That’s not to say it doesn’t affect everyone’s detection time, but on average, women might be harder to detect for THC than men.

Metabolism

Depending on your metabolism and how fast it is, it can determine how easily cannabis can show on a test. Metabolism rates can depend on your age, the amount of physical activity you have, and other health conditions. If your metabolism is fast, you will likely encourage marijuana to exit your body a lot quicker.

Frequency Of Use

The frequency in which you use marijuana can also impact the detection window. There’s evidence that the length of time can be affected by how often someone uses it, how much of it they end up using and how long they’ve used it. If you’re regularly smoking it, you are more likely to have a positive drug test, even if there’s been a considerable amount of time between the inhalation and the test itself. It can show positive results after 45 days, and for others who use it more heavily, it could be 90 days. That’s certainly a long time to factor in, especially if you start a new job, and a drug test is a common practice.

Hydration

If you’re dehydrated, it will usually result in more concentrated THC levels in the body. If you’re flooding your body with water, you are effectively flushing out the system, but it doesn’t guarantee that the test will come back conclusive. It might be that you’ll have to retake the test.

BMI 

Your BMI can be influential to the detection window, as mentioned earlier, regarding metabolism. If you have a higher amount of body fat, the THC metabolites will often store themselves in your body’s fat cells. It means that your body will metabolize a lot slower to get rid of the weed in your body. If that’s the case and you take a test, it might mean a positive result even if there’s been a lot of time between you taking it till now.

How To Get Weed Out of Your System?

Getting weed out of your system is something that you might want to do if there’s a risk of workplace drug tests or a negative effect on cannabis that you’ve experienced. Flushing your system is one way; that means you need to drink a lot of water and fluids to flush it out of your body through the urine. Exercising can also help.

Using drug screening agents can also be capable of cleaning the body. Companies that sell substances and herbal teas are capable of removing all marijuana traces from your system. Although they promise this, there’s no concrete evidence that it works. You might want to be wary of buying into some of these products.

There’s also the option of tampering with a test, but that’s not 100% guaranteed to work. It could even get you in trouble. Tampering with the screening would usually involve adding something to a urine test to contaminate it. Things like bleach, salt, or even detergent could affect the test results but aren’t fully proven to work. Most laboratories will be able to detect contamination too, so it’s not something that would be worth risking. The best thing you can do is wash out your system as best you can with water and fluids.

Outdoor growing cannabis

Although weed is still considered in some parts to be illegal or frowned upon, it’s something that is changing. With more education on the benefits of marijuana, it can hopefully become a more widely used drug for both recreational and medical usage. It’s good to understand how weed can affect your system and ensure it never gets you on the wrong side of the law. Do you have more questions, or are you searching for your new favorite strain? See what Sparc has to offer!

Related: Weed for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

The post How Long Does Weed Stay in Your System? Everything You Need to Know appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/how-long-does-weed-stay-in-your-system/feed/ 0 275288
Easy Guide on How to Use a Vape Pen /how-to-use-a-vape-pen/ /how-to-use-a-vape-pen/#respond Tue, 21 Jul 2020 19:12:10 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=275275 One of the reasons that vape pens have become quite as popular as they are is that they are easy to use. It doesn’t take long to figure out how to use them even if you’re entirely new to vaping. However, if you want a better idea of how they work and how to get...

The post Easy Guide on How to Use a Vape Pen appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
One of the reasons that vape pens have become quite as popular as they are is that they are easy to use. It doesn’t take long to figure out how to use them even if you’re entirely new to vaping. However, if you want a better idea of how they work and how to get the best out of your vape pen, we have you covered. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about how to use a vape pen.

Related: Weed for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

What Exactly Is a Vape Pen? 

Vape pens are devices that work using a power source that heats a vape tank or cartridge. The tank or cartridge contains a material, usually called e-liquid, to create a vapor that you, the user, then inhale and exhale. Vape pens have become massively popular, gaining attention since 2010. While some have used them to quit traditional cigarettes, others have used them to enjoy all sorts of products, including electronic hookah, CBD products, and cannabis oil cartridges. Vape pens have got consistently larger in capacity, allowing for more battery life and e-liquid storage as time goes on. Do you want to learn more about vape pens? Visit us at Sparc!

Parts of a Vape Pen

Cartridge 

Also known as the tank, the pod, or the cartomizer, this part is where your device stores the cannabis oil that is to be heated. Some vape pens use disposable cartridges that are bought, drained, and then thrown away. For other devices, this will be a built-in section of the pen that you can fill repeatedly. They come in various sizes and capacities.

510 Threads 

This term describes a particular part of the vape pen battery: the battery’s threading. Effectively, it’s the connecting part between the internal battery and the cartridge. The name “510 threads” comes from the fact that they are supposed to be ten threads at 0.5 mm. If you have a 510 thread battery, you also need to use cartridges that are compatible with 510 threads.

Internal Battery 

The battery provides power to the cartridge’s wick, heating the vape substance inside to produce the vapor that you inhale. Of course, depending on your battery size and capacity, this will also determine how long you can run your vaporizer. It also largely determines the shape and grip of the vape pen. Some people like a box mod battery that’s a little more sizeable, while others prefer a slim or extended battery. They’re usually lithium-ion batteries, which are highly cost-effective, rechargeable, and likely to last for a long time.

Rechargeable and Disposable Vape Pens 

There are both rechargeable and disposable types of vape pens, as well as disposable parts. This primarily refers to the battery type. With a rechargeable battery, you can keep using it so long as you resupply it with power. Disposable batteries are not rechargeable. While somewhat more wasteful, they are also much more affordable.

Vape tanks

Related: A Brief History of Medical Marijuana in California

Push Button vs. Draw-Activated Vape Pens 

There are also different methods of “powering” the vape pen. A push-button vape pen will activate the battery, heating the e-liquid when you press the button down. Usually, these types have a power button to turn on before they can produce vapor, making sure that you don’t accidentally activate it inside your pocket. Draw-activated vape pens, also known as automatic battery vape pens, don’t need to be turned on. Instead, they start working as soon as you puff on them.

How to Use a Vape Pen for THC Weed Oil and Distillate Carts 

Vape pens work with various THC products, and weed oil and distillate carts are some of the easiest to use out of them. These often come as pre-filled cartridges that you need to attach to the vape pen. It’s encouraged to start puffing smaller amounts at a lower power if possible, as the effects may be subtle at first, but you want to make sure that you’re managing your dosage.

Dabs and Wax 

Vape pens can heat dabs and wax, allowing for a more potent puff of THC. However, this works best with vape pens explicitly designed for dabs that allow for the higher temperatures that enable them to dissolve as efficiently as possible. A small amount of dab/wax is loaded with a dab tool, heated by the coil, and it’s recommended you take little puffs minutes apart once it starts to dissolve, as many people underestimate the strength of dabs.

Weed 

You can smoke weed using a vape pen. You can get attachments that use the battery to light weed and dry herbs. However, these attachments tend not to work with draw-activated vape pens. Furthermore, the average pen does not provide enough heat to vaporize dry substances as effectively as they do with e-liquids, so it may be better to find a weed vape pen specifically designed for it.

How to Use a Vape Pen for CBD Oil Cartridges 

Much as with a THC distillate, there are pre-filled CBD oil cartridges you can quite easily use with your vape pen. These need to be screwed onto the vape pen thread if you’re using a rechargeable type. As with THC, it’s recommended you start with smaller puffs on the lower power setting on your pen.

Find the Right Vape Pen for You 

Different vape pens

There’s no one vape pen that’s recommended for everyone. It’s best to choose one that suits your needs. If you want to try vaping THC once and don’t want to invest too much, an inexpensive disposable option might be best. However, if you’re going to vape on the regular, then rechargeable is the best way to go. Make sure you choose a device with the capability to help you vape your choice’s substance and with the battery capacity to suit your needs. What kind of vape pen is your perfect match? Come check out what Sparc has to offer!

