Seeking Cannabis as an Alternative
I have been frustrated with this truth for my own use. I simply cannot get what I need from one shop. With health and wellness in mind, I once had consistent homegrown cannabis. This home grow experience was far different from what we see in the industry today, undoubtedly. But still, many humans claim to use cannabis for recreation.
I had a medical card for approximately seven years before Prop 64. When cannabis became legal, I felt that rather than paying the taxes at the doctor’s and convincing a professional to agree with me, I’d pay them at the shop. And I’d call it convenience. This convenience of access came with a caveat that the supply I once had would change. The market of buyers also grew and put small operations out of stock. Many home growers I once knew don’t grow anymore as they jumped into the industry or moved. The industry hit the culture of cannabis like a 710mph to 420 whiplash, and things are still rapidly moving.
The Cause Behind My “One Plant Theory“
Now, could it be that most users buy more than one product? Most do, of course. In my case, I smoke flowers whenever possible, but given my on-the-go nature in business and events, I need a 
simple vape method too. I use topical products for different purposes like skin health and various tinctures in drinks. I also usually like to start and end the day with a dab. Do I go to more than one retailer? Yes. Perhaps I know a plug too. You probably get what I am saying; cannabis comes from multiple sources.
I have fibromyalgia, and I do not want the big pharma option. Ever. In fact, I don’t take a single pharmaceutical or over-the-counter drug. The longer I am away from antihistamines, sugar, and caffeine, the better my fibromyalgia feels. Still, stress always activates it, but cannabis helps curb it. However, the issue with cannabis medicine is whether a particular product at any given time is the correct remedy. Sometimes I am smoking a cannabinoid or terpene profile that is wrong for my endocannabinoid system (ECS) at a given stage in my day.
Issues With Cannabis As Medicine
Sometimes I have experienced pre-mold (PM), which has caused illness and headaches. Other times it’s just been someone else’s medicine. To me, it’s similar to how people say they only like Sativas or Indicas. But I know much more about cannabis profiles, and the traditional Sativa vs. Indica classification is upside down in most connoisseurs’ circles. I need a consistent flower supply to stay level, focused, and free from symptoms like fibromyalgia pain.
Still, shutting down at the end of the night after a long day can be painful. Whether it’s after an event or just pain from being a dad with a back injury, consistent flowers that help me all day aren’t what I need. The concept is known as the “Ensemble Effect,” or at least how I understand it. Different cannabinoids can affect people differently, sometimes because of the time of day. I intend for my example to convey that we need individual cannabinoids to be “stars” for various purposes during the stages of our day.
Trust me, I am not gonna go down from cannabis use.
The fall-asleep knockout that helps me might be a dab of rosin, an edible, a different flower. Sometimes it’s just lower quality than I am used to, usually when it’s someone else’s medicine. But I may need all of the above. My most helpful end-of-day routine is a large flower bowl. I add a dab after I get a hot cherry on the flower in the bowl. If I have access to CBD rosin or THCA, I drop a dab of that on after if still red-hot.
One Plant Theory
The entourage effect has been known for decades and pinpointed THC and CBD as the most prolific cannabinoids within cannabis. It has led to some breeding practices focusing on THC maximization for psychoactive purposes and not the complete cannabinoid variety from the entourage effect of whole plant theory. All cannabinoids have a key to a specific lock within the ECS, and the entire plant is crucial for a healthy system. THC isolation may not damage a healthy ECS, but may create a desire for a balanced cannabinoid profile. Many users may want a new flower because they have used the same terpene profile for too long. However, with One Plant Theory, I hypothesize that some users need consistent genetics across various product types for as long as possible. Consistently using products created from a single plant is beneficial, similar to the homegrown experience. 
One Plant Theory may be somewhat of a misnomer as I believe some need one plant and others require many. Freedom of access is crucial, especially as a California resident. Ultimately, I think many in cannabis want to see a focus on the quality of cannabis and relationships. We have seen far too many impacted by cannabis, but we must give the knowledge back to humanity. Cannabis is part of humanity. Humans were made with an endocannabinoid system, not an endo-alcohol system. But we, as humans, abuse it, seeking freedom from pain, stress, and anxiety. Could it be that the devil’s lettuce is truly the evil spirit? After all, hops are the cousin of cannabis.
One Plant, One Love
I say cannabis needs One Plant Theory, but I could argue we need this in humanity. We must bring value back to what we can do for one another and our communities. In my work in cannabis, I have seen people from all walks unite with a restored faith in humanity. Some have demonized them for acting to serve as medicinal heroes. As a community, most are focused on doing better for their communities, rebuilding, reconnecting people; and often finding solutions to humanity’s complex problems.
We need to restore the relationships between craft farmers and the public. We can do that by allowing the system to support it as the ecosystem could in the San Diego tourism industry and the suffering restaurants and bars. New laws in California allow ABC license holders to hold cannabis events, which could revolutionize San Diego nightlife entirely in the coming years.
Small Businesses Need to Return to the Small Community Mindset
In the last decade, I have seen an increase in sales of small businesses and fewer sons and daughters taking on the family business. I think pride of ownership of our community has faced an age of degeneration. Post-pandemic, some are packed with energy for rebuilding, and some are not. Those who want to be in the community can show up and do the work.
I spoke to many small businesses through the pandemic and coached all of them toward reconnecting with their patrons in new ways, not with older methods of simple digital marketing through paid ads. Relationships are becoming more of a key to business success than ever. I believe a big part of cannabis is this human component of relationships. Communities are built by those who show up to do the work, and relationships are no different. I am involved with events and see relationships around me being created and ended.
Organic, Creative, and Passion-Based Industry
I began my trek into the cannabis industry when the pandemic started, but I had been watching cannabis for a long time. I was a medical user for seven years before Prop 64. We all prefer the old 215 days, and before that, history will reveal that some real heroes exist in the cannabis tale. We have many still fighting the battlel, and some farmers are keeping quality as a priority number one. We will see them prevail in 2023.
One thing that has emerged from the cannabis industry is that we are using it to bring awesome people together. I do not mean it did not happen before, but now we have many who understand that humanity needs something better. Humans need to come together and create. With cannabis, people from diverse backgrounds come together, and when we do, we learn about each other and our battle’s united forces.
San Diego Craft Cannabis Farmers
More than ever, I feel that the forces of good are coming together in San Diego. And our goal is to build up wholesome quality events and unite relationships for many to do works that will be unique to anywhere else on the planet. San Diego is a place of freedom, healing, and humanity, especially with cannabis involved too. I hope local small farmers get space in San Diego County to cultivate.
We need to see local strains grown historically in San Diego county. If San Diegans could have a relationship with small craft farmers, like we do craft breweries, cannabis tourism would boom. With opportunities like AB2210, we should deploy the DTC model for small farmers throughout California. Cannabis tourism could explode with everyday events everywhere, just like bars that may once have attracted tourism.