A year ago, I came across an ad for an open HR position for a cannabis company It was a little risky. I had an pretty solid straight-laced resume that could open some doors, but what if I added cannabis experience to that resume? Would that start slamming some of those doors shut? How would my friends and family react?

After consideration, I realized how deeply excited I was about the chance to be part of something so new, to be a pioneer! It was an opportunity to get into an industry at a time where I could shape direction. I absolutely do not regret my choice to click “apply” and join the industry. It’s been an interesting and wild ride, but I’m glad to be here.

Here are just a few things I learned since entering the industry a year ago:

Driving without a roadmap is hard

The most exciting and terrifying parts of the cannabis industry come with its newness. Although people have been producing and consuming cannabis throughout history, this is the first time we as a society are coming together to make the rules and forge the path of how this product looks in a legal market. I’m grateful to states like Washington and Colorado for coming before us and sharing what they’ve learned, but it’s a constant state of learning and adapting in this industry. State regulations are changing regularly and the market is being flooded with options for consumers. The road before us feels wide open and vast with opportunities, but it can be hard to make the right turns and find our destination when the roads are still being built.

Cannabis is innately political right now

I don’t think I expected how much politics would play a role in my cannabis career. It’s almost impossible to not see politics in cannabis right now. It’s very tricky to work in such a new and strictly-regulated industry that you so wholeheartedly believe in, and that just happens to be federally illegal. It’s a career choice that comes with a backbone of political activism. I’m not only clocking into a job, I’m pioneering an industry, and I take that seriously.
We have a spotlight on us right now, and this is the time to show the country that cannabis is a legitimate business. We have to take that seriously and strive to raise the bar by focusing on compliance and ethics. This is why I am so proud to work for a company like Shadowbox that makes it our mission to be good stewards of this industry.

We need to make extra efforts to be inclusive

I find myself often walking the line between paying homage to our black market history while also desperately trying to rise above it. Earlier this year, the City of Portland announced that $350,000 of cannabis tax revenue would go towards grants for folks impacted by cannabis prohibition laws in the form of record clearing and workplace development. The industry must come out of the shadows and take itself seriously if we expect the country to take us seriously, but we also can’t forget the folks who were impacted by this drug war before us. We have to remember that prohibition disproportionately put poor people and people of color in prison. It’s up to us in this industry to constantly be taking stock and making space for people to grow and make a legitimate career here.

Cannabis science is endlessly fascinating

I learn something new about this plant every single day of my career. I’m lucky enough to work with some of the smartest people in the business, and they have helped me gain a greater understanding of cannabis than I ever thought possible. There is still a long way to go on the science of cannabis since research is so restricted in the U.S., but I am so genuinely enthralled with the complexities of this plant.

We need better language and consumer education

In learning so much about the plant, I have learned that its complexities make consumer education critical. Although the idea that “indica” is “in-da-couch” sleepy and “sativa” is energizing seems relatively neat and tidy, within the industry, we know those terms are not quite accurate. once upon a time, there may have been a greater diversity of plants with different effects, but hundreds of years of human cross-breeding has created massive hybridization. Not only is it scientifically tricky to define a “true” indica or sativa, but there is a great variation on how individual people respond to different cannabinoids and terpenes. The industry lacks the unified language to address these concerns. We all agree that consumers need a common language to truly understand the varied effects of particular strains, but we haven’t found that perfect language yet.

Although we have come a long way in the last ten years, we still have a lot of work to do. But making stewardship, education and inclusivity priorities, will guide our path as a company and also shape the experience we seek as consumers.

From storing bombs to cannabis, one Air Force Veteran’s story of how cannabis is helping him transition to the civilian world after twenty-five years of service

John Livesay, a.k.a. “JT,” lived a life in a controlled, high-stress, structured environment for more than two decades. Since 2012, JT, a proud U.S. Air Force Veteran, has continuously worked on adjusting to the “civilian world.” The life JT built for twenty-five years in the Air Force was his security blanket and once retirement hit, he found it challenging to cope with the transition. His stresses had accumulated over the years. To ease his temperament, he explored a newly-legalized plant, cannabis. Out of curiosity, I asked JT his primary reason for consuming cannabis and, without hesitation, he responded “emotional stability.”

JT left his Tennessee home when he was eighteen years old to join the Air Force. Bombs, bullets and missiles were his career. He was responsible for testing, storing, assembling and hauling bombs for the majority of his life. He was then offered a remote, one-year assignment to Korea. In the military, when given an assignment, you have seven days to think it over to make a final decision. In JT’s case, he could either take the assignment or opt for retirement, and he chose the latter for family reasons.

JT then moved into an Equipment Specialist role for the Department of Defense. There he was responsible for the full supply chain management for everything that protects an aircraft from attack. It wasn’t until he left his role as an Equipment Specialist that he started his job search in the cannabis industry. He looked for opportunities in legal states such as Washington and Colorado, and after eight months of searching, he applied for a position as a Gardener at Shadowbox Farms in Southern Oregon. During the interview process, JT’s skill set was noticed, and he was immediately hired for a new opening position: Inventory Manager.

Not only is JT in a state where he can legally consume for his emotional health, but cannabis also provided a career opportunity to learn and grow in a new industry. Prior to cannabis, JT’s physical and emotional issues were being treated with prescriptions, but now he enjoys the freedom to choose his own pathway to wellness. JT likes a good uplifting strain such as Shadowbox’s very own Cookies and Cream to relieve stress. His favorite method of consumption is smoking as he enjoys the flavor profile cannabis has to offer.

In the emotional realm, cannabis opens JT’s ability to see someone else’s perspective which gives him an understanding that his way is not always the right way. This enhanced ability to contemplate a situation and help him look inward has improved his family’s life. His family sees a positive difference in his overall patience, and JT knows he wouldn’t be here without their full support. His wife of twenty-eight years and two teenage boys reside in Utah. The separation from his family is similar to their lifestyle when he was on assignment, but being just a state away means he is still able to see them regularly.

JT encourages people to do their own research and look into the benefits of cannabis for themselves. Knowing there is undiscovered potential, JT hopes one day we will be able to extensively and legally research what cannabis can do for us. He encourages more people to share their stories of success with cannabis.

Right now, JT is learning everything he can to help Shadowbox grow with the hope one day cannabis becomes legal in Utah. Under current Utah law, possession of an ounce or less of marijuana can result in a six-month jail sentence.1 Right now, signatures are being gathered in the state of Utah for the 2018 ballot to legalize medical marijuana.

JT hopes for Utah legalization so he can be reunited with his family, consume his medicine of choice, and do what he loves with his family by his side. Overall, a humble man of service feels like a better man because of cannabis.

With more and more brave and bold individuals such as JT coming forward to share their stories, the stigma of cannabis can eventually be abolished. On behalf of Shadowbox Farms, we thank you for your service to your country, then and now.