Corey Barnette

My name is Corey Barnette and I’m the owner of KINFOLK Dispensary and District Growers in Washington, D.C. I grew up in a lower income area of the Chattanooga, Tennessee, but it was a neighborhood where we all knew each other.  We helped each other.  We cared about each other.  There was a sense of community, mutual advancement and mutually assured safety.  In many ways, the community in DC is similar in that residents of the city are aware that both our borders and rights are constantly threatened. 

My Grandmother helped me discover my love for cultivation. She didn’t grow cannabis, but her passion for plant and gardening was infectious. For me, cannabis cultivation and product development is exciting because it provides a huge opportunity to build viable businesses that make a real contribution, restore communities and serve individuals. Many think that growing is simply feeding the plant nutrients, giving it light, and controlling the environment. I see those things a simply the basics. If done correctly, working to turn cultivation into a commercially viable business provides the opportunity to help many find pathways to the middle class, offers opportunities to restore some of the damage from the war on drugs, and gives a chance to fund needed programs.

A lot of folks come to me with questions about cultivation. This is my advice to novice growers:

• First, endeavor to grow sustainably

• Second, don’t get caught up chasing false goals. Focus on growing the plant to be the best it is supposed to be rather than focusing on getting the plant to do things it’s not supposed to do. Many of the goals pursued by cultivators are pointless and add no real value.

• Finally, don’t be afraid to take chances.

“DC has to protect DC or others will take what it has to offer and share nothing with those of us who live here, raise families here, and want to build a life here.”

I’m excited to be a THC Finals Judge for the National Cannabis Championship because I get the chance to see what some of the best home growers in our region are doing to grow plants to the best of their genetic potential. I’m glad to see folks in the DC area embracing the right to grow at home and an interest in learning more about what safe cannabis consumption.

DC is a unique city and we have a unique culture. To build and grow as a city, we simply must have our mutual advancement in mind.  DC has to take care of DC.  DC has to protect DC or others will take what it has to offer and share nothing with those of us who live here, raise families here, and want to build a life here.

To learn more about KINFOLK click here. To learn more about District Growers click here.