Changing Channels
While the title may be a subtitle reference to a lesser-known Jimmy Buffet song, it is quite the apt title as to my personal journey into the delightful world of the cannabis industry, but first, as with any tale, it must have its origins. My name is TJ, and I am the Chief Technical Writer and Co-Founder of CannManage. This is my story.
A Little More Than Seven Words and a Two-Minute Warning
To be quite frank, I have always been a rebel of sorts – if something was off limits or I wasn’t allowed to enjoy it, I had to find a way to get into it. One of the first mistakes my parents made while I was growing up was having the George Carlin cassettes off-limits in the house. Well, that did not stop my adolescent mind from putting together that if the cassettes were in the house and during the day time, I had the house to myself for winter break with full access to the stereo, and by the mathematical principle of the additive property I could, in fact, enjoy them on my own! Those 45 minutes of On the Road were utterly transformative. Sure, my ribcage was in agonizing pain from the humor he provided, but deeper than those laughs was how Carlin engrained a methodology for questioning the very use of language, the manipulation of words, and the tact of layering and winding it all together for a truly memorable story. English class would never be the same again, and for the better; gone were the dull, pedantic essays that perhaps Mr.Garrison of South Park was accustomed to reading; out came my personality with love and craft of the English language, along with some “interesting” comments from teachers.
Setting Sail
Granted, that little story extends back to before I even began high school, but it was nonetheless an essential experience that put the wind in my sails and navigated me into the proper channel for my journey, where that channel was going to lead, that had always been up to the metaphorical Gulfstream. With always having had a wide array of interests, school itself was easy for me academically but challenging in the sense of narrowing down any one particular subject to pursue fully, or even a Venn diagram of subjects, a Spirograph was probably closer, which made it all the more fun picking a major when I started undergrad at the University of Denver.
The classical battle began that time of “pre-law” or “pre-med,” yet with the various subject matters, I couldn’t commit to just one; I loved them both and did my best to straddle those bridges until they began to widen beyond flexibility. During the grips of a long-term bout of double pneumonia, at least my first near-fatal time with it, I had found myself in a comfortable relationship with the pre-med track, more specifically completing the coursework for biochemistry which included what was essentially a dual major in chemistry and biology (focused in ecology and DNA/genetics) with a minor in physics, along with the coursework for nearly a third a minor in creative writing. I could enjoy going from a morning lab course to a physical chemistry lecture to a creative writing class while truthfully and faithfully enjoying myself in the process, realizing that writing was the link between them all.
Was it a cut-and-dry chemistry lab experiment that failed due to an overloaded column in the GC-MS -that would have been analytical chemistry-, a biochemistry report on adding a glow fluorescent protein, an inorganic report on the addition of a ligand to a cobalt ion, or ocean acidification report after a week-long of SCUBA diving in Cozumel? Did I have a creative writing project where I was trying to emulate the humor of Mel Brooks, Seth McFarlane, Mike Judge, Matt Stone, and Trey Parker? Fan fiction the likes of Frasier or Seinfeld? Something philosophical in the depths of Freyor Dostoyevsky, George Orwell, Robin Williams, or George Calin? Or was it a story on the pursuit of adventure, such as with Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, or Jules Verne? The possibilities and assignments were endless, and I knew I had found a position where I could work happily.
During this time, I would have also found myself with my first real job, or at least as far as a job can be defined under “work-study,” despite putting in 40 hours a week. Under the title, I was hired as a “laboratory assistant,” and while that might bring to mind memories of Igor from Young Frankenstein, I can assure you that, yes, the rates have gone up. However, this was a highly coveted position that only those who truly knew the campus job postings “knew” about. Though I was a lab assistant, it went far more profound than that – it was a position in which I was also assisting with legal cases, notably alongside the Innocence Project. Miraculously I had found a way to bridge law and science back together which would lead to several profound experiences.
Now, Bring Me That Horizon
There is a time, place, and moment that I will never forget; psychology defines such a moment as a “flashbulb memory,” this one would have been during my senior year of undergrad. It would have been a drab, overcast morning in late November, during the preceding snowfall after the first genuine storm of the year. I was sitting in my ‘92 4-Runner, letting the engine idle before depressing the clutch to shift into the four-wheel low to crawl down the ice-caked ramp as the flakes attempted to coat my windshield. I had just completed the physical requirements for my open water SCUBA certification, a requirement to study abroad in Cozumel. I was sitting, warming up to smooth Latin jazz while regaining my breath in time with the idle of the engine. I was the one who decided to do the breaststroke for the 300-yard swim.