Related: How Humans Started Consuming Cannabis for Ritual and Pleasure

The post Easy Guide on How to Use a Vape Pen appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/how-to-use-a-vape-pen/feed/ 0 275275
Remembering Edibles Pioneer Brownie Mary /remembering-edibles-pioneer-brownie-mary/ /remembering-edibles-pioneer-brownie-mary/#respond Tue, 14 Jul 2020 14:08:38 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=267666 Maybe it was an anti-authoritarian streak that she exhibited from a young age. Or maybe it was the tragic loss of a daughter who had just reach adulthood, leaving her with mothering instincts to spare. Whatever it was that inspired her act of quiet rebellion, Mary Jane Rathbun, a.k.a. Brownie Mary, will long be remembered...

The post Remembering Edibles Pioneer Brownie Mary appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Maybe it was an anti-authoritarian streak that she exhibited from a young age. Or maybe it was the tragic loss of a daughter who had just reach adulthood, leaving her with mothering instincts to spare. Whatever it was that inspired her act of quiet rebellion, Mary Jane Rathbun, a.k.a. Brownie Mary, will long be remembered for providing her cannabis edibles to people in need decades before doing so was made legal.

The story of medical cannabis in California, and the ultimate legalization of recreational marijuana in this state and elsewhere, isn’t complete without Brownie Mary. Foul-mouthed and an anarchist by nature, Rathbun fit in well with the counterculture of San Francisco. An early story had it that Rathbun rebelled against a nun in Catholic school, fighting back when the nun tried to cane her. And she took to activism as a teenager in the midwest, protesting for abortion rights in Minneapolis as early as the 1940s

She started out baking a few batches of pot brownies in her SF kitchen in the early 1970s, later advertising her brownie business via flyers that hinted the treats were “magically delicious.” That caught the attention of the police, and her first bust came in 1981, with an SFPD detective at her door posing as a customer.

Brownie Mary with cannabis cookies.
Brownie Mary with some fresh baked cookies.

Legal Trouble Due to Baking

“Oh, shit,” was how Rathbun responded to finding out she was busted, according to the legend as relayed by Atlas Obscura. But at age 57 and looking every bit the grandmotherly type — a rival SF brownie maker, Meridy Volz, tells KQED that Rathbun looked “conservative” and “like the church lady down the block” — Rathbun’s arrest was the makings of national headlines. And the case set her up to become a pioneer crusader for medical cannabis when her edibles turned out to be legit medicine for some of the first AIDS patients at San Francisco General Hospital.

Related: Featured Brands

Rathbun ended up pleading guilty to nine counts of possession and received three years probation, with 500 hours of community service attached. According to an account from fellow SF medical cannabis activist Dennis Peron, with whom she would later collaborate, Rathbun completed those community service hours with pleasure, and in record time — 60 days. She was working with community organizations like the Shanti Project — a support group for HIV/AIDS patients — just as the scourge of HIV was hitting the Castro neighborhood in 1982. And with no child of her own — Rathbun’s only daughter Peggy died in a car accident in the early 1970s at the age of 22 — Rathbun seemed to want to mother everyone through this unfolding crisis.

As Peron put it, “She adopted every kid in San Francisco as her own.”

Rathbun’s volunteer work took her into SF General as well, and she ended up being arrested again in 1982 for bringing a pot brownie to a cancer patient there. She learned that cannabis edibles had a magical effect in easing nausea for cancer patients. But it was there at the hospital that she also saw the frontlines of the AIDS epidemic, and as the story goes, her brownie production went into high gear by 1984 as more and more AIDS patients needed palliative care and cannabis to treat the nausea brought on by early HIV treatments.

Baking Brownies for Good

Peron said that during this period, from 1984 to about 1991, Brownie Mary was baking 134 dozen pot brownies in her apartment every month. Local weed dealers gave her the leaf and shake they couldn’t sell, and anecdotally her entire apartment building reeked of pot constantly during these years.

Related: Best THC Gummies Guide

“She called them her kids,” Peron said of Mary and her relationships with gay men dying of AIDS. “Many of them were dying alone and despised. Their families wouldn’t even visit them. She baked them something that helped ease their pain, and she also dispensed friendliness and resilience. A lot of those patients called her an angel of mercy.”

Rathbun’s wholesome image was useful for the burgeoning cause of legalizing medical cannabis, as Peron quickly figured out. Speaking to Cannabis Culture in 1999, he described a flyer that he and Rathbun made featuring the first SFPD detective who arrested her, narcotics officer Stephen Bossard. Brossard was himself arrested a few years later for a drunken incident in his backyard in which he shot off his gun and was walking around in his underpants waving the weapon around.

“We took the article about him and put it on a poster next to the article about him arresting Brownie Mary,” Peron said. “Underneath it we had the headline ‘One of these people is a threat to your safety! Which one is it?”

Pot Brownies

In 1992, Rathbun was arrested in Sonoma County while making pot brownies at the home of a grower in rural Cazadero. Charges against her were ultimately dropped, but not before she mounted a legal defense in a new county citing medical necessity for her products.

In September 1992, Rathbun testified before the SF Board of Supervisors during a hearing over what would become a new ordinance making marijuana crimes a “lowest priority” for the police. And she also flew to Washington, D.C. to join an ACT UP protest over the first Bush Administration’s medical marijuana policies.

Related: Shop Edibles

Rathbun went on to set up shop in Peron’s basement in the Castro as part of a stunt for local news coverage in 1993. They called it Brownie Mary’s Cannabis Cafe, and they were begging to be arrested, even though medical marijuana had technically been legalized by city ordinance two years earlier. This was mid-way through a four-year campaign launched by Peron to get a statewide law passed legalizing medical cannabis. That ultimately came in 1995 with Proposition 215, which opened the door for medical cannabis dispensaries across the state.

When Rathbun died in 1999 at the age of 76, she was remembered as a feisty and fitting mother of the medical cannabis movement.

“It’s hard to hate an old lady,” Rathbun said of herself. “They tried to see ‘Reefer Madness,’ but all they saw was their tiny grandma.”

The post Remembering Edibles Pioneer Brownie Mary appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/remembering-edibles-pioneer-brownie-mary/feed/ 0 267666
How Does It Feel When You Take CBD? /how-does-it-feel-when-you-take-cbd/ /how-does-it-feel-when-you-take-cbd/#respond Mon, 06 Jul 2020 21:34:31 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=266394 Known for its calming and rejuvenating properties on both the body and mind, CBD is becoming increasingly popular due to its many health benefits, minus the intoxicating side effects commonly associated with marijuana. Made by mixing extracted and diluted CBD with a carrier oil such as coconut, CBD oil is an effective remedy for many...

The post How Does It Feel When You Take CBD? appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Known for its calming and rejuvenating properties on both the body and mind, CBD is becoming increasingly popular due to its many health benefits, minus the intoxicating side effects commonly associated with marijuana. Made by mixing extracted and diluted CBD with a carrier oil such as coconut, CBD oil is an effective remedy for many common health issues such as chronic pain and anxiety. It is an excellent option for those looking to turn towards alternative and natural medicines. 

While the CBD industry continues to flourish and make controversial headlines, ever-increasing scientific studies are confirming its many surprising health benefits, thrusting it from a niche market into the mainstream consumer limelight. San Francisco Patient and Resource Center (SPARC) is one of the companies that have brought it mainstream.

Related: Sonoma County cannabis oil manufacturers seek to ease vaping fears

What Are the Uses of CBD?

