December 2020

We are almost there!  Weeks to the end of 2020!  While we know there won’t be a magic shift on December 31st, there is quite a bit on the horizon to be hopeful for.  Here at The Cannabis Alliance it is no different.  As The Cannabis Alliance has matured, so has our approach to legislation.  This year, we have a legislative team working on a slate of comprehensive legislation that meets the call of our mission statement for the advancement of a vital, ethical and sustainable cannabis industry.  We are excited by the positive feedback and broad coalitions of support forming around several of our bills.  We’ve been coordinating with leadership in both parties, multiple agencies including the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Revenue, and LCB, as well as the governor’s office.  It is exciting to have the staff to cover the multiple lanes of action required to make the changes you want to see!

Every year, Lobby Day grows in participation because it is such a unique, exciting day.  It is the best way to get your feet wet in legislation and get to know the process from the ground floor.  Obviously, this year is going to be goofy, so we are extending the day into a short week by hosting Lobby Days February 1-4.  All legislative meetings are being conducted virtually, so we wanted to make sure you have access to your representatives and enough support as you talk to them about the issues.  If you’d like to sign-up or put a team together with your business to sign-up, please do so as early as you can.  The more lead time we have, the better your experience will be!  We look forward to celebrating a successful week with Legislators and staff at our Lobby Days Reception on February 4th.

In addition to legislative work, we have strengthened our relationships with regulators within LCB who are advocating culture change with weekly check-ins and robust conversations.  As LCB goes through this challenging period of change, The Cannabis Alliance is always at the table with direct access to do what we do best, which is to provide solutions.  Thank you to all of you for engaging in our surveys and focus groups!  Your feedback is critical to our ability to effectively represent the will of the organization.

The Cannabis Alliance has had quite a journey in the short period of time since the legalization of adult use cannabis in Washington State and it is all due to the extraordinary work and heart of our membership.  We are looking forward to celebrating us on January 28th!  Mark your calendars for our virtual Membership Gala: The Cannabis Alliance Rising.  We will be honoring our foundational members, screening a short history documentary and turning our sights to the future with a state of the organization address.  We will, of course, also have fun, enjoy give-aways, and delight in “seeing’ our beloved colleagues.

Truly our superpower is our membership and this month’s DankDoodle represents a company that is no exception!  A big thank you to Scott Dransfield at Trail Blazin’ for the cool digital art for our masthead!  Trail Blazin’ is always pesticide free, sustainably grown, hand trimmed cannabis and proud members of The Cannabis Alliance.  If you would like your company to be featured, you can submit your DankDoodle to Caitlein.

This can be a challenging time for individuals and communities. Feeling different feelings including stress, worry, fear, and grief are all normal. Coping with stress will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger. If you are interested in learning more or in need of immediate support, here are a few resources and organizations to consider.

• Crisis Connections provides many resources and support for anxiety, loneliness, recovery, and more. Language interpretation in more than 155 languages is available. Call 866-427-4747 or text HOME to 741741 for support.

• SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline provides trained counselors and support for stress, anxiety and more. Support available 24/7, 365 days a year. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUS to 66746. Spanish-speakers can call the hotline and press “2” for bilingual support. Interpreters are available for 100 other languages.

• The Boys Town National Hotline is a free resource and counseling service that assists youth and parents 24/7, year round, nationwide. Spanish-speaking counselors and translation services for more than 100 languages also are available 24 hours a day. Call 1-800-448-3000, text VOICE to 20121, or email hotline@boystown.org to connect.

• King County’s Department of Community and Human Services provides publicly funded mental health and substance use services to low-income people in need.

• Additional resources and mental health resources can be found on Washington State Coronavirus resources website.

• Care for Your Coronavirus Anxiety Toolkit

• Ingredients of Resilience (PDF)

• Care for your coronavirus anxiety – a project by Shine

• CDC guidance to support your mental health and well-being

• Washington Recovery Helpline for substance use, problem gambling, and mental health challenges

• Warm Line for people living with emotional and mental health challenges: 877-500-WARM (877-500-9276)

• If you need someone to talk to about stress due to COVID-19 call Washington Listens at 1-833-681-0211. Someone is available to talk from Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. TTY and language access services are available.

• Disaster Distress Helpline for around-the-clock crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress. Call 800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746You have 24 total employees.

