Cannabis Connection
A lot has changed in the hemp industry since Colin Plant opened Canni Hemp Co. (810 S. Fifth St.) this past October.
A lot has changed in the hemp industry since Colin Plant opened Canni Hemp Co. (810 S. Fifth St.) this past October, including the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which reclassifies hemp for commercial use under federal law. Wisconsin’s new governor is receptive to advancing marijuana legalization, and the volume of cannabidiol (CBD) retail grew exponentially. Yet, Plant relates it’s been extremely fulfilling to operate a small business in an unconventional industry full of headwinds.
Despite confusion and gray areas among banks and merchant processing that cut off services to hemp-related businesses, Plant says Canni Hemp had big breakthroughs: In May, Canni Hemp hosted Canni Fest at The Cooperage. Fourteen vendors, along with advocates and speakers, gathered for a day of educational efforts, roundtable discussions and live music. “We were also the only cannabis company invited to the grounds of this year’s Pride Fest,” Plant says. “That was a big validation that the community found trust in our products and experience.”
Since opening, Plant strove to provide a boutique ambiance. “We don’t take a dispensary-style approach, where everything is in glass cases,” he explains. “Our store is laid out in a hands-on, exploratory design.” He emphasizes that his staff is genuine and forthcoming to educate and destigmatize cannabis, with a goal of helping customers find relief from ailments in a more natural way.
Plant entered into a manufacturing agreement with a local processor to produce Canni Hemp’s own line of CBD tinctures, which soft-launched in April. “Our goal was to refine and create something beyond just a typical white label agreement,” he says. “We spent a lot of time learning about the extraction process and terpene (aromatic oils that color cannabis varieties and give them distinctive flavors) profiles. From that, we worked to build a formulation that we felt confident in.”
Canni Hemp’s line includes Rest, Relax or Relief, in 600-milligram formulation, which equals 20 milligrams per dose. There’s also a line of higher concentrations in 1,200 and 2,000-milligram formulations for people who want higher dosages. Plant says they also carry 20 brands of sublingual CBD oils, as well as topicals, cosmetics and an expanding line of CBD grocery items. New products include CBD peanut butter made by a Wisconsin company. They also have a customer loyalty program.
Plant notes that, although Wisconsin has established a hemp industry, for now he’s keeping the current partnerships he has with farmers and vendors. “We’re just two years into a pilot program, and it takes a little longer than that to really work out kinks and dial into the craft (of farming hemp),” he observes. Although people might be tempted to rush into the growing cannabis industry, he believes everyone needs to proceed with caution, whether it’s farming hemp or pursuing further cannabis legalization.
“If Wisconsin takes a responsible and well-thought-out approach, it can be a learning tool,” he says. “But the social justice component has not been addressed. In some states with legalization, there are men and women in jail for cannabis convictions, yet people are opening dispensaries and legal operations. That’s not fair. Illinois set themselves apart by pardoning low-level marijuana criminal convictions,” after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation, making Illinois the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana and to also expunge criminal records for purchasing or possessing 30 grams of marijuana or less.
He also expressed concerns over special interests and big enterprises dominating marijuana industries in states where it is legal. “I hope we are a little more calculated in how we are looking at some of these things.”
For more information, visit cannihempco.com.