CBD is commonly used to treat and reduce anxiety and help those who have insomnia, with some studies suggesting that CBD helps with falling and staying asleep. CBD is also said to stimulate the appetite in the same way that marijuana does, which could help those who struggle with suppressed appetites. It is also increasingly used as a practical option for treating various types of chronic pain due to its influence on the receptors which regulate serotonin, the feel-good hormone. CBD has shown promising results when it comes to treating seizures and helping with a magnitude of other health problems such as depression, drug addiction, epilepsy, high blood pressure, muscle spasms, and even Parkinson’s disease.

CBD has also been known to help those who have cancer, and while the National Cancer Institute doesn’t fully endorse the use of CBD as a treatment, it does recognize its positive effect on patients. These include alleviation of cancer symptoms as well as the adverse side effects resulting from treatment. That is due to its ability to change cell production and decrease moderate inflammation shown in early studies investigating CBD’s role in preventing cancer cell growth. 

Hemp-Derived Versus Marijuana-Derived

There are two variations for the cannabis plant, which produces CBD – hemp and marijuana. Although there are some notable differences, CBD extracted from either plant remains identical on both a molecular and pharmacological level. In other words, regardless of which plant it came from, CBD is CBD.

Hemp plants tend to differ from marijuana plants in both appearances, as well as their levels of THC. This cannabinoid possesses the intoxicating properties for which cannabis is so famous. Hemp plants are often scarce in foliage and skinny in appearance as opposed to their marijuana counterparts and are grown primarily for their fiber and seeds in industrial hemp plants. In contrast, marijuana plants have thick foliage and flowers, which contain intoxicating properties. 

Marijuana-derived CBD oils, therefore, could be considered the stronger out of the two, often containing higher levels of the psychoactive THC compared to hemp products. While both can be easily found on the adult-use market and are legally available, those using marijuana-derived CBD oils should prepare themselves for the ‘high’ effect of THC.  

Full-Spectrum, Broad-Spectrum, or CBD Isolate?

Full Spectrum: This type of CBD oil hasn’t been filtered during the extraction process. A full spectrum oil contains all the cannabinoids and natural properties found in the cannabis plant. That includes cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinol (CBN), the all-important THC, and other types of cannabinoids.

Broad Spectrum: This type of CBD oil is like the full spectrum in that it still contains all the cannabidiols and other compounds found with the plant. However, there is a new extraction process that takes place which filters out and thoroughly removes all traces of THC. Consumers needn’t worry though, due to the remaining cannabinoids, the oil still produces the same effect only without the THC. The main benefit is greater control over specific cannabinoid ratios, leading to higher product consistency. 

CBD Isolate: The most refined variation of all three, CBD isolate, can typically be found in two forms – large crystals or fine white powder, neither of which contain any specific odor or taste. The extraction process strips away all other active compounds and cannabinoids, leaving 99% pure CBD.

What Are the Different Ways You Can Take CBD?

cbd oil with plant

Orally: CBD now comes in various edible forms, such as snacks and gummies, and is usually the easiest method for long-term use and supplementation. When ingested, the CBD is absorbed into the bloodstream via the digestive tract, where it will then travel throughout the rest of your body. While oral consumption is generally the slowest route of absorption, it makes up for it by being active for a more extended period.

Tongue Tinctures: A popular way to take CBD is by placing the required dosage under the tongue, commonly done with products using oil tinctures. The CBD is then quickly and directly absorbed into the bloodstream thanks to the capillary-rich areas beneath the tongue, making it a faster route than swallowing. 

Vaping: By being absorbed into the bloodstream directly through the lungs, inhalation is the quickest method to get CBD into your system, with bloodstream levels peaking within only 10 minutes. However, it also has the shortest activity period.

Topical: An excellent method for treating pain and skin conditions, CBD oil can now be found in a wide range of products, including soaps, oils, creams, and bathing products. When applied topically, the CBD diffuses and is quickly absorbed through the skin, providing immediate and effective relief, with very little entering the bloodstream. 

Related: Pushback Time: Meet the Cannabis Business Association of Sonoma County

How Will CBD Make Me Feel?

Most users report overall positive effects when taking CBD, claiming that it relieves and reduces anxiety, alleviates soreness, contributes to a better night’s sleep, and promotes general feelings of calmness. However, a consumer’s CBD experience is very individual, with the exact effect often depending on the dosage and type of product used, diet, weight, metabolism speeds, and medical conditions. 

Some products and dosages may be more beneficial than others, depending on what you are aiming to treat, and a small dose may have little to no effect at all. It’s also good to remember that the way your body absorbs CBD depends on how it is administered, e.g., topically or orally. For example, CBD oils are generally better suited to help those with sleeping problems, whereas topical treatments have been reported to provide adequate pain relief. 

Users shouldn’t be worried about any drowsy and sleepy side effects, either. Most people report that the CBD releases tension in the body, leaving users feeling more at ease. Users will most likely experience a drop in stress levels resulting in an overall feeling of relaxation. While some users will experience a more potent effect, they are generally slow and subtle, and the overall effect will leave you feeling calm and anxiety-free.

What Is the Difference Between CBD Products and THC Products?

CBD (Cannabidiol) and THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) are the two main cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, both of which interact with cannabinoid receptors found within the body. While both have the same chemical formula, their atoms have a slightly different arrangement causing THC to be psychoactive, whereas the CBD is not. That means that CBD will not get you high, and when ingested for medical and calming purposes, you will experience the positive effects without compromising your cognitive abilities. CBD’s slightly differing chemical formula is the reason why it is used more frequently in medical and dietary supplements than THC, which will give you a high.

How Do You Properly Store Away Your CBD Products?

To ensure your CBD oil shelf life, always make sure to store it in an upright position in an airtight bottle away from any extremities such as light, heat, or moisture. Store in a cool, dry, and dark place to ensure product stability such as in the kitchen pantry. If kept in the fridge, please keep in mind that there is a chance that the oil could thicken due to the very low temperature and may require heating before use. 

Where Can I Get CBD Products?

woman working on cbd plant

Online stores: Fast, secure, and hassle-free, the majority of CBD products are now sold online, meaning that you can get your order delivered straight to your front door. Buying online generally gives you more options to choose from and allows you to look at customer reviews either on the site or through social media to see if the provider and products are good quality. It’s also good to bear in mind that CBD products sold on Amazon and online stores are not the same. 

Dispensaries: Physical dispensaries selling medical cannabis within the US continue to grow, offering CBD products that meet health and safety law regulations. Medical dispensaries adhere to strict protocols, and while you won’t need a card to purchase hemp-based CBD, you will need to provide a medical certificate for plant-based CBD oil purchases. Some dispensaries, such as SPARC, now also offer CBD products online with convenient pick-up and same-day delivery services.

Specialty retail stores: You can purchase CBD products over the counter at specialty retail stores, allowing consumers to see the product before purchasing. 

With the industry rapidly growing in recent years, it’s only just now starting to reach its true potential, making its evolution hard to predict. While we are only just discovering the many possibilities of CBD, one thing is for sure – that CBD is quickly rising to the top of the health and wellness market and is set to stay for the foreseeable future. 

Related: Hash Isn’t for the Timid

The post How Does It Feel When You Take CBD? appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/how-does-it-feel-when-you-take-cbd/feed/ 0 266394
Best THC Gummies Guide /best-thc-gummies-guide/ /best-thc-gummies-guide/#respond Mon, 06 Jul 2020 20:53:57 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=266377 THC gummies are becoming increasingly popular, and rightfully so. They are sweet treats with a twist. Most THC-infused gummies only contain 10 milligrams, making it very easy to pace yourself but just as easy to take your high up a notch if you want to. These sweet treats taste delightful, do not leave a crazy...

