Month: April 2021
Cannabis Topicals for Workouts: How to Work Cannabinoids Into Your Cool-Down and Recovery
Make your workouts work for you by adding a cannabis topical to your fitness routine.
One way we know a workout is successful is because our muscles hurt after we’re done.
Though some subscribe to a “no pain, no gain” philosophy, there are also many of us who would be just fine with gaining the benefits of exercise without the downside of nagging aches and soreness. That’s where cannabis topicals come in.
What’s a cannabis topical, exactly? It’s a product that’s designed to be applied directly to the skin. Topicals come in many forms, such as balms, creams, lotions, oils, ointments, salves—and they’re infused with THC as well as other cannabinoids and plant compounds.
Here’s how cannabis topicals work: Thanks to receptors located throughout our bodies that are part of the human endocannabinoid system (ECS), topicals provide targeted relief.
The result of rubbing an infused lotion into, say, a sore lower back, is that the active cannabis compounds primarily stay localized to the area—meaning it won’t cause a “high” feeling. (There is one important caveat with THC topicals: Even though topicals don’t cause a psychoactive effect, if you’re subject to drug tests as a condition of employment or military service, be aware that certain types of tests are extremely sensitive to THC.)
Cannabis Topicals for Workouts
Using cannabis topicals as a regular part of a workout routine is something every athlete and dedicated fitness buff might want to consider. Already, a shift in perception is taking place: A 2019 study found that “nearly 82 percent of people who partake in legal cannabis light up before or after exercise (most often both).”
The reason for this impressive statistic likely lies in research that has found both THC and CBD compounds to possess anti-inflammatory, muscle-relaxing, and pain-relieving effects. In the context of a workout, a cannabis topical may thus be especially helpful when it comes to common related complaints like muscle soreness, muscle spasms, or joint pain.
In addition, use of a cannabis topical can also help expedite recovery times, be it between workouts at home or bouts in a kickboxing ring.
Times for Topicals: Cool-Down and Recovery
If you’re ready to start this journey at home, there are a few different ways to consider using a cannabis topical as part of your fitness routine.
One of the best places to start is right after a workout is complete. In the immediate cool-down period, tending to aches and pains before they arise can be the difference between feeling like a truck hit you the day after lifting weights or feeling refreshed and ready to crank out more squats.
For those dealing with chronic pain, topicals may also prove beneficial in a pre-workout capacity. Thinking ahead to the shoulder that will inevitably throb after you’re done swimming laps or the elbow that always quits on you right after a good game of tennis, applying a cannabis topical ahead of the activity in question may do wonders to limit such discomfort moving forward.
Though the relationship between major sports leagues like the NFL and the NBA and cannabis topicals remains a work in progress, plenty of former professional athletes are now coming forward to endorse the concept and offer their own spin on the recipe. Among them are former Miami Dolphins tailback Ricky Williams, Olympics gymnastics gold medalist Gabby Douglas, and former NBA star Al Harrington, among others.
It’s a busy scene and one that continues to further define itself by the day. At the center of it all, however, is the power of cannabis topicals to help us make the most of our forays into fitness.
Looks like running may soon have competition as the best high associated with exercise.
6 weed products journalist Ricardo Baca can’t live without
Weedmaps News∙ April 20, 2021 12:00 pm PDT | Updated 22 hours ago
Ricardo Baca is a prolific veteran journalist and considered the first modern weed news editor (outside of the old High Times school). He was an editor at The Denver Post where he ran The Cannabist for over three years. Baca’s place “at ground zero of the green rush” was the subject of the 2015 documentary Rolling Papers. Today, he’s the CEO and founder of Grasslands, a cannabis PR company dedicated to championing journalism while helping cannabis brands tell their stories.
In the eye of the media storm
For Baca, it’s been nothing short of a “tremendous honor” to witness the historic trajectory of cannabis over the last decade so intimately.
