It’s Marty Party Time!

Breaking The Stoner Stereotype...

Having been raised around weed, I’ve consciously chosen it over alcohol over the years due to its efficacy, harmlessness, and familiarity. Along with sharing snippets (stories of my childhood) from the book I’m currently writing, this blog will serve as a way for you to ride along with me in my discovery of the cannabis industry in California, particularly highlighting the smaller, boutique farmers with outdoor grows in the Emerald Triangle.

No doubt my passion for equal rights and justice will come through in my writing, it’s part of who I am. I think I can safely speak for the industry when I say: We’re done with the stigma and stereotypes.

I want to shine a spotlight on talented small farm “cannaculturalists” (growers), who compete against bigger, more industrial, farms selling in bulk. The big industrialized farms easily buy their way onto dispensary shelves (marketing/representation) and who can blame them?! That’s the name of the game of capitalism, right? Thankfully there is room for everyone in the industry… boutique and industrial, indoor and outdoor, street quality and top grade. My focus will always be boutique, outdoor, sungrown, highest grade.

Bringing small farmers of the finest grade cannabis closer to consumers who appreciate a first-hand experience is an enriching education for everyone. Boutique marijuana farmers usually want to know more about their end-users. And, much like a winemaker, consumers appreciate hearing directly from the creator.

 

Martyjuana Farms

In the spirit of that community, I’d like to thank Marty Clein of Martyjuana Farms for sharing some time, stories, and insights with me recently. Martyjuana Farms is a major league player in the game of outdoor, sun grown, boutique-style cannabis in the Emerald Triangle (representing from Mendocino County, CA).

Marty successfully protected his marijuana harvest
against fires in recent years using several methods,
including changing the way he waters his plants.

Marty is careful to play by the rules, keeping meticulous records and hiring a handful of experts to navigate every part of the compliance and regulation side of his business. For Marty, it’s the only way to go because compliance is not his passion. 

Growing is.

Lubricating The Brain 

The perfect example of people who are inadvertently breaking the stoner stereotype, Marty’s not trying to break it… he’s just being who he is, doing what he loves. Goals and vision are a big part of the way this CEO and long-time consumer keeps things tightly focused. Marty discovered at a young age that weed helps his ADHD and allows him to think more clearly and, as a result, be more productive. He calls it “lubricating the brain”.

Interesting perspective coming from such a high achiever. Marty Clein has always been the kind of guy who enjoys excelling at any task he willingly takes on (emphasis on the “willingly”).

Good intention is a part of Marty’s core character and it is in everything he touches, and in an inexplainable way, is very contagious! Maybe that’s why Marty is a founding member of the Round Valley Cannabis Co-op, a small growers association in the Emerald Triangle.

Organizing sooner than later makes sense since federal legalization may mean the end of tight restrictions imposed by Prop. 64 that have prevented farmers like Marty from reaching the end-user of their top shelf product. It would allow him to connect with his customers on a more personal level, which is in his nature and understandably extends into business life.

The Experience of Weeducation 

The (pre-Covid) social educational gatherings he affectionately calls “Marty Parties” are a glimpse into the community into which Marty (+ now myself!) and millions of others find themselves… craving camaraderie, connection with intellectual, like-minded peeps. Our tribe! Marty used these party forums (mostly in SoCal) to educate people about the differences between indoor and sun grown cannabis, answer their questions firsthand, get to know their needs and tastes. And, in a world that worships alcohol like a deity, interested party goers were suddenly surrounded by their own kind—those who love weed.

Finding a “safe place” for cannabis consumers to commune and share product, information, resources, etc. has been ruled by everything EXCEPT literal safety… geography (legal/illegal)… career choice… reputation (small towns, or local clubs where alcohol or a cigar is fine)… court/custody battles… parenting reputation (with school, other parents)…

The stigma and stereotype game is still strong.

People like Marty remind us to step into who we are. Let’s stop hiding in the basement! 

If gays are now empowered to come out of the closet (holla and love to the proud LGBTQ? peeps!), we cannabis lovers should feel empowered to come out of the proverbial basement where we’ve been hiding to smoke bowls, blunts, and bongs for the last 50 years.

 

HIGHLIGHTS:

Craft cannabis growers are an integral part of both agricultural and small business economies. Once tourism enjoys seasonality in the marijuana market legally the way it does in the wine industry, businesses like Martyjuana Farms will have opportunities to connect directly with consumers. Currently, Prop. 64 prevents these direct relationships between farms and consumers.

Yesterday’s stigmas are a sign of ignorance. 

Being a stoner does not make one lazy, stupid or irresponsible. Some people use weed to help them focus clearly. The freedom to be who an individual WANTS to be is directly related to the daily joy that person feels. That freedom is an inalienable right.

We’re here. We’re high. Get used to it. 

Follow me on IG @norcalweedgal to be part of my community!