The post Best THC Gummies Guide appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
THC gummies are becoming increasingly popular, and rightfully so. They are sweet treats with a twist. Most THC-infused gummies only contain 10 milligrams, making it very easy to pace yourself but just as easy to take your high up a notch if you want to. These sweet treats taste delightful, do not leave a crazy mess behind, and they are almost always readily available. THC gummies are also very discreet, as it can be difficult to tell the difference between a regular gummy and a THC-infused gummy. These gummies can come in a wide variety of textures, shapes, and flavors. SPARC can help you find some of these delicious treats.

Related: Introducing the Sonoma County Land Where Marigold Cannabis Is Grown

What Should You Be Looking For?

There are three things you should look for when looking for an excellent THC-infused gummy: the ratio of cannabinoids, added terpenes, and full-spectrum cannabis oil. It is essential to note the ratio of THC and another type of cannabinoid because those ratios determine the kind of experience you will have. It is a well-known fact that small doses of CBD in a THC-infused gummy can significantly enhance the THC high. Terpenes, which are organic compounds that give cannabis and other plants their smell and flavor, can also influence your high. Having full-spectrum cannabis oils also adds to the complexity of your gummy’s character.

The ratio of THC to CBD

Ratios are a vital part of knowing the way cannabis will interact with your body. Different ratios achieve different things. If the CBD to TCH ratio is 0:1, that means you are consuming a THC-only product. That may give you psychoactive effects like a euphoric, uplifting, and happy feeling. For those with low THC tolerance, this may not be something you are going for. If the CBD to THC ratio of a product is 1:0, it will not produce a high, but it may enhance your mood. The CBD to THC ratio of a product is 1:2, you will likely still experience a high, but you will feel relaxed instead of anxious or paranoid. You could also get a product that its CBD to THC ratio is 1:1, which can produce mild psychoactive effects but is considered more balanced.

Added Terpenes

Terpenes are organic compounds that are not only responsible for the cannabis’ smell and taste, but also influence your high as they help speed up the absorption of cannabinoids into your bloodstream. Some common terpenes are pinene, linalool, myrcene, limonene, caryophyllene, and humulene. They all serve different purposes. Linalool is one of the most common as this terpene is responsible for the aroma. Pinene is used as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, while limonene is an antifungal agent that can also boost mood and reduce inflammation. Humulene acts as an appetite suppressant as well as an anti-inflammatory.

How Are THC / CBD Gummies Made

three flavors of cannabis gummies

THC gummies can be made using hash oil, therefore decreasing the intense “weed flavor” and increasing the potency. There are two main types of extract you can use when starting your THC-infused gummies: tincture and hash oil. A tincture is easier to make than hash oil, but the gummies will be green. Hash oil does not have that many green matters in it, making the taste more enjoyable. CBD gummies use CBD oil. No matter the method, different natural ingredients can be used to create a variety of flavors. With gelatin, you can use things like honey, lime juice, cherry juice, coconut water, or any other type of fruit juice.

Recommendations

Now that you know what you should be looking for in a THC/CBD-infused gummy, i.e., the ratio between the CBD and THC and the composition, you can make a more educated decision when it comes to picking the right gummies for you. It is essential to research the company you are buying to make sure their products will be of high quality. Thankfully you have all the information at your fingertips with this list of best-tasting THC/CBD-infused gummies.

Related: Featured Brands

Camino Gummies by Kiva

These gummies have the best taste. They are formulated using a THC, CBN, and terpene recipe with functional ingredients added like a touch of chamomile and lavender oils, which one of their flavors helps improve sleep quality and calm restlessness without the next-day dazed feeling that often comes with using TCH later in the evening. Other flavors have things like watermelon and tart citrus. Some of their gummies have 1 milligram of CBN and 5mg of THC. The effects of these gummies can last up to eight hours, a good idea when trying to get eight full hours of sleep if you eat them in the evening. 

Wyld Gummies

Wyld gummies are a great option if you are looking just to relax. These come in a rectangular shape, coated in sugar. They only have five milligrams without any trace of the cannabis oil flavor. The brand has a range of THC-dominant, CBD-dominant, and balanced THC-CBD products. Their products are infused with real fruit ingredients and flavors. Some of their flavors include peach, huckleberry, marionberry, raspberry, pomegranate, and strawberry gummies. Wyld also offers infused white chocolate with flavors like blood orange and strawberry. This company is based out of Portland, Oregon.

PLUS Gummies

These gummies are an excellent option for people with low tolerance or who want to micro-dose as they are only made with five milligrams of Sativa-dominant, Indica-dominant, or Sativa-Indica hybrid cannabis. They have great flavors that hide the weed taste like their limited-edition PRIDE Rainbow Sherbert, Sour Blueberry, Cucumber Lime, Sour Watermelon, Tangerine, Blackberry and Lemon and Grape. Some are perfect to use in the daytime to mellow out or uplift your mood while others are will significantly relax you out for a chill evening of binge-watching movies and eating all the pizza your heart desires.

Vegan Kanha Treats

Kanha has a wide range of cannabis gummy products, from micro-dosable to heavy-hitting, fast-acting, and CBD. All Kanha gummies start with high quality Cannabis oil, which is precisely infused and mixed with all-natural ingredients to make our delicious and pillowy soft gummies. The Kanha Classics line has 9 different flavors available in Hybrid, Indica and Sativa options at 10mg of THC each.

Kanha Nano gummies are fast-acting, and can start taking effect in as few as 10-15 minutes. These gummies utilize a patented lipid-based formula that creates cannabinoid particles smaller than a wavelength of light. The particles are so small that they absorb into your bloodstream much easier, which allows for the rapid onset. There are both 5mg THC and 10mg THC options available. This line also includes a Vegan option with 10mg THC per gummy.

Related: Bay Area Cannasseur: Compassionate care programs getting into gear

How to Acquire

Sparc logo

You can order and either pick it up or have it delivered to your doorstep at http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/.

The post Best THC Gummies Guide appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/best-thc-gummies-guide/feed/ 0 266377
A Brief History Medical Marijuana In California /a-brief-history-medical-marijuana-in-california/ /a-brief-history-medical-marijuana-in-california/#respond Mon, 06 Jul 2020 17:48:43 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=263336 When people talk about medical cannabis in the U.S., most everyone thinks of the state laws enacted in the last three decades, beginning with California’s Compassionate Use Act (Prop. 215) in 1996. But medical use of cannabis in the U.S. dates back to the 1840s, when cannabis oil was widely available as an over-the-counter medication...

The post A Brief History Medical Marijuana In California appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
When people talk about medical cannabis in the U.S., most everyone thinks of the state laws enacted in the last three decades, beginning with California’s Compassionate Use Act (Prop. 215) in 1996. But medical use of cannabis in the U.S. dates back to the 1840s, when cannabis oil was widely available as an over-the-counter medication for everything from snakebites to excessive menstrual bleeding.

A series of federal laws beginning in the 1930s removed cannabis from the shelves of local pharmacies and began to apply a stigma to its use, just as libertine America began to discover the recreational pleasures of it. Puritanical lawmakers nationwide, helped by sensational media coverage of marijuana’s ill effects, propelled cannabis into the realm of illicit substances. And by 1970, the Controlled Substances had enshrined marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, alongside the likes of heroin, mescaline, and MDMA, making its medical use illegal. (Cocaine, meanwhile, remains a Schedule 2 drug with some medical applications to this day.)

Dennis Peron and Medical Cannabis

The AIDS crisis began to change the minds of elected officials, at least on the West Coast, by the early 1990s. San Francisco activist and medical cannabis advocate Dennis Peron had sween his own partner, Jonathan West, succumb to AIDS in 1990, and he’d been selling cannabis to friends and AIDS patients out of storefronts in the Castro neighborhood for a while. In 1991, Peron was instrumental in getting a local ordinance passed, Proposition P, allowing for medical cannabis use in the city of San Francisco — and that led directly to the passage of the statewide Prop. 215 five years later.