The breaking point came in 2014, Baca told Weedmaps, when the unspoken battle still raged between cannabis advocacy media and the mainstream coverage that still parroted outdated narratives from the federal government and the war on drugs. “That’s when we saw this tipping point where the work of a lot of our predecessors, people like David Downs and Ed Rosenthal, writers and journalists who had previously done legitimate cannabis journalism from a modern educated perspective, then being able to build upon what they did.”
When Baca came on to the scene in 2013, the understanding was clear that the advocacy media that had kept cannabis coverage afloat up to that point wouldn’t cut it as the legal cannabis beat became a reality. “To be able to create real journalism and continue in that vein from those who came before me, and to take it to the next level with the help of a very large community, and to really change how the media covers cannabis, that has been the most tremendous honor to witness that expansion.”
Though Baca admits that his role shifting from advocacy media to mainstream cannabis journalism wasn’t something he thought of in the moment, at least, not initially.
“We didn’t know what we were doing at the time, we were just trained journalists covering this new beat that was newly legal, and we didn’t recognize the weight of that.”
Baca continued, “Then of course, years later, especially after leaving newspapers, I recognized that what my colleagues and I did was really monolithic. David Downs and other people were out there creating legitimate journalism that held the powerful accountable, both the brands and the regulators, both sides of the equation, the prohibitionists and the advocates for legalization. But what we did was we just brought it to a different level, and got so much attention for bringing traditional journalism to an industry that desperately needed it.”
Honoring weed journalism
Having played a major role in changing the national conversation on cannabis, as well as changing the way media reports on cannabis in general, Baca strives to honor his journalism roots by making sure Grasslands follows suit. Grasslands is a cannabis marketing and PR agency with a few tech, healthcare, and government clients as well.
As Grasslands helps cannabis brands build compelling and meaningful stories through press launches and effective media placements, the company also takes care to document the intricacies of what they’re learning in cannabis marketing on a daily basis. For Baca, it’s been a thrill ride to transition to his new role while still operating in the cannabis space.
“We call ourselves a ‘journalism-minded agency,’ and we do everything we can to help out our partners in the media because we recognize the immense stress that they are under right now with layoffs and furloughs and reduced staffing and so much more.”
Before signing on a client to Grasslands, Baca said the company makes sure they align with their “client criteria,” which includes “recognizing the important contributions to our societies by journalists.”
“I think that’s immensely important if you’re working with us,” Baca added, “because we recognize that we don’t have a job without the journalists we work with.”
Grasslands goes to great lengths to make sure journalism remains an essential pillar of their operation. The Grasslands blog features journalist Q&As where the company highlights individual journalists to give brands and others the opportunity to know them and their work.
“We are super passionate about making sure that the public at large recognizes how journalism contributes to the very fabric of our democracy,” said Baca, “and we would not work with a brand that does not recognize that.” https://ad7a295a53e42666ebd8c5d36c30d944.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
An optimistic future for cannabis
At this point in his career, Baca sees a bright future for cannabis legalization, acceptance, and evolution as a medicine.
“We know that we have an overwhelming percentage of Americans who support legal cannabis,” Baca said, “and I would argue that we haven’t even seen anything yet. Even though this change has been monolithic, in the next decade, we will see a shift that will blow this most recent shift away in terms of acceptance.”
Baca elaborated, “As the stigma decreases and as minds open, more and more people will be opened up to the wellness potential of cannabinoids and terpenes. When you think about the amount of adult Americans who suffer from pain, anxiety, and inflammation, we’re talking about a very decided majority.” When this majority feels more comfortable going to cannabis instead of over-the-counter and prescription painkillers, Baca argued, “this will improve our global wellness on a historic level that I think most people in the industry aren’t even thinking about right now.”
Six products Ricardo Baca can’t live without
Baca first tried weed in his teens, but the experience wasn’t what he considers his proper introduction to the power of the plant. “I’ve never smoked anything successfully, and early unregulated edibles from my friend’s kitchen were not an ideal introduction.”
