Understanding how cultivators streamline their processes and ensure quality is one of the main reasons why we get to know the people behind the products. You may have seen us at  Mammoth Inc earlier this year. That was our first Rhode Island cultivator tour and reel on Instagram. 

It is important to not just be mesmerized by products or percentages but rather by intentions and human decency. The war on drugs has tainted trust between the consumer and white-led mass grow operations, run by people who have no relationship with the plant, much less attempt to educate themselves. As three women with culturally diverse backgrounds, well-versed in cannabis education, and experience working in the human services field, we see a need for cannabis and wellness education. One of the main reasons we educate ourselves and share that knowledge, is to bridge the gap within our communities. 

Cannabis education helps people understand health benefits and safe use. It provides information on responsible consumption, dosage, and potential side effects. This alone can help people make informed decisions and reduce adverse effects. Legal awareness around cannabis varies widely across different jurisdictions. When you grow up in urban areas or witness families being affected by incarceration, cannabis education helps people understand the laws, which reduces the likelihood of legal consequences. Providing accurate and evidence-based information counters the stigma and misinformation that has historically been associated with cannabis. As the industry expands, cannabis education is essential for individuals seeking to build the skills and information needed to pursue career opportunities within the industry.  

Through our holistic journey, we’ve gotten the chance to cross paths with many different types of cultivators; from home growers to legal cultivators in Colorado, Nevada, Washington D.C., Maryland, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. One undeniable thing is the passion for the plant. The patience it takes to generate blossoming buds and dank extractions is something to admire. To grow one strain 20+ times to get specific terpene profiles, monitor pistil aging, trichome abundance, and preserve genetics; that’s love and respect for the process. 

Since Rhode Island went recreational in December of 2022, we have noticed the immense need to share cannabis education with consumers and amongst the industry. There have been a few incidents that have directly impacted where we purchase and who we recommend to clients. The way some places keep their products stored has caused buds to mold, affected rosin quality in cartridges and extracts. Some clients have even complained to us about not being able to access what’s on the medical menu vs the recreational menu. “Why not have one quality menu and allow a medical patient discount?” We are committed to having our collective voices heard and advocate for improvements. 

On Juneteenth, we attended the Rhode Island Social Equity Policy Salons to be a part of policy conversations – advocating for our communities, fellow consumers, equity ownership, and cannabis education. At this session, we were introduced to many amazing individuals who are passionate about getting social equity right in Rhode Island. Including a few fellow URI alumni! We also met one of the only cultivators in attendance, Alex and Ray from Emerald Leaf Organics (ELO). After conversing with Ray, we coordinated to meet some of their team and take a tour of ELO’s facility.  

Fast forward to our canna-tour with our Cannabis Sommeliers, Kacee & Blanca on a lovely Friday afternoon. 

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Ray King and Collins Omolo along with Alex Wagner and Alex Joffe. We kicked off our tour with a warm welcome and the history of the company. They spoke to us about donating leftover soil to community gardens and local gardening programs, as well as their involvement in the Last Prisoner Project. We respect ELO’s commitment to repairing its relationship with the community. 

Collins, of the Tissue Culture department, and Ray emphasized how everyone has to change their footwear and put on a hazmat suit as a requirement before entering. The cleanliness of the establishment and safety precautions taken to avoid contamination is crucial to their process. 

A tissue culture lab on-site? Now that was one of the most innovative ways we’ve seen the cannabis growing process begin. Collins went into great detail about the importance of a sterile environment and of course the endless possibilities in genetic code and genetic preservation. As cannabis sommeliers, we were gushing over such a vast variety. Being able to see the variety in male plants, female plants, germination, seedlings, and beginning vegetative states was beautiful to witness.

We admired all the shades of green and purple fan leaves as we toured the pre-flowering and flowering rooms. We learned that all of the flower rooms at ELO are completely powered by LED lights. This gives the plants full spectrum lighting while lessening environmental impact. 

The flowering and harvesting rooms are always our favorites because that’s where our cannabis interpening skills gear up for detailed associations of familiar scents, flavors, and terpene profiles. Some of the local favorite strains include Gorilla Butter, Frost Donkey, and Black Cherry Punch. We wrapped up our tour with visiting trimmers in action, seeing the frozen cannabis process for extractions, proper storage of rosin, and interpening a variety of strains. ELO prides itself on hand-selecting specific phenotypes and running their plants to full maturity. Full maturity, as in, not harvesting them early for the best consumption experience possible. 

Overall this was a pretty impressive facility in size and production. Everything was clean, organized, and systemic. Employees genuinely enjoy their roles and have enthusiastic respect for the plant. We left with a few product samples that we will be sharing our reviews for in separate blog posts. Stay tuned for those!

Protect your peace, choose wellness.

*The statements made in this blog are for educational purposes only.