Travis Duda

New England Gets Greener

In June, Connecticut became the latest state to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for all adults bringing the total to 18 states + DC. Now that the Nutmeggers are on board, only Rhode Island and New Hampshire are the New England holdouts. It seems like both States have strong support for reform, so it should only be a matter of time. More good news came from the Capitol. Senator Chuck Schumer is drafting the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which is legislation that would decriminalize cannabis at the federal level and continue the progress towards national legalization. Individual states would still be able to set the rules for their states, but once this bill passes there will be no federal penalty for possession. I recognize that I’m a bit of a broken record on this topic, it’s just that I’m so close on my legalization BINGO card. Winner gets a free joint. C’mon Iowa!

The Botanist is In

I recently took a trip out to the Botanist in Shrewsbury, along Rt 20. I completely missed the building on my first drive by, but after a quick turn around, I was welcomed to a fairly open parking lot next to an unassuming building. The retail space is wonderfully designed with large glass cases contrasted with vibrant green plants and shrubbery. Each strain had its own display with a detail card and all the customer facing signage is consistently designed and displayed. I was a little underwhelmed to see them using handwritten sticky notes on standard tan filing cabinets behind the bud tenders. It was so different to all the other meticulously designed signage that it felt out of place. The purchasing experience itself was simple and the couple of people I talked to were very friendly. I was also stoked to receive a 25% discount for my first medical order. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to grab a chick no pick from MamaRoux, the food truck in their parking lot, so I guess that means I’ll just have to go again. 

Look What You Did

For anyone who hasn’t heard yet, Urkel is making weed! Purple Urkel is a new strain being released by ItsPurpl, a cannabis company owned by Jaleel White, better known as Urkel from Family Matters. Supposedly this bud is so good that it’s been endorsed by Snoop Dogg. Of course I haven’t had it yet, but I would very much like to pack a fat bowl of some and be thankful for friday. This news also had me thinking, with so many celebrities getting into the game, who is going to be the most surprising person? It was fairly obvious for people like Tommy Chong, Jay-Z, Seth Rogan, and Willie Nelson to release strains. I’m more excited for the unexpected releases. The day could come when we smoke a gram of Jackie Chan’s Stoney Master or maybe even snack attack on some Rachel Ray yum-o edibles? I’m just saying there’s tons of opportunities out there and I wanna get weird. So let’s go grab some Marie Kondo and spark some joy. 

Thanks for reading and happy trails!

-Travis (@hunchbacktravis)