Baca’s revelatory cannabis experience came in 2013 in the form of a 10 milligram piece of chocolate. “I cut it up in four pieces to see what 2.5 milligrams of active THC would look and feel like, and holy shit!” Baca said. “Instantly, I woke up the next day and told my wife, ‘This is my new preferred substance. I so prefer the experience we had last night to alcohol any day of the week.’ I’ve been a convert ever since.”
Here are six weed products Ricardo Baca can’t live without.
The Puffco Peak
“Obviously this is game changing technology,” Baca said of the Puffco Peak vaporizer. “What [Puffco CEO Roger Volodarsky] and his team have done, they met the market where they were. To normalize the dab blowtorch in an innovative, tech-savvy and aesthetics-conscious way, that was genius.”
Davinci IQ2 Vaporizer
Davinci is a Grasslands client, and Baca is proud to rep the brand’s new and improved dry flower vape.
“The Davinci IQ2 is certainly the best flower vaporizer on the market. With most of their competitors, there are significant airflow issues. That’s what they directly addressed in this new iteration of the IQ. That airflow is on point, and I also appreciate their advancements toward dosage control. We definitely need to see more dose control in the vaporizer space.”
Veritas Sour Diesel
“It’s kind of a cliche, but I’ve always been a Sour D guy,” said Baca, “and Veritas makes an incredible Sour D. The nose on this [flower] is insane. I Like the elevating strains, the uppers.”Find Veritas products
Grasslands Trio of Trays
Grasslands has designed a delightful trio of rolling trays now on sale at their merch store. “My IQ2 is on one with flower remnants, my keys are on the other one, they’ve just become a really handy tool for the house and the office.”
A Marijuana Moment Subscription
“I’m so appreciative of all of the journalists covering the lifestyle side, the business side, and the policy side,” Baca said, “but I think we really need that policy side of reporting, especially people who are looking at what’s happening federally, as well as different states and provinces. Tom Angell and his team do great work, and we’ve been proud supporters for years at different levels.”
Sugar High Milk Chocolate-Covered Caramels with Sea Salt
“We have been demanding edibles to taste better,” Baca commented, “and I think the market is finally starting to catch up with that consumer demand. These caramels are un-frickin’-believable.”
Interview by Nic Juarez. Written by Andy Andersen. Featured image courtesy of Grasslands. Graphic by David Lozada/Weedmaps
Fantz in Weed’s Pants: Remember those fast times at 4/20 high?
A look back at the good ol’ days on the quad
By CHRISTY FANTZ | fantzc@dailycamera.com | Boulder Daily Camera PUBLISHED: April 19, 2021 at 1:49 p.m. | UPDATED: April 19, 2021 at 1:51 p.m.
With 4/20 on the horizon, does anybody still care?
It’s about as dated at Lima Bean Respect Day. No disrespect, baby butterbeans, but cannabis curled about the atmosphere, draped in diamonds and a puff of bouge, and straight up claimed April 20.
That prima donna, although luscious in its flower and sublime in its swank, cannabis’ holiday is kind of so 10 years ago.
Remember us, back then in our pot leaf leggings/meggings, chillin’ on the quad, lit like misfits, rolling around in fish fertilizer with a brick of dirt weed in our back pockets? We were so cool and wrinkle-free.
Nowadays when 4/20 rolls around, the Norlin Quad parties like it’s at a Kentucky Bluegrass orgy. (“I can breathe,” the blades of grass scream in repose. “Nobody’s on my face. Let’s seed like it’s 1989.”)
From the 1990s to its more recent heyday the last decade, the holiday would cram up to 15,000 people on the CU campus so that celebrants could collectively puff it up at 4:20 p.m. and exhale a large cloud of kusy tushy smoke stacks.
CU tried to get a grapple on the chaos with various tactics over the years — from issuing tickets and heavy police presence to dousing the grounds with emulsified fish guts in the form of smelly fish fertilizer to deter the gathering — the attempts often failed.