Not far into the process, my phone vibrated, a humble text from my boss and professor that read, “Great day in court; we won this round!” I looked down at that message, beaming with joy. Despite only crediting myself 10 hours per week with my work study, I had been putting in closer to a full-time position. While all my days were worth the effort, this case was perhaps the most important. The evidence, not to mention the science, could not have been any more transparent. It was clear that not only was this individual not at the scene, but the DNA analysis could not have been twisted in any way to convict him, yet despite the concrete scientific facts, his sentence was of the contrary, with our work and our effort a wrongfully convicted man was able to take his first free breath after nearly thirty years behind bars. That winter and the following quarter would be the most influential era of my education. I was aware of who I was becoming and was beginning to see the professional journey before me and that bridging passions together was possible. While the windshield wipers struggled to maintain pace with the ever-increasing snowfall, I depressed my cassette listening to the wisdom of Dave Grohl, to lyrics, ever relevant, and in a sense a mantra to the time since: “It’s times like these you learn to live again.” Seventy feet beneath the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Cozumel, I found myself completely mesmerized, ever inquisitive as to have seemingly impossible shades of blue could, and did naturally exist, and most of all I was able to assure myself I was on the right track.
Exhausted
Graduation came with a sentiment shared by most senior-year students: just as everything started to feel good, it was time to leave. “What, now? I just got here!” And as any undergraduate or individual in the same position came that particular next step. Fun is certainly not the right word; let’s say the “search” for that first professional job began along with the internal questioning of the past four years: “Did I choose wisely? Can I make ends meet and live where and how I want? Whatever happened to Wednesday nights out for free pool and dollar drafts? Is my hair shedding, or is my hairline receding? What do you mean by saying there is no student discount on hockey tickets? What do I do now?”. It’s a journey I understand. One I wish people well on but certainly wish they did not necessarily endure.
There’s that particular feeling; in French, there’s a term called “énouement,” defined as “the bittersweetness of having arrived in the future, seeing how things turn out, but not being able to tell your past self.” If there’s any time in life when that happens, it is undoubtedly then and there while receiving one’s diploma, after being raised for over a decade where those four years were supposed to be the world. While I was always welcome on campus, I continued to work mostly remotely for the lab and assist with casework with the Innocence Project, that was unless I was receiving items that needed to be signed for or a complete chain of command for accountability, or frankly just needed a change of scenery and company. Trying to find a job outside of the lab that bridged the gap between law and science was a frightful project, often filled with incompatibility of subject matter, pay grades that were barely minimum wage at best, or locations on the complete opposite end of the Metro Area that all spelled out one thing “BURN OUT” as a flashing neon warning sign. I knew I had to make a change in my approach, and that is when the wonderful world of cannabis extended me its friendly, life-changing hand.
Take Another Road
We had the world change forever. March 10th, 2020, the State of Colorado was only at 12 confirmed cases, with one case out in Arapahoe County – where I am – and it was as if the world sealed up overnight. Court cases for the Innocence Project with the lab had dried up to an infinite standstill with courts closed. Despite assisting in collecting literature for my boss to take the time to work on an updated textbook, I had few options to look at even though I had just had interviews with four intellectual property & patent law firms that prior week. As with many, I took this time as an extended learning opportunity while reminiscing on the days of travel – the second-story balcony facing the fireplace at the Old Faithful Inn, Spencer Park Beach on Kona, Plancar Caves in Cozumel – and also spent my time, working on passions, such as time with Duolingo, the addition of a pasta press in the kitchen which was quickly followed by the addition of a stationary elliptical machine. Eventually, it was sink or swim; industries were changing to remote models, and though I did buy time studying for the LSAT to apply to law school, it was when Cannabis tossed me a velvet life preserver.
