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The Reclassification Tour is a journey from the bottom of the east coast to the top, visiting cities, states, people, and businesses and focusing the conversation on the move in progress to reschedule Cannabis (Marijuana).
TThe tour is led by Vee, the Traveling Cannabis Writer sponsored by heavyweight sponsor: Sinful Brands/Drink Sinful, and a handful of others supporting: media and promotion (40 Tons Brand, BlkMeninSuits_UrbaneNation, and the Highly Connected App), and fashion (Styylistics and B Luxury Essentials). The tour left Florida and traveled through and to:
- East Coast Georgia
- East Coast South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Washington D.C
- Delaware
- New Jersey
- New York
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
The tour visited: hemp farms, cannabis cultivation facilities, cannabis dispensaries, cannabis friendly lodging, cannabis labs, and USDA Agriculture Offices.
The Reclassification Tour focused on the east coast because that’s where the constitution was signed, where the nation’s capital is located, and where the civil war ended. It made sense to start the tour on the east coast.
After a few weeks of stillness in Massachusetts exploring the scene, I made my way north to Vermont where I spent time exploring with host: Zenbarn Farms.
About Vermont and Vermont Cannabis Legalization
Vermont is one of the seven states referred to as “New England”. It sits at the very top of the east coast, bordering Quebec to the north, New Hampshire to the east, Massachusetts to the south, and New York to the west. The state of Vermont has more nature than people, with more than 75% of the state being covered by forests, and home to less than 700,000 people.
Things to do and see in Vermont include: exploring one or more of their 100 bridges, visiting historical sites, art galleries, and being in nature. The most popular cities in Vermont are: Montpelier- the capital, Burlington, Stowe, and Manchester.
Vermont’s journey to cannabis legalization started in 2004 when the Vermont legislature voted to legalize the use of cannabis-marijuana for medical use. In 2013, penalties for possession of one ounce or less were reduced to a fine. In 2018, legislation went into effect allowing possession, private consumption, and limited cultivation. In 2022, Vermont legislature voted to create a regulated market allowing adults 21 and older to purchase cannabis-marijuana from licensed cannabis dispensaries.
Exploring Waterbury and Staying at the Zenbarn Cannabis Friendly B&B
Waterbury is a village in Vermont in between Montpelier and Burlington. It’s a walkable village known for food, outdoor recreation, and eclectic shops. It’s home to the Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard and the Zenbarn empire: restaurant & bar, B&B, farm/cultivation, manufacturing facility, and dispensary.
I stayed in Waterbury because the entire reason I traveled up to the state was to check out Zenbarn, owned by Marlena and Noah Fishman. Zenbarn caught my attention a couple of years ago through the cannabis industry and I’ve had my eyes on them since. A place where you can book a cannabis friendly stay, above the bar and restaurant, and walk around the wood patch out back to get to the cannabis dispensary.
The Zenbarn B&B is a large 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment with a full kitchen, deck, living room, dining room, and laundry room. The deck connects to the upstairs B&B, which can be booked with the 2 bedroom unit I stayed in, or separately. It is fully furnished, the kitchen is fully equipped, and there is air conditioning and heat. Zenbarn restaurant and bar is a space for dining, gathering, and musical performances.
My Time Exploring Zenbarn Farms
I spent my days with Marlena, and she showed me so much with the help of her team. A team full of passionate people that love the plant, love Vermont, and love Zenbarn. My tours included: extractions, cultivation, and dispensary, each led by Zenbarn leadership. I loved the way Marlena stepped back and allowed the team to tell me about the spaces they work in and manage everyday.
It’s no secret that my favorite is the cultivation and this one was beautiful! A little indoor, a little greenhouse, surrounded by passionate people. The strains grown by Zenbarn are phenomenal! Blueberry Hashplant, Garlic Guava, Galactic Grape, Peach Puff, Lilla Laukar, and so many more; I was beyond elevated.
The extraction tour was insightful and it was like sitting in a classroom learning about the equipment, processes, tests, final products, and all the science that lives in between. I enjoyed watching Marlena learn too. I love touring with business owners and watching them learn from the people they hired to lead.
The dispensary is full of everything you can think of: products of all kinds, books, art, clothes, games, and amazing energy. The glass case full of cannabis, the terpene display that educates guests with visuals, the areas that are set up for guests to get comfortable and learn; all things I have seen around the country, but not all in one place. I loved seeing all of this in one place.
As soon as the doors opened, guests were in and out non stop. I sat back in one of the “kick back and relax” areas when Marlena had to jump in and help serve guests. The budtenders and dispensary leadership were fun to watch as they greeted guests by name and shared “what happened the other day” stories with them.
Exploring Cannabis in Montpelier
Montpelier is the capital of Vermont, the smallest capital city in the United States. There, Marlena introduced me to the founders and owners of Juana’s Garden; a minority + woman owned dispensary. I toured the dispensary and learned about the business from Cintia Lovo Arias, the artist and now dispensary owner from Colombia.
On this day, NBC News was also onsite to interview Cintia and Marlena, to celebrate 2 years of legalization, and to chat about Juana’s Garden journey to opening which started with the Zenbarn Equity Program; Cannabis Generation Equity Fund.
The program provides hands-on training in a working dispensary and education center, with opportunities for field trips, workshops and internships at partner companies in the industry.
This is a beautiful decorated dispensary, with products I have been begging the industry for like, PASSION FRUIT gummies and GUAVA gummies. Adding more flavor to the vibe, complimentary non infused Colombian lemonade; a recipe passed down from Cintia’s grandmother.
While there listen to the speakers and you’ll hear Cintia singing. Look up at the screens and you’ll find yourself being educated on the medicinal benefits of “juana” and the stigmas placed on her. Step up to the counter and get greeted with big smiles, passionate souls, and people that want to help heal a piece of the world.
Closing
Zenbarn Farms and Juana’s Garden close with their thoughts on the move to reclassify cannabis-marijuana:
Zenbarn Farms says: “Rescheduling cannabis may pave the way for its eventual declassification. Potential outcomes of rescheduling include increased employment and business opportunities, a reduction in cannabis-related arrests, and a decrease in the use of addictive pharmaceutical drugs. The follow-up question remains: why not fully declassify the plant?”
Juana’s Garden says: “Something is better than nothing. Cannabis businesses have it really hard because of Schedule 1. The government now realizes that cannabis marijuana is not a substance that has dependency like the others on that list. Reclassification is a step in the right direction, but it remains unclear what is going to happen. We need more information and clarity.”
Veronica “Vee” Castillo is known as the <Traveling Cannabis Writer>. She is a published writer, connector, traveler, and a member of the Minority Cannabis Business Association Board of Directors.
Her body of work, which includes over 200 published articles in 15 publications, covers all things and people in cannabis/ hemp/ and overall plant medicines. She can be found in both digital and print where she provides cannabis industry and community insights from her 6 year journey around the country.
She specializes in bringing to light the hidden gems in the plant space and beyond. You can follow her journey on Instagram: @vee_travelingvegcannawriter and/or LinkedIn: @Traveling Cannabis Writer.
All photos credit: Igot_theshot
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