Leaders inadvertently won, though, in 2014 when rec weed became legal. The CU staff likely breathed such a hard sigh of relief that 20 years of second-hand smoke eked out of their lungs. Nobody cared about the gathering anymore.
We were just like stupid Catholic school kids. Oh, it’s not illegal anymore? Fuck that.
The event seemed to expunge itself. And 4/20 may not be far behind, because every day can be 4/20. Except for those who actually wear the pot leaf leggings/meggings. The bros/bras get all baked in their yards on 4/20 and scream, “Fuck yeah, 4/20!” to the neighborhood toddlers.
So what do we do for 4/20 this year? It’s not like we’ve already been sitting on our asses, hotboxing our living rooms for a full calendar year. (I’ll speak for all of us.) Besides celebrating this random Tuesday by washing down a big fat Kush BLT with some gin n juice at Cheba Hut or pushing down a large cheese pie from Cosmo’s with a vat of spicy ranch, here are a couple options:
• Head to Terrapin Care Station at 5370 Manhattan Circle or 1795 Folsom St. in Boulder to win the “Four Twentiest” of prizes — free weed for a year. The local shop will also be holding numerous promotions, as will most other dispensaries in town, so check the shops and save a dime(bag) or two.
• Some cannabis brands are collaborating with local food trucks to offer a culinary pairing to your high. If you buy any products from Veritas Fine Cannabis, Olio and Cookies at Eclipse Cannabis Company, 933 Alpine Ave., Boulder, on 4/20, you’ll nab a voucher for a free meal from Snowy Churro Food Truck, which will be at the dispensary at 11 a.m.
• Green Solution in neighboring Longmont is also having a contest for participants to win weed for a year. Check out details at the store at 206 S. Main St., Longmont, which will also offer 15% off online orders on the buzzy holiday.
Follow @fantzypants on socials.
Big Lou’s Food Truck to help dispensaries celebrate 420 in Pueblo
Tracy Harmon, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.Fri, April 16, 2021, 7:15 PM·3 min read
Apr. 16—When the cannabis lover’s 420 holiday rolls around Tuesday, two Pueblo dispensaries are celebrating with free food from Big Lou’s Amazing Sandwiches and Tacos food truck.
Big Lou’s, affectionately dubbed BLAST, launched in summer 2019 when Louis Torres decided he wanted to do something he is good at and be his own boss. The last year has been particularly tough for Torres, “not just because of the COVID pandemic, but I also had a couple of deaths in the family,” he said.
He wasn’t able to roll out the food truck as much as he wanted. The pandemic also put a halt to 420 celebrations last year, so Colorado-based marijuana cultivators Veritas Fine Cannabis wanted to do something special this year.
Veritas staff opted to organize a celebration that would be a win-win, giving Puebloans a safe way to observe the cannabis holiday and help a local food truck at the same time, knowing food truck owners also have experienced declines in revenue due to the pandemic.
Torres is grateful for the opportunity to serve up his signature homemade tacos and sandwiches.
“I am ready to go again,” he said.
His BLAST food truck will be at Canna Cabinet, 2630 W. Pueblo Blvd., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 20 and Colorado Best Budz, 23344 Highway 50 East, Unit B, from 4 to 7 p.m.
“How it works is any customer who purchases a Veritas, Olio or Cookies product at any of the partner dispensaries during the listed serving times will receive a voucher for a free meal,” Billisitz said. “Veritas is covering the cost of all the free food from the trucks, with the goal of helping these trucks make additional sales from the increased attention around 420.”
Torres will serve up his Cousin Adam’s Classic, named for Adam Bastardo, who ran the Chronic Steaks food truck at Fourth and Grand in Pueblo years ago, “before food trucks were a craze,” Torres said.
Adam’s recipe for Kalua is a Hawaiian-style smoked pork sandwich that includes coleslaw and a pineapple, orange, guava barbecue sauce on sweet Hawaiian bread.
Torres also offers his main sellers: beef, green chile chicken and Kalua pork tacos. The beef is a slow-roasted pot roast that also can be used on the beef and cheddar or French dip sandwiches.