This is a Call
Cannabis was always in the spotlight. In particular, in an era where there were national concerns about the impacts of drinking alcohol and having been a member of a small, private Scotch Club on campus, or where others who appreciated tobacco in the finer forms of cigars and tobacconist blends for a briar pipe. Years before, in 2017, I had made good friends with an individual who had suffered from spinal and other back surgeries since they were born, and with the symphony of medications, their life was simply miserable; those were his direct words – simply miserable – until he shifted to cannabis. A cure-all? Hardly. Something to assist with managing the after-effects of surgery and medications? Absolutely. I extended this knowledge to my father firsthand, not products for inhalation, but topicals from a little start-up in the Pacific Northwest with a cedar campfire-scented CBD blend that has beaten every single over-the-counter medication and prescription medication for both pre and post-knee replacement. Even my mother and I have the ill effect of cluster migraines, not common but excruciating – the first time I had one in high school, it took a football coach to have a concept of what was happening. It essentially put me into concussion protocol in his office, and this was during his accounting class. The medicinal benefits of something as commonplace as CBD turned out to be not just a reliever but a life enhancer. I began to study the plant, understand it, and appreciate it. One day, as I was taking a break from studying, an opportunity opened as a technical writer with a cannabis consulting firm. It was one of my first few remote interviews, and interestingly enough, this call was from an international location. When the call ended, there was that little something that told me it had gone well and that there would not be a follow-up email two weeks later of “sorry.” Instead, after those two weeks, I had an offer letter.
Learn to Fly
I went in with eyes wide open, knowing that the adjustment to a remote position would not be an issue – having a dedicated home office negating any need for a cubicle – and was intrigued to meet my coworkers, who turned out to be some of the most delightful individuals on the planet. We weren’t a plant-touching company, but my appreciation and dedication to being open to learning more about the industry and the plant expanded exponentially. Additionally, as a writer with application work, we also had opportunities to work with social equity applicants, with a significant focus on those whom the prohibition of cannabis had disproportionately impacted. While I was in this somewhat new position, I could leverage my experience from years past with the lab, assisting with cases for the Innocence Project but in a new light.
I don’t think passion is a strong enough word; devotion is more fitting, and I felt immensely successful, which was often validated by securing licenses for these applicants. However, measuring success is about staying connected to one’s past and effectively working on solutions for the modern day. Equally important is the commitment to working for and striving toward the advancement of the future. In particular, in this day and age, nothing could be more invaluable than maintaining pace with technology and creating the future, all with a spark of curiosity. Today, it is certainly with technology, with some of the most innovative to date, which has also been on the news quite recently, and the same topic that has had many a science fiction movie written about- artificial intelligence.
New Way Home
At the time, ChatGPT was relatively new and only really well known within certain circles, most notably those within the tech industry, an industry that I have been interested in since my high school days but could not find time for the coursework during undergrad. I put in a basic prompt for my first time to test the waters, and the generated response made it feel as if I had been transported to a completely different era with H.G. Wells’ Time Machine. Field trips where we were once permitted to witness Lockheed Martin or Boeing displays for aerospace exploration and national defense felt archaic. I might as well feel like I had learned HTML with etchings from the Rosetta Stone. It didn’t take long to comprehend this was the future we had anticipated, just thankfully without those pesky homicidal titanium androids. But that future that had been mesmerizing simply thinking about as a kid had finally arrived. Now was the time to begin learning how to apply it for the betterment of humanity, for the benefit of daily life, and especially for the advancement of the cannabis industry. In this coming journey, we look forward to creating the future, building and designing solutions to real-world problems, and engineering the tools necessary for the industry’s future. It will be a constant, unquenchable thirst for knowledge with a need for creative and innovative minds in an industry that will experience significant growth and ever-evolving change.
29
This past week was a holiday week, and to top it off, on a personal level, my birthday was Friday, one of the scary ones where the odometer rolls over to that next decade. Years past, I might have been in panic mode, feeling that the sands of time were an antagonist and there was only so much left, but not this one, I think, because somehow life has a humble way of helping us find where we genuinely belong. This year was a celebration of gratitude – finally, I found a position where my past and passions merge in harmony and work in synchronicity with an ever-developing and changing industry alongside the most incredible teammate anyone could ever ask for. The next few years are going to be a fascinating ride; there might be a few times there’s a shift into four-wheel drive, and occasionally, there may be pivoting on plans; if plan A doesn’t work, the alphabet has 25 more letters, and if it goes past that, George Carlin has an additional seven very particular words. I honestly couldn’t look forward to these coming years anymore, to adventures within the delightful cannabis industry and to merging the advancements of artificial intelligence; while it was an adventure to get here, it was a delightful journey. It is one that I wouldn’t have had any other way.