Dennis peron giving a speech about medical marijuana.
Dennis Peron was thee author of Prop. 215, which legalized medical cannabis in California.

Peron co-founded the San Francisco Cannabis Buyers Club in 1991, becoming the first semi-legal cannabis dispensary in the country, and paving the way for the medical cannabis movement to take hold across California, and ultimately 33 states in the U.S. It was modeled after the AIDS Drugs Buyers Club — which was not unlike the Dallas Buyers Club depicted in a 2013 film — in which gay men in the Castro banded together to get and distribute unapproved AIDS drugs to help save, or lengthen, the lives of their friends and neighbors.

Related: Jahlibyrd Founder Chris Anderson Talks About his Love of Outdoor Growing

The passage to legalization of medical cannabis was far from a smooth process, and despite San Francisco’s liberal reputation, it has always been home to less-than-liberal police and some conservative political leaders as well. Peron’s storefronts were raided twice — once in 1978 and once in 1990 — and he was constantly under threat of arrest as medical cannabis remained illegal at the state and federal levels.

During one raid, as Way of Leaf recounts, Peron was “shot by a police officer who later admitted that he wished he killed Peron because there would be ‘one less faggot in San Francisco.'”

Peron teamed up with the infamous Brownie Mary (whom we’ll be covering on this blog next week) to distribute marijuana edibles to people in need of pain and nausea relief. And the pair opened Brownie Mary’s Cannabis Café in Peron’s basement in 1993 as a publicity stunt for local TV networks — and a way to call attention to the cause.

Brownie Mary holding cannabis brownies.
Brownie Mary with a few of her famous brownies.

More Cities Adapt Medical Cannabis

The Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Collective followed in 1995, and the city of Oakland helped the collective along by establishing growing and possession guidelines and declared the OCBC an agent of the city.

By the mid-1990s, that attention had been found, and the campaign to pass Prop. 215 was bolstered by billionaire donors like Bill Zimmer and George Soros. It passed in November 1996 with 56.6 percent of California voters approving it.

SPARC was an early trailblazer in San Francisco, having been founded by J. Erich Pearson in 1998 as the San Francisco Patient And Resource Center. And the company opened its first retail dispensary on Mission Street in San Francisco’s SoMa district in 2010. 

Related: Shop Edibles

The patchwork of state laws — some of which now allow for recreational cannabis sales and possession, some of which only allow medical use, and some of which still outlaw cannabis altogether — continues to create confusion to this day, and the Department of Justice has yet to intervene. Also, the Supreme Court has yet to take a case that would settle the question of whether federal drug laws trump those of the states — though they tacitly let California’s law stand in 2009 when it refused to take a case brought by the city of San Diego that was arguing against having to issue medical cannabis cards.

In 2014, we had the closest thing to federal intervention on the cannabis issue with the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment, which once and for all prohibited the Justice Department from spending federal funds to interfere with state marijuana laws.

The post A Brief History Medical Marijuana In California appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/a-brief-history-medical-marijuana-in-california/feed/ 0 263336
How to Make a Joint Burn Slow /how-to-make-a-joint-burn-slow/ /how-to-make-a-joint-burn-slow/#respond Tue, 30 Jun 2020 15:18:49 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=262463 Are you tired of wasting your weed? If you are wondering how to increase the quality of your consumption, Sparc is here to help. Knowing how to roll a perfect slow-burning joint is one easy way to enhance your experience with cannabis. Rolling a joint doesn’t have to be an intimidating process; here are some...

The post How to Make a Joint Burn Slow appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Are you tired of wasting your weed? If you are wondering how to increase the quality of your consumption, Sparc is here to help.

Knowing how to roll a perfect slow-burning joint is one easy way to enhance your experience with cannabis. Rolling a joint doesn’t have to be an intimidating process; here are some tips to get it just right, whether you are a complete beginner or already consider yourself an expert.

Related: Weed for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

Quality Check – Know Your Cannabis

The first thing that you will need on your joint rolling journey is a high-end cannabis product. Once the buds are harvested from the marijuana plant, they need to be dried out. After drying, the curing begins. The curing process is relatively simple, but an under-cured or uncured bud may still have some moisture in it, causing uneven burning. If the flower is too wet, you may have a hard time getting your joint lit at all. On the other hand, old or over-cured cannabis can be too dry, causing it to burn much too quickly. Generally, a moisture level of about 10% is ideal. Need help picking the perfect bud? Sparc is here for you!

Grind It Out

Properly ground cannabis is essential for rolling a great joint. When ground correctly, your buds will be in the perfect condition to produce a nice slow, even burn. The fine consistency that you will get from grinding your weed helps make sure that everything heats evenly without wasting any of the precious flowers. You also need to make sure to get an even grind; if you have small chunks of bud in your joint, it won’t burn evenly or smoothly. When choosing a grinder, try to find one that gives a nice fine grind.

Know Your Paper

For a perfect joint, choosing the right rolling papers for your needs makes a huge difference in the quality of your smoke. There are a couple of different factors to consider when deciding on which papers you want to use.

Thickness

The thicker your papers are, the quicker that they will burn. For best practices, you want to choose the thinnest paper that you can comfortably handle. If the packaging mentions ultra-thin or thin, they will generally burn slowly and evenly.

Material

Rolling papers come in many different materials, but which ones are the best?

  • Wood pulp papers are the easiest for beginners to handle. They maintain their shape well and burn at a medium rate.
  • Rice papers are usually all-natural. They burn slowly but are a little more challenging to handle than wood pulp. 
  • Hemp papers are a little bit thicker than their rice counterparts but are generally easier to roll. They may burn a little quicker, but there is a lot less room for error.

Pack It Just Right

Packing a joint

Before you get to rolling, you need to spend a minute to focus on packing your bud in the paper that you chose. A tightly packed paper is essential when it comes to creating the perfect joint. It’s not hard to do, and it doesn’t take long, but it is an important step that is easy to glance over. After adding your bud to the paper, packing it is simply the process of rolling the paperback and forth with your fingertips to create a tightly packed log of cannabis.

Wax, Honey, and Hash Oil

There are a few ingredients that you can add to your joint to help improve the burn rate, taste, and effects. The most popular methods of adding these to your joints are:

  • “Twax” your joint with wax. You can add wax in with the ground buds on your paper, or coat it on the outside. Either way, this will give you a significantly slower burn rate.
  • Add some hash oil. Not only will the oil help with slower burning, but it will also boost the potency of your smoke.

Related: Hash Isn’t for the Timid

Roll It Right

Now that you know how to make your joint burn better and slower, it’s time to roll! Rolling your joint tightly is a significant factor when it comes to having a good smoke. After packing your bud in the paper, tuck one side under the cannabis and roll it up. A tight roll restricts airflow, leaving you with a slower burn. Be careful of rolling too tightly; if you have no airflow, it will be difficult to inhale. You may not get it perfect on the first few tries, but with some practice, you will be rolling joints like a pro.

Inhale

Inhaling a joint

You rolled a great joint, but what’s the best way to smoke it? First off, you don’t want to inhale while you are first lighting your joint. This can result in uneven lighting. After you have it properly lit and are ready to take your first puff, remember to inhale gently. Inhaling intensely will make your joint burn much faster. For the best results, relax, take your time, and enjoy your smoke. After the work that you put in, you deserve it!

Cannabis – Not Just For Smoking

Marijuana plants

There are plenty of other options for enjoying your cannabis other than smoking it. Looking for something else like vapes, beverages, edibles, or extracts and tinctures? Sparc has you covered. We offer a wide selection of many different products; you’ll be sure to find what you are looking for. And don’t worry, if you still feel a little intimidated about rolling for your first time, we offer prerolled joints for your convenience.