Torres creates a green chile with chicken breast and Pueblo Chiles. He usually takes it up a notch by adding Fresno or jalapeno peppers for some extra heat.
He also “makes some really good beans” and rice to round out the meals, he said. BLAST is usually at the Cookies dispensary, 3003 W. Northern Ave., each Saturday. The 719BLAST Facebook page details other locations where he will be set up.
If he has a lull in customers, Torres will don his taco suit to draw attention to the food truck. It’s a move that puts plenty of smiles on people’s faces.
“People that normally won’t stop see a guy in a taco suit and then say, ‘Oh, I’ve got to stop now,'” he said with a laugh.
Torres said he developed a love of cooking during his East High School culinary arts class. He and his family moved to Pueblo after the California earthquakes of 1989 when Torres was about 5 years old.
The history of 420 is a little hazy, but according to history.com, in fall 1971, a group of high school friends got a map to a cannabis plant abandoned by a Coast Guard member who could no longer care for it. They would meet once a week to trek out to try to find it, and the meeting time was 4:20.
The article indicates while the friends never did find the plant, they coined the term 420, and it became a way for high-schoolers to discuss smoking pot without adults knowing what they were actually talking about.
Five Best Colorado Conspiracy Theories for Your Next Heady Debate
If it’s time to talk about demon airport horses and caves filled with gold, Veritas Tractor Beam is the strain you’ll want to keep the conversation lively.
Sometimes the occasion just calls for conspiracy theories.
A time-honored tradition, debating the veracity of local myths and whispered legends can be an utter delight in the right company. However, even those who usually abstain from talk about Sasquatch or buried treasure will find their interest piqued with a little Veritas Tractor Beam. Featuring notes of musky pine needles and crisp citrus, and with effects that will have you feeling inspired and imaginative, this uplifting strain is a perfect accomplice to a night of good-spirited conspiracy theory chatter.
But what are these out-there ideas in need of a toke and a talk? Here are five of the best Colorado conspiracy theories to fuel your next friendly debate.
1. “Blucifer,” Demon Horse of the Denver International Airport
If you travel regularly, you’ve almost certainly met Blucifer. Technically speaking, it’s a 32-foot-tall fiberglass sculpture with red glowing eyes named Mustang. But for locals, the spectacle of the large blue horse rearing up outside the Denver airport has proved fodder for several outlandish conspiracy theories. Burn some Tractor Beam and dig on this: Blucifer really has caused death and destruction. In 2006, Luis Jiménez—the sculptor responsible for Mustang—was killed when part of the work came loose and severed an artery in his leg, causing Jiménez to bleed to death. Is it possible Blucifer might kill again? Who knows!
2. What’s Sealed in Spaulding’s Cavern?
Search all you want at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, you won’t find Spaulding’s Cavern. That’s because the spacious yet narrow cavern has been sealed up tight since the 1930s when it was determined to be too dangerous for visitors to explore. Originally discovered by Jacob Spaulding in 1848, its fragile sandstone and risk of erosion made it unsuitable for public access. After being closed off in the 1930s, the cavern was briefly reopened in 1963 before again being sealed. Roll another joint of Veritas Tractor Beam and dare to ask: What’s really inside Spaulding’s Cavern?
3. Butch Cassidy’s Missing Gold
Not every Colorado conspiracy theory is soaked in blood or tied to extraterrestrial life—some are just about finding a lot of money. In this case, the goods in question come courtesy of the outlaw Butch Cassidy. In addition to being one of the finer roles played by the late Paul Newman, Cassidy was known for his infamous train robberies and reckless antics. As a result, many rumors persist with regard to where ol’ Butch may have stashed some of his loot while on the run from the law. One such rumored location? A ways south of Denver in El Paso County, near the town of Monument. No specifics about the location are known, but with the help of Veritas Tractor Beam, you might home in on where the gold is buried in no time.
