A class in cannabis: Paper & Leaf hosts monthly education trade show

Published 11:57 am Saturday, December 26, 2015

Decades of prohibition fell by the wayside last year, and from the dust rose the recreational cannabis industry, springing to life in four states with shops, growers and vendors scrambling to set up and meet the veracious demand.

And there was much rejoicing.

There was also much confusion.

Not about the legalities of the industry, which were quite clearly reported. But, actually about the product itself. Especially among the older crowd, most of whom had not used pot in decades — if ever. Other users were so used to obtaining their product via other channels that they distrusted the new legal shops. Still others, pot newbies, were curious, but too intimidated by their own lack of knowledge to wander in and check it out.

For all those reasons, Steven Kessler said, he and Brendan Hill, the founders of Bainbridge’s first and only recreational cannabis shop Paper & Leaf, decided to host an educational outreach event.

A cannabis class.

A ganja guide. A chronic college.

The first Cannabis 101, as they call it, was held in November. It was slightly more formally organized and saw surprisingly large crowds, Kessler said.

They refined the December event. It became more of a trade show than a seminar, and featured several guest vendors as well, thus giving the customers who are ready for it an advanced cannabis class as well as a user-friendly introduction.

“The people who wanted the education were able to get it,” Kessler said. The Bainbridge shop’s clientele typically runs the gamut from seasoned vet to complete novice, he added.

“I’ve had people coming in who have never tried any type of cannabis in their lives,” Kessler said. “And I’ve had people coming in who have been using cannabis for 50 years, literally.

“I’ve had plenty of families come in, three generations all at once,” he said.

The event was originally conceived as an outreach program to inform older folks of the positive, relaxing effects of cannabis, but has quickly grown to become a type of monthly marijuana symposium of pros and novice alike. The shop’s large wooden table near the door, the Discovery Zone, has become the place for informative discussions and conversations, Kessler said.

“I had a lot of seniors coming in, and they seemed to be the ones who really wanted to sit down there and spend some time and hang out,” he remembered. “That’s sort of how it started, organically, as a way to reach out to anybody who wants to talk about it.”

A person doesn’t need any technical knowledge or experience to visit the shop, Kessler said, just a curiosity. It’s a low pressure, inclusive atmosphere.

“I can guide people to the right products when they describe [what they want],” Kessler said. “There’s been no science. There’s been no study. There’s been 50 years of misinformation, disinformation, floating round out there — especially with seniors -— and I think people are genuinely ready.”

Paper & Leaf, Kessler said, is working to remove the remaining stigma around the industry through education and outreach events such as Cannabis 101, and by hosting other events as well, like a recent photography exhibition.

The shop’s free shuttle service recently won an award, as did the staff, a major industry award for “Most Innovative Customer Service.”

Stephen Jensen, president of Green Barn Farms, a sun-grown cannabis co-op and featured Paper & Leaf vendor at the last event, agreed that the industry and the customers both benefit greatly from such educational outreach, especially now while the recreational side remains in its infancy.

“I think a lot of consumers who have not smoked in a long time are sort of the growth opportunity for this industry,” he said. “It’s trying to reengage with people who enjoyed it in college and had kids and they stopped, and now they drink wine and alcohol. I think that’s the opportunity for an event like this; to get them comfortable with the product and what it stands for.”

The store is located at 8040 Day Road West and open only to those 21 and older — IDs are checked when people enter the store and again when a purchase is made.

Visit www.paperandleaf.com or call 206-379-2560 for the dates of January’s Cannabis 101 event and for information about other upcoming events.