All you need to roll your perfect joint now is to find the best bud, perfect papers, and decide if you want to add a little extra something to it. Now that you know what you are doing, it’s time to practice! Whether you are looking to buy, or just have some questions, don’t forget to stop by and visit us for all of your cannabis needs.

The post How to Make a Joint Burn Slow appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/how-to-make-a-joint-burn-slow/feed/ 0 262463
Actress Turned Talk Show Host Turned Documentary Producer: Ricki Lake Talks Cannabis /actress-turned-talk-show-host-turned-documentary-producer-ricki-lake-talks-cannabis/ /actress-turned-talk-show-host-turned-documentary-producer-ricki-lake-talks-cannabis/#respond Mon, 29 Jun 2020 17:08:50 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=259627 Ricki Lake turns 52 in September, and she’s already had at least four careers in that time. Starting out as a young actress in John Waters’ films and landing her own, wildly popular talk show at age 24, Lake has always been one of the more candid and authentic celebrities in Hollywood, especially when it...

The post Actress Turned Talk Show Host Turned Documentary Producer: Ricki Lake Talks Cannabis appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Ricki Lake turns 52 in September, and she’s already had at least four careers in that time. Starting out as a young actress in John Waters’ films and landing her own, wildly popular talk show at age 24, Lake has always been one of the more candid and authentic celebrities in Hollywood, especially when it comes to talking about her own life.

Ricki Lake Show banner
The Ricki Lake Show ran from 1993-2004.

The subject of cannabis, both for medicinal and recreational use, wasn’t one that she gave much thought to until she met her second husband, Christian Evans, in 2009. Evans suffered from bipolar disorder and migraines, and had relied on medical marijuana for many years, and because of him, Lake discovered how it could help her own physical and mental well-being. (Evans tragically took his own life in 2017.)

Those discoveries led her to research cannabis use in pediatric oncology patients, the subject of the second documentary project produced with directing partner Abby Epstein, which came out in 2018. Weed the People looks at how cannabis is being used both as a palliative treatment and as an experimental clinical treatment for kids with different cancers.

Related: Introducing the Sonoma County Land Where Marigold Cannabis is Grown

We talked with Lake on the phone this week about how cannabis has impacted her life, and seeking justice for those incarcerated for marijuana crimes.

SPARC: What first sparked your interest in medical cannabis?

Ricki Lake:Sparc” being the operative word, huh? [laughs] My husband who has since passed away was very interested in cannabis as a medicine both for his own healing, and for his grandfather who was dying of bone cancer. This is back in 2012/2013, and he was bed-bound a lot from chronic pain from migraines and back pain, so he would just search the internet and find different things, and he landed on cannabis.

At the same time, he found a HuffPost Live broadcast where a doctor treating an infant with cancer had been putting cannabis oil on a baby’s pacifier for a period of four months, and then suddenly the tumor was gone. And he put two and two together, and that was the start of Weed the People. We found this little girl who was going to chemotherapy and we kind of took her under our wing and she was living in our house, and we went on this quest to find her medical cannabis oil. She didn’t end up in the final film, but that was the start of this film, which was six years in the making.

Weed the people banner

So you had a very personal connection to this project.

I did, and at the same time, cannabis wasn’t even my medicine. I wasn’t informed about it… it’s kind of shocking, because I had this talk show for so long and I was in this role of moderator, and I should have been more informed. I was in the ‘Say no to drugs’ generation, growing up with Reagan telling us to stay away from cannabis. And it was in the making of this film that I just came full-circle. I’m a cannabis user, both recreationally and medicinally. And it’s just like Dr. Sanjay Gupta admitting he was wrong, we were all wrong. It’s not just about getting people access to this medicine, but also to get those people out of jail who were punished for it.

You said you’ve personally used it medicinally. Do you want to say for what?

Sleep, anxiety, sometimes pain. It’s not like I have some health issue, thank god. But it helps with everything. Literally, everything. I especially like these certain gummies which have been helping me sleep, and particularly now we all have so much anxiety right now, cannabis has been a life-saver for me. And living in California, I’m so lucky to have access to such great medicine.

Related: Shop Cannabis Edibles

Are there ways that cannabis is used for pediatric oncology that are specifically unique to children?

There are practitioners using it for different types of cancer. In the film we fly to Israel, and because it’s legal there, there are major studies happening. They’re able to test different strains of cannabis for use in treating different types of cancer. Here in the U.S. it’s still, you know, touch-and-go. Everybody has their own endocannabinoid system and everyone reacts differently, and with children it can be complicated. There are some amazing doctors, and it’s changed so much since we started the film in 2012. UCLA is doing all these studies now… they’re fine-tuning it, and they’re having some success with certain types of cancer, and it’s exciting.

Cannabis gummies
Gummies like KIVA’s Camino line can be a great way to introduce yourself to cannabis.

You’re working on your third documentary now, about the birth control pill, and Weed the People was your second?

I’ve made more than two. But Weed the People was my second big one after The Business of Being Born, which was about the natural childbirth movement.

How do you see these topics dove-tailing, in terms of the progression of these films?

Weed the People was kind of out of our wheelhouse, me and Abby Epstein, my partner and director. We were focusing more on women’s health and reproductive health, and like I said cannabis was my husband Christian’s passion and this was his legacy. But to me, the whole theme is about choice, about informed choice, and having access to information so that you can make a choice when it comes to your health or the health of your child. We all need to be advocating for ourselves and fighting to have access to this information — and in the case of cannabis, fighting to have access to this medicine. With the topic of birth control, there’s a lot that’s not understood about these drugs, and having five minutes with Planned Parenthood or with your doctor you don’t really get the full picture of what these drugs actually do to a woman, particularly a young woman — again, it’s about informed choice. It’s not about scaring women off the pill, it’s about education.

You mentioned your talk show — did you ever touch on marijuana as a topic in your 11 years on the air?

We had to have… I did like 3100 hours of television. I’m sure we did a “My Boyfriend Smokes Too Much Pot” show or something like that. I don’t remember specifically… I just know who I was back then and I was super judgmental. My husband at the time was a pot smoker but I wasn’t — I smoked one time in college and got super paranoid and then didn’t touch it again for many years. I would have liked to have done a Donahue-type show, but our focus was always much more on relationships.

OH — actually I’m now remembering, on the second talk show in 2012 we did do a show about cannabis. It was about cannabis oil, and we had that girl “Brave Michaela” — she didn’t end up being in the film because I remember there ended up being something sketchy with that story. But we did do one show on cannabis as it pertained to childrens’ cancer.

cannabis plant leaf

How do you see cannabis laws being impacted by the social justice movement?

I saw George Gascon — the guy who was DA in San Francisco who was recently running in Los Angeles — I saw him speak, and he was unbelievable. I was so impressed with him and what he said and I really wanted him to win. [The DA’s race is headed for a runoff election in November and Gascon will again be up against the incumbent, Jackie Lacey.] It’s criminal that these people — particularly black and brown people — have been disproportionately incarcerated [on cannabis] charges. It’s awful. It’s a complete travesty, and it needs to be changed now. I was just watching John Oliver talking about the prison system and the COVID outbreaks. It’s just a petri dish, and all these people are just sitting there either waiting for trial or in the case of drug or cannabis charges… it just needs to be reformed yesterday. If there’s any way that I can help, I’d love to lend my name and lend support to this.

Related: Sparc’s Socia Equity Brands

There’s an outbreak right now at San Quentin that’s blown up in the last several days, hundreds of cases…

It’s so fucked up… Every news story is a nightmare. I can not believe that this is the state of our society. I don’t have any loved ones who are in that system, who are incarcerated. But that is all of us — that represents all of us. We all need to be completely outraged at the state of everything.