4. Secret Bunkers Beneath DIA
DIA has approximately as many outlandish theories as it does outgoing flights. From the aforementioned Blucifer to tales of Freemasons and coded artworks, there is no shortage of character—or conspiracies—when it comes to the airport that opened back in 1995. Another is a belief that hidden beneath the airport’s baggage-transport tunnels is a series of secret bunkers. Though a tour conducted by The Denver Post revealed no evidence of unusual underground activity or tunnels, it won’t take much more than some Veritas Tractor Beam and a little imagination to begin debating where to find the access portal that was obviously hidden from reporters, and what nefarious purposes the bunkers are unquestionably meant to serve.
5. UFOs in Hooper, Colorado
At the end of the day, it’s hard to top unidentified flying objects as a source for a lively conspiracy theory debate. While Hooper (not far from Colorado Gators Reptile Park) is hardly the only place in Colorado where UFO sightings have been reported, the town does have the unique distinction of being host to a UFO watchtower. From this vantage, those hoping to spot a UFO have the vast expanse of the largely empty San Luis Valley to survey for signs of life beyond Earth. Some say geothermal water in Hooper draws these otherworldly crafts to the area, but regardless of any explanation, there are a lot of folks who have seen something that they cannot explain up there. With some Veritas Tractor Beam in the mix, the sky is truly the limit when it comes to arguing over what it all means and who—or what—is really out there.
The Colorado brands and retailers that are killing it with 4/20 marketing
For years, mainstream brands like Ben and Jerry’s and Taco Bell have been capitalizing on 4/20 with creative product launches. The cannabis industry has been slow to catch up, but this year our most mature market is pulling out the stops. Here’s a look at some of the Colorado companies that are going the extra mile for 4/20, including some truly fun collaborations between brands and dispensaries.
Veritas and Olio bring the munchies to the party
What would improve your 4/20? Free waffles, obviously. This 4/20, the teams at Veritas and Olio are sponsoring food trucks throughout Colorado to serve hungry revelers at 20 participating dispensaries. Every customer who purchases a Veritas, Olio, or Cookies product will receive a voucher for a complimentary meal at the food truck parked outside. The range of menus makes us wish we could pop over to colorful Colorado to sample everything from cajun bbq sliders at Wolfpac in Denver to churros with ice cream at Eclipse in Boulder. Yes, I said churros with ice cream.
Maggie’s Farm goes to seed
Maggie’s Farm is partnering with brands such as Wana and The Clear to spotlight the nuances of outdoor craft cannabis cultivation, including how to maximize a strain’s terpenes. To celebrate their ten year anniversary, the company will be hosting Save The Terps, a ten day event culminating on April 20. In addition to offering deep discounts, Maggie’s Farm stores will give out lucky 420 scratch cards and they’re hosting “doorbuster giveaways,” which will be available to the first 100 customers who show up at each of their seven locations.
But what really sets them apart is the seed giveaway. Each day, they’ll be handing out a different pack of seeds for herbs that contain terpenes also found in their cannabis strains. Each seed pack will include info about that day’s highlighted terpene and the seeds, explaining the therapeutic values and relevance.
“Our goal is to educate and further normalize the cannabis plant by showing consumers how the same beneficial terpenes that are found in cannabis are found in everyday plants and foods, and have been used for therapeutic and medicinal purposes for centuries,” they explained.
Smokin’ Gun Apothecary is ready to roar
The Glendale dispensary is playing on its anti-prohibition speakeasy theme with a “Roarin’ 4/20s party.” On both 4/20 and 4/21, the store will offer deep deals on 1906, Spherex, Ascend, Keef Cola, Dixie, Marys Medicinals, Arcanum, Willie’s Reserve, Empire Diamonds, and Airopro. They’ll also be rolling out the red carpet for guests with in-house flower deals, giveaways, a food truck, and live music.
