STAFF REPORT
When the success of proposition 64 swept across California, legalizing marijuana and opening local eyes to a lucrative industry, Moonshine Ink documented the changes California businesses faced in a series of news pieces this January. What Ink reporters didn’t intend, however, was the level at which they were attuned to the subtleties of the industry, especially a niche that is lacking in today’s cannabis market: Schwag.
“It’s all about excess these days,” said Moonshine publisher, Mayumi Elegado. “In the modern market’s desire to create the most potent product, growers lost sight of their roots. There was a hole in the world of cannabis production that left many without options.”
That hole was to remain until Elegado stumbled upon a pile of cannabis seeds in the sheath for one of her old thrift shop Doobie Brothers records, and inspiration struck. The seeds turned out to be of a relatively unknown and unnamed strain from the late 70s that showed an unusually low THC content.
After the appropriate licenses were filed, the seeds were planted in a very small greenhouse in the corner of the MI office’s tiny south facing porch. Three months later, the newspaper’s first strain, aptly named “Poor Man’s Moonshine,” was born. Now, the monthly publication sports three additional low-TCH-content schwag varieties: “River Weeds,” “Huck it High,” and “That 70’s S**t” in its Moonschine Schwag line. The company plans to bring their product to market by early 2018, dependent upon the awarding of licenses by local jurisdictions — but according to an unnamed source, samples may be available with the purchase of one year long subscription to Moonshine Ink.
“In today’s volatile ski town economy, resiliency is key, and we needed a way to diversify our revenue stream,” said Moonshine financial advisor, Bud Green. “Cannabis is a quickly growing market, and with our schwag we feel like we’re targeting a local need. I’m no Tanner Hall, but good luck ripping a Nose to Fingers lap off KT post dab rip.”
According to a Forbes article published in March 2015, marijuana potency has risen approximately 20 percent over the last 40 plus years. According to Moonshine, their mission with this product is to offer their readers — an extraordinarily intelligent, athletic, and attractive demographic — a less debilitating cannabis experience.
“Studies have shown that high intake of the psychoactive component in marijuana, TCH, is non-conducive to a thorough retention on information, and this includes news media,” said Marie Janelle, associate professor of psychology at UC Davis. “The key to maintaining an educated constituency of readers is ensuring that they’re not too high to read.”
In keeping with Moonshine’s effort to stay environmentally conscious, all future issues will also be printed on hemp paper.
