November 2014
The November 2014 issue of Marijuana Venture featured a now seemingly optimistic cover story begging the question: “Will there ever be a Napa Valley of cannabis?”
The story takes an enthusiastic look at the early days of Eastern Washington’s cannabis cultivators, who commanded an extraordinary, albeit short-lived price for their flower.
“Not long ago, his [Jeremy Moberg] operation would have been a drug enforcement agent’s dream drug bust,” the author wrote. “Today, at the market rate of $4,000 per pound, Moberg plans to legally sell CannaSol’s ton of marijuana to Washington retailers for $8 million.”
Photo by Andre Dayani.
The 15-page article went on to muse about the massive untapped potential of Easter Washington’s terroir, the droves of tourists who would be more than happy to vacation in the potential Napa Valley of cannabis and about how outdoor cultivators in the state could have an overwhelmingly bright future, but time has shown that many would much rather return to their lucrative past.
November 2018
While Marijuana Venture has rarely willingly strayed into the region of cannabis culture, the undeniable universal charms of country music legend Willie Nelson were enough to garner a cover story in the November 2018 issue.
From left to right: Marijuana Venture publisher Greg James, American music icon Willie Nelson and former Marijuana Venture managing editor Brian Beckley.
Marijuana Venture staff traveled out to meet Nelson at his tour bus and discuss his Willie’s Reserve brand of cannabis and uncover how involved he was in the company. Unsurprisingly, the, then 85-year-old, American icon wasn’t putting his music career aside to focus on running a full-time, multi-state brand of cannabis that frankly many half-his age and in similar roles struggle to keep in the black, but he was very serious about his position as chief tasting officer.
“I sample it frequently and make sure it’s good product or we won’t be selling it,” Nelson told Marijuana Venture.
November 2020
Amid the first year of the pandemic and a looming, and later disastrous presidential election, Marijuana Venture spotlighted a growing trend of high-end retailers opening in Southern California. The retail chains March and Ash, From the Earth and
Photo by Walter Wilson Studios.
West Hollywood retailer Calma were turning heads with astonishingly high-end designs that were more akin to designer brand clothing and jewelry stores than what customers would normally expect from a cannabis dispensary.
“We wanted it to be a store where my mom or my grandparents could come in and feel comfortable,” March and Ash CEO Blake Marchan told Marijuana Venture. “With us being about education and breaking a stigma, the design feeds into that, and that’s trying to get people to come in and browse the store and ask questions and not feel pressure to buy anything.”