Wana asks what we can learn from 2020
Leading up to April 20, Wana Brands will release a daily #4ward20 Challenge, with fun challenges, from pandemic-safe celebrations to opportunities to support the social justice causes brought to the forefront during last year’s consciousness-raising demonstrations. Their multimedia campaign reflects on the challenges of the past year while embracing optimism for the future.
Wana fans can share their activities by posting photos to social media sites for a chance to win limited-edition swag. In addition to consumer outreach, Wana will honor dispensary partners by sharing special gifts with the essential workers who have kept the industry going through the pandemic.
“#4ward20 is not just about what happens on April 20. It is a celebration of resilience and the relationships that have carried us through the past year and a reminder that hope and kindness will help us reach the finish line of this pandemic,” said Nancy Whiteman, CEO of Wana Brands. “Of course, #4ward20 is also a pretty good reason to enjoy some of your favorite cannabis products too.”
Meet the Colorado Artist Behind Our Custom Veritas Skis
Artist Joe Palec shares the inside story on how winter sports and cannabis inspired his graphic design for the Veritas skis made in partnership with Icelantic.
When it comes to cannabis culture, there is no offseason. Long before the law turned friendly, for example, cannabis and winter sports had already established an intractable bond—the secret slopeside smoke shacks are the stuff of legend. Fast-forward to today, and it’s this rich history that Denver artist Joe Palec drew from when he was recently tapped to design graphics for a custom set of Veritas x Icelantic Nomad 105 skis.
Just as Veritas Fine Cannabis is committed to ensuring consumers find the right strain for every occasion, every time, Palec’s unmistakable style blurs a stream-of-consciousness approach with intricate, surreal illustrations—each perfectly paired to the project at hand.
Thus, when Palec was asked to lend his talents in putting a Veritas twist on Icelantic’s flagship model Nomad 105 skis, he turned to those who knew the culture best for inspiration.
In keeping with the principles that guide all elements of the Veritas ethos—a hands-on approach from seed to harvest, cultivation consistency, quality over everything—Palec has produced a remarkable, one-of-a-kind design. As for how Palec would describe his final graphic art?
“Dangerously whimsical,” he says.
Check out this Q&A for more on Palec’s artistic background, his favorite Veritas strain, and much more:
How did you find yourself in this line of work?
I’ve always been good at it. I was always doodling for friends, but then about three years ago, I started to take it seriously, producing shows and doing commercial work. It’s been a long road but it’s been working for me so far!
Do you have any major influences as an artist?
One would be Martin Handford, the artist behind Where’s Waldo. I’ve always been into that style. I like making art that people want to look at but hopefully where they can have some fun with the work too.
What was your inspiration for the custom Veritas x Icelantic Nomad 105 skis design?
Veritas is a cannabis brand, so I obviously wanted to work that theme into it. I also spent a weekend with some avid skier friends and asked them if they knew any ski terms that might qualify as a double entendre so that I could work them into the design. So skiing tricks like the Daffy Duck and the Truck Driver and terminology like “yard sale” [aka eating it on the slopes], “pizza / fries” [ski positions], and “park rat.” I utilized all of that stuff as inspiration for my design.
How did you start designing for cannabis brands?
Separate from my work as an artist, I also work in cannabis, so I know a lot of people and budtenders within the industry. There’s actually a lot of overlap between the art and cannabis communities in Denver, thanks to brands like Veritas, which is really active in the art community and goes out of its way to cultivate relationships with artists.
I also definitely need to give a big shout-out to Robert Gray [@robtheartmuseum], who puts together really cool cannabis-influenced art events. It was at one of those events where I was first introduced to the Veritas team. I’m so grateful to work with a brand like Veritas that is so invested in the art community and in supporting the artists that are a part of it.
Do you have a favorite Veritas strain?
My go-to is Cake Pop. It’s one of those strains that doesn’t make me freak out, which I tend to do a lot. It just gets me into a great headspace, plus it helps me concentrate and gets my creative flow going.
The Veritas strain library is your source for tasty options for any activity, conveniently organized by whatever experience you’re looking for.
