Though I've never smoked weed before, I found myself at MARY Magazine's 'MARY FEST' on 4/20, where I discovered that the cannabis community warmly embraces newcomers.
MARY FEST, a new 4/20 event hosted by MARY Magazine aims to highlight small and growing businesses within the weed and cannabis industry. I went into the event with a narrowly informed view of the cannabis industry, but I left with an understanding of a hugely diverse and multifaceted sector of the economy.
From weed-infused coffee to weed-infused gummies, weed-baked cookies, and weed-infused exercise powder, I learned that New York City’s cannabis community cooks.
I can’t pretend I wasn’t anxious walking through the warehouse doors of 99 Scott.
After a gentle check-in, I was greeted by a sign that read “You’re Right Where You Need To Be: Welcome to MARY FEST.”
The doubt crept in. Is this where I am supposed to be? Am I a poser? I decided that instead of feeling out of my depth, I would take the academic approach, and with the help of the wonderful people at the event, I learned a lot.
My journey began in the courtyard, aptly called the “Garden of MARY.” With an undeniable scent in the air, this area felt like the beating heart of the industry that I sought to learn about.
The first booth that I approached was a cannabis brand named “Pax.” Their mission statement is to “Enhance People’s Lives.”
What drew me to this display was their brightly colored vaping devices, from handheld size to vapes the size of my arm. (I quickly found out that the forearm-sized vapes were for display purposes only.)
“What do you know about cannabis?” asked the handsome representative from Pax. I sheepishly admitted that I had never smoked weed and needed to know everything there was to know about it.
He began by walking me through their product and how it differed from their competitors. For starters, the brand designs all of its packaging. “They buy it, we build it,” he said. What really sets their product apart is that their vapes are temperature-driven devices, while most common cannabis vaporizers work off of voltage. I learned that voltage-driven devices can actually lower the quality of the high, and can be unhealthy for the consumer. Because their product uses temperature control and live rosin, which is essentially a method of flavor extraction, the high is much better and the weed is much more flavorful.
He told me that their products feature quality cannabis. I was told to trust him on this because he used to work on a hash farm, and he did work to convince me. He gave it to me in layman's terms. “You know Sunny D?” he asked. “Sunny D is supposed to be like orange juice. Really it’s just juice that is orange, but it’s not really orange juice.” This made sense to me. “Most weed vapes are like Sunny D. Because we use live rosin, our product is like taking an orange and squeezing it.” I believe him. At that moment, an attendee came up to me raving about their products, saying her device was the “only one I have that doesn’t clog!” I believe her too.
Just across the “Garden of MARY” was a display set up to look like a bodega. This was when my eyes were opened to just how expansive the science of the cannabis industry truly is. Housed in the bodega were several cannabis and THC brands that evidently shared larger ownership.
The first was the weed brand “B Noble” owned by Fab 5 Freddy. The brand is named after Bernard Noble, one of the many men in the United States who has been imprisoned for possession of weed. Noble was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the possession of only enough weed to fill two joints but was fortunately released after 7 years. Their corporation is committed to combating the effects of mass incarceration by donating 10% of all of their proceeds toward communities affected by drug laws that unfairly penalize and target people of color.
I appreciated the reminder that at an event where marijuana was so openly being used and celebrated, there is much work to be done on the legality of marijuana in many places within the United States.
Within the bodega under the brand “Select” was a counter lined with bottles that looked like perfume. This is where I learned about terpenes.
“It is not about the THC, it’s about the terpenes,” said Beth, the relaxed on-site expert. I take her word for it.
Terpenes are naturally occurring compounds that give plants their scent and flavor. As it turns out, weed grinders are actually bad for the flavor of weed. She taught me that buying and smoking weed can be compared to buying wine. Different flavors and qualities change the way people react to them.
Myrcene, which I smelled, can react by giving the user a head high, “more on the sativa side.” Whereas Linalool, which smelled sour and cat-like to me, makes Beth think “People are trying to break the door down.”
The highlight of the event was learning how to roll a blunt from the brand “Old Pal.” One of the gentlemen at the booth told me that he learned from his Grandma who “rolled the best joints.” So I learned from the grandson of the best how to roll a joint, to the tune of SZA’s “The Weeknd.”
The smaller booths are where I felt the most innovation was held.
Brands like Grön, which was a woman owned and operated brand took an approach that brought the cute factor to cannabis. House of Puff, and Terra-Tory Skincare both took a different approach to the presentation and consumption of marijuana. House of Puff has weed in small aerosol containers, like breath spray with a kick. This woman-owned and woman-founded business had a certain appeal in its highly thought-out products. They made me think of cannabis as necessary as lipgloss or the keys to my apartment.
In their marketing materials, Terra-Tory literally put their products in the hands of Michaelangelo’s God, which was enough to draw me in. This woman-led brand utilizes all-natural ingredients for the skincare needs of cannabis lovers. The scents were heavenly, and I walked away on a high of my own after smelling everything they had to offer.
It was when I was handed a joint the size of two fingers that I knew my time had come. I left the event with a joint tucked behind my ear, a head full of new information, and excitement for the many 4/20s to come.
Text: Jeremy Whitaker
Images: Courtesy of MARY FEST