I wanted to mention that my directing partner, Abby Epstein’s brother, Andrew Epstein, runs something called Cage-Free Cannabis, and you should know about them if you don’t already. They’re all about criminal reform and getting reparations for drug crimes and getting incarcerated individuals’ sentences dropped so they can actually have lives. They do really great work

The post Actress Turned Talk Show Host Turned Documentary Producer: Ricki Lake Talks Cannabis appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/actress-turned-talk-show-host-turned-documentary-producer-ricki-lake-talks-cannabis/feed/ 0 259627
How Humans Started Consuming Cannabis, For Both Ritual and Pleasure /how-humans-started-consuming-cannabis-for-both-ritual-and-pleasure/ /how-humans-started-consuming-cannabis-for-both-ritual-and-pleasure/#respond Thu, 25 Jun 2020 17:39:40 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=258129 As Americans continue to share under-reported narratives about our historically unjust culture, cannabis can’t be left out of the conversation. Criminal justice reform in this country begins with discussions of the over-policing and over-prosecution of drug crimes, particularly where marijuana is concerned, and state prosecutors are only beginning to grapple with decades of unjust mass...

The post How Humans Started Consuming Cannabis, For Both Ritual and Pleasure appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
As Americans continue to share under-reported narratives about our historically unjust culture, cannabis can’t be left out of the conversation. Criminal justice reform in this country begins with discussions of the over-policing and over-prosecution of drug crimes, particularly where marijuana is concerned, and state prosecutors are only beginning to grapple with decades of unjust mass incarceration connected to a substance that is now legal in a growing swath of the country.

With that in mind, SPARC is launching a series of history lessons on this blog aimed at filling in some of the story you may not know about how cannabis farming and consumption began, culminating in a look back at the 20th century in the U.S. and how it came to be treated as a vice worthy of jail time.

To start: How cannabis arrived in the New World

Cannabis was first cultivated in Central Asia both for hemp fiber, used in early rope-making, and for the psychoactive effects of its flowers. Wild cannabis varieties can be found growing in the cool mountain foothills of western China and east to the Caucasus, and these were likely the first plants found by humans. But THC and cannabinol levels in these plants are so low that it’s likeliest that ritual uses of the psychoactive compounds only came after people learned to grow the plant for its flowers. 

Ancient people put cannabis leaves and hot stones in this brazier, and likely inhaled the resulting smoke.
Putting cannabis leaves and hot stones in a brazier can create smoke. This may have been one of the first methods of consuming cannabis.

Marijuana is believed to be among the oldest cultivated crops by human beings, with its first domesticated origins around 12,000 BCE in the steppes of what are now Mongolia and southern Siberia. From there, we know that cannabis seeds have been found in burial mounds dating to 3,000 BCE, and by 2,000 BCE the plant was likely being traded as far east as Korea and eastern China, and as far west as the Middle East and eastern Europe.

Related: Shop Sparc Flower Selection

The earliest proven and carbon-dated evidence of ritual cannabis smoking was only found by archeologists in recent years: residue from wooden braziers that date back over 2,500 years, to around 500 BCE, was found in 2019 by archaeologists working in western China. These braziers, researchers say, were used in mortuary ceremonies at Jirzankal Cemetery on the Pamir Plateau in what is now China’s Xinjiang region, and the residue suggests that the cannabis used had high levels of psychoactive compounds and was therefore cultivated for this purpose.

As NPR reported at the time, Yimin Yang, an archaeologist at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, believes that the funerary use of cannabis in this location, combined with what’s known about other uses of the plant in the region, may reflect “some kind of community of shared beliefs in the Eurasian mountain foothills.”

The plant would not make it to Africa for another few hundred years, via Arab merchants around the 13th Century, and from there it would be traded and transported first to western Europe, and then on ships to the New World likely as soon as those ships started sailing. Calling it “Dagga,” cannabis was reportedly consumed by Indian indentured servants in South Africa for centuries.

There is ample evidence that multiple Native American tribes consumed cannabis for ritual purposes, and it’s unclear at what historical point the plant might have migrated to the Americas from Asia — only recently have archaelogists begun to believe that the first humans in the Americas may have been big-game hunters who walked and sailed from East Asia around 11,000 BCE, and perhaps they brought cannabis with them.

George Washington grew hemp but likely did not ever smoke cannabis — though novelist Thomas Pynchon thinks otherwise in an amusing, fictional scene in Mason & Dixon.

Related: How ‘420’ Was Born at A Northern California High School

We know that smoking cannabis for pleasure was likely something popularized among Indian slaves who worked on sugarcane plantations throughout the Caribbean in the 19th century. But the presence of African slaves helping grow hemp crops in the U.S. in the 18th century would lead us to believe that cannabis smoking was likely happening here decades before the U.S. government took notice of it.

cannabis plant

“Black history is cannabis history,” writes DM Blunted. ”Black Americans have been out here, smoking cannabis before it was a billion dollar industry and generations ago, working fields of hemp as enslaved people. Our roots are thick and firmly planted in the same soil of cannabis.”

In our next installment, we’ll look specifically at how cannabis entered popular culture and first landed on the radar of U.S. law enforcement.

The post How Humans Started Consuming Cannabis, For Both Ritual and Pleasure appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/how-humans-started-consuming-cannabis-for-both-ritual-and-pleasure/feed/ 0 258129
Introducing the Sonoma County Land Where Marigold Cannabis Is Grown /introducing-the-sonoma-county-land-where-marigold-cannabis-is-grown/ /introducing-the-sonoma-county-land-where-marigold-cannabis-is-grown/#respond Sat, 13 Jun 2020 15:52:19 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=239637 SPARC’s Marigold line of sungrown marijuana is unique even among Northern California’s rich history and array of outdoor cannabis cultivation. As a brand, Marigold stands for quality, minimal environmental impact, and the core principles of organic and biodynamic farming. And it’s grown on especially fertile land that has been used for farming in the Sonoma...

The post Introducing the Sonoma County Land Where Marigold Cannabis Is Grown appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
SPARC’s Marigold line of sungrown marijuana is unique even among Northern California’s rich history and array of outdoor cannabis cultivation. As a brand, Marigold stands for quality, minimal environmental impact, and the core principles of organic and biodynamic farming. And it’s grown on especially fertile land that has been used for farming in the Sonoma Valley for over a century.

Acclaimed American writer Jack London discovered Glen Ellen, California in the later years of his life, using the proceeds from popular novels like The Call of the Wild to purchase a ranch on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain, in the Valley of the Moon. In 1905, he bought the first of what would ultimately be seven properties that he assembled into his Beauty Ranch, deciding to trade in his life as a gentleman adventurer to become one of some 3,000 farmers in Sonoma County. And it was here that he lived out his latter days, dying on the ranch 11 years later, in 1916, at the age of 40.

Related: How ‘420’ Was Born at a Northern California High School in 1971

In that decade, London became Sonoma County’s most famous literary resident, and he befriended a Russian couple during those years named Vladimir and Olga Gordenker, who bought property not far from his. As family members explained to the Kenwood Press, Olga was gregarious and a natural friend to London, having emigrated to the U.S. after serving time in a Russian prison for her radical ideals. London was as passionate about socialism in his later years as he was about becoming a farmer, and he exchanged letters with Olga that show his admiration for her opinions on the world.

Jack London Photo
Portrait of Jack London from biography.com

“My best friends are those with whom I hold the most decided differences of opinion, and I haven’t an ounce of respect for the person who sweetly and complacently agrees with everything one says,” London wrote in one such letter in 1909. “That’s why I like you.”