Follow Marty on IG @martyjuanafarms to join the Marty Party!

Same Year, Same Town: The Birth of Cannabis Kerry and 420

 

Cannacoincidences...

When they met in 1968, both my parents lived “across the bridge” as we often say in the Bay Area. Across the bridge can be any number of options in and around San Francisco. In this case, it meant north of the Golden Gate in Marin County. Both my parents were raised in San Francisco.

My family’s history in SF spans several generations. My great-grandfather was a gardener in Golden Gate Park. And my Gramps survived the 1906 earthquake at three years old. He also walked across the Golden Gate Bridge the day it opened. Gramps (dad’s dad) was a strong, proud, Irish-Catholic San Franciscan and in the Hurley family, there is a certain legacy in that. He would tell us cousins (his grandkids) stories of prohibition… how his uncle made gin in the bathtub for neighborhood sale and trade, and how the cops would look the other way for a price, or regular delivery. Being Irish during a prohibition? Gramps probably felt some sort of deep-seeded duty in the silent, sloshy revolt.

My mom and dad were both San Francisco 1960’s hippies in their own right before they met through mutual friends. Whatever you’re picturing when I say “San Francisco 1960’s hippies” is probably about accurate… hairy armpits and legs, minimal clothing and haircuts (although they both had shorter hair, the 60’s was more about functionality than aesthetics), sugarless/meatless household, anti-censorship of the arts, many protests, music festivals and craft fairs, and yes, marijuana.

Dad even lived on hippie-friendly Haight Street during its heyday in the 1960’s before starting his teaching career and family, and settling down in Marin County.

My Boomer parents have been the epitome of reliability, compassion, structure and responsibility. If they signed a contract, they honored it precisely. If they agreed to volunteer, they showed up on time and recruited friends and kids to join.

1971 would mark the year I was born, and the first of a number of oddly foreshadowing events revolving around weed in my life. That year, in 1971, a group of high schoolers in San Rafael, the city where we lived, coined the term “420” to mark their meeting time to smoke weed after school. An interesting connection, albeit completely “coincidental”.

There is not a time in my life when weed wasn’t around, even as a kid. My parents were cautious, didn’t leave joints out for us to stumble upon or anything. They didn’t smoke bong rips (bongs gained popularity with GenX in the 1980’s). In general, they were not big partiers. But they would enjoy a joint as much as, and as often as, a glass of wine or cocktail in the evening. It was so normal in our house, I never thought anything of it! Neither of my parents smoked cigarettes but some of their friends did.

To this day when I walk into a room filled with marijuana smoke, it takes me back like opening a file cabinet of memories…

Just to help break another stoner stereotype, I’d like to point out for the record that although we moved to Sonoma County when I was 3 years old, I have A TON of memories of living in San Rafael. Who says stoners forget everything? 

~ ~ ~

Thank you Sparc.co for the great reference article on the origin of 420!  

Follow me on IG @norcalweedgal

NorCal Weed Gal, Cannabits :: INTRO

Sugar was my gateway drug. I mean, if you believe in that kind of thing. When I look back on my life, contrast plays a big role. The biggest role. The sugar prohibition in our cannabis-friendly household was the first of many. Also among the most interesting:

> Watching hippies turn into yuppies in the 1980's

> Having a Catholic dad and Atheist mom

> Growing up in between two small towns juxtaposed by their agricultural legality (one thriving with millionaire-making vineyards, the other upheaving organic cannabis farms due to prohibition)

...and many more.

To someone like me who tends to be a "big picture person", prone to seeing life and circumstances through more of a panoramic lens, these contrasts have both molded and puzzled me.

I'm excited to share stories from my childhood. I've come to understand that my formative years were quite unique! 

My parents were San Francisco hippies, very comfortable with many things that made others uncomfortable, like nakedness, body hair, and yes, weed. Ours was a stable, nicely decorated (mom had a keen eye for design + love of antiques) village home amidst the rolling hills of Northern California. Quite the contrary of a stereotypical "stoner" household, I guess. Although I'm not sure I've EVER seen a living example of a stereotypical stoner household with lazy parents, etc. Maybe they exist but I've only seen them on screen.

So, I hope my one-of-a-kind childhood stories will brighten your day, maybe give you a laugh or a new perspective.

Some upcoming stories:

🟢 My Insatiable Sweet Tooth In Our Anti-Sugar House

🟢 My First Protest (age 4)

🟢 My First Circle Pass Of The J (age 4)

🟢 Mom Gets Arrested For Dad's Garden (age 4)

🟢 A Very Cannabis Christmas (age 7)

🟢 Our Family's Famous Friend

🟢 Our Move To The Emerald Triangle (age 9)

All my stories will be peppered with contrasts that I've observed along the way. 

I'll also be using this blog as a cannabis education platform.

High regards, and thank you for following and sharing!