CannaBoomers Pushing Back Against Artificial Boundaries
Patricia A. Patton
by Patricia A. Patton, author, advocate, entrepreneur, cannabis expert — and cannaboomer. (@canna_boomers)
I was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up there. Seattle is, as you know, truly a port city between two mountain ranges with people from all over the world, but when I was growing up it was more of a large town that was a port than a port city in today’s understanding of the world. It was always, however, a cosmopolitan city.
My mother migrated from Pine Bluff, Arkansas during the Great Migration in the mid-1940’s for a better life. For her, heading to the Pacific Northwest was like going to the great unknown. I attribute my spirit of adventure to my mother, who as a single woman set out on her own, worked every piece of a job she could find to support us and make a new life for generations to come.
“I attribute my spirit of adventure to my mother, who as a single woman set out on her own, worked every piece of a job she could find to support us and make a new life for generations to come.”
The Black community in Seattle was small and still is to be completely honest. I had a fine public school education which included music, foreign languages from age 7 through university, friends of all nationalities such that I thought this was the case in all cities. When I finally came east to New York at age 21 for the first time, I was shocked to learn that many people lived in artificial ghettos and did not interact with each other. In contrast, in Seattle we grew up with only one club so whomever liked to dance went to that club. Integration on the surface level was the order of the day. We hung together. The east coast was quite the opposite.
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EstroHaze goes in-depth with baby boomer, entrepreneur, writer, and advocate, Patricia A. Patton
I came into the cannabis space via the Women Grow Leadership Conference in Denver in February 2018. The structure and programming of the conference allowed me to start understanding issues, policy, and the business of cannabis. I won a registration to the conference via an Instagram contest sponsored by EstroHaze. At the conference I met the founders of EstroHaze — Sirita, Safon and Kali — and began a friendship across generations that is notable. I also met Cherron Perry-Thomas, Founder of Green Dandelion Marketing, and Gia Moron, Vice President of Women Grow, at this conference and have been big supporters and have shared opportunities. I definitely consider these women to have mentored me. These younger sisters have proven to be mentors, allies, collaborators and supporters.
This year I decided to enter the National Cannabis Festival’s Session Selector Contest because I wanted to hear from and see people like me: active, older -which everyone wants to become-, curious, entrepreneurial, and passionate about change. I want to age in a healthy way and I think cannabis should be in my arsenal and not solely an end of life solution. When I saw there would be a Senior Pavilion at the festival, I thought this might be an opportunity to expand the conversation beyond what people say about Boomers. We should speak for ourselves and each other. We are not a homogeneous group. We in fact are a huge demographic age-wise with several segments within the demographic.
“The cannabis community advocates against artificial boundaries, yet I feel tapped down, un-valued by activists, media, and brands, trapped by... a narrative that talks about the plant as medicine yet focuses on the consumptive products.”
The panel I’m producing is titled “Boomers Can Speak for Ourselves”. I want to be heard. The cannabis community advocates against artificial boundaries, yet I feel tapped down, un-valued by activists, media, and brands, trapped by the limitations of a narrative that talks about the plant as medicine yet focuses on the consumptive products.
It is a narrative that talks about older adults as sickly humans rather than as part of the new customer base. I wanted to push against this line of marketing knowledge and simplified agenda. I am certain boomers bring value across generations. We have perspective and that can be used to help others. Marketing of this plant cannot be explained or completely understood by data derived from primarily sales on the West coast .
Side Session:
What is one issue that you’d like our readers to think about/focus on in the run up to the 2020 election?
We need new leadership in the White House so it’s important that everyone be informed and vote. It’s also important to push for removal of Marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.
The perception of cannabis never really changed among many Boomers. Understand that many of us never stopped smoking a joint, but many of us did. We are curious, but remember we think that our security depends upon our right hand not knowing what our left hand is doing. With passage of the Farm Bill and more conversation about CBD in places like big box stores, boomers are more aware and are beginning to explore the plant’s possibilities. We want to know about the relationship between the endocannabinoid system and phytocannabinoid system. Are we that closely related to plants? In what way?
Boomers are products of the cultural era and propaganda of our formative years. The War on Drugs, the stigmas attached to cannabis use remain with us-- even though many of us are coming to the realization that this messaging was all about social control. Just because we recognize it as straight nonsense, it still doesn’t negate how it has affected how we show up in the world. I eat what I hunt. So I am not worried about what my employer may say if I consume. Yet I do not flaunt my choice of consumption publicly. We need more education and a more widespread understanding that indeed cannabis IS medicine.
Patricia A Patton (center)
About Patricia A. Patton
Patricia A. Patton is one of the nation’s leading experts on Boomer Reinvention.
Clients hire her when they are ready to redesign the second act of their life into an epic adventure. Fluent in three languages and a global traveler, as Patricia began to connect with Boomer women around the world, she noticed a familiar pattern; too many women were releasing lifelong dreams because they had bought into the notion that it is too late for them to pursue anything meaningful at this stage in their life.
Patricia is igniting the flame in Boomer women from coast to coast by helping them recognize that “this is really when the good stuff begins.”
Whether she is empowering Boomer women about how to find their voice online by writing a blog, hosting a memoir class for women who want to record their history or hosting her Annual Retreat on Martha’s Vineyard, Patricia’s focus remains: resolve to ignite the spark on Boomer women nationwide who are ready to “Dream themselves Awake.”
Patricia coaches private clients on strategies to reconnect with the possibilities of their life. Her proprietary system helps them move past the fear, doubt and need to be safe and step into a joyous field of possibility—something that comes natural to her as a certified Life Re-Imagined guide.
What happened to the dreams you once had that you’ve been making excuses for not pursuing?
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
How can you live outside your self imposed boundaries?
What is stopping you and how can you get started?