But the Gordenkers ultimately became much more successful as farmers than London did, evolving into major turkey farmers and purchasing what would become a 400-acre ranch in the heart of the valley. Olga lived until 1932, dying at the approximate age of 80, but her son Allan launched what would become a highly successful business raising turkeys for meat, which lasted on the property until the 1980s. In his twilight years, Allan Gordenker planted wine grapes, and the property continues to be used for farming, grape growing, and a functioning rock quarry that produces the prized Sonoma Gold limestone.

Related: Shop Cannabis Beverages

SPARC entered the picture in 2016, leasing a portion of the former Gordenker turkey farm to begin cultivating cannabis for the legal market. Marigold was launched as a way to provide cannabis consumers with high-quality, sun-grown marijuana flowers using the highest standards of organic and biodynamic farming — and it’s the first cannabis brand ever to receive Demeter certification for its biodynamic farming practices.

Much like Jack London did on Beauty Ranch a few miles away, SPARC’s farmers have been learning to raise crops according to cycles of the moon, using biodynamic compost and holistic agricultural techniques, right in the Valley of the Moon.

Cows on a biodynamic farm.
Some of the locals on the Marigold biodynamic farm.

By 2020, the Marigold line has grown to include biodynamic varietals like Purple Punch, Black Jack, Peach Puree, and Blue Dream, to name a few. The farm is slowly repurposing a defunct quarry, filling it in with fertile soils to be used for more cannabis cultivation. And alongside an organic vegetable farm and a vineyard on the Gordenkers’ land — planted in 1999 — Marigold cannabis is part of a diverse ecological system that continues to profit off the riches of the Northern California sun.

Shop: Marigold Biodynamic Flower

The post Introducing the Sonoma County Land Where Marigold Cannabis Is Grown appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/introducing-the-sonoma-county-land-where-marigold-cannabis-is-grown/feed/ 0 239637
Weed for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know /weed-for-beginners/ /weed-for-beginners/#respond Fri, 22 May 2020 01:35:48 +0000 http://sparc.kinsta.cloud/?p=234160 Pew Research Center has found that in the fall 2019 survey, 59% of U.S. adults said cannabis should be legalized for recreational and medical reasons, 32% said it should be used only for medical purposes, and 8% said that the drug should not be legal. There used to be an uphill battle to legalize cannabis...

The post Weed for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
Pew Research Center has found that in the fall 2019 survey, 59% of U.S. adults said cannabis should be legalized for recreational and medical reasons, 32% said it should be used only for medical purposes, and 8% said that the drug should not be legal.

There used to be an uphill battle to legalize cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes, but eventually, the United States has become more open-minded towards legalizing cannabis.

Legalization in states like Colorado and California has allowed quality cannabis to become more accessible. For example, Sparc has a wide variety of selections that people can order online and pick up at their desired location or even have it delivered to their house. In addition to that, Sparc’s cannabis products are grown in Sonoma County, they are fully organic and grown with natural sunlight. 

Our mission is to ensure that cannabis is easy to understand and enjoy. For this reason, this guide was created to break down everything that users need to know about enjoying and using cannabis products.

Related: Membership Perks

Why Do People Use cannabis?

People use cannabis for a variety of reasons, such as:

  • Enhancing creativity
  • Inspiring
  • Socializing
  • Relaxing
  • Improving focus and concentration
  • Increasing Energy
  • Amplifying  music
  • Enhancing special effects in movies
  • Improving sleep
  • Increased appetite
  • Increasing sexual pleasure
  • Improve athletic performance

What Are The Potential Health Benefits of Consuming cannabis?

cannabis is starting to have a larger presence in the medical industry. The two most common compounds in cannabinoid are THC and CBD, which can be known to:

  • Relieve stress
  • Stop nausea
  • Decrease migraines
  • Improve sleep
  • Enhance focus
  • Reduce muscle spasms
  • Enhance appetite

Too lazy to get in the car and drive? Sparc can deliver high quality cannabis to your doorsteps.

What Are The Different Forms of cannabis?

hand holding cannabis

Here are different forms of cannabis to enjoy:

Sativa

Sativa is an excellent form for people who are working on a project, doing some athletic training, or working on a masterpiece. Sativa’s can improve focus and concentration, stimulate the mind, elevate mood, and increase energy levels. 

Indica

Indicas are highly recommended to relax after work and before bed. Indicas are known to alleviate pain, nausea, reduce anxiety, stimulate appetite, and relax the mind and body.

Hybrid

This type of cannabis helps balance the effects of elevated mood and relaxation. It’s essentially the combination of Sativa and Indica strains. Hybrid’s provide both euphoria, relaxation along with energy and vibration.

CBD

CBD is for users who do not want to get high or experience any psychoactive effects. 

Related: Delivery FAQ-SF

How to Consume cannabis?

Here are various ways to consume cannabis:

Vaporizer

This is a convenient device that is portable and discreet. It’s easy to use, and great for beginners who want to smoke weed in style. All you have to do is place your dry herb into the vap oven or herb chamber. You can use a weed scooper or card to help you. After that, pack the herb in using your finger or a took, and keep the surface flat. Then turn on the device and select your desired temperature. Wait 30-60 seconds after the vaporizer reaches the proper temperature before taking the first puff. 

Flower

Some people prefer the traditional cannabis flower buds, which come straight from the plant. It can be used in a vaporizer, joint, or pipe.

Pre-rolls

These are the traditional joints, except the rolling part is already done for the user. The pre-roll joints are an excellent party favor or gift. It’s great for beginners because they don’t have to roll the joint, and convenient for experienced users that want something quick and effective.

Topicals

Topicals come in the form of cream, lotion, balms, patch, sprays, and bath products are for external use only. They are usually non-psychoactive, so the user will not get high.  People often use topicals for arthritis symptoms, athletes, patients recovering from surgery, or addressing chronic pain.

Tinctures

Tinctures are concentrated cannabis in a liquid form. Some people don’t like to smoke, so they want an alternative like drops. Tinctures can be potent, and the effects can happen quickly after the user drops the oil under their tongue.

Concentrate

The concentrate is a potent cannabis extract that comes in various forms like hash, shatter, sauce, and wax. Keep in mind that there are various extraction methods to create the concentrate form such as BHO, cold water, CO2, Rosin, alcohol, Kief, terpenes, and resins. Consuming concentrates can be very potent and require specialized equipment.

Edibles

Healthline has reported that edibles take around 30-60 minutes to kick in, but there are other factors that affect it as well such as: 

  • Metabolism
  • Weight
  • Sex
  • Diet

Check out a wide selection of weed from SPARC.

How Long Does cannabis Last?

The effects of cannabis can last between 2 to 10 hours, depending on the individual and potency of the cannabis. People often experience the effects within 3 to 4 hours. Because everyone is different, it’s best to start at a lower dose and gradually increase it.

What if the user gets too high?

If the user feels like they are too high, it’s essential to find a comfortable spot to relax, drink cold water, and try to get some sleep. Remember that this whole experience will pass, and for the next time, it’s best to slow down and start with a lower dose.

Where to get cannabis?

natural cannabis

When it comes to cannabis, quality and reliability mean everything. Sparc grows high-end,  cannabis products in  Sonoma County. They are continually advancing the standards of how cannabis is cultivated, packaged, and sent to the community. The significant part about their business is that they have an excellent delivery system that is both convenient and easy to use. All users have to do is register and order online, and they can have the cannabis product delivered to their home or pick it up at a specific store.

Looking to buy freshly grown cannabis? Check out what Sparc have in store for you

Conclusion

With Sparc, quality cannabis can be delivered easily and conveniently at the user’s doorstep.. 

Anyone who is confused about using cannabis can get insight from this guide to learn more about the variety of strains and ways to consume it. 

Take advantage of it, what are you waiting for? Contact Sparc today to learn more about their wide selection of THC and CBD products!

Related: Delivery FAQ-Sonoma

The post Weed for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on SPARC.

]]>
/weed-for-beginners/feed/ 0 234160