We work with nonprofits, B Corps, and companies who service the triple-bottom-line. If you’re a company dedicated to doing good, we’re the agency to get you to where you need to be.

At Ethical Gains, we believe that marketing doesn’t have to feel sleazy. What it’s really about is getting great products and services to people that will truly benefit from them.

There’s so many amazing companies out there doing work that’s helping to make the world a better place. You’re making a positive impact, and we’re here to help you increase that impact. A rising tide lifts all boats, and we all benefit from the growth of ethical businesses.

As our client, we promise to always respect your mission, your time, and your money.

As an industry, our ability to engage the public, local policy makers, private and non-profit community organizations, neighborhood associations and other groups is critical. In an effort to increase our community exposure and improve our industry image, we have formed a committee that will advise and make recommendations to the Alliance that will aim to educate and foster community engagement in the communities that we do business in, or hope to someday do business in.

We can’t do this work without you. We are looking for more members that are interested in being a part of this important work and strengthening our position in the community. If you would like to join the committee or have additional questions, please contact Josh Estes by email at josh@pnwrstrategies.com, or by phone at 425-622-8256. We are looking forward to making positive change and demonstrating our intrinsic community value.

Committee Members: Cannabis Alliance Members, Local Jurisdiction Elected Leadership, School Board Representatives and Local Law Enforcement

Committee Meeting Dates: This committee will meet twice each month. In light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, most communication and meeting will be done electronically. Face-to-face meetings will be scheduled if/when they are needed and will include some or all committee members depending on the agenda.

“It was so impactful to walk away from the session with new friendships as well as real, actionable tools I can use to support the women around me.” 

Some tools we came up with or discussed:

1. Amplification. The art of repeating what another has said and giving credit to the speaker to help people acknowledge every person who contributes.
2. Reminding each other of our accomplishments so we know we are capable….authentic support.
3. Ripple Effect. Before someone starts speaking the manager/leader/parent asks if people are ready to listen then waits for people to be ready to be active listeners.
4. ….and so much more!

“When women come together, magic ensues… and that’s totally what happened last night.”

Our hearts are full and we are SO looking forward to the next event! So stay tuned for that date and time lock.

Biowaste Survey
In addition to continuing broaden connections nationally and internationally in sustainability, the committee has been focused on developing a proposal to LCB for allowing reasonable biowaste removal.  If you have plant waste, look for that survey in early January.

We hope this finds you warm and well this winter season. The Equity & Justice Committee was created out of the interest in membership to formally address social equity & criminal justice in our community. The group has been working together focusing on groundwork for 2021 community outreach and event planning while connecting with the Patient & Legislative Committees as equity is a lens across all of the work of The Cannabis Alliance. We look forward to working with local leadership and volunteers to provide information and access to services with an Expungement Day and initiative supporting communities most negatively impacted by the War on Drugs.

Our committee meets every two weeks via video conference and welcome Alliance members to join any time! We value the collective expertise and insights you bring and in the lens of Equity & Justice, we encourage all voices coming to the conversation. You can find our schedule below and can connect via email at jpichardocem@gmail.com for calendar invites or questions.

Thank you for your continued support of The Cannabis Alliance and this committee and we look forward to leading with you.

NEXT MEETING: January 13th Email Trey Reckling for more information

Nuggets of Knowledge
The education committee has been working on a couple of projects. First, considering the impact COVID has had on retail shops, Angela Williams of Skagit Organics has initiated and helped lead an effort to bring more education to budtenders directly from brands who are Alliance members called Nuggets of Knowledge. Brand representatives are interviewed and recorded. Edits are made to add Alliance identity tags to the beginning and close and then they will be shared on the Alliance YouTube channel. Several brands have already recorded content including Fairwinds, Skagit Organics, Trailblazin’ Productions and others. We will soon be releasing a template and asking those brands interested to create their own version and we can host it from the Alliance website as well. We can continue to build a library in this way.  Stay tuned for more..

Promo Video
The education committee also proposed to the Board the idea of creating a short video to educate people about what the Alliance is all about, our successes, our members and how to participate. The Board was very supportive of the idea and Ray Carveth even donated $500 for the cause. He doubled down the next week and encouraged other board members to do the same. They did. We are grateful to Ray and all those who have promised these donations. We are working on a script for review and will soon identify a talented videographer to help us with this project.

The next committee meeting is on January 13th. Those interested in joining us should write: Treyreckling@gmail.com